The Lady’s Sickly Husband

“Tianqi was a country valued filial piety and etiquette most. Wengzhu YuanAi was entitled by the Emperor, and your act should represent the etiquette of his majesty, as a role model in Tianqi…”

She could also put a big hat on her, when she was in the right mood.

She wouldn’t let go such a good opportunity to establish her authority! And the feud was made! If she let them go like this, then in the future other girls would do the same to her. Should she still bear with the mean words from time to time?

A clear voice came from the crowd, “Miss. Mo is right. Wengzhu YuanAi, you’d better greet her before you leave and don’t slap your own face while breaking the rules.” The sound wasn’t loud but powerful. At a time, nobody could talk back.

With this voice, a girl pace gracefully out of the group of ladies. She wore a royal blue vest inlaid with gold, a light yellow fringed dress beneath it, which was neat, graceful and lovely as well.

She wore a princess hairstyle with a jade-and-gold flying butterfly hairpin, which, as she paced, swung and flapped in the morning sunshine like a real one reflecting golden brilliance and falling on her hair, making her movement charming and energetic.

Seeing her, the other on-looking ladies either bowed or squatted or curtsied or knelt to greet her, “Junzhu Susu!”

In view of this, Mo Qianxue followed suit and curtsied, “Junzhu Susu!”

As the daughter of Prince Jing and the only legal daughter, she was the highest Junzhu next to a princess. Even a princess was polite to her when they met.

Junzhu Susus ignored the other ladies and walked straight to Mo Qianxue, reached out to help her get up and then gestured to others, “Get up.”

She held Mo Qianxue’s hand, talked to Mo Qianxue, but her eyes were fixed on Wengzhu YuanAi, “Miss. Mo is my distinguished guest. I should have welcomed her at the gate, but unfortunately, I was delayed halfway and unexpectedly left her in such a situation.”

Just a few words, Mo Qianxue felt warm, “Thank you Junzhu Susu, but I don’t dare to keep you waiting!”

Mo Qianxue felt warm, but Wengzhu YuanAi’s dark purple face instantly turned pale.

She was a bully, but only against those who were lower ranked than her. A snob in fact. However, Junzhu Susu had the real kind of pride. Even a princess offended her, she would do the same and save no face for the princess, let alone this Wengzhu, a daughter of a mere general.

Wengzhu YuanAi’s expression was complicated. She stood blankly without talking while Junzhu Susu displayed disdain on her face, “Wengzhu YuanAi?” The last syllable was uttered prolonged, as a reminder and a warning. The imperial rules came first! This Wengzhu must do it.

YuanAi reluctantly curtsied, turned away angrily, and instantly slapped Huang Ziqing behind her, “Where were you? How did you come so late? If Princess Yuhe was angry and blamed us for being late, I’ll let you know it…”

Obviously these words were meant to be heard by Mo Qianxue that she was a friend of Princess Yuhe and let’s wait and see…

This stupid and rash woman could only take it out on her friend.

Mo Qianxue laughed, “Goodbye Wengzhu, thanks for leaving me alone with the beautiful flowers.” The joy and ridicule in her tone also made Junzhu Susu arched her eyebrows with a smile.

Then, Wengzhu YuanAi walked even faster, as if she was being chased by a wolf. But for so many other ladies, she would abandon her image as a lady and ran away, lifting her skirt, desperately.

Watching Wengzhu YuanAi leaving, Mo Qianxue took back her gaze, stepped back and seriously curtsied to Junzhu Susu, “Thank you for saving me from this.”

Junzhu Susu came to hold her, all smiles, “Although we didn’t know each other before, I admire you for a long time. I guess, with your temper and wise, even if I didn’t come over, you could still easily let the stupid Wengzhu do as you told her. I’m just lucky to run into this and do you a favor.”

She spoke straightforwardly, without hiding or pretending, which instantly gained Mo Qianxue’s affection.

In view that she was so outspoken, Mo Qianxue also gave up the superficial formalities, saying with appreciation and intention to befriend, “If you don’t mind, just call me Qianxue. Miss would sound aloof.”

Junzhu Susu’s eyes were lit up. No pretentious gratitude and no flattering. This girl was indeed a person worthwhile to befriend, as nanny said.

She laughed heartily, “That’s great! I have exactly the same intention. Actually, I don’t like the formalities either. You could just call me Susu.”

“Susu.”

“Qianxue.”

The two called in unison, and then held each other’s hands and smiled.

Sometimes friendship was made by a sentence, a look and a smile. Junzhu Susu’s temperament wasn’t as sorrowful, soft, and forbearing as Jian Qingyu. She was bright and outgoing, similar to Mo Qianxue in modern times.

Without saying more, Junzhu Susu and Mo Qianxue walked in the flower shower hand in hand, with smiles. They didn’t take the trail in the garden but randomly strolled into the depth of the peach forest.

The two understood each other without talking. They didn’t enjoy the trails or the formalities of those ladies. They just wanted to ramble about causally and relaxed.

Chuyi and Lubo, Junzhu Susu’s servant girl, took a glance at each other and followed behind.

The other on-looking ladies, seeing the main characters had left, glanced at each other in disappointment and scattered away in twos and threes, inviting their friends and taking the trails to the peach forest. Of course, the most directly took on the main road on which YuanAi disappeared.

All around them were lush peach trees with bright blossoms falling off. As breeze blew, a wave of peach petals was stirred up. The pink petal ripples and the swirling blossoms against red sunrise was so beautiful that people felt dazzling like in a fairyland and regarded themselves were fairies.

It was a great pleasure to enjoy the stunning scenery with a good friend. Mo Qianxue was in a good mood after making this new friend, but she didn’t dare to be too happy.

The two chatted about the scenery and said some earnest words. Mo Qianxue asked with a smile, “I just returned to the capital and have no friends yet. Neither did I attend this party before. Could you tell me something about it?”

A gust of wind came, Susu released Mo Qianxue’s hand to catch a palm of petals and replied slowly, “I’m going to tell you even if you didn’t ask.”

Mo Qianxue also couldn’t help reaching out to catch the petals, smiling happily, “Yes… Can I be thick-skinned and say that great minds think alike?”

Saying that, naughtiness flickering in her eyes, she laughed and threw the petals to above Junzhu Susu’s head and face.

Evidently, Susu didn’t expect Mo Qianxue would do this, and when she was about to threw back, Mo Qianxue had run away already.

She missed the target and stamped her feet, “Look how naughty you are! Father always says I’m not a lady, but I’ll say we are tweedledum and tweedledee. A moment ago, you looked like a elegant lady and scolded the foolish Wengzhu with well-reasoned argument. But inside, you’re a naughty monkey…”

“Alright, I’m a naughty monkey. Okay?”

Mo Qianxue managed to escape Susu’s attack and grinned, “Don’t laugh at me. I just pretended before those people. You know that. Besides, you made a great entrance too! I thought you were a peach blossom fairy who lost her way and accidentally fell onto the earth. If I were a man, I would have fallen in love with you at the first sight…”

Others said that Junzhu Susu was short-tempered and disrespectful, but in Mo Qianxue’s eyes, she was real and cute.

Although they just met today, they seemed to be acquaintances for long, joking and laughing casually without taboos.

Ancient girls were shy to mention romance. Even a girl outgoing like Junzhu Susu flushed because of Mo Qianxue’s joke and blamed her shyly, “You’re going farther and farther… I don’t want to talk with you.”

Mo Qianxue smiled, understanding and immediately shifted to a serious topic, “Okay…then tell me about this party… Are there any rules and taboos? If later I couldn’t answer any questions, I would become a joke and lose your face.”

After that scene, she was afraid that she was automatically in the same camp with Junzhu Susu in other people’s eyes. If she made a fool of herself, naturally Susu would be embarrassed too.

This was a joke but also a truth.

The peach forest was filled with laughter and chitchat. A breeze blew without a sound and brought up the petals in the sky. Instantly, it turned silent again.

Junzhu Susu stopped being naughty, coughed and said seriously, “According to the convention, all the noble ladies attending this party should arrive at the peach blossom garden before seven o’clock in the morning, at the peach blossom pavilion before nine o’clock in the morning, to greet the girl of the highest level, who hosted the party.”

Seeing Mo Qianxue’s interested face, Susu continued, “This time, the host is Princess Yuhe. She is thirteen years old and daughter of the Empress, the most amiable one and of highest rank among all the princesses.”

The Empress’s daughter? Then…she was afraid there were more troubles waiting for her ahead. She had offended the Empress twice, but the Empress didn’t summon her to the imperial palace again. She was afraid this was the trap that had been waiting for her.