A Hundred of Beautiful Lives - Chapter 015

It wasn’t until Shen Du finished practising swordsmanship and returned to the cleansing room to wash up that Ji Yang reluctantly opened her eyes. She yawned, then closed her eyes again, scolding Yu Sui’er for not waking her up.

Heaven only knew that Yu Sui’er had all but banged a gong next to Ji Yang’s ears, but seeing her Princess covered in old marks and fresh bruises of purplish-blue hues, Yu Sui’er couldn’t bear to wake her.

Ji Yang’s eyelids were drooping, and she couldn’t muster the strength to sit up. As soon as she sat up, she collapsed back onto the bed. So she gave up on the idea of getting up to have breakfast with Shen Du.

After Shen Du emerged from the cleansing room, he turned to look at Ji Yang, who was lying crookedly on the soft pillow at the head of the bed. Her jet-black, lustrous hair, as smooth as silk, lay scattered across the pillow. Her loose, wrinkled nightgown barely covered her chest, revealing a slender, snow-pale neck. She lay there lazily, playing with her flower-petal-like toes, and when she saw him come out, she smiled at him. The subtle charm in her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes fluttered like a gentle spring breeze caressing the heart, making one’s heart flutter.

Shen Du’s gaze lingered on Ji Yang’s chest for a moment before he said, “I’ll go to my grandmother’s place for breakfast. You should sleep a little longer.”

Upon hearing that, Ji Yang immediately jumped out of bed, adjusting her robe, intending to see Shen Du to the door.

It was already autumn, and the morning dew was heavy, but Ji Yang was still barefoot. Shen Du couldn’t help but sigh, walking over to pick her up in his arms, causing her to gasp in surprise.

“Liu Lang?!” Ji Yang exclaimed in surprise, quickly wrapping her arms around Shen Du’s neck, afraid of falling.

“Aren’t your feet cold?” Shen Du asked.

Ji Yang didn’t realise he was concerned about her, and her heart melted. A sweet smile spread across her face as she said in a delicate voice, “I just wanted to see you off.”

“You should just rest,” Shen Du looked down from Ji Yang’s neck, and added, “Do you want me to apply some medicine for you?”

Ji Yang’s face instantly turned as red as an apple. She didn’t speak or shake her head, which meant she agreed, but she wasn’t bold enough to say it outright.

Shen Du took the ointment and applied it to Ji Yang. Ji Yang almost buried her face in Shen Du’s chest to hide her embarrassment. After he had been gone for a long time, Ji Yang’s face gradually returned to its original pale glow. Flopping face-down on the bed again, she soon drifted into a dizzy, heavy sleep.

Fortunately, Ji Yang was a princess and did not have to adhere strictly to the morning and evening rituals for elders. Otherwise, sleeping until late morning like this would inevitably upset her aunt and uncle.

Ji Yang did not get up until nearly noon. Her first words were to ask Yu Sui’er, “Did Liu Lang say whether he would be back for dinner tonight?”

Yu Sui’er shook her head, and Ji Yang was somewhat disappointed.

Life in Běi Yuàn had only been going on for a few days, but it was already starting to feel a bit dull. Ji Yang could sense the subtle distance from the elders, but she was able to let it go. After all, she had just arrived, and as a princess, it was only natural that they weren’t close yet.

Ji Yang thought of Shen Du while rubbing her chin, and felt she should go and get closer to the Old Madam and Aunt, but chatting with the elderly was not much fun.

As for her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Pei, she was even more old-fashioned than the elders themselves, spending her days reciting sutras in the Buddhist prayer hall. Her fifth sister-in-law was a talented woman, but she also preferred quietness and was often undisturbed by others. 

Ji Yang was even less familiar with the other two sisters-in-law. Thinking of her eighth younger sister-in-law, He You, she lost interest altogether. The eldest sister-in-law, Shen Wei, was busy managing the household and embroidering the dowry. In contrast, the other, younger sisters-in-law were too young.

Ji Yang sighed and counted them all, but there was no one she could play with. When she was in the palace, even the slightest hint of boredom from her would send everyone scrambling to find amusements to entertain her.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” Yu Sui’er asked as she approached.

Ji Yang pouted and said, “I’m a little bored. Think of something quickly, or I’m going to start to go mouldy here.”

“Then let’s go for a walk in the garden,” Yu Sui’er hurriedly suggested.

That’s no fun. Even the most beautiful garden is lifeless and dull.

Ji Yang’s lively personality wasn’t like others who admired flowers and grass, so she pursed her lips at the idea.

Yu Sui’er said again, “Then would the princess like to play the zither, practise calligraphy, or play chess…” Yu Sui’er’s voice grew fainter and fainter, as Ji Yang’s gaze towards her was growing increasingly disdainful.

Yu Sui’er, too, felt at a loss. In the palace, there were always eunuchs to entertain the Princess, so they had never had to rack their brains. 

“Then what would the Princess like to do? There are no singers or dancers here; otherwise, we could have called them to entertain the Princess.”

Ji Yang blinked her eyes. She wasn’t interested in singers or dancers. But Yu Sui’er had undoubtedly reminded her that this was Ji Zhou, not the palace.

When she was in the palace, her imperial mother ruled with strict discipline. Ji Yang could have burned down the palace with a torch and gotten away with it, but she couldn’t leave the palace. But this was Jìzhōu.

Ji Yang slapped her forehead and jumped up. “Look at me, I haven’t thought straight for so long. Come on, let’s go out and have some fun.”

Běi Yuàn was a self-contained estate, with gates leading directly to the main street. Ji Yang could come and go without reporting to anyone; she was the head of the Gōngzhǔ Fǔ.

Yu Sui’er couldn’t stop Ji Yang, who was eager to go. She could only speak with concern, “Princess, are we just going with a few of us? Is it safe outside? Why don’t we ask the Fùmǎ to send a group of guards to accompany us?” 

Yu Sui’er was not like Ji Yang. She knew that the world was not peaceful at the moment, and people were filled with anxiety. The ambush at the ZhāngZhāng Shui still haunted her, but she dared mention this to Ji Yang, so she could only try to dissuade her gently.

“What’s there to be afraid of? This territory is under Liu Lang’s jurisdiction. I think it’s quite peaceful. Who would dare to harm us? Besides, I’m not going out as a princess. We can pretend to be commoners and observe the lives of the people!”

Yu Sui’er rolled her eyes inwardly. 

Clearly, Princess just wanted to play, but somehow she found such an upright-sounding excuse for herself.

Ji Yang was annoyed by Yu Sui’er’s dawdling. She furrowed her delicate brows and said, “Are you going or not? If you’re not, I’ll take Lu Zhu’er instead.”  

Yu Sui’er knew that wasn’t an option. She couldn’t lose her position as a favourite maid, but she was genuinely worried about Ji Yang’s safety. 

“Then bring more people. The Princess must wear a veil as well.”

Ji Yang impatiently pouted, “You’re such a nag.”

While Yu Sui’er was packing, Ji Yang reminded her, “Bring more money.” The young Princess knew the use of money. In the Luoyang Palace, a special imperial street was built explicitly for Ji Yang.

Empress Su couldn’t stand Ji Yang’s endless pestering, but she wouldn’t allow her to leave the palace. Hence, she had an imperial street built within the palace walls, modelled after the streets of the common people. Eunuchs sold various folk trinkets in the shops, and there were also teahouses and taverns. The only real customer was Princess Anle.

“But Princess, all your clothes are palace-made. The commoner clothes we had tailored before are all for young maidens.” Yu Sui’er looked at Ji Yang with a troubled expression.

Ji Yang slapped her forehead again. When she walked along the imperial street in the palace, she naturally did not wear princess attire. Sometimes she dressed as a palace maid, sometimes as a young man, or as a wealthy young lady, or a poor young maiden, but she had never dressed as a married woman.

“Then a maiden it is.” 

Ji Yang sat back down before the dressing table. 

“Let’s style my hair into a double-ring bun.” 

That was the customary hairstyle for unmarried girls.

However, Yu Sui’er’s skills were rather mediocre, and Ji Yang couldn’t help but complain, “It’s a pity that Huan Niang isn’t here. Perhaps I should ask Mother to send two more hairdressers over.” 

Huan Niang was a palace maid specialising in hairstyling, skilled and dexterous. Ji Yang never wore the same hairstyle twice in a year. Unfortunately, she had also perished during the incident by the ZhāngZhāng River.

At last, after much dillydallying, by the time Ji Yang left the residence, it was already lunchtime—perfect for visiting a restaurant.

Ji Yang travelled to the city by ox cart. The streets were filled with ox carts, and horse-drawn carriages were a rare sight. This was because, due to years of continuous warfare, horses had become extremely valuable.

Jìzhōu did not produce horses, so warhorses were always in short supply. The commoners were not allowed to own horses, and even if they did raise them, it was for the government, with all horses supplied to the military. It was only in recent years, after the Shen family annexed Youzhou, that they began building pastures in the northern Jìzhōu to raise horses.

Of course, Ji Yang had a horse-drawn carriage, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, so she only asked the steward to prepare an ox cart. As for which restaurant to go to, Ji Yang didn’t know either; she just headed toward the grandest and crowded place.

De Sheng Restaurant was located at the intersection of Xinyang Street, running north to south, and Changle Street, stretching east to west, making it one of the most bustling areas in Xindu. The surrounding area was filled with teahouses and taverns, and many travellers from other regions often stayed nearby.

However, it was now lunchtime, and De Sheng Restaurant was almost full. When Ji Yang and her party reached the second floor, there were no seats available by the windows, only a three-person table in the corner, where they couldn’t see anything and felt suffocated.

Yu Sui’er looked around and then walked towards the table directly opposite Changle Street by the window. “Gentlemen, would you mind giving us this table? This meal will be on our prin… Our master’s tab.”

The three men looked plain and honest, which was precisely why Yu Sui’er had chosen them as her target ‘soft peaches’—easy to squeeze.

Instead, the three men merely glanced at Yu Sui’er, chuckled, and turned away to continue drinking and eating.

Yu Sui’er had grown up with Ji Yang, and no one in the palace dared to disrespect her. To be snubbed by three commoners like this, she felt humiliated. Her eyebrows furrowed at first, but then she remembered that they were travelling incognito and hadn’t brought any guards, so she relaxed her eyebrows. 

She took a gold ingot from her pouch and placed it on the table in front of the three men, saying arrogantly, “If the three of you move to another table, this gold ingot is yours.”