The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 20

Soon Wei Zhen brought news from Yu Gu. The food in the bowl did not contain aphrodisiacs, instead, a sandalwood was added in. Sandalwood flower was usually used for making incense sticks. It possessed no harm to human body. The sandalwood inside the bowl was actually the juice extracted from its petals. 

According to his Highness’s description, he must have been affected by the mixture of sandalwood and Du Chun scent. Du Chun was also a commonly used spice. Many incenses contained this one ingredient. Yu Gu guessed that this lady Qi was acquainted with her late elder sister.

Zhong Zheng Lin recalled for a moment and then came to a conclusion that Du Chun must has been the fragrance Qi’shi wore that day when she came to pay him respect. Later, it was confirmed that lady Qi’s birth mother had studied fragrance under Yu Gu’s elder sister for three years in her youth. No wonder that lady Qi was so knowledgeable about scents.

Before this, Zhong Zheng Lin was already very indifferent toward the women inside the inner yard and was naturally disinterested in the lovemaking. This time, it was the first someone had used a drug on him. Even if he disregards its harmfulness to the body, his pride as a man could not tolerate that a mere lowly servant had drugged him. As a result, he has turned completely cold toward the inner yard.

“Wei Zhen, have Yu Gu send maidservants that are well versed with scents and settle them in Danruo Courtyard.” Based on that woman’s temper, who knows when someone would scheme against her. It would be wiser to stay cautious.

Wei Zhen immediately went running the errand. He was long used to his master’s behavior. Previously, his Highness was both inwardly and outwardly cold toward everything and everybody. He acted on his own accord and spent most of his time on the court matters. Later, he has somehow developed feelings for mistress Yao. Ever since, beside attending to the official matters, he was always revolving himself around mistress Yao. He could not let go of any rustle of leaves on her side.

But that mistress Yao…. Wei Zhen shuddered. If mistress Yao did not harbor such feeling toward his Highness like his Highness has been expecting, the consequences……. Wei Zhen quickly halted, thinking that these were all just his groundless fears.

—–

This day, Mu Xi Yao received a big news that made her very excited. She was originally feeding her cute rabbits in the courtyard when suddenly a little servant girl asked her what was “Mister Rabbit”.

Mu Xi Yao immediately chuckled and asked her where she had heard it. The servant girl said that manservants have gathered in one place at the outer courtyard and have chatted that tomorrow will be Ten Gentlemen’s Feast. When the time comes, many Mister Rabbits will definitely attend the event. Mu Xi Yao’s eyes widened right at once and she looked at Zhao Qing behind her with those shining eyes of hers.

Zhao Qing’s face darkened. If miss was to learn, there would be surely a lot of fuss around it. Moreover, there was still that person……thus he kept his lips tight. Looking at Zhao Qing’s complexion, the little girl knew she had made a trouble, so she quickly took off.

“Zhao Qing, you don’t have to tell me.” As Zhao Qing made a sigh of relief, he heard miss say mystifyingly, “There are others who would tell me~~”

Zhao Qing’s body broke in goosebumps. He frowned deeply. After a quarter hour of deadlock, Zhao Qing could only disclose her everything in detail as he could not change Mu Xi Yao’s mind.

This Shengjing’s Ten Gentlemen’s Feast was a three-year educational institution event. Great Wei’s educational institution consisted of a scholastic and militaristic academy. The scholastic academy comprised of colleges, educational establishments, libraries, folk academy clubs, etc. The militaristic academy included mainly military schools, martial arts halls, martial arts establishments, folk sects, etc. As a result, people that could rise above ten millions of other people and become one of Ten Gentlemen were all top figures among the young generation who were masters of pen and sword, possessing both talent and virtue. As long as they participated in the imperial and military examination, the court will give them priority in the enrollment. Once they have passes through the inspection, they will be then entrusted with important tasks. The most well-known of the last season was the head of Ten Gentlemen, Gong Sun Mu Yang. He now took the post of the lower second rank provincial governor of Jinzhou; currently aged twenty-one.

Due to the fact that this season’s Ten Gentlemen’s selection run at the same time as Mu Xi Yao’s selection, she had missed the opportunity to watch the fun. Regarding the final ranking of the remaining Shengjing academy that will be held tomorrow…

Mu Xi Yao beat her chest and stamped her feet in anger¹. Such an important matter, yet there was no such an information in her memory. What was with her predecessor? Her brain was stuffed only with the kind of trivial matters, like vying for the favor. So unreliable!

This lass was so upset she completely forgot that the most important things for ancient women were inner yard affairs. Not to mention, Mu Xi Yao from the previous lifetime cared not about these matters as they were too distant from her. The her at the time was still ignorantly learning decorums in the palace. Later on, she was appointed to be a concubine. There was happiness, there was also sadness. Thereupon, she had obediently waited to be married in her maiden quarters. Besides, she did not have such a help as Zhao Qing, so how would she know about Ten Gentlemen’s Feast?

As soon as this lass found the opportunity, she would slip out and disregard proper duties. She then dared to grumble about her predecessor not caring about politics. The ancient women’s protocol was plain and clear, “Women were forbidden to interfere with politics”!

Getting the rough idea about the feast, Mu Xi Yao set her eyes upon the Shengjing’s academy. However, this academy was not like the library as women were forbidden to enter. Since she could not enter there with her true identity, she will just change it! Mu Xi Yao turned to smile at Zhao Qing. She looked at him till he could not keep his expression straight anymore. The miss’s look resembled a cat that had stolen a fish².

After hearing Mu Xi Yao’s plan, Zhao Qing was so dumbstruck he was unable to speak for half a day. When he came to himself, the expression on his face could not be described as pitch black anymore. The muscle on his face was simply distorted!

“Miss, this matter is highly inappropriate.”

“What is inappropriate?”

“How can one snatch someone else’s name card?”

“What snatching? It’s only borrowing. Once entered into the academy, it will be immediately returned.” Mu Xi Yao said confidently as if the righteousness was on her side.

Zhao Qing naturally knew Mu Xi Yao’s temper. When she got stubborn, she did not resemble a maiden at all.

Since Mu Xi Yao made up her mind to go there, Zhao Qing could only suffer in silence and follow her.

Mo Lan and Hui Lan at the side were scared to silliness, yet they were ordered by Mu Xi Yao to keep their lips sealed about this matter. This woman told them that whoever leaked the news could straight away forget about accompanying her to the prince’s residence. Being threatened like that, the two orchid flowers could only grind their teeth and comply, bearing no thoughts of informing this thing to lady Yu. Therefore, when the master becomes crooked, as time goes even the people under her would eventually follow her example and become crooked. Mu Xi Yao was exactly the epitome of “If the upper beam was not straight”³.

What is not known was that Mu Xi Yao had other reasons for wanting to go and see Ten Gentleman’s Feast tomorrow.

—–

The hands of the shadow guard that was giving Zhong Zheng Lin reports today were slightly trembling. His head was bowed more obvious than usual.

Wei Zhen cast him a baffled glance. He then took the report and passed it to Zhong Zheng Lin. Uhm, it was again that one’s matter. There seemed to be plenty of reports today. It was actually divided into two pages.

Zhong Zheng Lin read it for not even quarter of an hour when he burst out loudly, “Simply impudent. Who gave her the courage!”

“*Bang*!” Zhong Zheng Lin fiercely whacked the table. He has unconsciously used the internal force!

Wei Zhen and that shadow guard were so scared they immediately kneeled down. Seeing his Highness’s wrath, they knew things were bad. That mistress surely must have made a trouble. Everyone now will have a miserable time.

Zhong Zheng Lin was currently enraged. His complexion became pale with anger. This darn woman. She actually dared to pose as man and enter the academy to watch Ten Gentlemen’s Feast. The main point was the reply she gave to her guard; that she went there to look at “handsome men that had both brain and brawn”.

When Zhong Zheng Lin read those words, he had the urge to catch this woman and give her a beating. Originally, he thought that rabbit just loved to mischief. Who would know that she became more and more capable and actually dared to snatch name card? If he did not teach her a lesson, maybe she would even dare to run into the prince’s residence to scale the roof and rip the tiles⁴?!

He threw away the pen in his hand. Putting his hands behind the back, he paced back and forth for a while. Afterward, he told them to raise.

Wei Zhen looked sideways at that shadow guard, fuming in the rage between gritted teeth. Bollock, knowing that it’s not a good news, don’t you know to pass this information to your bro in advance? Look at his Highness, his anger was not light as even his complexion has changed. When this usual iceberg face runs into mistress Yao, he was soon about to turn into a chameleon.

The shadow guard also felt aggrieved. Whom else could he not follow but had to follow this mistress? Coincidentally, that mistress and her servants didn’t speak inside the room today, allowing him to hear clearly what they were conversing about. When he heard that mistress’s bold words, he was so frightened he almost fell off the tree. Was this mistress Yao still a woman?

“Wei Zhen, make preparation for tomorrow’s trip to Shengjing’s academy.” Zhong Zheng Lin then took a deep breath, “Tell Ye Kai to make preparations early. We will first go to Yu House’s back alley and wait and then go to the academy.” After he finished speaking, he swung his sleeve and left.

Wei Zhen at first didn’t understand, but later as he saw that shadow guard’s long face, his eyes suddenly widened. My mistress Yao, we haven’t seen each other for few days and you are already playing yourself into the academy?

Translation notes: 

[1] Beat one’s chest and stamp one’s feet is a phrase meaning infuriated
[2] Cat that had stolen a fish is a Chinese phrase meaning to cheat on one’s spouse; to have an affair
[3] Taken from Chinese idiom If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked which actually means that subordinates imitate their superiors’ vices
[4] To scale the roof and rip the tiles is a Chinese phrase meaning spare the rod, spoil the child