Do You Want to Eat?
After the little girl stood up, she first performed a curtsy to the Empress, then nodded to her own mother, and only then did she pick up the goat cheese from the low table and walk towards Qu Sheng.
From the moment she heard the voice, Qu Sheng had been watching from the corner of her eye. Now, seeing the much older girl approach, her eyes remained fixed on the jade bowl1 she was carrying.
“Sheng-meimei, how about you eat this first?” Lin Xizhao2 offered the jade bowl. Her tone and manner were somewhat similar to the noblewoman from before—gentle and melodious, causing the restlessness in one’s heart to unconsciously recede.
Qu Sheng stared at the goat cheese in the bowl, not answering, just gazing as if that bowl of goat cheese was her entire world.
Seeing that Qu Sheng didn’t move, Lin Xizhao curved her lips. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Qu Sheng’s childish voice say, “Drink milk.” Then, she reached out to snatch the bowl from Lin Xizhao’s hands.
Lin Xizhao was startled by the sudden movement from such a small child, but as Qu Sheng’s little hand touched the jade bowl, she slowly released her grip.
“Drink slowly.” Lin Xizhao watched as Qu Sheng went gulp, gulp, pouring the not-so-thin goat cheese into her mouth, afraid she might choke.
After Qu Sheng finished drinking, she held the jade bowl. Before Lin Xizhao could take the handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the milk stains from her pale, thin lips, Qu Sheng raised her hand and wiped them clean with her own sleeve…
Lin Xizhao was stunned for a moment at the sight, but still smiled and helped her wipe the goat cheese from her sleeve.
“Alright, you may both be seated.” The Empress had watched the small child finish her milk right in front of her, thereby giving her a great deal of face3.
Upon hearing this, Jin Yunfei quickly curtsied in thanks, took Qu Sheng’s small hand, and gave Lin Xizhao a grateful nod before being led by a palace maid to their assigned seats.
After the mother and daughter were seated, the Empress, as if it were routine official business4, asked Jin Yunfei some personal questions. Later, more noblewomen arrived, and the Empress suggested they all go to the courtyard to see the winding golden-thread and silver-thread5 chrysanthemums that had not yet fully bloomed.
Today, it wasn’t just Jin Yunfei who had brought Qu Sheng; many of the officials’ families had also brought their own daughters. Although the Empress’s message hadn’t stated a reason for bringing their daughters, some with sharp ears had already found out why.
It was to select a Crown Princess for the Crown Prince of the Tiansheng Kingdom.
However, the choice for this Crown Princess was now a matter for discussion.
The once-clear sky outside was now obscured by dark clouds, souring everyone’s mood.
“Why do I get the feeling that child is a simpleton6?” Among the noblewomen, someone began to discuss in a low voice.
Jin Yunfei, walking beside the Empress, could hear them but could only pretend she couldn’t.
“Isn’t that right? Look at how she acted just now. Tsk, my own child is considered foolish, but even she has never been so brazen.”
“I heard that this one from the Marquis Qu’s family fainted several times from the loss of her son. Could it be from that time…”
“Shh, don’t speak nonsense.”
Someone in the crowd spoke up to stop them.
The Empress also looked towards them at that moment. Seeing them all lower their heads, she then deliberately glanced at Jin Yunfei.
Jin Yunfei’s expression seemed somewhat embarrassed, but she still forced a smile when the Empress looked at her.
The children were currently left in the main hall. There were more than a dozen of them of various ages, gathered together. Although they were young, they all understood etiquette.
But understanding etiquette in front of others didn’t necessarily mean they’d follow it behind their backs.
The three-year-old Qu Sheng was mixed in among these children. Among them were some who were older, but without exception, none had yet reached hairpin age7.
The Crown Prince of the Tiansheng Kingdom was not old. He was named Crown Prince at birth, being the Empress’s son, and was now only eight years old.
Logically, it was too early to select a Crown Princess now, but the Son of Heaven had other plans.
Although trusted aides had been sent to the Qu family’s territory in the southeast, and the taxes and grain sent to the court had increased by twenty percent compared to previous years, the court could not command the Qu family’s army.
After the Old Marquis Qu died, the title of Marquis fell to the eldest son of the Qu family, Qu Jinian. Qu Jinian was a case of the white-haired sending off the black-haired8; his eldest son had died for the country, leaving him with only this one granddaughter.
If Qu Sheng were designated as the Crown Princess, then there would be no fear of this Marquis Qu not serving the court with all his heart. Moreover, the Son of Heaven’s thoughts went far beyond just this.
Among the children, Qu Sheng was the youngest and also appeared the most dazed. The other children were all gathered together, chatting and playing, while she just sat there, continuously eating the pastries on the table.
The pastries in the imperial palace were naturally of excellent taste, especially the new ones that had been laid out specifically for the children. After Qu Sheng finished two or three pieces, she reached for another plate. When the pastries on her table were gone, her gaze drifted to the other tables.
“Do you want to eat?” One of the girls, about seven or eight years old, picked up the plate Qu Sheng had been staring at, brought it before her eyes, and asked mockingly.
Qu Sheng’s dazed eyes seemed not to understand what she was saying. The next moment, she reached out to snatch it, but the girl raised the plate higher, causing Qu Sheng to lunge at empty air. “Knew you’d try to snatch it. Look at you, like you were reincarnated from a hungry ghost9. You couldn’t be a fool, could you?”
The little girl’s piercing voice made all the other children in the hall look over at them.
Qu Sheng’s clueless expression only deepened the mocking look on the little girl’s face. The corner of her mouth twitched, and who knows what she thought of, but she took a pastry and dangled it in front of Qu Sheng.
Qu Sheng reached for it, but she quickly pulled it back. Then, looking at Qu Sheng’s seemingly drooling mouth, she glanced down at the wooden floor of the hall and, the next moment, let go of the pastry in her hand.
The pastry fell to the floor, and Qu Sheng’s gaze followed it. Before the little girl could say anything, Qu Sheng was already on her knees, picking it up and stuffing it into her mouth.
“Sheng-meimei, that’s dirty, you can’t eat it.” Lin Xizhao had been talking with her other friends elsewhere. By the time she noticed what was happening, Qu Sheng had already swallowed most of the pastry.
Upon hearing the words ‘can’t eat it’, Qu Sheng began to wolf it down even more fiercely. After finally managing to swallow it, she looked up again, her eyes fixed pitifully on the plate of pastries being held up.
Seeing this, the little girl from before threw another piece onto the ground.
Qu Sheng moved quickly. Before Lin Xizhao could intervene, Qu Sheng had already stuffed it into her mouth. As if afraid someone would fight her for it, she chewed it a few times haphazardly and tried to swallow it with all her might.
“Sheng-meimei?” Lin Xizhao, unable to stop her, watched as Qu Sheng knelt there in a daze, motionless for a long while. Her expression grew tense.
“Hic, hic…” Qu Sheng started to hiccup, but these were not the hiccups of a full stomach; she was choking.
Without delay, Lin Xizhao rushed to a table, brought back a cup of water, and fed it to Qu Sheng. Qu Sheng drank it down with a gulp, gulp, and the hiccuping stopped. Only then did Lin Xizhao’s expression soften, a gentle smile returning to her face.
She took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of Qu Sheng’s mouth and was about to lead her over to her own seat.
“Eldest Miss Cheng, isn’t treating the young miss of the Qu family this way a bit too much?” From within the group of children, a girl who looked like she wasn’t to be trifled with stepped forward.
The girl called Eldest Miss Cheng heard this, glanced back at her, and rolled her eyes. “It’s not your place to lecture me!”
“Hmph, no matter how you humiliate her, she’s still the future Crown Princess. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re thinking!” the girl retorted, refusing to back down.
Hearing this, Eldest Miss Cheng’s anger flared on her face. She glared at the girl and said, “The Crown Prince is my older male cousin10! My aunt promised long ago that I would be the Crown Princess. She’s a fool, on what grounds does she deserve it!”
This furious Eldest Miss Cheng was the daughter of the current Lord Imperial Uncle11, the Empress’s own niece.
As soon as Eldest Miss Cheng’s words fell, everyone turned to look at Qu Sheng, who was being held by Lin Xizhao.
A three-year-old child, if not a simpleton, how could she not understand what people were saying? How could she kneel on the ground to pick up and eat dirty things? What could the Marquis’s estate possibly lack to make a child so gluttonous?
“She’s just a little young. Your act of putting a hat on her12, if word gets out, do you think the Qu family will let you off?” the girl retorted again, though her momentum was clearly weaker this time, because she too was beginning to have doubts.
Qu Sheng was indeed pretty, with a delicate and bright appearance, but seeing the way she ate just now made her heart murmur with uncertainty.
Eldest Miss Cheng, at her young age, did not know how to restrain her temper. She was provoked by just a few words, and now her face was red and the veins on her neck were bulging. She roared, “She is a fool!” With that, she went to a nearby table, picked up another plate of pastries, and dumped the entire thing onto the floor.
The children who had been watching were now so quiet that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard13. Qu Sheng saw those tempting pastries fall to the ground and wanted to go pick them up, but she was held back by Lin Xizhao.
Unable to break free, Qu Sheng turned and bit Lin Xizhao’s hand. Lin Xizhao cried out in pain for a moment and let go. Qu Sheng then knelt on the ground and once again picked up the pastries and stuffed them into her mouth…
Seeing this, all the children were stunned. The daughter of General Zhao, who had been speaking up for Qu Sheng, was now also frozen in place.
“Your father’s position as general was obtained through shady means. He has to yield three parts out of courtesy14 when he sees me. What are you to dare and lecture me?” Eldest Miss Cheng suddenly became imperious.
If it was confirmed today that Qu Sheng was a fool, then as long as she wanted the position of Crown Princess, none of the noble daughters in the hall today would be her rival.
“You!” The daughter of General Zhao was speechless with anger, but there was nothing she could do.
“Sheng-meimei, please stop eating.” Lin Xizhao watched, both heartbroken and anxious, as Qu Sheng stuffed the pastry, which had been squeezed out of shape in her hand, into her mouth again.
“I won’t lower myself to your level.” The daughter of General Zhao looked at Qu Sheng, her doubts growing. It was hard to say whether Qu Sheng was just young or truly a fool.
Eldest Miss Cheng saw that the daughter of General Zhao had been suppressed into silence and let out a cold snort. As the girl passed by, she stuck out her foot and deliberately tripped her.
The daughter of General Zhao was suddenly tripped and her body became unstable, but being the daughter of a military general, she was not so delicate. She kicked Eldest Miss Cheng’s leg aside, causing Eldest Miss Cheng to cry out in pain.
Hearing the cry, the daughter of General Zhao glanced back at her and returned with a cold snort. Eldest Miss Cheng, who had originally suffered a mute’s loss15, saw this, and her anger instantly multiplied. As the daughter of General Zhao turned her head, she reached out and grabbed her hair.
The two were of similar age and began to scuffle. The daughter of General Zhao clearly had the upper hand, pinning Eldest Miss Cheng down. She was about to raise her fist to strike her in the face when she heard Lin Xizhao’s anxious voice.
“Sheng-meimei, what’s wrong with you?”
During the scuffle, Qu Sheng’s attention had been captured. Now, her eyes were empty, and white foam was coming out of her mouth, scaring all the onlooking girls into backing away.
The author has something to say:
The adult Qu Sheng: “Look, back then, my wife only had eyes for me.”
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