Chapter 144
Chapter 144
A-Pang poked his fingers together and muttered, *I couldn’t help it… This was your body in the first place…*
Unable to hear him clearly, Shengsheng Zhou glared. *What bad things are you saying about me now?!*
A-Pang shook his head. *Nothing, nothing.*
Seeing her grow even angrier, A-Pang looked awkwardly at her face. *Judging from this body’s incomplete memories, Weiqing Song never cared much about this little sister. He hasn’t visited Mosheng Song in years. Every time, he just goes through the motions without even stepping through the palace doors.*
Shengsheng rolled her eyes. *He had better keep that habit until I’m safely buried.*
She walked barefoot to the bronze mirror and touched her left cheek in puzzlement. “Did this body always have this…?”
…
“Your Highness, news came from Shuanglin Palace just now. Her Majesty the Empress flew into a rage because you did not visit the princess.”
Weiqing Song stood tall behind a broad writing desk, his snow-white robes half submerged in shadow. His gaze never shifted from the official documents on the desk, as though he cared nothing for Jian Zhang’s report.
“How are matters on Fusheng Duan’s side?” His voice cooled at the name.
Jian answered respectfully, “The Noble Consort refused. He said he wants both Shou Xiong and the body, and told… told Your Highness not to interfere…”
A cold laugh escaped Weiqing’s lips. His usually gentle eyes seemed veiled in frost. “He let even the body fall into someone else’s hands, yet tells me not to interfere?”
“What a coincidence. I want Shou Xiong and the body too.” The edge of the paper sliced his finger, drawing blood, but he seemed not to notice. His unfocused gaze settled somewhere distant, his thoughts unknowable.
Perhaps not even he realized how lonely he looked at that moment.
Jian pressed his lips together. “Your Highness, it may be a little late, but the red maples in the imperial garden are unusually vivid this year. Would you like to see them?”
The suggestion came out painfully awkward. In Jian’s limited lifetime, most conversations with his master concerned either official affairs or arrangements for Shengsheng. They rarely discussed such refined diversions.
Weiqing clearly noticed as well. His condition these past few days had indeed grown so poor that even he could hardly bear it.
Seeing Jian’s cautious expression, Weiqing sighed softly. “This must be difficult for you.” Then he rose and, for the first time in many days, walked out through the doors of the Eastern Palace.
Inside Shuanglin Palace–
“Your Highness, where are you going? Oh, my precious ancestor, you mustn’t come down barefoot! If Her Majesty the Empress sees you, her heart will break.”
Suo Luo, the senior matron who attended the princess, saw Shengsheng step barefoot from the bed and hurried over in alarm.
Shengsheng wiggled her toes, smiled at her, and wheedled, “Just don’t tell Imperial Mother, Matron.”
The smile nearly dazzled Suo Luo.
After serving the princess for many years, she should have been accustomed to this face. Yet the princess of the past had resembled an exquisite puppet with nothing but an empty shell. Now she seemed like a different person altogether.
A soul had entered the puppet, granting the shell life at last.
“I want to go outside for a walk. Staying cooped up makes my chest feel uncomfortable.” Shengsheng lowered her eyes, her voice rather pitiful.
At the words “my chest feels uncomfortable,” Suo Luo immediately turned solemn. “Yes, yes, one mustn’t stay stifled indoors. Would Your Highness like to walk in the imperial garden? The maple leaves are especially red this year. It would be perfect for enjoying the scenery.”
The imperial garden. At the thought of that place, which seemed to contain every rare and exotic plant, bird, and flower in the world, Shengsheng’s first memory was nearly walking her legs off while searching for a bird.
Sigh. She wondered where Pecky was now. Animals were not the same as people. Would he still remember her?
The sudden melancholy left Shengsheng Zhou irritated. “Then let’s go there.”
She could treat it as an outing to clear her head.
After helping Shengsheng into a cloak, Suo Luo studied her face, then silently took out a veil and put it on her.
Shengsheng tugged at it. Suo Luo hurriedly stopped her and said with a smile, “It keeps out the wind.”
When her protests failed, Shengsheng simply gave up struggling. Once the attendants finished dressing her, she left the palace.
She should not run into that man, right? From what the emperor had said, he seemed extremely busy. Surely he would not have the leisure to wander through the imperial garden.
Listening to Shengsheng’s endless muttering, A-Pang said speechlessly, *Put all your worries to rest. Even if he did go to the imperial garden, the place is enormous. How could you possibly be unlucky enough to run into him?*
Shengsheng found that reasonable, and her slight nervousness instantly dispersed.
Her back straightened even further.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she had ever walked through a palace with her head held high.
The palace attendants who had been moving in neat order along the road all lowered their eyes and stepped aside the moment they saw Shengsheng, kneeling at the roadside.
Shengsheng looked at the attendants kneeling with bowed heads in the shadows and wondered who could have imagined that she had once been one of them.
*I could,* A-Pang said leisurely as he flew beside her.
Shengsheng shot him a murderous glare. Unbothered, A-Pang yawned, hid in her hair, and went to sleep.
This body’s hair smelled much nicer than before. Worthy of a princess–the quality of her hair products left those of a palace maid several streets behind.
They reached the imperial garden without obstruction, with Suo Luo leading the way.
It had to be said: anything produced by Zhen Kingdom’s imperial garden was guaranteed to be exquisite.
Shengsheng had never seen such a beautiful grove of maples.
If she had to sum it up in one sentence, it would probably be: Xia Dongchun after a round of the Scarlet Yard.
A small pavilion stood beside the grove, apparently built especially for nobles to enjoy the scenery. Shengsheng walked over, but Suo Luo first ordered someone to lay down a cushion before allowing her to sit.
With a refreshing breeze against her face and sunset on the horizon, Shengsheng suddenly remembered a line from a song–
*The drifting maple leaves are like longing; I light a candle to warm the autumn at year’s end.*
Pah. What absolute nonsense about longing.
Shengsheng shook her head as though warding off bad luck. “Matron, I’m thirsty.”
Suo Luo immediately replied, “Then this servant will bring Your Highness some tea. You must not wander off.”
Shengsheng nodded.
Suo Luo gave the remaining palace attendants a severe look. “If anything happens to the princess while I am gone, guard your heads.”
Bored with sitting, Shengsheng stood and walked into the maple grove.
A young eunuch said anxiously, “Your Highness, you’ll dirty your shoes.”
Shengsheng waved him off. “Then I’ll go in by myself. You take good care of your shoes.”
Eunuch: “…” No, this servant was talking about *your* shoes.
Shengsheng strode into the grove, and the attendants behind her hurried to follow.
She tilted her head toward the scattered glimmers of light spilling through the gaps between the leaves and narrowed her eyes.
The attendants suddenly cried out in alarm behind her, “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Shengsheng’s eyes flew open. She stepped backward, only for her back to slam into an embrace still carrying the lingering scent of paper and ink.
The corner of her mouth twitched beneath the veil. Damn it. So much for putting all my worries to rest!