CH 2

"Pei!" Old Madam Xu spat out a mouthful of saliva. Despite her petite and aged appearance, this mouthful of saliva was completely filled with killing intent. Those who saw this scene would feel that Zhou-momo, who was standing opposite Old Madam Xu, was being hacked to pieces and that she would die a violent death right there, without the chance to reincarnate.

Zhou-momo had been born as a court lady, and now she was always by Princess Ronghua Zhao Qingrong’s side, waiting upon her. Truth be told, the watchdogs at the Prime Minister’s Residence were all third-rank officials [1]. Therefore, Zhou-momo, who carried the status of a servant of the royal family, could walk about absolutely unrestrained outside the Emperor’s Palace and the Princess’s Manor. Zhou-momo couldn't remember when was the last time someone had pointed at her nose and scolded her like this.

Yet, would Zhou-momo trade insults with Old Madam Xu? Zhou-momo was unable to do such a thing. As a palace servant, she could pull dirty tricks behind someone’s back. However, hurling out curses like a shrew? Palace servants had to protect their image! If she wasn’t going to trade insults with Old Madam Xu, should she have a physical fight with her? This Old Madam Xu was Jiang Ruqiu’s mother, and Jiang Ruqiu was the husband of Zhou-momo’s mistress. Would Zhou-momo dare to fight Old Madam Xu?

The humiliation came suddenly, and there was no way for Zhou-momo to avoid or escape it. Mother Zhou felt so humiliated and angry. Seeing Old Madam Xu about to spit on her face with another mouthful of saliva, Zhou-momo finally couldn't restrain herself any longer. She covered her face and burst into tears.

Just who had she offended? Her princess had tried so hard and found Crown Prince of Tushan to be a husband for the Second Miss of this family. The Second Miss had been born into a peasant family and was so humble, she couldn’t accept that such a ridiculously great thing had happened to her, so she fainted out of happiness. What did this have to do with Zhou-momo who was just the messenger?!

The more Zhou-momo thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt for herself and for her princess. Princess Ronghua was Prince Jing’s only daughter and the cousin of His Majesty Dongsheng, the current emperor. Prince Jing had accompanied Emperor Dongsheng into war and died on the battlefield. When Princess Jing heard the news of the prince’s death, she was overwhelmed by grief. She passed away from illness not even three months later, following the prince into the afterlife. Prince Jing had died for Emperor Dongsheng, so how could Emperor Dongsheng not take good care of the Prince’s only daughter?

Looking at Emperor Dongsheng’s dynasty, how many of the princes’ daughters apart from Zhao Qingrong had been conferred with the title of imperial princess? Weren’t they all regional princesses? Yet, Princess Ronghua just had to fall in love with Jiang Ruqiu! Even without considering how he had a wife and children, Jiang Ruqiu was still a peasant who only learned to read after joining the army! Until now, Zhou-momo still could not understand just what her Princess saw in him!

“You’re still crying? I’m telling you, you deceitful old woman. My family’s Mingyue’er…” Old Madam Xu berated extremely angrily.

“Grandma,”Jiang Mingyue called out while standing at the Drooping Flowers Gate [2].

Old Madam Xu turned around hurriedly. From the sound of Mingyue’s voice, Old Madam Xu felt that her Mingyue'er seemed to be fine.

With her sister, Jiang Yue’e, chasing after her, Jiang Mingyue strode forward and stopped before Old Madam Xu. Old Madam Xu looked at the sisters, one in front and the other behind. She wasn’t biased toward one of them and loved them both dearly. However, the old lady had no choice but to admit that in comparison to the gentle and beautiful flower-like Jiang Mingyue, Yue’e’r [3] was simply like an oval-shaped sweet potato. From face to figure, there was nothing outstanding about her.

Before Old Madam Xu even opened her mouth, Zhou-momo had called out to Jiang Mingyue first: “Second Miss!”

Jiang Mingyue glanced at Zhou-momo. However, before Jiang Mingyue could say anything, Old Madam Xu pinched her arm ruthlessly. It was with great difficulty that Jiang Mingyue managed to resist scowling and yelling that it hurt.

“Drop it,” Old Madam Xu said in a low voice to Jiang Mingyue: “If Zhao Qingrong was a good person, she wouldn’t have angered your mother to death! How could she possibly have been so kind as to find you a good husband?”

Jiang Mingyue sighed. She’d already thought this matter through in her previous life. Even if she wanted to blame someone, that someone truly couldn’t be Zhao Qingrong. Zhao Qingrong was a true princess, but King Tushan was also a member of the imperial family. Moreover, he was a prince with real power who led troops in defending a region. What ability did Zhao Qingrong have to ensure this was a good match? Besides, the marriage of the two people involved paying close attention to making sure their families were well-matched in terms of social status. Jiang Ruqiu was a genuine marquis, but what was the background of his family? They were originally countryside peasants! Zhao Lingxiao wasn’t merely marrying low. This was a hit to his face, as well as that of his family. Furthermore, this was the kind of hit that rang loud with a pa pa [4].

“Your eyeballs are rolling around,” Old Madam Xu said as she looked at Jiang Mingyue vigilantly. Then, she whispered in a fierce and malicious voice, “What crafty plan are you scheming?”

In Old Madam Xu’s opinion, beautiful women were born unlucky in the secular world. The heavens treated people too fairly. If you were given a pretty face, you couldn’t be given the good fortune of having a peaceful and unhindered life. What could be more horrible than this? To begin with, Old Madam Xu felt she had already run out of good fortune. She was filled with too many thoughts and unbridled complaints, resenting that she wasn’t dying fast enough. It just so happened that her Mingyue’er really did possess both a pretty face and a troubled life. At this moment, Old Madam Xu gazed at Jiang Mingyue and suddenly felt extremely vexed. Just why did this girl always make others worry about her?!

Notes:

[1] This is a saying, which basically means that the subordinates of the people in power, can also be considered high-ranked themselves among the common people. Specifically for the position of watchdog/gatekeeper, they have to allow you in for you to be able to even see the prime minister in his house.

[2] It’s the only way in and out of a fully enclosed residence and serves as a dividing line between the interior and exterior of the residence

[3] Nickname. It’s the same as the ‘er’ from Mingyue’er, but because Jiang Yue’e’s name is already odd to write in English, we used Yue’e’r instead of another ‘er’.

[4] pa pa : a sound effect for slapping