Chapter 26 When did I ever force you to be "like a frightened bird"?...
Whether they were arguing or not, Banban had no idea. She cared about her aunt and knew that her aunt had a strong temper, so she was afraid that she would be punished for saying something unpleasant.
After finishing her meal, she wanted to go to the inner room, but Ying Zheng didn't see her at first glance and almost let her go in. Fortunately, two maids stood by the door of the inner room and stopped her.
But because she was close by, she overheard something, and when Ying Zheng took her away, she was deep in thought.
Ying Zheng thought she was unhappy about being prevented from entering the inner room, so he coaxed her all the way.
Unexpectedly, after getting off the sedan chair in front of Taxue Pavilion, she insisted on going back, saying she wanted to save her aunt.
He was completely confused. "Save her? What do you mean?"
Banban spoke loudly, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, “I heard my aunt crying, saying no, it must be because the King hit her. I was scared just now, so I left Ganquan Palace with my cousin. Now that I think about it, how could I be so selfish?”
"..." Ying Zheng was at a loss for what expression to make. "So-so."
Qian Yin and Cong Yun, being knowledgeable, understood from these few words what had happened between the King of Qin and the Queen. Their cheeks flushed red, and they hurriedly went to coax her. Only after Cong Yun agreed to let her go to Ganquan Palace to find out the truth did she feel a little relieved.
It was only a little while. The next morning, she woke up early, washed and dressed, and went straight to Ganquan Palace.
When Ji Changyue saw her arrive, she was startled and quickly touched her little face. "Banban? Don't you have classes today? Why did you come to find me so early? Are you going to slack off again?"
“I’ll tell your cousin and have him punish you.”
Banban bristled, "How could you do this, sister-in-law! I went to Jingyin Palace after having breakfast!"
Ji Changyue found it amusing and actually laughed out loud. "Alright, alright, you've come here to freeload breakfast."
She sulked and didn't say a word, sitting down and eating like a little pig.
Before long, Ji Changyue noticed that she kept staring at her, looking here and there, as if to make sure she was safe. Only then did she remember what the maid had said last night.
"You silly girl." Ji Changyue smiled and poked her little head, showing her that she was fine and that was enough; there was no point in saying anything more.
Halfway through the meal, a maid suddenly rushed in and knelt down, her face filled with surprise and uncertainty. "Your Majesty, Consort Mi has passed away!"
Ji Changyue's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a deep frown.
The soup spoon, startled by the sudden movement, fell into the porcelain bowl.
The passing of Consort Mi did not cause any stir in the palace; at least, the princesses of Jingyin Palace did not mention her, whether out of avoidance or for some other reason.
Yang Jiang was unusually irritable today. After class, she left without looking back.
She would often bicker with Banban before getting angry and leaving.
On the way back, Qian Yin whispered, "Little Madam, yesterday the King left Liuyun Palace for the Queen because Princess Liyang had an argument with the King, which angered the King and caused him to take his anger out on Xia Ba Zi, which is why he left in a huff."
“Oh… Princess Liyang is currently staying at Lady Xia Ba Zi’s Liuyun Palace.” Banban sighed softly. “I heard that she was crying and begging to go back to Lady Mi Liang’s side a few days ago.”
It wasn't Lady Mi, but the deceased Lady Mi.
Banban still can't change.
"How did you know?" Cong Yunhu asked.
When Qian Yin met Ji Xiaoniang's gaze, she immediately explained, "I have a friend who works at Liuyun Palace. Xiaoniang, she sends me messages very discreetly, so no one will notice."
Cong Yun reacted quickly and pressed, "Does everyone in the palace know that you two are sisters?"
"I don't know." Qian Yin shook her head. "Sister Cong Yun, don't worry, this servant will not put you in any danger."
Banban thought to herself, "So the King didn't go to Ganquan Palace last night because he missed his aunt, but because he was really kicked out?" She had thought her aunt was just saying it out of jealousy.
That explains why Yang Jiang is in a bad mood today.
"Xia Ba Zi has a bad temper and is extremely irritable. The King's departure from her Liuyun Palace has embarrassed her, and who knows how angry she will be."
When it comes to gossip, the rift between Congyun and Qianyin has disappeared, leaving only admiration.
Banban, however, was curious. "Could it be that she took her anger out on Liyang?"
Qian Yin hesitated slightly, looked around to make sure no one was there, and lowered her voice even further, "More than that, little lady, she always wanted a son, but she ended up giving birth to Princess Yang Jiang."
Banban hesitated upon hearing this.
"Her temperament is unpredictable. Although she has never mistreated Princess Yangjiang, she can't be said to have loved her much either." Qian Yin shouldn't have said more, but seeing Ji Xiaoniang's inquisitive eyes, she blurted it all out. "Thanks to Empress Dowager Xia, the King still favors Princess Yangjiang."
"If she doesn't love her only child, does that mean she only competes for favor?" Cong Yun couldn't help but ask.
"I've tried all sorts of folk remedies to conceive, but none of them have worked," Qian Yin shook her head.
The key point is that there really is a throne to fight for in the family, so it's not surprising that they want to have a son.
The funeral of the young envoy was held hastily, and the palace was more concerned about the tenth birthday of the concubine Ji. Early that morning, Banban received so many gifts that his hands were sore, and the Ji family came to the palace for a short stay as promised.
Liuyun Palace presented three gifts, given by Xia Ba Zi, Princess Yang Jiang, and Princess Li Yang. Princess Li Yang's gift was prepared with Xia Ba Zi's help.
It's cold, and Liyang is taking medicine because he caught a chill; he hasn't come out.
Because Banban was thinking about the death of someone in the palace, all the song and dance performances that had been arranged in the morning were canceled, and the original plan to perform a song on stage was also abandoned.
The family had a meal together. The King of Qin did not come, but he did reward her with a white jade rabbit pendant.
That night, Ying Zheng slept with Banban and read historical anecdotes to her. She kept asking him about the cause of death of Mi Shaoshi. He couldn't resist her persistent questioning and said, "She asked to leave the palace so that she could serve her father in his old age, but her request was rejected."
Banban was greatly surprised, "Why, Your Majesty?"
Ying Zheng's heart stirred, and he suddenly looked at her, "Father is simply forcing her to choose between Qin and Zhou, and between her husband and her father."
"If she chooses her father, he will also treat her father well."
“But this choice goes against human ethics.” Banban was puzzled, as if she did not know Prince Qin, and thought he was quite scary. “I originally thought that the king loved his aunt, then I thought that he loved Mi Liangren, and now I think that he loves no one but himself.”
As she spoke, she suddenly became angry.
Ying Zheng's expression darkened upon hearing this. "You could have just said that to me."
"I know," Banban emphasized, annoyed by his cold tone. "I'm not stupid. I won't go around telling other people." Then, she suddenly became wary. "Cousin, you won't do this again, will you?"
What is it?
"Like your father!"
“…I wouldn’t,” Ying Zheng said instinctively, angered by the hypothetical statement. “You pity others, but that gives you the right to question your own cousin like this?”
Banban was unconvinced and tried her best to explain, "But you just spoke up for him, saying that the king forced her to choose between two options, and you made it sound very convincing. If someone asked you to choose between me and your sister-in-law, wouldn't you be angry too?"
Ying Zheng replied, "So, you're speaking up for someone else too?"
She immediately got annoyed, "Yes, what's wrong with me speaking up for her?"
The two stared at each other, and suddenly the atmosphere became tense.
Ying Zheng's face was ashen, and he glared at everyone with a cold expression.
A full quarter of an hour passed, and neither of them yielded first. Ying Zheng then turned and left.
As soon as he left, Banban got so angry that she threw off all her shoes, smashed all the soft pillows on the bed to the ground, and wanted to tear the bed curtains to shreds, but unfortunately she didn't have that much strength.
She told herself not to cry, widening her eyes, but her lips kept turning down.
The tranquil Ta Xue Xuan sank into the night, and snow began to fall outside.
Half an hour later, Ying Zheng reappeared in Taxue Pavilion. He didn't know why he didn't leave. He turned back halfway, but didn't come in immediately.
Inside, he dried off the chill from his body before slowly entering the inner room.
Unexpectedly, she was also barefoot and about to come out, and the two bumped into each other.
"..."
"..."
No one spoke first.
After a long pause, Ying Zheng suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"
Banban pursed her lips, timidly glanced up at him, and whispered, "I'm still angry, I'm going to find you."
"You're still angry, why are you looking for me? To have a fight?"
"Then why did you come back?" she asked angrily, raising her voice.
"I'll come back and explain things clearly to you." Ying Zheng said expressionlessly, "I will not take concubines. You shouldn't compare me to my father."
Banban immediately said, "That's not what I meant. I meant whether you would force others to make a choice between two options, like the King did."
"When have I ever forced you?" Ying Zheng couldn't hold back any longer.
"From what you said, I think you must understand your father very well."
"So it's my fault now?"
It was your fault to begin with.
“You were looking at me when you said those things, that’s what you meant!” No matter how hard Banban thought about it, she couldn’t believe she had misunderstood her cousin.
Ying Zheng took a deep breath, and Mu Ran calmed down, readily admitting, "Yes, that's what I meant."
"You can't even choose between me and my sister-in-law, so why are you asking me this?" Banban felt more and more justified as she spoke.
Ying Zheng had been thinking for half an hour and felt that what she said made sense before he returned. "It was my fault, don't be angry."
"Never treat me like this again, or I will not forgive my cousin." Banban snorted, crossing her arms and looking rather arrogant, as if she was very proud of having finally beaten him once.
Not content with just being smug, he added, "What's wrong with me speaking up for Mi Liangren? She's just so pitiful. Your father went too far!"
"So-so."
Ying Zheng suddenly raised his voice, and Banban instinctively felt something was wrong, so he immediately shut his mouth.
“Don’t mention Mi Liangren again in the future,” he continued to use the title of Liangren. “He is not a good husband or a good husband, you are telling the truth. But I am only the Crown Prince, and I cannot protect you and let you do as you please, my dear.”
He reached out his hand to her.
She was completely bewildered, and only realized what was happening when she instinctively curled up in his arms.
He spoiled her too much, and she is no longer very afraid of royal power, which is not a good sign.
“I won’t tell anyone.” Banban sensed something. “Cousin, don’t worry. I’ve only told you. I haven’t even told our father, mother, aunts, or cousins.”
"I'm sorry you've been wronged," Ying Zheng said again.
“I didn’t.” She shook her head vigorously. “I just said that my cousin would take a concubine, and that’s why he got angry. I actually trust my cousin a lot. I just said it casually. I was just feeling sorry for Mi Liangren and that’s why I took it out on my cousin. It was my fault.”
The two apologized to each other and quickly made up.
Her cousin's call brought Banban back to reality. She suddenly realized that the King of Qin was not only her aunt's husband, but also the ruler of a country, a monarch who held the power of life and death, a king whom even her cousin had to bow to.
Even if you dislike him, you shouldn't say it out loud. Who can guarantee that the walls aren't overheard?
Ying Zheng observed proper etiquette, and after the two spoke for a while, he left Taxue Pavilion with Qin Ju.
Banban, like a frightened bird, summoned all the palace servants of Taxuexuan for the first time, saying that they were going to have a night snack and that they should all eat some.
This was a reward, and the palace servants were overjoyed, their faces beaming with happiness.
Banban, meanwhile, casually glanced at them while everyone was eating. Qianyin understood what her mistress meant and thought to herself that she was doing something futile. These maids were all carefully selected by the Crown Prince and could not possibly be spies from other palaces.
However, the young lady has finally stopped being carefree and has begun to observe and understand everything around her, which is a good thing.
But she... her ostentatious display is obvious to others. Sure enough, this young lady is only good at defense and not at offense at all.
If someone targets her and tries to use her as a weapon, she understands quickly and is very alert and defensive. But if she were asked to use someone else as a weapon, she wouldn't know how.
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