Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 56
by Little PandaVolume 3: Courtly Winds and Clouds, Each Finds Their Place
Scheming
The Emperor was around forty years old, and her appearance wasn’t much different from the aunties who offered snacks when she visited classmates’ homes—just as gentle and amiable.
Su Yi, hidden behind someone in front, secretly raised her head to get a clear look at the Emperor’s face, evaluating her inwardly.
Once the Emperor was seated, she bade the kneeling crowd rise and announced the start of the banquet. Everyone returned to their own seats.
A short while later, the Fifth Princess also arrived late, sitting down in her seat without a word.
The Emperor didn’t blame her, merely asking a couple of questions about the reason for her tardiness before having wine bestowed upon her.
The Marquis of Pingyang was, after all, a Marquis, considered within the circle of imperial relatives1, so the seats of the several princesses were very close to theirs.
Su Yi had sharp eyes and keenly noticed that this Fifth Princess’s eyes were red and somewhat swollen. Curiosity immediately flared within her—the fierce Fifth Princess could actually cry? Why would she cry? What could possibly be worth her tears?
She furtively tugged at her great-grandmother and asked. Her great-grandmother had served in the court for so many years; she surely knew some reasons.
Hearing her great-granddaughter’s confusion, Su Ban sighed softly, “Yesterday was the anniversary of the Emperor Consort’s2 passing. Perhaps the Fifth Princess was overly saddened while sweeping his tomb.”
The Emperor Consort had passed away the day before New Year’s Eve—it couldn’t help but make people sigh.
Crying for a whole night, then arriving late to an important banquet—it was clear the Fifth Princess truly loved and respected her father deeply.
Who would have thought the Fifth Princess was actually such a filial daughter.
As Su Yi was reflecting on this, the Emperor noticed the food being presented. Pointing at the strangely shaped pot and the food mixed together cooking inside, she asked, “What is this?”
Ji Qingchi quickly rose to answer, “Replying to Mother Emperor, this is a dish created by Miss Su of the Marquis of Pingyang’s residence, called Hot Pot. Your child/subject3 has tasted it and found it extremely delicious, so I brought it to offer to Mother Emperor.”
“So it’s Miss Su.” Hearing Su Yi’s name, the Emperor lowered her head slightly, seemingly trying to recall who she was. After a moment, she nodded as if finally remembering. “Miss Su is exceptionally intelligent; Zhen4 has heard of her as well. Is Miss Su present today?”
Su Yi was sneakily drinking wine when she heard her name mentioned and nearly choked. Her mother and grandmother quickly patted her back. Once she swallowed the mouthful of wine, they helped her stand up.
Su Yi hastily bowed her head, “Long live Your Majesty.”
“So this is Miss Su.” Seeing her, the Emperor smiled and nodded. “Truly just as the rumors say, quite pleasant in appearance. Looks clever too.”
With that, she bade her sit down and bestowed upon her a golden Qilin5. “I hear Miss Su suffers from frail health. The Qilin can ward off evil; I hope Miss Su’s health can improve soon.”
Su Yi was overwhelmed by the favor. “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
“Mm.” The Emperor smiled faintly but didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Seated beside her was a handsome young man, a newly entered Attendant Lord. Relying on the Emperor’s considerable favor towards him, he pointed at the Hot Pot dish before her and wheedled, “Your Majesty, Your servant wishes to eat this.”
The Emperor smiled indulgently. “Alright, it is hereby granted to you.”
“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” The Attendant Lord delightedly reached out with his chopsticks, tasted it, and his eyes instantly lit up. “Delicious.”
The Emperor smiled and patted his cheek. “Then this whole pot is yours.”
“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” Having received favor, the Attendant Lord looked somewhat smugly towards several other men accompanying the Emperor, raising his eyebrows. He then glanced around the hall below, quite provocatively.
Just the games men play vying for favor. The ministers below ignored him. Finding his display met with no interest, the Attendant Lord felt snubbed. Palace maids moved the small table with the Hot Pot slightly aside, letting him focus on eating.
Su Yi gossiped quietly, “Who knew, this Young Gentleman6 is truly favored by the Emperor.”
“Hmph, just a pet used to test for poison7,” the Fifth Princess interjected coldly from nearby.
Su Yi stiffened, shocked that the Fifth Princess had overheard her words. Another reason was the implication: the Emperor actually had her Attendant Lord test for poison? Didn’t that mean she didn’t trust the Hot Pot she had made?
Su Yi instantly felt uneasy.
Seeing her mother’s actions, Ji Qingchi’s heart tightened. This Hot Pot dish was unusual, with everything cooked together; even if someone had added poison, it would be hard to tell. Although she had inspected it beforehand, there was no guarantee poison hadn’t been added somewhere during the process of presenting it.
She had previously only thought about checking it beforehand, but hadn’t considered this possibility.
Mother Emperor’s scheming ran far deeper than hers.
She felt ashamed of her inferiority.
As if sensing her daughters’ thoughts, the Emperor glanced towards their seating area but said nothing. She merely raised her cup and smiled, “My Ministers, Happy New Year.”
The ministers and their families below quickly raised their cups as well. “We celebrate with Your Majesty.”
The Emperor spoke some encouraging and cordial words, quickly dispelling the unease in the hearts of Su Yi and the princesses. It seemed the Emperor didn’t intend to pursue the matter, so they relaxed.
After the Emperor said some more polite formalities, the banquet officially began. This was originally intended as a matchmaking banquet, so the ministers didn’t stand on ceremony, bringing their unmarried daughters and sons to mingle and converse with the younger generation of other families.
The Emperor also searched with great interest for any outstanding young masters from noble families who could become Principal Consorts [primary/main husband] for her daughters.
After several rounds of song and dance performances, the Emperor had someone bring in an artificial tree.
The tree was very tall, about ten meters, almost reaching the palace’s vaulted ceiling.
A few wooden strips were nailed sparsely and diagonally onto it, presumably representing branches. The rest of the surface was covered with long knives, wolf-fang maces8, and long arrows. Rows of daggers were also fixed onto the tree. There were even wild beehives and poisonous plants attached, looking truly terrifying.
At the very top of the tree rested an amber-colored pearl, the size of an adult fist, emitting a soft glow.
The gentle light made the brightly lit hall even more luminous.
“This is something sent by Huachen Kingdom some time ago.” Observing the puzzled gazes of the ministers below, the Emperor explained, “The Emperor of Huachen Kingdom told Zhen that this is a rare treasure they obtained from the South Sea. Whoever can retrieve that pearl from this mountain of blades and tree of swords, completely unscathed, is a fully deserving warrior. That pearl is said to be the South Sea Blood Pearl9, capable of prolonging life. Not a single person in Huachen Kingdom could avoid those blades and successfully retrieve it, so they gifted it to Zhen, saying that if even one person in Zhen’s country could retrieve the pearl, it would be gifted to her.”
In truth, this was a provocative statement from Huachen Kingdom, subtly mocking Yanxue Kingdom for being full of women, implying they surely lacked any warrior brave enough to take the challenge. The Emperor could have ignored it, but she also wanted to know: among the many young noblewomen of privilege in this palace, was there truly someone who could retrieve the pearl? She hoped Yanxue Kingdom would have successors, and this peculiar tree was indeed a good test.
Thus, she had this special tree brought up.
The Emperor smiled at the young women in the hall, “When Zhen was young, I always wanted to give the best things to the person I loved most. But those fine things were all bestowed by the previous Emperor; Zhen never obtained any through my own efforts, so gifting them brought no sense of accomplishment, which was quite regrettable. This tree today presents a good opportunity. It is extremely perilous. If someone can pluck this pearl from the tree completely unscathed and gift it to the one they like, surely it would be unforgettable even after a hundred years.”
These words from the Emperor instantly sent a rush of hot blood through the young women in the hall, making them eager.
In Yanxue Kingdom, under everyone’s watchful eyes, gifting something obtained through innumerable hardships to the one you loved most—this was practically the highest honor.
It was a commendation for both the giver and the receiver.
Immediately, several young women stood up, eager to try.
The Emperor smiled, “Good. Worthy daughters of Yanxue Kingdom, spirited10 indeed.”
Although these individuals were eager to challenge, the Emperor also feared they might get injured, so she summoned a group of imperial physicians to the hall, ready to be on standby.
With the imperial physicians present, even the initially timid Noble Daughters11 stood up, thinking, what the heck, if I get injured, there are imperial physicians to treat me. Might as well give it a shot; maybe I can even make an impression on the person I admire and the Emperor.
The Young Masters, however, looked regretful. They didn’t know martial arts; even if they wanted to compete, they couldn’t.
Cui Jinliu sighed, “What a pity. If I knew martial arts, I would snatch that pearl and give it to the Second Princess.”
Xiao Zhengyun opened his fan, waving it back and forth with a rakish air, and smiled. “Why must we act personally? Among so many Noble Daughters, there are surely some who admire us. No need to snatch it; that thing will be delivered right into my hands.”
“We know the Fifth Princess likes you.” Cui Jinliu was extremely jealous, yet helpless. No matter how many flirtatious glances he sent the Second Princess, she ignored him. He could only sit there, fuming.
Xiao Zhengyun smiled faintly and continued fanning himself, waiting for his prey to come to him.
Actually, compared to the Fifth Princess, he favored the Ninth Princess more. However, the Ninth Princess had a poor background. After thinking it over, the Fifth Princess was still a better match for him. But, if the Ninth Princess took the initiative to bring the item to him, he wouldn’t refuse either.
He would just wait and see which of these two princesses could please him more.
There were many Young Masters in the hall. To gain face before their admired ones, dozens of Noble Daughters joined the challenge within a short time. Several princesses also participated with considerable interest.
Ji Qingchi and the Fifth Princess stood up almost simultaneously.
Seeing each other, both looked as if facing a great enemy.
Especially the Fifth Princess. She admired the Prime Minister’s Son, but had never heard who Ji Qingchi liked. She assumed Ji Qingchi also intended to marry the Prime Minister’s Son to win over the Prime Minister. Thus, she regarded her as a thorn in her side12, sneering, “Little Nine, you’d better be careful. Swords have no eyes13 later. If that flower-like face of yours gets ruined, don’t blame your Imperial Sister for being ruthless.”
Ji Qingchi smiled faintly. “I return those words to Imperial Sister as well.”
After speaking, her eyes swept towards Su Yi’s location.
Su Yi had no one she liked; she only liked to eat. She considered the matter the Emperor spoke of to be completely unrelated to her. So, while the other Noble Daughters were getting up to compete for the prize, she was burying her head in food, taking a bit from every dish. Her mother, afraid her frail body couldn’t handle it and would upset her stomach, snatched her chopsticks away. The two were currently tugging back and forth.
The way Su Yi wheedled and playfully pleaded with her mother to let her eat more was simply too adorable. It made Ji Qingchi unable to resist curling her lips into a smile, her confidence soaring. “That pearl will definitely belong to This Palace.”
Footnotes
- 皇亲国戚 | huáng qīn guó qī | Relatives of the emperor or the imperial family; high nobility connected by blood or marriage.
- 皇夫 | Huáng Fū | Title for the husband of a reigning Emperor.
- 儿臣 | érchén | Lit. “child-subject”; Formal self-reference used by imperial children when addressing the sovereign.
- 朕 | Zhèn | Royal ‘I’, used by the sovereign.
- 麒麟 | qílín | A mythical hooved chimerical creature in Chinese mythology, said to appear with the arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. Often associated with prosperity and good fortune.
- 小郎君 | xiǎo láng jūn | Lit. “little good man/sir”; Can be a neutral term for a young man, but context (Emperor’s favorite) might imply a slightly delicate or favored status.
- 试毒 | shì dú | The practice of having someone taste food first to check for poison, common in imperial courts.
- 狼牙棒 | lángyábàng | A type of mace or club with studs resembling wolf teeth.
- 南海血珠 | Nán Hǎi Xuè Zhū
- 有血性 | yǒu xuè xìng | Lit. “have blood nature”; Possessing courage, spirit, or backbone.
- 贵女 | guì nǚ | Daughter from a noble or high-ranking family.
- 眼中钉, 肉中刺 | yǎn zhōng dīng, ròu zhōng cì | Lit. “a nail in the eye, a thorn in the flesh”; Someone who is a constant source of irritation or annoyance.
- 刀剑无眼 | dāo jiàn wú yǎn | Lit. “swords and blades have no eyes”; Warning that weapons can cause unintended harm in a fight or dangerous situation.
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