The document is clear to the world

Chapter 17

I smiled and then drifted off to sleep peacefully. I felt a pair of warm hands brush past my ears and gently lay my head flat on the pillow. That hand seemed to linger by my temple for a moment. I don't know how long I was asleep.

Chapter Sixteen: The Illegitimate Princess

In the days that followed, my sisters-in-law came and went from the Ning Shuo Prince's residence to visit me in my illness. My sixth and fourth sisters-in-law were, of course, frequent visitors to my bedside.

Sixth Sister-in-law held my hand and told me stories about the fun things in their household, while Fourth Sister-in-law covered her face with her handkerchief and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

"Master, Princess Zhongning has come to see you." Before Liu Shang could finish speaking, the three of us could no longer laugh.

Princess Zhongning was born to Consort Xia and was the emperor's favorite.

Sixth Sister-in-law frowned. "Is she here to apologize on behalf of her mother, or to act as a mediator?!"

The more composed Fourth Sister-in-law quickly pulled Sixth Sister-in-law aside and nodded to Liu Shang, "Go and invite them over, don't be impolite."

I struggled to get up from the bedside and put on a robe. Zhong Ning had already come in from the outer room, lifting the curtain.

Upon seeing that the three of us were present, she quickly curtsied and said, "Greetings to my three sisters-in-law."

Fourth Sister-in-law smiled slightly. "Your Highness is too polite."

Zhong Ning turned to me, but didn't look up. "Seventh Sister-in-law, Zhong Ning has no face to see you..."

"What are you saying?" I quickly put on a smile and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm so happy that you came to see me."

"Seventh Sister-in-law, my mother spoiled you rotten, so it's inevitable that she might have hurt you." Zhong Ning looked up at me with teary eyes.

I made a few guesses in my mind, and casually raised my hand to smooth the stray hairs by her temple. "Once I'm feeling better, I will go to the palace to help Consort Xia get away with it. The Emperor will still care about Consort Xia to some extent, so don't worry."

Zhong Ning smiled gratefully, "Seventh Sister-in-law is very generous. I will thank you on behalf of my mother."

Zhong Ning took out an embroidered handkerchief from her bosom and handed it over. "I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in gold and jewels, sister-in-law. This needlework is my own skill. Although it can't compare to the finest pieces in the embroidery workshop, it's still decent enough. Consider it an apology to you."

I smiled and took it. "Sister Zhong Ning's cooking skills are renowned throughout the capital, unlike me who knows nothing about these things."

Zhong Ning looked at me incredulously, as if she had never seen a woman who couldn't do needlework before.

After Zhong Ning left, Fourth Sister-in-law quickly poked my forehead, "You heartless thing, if you don't know how to do it, why did you say it out loud? If it gets out, won't the other princesses laugh at you?"

"You're ashamed just because you can't do needlework?" I asked.

Sixth Sister-in-law sighed, "If it were an ordinary girl who didn't know how to do needlework, she would probably just be laughed at. But every woman in the palace, from the Empress to the maids, knows how to do needlework. And our skills as wives are even more refined than those of the maids in the embroidery room. If you say you know nothing today, you've committed a serious taboo. Not only will you be laughed at, but you won't even be able to get through the Millennium Festival two months from now."

"What is Millennium?" I asked hastily.

“Every year during the Thousand Joy Festival, each prince’s residence would hold a competition in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This wasn’t out of competitiveness, but rather an opportunity for the Emperor and Empress to assess the refinement and knowledge of their wives. Each time, the embroidery from each household would be circulated among the common people as models to guide them, and the calligraphy, painting, and music scores would become widely circulated templates among the people of the capital. If you didn’t know any embroidery skills, losing face in the needlework competition would be a minor matter compared to losing face for the royal family…”

Before Fourth Sister-in-law could finish speaking, Sixth Sister-in-law sat up abruptly and pulled me aside, saying, "I think you've taken good care of yourself. Tomorrow I'll take you to my family's embroidery shop so they can teach you step by step."

Fourth Sister-in-law shook her head, "No, no, the embroidery in the city is not as exquisite as that in the palace. I think it would be faster to take her to the palace to learn from some of the older nannies."

I was about to say, "Is it really that bad?" when my two sisters-in-law nodded firmly and said in unison, "It's settled then."

Growing up in the manor, I've been dealing with swords and blades since I can remember. I'm quite skilled in chess, but that's only because I painstakingly studied chess manuals to beat Nangong. As for writing and reading, I was forced into the study by the Water Palace Master and my maternal grandfather. Even though the Water Palace Master was very strict with me, he didn't know how, so no one forced me to learn. In the past, when my mother visited Nalan Manor, she taught me several times, but for me, the embroidery needle was never as comfortable as a spear. Every time my mother left, I forgot about it, and ultimately, I never finished a single piece of embroidery. All night, I leaned against the bed, fiddling with my tiny embroidery needle, and in no time, I had wasted a lot of silk.

"Master," Liu Shang couldn't help but start rambling, "at this rate, all the fine satins..."

"Alright." I said irritably, forcefully flicking the satin in my hand and throwing it, along with the embroidery needle, to the door of the inner room. Just as I was about to instruct them to turn off the lights and put it away, the curtain of the inner room was lifted.

This is strange. Prince Ningshuo, who used to never even glance at my main room, has started to enter my main room several times since I suffered a minor injury. This time, he didn't even need to be announced. He simply lifted the curtain and entered the inner bedroom from the outer hall.

"What is this?" Lu Li took a few steps, stepped on my "masterpiece", and picked it up with a puzzled look. "A rag? Why are you throwing it around like this?"

Liu Shang suppressed a laugh and reached out to take it.

Lu Li suddenly frowned. "Why are there still needles?"

I turned my head and saw that the needle had pricked the old man's finger, and bright red blood was dripping from his fingertip.

Thinking to myself that I had gotten myself into trouble again, I quickly jumped off the bed, slipped on my shoes, and sidled up to him. Without saying a word, I took his finger and gently sucked on it. When I released his finger, I realized that he was looking at me thoughtfully without saying a word.

The atmosphere was a little awkward, so I coughed lightly and said, "Tomorrow, I'll go and humbly learn needlework from my sisters-in-law."

He paused for a moment, then replied casually, "You don't know how?"

"I never learned this as a child."

He nodded slightly and sat down to the side. "If you're not interested in this, you don't have to learn it. I'm not running an embroidery shop anyway."

"But wouldn't that make me lose face during the Millennium?"

He didn't seem to care at all, and smiled slightly, "When did the princess start thinking about saving my face? That really surprises me."

I sat down next to him in a huff, saying, "Even if it's not you who loses face, it's the Rong family that loses face."

When I said "Rong family", Lu Li frowned slightly, though only for a moment, I still noticed it.

"However, your two older sisters are renowned for their needlework, calligraphy, painting, and musical skills. Last time, during the Millennium Festival, it was the Crown Princess who received a reward from the Emperor," Lu Li said casually.

I just smiled and said, "How can I compare to my elder sister who was born of the main wife?"

Lu Li was taken aback and looked at me with confusion. "You are born out of wedlock? But only legitimate children can have the title of princess."

"What?" I glanced at him. "Having married a concubine's daughter like me has offended you?!"

Lu Li remained silent, looking at me calmly.

"When I was born, my father reported to the emperor that I was born of the legitimate wife, and thus I received the title of princess. Isn't that considered deceiving the emperor?" I said with a smile, seemingly unintentionally.

“When I was little, I couldn’t distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children. I only knew that I was different from my sisters. I had my own mother, but that woman abandoned me after giving birth to me. So I lived with my maternal grandfather and naturally regarded the woman who often came to see me and made me call her Mother Consort as my mother. I naturally deceived myself into believing that I was legitimate, but the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in blood cannot be changed. The daughters of the Rong family are all talented, but I hated reading and writing since I was a child. I never touched needlework or embroidery. Even my relatively good skill in gambling was just due to my cleverness. I am not worthy of the Rong family’s illustrious reputation. I only have this prominent status and body. I am not a complete member of the Rong family in my bones, yet I have to bear the fate of the family.”