The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 165

“Chun Lan, has the Young Master’s new clothes, shoes, and socks been prepared? Zhao Momo is waiting to use them.” 

“Hui Lan-jiejie¹, it’s all prepared. We already sorted them out last night.” 

“Is this the outfit the Mistress wanted? Make sure not to take the wrong one.”

“It can’t be wrong. Mistress inspected them yesterday, even the bib is matched with a floral pattern.” Chun Lan covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

“Alright, I’ll go ahead then. Go and check on how Ruo Lan is doing with the Young Master’s food. If she’s too busy and cannot handle it, lend her a hand. Move fast.” 

“Alright, I’ll go right away.”

——

Early in the morning, Danruo Courtyard was already bustling with activity, except for the main house which remained quiet.

“How long does Jiao Jiao plan to linger in bed?” Zong Zheng Lin embraced the person pretending to be asleep from behind.

Mu Xi Yao’s eyelashes quivered incessantly. She maintained a calm expression, pretending to ignore him. 

“Then continue sleeping. Cheng Qing, that boy, momo might as well take him out to show him to others.” 

“How could that be?” Mu Xi Yao immediately said. 

“Are you awake now?” The Sixth Highness’s voice was deep, sounding particularly pleasant in the early morning.

Ah, she fell for it….the boss was playing tricks on her so early in the morning! This man was clearly intentionally teasing her. 

Zong Zheng Lin chuckled and patted Mu Xi Yao on the head before getting up and planting a kiss on her cheek. 

The little woman may sound tough on the outside, but she actually cared for her son. How could she miss such an important Draw Lots Ceremony? 

“Didn’t Jiao Jiao say that you’d overshadow everyone today? Bendian is waiting to see,” Last night, this woman had a spat with him and boldly declared that not even the Shengjing’s number one beauty, Shi Yan Ling, could surpass her versatile charm. Zong Zheng Lin was looking forward to seeing how this woman would wrap things up. 

With a pout, Mu Xi Yao nuzzled her little head into the soft pillow. If Zong Zheng Lin hadn’t said ‘Being heavy with child, there’s no need for elaborate dressing up; it won’t flatter the waist, so no need to fuss.’

With just that one sentence, Mu Xi Yao felt that the boss disapproved that her figure had changed and was not as it used to be. Thus, she shot back with a bold declaration. 

Little did she know that Zong Zheng Lin had actually taken her words to heart, and early in the morning, he brought it up, leaving her with no way to back down.

The Sixth Highness got out of bed and put on his robe, watching the woman in the bed twisted into a ball with a gentle expression in his eyes. 

Mu Xi Yao had a rather eccentric personality and was unreasonably competitive about certain things. For example, when it came to a woman’s appearance and temperament, this woman’s views were entirely contrary to the traditional female upbringing of the past and present. 

“Whether a woman has a good or bad temperament, isn’t it all based on the words of the head of the household? What a man ultimately says, at the end of the day, depends on whether you’re good-looking or not and whether you fit his fancy.” 

These were the words Mu Xi Yao casually uttered to Zong Zheng Lin during their idle conversation. At the time, Zong Zheng Lin raised his eyebrow and looked at Mu Xi Yao with an inexplicable smile. 

According to this woman, he, the dignified Sixth Prince, was merely interested in her beauty, which was why he was so attentive to her. 

Actually, Mu Xi Yao’s original intention was to complain that many times women had no say, and their future was determined solely by men. Unfortunately, her thinking was too forward. She considered it a matter of course, but at this moment, the Sixth Highness couldn’t understand it in any way, nor could he guess at all, so he took a detour and presumed that this woman cared a lot about looks.

This led to an even deeper misunderstanding this morning. To soothe Mu Xi Yao’s delicate heart, Zong Zheng Lin did not forget to add a word of comfort. 

“Even if Jiao Jiao can’t compare to other women’s charm, Bendian can make do.” This statement was meant to offer Mu Xi Yao a way out, but unfortunately, this woman didn’t appreciate it at all and was secretly holding a grudge.

Boss, do you really know how to talk? Although it’s well-intentioned, why does Qie get more and more irritated as Qie listens? You are not here to make people angry early in the morning, are you?

Seeing Mu Xi Yao fully awake, throwing a tantrum, and glaring at him spiritedly, Zong Zheng Lin put on his outer robe and called people for Mu Xi Yao.

He never allowed others to serve him, except for the occasional times when Mu Xi Yao was in a good mood and offered him attentive gestures. Most of the time, Zong Zheng Lin took care of himself.

Mo Lan looked at the sky and was anxious to go up and knock on the door. Now that His Highness has called someone into the room, it couldn’t be more perfect. 

Today, everyone who came to the Prince’s Residence to offer congratulations was dressed festively. They better exercise caution in front of the Sixth Highness. Although the Sixth Highness wouldn’t get angry over these minor details, no one knew whether he would remember them privately. Besides, today’s Draw Lots Ceremony was for the firstborn son of Lady Mu, whom His Highness deeply favored. This matter could be of great importance, so it was best to think about it more thoroughly. 

He Lian Min Min, accompanied by her attendants, greeted various madams and young ladies in the courtyard, while the other princesses and commandery princesses gathered in the warm pavilion, sipping and chatting, not mingling with ordinary court ladies.  

“So that’s Miss Shi from Shi House, truly astonishingly beautiful. Just look at her attire; it couldn’t have been made for less than a hundred taels of silver. I heard that Miss Shi just arrived from the south and initially couldn’t adapt to the weather in Shengjing. She even fell ill and it wasn’t until last month that she started going out. But it was just a few instances, her beauty has already become renowned throughout Shengjing, known by all.”

“Miss Shi is indeed beautiful, but she doesn’t match the unique charm of the lady beside her.”

“Do you know who she is? She is Zhu Ge Yue, a pearl in the palm² of the Zhu Ge House, a woman renowned alongside His Highness’s Cefei, Lady Mu.” 

“So, it’s her! Truly deserving of her reputation. But how is she connected to Lady Mu? Why is there talk of them being equally renowned?”

“This, you are not aware of. A while ago, in the palace…”

As He Lian Min Min listened to the whispers of the madams behind her, she was already accustomed to Mu Xi Yao’s habit of stealing the spotlight. Even when that woman wasn’t present, it was not easy for people to forget about her.

In a way, it was good. With Mu’shi diverting attention, she might face less deliberate flattery from others. The sight of these opportunistic people made her heart upset. One could truly comprehend the bitterness of the human’s fickle sentiments only when experienced firsthand.  

“This humble servant pays respects to Princess Consort.” Zhu Ge Yue and Shi Yan Ling came together, both rare beauties in their sixteenth. Their graceful arrival instantly attracted a lot of attention. 

“The visitors are considered guests; there’s no need for such formality. Both misses are truly courteous.” He Lian Min Min displayed the demeanor of a host and soon engaged in conversation with the two.

“Miss He Lian has arrived.”

Upon hearing ‘Miss He Lian’, all present turned their gaze simultaneously and saw a beautiful woman. She was as radiant as a moon, moving gracefully with lotus-like steps, captivating people’s hearts within a few strides. 

Beautiful—beautiful beyond compare, a beauty that imparts a sense of solitude and coldness. Such a woman should be the peerless beauty that sparked countless imaginations in 《Ode to the Moon Goddess》. If not for that incident, she could have entered the Sixth Highness’s inner yard…

He Lian Wei Rui wore a moon-white thousand river skirt³ embellished with embroidered butterflies. The trailing hem of the skirt featured layers of intricate hidden flowers. It seemed to be adorned with silver threads, gleaming as she walked, exceptionally exquisite. On her head, there was only a simple jade hairpin as a modest complement that accentuated the woman’s snow-white complexion, luminous eyes, and white teeth.

If Shi Yan Ling was considered beautiful for her exquisite features, then He Lian Wei Rui captivated hearts with her overall grace and demeanor. If one were to compare them, the two were evenly matched, sharing the spotlight equally.

“Here is my jiejie, meimei⁴ has come to pay my respects.” He Lian Wei Rui, as usual, displayed polite courtesy to He Lian Min Min. However, deep down, she knew that she harbored resentment mixed with disdain for this elder di sister who lacked any noteworthy abilities. If it weren’t for Helian Min Min’s own mistakes, the one currently receiving compliments and flattery here would undoubtedly include her, He Lian Wei Rui.

Translation notes:

[1] Jiejie means elder sister and is a term used to address or refer to an older female, either blood-related or not.

[2] Pearl in the palm fig. beloved person, mostly daughter.  

[3] Thousand rivers skirt refers to a type of skirt with a design reminiscent of flowing water.

[4] Meimei refers to a younger sister and a term used to address or refer to a younger female, either blood-related or not.

Relationship Diagram  (by Sith Kazar)

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