Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 200
"If you don't mind, young lady, please call this old servant Granny Lu," Granny Lu said without looking up.
Granny Lu's technique was extremely skillful and delicate. She deftly combed Zi Jin's short, straight hair to the front, concealing its excessive length and preventing it from obstructing her view. Then, she gathered a portion of her waist-length hair, braided it into several plaits, and tied it into a fancy bun. Finally, a section of long hair was left to hang naturally down her back. Even with such an elaborate hairstyle, Zi Jin felt no pain whatsoever.
Zi Jin looked at her new hairstyle with delight: "I have never seen anyone style my hair like this before. Granny's hands are so skillful. It looks really good."
Granny Lu smiled but didn't speak. She took a lotus crown made of fine gold and silver threads from the maid, then carefully placed many bright red petals inside the crown and fastened it to her hair. The woven petals were as thin and transparent as cicada wings, their vibrant red color complementing the gold and silver threads.
The natural fragrance of flowers quietly wafted through the fine mesh of the braided silk, and Zi Jin took a deep breath.
This is a top-quality purple spring flower, used to repel mosquitoes and calm the mind. This flower crown is not only exquisitely crafted but also so practical; it's truly remarkable.
Zi Jin looked at herself in the bronze mirror and asked sideways, "Why is it that such a practical and beautiful hairstyle has never been worn by anyone before?"
Granny Lu smiled gently: "This is a hairstyle left over from the previous dynasty. Not just anyone can wear it. Besides, this lotus crown has been banned for many years in the Three Kingdoms period."
Zi Jin frowned and asked, "Why?"
Granny Lu said, "As you should know, the former empress loved lotus flowers. Lotus flowers are also called water lilies, but their crowns are much smaller than those of water lilies and are more like water lilies, so they are called lotus crowns."
Zi Jin looked at herself in the bronze mirror with a complicated expression: "I suppose this hairstyle was styled by the Empress back then, which is why no one has dared to imitate it to this day."
Granny Lu smiled and said, "His Majesty specially ordered that the young lady be styled in this way, saying that he was afraid that too many mosquitoes would disturb her. His Majesty truly cherishes the young lady. In all my years in the palace, I have never seen such a favored lady, whether at this time or at that time."
"Is that so?" A sharp voice abruptly cut in.
Granny Lu turned around in a panic and knelt down before the man, trembling with fear.
Zi Jin frowned and turned to look at the person who came. Her pink palace dress made her look even more fair and delicate. Beneath her slender, curved eyebrows were a pair of almond-shaped eyes, but her gaze was surprisingly sharp and piercing. Her small, bright red lips were tightly clenched with anger.
Despite her delicate and petite appearance, the cold light emanating from her round almond-shaped eyes gave off a suffocating pressure. Time seemed to have left few traces on her face; this Crown Princess, now over twenty, was as beautiful as ever.
"It's you?... Why don't you kneel before me?!"
The aggressive and unusually sharp voice made Zi Jin frown deeply. She glanced at herself in the bronze mirror, thinking that she had changed dramatically over the years. How could she recognize her at a glance?
Granny Lu, who was kneeling to the side, quietly tugged at Zi Jin's robe. Zi Jin smiled slightly, stood up, and performed a proper palace salute: "Zi Jin greets Your Highness."
"Thud!" Before Zi Jin could react, she fell to the ground, her face burning with pain. She raised her hand to touch her burning cheek, glanced at the Crown Princess and the maids and servants behind her, and felt an increasing surge of anger. It was a pity that her martial arts were suppressed by that damned "Power-Dissolving Powder," otherwise she wouldn't even have the strength to fight back!
That's why I hate this place so much, hate the people here so much, hate everything about it. It's disgusting, it's annoying, it's unbearable. This palace can suffocate you to death!
The Crown Princess stepped forward and stomped on Zi Jin's hand: "Who gave you permission to wear bright red?! Who gave you permission to wear this lotus crown?!"
Zi Jin tried to pull her hand away from under her feet but failed, and could only glare fiercely at Consort Yi.
"Slap! Slap!" Two solid slaps sent a wave of dizziness through Zi Jin, and her face stung even more. She glared fiercely at the old nanny behind the Crown Princess who had slapped her three times.
I had witnessed the old woman's ruthlessness back in Jun'an's backyard, and now she was using it on me.
"Still looking!" Before the Crown Princess could finish speaking, the old nanny slapped her again.
"Please have mercy, Noble Consort Yi! The young lady is extremely weak and cannot withstand such a beating!" Granny Lu tried to rush over, but was held back tightly by the palace maids behind Noble Consort Yi.
Zi Jin lowered her eyes, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. How laughable! She'd only been away from the palace a few days, how could she have forgotten? How could she have forgotten that the palace not only housed the emperor but also his concubines? How could she have forgotten the cunning and ruthlessness of these concubines?
Seeing Zi Jin lost in thought, Consort Yi grew even angrier and stomped harder on her foot: "You damned servant! I'm asking you a question!"
"Hiss..." Zi Jin let out a soft cry, looked up at Consort Yi, gave a bitter smile, and said weakly, "I am just a commoner from the countryside and naturally do not know the rules of the palace. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
This casual tone further enraged Consort Yi. She released her foot and said through gritted teeth, "Wang Mama, teach her some manners!"
"How dare you!" Jun Lin strode in, his face contorted with rage. He pushed aside the beaming Consort Yi who rushed forward to greet him, and strode towards Zi Jin. He gently picked her up, his eyes filled with tenderness. His trembling hand lightly touched Zi Jin's swollen face, and he asked softly, "Does it hurt?"
Zi Jin shook her head indifferently, trying to push Jun Lin away but to no avail. She could only stay in his arms and endure the endless hatred contained in his venomous eyes.
"Who did it?" Jun Lin glanced around and asked in a deep voice.
Consort Yi remained stiff for a long time before a gentle smile appeared on her lips: "Why should Your Majesty be angry over such a trivial matter? It's just a matter of disciplining some unruly servants."
Jun Lin looked at Granny Lu kneeling to the side and asked, "Who did this?" His voice was icy cold.
Granny Lu slightly raised her eyes to look at Granny Wang behind Consort Yi, then lowered her head and said, "It was this old servant who failed to protect her mistress, and I hope Your Majesty will punish me."
"Guards! Chop off Granny Wang's hands..."
"Jun Lin!" Zi Jin interrupted the person who was holding her, "I don't want to get my hands on these people's blood. Just let me live in peace."
Jun Lin's chest heaved violently as he stared at the person in his arms for a long time before saying, "Get out of here!"
Consort Yi glanced at Jun Lin, performed a proper palace salute, and led her large entourage away.
Granny Lu hurriedly got up, her hands and feet trembling as she found the medicine for the injury. She stood awkwardly to the side, watching the two who were still staring at each other, not daring to say a word.
Finally, Jun Lin sighed, turned his gaze away first, and placed Zi Jin on the bed. He took the medicine from Granny Lu's hand, sat down by the bed, and gently wiped the wounds on Zi Jin's face, saying softly, "I know I've wronged Jin'er. Please bear with it for a few days. The old prime minister will soon retire and return to his hometown. At that time... will it hurt...? Looking at it from all angles, Jin'er looks best in bright red. Do you like this floral crown? Come with me to the palace banquet tonight, but we'll be sitting for several hours. You probably won't like that. If you want to eat anything, just tell Granny Lu..."
"Jun Lin..."
"Hmm... what's wrong?"
After a long while, Zi Jin slowly raised her eyes and stared straight into Jun Lin's eyes: "Let Master go... Master has been so kind to me, and you treat him like this, I... You know I don't belong here, and I don't like it here... If you let us go, I will pretend nothing happened, and you will still be the Jun Lin in my heart... Okay?"
Jun Lin's hands didn't stop moving, but he no longer looked into Zi Jin's eyes. After the medicine on her face was applied, he smiled and said, "I know Jin'er doesn't like sharing a husband with another woman. After some time, and then some more time, I'll make sure you're the only mistress in this harem, okay? As for E Yi... Jin'er, don't worry, I definitely won't..."
"Junlin, why don't you understand? This has nothing to do with anyone else. If I like you..."
"Shut up!" Jun Lin suddenly stood up, glaring fiercely at Zi Jin. "If you want your master, who has been so kind to you, to live a good and comfortable life, then don't say another word. I don't want to hear anything like that again! You'd better understand what you need most right now! If you insist on saying these things to anger me, then you'd better be prepared to bear my wrath!"
Silence, deathly silence.