Princess Xiangsi - Chapter 2
"Shh!" Making a throat-slitting gesture, Passerby B cautiously glanced around and whispered, "Coveting the Prince's wives and concubines is a capital offense. Besides..." After confirming that no one was around, he lowered his voice again, "The Prince greatly admires beautiful women, and Princess Fengxue..."
Passerby A immediately fell silent.
"In short, Princess Fengxue is extremely unfavored in the Prince's mansion. There are even rumors that on their wedding night, the Prince was unwilling to accept the Emperor's bestowal of marriage and neglected the princess all night. They have not yet consummated their marriage to this day."
Whoosh—suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and a few green leaves from the two ancient trees in front of the Prince's Mansion swirled in the air a few times before slowly falling to the ground, seemingly carrying a chilling aura.
The two passersby couldn't help but shiver in the sweltering heat, exchanged a glance, and then left.
A woman dressed as a young married woman, wearing a veil, stood lightly on one foot on the towering outer wall, watching two passersby leave. A ripple of emotion flickered in her clear eyes, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.
Using the outer wall as a springboard, the elaborately dressed woman ascended into the air, and in the blink of an eye, she jumped into a magnificent house.
With a bang, the carved phoenix door was slammed shut by the woman's palm, making a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft, but enough to startle the woman in green, who was lying on the table, awake from her sleep.
Before he could even see who it was, Qingyi immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Qingyi deserves to be punished. Qingyi shouldn't have dozed off. Qingyi will slap her face right now."
Just as her hand was about to touch her lips, a gentle voice rang in Qingyi's ear, "Qingyi, what did I say?"
Hearing that voice, as gentle as a spring breeze, Qingyi sniffed hard and quickly stood up. "Princess...Princess said that when it's just the two of you, Qingyi, there's no need for you to kneel or kowtow." She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, "Princess, Qingyi has finally waited for you to come back."
Feng Xue removed her veil and walked straight to a rosewood chair, where she sat down. Qingyi immediately handed her a cup of freshly brewed Luohua tea.
She took the tea, sipped it, and felt a cool sensation spread through her body, but the taste seemed different from usual. Feng Xue frowned slightly.
The woman in green trembled, her heart pounding in her chest.
Gazing at the slightly trembling hand in green reflected in the Luohua tea, Feng Xue gently closed her eyes and after a long while slowly said, "Qingyi, what happened while I was away?"
"No...no, everything has been peaceful while the princess was away. Nothing happened," Qingyi replied softly, her head bowed. She dared not look at the princess's face, not because the scars were horrible, but because the princess's eyes were as clear as a mirror, like a crystal, reflecting all the secrets of the world.
Feng Xue's eyes flickered slightly, and a large bruise on Qingyi's hand came into view. She put down the Luohua tea in her hand and said softly, "Qingyi, raise your head."
Her soft voice carried an innate, commanding aura of a royal princess, making it impossible to refuse.
"Yes, Princess." Qingyi tightly pursed her pale lips, raised her head tremblingly, and looked into Fengxue's eyes.
"Qingyi, has the Prince come by?"
The woman in green shook her head. "The prince hasn't returned to the manor for several months. I've heard..." She glanced cautiously at Feng Xue, then hesitated to speak.
Feng Xue waved her hand, signaling her to continue.
"I've heard that the Prince has recently become infatuated with the Shuangdie girls at the Drunken Flower Pavilion. He's been indulging in their gentle embrace day and night, always responding to their every whim and showering them with affection."
Feng Xue remained unfazed, her eyes calm and undisturbed, as if these things were commonplace. She nodded slightly and continued, "Has anyone in the manor noticed my departure?"
"No, the prince once ordered that no one except the relevant maids was allowed to enter the Snow Pavilion, otherwise they would be punished according to family rules."
"Who is the most favored person in the household now?"
"Your Highness, it is Lady Yue Ru and Lady Ru Yue." A hint of doubt flickered in the eyes of the woman in green. What did the princess want to ask?
"How did they get into the mansion?"
"Lady Yue Ru and Lady Ru Yue are twin sisters. They used to perform on the street. Their singing voices were extremely beautiful. The prince was captivated by them and took them into his mansion." Although Qingyi rarely left the Pingyan Prince's mansion, the servants in the mansion were very kind to her and would tell her any gossip they had.
After a moment of contemplation, Feng Xue smiled slightly, and the caterpillar-like scars on her face seemed to wriggle, but they did not diminish her dignity or her confident assertion.
"Qingyi, no one will bully you anymore."
"Qingyi, announce Chief Steward Xuan."
"Yes, Princess," Qingyi replied, trembling as she retreated from the Snow Pavilion. After closing the door and walking a short distance, her legs suddenly gave way, and she quickly grabbed Hongzhu beside her to steady herself. The Prince had instructed her that even if she was bullied by the ladies of the Prince's mansion, she must not tell the Princess, or she would be punished. Moreover, she didn't want the Princess to know, lest it further increase the Prince's dislike for her, but now…
The woman in green sighed, steadied herself, and quickly left.
Gazing at the glass bead bracelet on her wrist, a sharp glint flashed in Feng Xue's calm eyes. She pursed her lips, and after putting on a white veil, her gaze returned to its original tranquility.
She is Feng Xue, she is a member of the royal family, she is the only princess of Fengxi.
"Princess, the steward has arrived." A voice in green came from outside the door.
"Come in!" Feng Xue said softly, her voice gentle.
"Yes." The steward took a step and stopped a foot away from the beaded curtain. He looked up and could vaguely see the princess sitting on a rosewood chair. Counting the day of the prince's wedding and this time, he had only seen the princess twice in total.
The woman in green stood quietly before the beaded curtain, her head bowed.
"Steward, are you aware of Fengxue's habits in the summer?"
The steward hesitated for a moment before cautiously replying, "I know. When the princess married into the royal family, the emperor instructed that she must drink lotus flower tea made with dewdrops from lotus leaves every day during the summer."
"Does the Prince's mansion have maids who collect dewdrops from lotus leaves every morning?" Feng Xue lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on the slightly swaying beaded curtain.
The woman in blue outside the beaded curtain trembled slightly.
"Yes, they are all top-notch pearl divers from the Prince's mansion," the steward replied truthfully.
"Oh—" Feng Xue drew out, raising an eyebrow slightly, "How will the collected dewdrops be distributed? There are quite a few ladies in the Prince's mansion!"
"Your Highness, because the dew on lotus leaves is extremely difficult to collect, only a small amount was sent to the Prince, and the rest were all sent to Xue Lou. As for the ladies in the Prince's residence, they are absolutely not entitled to receive any," the steward hurriedly replied.
With a gentle smile, Feng Xue called out, "Qingyi, hand the remaining Luohua tea to the steward." Then she added, "Steward, please try this cup of Luohua tea."
"Your Highness, this..." The head steward looked at the Luohua tea in his hand with some difficulty. Luohua tea was a tea reserved for royalty, and now...
"Consider this a special gift from Feng Xue to reward the steward for his hard work and great achievements."