The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 138

Sir Wei, are you going to Danruo Courtyard again?” Tian Fu Shan chuckled meaningfully, teasing Wei Zhen without reservation.

Wei Zhen kept a straight face and walked past him with a solemn expression. When no one was around, he couldn’t hold back his expression anymore. Mistress Yao suddenly became concerned about his major life affair. She would every now and then call him to Danruo Courtyard ‘to offer him some advice’, and even entrust him with laying the Young Master’s ‘martial arts foundation’.

Even now, Wei Zhen remembered the shock that filled everyone’s faces upon hearing Mistress Yao’s instructions. Particularly the two momos who tried to persuade against the matter with all their might. Unfortunately, without His Highness to keep Mistress Yao under control, she became the one who had the final say, and she didn’t waver in her decisions.

And so, it was time for him to ‘lay the groundwork’ for the Young Master again.

“Sir.” Mo Lan handed the Young Master who was jumping with excitement to Wei Zhen.

After an initial panic, Wei Zhen was now able to hold the Young Master in a decent way.

“Wei Wei!” The little bun Cheng Qing remembered the tall man in front of him who could lift him high. As soon as he saw Wei Zhen, he grinned widely.

Looking at the Young Master who was the spitting image of His Highness, Wei Zhen’s respect for His Highness did not diminish at all. After playing with the Young Master for a while, he bowed and led him to the martial arts training ground in the front yard to watch guards practice boxing. At these times, Cheng Qing’s eyes were always wide open, quietly lying in his arms and staring intently at the big men sparring with each other.

Mo Lan followed them with a group of little maidservants, nervously keeping an eye on the Young Master. She felt like her heart was always in her throat, afraid that since Sir Wei was a man, he might handle Chen Qing too roughly and cause him to bump into something.

Wei Zhen was very attentive to Chen Qqing. Although he was not as meticulous as the momos, he made sure that the Young Master was well-cared for in every aspect. As he watched the Young Master become engrossed in watching people practicing martial arts, he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. As expected of His Highness’s eldest son; he had shown a strong interest in martial arts since he was a child and was particularly passionate about it. When he grows up, he would likely be very talented and make great achievements in martial arts.

When Mo Lan went back to report to Mu Xi Yao, she had expressed concern that it was not appropriate for the Young Master to be exposed to so much violence at such a young age several times. However, Mu Xi Yao waved her hand and dismissed her concerns, paying it no attention. She even praised Wei Zhen’s intelligence for finding a way to keep the naughty little guy calm.

More than half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. Mu Xi Yao was satisfied that Wei Zhen had gradually become more relaxed in Danruo Courtyard. She smiled as she watched him hold the little bun’s hand and teach him how to play pitch-pot¹. Suddenly, Zhao Momo walked quickly with a solemn expression.

“Mistress, the Fourth Princess is visiting. He Lian Principal Consort asks you to go to the main house.”

Fourth Princess? Mu Xi Yao felt familiar with the title. As she watched Wei Zhen’s busy figure, she remembered.

Wasn’t she the Fourth Princess born to Consort De, Zong Zheng Ying? The one to whom the Sixth Highness had dispatched someone to forcibly buy her golden-crowned hummingbird. And she, Mu Xi Yao, personally sent Consort De to the Cold Palace. Was this the enemy coming to her doorstep?

“Mistress, shall this old servant reply on your behalf, telling them that you’re heavy with child, unable to receive visitors, and need to rest in bed?” The Fourth Princess clearly came with ill intentions, choosing to visit when His Highness was out of the capital and explicitly mentioning wanting to meet with the cefei. Such an overt request made it difficult to refuse her.

“Since you’re heavy with child, then Bengong² will come to visit you in person. Begong had this idea from the beginning. He Lian’shi, do you agree?” Zong Zheng Ying lifted the hanging screen and came in, followed by the sullen-faced He Lian Min Min.

They were each accompanied by their respective servant girls. In a blink of an eye, the main house where Mu Xi Yao was staying became lively.

This Fourth Princess was too insolent, acting recklessly in the prince’s residence and even barging into Danruo Courtyard with her people against He Lian Min Min’s wishes. As Zong Zheng Lin’s princess consort, she was naturally not on good terms with Zong Zheng Ying, and the two had engaged in several rounds of open and secret confrontations, each hiding daggers behind their smiles while knowing what was going on.

Mu Xi Yao saw through the small crack in the lifted curtain that Chun Lan was being pushed to kneel under the sun. Instantly, her eyes changed color.

Zong Zheng Ying had just arrived and was already asserting her authority. Did she want to rely on her status to confront her head-on?

“Mu Cefei, Bengong has come to visit you in person. Although Bengong empathizes with your current cumbersome state and won’t be so harsh as to ask you to perform the complete set of etiquette, we still need to observe proper rules of conduct, don’t we?” Zong Zheng Ying raised her chin and cast a sidelong glance at Mu Xi Yao. If it wasn’t for a tiny smile on her face, the blatant hatred in her eyes could have frightened people.

As she spoke, Zong Zheng Ying chose the most honorable seat³ to sit on, putting immense pressure on Mu Xi Yao, who was still leaning against the couch bed and had not yet moved.

He Lian Min Min sat upright next to Zong Zheng Ying with a solemn expression, not yielding an inch in terms of her presence. With His Highness not present in the residence, she couldn’t let others trample on the dignity of the prince’s household. As for the conflict between Mu Xi Yao and Zong Zheng Ying, if the latter had the ability to deal with that vixen, she would be happy to see Mu Xi Yao lose face as long as Zong Zheng Ying didn’t go too far.

However, as Zong Zheng Ying could never become her ally, she had to consider the Sixth Highness’s public reputation and must not undermine it. If there were any verbal clashes between the two, she believed that His Highness would not blame her.

Mu Xi Yao remained silent for a moment before a humble smile appeared on her face.

“Qie has neglected Princess. May Princess forgive Qie.” Mu Xi Yao slowly reached out her left hand and used her eyes to signal Zhao Momo to stay calm.

Zhao Momo’s stomach was in knots. Her Mistress had already extended her hand and as a servant, she had to follow suit. She bowed slightly and helped Mu Xi Yao walk slowly towards the Fourth Princess.

Standing three to five steps away from Zong Zheng Ying, Mu Xi Yao bent her knees and respectfully greeted her.

“Qie pays respect to the Fourth Princess. Qie is grateful for Princess’s concern and for coming all the way to visit Qie.”

He Lian Min Min noticed that Mu Xi Yao was behaving differently than usual. Despite her pregnant belly, Mu Xi Yao followed all the proper etiquette and conducted herself respectfully and with dignity. What was this woman scheming? 

Zong Zheng Ying watched Mu Xi Yao’s pretentious behavior with scorn, and her hatred for her only grew stronger. If it weren’t for this damned bitch, how could the mighty Fourth Princess of Great Wei lose the support of her mother’s clan and become the princess with the weakest prestige among the married princesses overnight? This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it’s been stolen!

She held the horsewhip in her hand and rubbed it gently. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Mu Xi Yao still kneeling and bowing her head. A sense of gratification surged in her heart.

No matter how much favor she received, she still relied on men’s protection. Without Zong Zheng Lin here, wasn’t she just a plucked mountain chicken⁴? Inciting Zong Zheng Lin to bully her? She would have to obediently swallow this humiliation.

The Sixth Highness did a great job in keeping secrets, and Zong Zheng Ying only learned from her Death Soldiers⁵ in the princess’s residence that her golden-crowned hummingbird was being kept in the courtyard by Mu Xi Yao. Every day, Mu Xi Yao would play with it while carrying her brat in her arms. This was a blatant slap in her face. Hanging her hummingbird on the branch to tease it every day was nothing more than an attempt to humiliate her.

Zong Zheng Lin had dared to use the matter of her keeping male lovers to threaten her. Despite being furious, she had to dismiss all the playthings in her residence, so that she could seek revenge on him with a clean slate. She picked Mu’shi today because it was their first battle after their falling out. They had driven her mother-consort insane and caused her to be deposed, and this grudge could only be avenged by taking the life of Mu’shi.

Translation notes:

[1] Pitch-pot game is a traditional Chinese game that requires players to throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a large canister (source).

[2] Bengong is a first-person pronoun employed by an empress or a high-ranking consort when speaking to a person or an audience of lower rank or status.

[3] The most honorable seat in this context refers to the chair placed at the top and center of the room, usually reserved for the most important or highest-ranking person in the room. It is a symbol of status and authority. If there was a seat facing the entrance, then the right-hand seat facing the entrance was for the guest of honor. The seats on the left-hand side of the seat of honor were, in order of importance, second, fourth, sixth, and eighth and those on the right were third, fifth, and seventh (source).

[4] Mountain Chicken is a slang term used to refer to a person who is not sophisticated and has poor manners or is unsophisticated in their behavior. It can also be used to describe someone who is a hillbilly or someone who is not familiar with city life.

[5] Death soldier is a soldier who is trained to fulfill missions without caring about their lives. In historical contexts, it often refers to an elite group of soldiers who are trained to carry out special missions or protect important figures.

Relationship Diagram  (by Sith Kazar)

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