Chapter 52 Not that Miss Ming
Li Shangxuan laughed and said, "Why are you always yelling at me? Is this how you ask for a favor? Don't worry, I've got your concerns in mind. But if you want me to do my best, you'll have to accept some benefits."
Upon hearing this, Yang Qing knew he was about to start being inappropriate again. She tried to slip away but he grabbed her around the waist and glared at her, saying, "Let go of me! This is the palace!"
Li Shangxuan gently touched her lips and smiled, "It's just a kiss, nothing more."
Yang Qing: "Alright, we've finished kissing, can I leave now?"
Li Shangxuan said, "Wait a little longer. There have been so many things to do since winter began, and I haven't seen you in a long time. Your birthday is in a few days. What gift would you like this year?"
Yang Qing snorted, "What kind of gift do you have to ask for? I'll just accept whatever you give me."
Li Shangxuan said, "That's what you say, but if the gift I give doesn't suit your taste, you'll definitely get angry again."
Yang Qing gets angry whenever this is mentioned. "You still have the nerve to bring it up? Don't you even think about what you do every time I get angry?"
She still remembers that scoundrel Li Shangxuan, who actually said she looked like a fat meat bun. She'll never forget it.
Li Shangxuan remained silent, but in his heart he thought, "Every time it's fine, but suddenly he gets so angry."
Forget it, she'll get angry again if I tell her.
Yang Qing said, "I really have to go."
Li Shangxuan said, "Go."
He needs to go back and think it over carefully, or ask others for advice, on what kind of birthday gift to give.
The jewelry is too unoriginal; he usually buys her anything nice he comes across, so it's not special enough.
After Yang Qing left, he strolled outside and saw Rong Shan staring wide-eyed. Feeling a little strange and somewhat guilty, he explained, "Yang Qing was too upset, so I just comforted her."
Rongshan said awkwardly, "You..." and pointed to the corner of her lips, "There's some lip rouge on here."
They even went so far as to offer words of comfort.
Li Shangxuan was embarrassed. He wiped his mouth and saw a little red mark. Still not reassured, he asked, "Is it gone this time?"
Rong Shan said, "No, no."
******
After Yangqing returned, the Second Madam rushed over to ask what had happened.
She has been absent-minded for the past two days, unable to muster any energy for anything, and even at occasions like the winter ceremony, she has been lost in thought.
Yang Qing said in a low voice, "I'll tell my mother when we get back."
When they got back, they told Second Madam Rongyue and the others everything. As expected, Second Madam was furious again. "These people are all unmarried girls. Do they think they'll end up well? Aren't they afraid of going to the Tongue-Pulling Hell after they die?"
The sisters listened, and when they returned, Rongyue was somewhat dazed. "Those two are probably like this because of me. Now I'm thinking, is it all my fault that I'm so competitive?"
Yang Qing was engaged to the Crown Prince, which did not arouse envy or jealousy from others, but she made countless enemies in her daily life.
Yang Qing didn't care at all: "What does this have to do with you, sister? They are the ones who are narrow-minded. Even if you want to compete with them, you should compete openly and honestly, instead of poking at their sore spots behind their backs."
Rongyue remained silent, and the two parted ways.
From then on, Yang Qing never dared to take Xiao Man to such occasions again. If Empress Ming was the kind of person who unreasonably sided with her relatives, she would definitely be punished.
No matter what rules she mentioned to Xiaoman, she seemed not to listen, and would immediately say, "His Highness said you can't let others bully you, and she's already stood up, isn't that just asking to fight?"
Given Fan Shujin's delicate and frail appearance, why would she need to take action?
Chi Yangqing didn't believe it, but talking to Xiaoman was like casting pearls before swine, so she decided to let Li Shangxuan talk to her instead.
Xiaoman got a scolding and left silently.
Yang Qing said to Liu Ye'er, "Go and check on her, lest she cause any more trouble."
Liu Ye'er laughed and said, "This is our home, what trouble could she possibly cause? She must have gone to play with Lili."
Yang Qing said, "The two of them get along quite well."
Li is the official surname; roughly one in ten people has the surname Li. Xiaoman and Lili both have the surname Li.
But they share the same surname but are different people. Yangqing really hopes that Lili can share some of her brainpower with Xiaoman.
Xiaoman is the same age as her, I don't know why she's so dull.
Liu Ye'er said, "Miss, please don't talk about her anymore. You'll only upset yourself. Your birthday is in a few days. Although it's not an auspicious day and we don't need to have a big celebration, we should still be happy, shouldn't we?"
Chi Yangqing said, "I'm afraid we'll have to hold a big celebration this time."
She loved celebrating her birthday when she was a teenager, but she stopped doing so after becoming empress.
Every time such a large group of noblewomen come to pay their respects to her, Yang Qing's face gets stiff from smiling so much. It's really troublesome. This birthday will probably be the same.
No, it's even more difficult. Not only do you have to listen with a smile, but you also have to exchange pleasantries with the other party, since she is not yet the high and mighty empress.
The next morning, the sun rose like the salted egg yolk we ate the day before, hanging in the east shrouded in mist. Yang Qing was delighted to see it, "Is it going to snow?"
She really likes snow, and she'd love for a heavy snowfall to keep all the guests at home, leaving her to celebrate her birthday alone.
Willow Leaf said, "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"
After dressing up, Yang Qing turned her attention to the kitten.
The kitten, still sleeping by the window, hadn't even realized what was happening when Yang Qing scooped it into her arms and rubbed it. It opened its yellow-green eyes, glanced at her, and then, too lazy to struggle anymore, simply closed its eyes, looking completely at her mercy.
The sun wasn't shining well today, so the kitten didn't feel as warm and cozy as usual, but it was still very soft and warm.
Yang Qing hugged it for a while, unable to put it down.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the maid came to deliver a message, saying that Miss Ming wanted to see her.
Yang Qing assumed it was Ming Luoqi, and since she ignored her and came straight to the house, she hurriedly ordered, "Just say I'm not home, and quickly get her out of here."
The young maid said, "It's not that Miss Ming, it's Miss Miaohe."
Yang Qing was even more surprised. She and Ming Miao had never really interacted. The most they had spoken was yesterday, and it was during a disagreement.
Why did she suddenly come to the Chi family? Didn't Empress Ming confine her to her quarters for three months?
Yang Qing pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go see her right away."
Her clothes were all casual, nothing too formal but fine enough to meet guests. However, she had a lot of cat hair on her clothes, which Liu Ye had to brush off for a long time.
When they arrived at the front hall, Ming Miaohe did not sit down, but stood by the window admiring the early plum blossoms. When she saw Yang Qing arrive, she gave a gentle smile and said, "Miss Chi has arrived."
Yang Qing felt a little uneasy; it seemed like they were here to cause trouble.
It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Not being able to see through Ming Miaohe's thoughts made her even more uneasy.
Not knowing what to say for a moment, Ming Miaohe took the initiative to speak, "Miss Chi, I've come to say goodbye."
Yang Qing was taken aback. "Saying goodbye?"
Why would he suddenly want to say goodbye? Even if he is saying goodbye, shouldn't he at least come to say goodbye to her?
They weren't even acquainted.
Ming Miaohe nodded and said, "Yes, farewell. I will be setting off back to Luonan in a couple of days."
She paused, her eyes half-closed, "What happened yesterday was my fault, I'm really sorry. My aunt was very disappointed in me after I got back, and actually I was also disappointed in myself. How could I have said such things?"
Yang Qing could only say, "No one is perfect."
Mingmiao smiled bitterly, "No, no, no, I was so wrong. Back in Luonan, I was very arrogant, thinking that I couldn't find a single woman who could rival me. I never expected to meet your sister after coming to the capital. Fifth Miss is quick-witted and knowledgeable in everything; I am no match for her in any way. Yesterday's events were my fault. I was too weak to compete, so I started thinking of crooked ways to smear her. I am truly sorry to you. How can I face anyone in the capital? I can only flee in panic."
Yang Qing said, "You... you're being too harsh. Isn't it enough to just admit your mistake and correct it?"
Mingmiao glanced at her, seemingly mustering her courage, and said, "Actually, when the imperial decree of marriage was issued, I secretly paid attention to you. At that time, I just thought you were nothing special. I didn't take you seriously, and I was too lazy to compete with you. I just looked down on you. I even thought that the Crown Prince was just a lecherous man, so why should I bother with him? Now that I think about it, I was the one who looked down on this one and that one. In fact, I was the one with a despicable character and the one who was self-righteous. On the contrary, I can't compare to any of you."
Yang Qing was displeased by these words. Li Shangxuan was indeed a lecherous man, but what did he mean by "she's nothing special"?
With so many good qualities in Yang Qing, can't Ming Miaohe see them?
Mingmiao didn't continue the topic, but instead said, "I have no face to see your sister. Please tell her that I am inferior to her now, but I will not admit defeat. Ten years from now, we will compete again. By then, whether it is music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or anything else, I will definitely surpass her."
After saying this, he took his leave.
Even if she didn't apologize, Chi Yangqing didn't take it to heart.
In the blink of an eye, who wouldn't have a dark thought?
She also has people she really hates, and she curses them in her heart to fall into the lake while swimming, choke to death while eating, or be hit by a carriage when they go out.
But that doesn't negate the fact that Chi Yangqing is a good person.
Mingmiao said a few words. Yangqing couldn't forgive on behalf of Yanyun, but she didn't think Mingmiao had done anything heinous or unforgivable.
She hadn't really disliked Ming Miaohe before; this person was just too similar to Rongyue, both giving off an aloof and arrogant vibe, as if they were looking down on people even when they were smiling.
Many young ladies in the capital disliked Rongyue, and naturally, they wouldn't like Mingmiaohe much either.
Yang Qing could never dislike Rong Yue. What's wrong with just pretending? Rong Yue has worked so hard behind the scenes. It would be such a waste if she didn't put on an act in front of others.
On the contrary, she quite admired the personalities of Xiang Rongyue and Ming Miaohe.
People say that a woman's virtues are to be gentle, compliant, and not competitive, but Yangqing doesn't think that's quite right.
But when asked to fight for something, she didn't know what to do...
Just as Yang Qing was sighing, the person she hated the most was going back to the capital, and it just so happened to be the same day as her birthday.
Haha, God really knows how to play jokes, this is such a terrible birthday present.
She didn't like it at all.
Liu Ye'er knew what she was thinking and asked with a smile, "Do you dislike Miss Song more, or Miss Ming more?"
Without hesitation, Chi Yangqing blurted out, "Of course I hate Song Xiwei."
Ming Luoqi seems to be sick, but she doesn't seem to have any bad intentions. But Song Xiwei is different; she's full of wicked thoughts.
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