zChapter 953 - Xuan Zhan, Come Here (1/2)
Noble Lady Li had been rather introverted ever since she was young. In the palace, she did not have any friends, and she even kept her own elder sister at a distance. Regardless of what she kept inside, she did not interact with others. It was such that many of the members of the imperial harem with high pride began to bully her for fun. Even when she was bullied quite severely, the only thing that she could come up with was stabbing little straw figures to have fun on her own. Now that she had been confined to Jing Si Palace, her introverted personality became even more pronounced, as she did not want to see anyone. She even spoke very little with the palace maids. She was even quite happy that the Emperor did not let her out or let other people in. This would make sure that fewer people disturbed her.
But today was different. She used one of her gold hairpins to bribe the imperial guard standing guard outside to allow her palace maid to go out and invite Feng Yuheng. As for how Feng Yuheng would get in, this was something that she did not need to worry about. She knew that Feng Yuheng was very capable, and there was probably no place in the Imperial Palace that she could not go.
Seeing Feng Yuheng arrive, the joy on Noble Lady Li’s face was hard to conceal and there was still some nervousness remaining. She took the initiative and went forward, doing her best to look inviting. She personally invited her into the side hall then had Zuo’er prepare the best tea in Jing Si Palace. Only after seeing Feng Yuheng take a sip did she tentatively say: “Please do not dislike it. This place of mine does not have many nice things. This tea is already the best that can be brought out.”
Feng Yuheng smiled at Noble Lady Li and said: “It’s fine. I never minded such things.” An apologetic look appeared on her face, as she continued: “Speaking of, it was A-Heng who was careless and should have come to visit Noble Lady earlier. Sixth brother has helped me quite a great deal in Yu Zhou. Now, he is staying there and helping me take care of the situation in the prefecture; however, I have not been able to help him take care of Noble Lady. It’s truly A-Heng’s mistake.”
Hearing her say this, not only did Noble Lady Li not blame her, but her smile became even brighter. Her entire person even became joyous. She even took the initiative to grab Feng Yuheng’s hand and warmly said: “It’s good if you have this sort of heart. There’s no need to pay too much attention to my side. Either way, His Majesty does not allow people to come and visit me, nor does he let me leave this palace. It would not do to cause you any trouble.” While she spoke, she patted the back of Feng Yuheng’s hand and repeatedly praised: “You really are a good and understanding child. To be able to think of me even when you are so busy. Just with your words, my heart feels much warmer.”
Feng Yuheng slightly raised an eyebrow, as she continued to feel that Noble Lady Li was being overly nice. After thinking about the wedding gift that she had sent, a very awkward feeling suddenly sprung up inside her chest.
Yet Noble Lady Li did not seem to notice the uncomfortable look that had already begun to creep onto her face, as she continued to express her feelings. While having her eat pastries, she personally poured her some tea then brought up the sixth prince’s matter, saying: “I heard that Feng’er is living with you in Ji An Prefecture?”
Feng Yuheng frowned. What sort of phrasing was that? “Noble Lady must not say it like this. There are some things that the speaker might say without any thought but the listener might object to it. Sixth brother is just living in my manor in Ji An Prefecture. That residence is very large and is many times larger than the imperial daughter’s manor in the capital. We do enter through the same door, but the living quarters are very far apart. Because of this, even if we are living in the same residence, sixth brother and I very rarely saw each other.” She made things very clear and continued by telling Noble Lady Li: “You have been in the palace for a few decades and should understand that misspeaking is something that must be avoided. I hope that noble lady will be able to think carefully before speaking.”
Noble Lady Li did not get upset and immediately nodded to admit her mistake. Her attitude was very good: “Yes, yes, yes, it was my mistake. I had said it without thinking. You must not misunderstand me. Then let’s not speak about this. You’re now married to His Highness the ninth prince, then… is His Highness the ninth prince treating you well?” Her tone was filled with concern, and her gaze was earnest. She looked just like an elder concerned with someone from the younger generation. It was very kind.
Feng Yuheng smiled and said: “Very well. Ever since His Highness the ninth prince and I became engaged, our relationship has been quite good. Back then, he promised that he would marry me on the day that I became of age, but we were in the South at that time, and there had been a battle on top of that. I originally thought that this marriage would need to be delayed; however, who knew that His Highness the ninth prince would manage to keep that promise? A-Heng was very happy.” She deliberately sweetened her description of her relationship with Xuan Tianming then paid close attention to Noble Lady Li’s expression. Sure enough, she saw a bit of bitterness.
Noble Lady Li did not continue along with this topic and moved away from it once more. This time, she began speaking about the sixth prince. From when he was little until he was grown, she even spoke about some of the awkward things that the sixth prince had done when he was a child. This included the time when he was six years old and had told her about what sort of wife he wanted to find in the future. She spoke quite happily about these things, and it was such that Feng Yuheng began to feel as though she had been brought to Jing Si Palace to listen to Noble Lady Li reminisce.
Huang Quan’s lips twitched from listening, and she could not help but frown, as she gently tugged at Feng Yuheng’s sleeve.
As for Zuo’er, who was standing behind Noble Lady Li, when she saw Huang Quan move, she also slightly tugged Noble Lady Li’s sleeve to serve as a reminder, but Noble Lady Li had lost herself in speaking, and she even pushed Zuo’er away, saying: “I am currently speaking with Imperial Daughter. Don’t cause trouble here.”
Once these words came out, Feng Yuheng said: “Noble Lady should not call me imperial daughter.”
Noble Lady Li froze then managed to react: “Right, right! Because of the connection with Feng’er, we should be a little more intimate; moreover, you helped save my life during the winter hunt. Then I’ll call you A-Heng!”
Feng Yuheng did not know whether to laugh or cry: “Even with the connection through sixth brother, Noble Lady and I are only on speaking terms. It would be best if you called me Princess Yu.” After saying this, she emphasized: “The other imperial concubine mothers of the other princes also call me this.”
A look of embarrassment appeared on Noble Lady Li’s face, and she could only nod, dryly saying: “Alright then, then I will call you Princess Yu!”
“Un.” Feng Yuheng nodded then continued: “In the past, I very rarely heard about sixth brother. Hearing noble lady speak about him today, it was definitely fresh. Speaking of, sixth brother is a really good person.”
“So what if he’s a good person?” Noble Lady Li sighed, “I am still worried about his marriage. I still don’t know when the Xian Palace will have a proper female master.”