Chapter 48
Chapter 48
It made no sense.
With so many nobles and important officials present, Shengsheng could not understand why the old emperor had decided to call her out.
“Crown Prince, this little palace maid beside you is one I have never seen before.”
The authoritative voice, weakened slightly by illness, interrupted Weiqing and Shengsheng’s discussion.
When his father asked about her, Weiqing rose and bowed with respectful composure.
“Father, this is Xiaohong. She only recently entered my service.”
Shengsheng, currently using the alias Xiaohong, bowed with perfect obedience.
“May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years. This servant is Xiaohong.”
*Xiaohong, Xiaohong, I’m the reddest of them all!*
Weiqing nearly jumped.
Even in the emperor’s presence, this little creature’s thoughts were so lively?
Then again, she remained calm before a tyrant like Siran Ming. Why would his father be any different?
Lianmin nodded without much interest.
He had only summoned her because Siran seemed interested in her. Finding nothing particularly remarkable, he promptly lost interest again.
“She looks familiar to me,” Siran said unhurriedly before taking a sip of wine. “Rather like something I lost a while ago.”
Lianmin made a curious sound.
Weiqing smiled faintly.
“Your Majesty must be mistaken. How could Xiaohong be something Your Majesty lost?”
Only then did Lianmin recognize the tension sharpening between them.
He hurried to smooth matters over.
“Enough. She is only a palace maid. Weiqing, return to your seat. I recall that the young ladies of the noble houses prepared performances. Watch carefully and see whether any suit your tastes. If one does, I will make the arrangements.”
Most of the young women attending the feast were daughters of nobles and high officials. They had prepared for this night for a long time.
The Crown Prince’s Secondary Consort had recently fallen from favor, leaving her title all but empty. The emperor of Yong had no one in his harem at all.
To young ladies of marriageable age, the two men were practically immortality-granting delicacies served on a platter.
Yet throughout the feast, the women discovered that not only the Crown Prince and the emperor of Yong, but even the amnesiac Prince Shen, kept watching that ordinary-looking palace maid.
After all the effort these noble ladies had spent dressing themselves, where were they supposed to put their pride?
When they heard the next portion of the feast belonged to them, their spirits soared. Every one of them prepared to display all her talents.
If the Crown Prince chose one on the spot, would she not become his rightful Crown Princess?
Shengsheng privately named what followed the Crown Prince’s Grand Matchmaking Spectacle.
It was the version performed by demons.
Once again, it must be emphasized that the Zhen Kingdom’s customs were unusually open.
When it came to courtship, its women were far bolder than those of other nations.
Take, for example, the young lady who had obtained a pole from some unknown place and was now performing a pole dance before Weiqing.
Weiqing, the supposed hero of this spectacle, kept his head lowered. He studied the plate of steamed white-jade chicken on the table as though it were a peerless beauty.
Shengsheng, by contrast, could not tear her eyes away.
Had etiquette permitted, she would have applauded.
Look at that flexibility. That seductive grace.
Who would believe this woman was not a fellow transmigrator?
Shengsheng was practically drooling.
*Big Sister, I am available! Forget that ridiculous Crown Prince. Run away with me!*
Siran choked for the second time, and Lianmin looked toward him once more.
“My apologies. Your kingdom’s customs are unusually open. I am not accustomed to them,” Siran said without the slightest sincerity.
Lianmin also seemed to think the performance had gone somewhat too far. He ordered it stopped and had the dancer escorted away.
Shengsheng watched her depart with profound reluctance, inwardly cursing Siran for being even fussier than Fusheng Duan.
A sharp pain struck her palm.
Shengsheng glared into her sleeve and found the bird glaring right back.
Why did he keep biting her?
Every time she mentioned Fusheng, Pecky attacked. If she joked that he was Fusheng’s counterpart in another life, he became even more worked up.
When the welcoming feast ended, Shengsheng departed beneath Siran’s inexplicable fury and Weicen’s equally inexplicable, amused stare.
Back at the Eastern Palace, Weiqing complained that his eyes hurt and ordered her to massage them.
She continued until late at night. Only after she had rubbed him to sleep did Shengsheng return to her own room, wearily kneading her aching wrist.
The shadow beside her bed nearly made her scream.
When she recognized the intruder, she almost lost her mind.
“Your Majesty, this is not the Yong Kingdom. Do you understand how serious it would be if someone discovered you trespassing in the Eastern Palace?”
The tall figure stepped from the darkness into the moonlight, revealing a ruggedly handsome face.
“What happened to your hand?”
“It is only sore and numb from working so long. Nothing serious.”
*This is all Weiqing Song’s fault. He made me keep at it forever.*
Working?
Siran plainly misunderstood.
He looked terrifying. His lightless black eyes fixed viciously on Shengsheng.
“Does he make you do that often?”
Shengsheng was baffled. “Not often. That was… the first time.”
“He orders you to service him, and you obey?”
His roar made Shengsheng glance nervously behind her and gesture for him to lower his voice.
“He is my master. If I do not service him, who will?”
“Shameless!”
Siran forced the word through clenched teeth. His hands trembled with rage.
Shengsheng stared at him.
How was she shameless?
*Is he ill? Did he sneak over in the middle of the night just to start a fight?*
Before she could defend herself, the man vanished.
Shengsheng was left staring blankly at empty air.
Then she discovered a food box beside her table.
It contained an assortment of snacks perfectly suited for a late-night meal. She had barely found time to eat at the feast and truly was hungry.
Had Siran brought these especially for her?
***
The next day, Shengsheng discovered something that nearly broke her.
Pecky had vanished again.
Where had he gone to fool around this time?
Shengsheng felt like a helpless parent watching her child enter a rebellious phase.
There was nothing she could do.
Forget it. He would probably return obediently in a few days.
The thought that the Zhu Kingdom’s carriages would soon arrive filled her with dread.
How was she supposed to explain herself to Fusheng Duan?
Perhaps sensing her difficulty, Weiqing did not summon her when he went to welcome the Zhu delegation.
Shengsheng secretly followed anyway. She hid at the very back of the crowd, where she drew no attention at all.
Generally speaking, that bastard emperor Xunlan Liu always brought his favorite consort whenever he traveled.
Shengsheng suspected he feared that the moment he left Fusheng behind, the Noble Consort would run away with someone else. That was why he insisted on keeping him close at all times.
So fussy.
He hardly behaved like the ruler of a kingdom.
Still, Shengsheng had to confirm Fusheng’s presence. If he had not come, the plot could not continue.
The Zhu Kingdom’s carriages stopped.
Even from a distance, Shengsheng saw a figure in imperial yellow and then the person descending from the carriage behind him.
Everyone nearby sucked in a breath.
That reaction confirmed it. The newcomer could only be Fusheng.
Confirmation complete.
She could leave.
Shengsheng had just turned, ready to depart without taking so much as a wisp of cloud, when some damned person stepped on the hem of her dress.
Someone cried out.
Shengsheng fell in a pose that almost perfectly recreated Weiqing’s famous collapse in the imperial garden.
The world went silent.
Grimacing in pain, she opened her eyes and found layers of vermilion skirts, studded with eastern pearls and gemstones, directly before her.
Then a familiar androgynous voice sounded above her.
“Surely the sight of me does not delight you so much that you must offer such an elaborate salute, Tail.”