Shulan chuckled, "Madam is talking about being old now? You’re only twenty-three; how can you be considered old? Besides, you’re so beautiful that if you let down your hair, I’m afraid people would think you’re still unmarried."
Xiaoyu glared at her lightly, "You’re getting more and more unruly, daring to encourage Madam to let her hair down. Be careful that Master doesn’t find out and reward you with a beating."
Only then did Shulan seem afraid, hastily saying, "No, no, no, I know I was wrong; I was just talking nonsense just now!"
What would happen if the Master found out she encouraged his wife to let her hair down, dress like a young girl, and attract a group of men? He would probably want her life!
Xin He smiled, "No one would take you seriously. Look at you; you’re supposed to be married soon, and yet you still talk nonsense all day."
Shulan stuck out her tongue sheepishly, "This servant knows her mistake. From now on, I will learn to be more discreet like Xiaoyu, and not disgrace Madam after I’m married."
Xin He shook her head, too lazy to bicker with her.
They had reached the mountain gate, and going straight up the long stairway would lead them there.
Xin He was hesitating whether to take a small back path to be more low-key when she heard a group of young girls whispering about how the topic of conversation had shifted from makeup to something else.
"But this time, Princess Chaoyang suddenly decides to hold a prayer ceremony at Qingyuan Temple, isn’t this the first time? I never thought that Princess Chaoyang would suddenly want to do such a good deed."
"You don’t know? It’s said to be a prayer ceremony for her deceased consort. Otherwise, why would there be such a fuss?"
"Did the princess and the consort have such a good relationship? I heard that the princess didn’t seem to care much about the consort."
As soon as this was said, someone mysteriously added, "Actually, I’ve also heard about it. The princess has never had a good attitude towards her consort. This time, he suddenly died mysteriously, and they say it’s a disease, but no one knows the whole story. What’s unknown to anyone is that I overheard some people talking yesterday, and it has something to do with the Princess."
"What?!"
"What’s so surprising? The princess has always been capricious, and if the consort provoked her, perhaps she lost her temper. I don’t think it’s strange at all. Now that the consort has just died, the princess immediately holds a prayer ceremony at Qingyuan Temple. Is this not a guilty conscience?"
"If that’s true, then it’s such a pity for the consort. I heard that the princess was not happy when she married him. She was a princess but still living miserably. Who would have thought it would end this way."
"Who can say? The consort has never been in the princess’s eyes. The person the princess truly loves cannot be compared to the consort."
"Who?" As soon as this was said, someone immediately asked with interest, "Is it Minister Duan?"
"No!" The girl, being bold, looked around, saw no one, and whispered, "Do you know the current King Yu?"
When they heard this name, everyone’s faces changed. The words King Yu were taboo in the capital, simply because they were taboo to the Emperor himself.
"Isn’t he just a traitorous minister?" A girl muttered.
They lived in the capital, were young, and had not experienced Marquis Mu’s renowned days in the capital, so they naturally didn’t understand.
"It’s not that simple. My eldest sister told me that he used to be a powerful minister in the capital and had an extraordinarily handsome appearance! Back then, countless girls secretly admired him, and Princess Chaoyang was one of them. She wanted to marry him, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, and he ended up marrying the legitimate daughter of Le Yuanhou’s Mansion."
Everyone’s eyes lit up, and they seemed very interested in this gossip, hurriedly asking, "Why? How can a mere legitimate daughter of Le Yuanhou’s Mansion compare to the princess?"
"I don’t know. At that time, King Yu was determined to marry the legitimate daughter of Le Yuanhou’s Mansion. He married her and left the capital in a hurry. I don’t know much about the inside story."
"It sounds like there’s a lot of inside information? However, it’s been so many years, and people should have forgotten about it by now. Besides, he’s now a traitor, and the princess doesn’t need to..."
"What do you know? That King Yu has been married for seven years and has only one daughter, but has not taken a single concubine. Even the side consort granted by the emperor is either dead or alive, and no one knows. This deep affection would probably be very irritating to the princess."
Everyone excitedly discussed the topic, seeming very interested.
Xin He shook her head and took another small path around the mountain instead.
After so many years of old stories, there were still so many people talking about them. Indeed, there are never enough onlookers in this world.
However, Xin He was also slightly surprised when she thought of the "death of the consort" mentioned by the girls, as she hardly remembered him. Yet, he died so suddenly today, and there were rumors that it was caused by Princess Chaoyang. She didn’t know if it was true or false.
"Madam?" Xiaoyu whispered a reminder.
Xin He came back to her senses, "Oh."
No matter what, it wasn’t her business, so she left it alone.
Xin He lifted her skirt and went straight up the mountain steps.
There were large and small Buddha statues along the path, most people going up the mountain preferred to go through the front hall because it was magnificent, the road was wide, and it was easier to walk. They didn’t know that this quiet little path had more of a temple atmosphere.
Xin He wasn’t interested in feeling the temple; she just hurried up the mountain and went to a meditation room.
"This is where Lady Sun lives now. Before Le Yuanhou’s Mansion fell, she was forced to live on the mountain for asceticism. But now that Le Yuanhou’s Mansion has fallen, Lady Sun is still here. I guess the Emperor has imprisoned her. However, before coming here, we led the guards away temporarily, so Madam can meet her now," Xiaoyu said.
Xin He nodded and slowly approached, stretching her hand to push open the door of the meditation room.
"I told you not to disturb me." Lady Sun sat with her back to her in the simple meditation room, seemingly in despair.
From a noble lady to a homeless dog who lost her daughter, how could she not be in despair?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
