Chapter 48
In the late autumn when the cold wind was howling, two eunuchs accompanying the third prince blocked the princess in the pavilion of the imperial garden.
Jiang Jiang immediately turned sideways to block the princess, with his back pressed against the cold pillar.
Sure enough, Jiang Jiang was not wrong. The third prince just found an excuse to find fault.
Jiang Jiang was trembling all over, but her eyes were determined. She stood up and stood in front of the princess, begging her to use herself in exchange for the Third Prince's calmness.
That time, Jiang Jiang held the princess tightly under his body.
Fortunately, this time, the princess was no longer decadent and was determined to live a good life.
The third prince never stopped bullying the fifth princess.
Whenever the palace servants discussed and compared the two concubines in private, the third prince would fly into a rage. Not only would he punish the palace servants who discussed the matter in private, but he would also feel even more resentful towards the princess's mother.
Unfortunately, the former concubine had passed away, so the third prince began to look for opportunities to bully the princess even more.
No matter how the princess and Jiang Jiang tried to hide, they would still be encountered.
It was snowing heavily that day. The princess had just finished school and was anxious to go back to avoid the snow. She did not pay attention to her surroundings and was blocked by the third prince and two eunuchs on her way back to the palace.
"Fifth Princess is in such a refined mood!" The Third Prince approached on the snow, his brocade boots deliberately making creaking sounds.
Seeing the princess still holding a plum blossom in her hand, the Third Prince laughed sarcastically, "I heard your mother loved plum blossoms when she was alive? What a pity! No matter how beautiful a flower is, it will wither in just a few days!"
Jiang Jiang deliberately stood in front of the princess, attracting the attention of the third prince, and was immediately pulled away roughly by one of the third prince's eunuchs.
The princess's frail body trembled slightly, whether from the cold or fear, and she was unaware of her fingertips pinching into her palms.
"Third brother, my maidservant didn't do anything, did she?" The princess forced herself to salute, her voice as light as falling snow, but her heart was hanging high.
Jiang Jiang struggled desperately and bit the eunuch hard, and only then was he able to break free and run to the princess.
The third prince sneered, "Look, this bitch is very articulate and she bit one of my people!" As he said that, he was about to wave his hand and have someone grab Jiang Jiang's mouth.
After the slap, Jiang Jiang's face quickly became red and swollen. The princess clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes turned red with anger, her chest heaved violently, and she wanted to rush forward regardless of anything.
"Third brother looks so excited!" A clear voice suddenly came, stopping the princess's impulse.
The Third Princess emerged from Merlin, draped in a silver fox fur coat, followed by two palace maids holding lamps. "I happen to be delivering a handwritten Buddhist scripture to the Emperor. How about joining me? The Emperor was just asking about your studies!"
The third prince's expression suddenly changed.
Everyone knows that he was recently reported to the tutor for skipping school.
After a moment of stalemate, he glared at the princess and said, "I'll chat with the fifth princess another day!" Then he turned away.
The two eunuchs let go of Jiang Jiang and left.
The princess walked over quickly, trying hard to restrain the urge to run, and helped Jiang Jiang up.
Jiang Jiang smiled and said she was fine.
The master and servant then bowed deeply to the Third Princess, "Thank you, Third Princess (Your Highness)!"
The third princess waved her hand, the fur on the collar of her fox fur coat making her face look particularly bright. "It's just a small favor."
After saying this, he left in a hurry, as if he was afraid of being seen talking to them.
Jiang Jiang looked at the Third Princess's receding figure and whispered, "Her Highness the Third Princess is actually very gentle..."
They knew that the third princess's biological mother was just an unfavored concubine, and it was not easy for her to gain a foothold in the palace.
Today's timely help may bring trouble to the other party.
The princess nodded, turned around again, and gently wiped the redness and swelling on Jiang Jiang's cheek with a handkerchief.
Jiang Jiang smiled again, "Princess, I'm fine...hiss..." While speaking, she accidentally pulled the wound on her cheek and couldn't help making a sound.
The princess said unhappily, "Next time, don't rush forward!"
She knew that Jiang Jiang deliberately stood in front of her to attract fire.
But she is just a palace maid and it is easy for her to lose her life!
"But..." Jiang Jiang wanted to say something.
"Go back!" The princess interrupted what Jiang Jiang wanted to say and walked away angrily.
She wanted to go back quickly to apply medicine on Jiang Jiang's cheek.
Jiang Jiang had no choice but to follow.
On the way back to the palace, the master and servant walked silently on the snow.
After returning to the palace, the princess personally applied the medicine to Jiang Jiang, which made Jiang Jiang grin from ear to ear. "I am truly the most blessed person in the world to be so loved by the princess!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" After applying the medicine, the princess suddenly spoke awkwardly, "By the way, what have you been doing these past few days when you weren't sleeping? Did you do something secretly behind my back?"
Jiang Jiang nodded in understanding and smiled helplessly, "The princess is really observant!"
As she spoke, she stood up and took out a pair of gloves she had sewn herself.
After the death of the princess' mother, this once glorious palace quickly fell into decline. The concubines in the harem were treated differently depending on the status of the concubines. When the weather was cold, even the monthly charcoal would be reduced a lot. In order to prevent the princess' hands from getting frostbite, Jiang Jiang stayed up late to make this pair of gloves.
The gloves are not made of the best fabric and feel a little rough, but they are very warm.
Holding the gloves, the princess felt a little sad and had a silent belief in her heart.
She wants to become strong so that she can protect the people she wants to protect!
So, she decided to learn martial arts!
When the princess mentioned this, Jiang Jiang thought it was just childish talk, but she didn't expect the princess to take it seriously.
Because she was secretly learning martial arts, the princess began to skip classes frequently.
The Grand Tutor sent people to look for her, but the princess always made the excuse that she was not feeling well.
Gradually, the tutor no longer cared about the princess.
Every time Jiang Jiang saw the princess practicing martial arts hard, he felt distressed and wanted to persuade her to give up.
But when she met the princess' serious gaze, her expression turned into a helpless sigh.
Jiang Jiang also asked the princess why she was so determined to learn martial arts, as this was not something a woman should learn.
However, the princess leaned quietly on her shoulder, and after a while she whispered, "I... I want to protect someone..."
These words were like a blunt knife, slowly cutting Jiang Jiang's heart.
She suddenly realized that the little princess who needed her to coax her to sleep had really grown up.
As the emperor forgot about the princess, the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen took advantage of the situation and the meals they delivered became more and more perfunctory, and sometimes they even "forgot" to deliver them.
In the deep winter, the supply of charcoal was intermittent, and the master and servant often huddled together in blankets to keep warm.
That evening, the imperial kitchen "forgot" to deliver dinner again.
The princess's stomach was rumbling. Jiang Jiang was about to argue with her, but the princess pulled her back and said, "Forget it, don't go."
As she spoke, she mysteriously pulled out two sweet potatoes covered in dirt from her sleeves, "Jiang Jiang, look!"
Jiang Jiang's eyes widened. "Princess! Where did this come from..."
"Hush!" The princess winked triumphantly. "I brought this from the imperial kitchen's storehouse! Come on, let's roast it and eat it!"
Before Jiang Jiang could object, the princess had already pulled her out of the palace quietly, and after many twists and turns, they came to a remote corner.
This place is overgrown with weeds and has half a remaining wall to block the wind, making it a perfect hiding place.
The princess slowly picked up some dead branches, piled them into a small pile, and then took out a tinderbox from her bosom.
Jiang Jiang looked around nervously, "Princess, if you are discovered, you should run first. I will hold you here!"
The princess couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, the guards won't be patrolling here for half an hour."
She looked at the small flame that had just been lit, her face flushed by the flickering light. "I've seen a method of roasting sweet potatoes in a book, but I'm not sure if it will work."
The flames finally jumped up, and the princess carefully buried the sweet potatoes in the hot ashes.
The winter night wind howled past, and the two of them huddled together, staring at the small fire.
"Jiang Jiang, do you still remember the story of Chang'e that you told me before?" the princess suddenly asked.
Jiang Jiang smiled slightly, "Of course I remember. The princess was only eight years old at that time. She made a mistake and was punished by the queen by being spanked on the palm. That's when I told her the folk story."
"Back then, you told me that the fairy Chang'e lived on the moon and looked down at the people on Earth every night," the princess continued, her eyes gleaming with warmth. "Back then, I was so afraid that Chang'e would think I, a princess, was sleeping in an awkward position and make a fool of myself. So, I didn't dare move before bed, for fear of messing up my bedding!"
The aroma of sweet potatoes gradually spreads, making people's appetites whet.
The princess used a branch to dig out the two black things and shook her hands off because they were so hot.
Jiang Jiang quickly wrapped one with a handkerchief and gently opened it.
The golden flesh is steaming and a sweet aroma hits you in the face.
The two of them swallowed unconsciously.
"Jiang Jiang, try it!" The princess looked at her with sparkling eyes, full of anticipation.
Jiang Jiang was about to refuse when the princess frowned, "This is my order! You must eat!"
Jiang Jiang had no choice but to take a bite. The sweet, fragrant and soft taste blossomed on the tip of her tongue. She opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Princess, it's delicious! It's really delicious!"
The princess also took a bite. She gasped at the heat, but smiled with her eyes curved. "Really?! It's even better than the snacks made in the imperial kitchen! You're worthy of being my queen!"
"Well, the princess is so amazing!" Jiang Jiang praised.
In the firelight, the princess's dusty little face looked particularly vivid, and her eyes danced with long-lost vitality.
Jiang Jiang suddenly felt that this cold winter night didn't seem so unbearable.
The two of them shared the roasted sweet potatoes, smiling at each other from time to time, as if this was the only warm little world left in the world.
"Who are you?" A guard's shout suddenly came from a distance.
The princess reacted very quickly. She kicked the fire away, grabbed the remaining sweet potatoes, and ran away with Jiang Jiang.
The two men crouched down and shuttled through the bushes until they were sure they had shaken off the guards, then they stopped panting.
After returning to the empty palace and closing the door, the master and servant looked at each other's dusty appearance and couldn't help giggling.
As she was laughing, the princess suddenly leaned closer, wiped the sweet potato residue from the corner of Jiang Jiang's mouth with her thumb, and whispered, "Jiang Jiang, next time, can I make you something else to eat?"
Jiang Jiang was stunned.
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, and she saw a strange light gleaming in the princess's eyes, as if an entire Milky Way of stars was hidden.
At that moment, Jiang Jiang felt an indescribable feeling in her heart, warm and sour, which made her subconsciously want to reject it.
What she didn't know was that when the princess looked at her satisfied expression when she ate the sweet potatoes, an idea quietly planted in her mind.
She wanted to learn how to cook more delicious food just to see the light in Jiang Jiang's eyes that was brought to life by her.
This strange feeling was like a seed, quietly taking root in the girl's heart, and even she herself didn't understand why she was so persistent.
…
As the days go by, another winter comes.
The winter of that year was exceptionally cold. Heavy snow blocked the palace gates, and even the copper bells on the eaves were frozen silent.
The princess was fourteen years old. She was wrapped in an old cloak and stood under the corridor, looking at the gray sky.
The emperor became obsessed with the art of immortality and began to recruit Taoist priests into the palace to make elixirs. State affairs were neglected and the border war was losing ground.
The Xiongnu cavalry broke through the border, and the ministers in the court made suggestions one after another. One minister proposed to ask for a marriage alliance and gifts in exchange for temporary peace.
The eldest princess had already married into a powerful family, the second princess married the governor of Jiangnan County, the fourth princess died young, and the fifth princess was only fourteen and had not yet reached the age of marriage. Now, the only princess of marriageable age left in the palace was the third princess, Zhao Yuean.
When the news came, the princess's hand holding the teacup trembled and she almost dropped the cup.
She hurriedly pulled Jiang Jiang aside and whispered, "Third Sister...are you sure it's accurate?"
Jiang Jiang's voice was dry, and it took a long time for her to answer, "Princess, His Majesty has issued an order..."
The princess sat in the yard with her eyes blank and her soul seemed to have been drained away.
After a long time, she sighed.
Afterwards, she wanted to meet the third princess, but there were many spies in the palace, and going there rashly would only cause trouble for the third princess.
So she decided to wait until late at night and sneak towards the third princess's bedroom in the dark.
However, before she got closer, she saw the third princess walking alone in the snow, her figure as thin as paper.
The princess held her breath and followed, only to see the third princess walk all the way to Roupin's side hall and knock gently on the door.
The door opened and Concubine Rou stood under the lamp, her clothes as white as snow, with a hint of fatigue between her eyebrows.
The third princess rushed over, tightly grasped her hand, and choked with sobs, "Sister Rou, I don't want to leave..."
Concubine Rou froze, then gently pulled her hand back and whispered, "Third Princess, you are confused!"
"I didn't!" The third princess' voice trembled, "Sister Rou, you know, I..."
"Her Royal Highness the Third Princess is about to marry far away to the Xiongnu. You shouldn't say such things anymore!" Roupin interrupted her, her voice as cold as ice. "I am already Roupin, the Emperor's woman, and you are a princess. You are serving the country and the people. You can't be so willful..."
The third princess staggered back a step, her face as pale as snow.
She opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing, turned around and staggered away.
The princess hid in the dark, her heart beating like a drum.
She saw that when the third princess turned around, Concubine Rou bit her lips tightly, tears rolling down her face silently, but she didn't make a sound.
It turns out... they have such feelings for each other.
The princess felt depressed, as if something was blocking her chest, sour and bitter.
She seemed to understand something, but didn't dare to think too deeply about it.
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