Upon hearing that Princess Changping had arrived, the frown on the Crown Princess’s forehead creased for a moment, but quickly returned to normal as she smiled and said, “Why don’t you hurry and invite the Gōngzhǔ ^[1]Princess of first order, generally, daughters of the reigning Emperor in?”

The palace maid responded and immediately withdrew.

Sun Shi and others were originally preparing to leave, but it was inconvenient to leave at this time. No matter what, they had to greet the Gōngzhǔ before leaving.

After a while, a beauty in palace clothes came over.

The palace-dressed beauty was about twenty years old, with a tall and fit figure. She was dressed in an exquisite and complicated red palace dress, which made her skin whiter than snow and extremely charming.

Under the slender willow eyebrows, there was a pair of slightly narrow phoenix eyes.

These eyes were very similar to those of King Yan. As they flickered and gazed, they exuded endless charm, captivating and bewitching all who beheld them.

Seriously speaking, Changping Gōngzhǔ was not particularly beautiful. In terms of appearance, she was only on par with Fumin Jùnzhǔ.

But the way she moved her hands and feet exuded the unique charm of a mature woman, mixed with the unique arrogance of a Royal Princess, giving her a very moving aura.

This was Changping Gōngzhǔ!

In her previous life, she took away her husband and put her to death!

She ended up in such a tragic ending mostly because of the Lu family’s ambition. The cause lay with Changping Gōngzhǔ.

Ling Jingshu pursed her lips, glanced at Changping Gōngzhǔ quickly, and then lowered her eyes.

“Changping, you are finally here.” The Crown Princess raised a smile and said in a friendly tone: “I have been waiting for you all morning.”

Changping Gōngzhǔ’s gaze wandered, and she glanced at the Ling family. With a smile that seemed both playful and ambiguous, she remarked to the Crown Princess, “Why would Huángsǎo ^[2]Royal sister-in-law be intentionally waiting for me? Isn’t she still entertaining guests?”

There was a trace of displeasure in her tone.

Sun Shi’s expression was a little stiff, and she was afraid to say anything.

The Holy Emperor had four sons and two daughters. Changping Gōngzhǔ was the eldest daughter and the most favored by the Holy Emperor. With Empress Xu backing her up, she was even more arrogant and willful. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was the most noble daughter in the whole country.

When you met such a master, even if you got an eye roll and a few sarcastic words, you could only endure it.

Indeed, she had guessed it quite accurately. With Changping Gōngzhǔ’s domineering and capricious temperament, upon seeing the Ling family present, it was inevitable that she would be displeased.

The Crown Princess had her own way of dealing with Changping Gōngzhǔ and responded with a smile: “Thank you for having the nerve to say it. I didn’t dare to do anything today. I just sat here and waited eagerly. I waited for more than an hour and no one came. Only then did I take the time to meet Ling Lángzhōng’s family. Otherwise, this half-day would have been wasted.”

After a pause, she asked: “By the way, what delayed you today? Why didn’t you wait until now to come here? Could it be that Fùmǎ ^[3]Husband of a Princess is here?”

Changping Gōngzhǔ looked a little impatient when she mentioned the Fùmǎ. She said casually: “No.”

The Crown Princess suddenly understood, revealing a hint of a mysterious smile in her heart.

………

No one could see the sarcasm and sneer flashing in Ling Jingshu’s lowered eyes.

Yes, Changping Gōngzhǔ had a consort.

Changping Gōngzhǔ got married when she was sixteen years old. Her consort Xu Yuan was the legitimate son of the Xu family and the nephew of Empress Xu. He was also the biǎogē of Changping Gōngzhǔ.

The Xu family was originally only second-rate among the aristocratic families in the capital. After the daughter of the Xu family became the Empress, the Xu family immediately became prosperous. After Changping Gōngzhǔ married into the Xu family, the Xu family became even more powerful inside and outside the court.

It was a pity that Changping Gōngzhǔ and the Fùmǎ were not on good terms. Less than a year after getting married, Changping Gōngzhǔ moved back to the Princess Mansion; Fùmǎ Xu did not dare to take concubines openly and often stayed with prostitutes in brothels.

In Changping Gōngzhǔ’s mansion, a handsome “nèishì” ^[4]enuch / chamberlain appeared from time to time. After some time, this “nèishì” would mysteriously disappear and be replaced by another one.

No one dared to openly discuss it. However, during private gatherings and conversations over drinks, it was inevitable that a few words would be said in passing. Changping Gōngzhǔ’s reputation for being romantic and amorous also spread far and wide.

Later, Lu Hong, a successful young man, handsome and suave, appeared in front of Changping Gōngzhǔ. Changping Gōngzhǔ was of noble status, beautiful, and romantic, and she took the initiative to seduce him. Lu Hong couldn’t help it and secretly had “associations” with her.

Changping Gōngzhǔ, who had a dissolute nature, actually developed a true love for Lu Hong. Not satisfied with a casual romance, she wanted to recruit Lu Hong as her consort.

It was a “coincidence” that Fùmǎ Xu was riding a horse for an outing. The horse under him suddenly galloped wildly. Fùmǎ Xu, who was not very good at riding, fell off his horse and died tragically. Changping Gōngzhǔ became a young widow and had to mourne Fùmǎ Xu for three years before remarrying.

When Changping Gōngzhǔ’s filial piety period expired, the secret death decree came to the Lu family.

Unwilling to lose her life in vain, she was strangled to death by the Ling family, and she died with her eyes full of resentment in her previous life. After her death, Changping Gōngzhǔ must have got her wish!

With the vanity and ambition of the Lu family, no matter whether Lu Hong was willing or not, there was always a way to make him obey orders and become the consort obediently.

..

Sun Shi led everyone forward and saluted: “Qièshēn ^[5]a formal way to say I Sun Shi pays her respects to Changping Gōngzhǔ.”

Changping Gōngzhǔ obviously had no interest in Sun Shi. With a casual hum, her eyes fell on Ling Xiao. A stunning light suddenly flashed in her eyes.

What a handsome young man!

Ling Jingshu’s heart skipped a beat.

Changping Gōngzhǔ was wild by nature and liked handsome young men. Ah Xiao was so beautiful and eye-catching, it would be terrible if he caught the eyes of Changping Gōngzhǔ.

As expected, Changping Gōngzhǔ opened her mouth and asked, “Is this young man also the son of the Ling family?”

Sun Shi smiled and replied, “To your Highness, he is the second son of the fifth eldest son of the Ling family, and his name is Ling Xiao.”

Before she finished speaking, Ling Jingshu quickly took over: “Your Highness Princess, Ah Xiao has been suffering from blindness for many years and cannot see. If there are any deficiencies in etiquette, please forgive him.”

Blind?

Changping Gōngzhǔ was startled, and after taking a closer look, she noticed something strange about Ling Xiao.

Those beautiful eyes were dim and unfocused, so they indeed were blind.

What a pity for such a fair and handsome face!

Changping Gōngzhǔ secretly regretted it but quickly dismissed the thoughts that passed through her mind. As the most favored Eldest Gōngzhǔ of the country, she lived a luxurious life that ordinary people could not imagine. Even the young men who accompanied her to “relieve boredom” were all talented and beautiful. A blind boy, no matter how good-looking he was, could not catch her eye.

Ling Jingshu noticed the change in Changping Gōngzhǔ’s expression and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Ling Xiao looked confused, unaware that he had escaped.

At this time, Princess Changping finally noticed Ling Jingshu’s astonishing beauty and subconsciously took another look: “You and he look very similar. Could it be that you are twins?”

There was unkindness in her eyes and a hint of hostility in her tone.

This was also inevitable.

A woman who relied on her beauty would always feel a little unhappy when she met a girl whose appearance and temperament were better than hers. Not to mention, this girl was much younger than herself.

(To be continued.)