Kiyomi Tsuki et son renard

Chapitre 39

Tian Shuang then asked, "Miss, tomorrow is the first day of the month. Prince Ming's mother will be going to the Great Buddha Temple to listen to Zen. Tian Yong asked you, Miss, whether we should proceed as planned?"

Xi Ri pondered for a moment and said, "Proceed according to plan. You and Tian Yong must prepare carefully. This matter must be handled with utmost care, and no word of it can be leaked!"

"yes."

"Where's Long Ming?" Xi Ri suddenly remembered that Young Master Long Ming had stayed at her place the night before last.

"Young Master Long left yesterday."

"Has he never come back?"

"Young Master Long said he was going to his cousin's place before he left. Didn't he tell Miss that?"

Xi Ri was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, nodded, and said, "Long Ming's cousin is indeed Suo Ge. I've completely forgotten. Perhaps I had too many worries the night before last, which is why I let Long Ming stay here. Otherwise… But what exactly is Long Ming's identity? If his cousin is Prince Suo Ge, he should be of royal lineage. Yet he's surnamed Long, the son of a wealthy merchant from Suzhou. Normally, if Long Ming were truly a member of the royal family, his appearance alone would cause a huge uproar in the Forbidden City. But never, not only never, she'd never even heard of such a young man. In other words, he's not a true member of the royal family, yet he's Suo Ge's cousin… What's going on here?"

Seeing that Xi Ri only nodded and then fell into deep thought, Tian Shuang quietly cleared away the dishes and went downstairs to handle the matters Xi Ri had entrusted to her, not daring to disturb her.

Xi Ri ultimately didn't tell Tian Shuang about her plan to help Ming Lu wipe out the mountain bandits. The matter was set for the day after tomorrow… tomorrow night, she still had to go to the Ming Prince's residence to make preparations.

The next day, Tian Shuang dressed up as her and, accompanied by Tian Yong, left early in the morning in a sedan chair to go to the Great Buddha Temple, leaving Xi Ri alone at home.

Not long after Tian Shuang left, a servant from the Tian family brought her an imperial decree summoning her to the palace.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts. It had been over a year since she had gone to the palace to see her aunt, the Empress Dowager. Previously, it was because her mother was seriously ill, and later, she was unable to see her because she was in Suzhou. However, even though she had been back from Suzhou for quite some time, she had always intentionally avoided seeing her aunt, the Empress Dowager. Although she had been feigning affection in the past, the Empress Dowager was, after all, her own aunt. She had been a source of joy and care for her since childhood. How could she be completely heartless? Suddenly knowing that her aunt wanted to see her, her heart warmed.

Now that Tian Shuang has appeared at the Great Buddha Temple disguised as her, she shouldn't appear as Tian Xiri anymore, but since things happened so suddenly, she has no choice but to go to the palace.

She first restored her original appearance, then returned to the Tian residence and brought another maid to accompany her to the palace to see the Empress Dowager.

She hadn't been to the palace in a long time, and in her haste, she picked out a few trinkets she had brought back from Suzhou. Her aunt, the Empress Dowager, used to really like the strange and unusual trinkets from the common people that she occasionally brought into the palace.

After changing into suitable palace attire and acquiring the necessary access tokens, Xi Ri, accompanied by her maid, boarded the prepared sedan chair and set off for the Forbidden City.

Just before getting into the sedan chair, she encountered her younger sister, Tian Xiyun. She was still the same as before, with a pretentious and sickly appearance. Two maids and two servants followed behind her, carefully attending to her. She even walked with small steps, as if afraid of falling. When she saw Xiri, she exclaimed in surprise. Xiri thought to herself with a wicked grin: I hope I didn't scare her to death.

Tian Xiyun gave her a perfunctory bow and called out in a coquettish voice, "Sister." As if only then noticing the sedan chair behind Xiri, she exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, it's been so long! You've just returned, are you in such a hurry to go out again?"

Xi Ri smiled and said, "Yes."

Xi Ri didn't say much, but Xi Yun saw the imperial edict in Xi Ri's hand and immediately knew it was from the Empress Dowager. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes.

From childhood, Tian Xiri had always overshadowed her. She was her father's darling and the Empress Dowager's favorite niece. Even as an adult, Tian Xiri, only a year older, naturally became the most beautiful woman in the capital, her natural beauty shining brightest. Tian Xiyun was forever relegated to a mere backdrop; no one paid her any attention. Her father was always dissatisfied with her, and her Empress Dowager ignored her completely. Outsiders only saw Tian Xiri's good points. Even two years ago, when Tian Xiri's reputation suffered, the most discussed topic was still Tian Xiri. Before, people would say, "Oh, the younger sister of Tian Xiri, the most beautiful woman in the capital." Now, they say, "Oh, the sister of that unmarried Tian Xiri." She hated it!

Tian Xiri is like a nightmare. It seems that as long as she is around, no one can ever see Tian Xiyun. Therefore, she hates this older sister. She has hated her since she was a child, and now she hates her even more. She even feels disgusted whenever she sees her.

Xi Ri noticed the hateful look in Xi Yun's eyes.

Things I used to be very proud of, now...

From a young age, her mother taught her that if you don't step on others, you will be stepped on and bullied. You must never allow anyone to shake your existing position. Defending your position is like fighting a war to defend your territory. Anyone who threatens your position is your enemy. On such a battlefield, it's either you or me.

In truth, Xi Ri knew that she wasn't the only one who grew up this way; Xi Yun had too. But ultimately, she had stepped on Xi Yun's head, which was probably why Xi Yun loathed and hated her so much. Growing up in such a family, it had become their instinct for survival. Who could they blame?

However, she is no longer the Tian Xiri of two years ago; status is no longer so important to her. Even the title of Princess Consort, which is within her grasp, she will personally destroy!

Without further thought, Xi Ri smiled, ignoring Xi Yun's hatred, and sat in the sedan chair, saying, "Lift the sedan chair."

Upon hearing the order, the porters immediately and steadily lifted the sedan chair, leaving the Tian residence and heading towards the Forbidden City.

The sedan chair swayed slightly as it passed through the bustling streets, gradually approaching the Forbidden City, which she hadn't visited in two years. Two years ago, she loved going there; two years later, she dreaded it; and now, she didn't care anymore.

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Thank you sh for the long review, ^_^

The whole text is just acting.

There was an update in the previous chapter, don't miss it! ^_^

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The sedan chair could only be parked at the Imperial Household Department. Xi Ri and her maidservant, led by a young eunuch, walked to the outside of Cining Palace.

The maidservant waited outside, and the young eunuch also bowed and withdrew. Xi Ri walked into the courtyard alone, and was surprised to see Ming Lu there as soon as she entered.

He was talking to Eunuch Li, who served the Empress Dowager, with his back to her.

Xi Ri stood there stunned for a moment, suddenly feeling an urge to turn around and run away, but she managed to hold back, clenching her fists, calming her mind, and trying to put on what she thought was a surprised smile. But at that moment, Xi Ri really wished she had a mirror in her hand, wondering if she had put on the right surprise. Otherwise, she could have put on the right surprise in front of the mirror first and then shown it to Ming Lu.

Eunuch Li, with his sharp eyes, spotted her as soon as she entered. He immediately smiled and said something to Minglu, who then turned to look at her.

When their eyes met, which she could not avoid, Xi Ri continued to feel surprised and delighted. She thought of how Ming Lu perceived her and wondered if she should rush over and call him "my Lu Lu." However, this was the first time she had faced Ming Lu in her true identity, and coupled with her past habits, she was inevitably timid. Moreover, in this time and place, if she did that... it would not only frighten Eunuch Li standing nearby, but might also backfire even more.

Well then, if she couldn't act well, she might as well not act at all. Having made up her mind, she calmly accepted Minglu's thoughtful gaze. She knew that Minglu was surely wondering about the difference in her demeanor today.

How could she make Minglu think she was one way in public and another in private? How could she make him think she was hypocritical and pretentious? How about she learn from Xiyun's behavior? ... Xiri quickly came up with several ways to deal with Minglu, but unfortunately, they were just thoughts and none of them came in handy.

At this moment, Eunuch Li greeted her with a smile and said, "Miss has finally arrived. You don't know, the Empress Dowager has been thinking of you a lot lately, saying that you didn't come to the palace to keep her company after returning from Suzhou."

Xi Ri smiled at Eunuch Li and said, "I haven't been feeling well lately and haven't been able to visit my aunt, the Empress Dowager. I'm sorry to have troubled her. Please go in and let her know that I've arrived."

As they talked, Eunuch Li led her to Minglu and said, "Prince Ming, please wait a moment, Miss. I will go inside and inform him."

Minglu withdrew his scrutinizing gaze from Xiri and smiled at Eunuch Li, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Li."

Xi Ri Yi Fu said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

Eunuch Li offered a gesture of support and laughed, "You two are too kind. You flatter me."