Chapter 24 Noble Lady × Royal Prince (1) What kind of world is this, where people are bullied like this…
Springtime heralds the coming of spring, and all things resonate in harmony. A riot of colors, each vying for attention, attracts bees and butterflies, who eagerly admire the spectacle.
Every March, the palace would hold a flower-viewing banquet, inviting prominent families from the capital to bring their sons and daughters to the palace to enjoy the flowers and the festivities. As soon as the spring breeze finished trimming the delicate leaves, the jewelry stores, silk shops, and clothing shops throughout the capital were already busy, with wealthy and powerful people coming every day to purchase the latest fashions.
No matter how dignified and virtuous the noblemen usually appear, once they start arguing, they abandon all pretense of propriety. They'll put their hands on their hips, point at each other's noses, and begin hurling insults. A fine piece of silk will be torn to shreds by them, each preferring to lose it themselves rather than let the other have it—
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. Wearing clothes made of this material, even a pig would look like a little piglet. Besides, few men from noble families are ugly. What if another man wore this and dressed smartly, catching the eye of a prince in the palace? Wouldn't he become a phoenix overnight, a member of the royal family? Just thinking about it makes one furious!
Fortunately, even if the bills were torn, the families behind these influential people would still compensate them without fail. Like the snipe and the clam fighting, the fisherman profited; the doorstep was practically worn down by the crowds, and the owner was so busy he barely had time to breathe. He had no time to manage the accounts during the day, but at night he would close the door and fiddle with his abacus, always grinning from ear to ear, the clinking of gold and silver a delightful sound.
However, there are a few households with high-rise buildings and secluded courtyards who do not need to go out to buy groceries.
On this day, Yuan Mingjin returned home after finishing her work. She had just gotten off the carriage and hadn't even returned to her own courtyard when her father's servant stopped her and invited her to the main courtyard.
“My son, you’re back. Come and try on the new dress the embroiderer made.”
Mei Zihan was sitting upright at his desk, sketching on paper. Upon seeing her, he was overjoyed and quickly put down his pen to greet her, chattering on and on: "Although our Yuan family originated from Congdu, several branches of our family went to Jiangnan in the early years. This year, they also sent some bolts of cloth. I heard that this kind of brocade is rare even in the palace! Father drew the design himself and had the most skilled embroiderer in the manor sew it according to the design. When my son wears it, he will surely shine like a bright pearl."
Families like theirs typically employ a large number of embroiderers and seamstresses, keeping them from doing manual labor and carefully nurturing their hands. Furthermore, their wealth allows them to invest heavily in high-quality materials, resulting in garments that are usually far more exquisite than those bought from stores.
Yuan Mingjin was feeling a bit unwell, but seeing her father's expectant look, she swallowed the words of refusal that were about to come out of her mouth, and still changed into the dress with the help of the maid.
The inner layer of the top was off-white, and the cuffs were embroidered with two fingers' width of scrolling leaf patterns in gold and silver threads, full of vitality.
The outer layer of the top has a light pink tint, similar to white, which perfectly bridges the transition between white and red. The collar and cuffs are decorated with cinnabar, and every so often a lotus flower is embroidered, with a turquoise stone at the stamen.
The veil was so thin and transparent that even the palm lines were clearly visible when the hand was placed inside. If it weren't for the gold, blue, and green embroidered mountain and sea cloud patterns on the sleeve edges, and the two golden phoenixes perched on the shoulders, an uninformed person might think that the screen was empty, and that the mountain and sea patterns were just patterns on the screen.
The blue vest was embroidered with several golden phoenixes swooping down, with a layer of cinnabar base underneath, and several tassels about two fingers long hanging from the edge.
The belt has a blue background with a beast face embroidered in gold thread, two fire jade ornaments for the eyes, and a ruyi lock shaped embroidered in silver thread for the beast's mouth. The waist chain is much simpler, consisting of three layers strung together with pearls of varying sizes in a staggered and orderly fashion.
The apron is also crimson, with a golden phoenix spreading its wings atop it; two fledgling phoenixes sit below it, one on the left and one on the right, heads held high, beaks raised, heads held high, looking up.
The lower skirt is a slightly deeper crimson than cinnabar, with a relatively simple overall design. It features a pagoda pattern embroidered in silver thread along the hem, with aquamarine used as windows on the pagoda. The hem is also covered with finger-length tassels that sway as you walk.
It was rare for Yuan Mingjin to wear such a gorgeous dress, so her maid took down her hair bun and recombed it, then inserted a pure gold flower and bird crown into her black hair, and a teardrop-shaped pendant was placed between her eyebrows.
The necklace around her neck had five layers, from bottom to top: one layer of pearls interspersed with turquoise; one layer of obsidian interspersed with an ivory-carved peony, no bigger than a date; one layer of red cotton thread wrapped with yellow cotton thread, with a circle of gold discs carved with lotus patterns hanging down; one layer of gold carvings of two phoenix tails joined together, each feather clearly defined and exquisitely detailed, with a perfectly round, bright green jade bead inlaid at the junction; the layer closest to her neck was coral interspersed with amber, the red and gold beads reflecting off her snow-white skin, a pleasing sight to behold.
The outfit was so elaborate that it took the maids a quarter of an hour to dress her completely. Yuan Mingjin stood patiently the whole time, letting them do as they pleased, but her eyelids were already drooping with sleep. If she hadn't opened her eyes to find a brush right in front of her, about to be applied to her cheek, and quickly waved her hand in refusal, they probably would have finished applying her makeup as well... Oh dear, the maids seemed quite disappointed.
"how?"
When Mei Zihan saw his daughter come out, his eyes lit up, and he immediately praised her: "Good, good, good! As expected of my daughter! If it were anyone else, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to dress with such style... She will definitely be a sensation at the flower viewing banquet!"
The main colors are red and blue, symbolizing the balance of water and fire; the young phoenix facing the adult phoenix means that the people's hearts are set on his daughter, who is destined to soar to the heavens.
Yuan Mingjin was already used to her father praising her like this; she was so tired of hearing such compliments that she was practically calloused.
This outfit and jewelry are a bit heavy... her everyday clothes are definitely lighter and more comfortable.
After her father had finally finished admiring her, she was about to change when her mother came in. Her eyes lit up, but she said, "Is this the dress you're going to wear to the flower viewing banquet? So flashy... Although it's beautiful, a woman's appearance is not important. Having real talent and learning is the most important thing."
"Let's relax today. Jin'er has already become the top scholar. Looking at the entire Tianyuan, among her peers, who is more talented and learned than her? If my wife keeps saying these things, Jin'er will get tired of it, won't she?" Mei Zihan said with a smile.
Jin'er rarely wears such bright and beautiful clothes—but even if she did, what harm would it do? Would it diminish her intelligence and wit?
Yuan Youning thought about it and realized that this made sense, so she stopped trying to annoy him.
"There are always people more capable than you, and I dare not boast. Tomorrow I will simply go and broaden my horizons. In addition to this magnificent dress, I will also finish reading Xuanji Niang's poetry collection tonight. I will cultivate both my inner and outer talents, and by doing both at the same time, I think I will have some confidence even if I meet someone more outstanding."
Yuan Mingjin cleverly gave her parents a way out, so they stopped talking. Seeing that she looked exhausted, they hurriedly urged her to go back and rest.
The next morning, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle. Many fine carriages and horses drove out from Wuyi Lane, heading towards the vast palace.
A group of beautiful women strolled in, chatting softly and occasionally peeking timidly from behind their fans to steal glances at the women's section. If anyone was teased and showed any embarrassment, the others couldn't help but burst into laughter, quickly raising their handkerchiefs to cover their mouths.
They smelled wonderful: their black hair was carefully combed with hair oil; their entire bodies were covered with a layer of pearl powder, making their skin smooth and white, not even neglecting inconspicuous places like behind their ears and between their fingers; the gauze wrapped around their necks to cover their Adam's apples was carefully steamed, its texture light and thin, as if wrapped with a cloud of fragrant mist around their necks; needless to say, their robes, shoes and socks were also carefully steamed, their fragrance intoxicating, just like flowers, attracting bees and butterflies to swarm around them.
"The Wang family's daughter is really beautiful! I'm thinking of giving her a sachet later, but... anyway, would you like to come with me?"
"What's wrong? It's just delivering a gift, why are you so embarrassed? The Wang family's daughter is pretty, but I heard she's only a third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), not very high a rank, not as good as the Hong family's daughter that I have my eye on!"
"You! Fine, fine, you think your girl is so promising? She's a treasure! I'm going to tear your mouth apart, you little slut!"
"Oh no! Brother, I won't do it again!"
As the group chatted and laughed, occasionally joking around, a woman, surrounded by people in front and behind her, slowly walked over.
She was tall and slender; if someone looked in her direction, her brocade robe, radiating brilliance, would be the first thing to catch their eye, easily capturing their attention and arousing curiosity in their heart.
What kind of outstanding beauty could prevent this dress from overshadowing her?
The visual impact of the extremely vibrant colors was so strong that it was difficult to find the right words to describe it for a moment. Then, the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips gradually became clear in her vision. However, Yuan Mingjin had only applied a little makeup today, and had not even drawn her eyebrows. She had only slightly shaped them. Anyway, the maids' eyes lit up when they heard that they were going to dress her up, so she let them do as they pleased.
The things she said to appease her parents yesterday weren't entirely false... but they weren't entirely true either. She had already finished reading Xuanji Niang's poetry collection, and last night she read a story based on Shen Xiang and his husband, which was quite interesting.
Yuan Mingjin read until midnight before finally coaxing herself to sleep. She had gotten up very early again today and was feeling sleepy when suddenly a group of men and women pounced on her like hungry tigers, surrounding her in an instant. She quickly put on a polite smile and answered each question with ease.
"Who is that? I've never seen him before! He's as handsome as an immortal. Could he be a prince from the palace? What, a lady from the royal family? I want to give her this sachet—wait, what's that lady from the royal family doing in the crowd?"
"So this is the mother of this year's top scholar! I've heard of her name before, but I've never seen her. Now that I've seen her, I can confirm that seeing is believing! I must give her a handkerchief!"
"Get out of here, you lecherous scoundrel! I was here first! Be careful not to crush my fan, because it has Lord Yuan's poems written on it!"
Yuan Mingjin was constantly asked to inscribe words on fans, and she received countless sachets and embroidered handkerchiefs. Several young women even took off their jade pendants from their waists and gave them to her on the spot... A woman never takes her jade pendant off her body for no reason. She was truly overwhelmed with gratitude for such kindness.
Fortunately, she brought many servants with her; otherwise, if she had been surrounded by a whole bunch of sachets around her waist, she might have been mistaken for a sachet vendor after leaving the palace.
Thinking of this, Yuan Mingjin couldn't help but smile. After finishing writing on the last folding fan, she suddenly noticed a rich green jade hairpin with a phoenix design beside her, which must have been a gift to her as well. She picked it up and held it up to the sunlight to examine it closely, wanting to appreciate its emerald hue.
However, when the gaze shifted away from the hairpin, two people were seen sitting opposite each other in a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden.
If that were all, it wouldn't have been enough to draw her attention. But the man in red—the imperial prince—was surrounded by many palace servants, his face filled with arrogance. Sitting opposite him was probably his brother, whose features bore a resemblance to his. He wore green robes, and behind him was only an elderly eunuch, who was bowing his head and not daring to raise his chin, only responding to her words meekly.
The prince in red seemed oblivious to the other's awkwardness, his cherry lips, like those of a woman with vermilion in them, opening and closing, prompting the prince in green to nod repeatedly. Upon seeing this, the prince in red's feigned smile vanished, and he rolled his eyes disdainfully. His gaze shifted, and he noticed the teapot on the table. He reached out, picked it up, and poured himself a cup of tea.
Although Yuan Mingjin was the top scholar in the civil service examination, she was also quite skilled in martial arts and had excellent eyesight. She could clearly see that when the red-clad imperial man poured tea, his slender, delicate fingers, as thin as scallion roots, rested on the teapot, but when he flicked the tips of his almond-shaped, pink nails, a small amount of vermilion-like red powder fell into the teacup.
Someone nearby, with a face full of admiration, stammered as they spoke to her. Yuan Mingjin maintained her smile, occasionally responding with a word or two, but her hand unconsciously reached into her purse and pulled a copper coin, pinching it between her index and middle fingers, intending to strike the red-clad prince's wrist—
But she didn't make a move in the end. After watching for a while, she put the copper coin she was holding between her fingers back into her purse.
Su Yiyi handed the cup of tea to Su Xiaotang, poured herself another cup, and invited him to drink with her. Su Xiaotang was terrified but didn't suspect anything. With trembling hands, he picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Su Yiyi crossed one arm in front of her, using her sleeve to cover her face and the teacup, revealing only a pair of shrewd eyes. Only after seeing Su Xiaotang drink the tea did he feel relieved, his eyes crinkling with a foxy, enigmatic smile.
Yuan Mingjin took it all in. She paid no attention to Su Yiyi, who was dressed up like a beautiful, delicate flower; instead, her gaze lingered on Su Xiaotang's drab face—
Su Xiaotang was much taller than Su Yiyi. Unlike Su Yiyi's slender figure, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. In Yuan Mingjin's eyes, he had a very fit and slender physique. However, the owner of this body always hunched his shoulders and shrunk his back, looking like he was trying to shrink himself to the extreme. Yuan Mingjin couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him... but he also became a little interested.
She stared at Su Xiaotang, lost in thought.
Since it was a banquet for young men and women to meet and admire each other, games like floating wine cups on a winding stream and pitch-pot were inevitable. Yuan Mingjin and Shen Huaqing chatted as they took out arrows and threw them into the bronze pot—the two of them had no intention of competing; they were just looking for some fun out of boredom.
Shen Huaqing had noticed so many people rushing to give Yuan Mingjin things, as if they wanted to give him away too, and couldn't help but tease, "You're going to take one or two things anyway, so why not take them all and sleep together under the same quilt? How delightful!"
"You've figured out the double entendre again. You really need to be disciplined."
Yuan Mingjin smiled, her movements graceful—she held the arrow between three fingers, flicked her arm, and tossed it. The arrow traced an arc in the air before landing steadily in the pot, her arm muscles bulging, making the young men hiding behind the flowers weak in the knees. Every time she threw an arrow, they would let out a small scream, but even after their voices became hoarse, they never saw her miss. Her arrows never missed, and eventually they became too lazy to scream anymore, just listlessly fanning themselves to shield themselves from the increasingly scorching sun.
Yuan Mingjin not only had excellent eyesight, but also superior hearing. After she stopped hearing their commotion, she couldn't help but chuckle. However, her gaze shifted and she suddenly saw a green figure staggering around the corner of the corridor and disappearing behind the wall. The figure's fair face was flushed an unnatural red, and she kept tugging at her clothes, as if afraid of tearing them apart, forcibly trying to suppress her urges, clinging tightly to the piece of cloth.
So Yuan Mingjin immediately threw down the arrow in his hand and hurried forward to catch up.
Shen Huaqing called out to her from behind, "Hey? Where are you going?"
"Hunting." Yuan Mingjin said without turning his head.
"Hunting?" Shen Huaqing was puzzled and scratched his head.
...
Su Xiaotang was extremely upset.
He felt as if he were being roasted over a fire, his whole body burning with heat. The skin on his neck seemed to be breaking out in rashes from the gauze. He wanted to untie it, but dared not, so he loosened his clothes slightly, revealing a small patch of fair, jade-like skin on his chest.
This surge of evil fire made him dizzy and disoriented, so he naturally didn't notice the soft footsteps behind him—especially since the footsteps were so light and barely perceptible.
Her neck felt unbearably hot, as if she were trapped in a steamer. The gauze covering her Adam's apple, though made of highly breathable Sanfa gauze, had absorbed a lot of sweat and clung stickily to her skin, causing itching. Although Su Xiaotang was on the verge of a breakdown, she still remembered that she absolutely mustn't tear off the gauze in public; if a woman saw her Adam's apple, it would be disastrous.
Such dissolute behavior is absolutely not the act of a pure and dignified man, let alone a prince—
Suddenly, someone inserted a finger into the scarf around her neck from behind, hooked it against her skin, and the scarf, soaked with fragrant sweat, fell into that person's hand.
The string in Su Xiaotang's head snapped.
It finally cooled down a bit, but his feverish, sluggish mind went blank for a moment before he reacted, hurriedly raising his hand to cover the bulge on his neck. However, the sensation of the neatly trimmed, rounded nail tip gently scratching his neck still lingered on his skin, bringing a tingling, numb feeling that shot up his spine to the tip of his tailbone. Su Xiaotang's waist and legs went weak, and he immediately lost his footing, stumbling forward. But the lecherous man grabbed him from behind by the waist, pulling him back into his arms. The woman's pleasant fragrance instantly filled his nostrils, invading every pore of his body with an aggressive, pervasive scent.
If he were some kind of furry pet, like a raccoon or a rabbit, he would surely be all puffed up by now—but the current situation isn't much better.
The woman clinging to him was incredibly strong. Her arm, like an iron bar, was fixed on the back of his neck with an intense gaze, as if there were some sweet, tempting honey there, burning Su Xiaotang almost to the point of being cooked. The hand pressing on his waist and abdomen was like the thick claws of a beast, firmly imprisoning the trembling, weak prey beneath its claws, ready to devour him in an instant, leaving not a single bone fragment behind.
His body trembled slightly with fear.
However, although reason clearly knew that this person's appearance at this critical juncture meant she was no good and extremely dangerous, and should be avoided, her drugged body instinctively couldn't control its urge to get close to her.
In the blink of an eye, when Su Xiaotang came to her senses, she found herself with one hand pulling open her clothes and the other hooking around her neck. She bit her bright red lower lip with her pearly teeth, half-seducing and half-pleasing, and shyly offered her face. Her snow-white cheeks, like her own, were fair and tender with a peach-pink hue, and she was squeezing Yuan Mingjin's face from the left and right.
Yuan Mingjin was not surprised by his unusual initiative, except that she was a little short of breath from being squeezed. She had clearly seen Su Yiyi put drugs in his tea, but she did not stop her. It was hard to say what kind of shady thoughts this seemingly righteous top scholar's mother was harboring.
But now is clearly not the time to delve into this matter.
"Where did he go? How could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"
"Where could they have gone in such a short time? Search them! If we can't find them, and the Crown Prince blames us, none of us will be able to escape the consequences!"
With a twitch of his ears, he heard the noisy footsteps and the clamor of a crowd growing closer behind him. Without changing his expression, Yuan Mingjin tugged at Su Xiaotang's collar, temporarily covering her ample bosom, and then carried her into the nearest side room.
This palace must have been used for living: behind the screen, there was a dressing table and a clothes rack. In the inner room separated by layers of curtains, there was a canopy bed. A tall screen carved with swastika patterns enclosed the bed, forming a small room of its own.
The footsteps outside grew closer, menacing and numerous. Yuan Mingjin acted decisively, carrying the limp Su Xiaotang into a narrow gap between the bed and the wall. Seeing Su Xiaotang whimpering in discomfort, she covered his mouth and nose tightly, whispering in his ear, "Grandpa, stop crying. You wouldn't want outsiders to barge in and see us like this, would you?"
Her warm breath sprayed onto his cheek, instantly turning his earlobes red, as vibrant as if they had been painted with rouge. Yuan Mingjin's grip was quite strong, causing Su Xiaotang to roll her eyes back. He couldn't breathe properly, so he could only desperately try to pry her hands off while simultaneously suppressing the effects of the drug, unable to resist rubbing against her. This made Yuan Mingjin feel miserable, and he whispered to him to behave, needing to keep an eye on the movements of the pursuers outside—
Bang!
The door was kicked open.
"Search him! See if he's hiding around here!"
Even though Su Xiaotang's mind was in a state of confusion, he was still startled and froze in Yuan Mingjin's arms, motionless. Yuan Mingjin's hand covering his lips was like an iron cage, squeezing him painfully. This pain, however, made him more clear-headed, and the sensation of the touch moving upwards along his waist became more distinct.
Su Xiaotang's eyes welled up with tears as she was pinched.
He wouldn't let him touch anything, but he himself started touching him inappropriately. What kind of logic is this, bullying people like that?
"There's no one here, let's go check over there!"
The pursuers finally left, and thoughtfully closed the door again. Yuan Mingjin breathed a sigh of relief, and as soon as she let go, the person in front of her suddenly pounced on her.
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Author's Note: Danyan: A type of red, color code #C8161D
Blue: A type of blue, color code #1E3B7A
Xuanji: refers to Yu Xuanji, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty.
Zhaohongdian: another name for ruby
Thank you so much, Potato Baby, for the free ticket and nutrient solution! Congratulations! You're the first person to give this post a "thunderbolt" (a Chinese internet slang term for a negative comment)! I'll never forget you! [Starry-eyed]
I'm so frustrated by being locked out. I've tried really hard to change, so I'll leave it at that for now.
Next chapter: Dog training warning [covering face while peeking]
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Because I didn't have much experience with VIP chapters, I marked it as finished as soon as I finished the main story. Later I found out that I had to finish the extra chapters before I could mark it as finished. I thought it was fine, since I could finish the extra chapters in a few days anyway, so I decided to keep it as finished for now. So I happily admired that my column had gained another little tree.
When I saw the first completed rating for this story in the early hours of the 18th, it was only three stars! My heart sank. Maybe I'm just too sensitive, but I just can't swallow this feeling, so I have to say something.
This story is short, and the main text is free to read during the serialization period (of course, this is also because I'm not very good at writing and can only finish the VIP chapters at the moment). But no matter what, I have finished writing it according to my planned outline, filled in all the foreshadowing, and given the characters and story a satisfactory ending. Originally, I only planned to write 50,000 words, but now it has far exceeded my expectations, and with the extras, it is estimated to be over 100,000 words. If you don't like it, you can stop reading and leave quietly. I would rather you not rate it than see my month's hard work go unrewarded, and in the end, my first completed work only gets a three-star rating. It's like a friend inviting you to dinner; even if the food is really hard to swallow, you should know not to tell her it's bad. Moreover, I saw your comment saying "I want more," which means my writing shouldn't be too bad. It's very disjointed for you to say "I want more" while giving me three stars. It makes me both angry and upset. Out of sight, out of mind, so I simply changed the status of the story back to serialization.
Maybe my world is too small. Even a three-star rating seems incredibly important, but I haven't slept well for a month. I don't have time to sleep during the day, and at night I'm anxious about all sorts of things, tossing and turning until five or six in the morning, and my hair is falling out in clumps. Because I don't want to let everyone down with their love and expectations, and I don't want to let Xiaojin and Xiaotang down, even when I'm in a bad state, I try my best to write a few hundred or a thousand words a day, or revise the story, at least to keep my writing skills up. So seeing this three-star completion rating really makes me feel powerless. It feels like all the time, energy, and health I've spent on this has been wasted. There's also some pressure from the real world that's almost crushing me, and I feel like I've been carrying that for nothing. It's like an old motorcycle struggling to make a hoarse sound when you step on the gas pedal—of course, I'm referring to my liver, which has been ravaged by staying up all night and is now flaring up with liver fire.
I'm not someone who likes to vent my negativity to others. In high school, I realized I was constantly pouring my heart out to my best friend, so I distanced myself from her. That's why I've always tried to be as positive as possible in my writing. But this three-star completion rating really made me break down. I've been holding back my feelings, so I couldn't help but say what was on my mind. I'm sorry.
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—Okay, I admit I'm really upset. I'd accept it if you subscribed to the whole thing and gave it a low score, but what's the point of giving a free novel three stars?!
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