Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 123
by Little PandaBestowing Upon You the Realm (5)
Yu Ye sometimes couldn’t quite comprehend.
Yu Ye sometimes couldn’t quite understand the meaning behind some of Xu Jiao’s words.
However, given her intelligence and vast experience in reading people, with a bit of pondering, she could easily guess that this little princess was quite narcissistic. It seemed she had taken Yu Ye’s intimidating joke from that day seriously, often bringing it up and maintaining a sense of wariness towards her.
When Xu Jiao was just an unknown little princess, it was fine, but now that she had become the dignified Crown Princess of Da Yan, naturally, she couldn’t be teased with words as casually as before. If Yu Ye herself looked down on the person she had elevated, others would only think Xu Jiao was even more unfit for the role.
Yu Ye stood still by Xu Jiao’s bedside for a long time in the candlelight of the inner chamber before leaving.
Before departing, she didn’t forget to wave her sleeve to extinguish all the lamps and candles in the corner.
As the figure left and the room darkened, Xu Jiao opened her eyes and glanced outside. Perhaps since the Lilith world, she had grown accustomed to being entangled with due to the other’s overly open nature. Suddenly seeing this person behave so properly, she felt somewhat uneasy.
But it was fine; she wasn’t particularly driven by desire anyway. It wouldn’t be bad to pass through this world in such a proper mannerβ
She pressed her arm behind her head, staring at the canopy above the bed. Thinking about how this Lord Yu didn’t touch a single piece of meat with her chopsticks during the day, she pondered how to find a way to nourish her in the coming days.
In the quiet atmosphere, the system couldn’t help but speak up: “You seemβ¦ to care a lot about the female protagonist now?”
Xu Jiao nodded: “Being cold or neglectful towards her easily leads to a tragic ending, and it’s also likely to make her turn dark, triggering strange plot developments like imprisonment or bondage. So why can’t I be a little nicer to her? This way, even if she ends up deeply in love with me, I can choose a more comfortable approach and position, right?”
System: “⦔
It heard the yellow coming to its ears. (this is a play on words, implying sexual content)
Perhaps shocked by how much Xu Jiao had changed, it didn’t continue to speak. Xu Jiao, left to her own thoughts, gradually drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning.
The summer breeze wafted through the window into the room, already carrying a hint of sultriness in this early hour. Xu Jiao was awakened by her personal attendants, who quietly inquired if she wanted ice basins placed in the room to alleviate the heat.
After all, Xu Jiao had a female body, lacking the abundant yang energy and internal heat of males. She had just turned fifteen, the age of “ji” [“ε笔 (jΓ jΔ«) refers to the coming-of-age ceremony for girls in ancient China], yet she was still shorter than some of the thirteen or fourteen-year-old servants in the palace. She appeared frail, and although Yu Ye had ordered her to be treated with the finest fragrances after bathing and her daily meals were mostly nutritious, this kind of nourishment wouldn’t show effects in just a few days; it would take years to see results.
Thus, they were unsure whether to place cooling items in the room.
Xu Jiao was putting on her outer robe, extending her arms for others to adjust her collar and sleeves. Just as she was about to request some ice, a somewhat cold voice came from outside:
“It’s not yet the dog days of summer. Why use ice basins? Her Highness is currently studying indoors with someone fanning her. She won’t suffer from heatstroke. If it’s truly hot, have the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau change her undergarments to lighter, more breathable fabrics.”
Hearing this voice, the servants attending to Xu Jiao all lowered their heads submissively. Although everyone knew Yu Ye was the one who openly held real power and could keep the Crown Princess in check, they couldn’t directly respond to Yu Ye in Xu Jiao’s presence. They could only lower their heads and wait for Xu Jiao’s instructions.
Xu Jiao’s expression remained calm, unlike some young beasts who, upon first encountering power, can’t wait to bare their fangs and clash with Yu Ye. She merely smiled and smoothly replied:
“Lord Yu’s words are most correct.”
“I’ve heard that some counties in the south have recently experienced severe flooding. The Ministry of Revenue has called for aid from the national treasury and encouraged court officials with means to donate as well. As the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, I should set an example. Issue an order to convert my ice allowance for this month into silver and donate it to the Ministry of Revenue for disaster relief.”
Having said this, others thought Yu Ye should be satisfied. Unexpectedly, she took a step into the room, her silhouette blocking some sunlight, darkening the interior slightly.
Her black attire always carried a sense of solemnity. This single step made her seem like Yama coming to claim a life. Xu Jiao could easily hear the softened breathing of those around her and sense their heads bowing even lower.
By now, Xu Jiao had changed her clothes. She met Yu Ye’s gaze, casually tracing her features with peripheral vision, thinking to herself how this person was so beautiful and elegant, even exuding an aura of righteousness, yet why did she inspire such fear in others?
At this moment, the person Xu Jiao was observing spoke.
“Your Highness need not do this.”
“The matter of disaster relief has been properly arranged by the court. Da Yan has not yet fallen to such poverty that even the Crown Princess must tighten her belt to make ends meet.”
Xu Jiao’s eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing this.
She spoke with a somewhat troubled tone: “Lord Yu is truly difficult to please.”
Women’s hearts are like needles at the bottom of the sea [a Chinese saying meaning “a woman’s heart is unfathomable”].
Yu Ye gazed at her deeply, her expression devoid of goodwill: “Your Highness, as the Crown Princess and future heir to the throne, you are the most noble person in the world. Why should you curry favor with anyone? This subject does not deserve the words ‘please’ from Your Highness. If such words were to spread, people might think this subject is using the royal family to command the officials.”
Xu Jiao just wanted to laugh.
Such hypocritical words.
She had already done the deed of nearly exterminating the entire Xu clan, and even arbitrarily established Xu Jiao as the Crown Princess. Everyone in the palace, high and low, had to listen to her and watch her mood. She was, in every sense, a true regent. Yet now she was telling Xu Jiao to act like a proper Crown Princess should.
Xu Jiao thought, if she were to truly show her brilliance, perhaps Yu Ye would think she harbored wolfish ambitions and had grand schemes, and would be the first to eliminate her.
She began to understand why people said “serving a ruler is like serving a tiger”. Being around someone with real power was indeed like existing in a crevice, where a step forward or backward could be wrong. One could only constantly rack their brains for a middle ground.
She took another serious look at Yu Ye.
This person was currently depleting the goodwill that the female protagonists from previous worlds had accumulated in Xu Jiao.
When Xu Jiao confirmed that she truly couldn’t remember anything, or when all this goodwill was completely squandered, it would be like their first encounter in the initial world all over again.
Xu Jiao’s gaze would no longer linger on her.
Yu Ye seemed to have an inexplicable intuition that something was about to change, but couldn’t quite grasp it at the moment. After hesitating, what finally came out of her mouth was just a question to the person before her:
“Why does Your Highness look at this subject in such a manner?”
A faint smile floated in Xu Jiao’s eyes, like clouds on the horizon that could be wiped away by any passing breeze. Her tone was extremely casual:
“Lord Yu is naturally beautiful.”
Meaning, you’re attractive, so I was staring at you.
But as soon as these words left her mouth, the palace servants in the hall trembled and fell to their knees, as if Yama, the King of Hell, had already placed his blade against their necks. Yu Ye’s lips slowly curved into an arc, like a bow gradually being drawn, beautiful in its curvature yet containing deadly killing intent and danger.
She said softly, “Thank you for Your Highness’s praise.”
Xu Jiao ignored the palace servants kneeling all around and, seeing that Yu Ye had no other intentions, headed towards the breakfast table. Yu Ye was left staring at her back for a moment, her smile fading as she pondered whether Xu Jiao’s words were meant to be disrespectful or were simply spoken without thought.
She didn’t have long to ponder, as Xu Jiao’s voice came from behind the decorative curtains in the hall: “Today is a rest day with no morning court. Lord Yu worked hard guarding me all night. Why not stay and have a meal?”
Before Yu Ye could respond, someone else entered and whispered something in her ear.
Xu Jiao guessed that this person probably wouldn’t stay for the meal.
Holding real power yet not being the one sitting on the dragon throne, Yu Ye was acting as an ordinary general while carrying the heart of an emperor. She likely had many matters to attend to.
Sure enough, as soon as the person finished speaking, Yu Ye turned to Xu Jiao: “This subject has urgent matters to attend to. Your Highness, please enjoy your meal at your leisure.”
Xu Jiao wanted to exchange a few more polite words, but Yu Ye had already turned and disappeared.
She could only stare at the door, and after a while, put down her spoon, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
The recently idle system popped up again: “Falling for you? Deeply in love?”
Xu Jiao replied languidly: “Better not. I’m too lazy to deal with romantic plotlines.”
After saying this, she beckoned a nearby palace servant, instructing them to have the kitchen prepare some food to be sent to Yu Ye’s residence. She then stopped dwelling on this person and immersed herself in her studies.
In the afternoon.
Yu Ye had just left the prison of the Ministry of Justice, listening to the Jinyi Wei [Note: Imperial secret police] report to her. Sitting in the main hall of the old general’s mansion, she noticed the housekeeper signaling for someone to serve the dishes. She glanced at the table, seeing only vegetarian dishes, and picked up her chopsticks.
Unexpectedly, after the first taste, she was stunned. This dish clearly looked like a gourd, but how did it taste like⦠meat?
Her cheeks moved twice, and her brows furrowed. She wondered what trick the kitchen was playing, daring to disobey her orders when she had clearly instructed that she didn’t want to see meat for the next few months.
A “clang” sound resonated.
It was the sound of chopsticks hitting the table.
The Jinyiwei who were still giving their report fell silent. Even the old steward who had been by her side for years was cowed by her increasingly imposing authority. He trembled as he asked in a quavering voice if the meal was not to her liking.
Yu Ye didn’t want to vent her anger on others and only said, “Call the head of the kitchen here.”
The steward, however, already knew what had happened and hurriedly pleaded for the kitchen staff: “Lord Yu, the kitchenβ¦ the kitchen didn’t defy your wishes. A few days ago, Her Highness the Crown Princess sent word from the palace. She noticed you hadn’t touched any meat dishes at the table and guessed you might not like meat. So she specially provided the kitchen with several recipes, instructing them to make meat dishes appear vegetarian. They’re all prepared in a light manner, just to avoid you losing your appetite if you knewβ¦ Today, I dared to make the decision to serve it. I’ve truly broken protocol. If you wish to punish someone, please punish me for making this decision.”
As he spoke, the steward knelt down, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, his tone tinged with a hint of sorrow.
He had been out shopping on the day the Yu family’s property was confiscated, thus narrowly escaping the calamity. He had already resigned himself to returning to his hometown to live out his days, but Yu Ye, remembering old ties, brought back those who remained to the mansion. Having watched Yu Ye grow up since childhood, he naturally harbored a parental affection for her. Now, unable to bear seeing her suffer these aftereffects following her revenge, he continued speaking with a heavy heart:
“You haven’t eaten meat for days, and you’ve lost so much weight. I can’t bear to see you like this. If I were to meet the old general and his wife in the nine springs, I wouldn’t have the face to tell them I’ve let our young mistress come to this⦔
Yu Ye’s expression changed several times as she listened.
But her first action was to help the old steward up: “Uncle Zou, please get up. I’ve just been dealing with too many things lately, and the midsummer heat has affected my appetite, that’s all. It’s not as you imagine.”
Seeing her anger had subsided, the old steward dared to rise from the ground. He wanted to advise her to take care of her health but feared saying too much. So he carefully uttered a couple of sentences, not wanting to disturb Yu Ye’s appetite, and withdrew. Only after leaving the hall did he begin to wipe away his tears.
Yu Ye stared at the dishes before her. They indeed no longer looked like meat dishes. As long as one didn’t look too closely, they were edible, and that first bite truly didn’t have any meaty taste.
She took another bite, her mind wandering to a certain person.
Xu Jiao.
And the words she had said: “Lord Yu is truly difficult to please.”
Considering the things Xu Jiao had done in her presence recently, Yu Ye couldn’t help but notice that the other party indeed wanted to win her favor.
However, this young girl wasn’t simple. Not only was she thoughtful, but she was also good at pretending. Many times, Yu Ye couldn’t quite figure out what the little one was thinking.
If she really helped her ascend to the throne, would this person use that same nonchalant expression to order those around her to take Yu Ye’s head?
Xu Jiao was unaware that Yu Ye had again imagined her as someone with deep, scheming intentions.
Since the afternoon, she had been experiencing vague stomach pains. However, her lessons weren’t over then, so she could only endure and remain seated. Finally, when the elderly ministers teaching her had left, she rose from her chair, only to hear a soft gasp from the palace maid attending her.
“Your Highness!”
Xu Jiao looked at her quizzically, noticing the maid’s gaze focused on the hem of her robe behind her. She immediately understood.
Her monthly visitor had arrived.
No wonder her lower abdomen felt bloated.
The palace maid wanted to call for the imperial physician, but Xu Jiao waved her off, not wanting to disturb the doctor. To her, this was a minor issue. She would change all her clothes and take a hot bath in the evening to dispel the cold from her body, which should be enough.
With the original owner’s memories, she recalled that such severe stomach pain was likely due to a chronic condition the original Xu Jiao developed as a child when forced to shovel snow in winter. Even though she was now the Crown Princess living in luxury, the debt owed to her body from those years of mistreatment still had to be repaid.
Seeing Xu Jiao’s composed demeanor, the palace maid suppressed her panic and simply followed her instructions, taking care of things one by one.
However, as night fell, Xu Jiao couldn’t hold out any longer. She retired to bed early, wrapped in a quilt thicker than yesterday’s, trying hard to fall asleep. Several hot water bottles [tΔng pΓ³ zi is a traditional Chinese bed warmer] had been placed in the bed, but the pain showed no signs of subsiding.
Fortunately, her pain tolerance was quite good, and she could respond naturally to the concerns of those around her. Except for looking a bit paler than usual, everything else seemed normal.
Only when everyone had withdrawn and no one was left around her bed did she slightly furrow her brows.
The system asked her, “Why not call for the imperial physician?”
Xu Jiao, with her eyes closed, answered, “It’s just a small matter. If I specifically call for the imperial physician, Yu Ye will certainly find out. She’s very wary of me and likes to put on a show. If I summon the physician, she’ll feel obligated to come by β Recently, I’ve noticed she’s been swamped with palace affairs and hasn’t been eating well. At this hour, it’s better to let her rest properly in her own residence rather than making this trip.”
The system remarked, “You’re quite considerate of her.”
Xu Jiao made an “mm” sound, then added, “Mainly, my stomach hurts now, and I’m too lazy to put on an act. It’s too exhausting to talk with her.”
Having suffered a major family tragedy in her youth and now holding high position and great power, Yu Ye was certainly not a female protagonist who could easily open up to others. She differed from the female protagonists Xu Jiao had encountered before in that when Xu Jiao arrived, Yu Ye was already an adult. Xu Jiao couldn’t erase those terrible stories from her younger years in advance.
What she faced was a female protagonist who had already endured great suffering and thoroughly mastered the art of power and intrigue.
The other party didn’t need her salvation; in fact, she held Xu Jiao’s life in her hands.
Xu Jiao wondered if she had become accustomed to facing female protagonists who would try to please her, which was why she now found it hard to adapt to Yu Ye’s attitude β the normal attitude one would have towards a mere chess piece.
She could clearly distinguish between Yu Ye and Zheng Zhiyu from the previous world.
Yet she couldn’t help wanting to be a little nicer to this person.
A little more caring.
Perhaps the transference had gone too deep.
That relationship⦠had ultimately affected her somewhat.
So much so that as she curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach, she bit the quilt and muttered softly: “Liar.”
She had promised that no matter where she was, she would come.
She had already followed her from that Western fantasy world to the previous world, so why wasn’t she coming now?
“Who is Your Highness cursing?” A voice suddenly sounded from beside the bed.
Xu Jiao’s attention had been focused on chatting with the system, naturally overlooking the movements in her surroundings. She hadn’t heard the servants announcing Yu Ye’s entrance, nor had she heard Yu Ye questioning the palace maids about what was going on.
Now, suddenly hearing Yu Ye’s voice, Xu Jiao felt as if she’d heard a clap of thunder. She raised her head to look towards the bedside, and once again saw that figure in dark clothes. Yu Ye was now wearing casual attire, not the official dark python robe [mΗng pΓ‘o is a type of official robe adorned with python patterns] she usually wore. The clothes were form-fitting, accentuating her tall, slender figure.
Xu Jiao didn’t make a sound, and Yu Ye didn’t mind this small detail, asking again: “Why didn’t Your Highness summon the imperial physician for a check-up?”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and reached into the quilt, feeling the dampness of sweat on Xu Jiao’s neck. She paused for a moment, noticing Xu Jiao’s deathly pale complexion, and instinctively channeled some internal energy, placing her hand on Xu Jiao’s abdomen and gently massaging it.
Miraculously, Xu Jiao felt a surge of heat penetrating her abdomen, and even her limbs and body, which she couldn’t warm up before, now felt comfortably warm.
The pain subsided slightly.
She belatedly realized that although she had some skills and knew a few moves, in this world, while she could dodge ordinary attacks, she was still no match for this kind of internal energy-wielding expert.
Her inferior physical condition was evident, and she had no internal energy. If she had, she would have used this excellent pain-relief method earlier.
Xu Jiao recovered some strength and glanced at her weakly, replying: “There’s no need to trouble the imperial physician for such a small matter. But why has Lord Yu come?”
Yu Ye withdrew her hand and sat on the edge of the bed, speaking softly: “Your Highness has such a good memory. This subject only promised yesterday to personally guard Your Highness, yet today Your Highness seems to have forgotten this matter.”
Her voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
Xu Jiao, however, gave her a calm glance.
The corners of her eyes bore faint red marks from her sleeping position. Combined with her current gaze, it was as if light was dancing in her eyes, creating a moment of stunning beauty.
Yu Ye didn’t understand why she was looking at her like this.
Just as she was about to ask, Xu Jiao spoke, her tone neither light nor heavy: “It’s not that my memory is poorβ”
“It’s just that some people don’t keep their word, so I don’t know which promises to believe and which to disregard.”
Her words even carried a soft, cotton-like hint of complaint.
It sounded likeβ¦
She was acting coquettishly.
Yu Ye was stunned by what she heard.
Before she could react, she saw Xu Jiao turn her head away and speak softly in the quiet room atmosphere: “My stomach hurts, so my words might be a bit topsy-turvy [“ι’ δΈεε” (diΔn sΔn dΗo sΓ¬) is an idiom meaning confused or disordered speech]. They don’t count. Lord Yu, please don’t take them to heart.”
Yet Yu Ye, as if possessed, raised her hand: “This subjectβ¦ shall I massage Your Highness again?”
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