bestfiction Chapter 212 Moving Out of the Eastern Palace (Part 1)
Chapter 212 Moving Out of the Eastern Palace (Part 1)
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess's wedding is scheduled for the eighth day of next month.
The Ministry of Rites has established procedures, and the necessary items were prepared as early as the year the Crown Prince underwent his coming-of-age ceremony. All that is needed is to carefully check and remove outdated items and cumbersome procedures.
His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that the Crown Princess must not be burdened on the day of the wedding.
Meanwhile, things were also busy at the East Palace. They were repairing the palace, replacing the furniture, and even changing all the flowers and plants in the palace to ones that the Crown Princess liked.
In the corner, a woman with a face as beautiful as a lotus flower gritted her teeth in resentment. A young maidservant dressed in palace attire, observing her expression, said the words she wanted to hear.
"Your Highness must be bewitched to be so fond of that Lu Zhiyuan. I've heard she's sickly and has a strange temper. If it weren't for the Xie family behind her, Your Highness would never have chosen her as the Crown Princess. Master said that the Crown Princess's surname doesn't matter; what matters is that the Empress's surname is definitely Jiang."
"Don't talk nonsense, the Crown Prince hasn't ascended the throne yet." Jiang Ruoyi rolled her eyes at the maid: "You're right, what's there to be jealous of a Crown Princess who could die at any moment? The one who laughs last is the winner."
“Miss is right. What is Lu Zhiyuan’s background? The legitimate daughter of a fallen marquis’s family.” The maid frowned. “I heard that this legitimate daughter is not even recorded in the family genealogy. If it weren’t for the Xie family’s rise to power, would she even be worthy of standing next to His Highness the Crown Prince? Miss, please don’t take her seriously. His Highness cares about you the most and values you the most. Take His Highness’s treasury for example. The last few times it was opened, it was for you, to find a birthday gift for you.”
"That's right, I am the Crown Prince's darling, what makes Lu Zhiyuan think she can compare to me?" Jiang Ruoyi straightened her hair: "Let's go back to our own courtyard, seeing so many people is annoying."
The young maid bent down and took Jiang Ruoyi's hand, leading her towards the backyard. Before they even reached the courtyard gate, they saw several eunuchs and palace maids coming and going, each carrying something in their hands.
The maidservant's face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "I knew His Highness had feelings for Miss. All those things must be compensation from His Highness to Miss, so that she wouldn't be sad."
Jiang Ruoyi said shyly, "Crown Prince Brother has always been like this! I know he dotes on me."
As they were talking, they arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
Upon seeing Jiang Ruoyi, the people carrying things stopped and bowed. Jiang Ruoyi looked at them, somewhat confused. They didn't seem to be carrying things into the courtyard; rather, they seemed to be carrying them out of the courtyard. Forgetting all about the decorum of a noble lady, she grabbed one of them and said sharply, "Who gave you permission to touch my things?"
"This is His Highness the Crown Prince's will!" The steward came out from the courtyard and bowed to Jiang Ruoyi. "His Highness sent someone to tell Miss a few days ago, but Miss was always busy and forgot. Today is the deadline, and His Highness sent this old servant to pack for Miss. The carriage is waiting outside the palace. Miss can take everything in the courtyard that can be moved, including the stone table, stone benches, flowers, birds, insects, and fish."
"What do I need these things for!" Jiang Ruoyi was furious. "You said this was the Crown Prince's idea? When did the Crown Prince ever kick me out? Put them down! Put them down, all of you! I'm going to find the Crown Prince right now, and I'll skin you all alive for deceiving yourselves."
Jiang Ruoyi, clutching her skirt, stormed off to the front courtyard. The young maidservant glanced nervously at the steward before following her. The eunuchs and maids who were moving things looked at each other, unsure what to do. The steward turned and glanced at Jiang Ruoyi's retreating figure, signaling them to continue.
In Northern Liang, there is only one Eastern Palace, one Crown Prince, and one Crown Princess. Her surname is Lu, and her name is Lu Zhiyuan. She is the sole mistress of the Eastern Palace. As for Miss Ruoyi, she is only allowed to reside in the Eastern Palace temporarily at the request of the Jiang family.
When Jiang Ruoyi went to see the Crown Prince, he was busy selecting betrothal gifts. Seeing Jiang Ruoyi enter, he offered her two hairpins to choose from. Jiang Ruoyi, who had been angry just moments before, brightened up when she saw the hairpins. She first looked at the one on the left, a hairpin made of red coral, which captivated her at first glance. The one on the right was a gold hairpin depicting a phoenix about to take flight. The craftsmanship was exquisite and lifelike. Only the Empress Dowager and the Empress were permitted to use phoenix designs, and only they were qualified to wear phoenix hairpins.
Receiving a phoenix hairpin personally presented by the Crown Prince indicates that she was recognized by the royal family as a potential empress.
Jiang Ruoyi could not hide her excitement. She steadied herself and pointed to the red coral hairpin, saying, "Ruoyi likes this one."
Her brother, the Crown Prince, was about to get married. If she chose that phoenix hairpin, he would inevitably misunderstand and think she was after the position of Crown Princess. She had already thought about what to say next: as long as her brother asked, the hairpin would be hers.
“This hairpin is indeed fine; A-Yuan will surely like it. Come, put this red coral hairpin into the betrothal gifts.” After saying this, he looked at the phoenix gold hairpin in his hand and muttered to himself, “It’s a bit tacky, but A-Yuan likes money. This hairpin is quite heavy; she should like it too. Put this hairpin with those wedding dresses.”
Jiang Ruoyi grabbed the Crown Prince's sleeve: "Crown Prince, weren't those meant for Ruoyi?"
The Crown Prince then noticed that the person standing in front of him was Jiang Ruoyi. He frowned and asked, "Why are you here?"
Jiang Ruoyi's eyes reddened, and her face was full of grievance.
"Was that hairpin a betrothal gift that the Crown Prince prepared for Miss Lu?"
"Otherwise what?" the Crown Prince retorted. "Why aren't you packing your things in your own courtyard? What are you doing here? Be careful not to bump into the boxes in the back; they're full of little trinkets for A-Yuan."
Jiang Ruoyi turned her head and saw dozens of strange little porcelain bottles in the box. Some looked like dogs, some like ducks, and some looked neither like people nor animals; she couldn't tell what they were.
In the whole world, only Lu Zhiyuan would like these low-class, strange things. But her brother, the Crown Prince, was controlled by the Xie family and had to condescend to collect these junks for her.
"Does the Crown Prince want Ruoyi to leave the Eastern Palace?"
“It’s not leaving, it’s going home.” The Crown Prince said, “You are an unmarried girl from the Jiang family, and it is very inappropriate for you to stay in the Eastern Palace for so long.”
“But Ruoyi has been living in the East Palace for more than half a year!” Jiang Ruoyi said, “It’s Lu Zhiyuan, it’s Lu Zhiyuan who won’t let Ruoyi live in the East Palace, isn’t it? Ruoyi knew that Crown Prince Brother loves Ruoyi so much, he would never drive Ruoyi away. It must be that she is petty and can’t tolerate Ruoyi. Crown Prince Brother, do you really want to drive Ruoyi away for her sake? You and Ruoyi grew up together, Ruoyi is not only your cousin, but also your childhood sweetheart.”
"Jiang Ruoyi!" The Crown Prince's face darkened. "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! It was my decision to have you move out of the East Palace, and it has nothing to do with A Yuan! A Yuan has no idea you live here."