Chapter 125: Main Text Finished
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
The Young Master Meng and the Princess kissing intimately in the snow were not only seen by guards outside the hall, even Li Ruiyuan, who was standing by the window of the imperial study, also saw it.
"This... this is utterly improper! This girl is really causing trouble!"
Unlike Li Ruiyuan's angry frown and glare, Qiu Sheng, who stood behind him, smiled and said, "It has been a long time since I saw Her Highness so happy."
The two who had kissed closely in the snow had now separated. But the Princess, who was always dignified, jumped onto Miss Meng's back in front of many people.
This person usually did not show anger or joy on her face. Seeing her lose control and act spoiled like today, wanting someone to carry her, was truly rare to see.
It seemed she was really very happy.
Then, Li Ruiyuan only waved his sleeve and left, saying, "Forget it, forget it, let her be."
Seeing the Emperor’s relaxed brow, Qiu Sheng smiled with relief.
The road was slippery in the snow. The Princess did not want to walk and insisted that the Young Master carry her. With no choice, the Young Master let the Princess lie on her back.
"You, it is fine if you do not want to walk, but why do you not want to prepare a sedan chair? Why must you have me carry you? Are you not afraid that so many people will see and laugh at you..."
Though the Young Master muttered this with dislike, her hands were very gentle. She carefully held the Princess' legs and steadily walked toward the back palace.
Li Qiubai lay smiling on the Young Master's back, swinging her legs leisurely. She even had one hand free to lightly pinch the Young Master's reddened ear tip, and she laughed softly, "Who told you to spoil me?"
Hearing this, the Young Master raised her eyebrows proudly and said, "You know I am good, right?"
"I know, I have always known."
The Princess' eyes curved into a smile. She pressed her head gently against the Young Master's and softly rubbed it. She laughed low and said, "After all, you are the one in the whole world who treats me best."
Hearing the Princess say this, the Young Master felt her heart bloom with joy. Even her steps became lighter.
Mm, even if she might not be the one who treats the Princess best in the whole world now, in the rest of her life, she would surely become the one who truly and really treats the Princess best in the whole world!
The two of them, in this close manner, walked through the wind and snow across more than half of the imperial palace and arrived at Yong'an Palace, where the Empress Dowager lives.
When they wiped off the remaining snow from their bodies and entered the hall, they saw Shu Yao quietly bowing her head, kneeling by the Empress Dowager's legs, letting the old woman, who had lost control and had red eyes, scold and hit her.
"So you still know to come back?!"
"You really are a heartless little bastard!"
"If you are fine, why do you not send a message to the palace?"
"If you are afraid of your father so you do not dare to return to the palace, that is one thing. But why did you not send a letter to me and your mother earlier?"
"You unfilial granddaughter, you really make me so angry I could die!"
With every curse, the Empress Dowager slapped Shu Yao on the back.
Her winter clothes were thick and heavy, so the light slaps did not hurt Shu Yao at all. Instead, they hurt the old woman's hand.
The old woman almost could not hold back the tears in her eyes.
After getting a glance hint from Shen Lingyun who was watching nearby, Li Qiubai did not continue to watch quietly. She immediately went forward to support the Empress Dowager's arm and obediently comforted her, "Imperial Grandmother, please calm down first. Do not make yourself sick from anger."
However, the Princess' words did not calm the Empress Dowager. Instead, they made her even angrier.
"And you too, you are not much better than your sister!"
The Empress Dowager only glanced at Young Master Meng and then slapped Li Qiubai's hand again. She continued to scold, "I really love you sisters in vain. That is why you all hide things from this old woman, right?"
It was obvious that the Empress Dowager had already heard about what the Princess did before the palace gate. She knew about the relationship between the Princess and Young Master Meng. She was angry because she had been kept in the dark.
Seeing this, Shu Yao, who was kneeling on the ground, raised her head and grabbed the Empress Dowager’s robe so that her imperial elder sister would not be blamed because of her. She admitted her mistake on her own and said, “Imperial Grandmother, it is all my fault. Please do not blame Imperial Sister. She did not know anything about it…”
The Empress Dowager had never been able to stand it when the children acted all wronged and spoiled.
Now Shu Yao only pouted like that, and her pitiful and aggrieved face already made her heart soften.
“You, you…”
After poking Shu Yao’s forehead, all the anger in the Empress Dowager’s belly had already vanished. Her fingertip could not help but move to the edge of Shu Yao’s mask, and in the end, she sighed softly and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Shu Yao shook her head, then grabbed the Empress Dowager’s hand and rubbed her cheek against her palm just like when she was little. Only then did she say, “My beloved already helped me heal the wound. Imperial Sister also helped me get revenge and vent my anger. And now Imperial Grandmother still misses me and thinks about me. So how could it still hurt?”
Only then did the Empress Dowager shift her gaze to the Young Master of the Divine Doctors Sect, Shen Lingyun, who was standing quietly at the side.
“This beloved of yours, you mean Miss Shen, right…”
When she heard this, Shen Lingyun’s heart tightened. In that instant, she felt both happy and annoyed.
She was happy because this coward finally admitted it on her own for once.
What annoyed her is that this person had not talked it over with her first before saying it clearly to the Empress Dowager, which made her feel caught off guard.
But no matter what she was thinking deep down, on the surface, Shen Lingyun still braced herself, forced calm, and bowed properly to the Empress Dowager, calling out, “Your Majesty…”
“Do not be so polite. I think back when you were just a child, I also held you in my arms. You can call me Grandmother, just like A'Yao does.”
Just that one sentence made Shen Lingyun freeze on the spot.
Shu Yao had spoken in a cryptic but hopeful way, and the Empress Dowager, who had already sent someone to secretly look into things before inviting the two of them into the palace, how could she not know what this child was trying to say by telling her all this?
The child had already suffered so much hardship outside. How could she bear to let this poor child suffer even a little bit more in front of her?
After saying that, the Empress Dowager did not bother to look at the two girls who were now full of joy, exchanging glances full of emotion. She simply turned her eyes toward Young Master Meng standing to the side with a face full of comfort, and spoke in a deep voice, “And you.”
Meng Chang’an, who was suddenly called, thought about how she was now dressed like a girl. She could not help but feel a little guilty in her heart.
So she would not add fuel to the fire, the Young Master had no choice but to go forward obediently. She blurted out, “Imperial Grandmother…”
This very direct call made the Empress Dowager freeze for a moment. She almost laughed from anger.
This look was not the same as how scared and timid she had looked when she first entered the palace that day.
Now, seeing this child’s nervous and guilty face again, the Empress Dowager did not scold her with a stern face anymore. She just shook her head helplessly.
“Forget it, forget it, I will not say anything about you. But if you dare let Qiu’er be wronged in the future, I will not let you off so easily!”
The Young Master’s eyes lit up. She quickly said, “Imperial Grandmother, please be at ease. I will treat Her Highness well in the future!”
Only then did the Empress Dowager smile with satisfaction.
She never thought that the words she could not say with ease during their return banquet after the wedding that day, she could finally say with peace of mind now.
The two granddaughters she loved the most had finally found a good home.
After that, Yong’an Palace was filled with laughter and joy.
After lunch, when the old lady had gone back to her sleeping chamber to rest, Shu Yao pulled Shen Lingyun along and ran to the Peach Blossom Garden deep inside Yong'an Palace.
Now the snow had already stopped, but the snow on the ground had not been fully cleared.
Seeing Shu Yao crouching beside the swing, urgently sweeping snow and digging the ground, Shen Lingyun felt puzzled in her heart, yet still crouched down and helped her dig the soil with a dagger.
Only when she saw the wine jar under the soil did Shu Yao’s face finally bloom with a smile.
“Found it!”
Excitedly digging out the wine jar, Shu Yao then noticed that it seemed to be already empty.
Sure enough, after lifting the lid, what she saw was not the peach blossom wine she had brewed with her own hands that day, but a note rolled inside cowhide paper.
[You are really slow]
Those four mocking words instantly made Shu Yao’s face fall.
She turned her head and saw Shen Lingyun’s confused expression. At once, she pitifully hugged the beloved beside her. It was half an explanation and half a complaint as she said, “I once made a bet with Imperial Sister. Whoever fulfilled her wish first and married her beloved, the wine buried here would belong to her. It seems like she cheated and dug it up first, and now she even blames me for being slow…”
Shen Lingyun was stunned for a moment. The hand that had originally wanted to pat Shu Yao’s back to comfort her froze in mid-air.
“What do you mean, you already had someone you loved?”
“Yes!”
Seeing the changing expression on Shen Lingyun’s face at that moment, Shu Yao in the end could not hold back. She leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then smiled and said, “You once told me to think carefully, whether I liked you because you saved me, or if I truly liked you. That day I did not dare tell you, because I was afraid my plans would scare you away. Now I will tell you the truth. If the person who happened to find me back then was not you, no matter how badly I was hurt at that time, I still would have found a way to reach your side.”
As Shen Lingyun became even more stunned, Shu Yao boldly pressed a kiss onto her lips.
“Have you forgotten? When I was a child, there was a time I got sick and threw a tantrum, refusing to take medicine. No matter how the imperial doctors coaxed me, it was no use. At that time, you happened to be in the palace with your father, learning medicine at the Imperial Medical Bureau, and took over me as your patient…”
To Shen Lingyun, her childhood memories were filled only with hatred. The mischievous little princess in the palace had not left much of an impression in her heart.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too.
Now that Shu Yao brought it up, countless thoughts rushed into her mind.
While she was dazed, along with that kiss falling on her lips came a soft whisper.
“That beloved has always been you.”
The knot that had troubled Shen Lingyun’s heart for so long was finally untied.
Under the eaves nearby, the two people standing hand in hand had already taken in the whole scene before their eyes.
Only then did Meng Chang’an smile at the Princess beside her and say, “Now you can be at ease, right?”
That night’s celebration banquet, Shu Yao did not attend. She only took Shen Lingyun with her once more into the inner palace, to go and admit her wrongs to her mother, who spent her days burning incense and praying to Buddha.
And the Emperor, who knew full well about the happenings in the inner palace, in the end chose to turn a blind eye.
At the celebration banquet, all those who had rendered merit were rewarded, especially the Lin family of fierce generals. They had already become the greatest contributors in this battle.
The position of Crown Prince had also been settled during this time, and it was given to the Grand Prince. As for the other princes*, they were granted the title Prince** and given their own fiefdoms.
*皇子 (huángzǐ) Imperial son, son of the emperor — prince by birth. No official title yet.
**王 (wáng) This also means King/monarch, a title used for Emperor before the Qin dynasty, but it is also a conferred title for Prince/Duke (like Prince of Yu, Prince of Ding'an). It came with a title + land to rule, and rank in the hierarchy.
Originally, this was all within the expectations of the officials. But unexpectedly, after that, the Second Princess Li Qiubai was also granted a fief.
Unlike in the past, where a princess would only be given a rich but unimportant little land, the fief granted to the Second Princess was actually the largest among all the princes.
All the lands south of Yuzhou, even those territories won from the Kingdom of Qi, were now placed under the Second Princess’ control.
And the title the Emperor bestowed upon the Second Princess made the other princes burn with jealousy.
She was titled—Princess who Guards the Nation.
No matter how shocked the officials were, and no matter how jealous the princes were, the newly titled Princess Who Guards the Nation was already holding Young Master Meng’s hand as they climbed to the top of the tallest Wangyuan Tower in the palace.
Looking far from up high, one could see the busiest and liveliest part of the capital from the Wangyuan Tower.
Today was a day of celebration for the whole nation. There was singing and dancing inside the palace, and there were lights and joy outside as well.
Even though there was no snow tonight, the cold wind at this height was even colder on the winter night.
After pulling the Princess into her arms and wrapping her tightly in a fox-fur cloak, Meng Chang’an finally asked, “It is so cold. Why did you suddenly come here to stand in the wind? Would it not be better to return to the manor?”
But the Princess only smiled and wrapped her arms around the Young Master's neck, speaking softly, “Shh, look.”
Right as she finished speaking, bursts of light bloomed in the sky.
Following the sound, the Young Master turned her head.
Fireworks lit up the entire city, unfolding before her eyes.
While she stared in a daze, the Princess leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Do you like it? These are the fireworks I once promised to give you.”
Fireworks blossomed across the city, too beautiful for words.
“I like it.”
This moment, this scene, was far too moving.
Under those bursts of blooming light, the Young Master could not help but kiss the Princess between her brows.
“But what I like even more, is still you.”
In the Young Master's heart, no matter how beautiful the fireworks across the city were, they still could not compare to the Princess’ smiling face at this very moment.
Author’s Note:
The main text ends here. The wedding will be in the extras! I will try to finish it all in one go today.
Fin.
