ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 49
Li Suwan naturally thought that the clothes were prepared by the Eldest Princess for her coming-of-age ceremony. After all, the Eldest Princess was going to help her put on the hairpin, and she was overjoyed. She even informed Mrs. Li about it. However, Mrs. Li was not as naive as her daughter and was puzzled, saying, “If it’s clothes prepared for you, why didn’t they ask you to try them on?”
Li Suwan guessed, “Before this, the princess had not seen me. I think she found that Li Zhizhi has a similar figure to mine, so she had her try it first?”
Mrs. Li looked at her with mixed feelings and said, “You’re really a silly girl. How can clothes be made without measuring? It’s not something that can be done casually.”
Li Suwan was stunned. She could sense that something was amiss, but she was so delighted with the idea that the clothes were made for her that she deliberately ignored the oddities. Now, being poured with cold water by Mrs. Li, she felt disappointed and embarrassed. Thinking about Li Zhizhi’s expression at that time, playing with her like a cat playing with a mouse, it seemed that she was mocking her.
Li Suwan couldn’t help but complain, “Mother, she’s really too much!”
Mrs. Li frowned and said, “She is favored by the Eldest Princess, things are different now. Just endure a bit and ignore her.”
But Li Suwan still felt unwilling, “Is it not enough for your daughter to endure? Every day, I have to listen to her commands, do the rough work like a servant, and now I have to endure her mockery. I really can’t stand it!”
Mrs. Li said impatiently, “If you can’t even endure this bit of frustration, what use are you?!”
Her tone was stern, and Li Suwan was startled. She looked at her anxiously, and Mrs. Li, already in a bad mood today, scolded her, “If you were a bit more assertive, would she dare to bully you now? You believe her just because of a few casual words. Why do you only have a beautiful appearance and not a brain?”
Li Suwan, who had never seen her mother speak so harshly, was panicked and scared. With tears in her eyes, she dared not utter a word.
Madam Li scolded for a while, seeing her like this, couldn’t help feeling a bit distressed, and a bit resentful for not being able to make her stronger. She said, “In the future, when you encounter things, use your brain more, don’t believe everything you hear. With your temperament, if you let her bully you, who else will she not bully?”
Li Suwan nodded quickly, “Daughter understands.”
She remained obedient, but Madam Li did not feel any relief in her heart. This daughter of hers had been spoiled since childhood, never experienced any hardships. To put it nicely, she was innocent and ignorant; to put it bluntly, she lacked intelligence.
There was no resemblance between her and Madam Li when she was young. Madam Li was the second in line, and her parents favored the youngest. Anything good or fragrant was given to the youngest first. So Madam Li learned to fight for what she wanted using various means. However, her daughter had not learned anything from her, only knew how to cry and complain.
After receiving a scolding, Li Suwan wiped away her tears and left, but Madam Li did not feel at ease. Her daughter had not learned to be shrewd. She had learned to cry and complain instead of using her brains.
That night, when Li Cen came back, Madam Li mentioned the matter to him, thinking that since Li Suwan had been working in the Moon Pavilion for so long, the disaster should have been resolved by now.
Li Cen, however, disagreed and said solemnly, “This is a hint from a master. As they say, karma is cyclical. As long as she is the legitimate young lady of the Li family, she must follow the will of heaven. This matter concerns the future fortune of our Li family, so we must be cautious.”
After hearing this, Madam Li knew there was little hope. Unexpectedly, Li Cen asked her, “Did you copy today’s repentance text?”
Madam Li’s face stiffened, “I did.”
Li Cen nodded but saw that his wife looked troubled, as if she had something on her mind. He asked, “What’s wrong with you again?”
Madam Li sighed and decided to tell him about today’s events. She said, “I always feel that Li Zhizhi seems to have a prejudice against Wan’er. She is currently favored by the Grand Princess. I’m worried about her future…”
Li Cen, however, disagreed. He said, “Zhizhi is not such a narrow-minded person. It’s just that you’re overthinking it. It’s just a joke between children, but you take it so seriously. I think you have prejudices against Zhizhi.”
At these words, Mrs. Li choked up and couldn’t continue. Li Cen, while taking off his outer garment, continued, “I’ve said it before, even if you don’t consider Zhizhi your daughter in your heart, you still have to save face. Don’t mistreat her. Treat everyone equally.”
Mrs. Li, however, was not pleased and said, “Have I mistreated her? In these days she’s been in the mansion, did she eat less or wear less? Talking about treating everyone equally is easier said than done. People have feelings, and even a bowl of water can’t be leveled. I am still my parents’ biological child. I haven’t seen them level a bowl of water back in the day.”
Li Cen cast a sidelong glance at her, shook his robe, and said, “So now you’re just like them.”
Mrs. Li choked, sneered, and said, “Does that mean the Master is not satisfied with me?”
Li Cen frowned and said, “I didn’t say that. It’s just that sometimes you do things confusedly. When did you become so petty and narrow-minded? Are you harboring resentment?”
Mrs. Li was furious, trembling with anger. She retorted, “I have always been like this. Naturally, I can’t compare to the Master’s deep understanding of righteousness.”
Li Cen wanted to say something but was too lazy to argue with her. Since she enjoyed a quick tongue, he simply picked up the outer garment he had just taken off, put it back on, and walked out without turning back.
After the dispute, they parted ways unhappily. Mrs. Li, even more enraged, smashed quite a few things. She felt that this Li Zhizhi was truly a troublemaker. Since she entered the mansion, she hadn’t had many peaceful days! She had to copy repentance texts every day, recite scriptures morning and evening, and it had been a sleepless night again.
…
Even if Lady Li doesn’t like Li Zhizhi, she still has to greet her with a smiling face and speak politely. As for what she really thinks in her heart, no one knows.
Li Zhizhi doesn’t care much. She has been busy every day lately, studying at Mingyuan during the day, and going to the Eldest Princess’s Mansion after school. The Eldest Princess takes her and Xiao Rulei to play everywhere, even specially inviting the palace chef to the mansion to make desserts for them. Xiao Rulei is so happy that she wishes to stay in the Eldest Princess’s Mansion forever.
Every time someone from the Crown Prince’s Mansion comes to pick her up, they have to remind and invite her several times. Even persuasion from the Crown Prince himself is needed to bring Xiao Rulei away.
Li Zhizhi watches as A’yang, crying and fussing, gets on the Crown Prince’s carriage. Xiao Yan sits in the carriage and bids farewell to the Eldest Princess before they finally leave.
Watching the carriage disappear at the end of the street, Li Zhizhi’s mind is filled with some doubts. Crown Prince Xiao Yan seems too lazy and indulgent, always either picking on his younger sister or on his way to do so. He appears like a wealthy and leisurely person, no wonder he was eventually dethroned.
Come to think of it, could he have been dethroned in his previous life because of this matter?
“What’s the matter?” The Eldest Princess sees her thoughtful expression and can’t help but smile, asking, “What are you thinking about?”
Li Zhizhi shakes her head, not wanting to ask directly, and curiously says, “I was thinking, every time I see His Highness the Crown Prince, he’s always in a carriage. What about his legs…”
“He fell off a horse,” the Eldest Princess leads her back, saying, “Fortunately, it was just a bone injury. The imperial physician said he’ll be able to walk in the future, but for some reason, he can’t stand up. I suggested finding a renowned doctor for him, but he refused.”
A crown prince, yet he spends his days sitting in a carriage, showing no signs of urgency. Li Zhizhi finds this quite perplexing and asks, “What is he going to do in the future?”
The eldest princess sighs and says, “Who knows? Let’s take it one step at a time.”
However, Li Zhizhi feels that things are not that simple. Xiao Yan is the heir to the throne and will inherit the imperial position. She has never heard of any emperor who would ride in a carriage. If this continues, will the current emperor eventually pass the throne to him?
In her past life, what happened that angered Emperor Jingming and led to Xiao Yan being stripped of his crown prince status?
As Li Zhizhi ponders this, she hears the eldest princess laugh and say, “You’re so young, yet you look like you have a lot on your mind.”
She hands Li Zhizhi a piece of snowflake pastry and says, “Eat more sweets, it’ll improve your mood.”
Li Zhizhi quickly takes it, and the eldest princess looks at her with a smile, “Is it good?”
Li Zhizhi nods, and the eldest princess says, “That’s good. Last time I went to the palace, I had a delicious dessert made with cheese and ice. It’s sweet but not greasy, very good. I’ll have the kitchen make it for you to try tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi becomes somewhat excited. Recently, she has tried many new dishes and desserts at the princess’s residence, each one better than the last. Even though Li Zhizhi is not a picky eater, when she returned to her family’s residence and ate their simple meals, she found them hard to swallow.
She sighs in her heart, realizing that it’s indeed easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, as the ancients have truly said!
Unbeknownst to her, behind her, Xiao Yan jokingly accuses the eldest princess of “taking advantage of the situation.” The eldest princess, sipping her green snail spring tea with a playful lift of her eyebrows, says, “I am clearly catering to his preferences, taking it slow and planning carefully. How can you call it taking advantage of the situation?”
Xiao Yan smiled, suddenly remembering something. He asked the Princess Yongning, “By the way, Aunt, if you want to give something to someone, what would be a good choice?”
At his words, Princess Yongning replied, “Your words are vague. If you want to give something, who is it for? What is your relationship with the person? And why do you want to give a gift?”
Xiao Yan paused, unable to answer for a moment. Seeing this, Princess Yongning, with a pensive look, tentatively asked, “Could it be for a girl?”
Xiao Yan responded affirmatively, and Princess Yongning exclaimed, “Ah, indeed for a girl!”
Excitedly, she continued to inquire, “Which family’s girl is it? What’s her last name, and what’s her name? Have I met her before?”
Xiao Yan felt that she might have misunderstood something, but it was not easy to explain directly. He replied vaguely, “Aunt has met her, but it’s not what you think.”
Princess Yongning naturally ignored the latter half of his sentence and said, “So it’s a young lady in the capital. How old is she?”
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan said, “She… is just about to reach adulthood.”
“Oh,” Princess Yongning expressed mild surprise, “Do you like younger girls? But reaching adulthood is not bad. At this age, girls are simple-minded and lovely, just like Zhizhi, you can see for yourself.”
Xiao Yan: …
Princess Yongning thought for a moment and then asked carefully, “So why do you want to give her a gift?”
Thinking of the expectant look in Pei Yanchuan’s eyes at that time, Xiao Yan hesitated and said, “To express affection?”
Princess Yongning revealed a look of realization and couldn’t help but say, “So Little Five also has someone in mind.”
Xiao Yan immediately explained, “Aunt, it’s not what you think…”
Princess Yongning thought he was just being shy and echoed, “Alright, I understand. In that case, you should give her some hairpins, scented powder, and rouge. I’ll help you pick out the right ones if you can’t find them.”
Xiao Yan hesitated and said, “Isn’t that too ordinary?”
He remembered that Su Qing Shang had given a hand-painted picture, which Li Zhizhi liked very much. Jewelry and rouge were indeed nice, but they weren’t eye-catching enough and might not leave a lasting impression.
Princess Yongning, surprised, said, “Although it’s common, don’t most girls like these things? I used to…”
She paused and suddenly laughed, saying, “Since you have the intention, why not ask her directly what she likes? That way, you can cater to her preferences and win the favor of the beautiful lady.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan began to ponder again. What does Li Zhizhi like? Does she like power? But he couldn’t give her power right now; otherwise, he could have appointed her as a county lady or something…
As he thought, he suddenly recalled the first time he saw Li Zhizhi, the young girl staring at a handful of golden melon seeds, her clear eyes filled with surprise and longing.
An idea struck Xiao Yan like a revelation, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. What did Su Qing Shang’s hand-painted picture matter? He had his own way to outshine him.