HCB Chapter 113 New My Fair Princess 2
Chapter 113 New My Fair Princess 2
Ziwei looked at Xiaoyanzi anxiously, her eyes full of concern and worry. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Have you seen Erkang? Did they come looking for you?"
Xiaoyanzi looked at Ziwei silently, with a hint of mockery and pity in her eyes. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end no sound came out.
Ziwei's brows furrowed even more, her heart filled with dissatisfaction and anxiety. She asked again, "Xiaoyanzi, have you seen Erkang? They came looking for you, did you meet them?"
Xiaoyanzi thought for a moment and then said slowly, "Ziwei, no outsiders are allowed to enter the harem. Even if we are princesses, we are not allowed to have casual contact with them."
Ziwei's face turned pale instantly, and she said anxiously: "But aren't we usually like this?"
Xiaoyanzi said, "That's because no one said anything and no one cares. The palace has strict discipline and you can't do whatever you want..."
Ziwei took a few steps back and said, "You are not Xiaoyanzi. Xiaoyanzi wouldn't say that, nor would she worry about Erkang and the others. After all, they went to look for you..."
A hint of sarcasm and impatience flashed in Xiaoyanzi's eyes as she said, "I told you before I left that I was going to find the Emperor. Nothing happened to me. Besides, how could Erkang and Ertai, two grown men, get lost?" After that, she turned around and went back to the room. Ziwei and Jinsuo said, "This is not Xiaoyanzi. Xiaoyanzi would not treat me or Erkang like this..." She couldn't believe it and shed tears.
At this time, Li Yu solemnly walked into Shufangzhai, holding the imperial edict. His arrival filled the entire room with a tense and expectant atmosphere.
Li Yu stood still, cleared his throat, and read the imperial edict aloud: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Princess Huanzhu be promoted to Princess Heshuo Shuhua, and move to the main hall of Yunmeng Palace effective immediately. The Emperor has already made arrangements for the maids and other supplies."
After the imperial edict was read, Xiaoyanzi knelt down to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live the Emperor!"
Li Yu smiled and helped Xiaoyanzi up, saying, "Princess, congratulations. The Emperor is very fond of you and has specially prepared the main hall of Yunmeng Palace for you. He has also selected a group of outstanding palace maids to serve you. You must thank the Emperor sincerely when you return..."
Xiaoyanzi nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice, this purse is for you to drink tea!" Li Yu smiled and took it and left. It seems that Huanzhu Gege has changed. Oh! No, now she should be called Heshuo Shuhua Gege.
Afterwards, Xiaoyanzi was surrounded by bright moon and colorful clouds. She hurriedly said, "Congratulations, Princess Shuhua..." They, the servants, were not like Ziwei, who was ignorant of palace etiquette. You should know that Princess Ziwei still has no rank. But Xiaoyanzi was personally appointed as a princess with a rank by the emperor. It was obvious who she would have a bright future with.
Ziwei was very confused when she heard the imperial edict. She was obviously the emperor's daughter, so why did the emperor only confer a title on Xiaoyanzi and let her live in Yunmeng Palace?
Ziwei couldn't believe it and cried and wanted to go find the emperor...
When she left, none of the servants in Shufangzhai noticed.
Xiaoyanzi shook her head and sighed inwardly. These servants in Shufangzhai are really bullying their master. They are really a bunch of fence-sitters who change with the wind!
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Qianlong sat at his desk, brow furrowed, dealing with the mess left by his previous absurd actions. His heart was heavy, and he regretted his mistakes endlessly.
Suddenly, Ziwei's loud shouting was heard outside. Emperor Qianlong felt annoyed when he heard it, but he still asked Li Yu to call her in.
Ziwei walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and saw that Emperor Qianlong looked unwell. She felt a little scared. But she still mustered her courage and bowed to the Emperor Qianlong and said, "Father, I have something to ask you."
Emperor Qianlong looked at Ziwei, sighed and said, "Ziwei, what do you want from me?"
Ziwei said sadly: "Why did you confer the title of Heshuo Shuhua Gege on Xiaoyanzi, while my daughter still has no rank..."
Emperor Qianlong angrily said, "You bold Ziwei, do I need you to tell me what to do?"
Ziwei was shocked when she heard this. She knelt down and said, "My daughter doesn't dare!"
Qianlong said: "Go out..."
Ziwei bit her lip, thought for a moment and said, "Father Emperor, have you seen Erkang and the others..."
Qianlong glanced at Ziwei meaningfully and asked, "Do you like Erkang?"
Ziwei said shyly: "Emperor Father~"
Qianlong: "You actually like him so much. I grant you a marriage. You will get married on the first day of next month. I will ask the Imperial Household Department to prepare..."
Ziwei knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" After Ziwei left, Qianlong ordered Li Yu to deliver the imperial edict to Fulun's residence. The sticking rod office discovered that Xia Yuhe was a member of the White Lotus Sect. Ziwei was indeed his daughter, but she was associated with the White Lotus Sect. This was truly surprising! Furthermore, she seemed to be mentally unstable, having been spoiled by her mother. All she thought about all day was romance, like a prostitute.
However, the emperor wasn't anxious about Xiao Jian. He knew full well that if he promoted Xiao Yanzi, the young man would definitely come knocking on his door. He didn't believe Xiao Yanzi would suffer any loss; after all, she was a clever girl. If it weren't for Xiao Yanzi, the Qing Dynasty would have been destroyed by him long ago. With this in mind, the emperor decided to have Li Yu select some precious jewelry for Xiao Yanzi.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress were baffled by the news. What had the Emperor done, giving such a high rank to a maid of unknown origin? So the Empress Dowager summoned Emperor Qianlong to the Cining Palace. Inside, Emperor Qianlong ordered everyone to leave and said to the Empress Dowager, "Empress Dowager, my son was almost possessed by a demon. This was all the work of the White Lotus Cult. The Xiaoyanzi of today is not the same Xiaoyanzi of the past. You'll understand once you see her. I'm grateful for her saving me. Without her, the Qing Dynasty would be in danger..."
The Empress Dowager looked at Qianlong distrustfully and said, "Is it true? Your Majesty, you should know that Xiaoyanzi is..."
Qianlong interrupted the Empress Dowager and said, "I know what the Empress Dowager is trying to say. She's saying that Xiaoyanzi and I have a grudge against each other for killing our father, and that Xiao Jian is the son of the former prefect of Hangzhou?"
The Queen Mother was surprised and asked, "The Emperor knows everything?"
Qianlong took a sip of tea and said, "Madam, I also know that you threatened Yongqi with the lives of Xiaoyanzi and Xiaojian to make him marry Xinrong."
The Queen Mother said, "Since the Emperor knows everything, then he can handle it..."
Qianlong said: "Your Majesty, please meet this newly promoted Princess Shuhua. You will definitely like her..."
The empress dowager said in disbelief, "Is it as good as you say?" After Qianlong left, the empress dowager asked Nanny Gui to go to Yunmeng Palace to invite Xiaoyanzi to come to Cining Palace.
Inside Yunmeng Palace, Xiaoyanzi looked at the residence Qianlong had prepared for her, feeling quite satisfied. She affixed loyalty charms to each of the four palace maids and two young eunuchs Qianlong had prepared. It was a surprise to see how these six servants were all Qianlong's men, two of them even from the Sticking Rod Division... Xiaoyanzi changed their names: the four palace maids were Chunhua, Qiuyue, Xiahe, and Dongmei, and the two young eunuchs were Zhou Ninghai and Zhou Ningyu.
After dealing with the servants, Xiaoyanzi felt exhausted. She asked Chunhua and Qiuyue to prepare a bath for her, hoping to have a good bath to wash away her fatigue.
Chunhua Qiuyue quickly prepared the hot water, and Xiaoyanzi walked into the bathroom and immersed herself in the warm water. She closed her eyes, feeling the comfort of the water gently caressing her skin, and the fatigue in her heart gradually dissipated.
After bathing, Xiaoyanzi changed into a light and elegant Manchu dress. This dress, with its light blue as the main color and delicate floral patterns embroidered on it, looked fresh and refined. Compared to her previous outfit, this one better suited her temperament and made her look more elegant and charming.
Xiaoyanzi looked at herself in the mirror, smiled with satisfaction, and asked Xia He to comb her hair with two simple combs and insert a pink gem hairpin in the shape of a crabapple flower.
At this time, Dongmei walked into the inner room and said, "Princess, Nanny Gui from the Cining Palace is here and said that the Queen Mother wants to see you." Upon hearing this, Xiaoyanzi got up and took Chunhua and Qiuyue to the Cining Palace.