Chapter 55: Noble Consort Wei

“Brother Persimmon, you’re cheating!”

It wasn’t even Xie Yixing’s turn to act yet, and he already made a move with his mouth.

Yaoyao let go of the little flower snake in her hand and met Xie Yixing’s squinting, smiling eyes. In that instant, all her anger vanished.

Brother Persimmon was even more handsome than the little celestial boy from her picture book. Just seeing his face made her feel hungry again.

Forget it—Yaoyao was a generous little person. She wouldn’t hold a grudge over this.

Seeing that Yaoyao had calmed down, Xie Yixing poked her chubby little cheek with his finger, unable to hide the emotions in his eyes.

“Young Heir, Miss Yaoyao, we should head to the front courtyard now.”

The sky was getting dark—it was time for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Yaoyao handed the white rabbit mask in her hand to Caiwei and instructed her in a soft, childish voice to keep it safe, so she could play this game again with Brother Persimmon in a few days.

On New Year’s Eve, every family made dumplings and shared a reunion meal.

Though Yaoyao was neither part of the marquis’s nor the Wei family, neither treated her as a servant.

Even Wei Dalan’s youngest son, Wei Yuan, loved to snuggle up to Yaoyao. Although Yaoyao was only two years older than him, Wei Yuan was small and scrawny like a monkey, with dark skin—completely unlike his mother, Lady Tang.

Since Lady Tian had been sent to the countryside to recuperate, the management of the Wei household’s inner quarters had fallen to Lady Tang.

However, Lady Tang came from a humble background and had no experience running a household. Even though the old Master Wei had ordered a simple celebration this year, just reading through the endless list of preparations left her dizzy and overwhelmed.

Fortunately, Lady Wei returned and lent a hand, allowing the New Year’s Eve banquet to proceed smoothly.

Looking at the colorful and fragrant dishes on the table, Lady Tang silently resolved to study under Lady Wei for a few more days. When she eventually returned to the ancestral home, she wanted the whole family to look at her with new eyes.

Lady Tang eagerly sat next to Lady Wei, and naturally, Wei Yuan sat beside his mother as well.

On Lady Wei’s other side sat Yaoyao, with Xie Yixing on Yaoyao’s right.

Across the table, the Marquis of Chengming had been anxious ever since his son entered the room. He was worried the food wouldn’t suit Xie Yixing’s taste, or that the noise and crowd would irritate him. If, at such a sensitive moment, Xie Yixing got up and left the table, he as the father would be in a tough spot.

Thankfully, his son seemed to be in a good mood today. Although he arrived a bit late, he was at least willing to stay.

Watching him constantly pick food and place it in Yaoyao’s bowl while his own remained empty, the Marquis of Chengming couldn’t help but think of Princess Junhe in the palace.

Some families were happy, others worried.

He wondered how things were going with Princess Junhe right now.

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Inside the Imperial Palace

In Noble Consort Wei’s Changle Hall, the continuous sound of shattering porcelain rang out.

A stunning woman in a crimson dance outfit that exposed her midriff was furiously sweeping everything off the table onto the floor. In the corner, a five-year-old child cowered, holding back tears, too afraid to make a sound.

Outside the hall, the palace maids all kept their heads lowered, not daring to enter and clean. They whispered quietly among themselves:

“Noble Consort Wei spent half a month preparing that Western Region dance, and now it’s all ruined.”

“Princess Junhe is really in for it this time.”

“Well, she brought this on herself. Of all people to provoke, she had to go after the Young Heir of the Marquis of Chengming.”

“Now, the entire harem is calling the Young Heir a little hell-raiser. If he enters the palace in the future, the other princes and princesses will probably avoid him entirely.”

…

It wasn’t until there was nothing left in the hall to vent her anger on that Noble Consort Wei collapsed into a chair, exhausted.

Her sharp phoenix-like eyes turned to the trembling young girl in the corner, who was veiled. She crooked a finger toward her. “You. Come here.”

Princess Junhe was overbearing and arrogant outside, but in front of her mother, she showed not even a trace of that boldness. She was timid, even fearful.

Her large glazed eyes were filled with terror. Her voice was so soft it resembled a newborn kitten’s mewl. “Mother Consort… Junhe… Junhe was wrong.”

She inched forward two steps. Seeing the broken shards on the floor, her eyes filled with even more fear.

But Noble Consort Wei gave her no chance to pause. She stood up, grabbed Princess Junhe by the arm, and dragged her across the broken porcelain.

Princess Junhe endured the sharp pain cutting into the soles of her feet, trying her best not to cry aloud. Her shoulders trembled as she choked back tears, “Mother Consort, Junhe won’t make you angry again… never again…”

She shrank her neck like a mouse caught by a cat—unable to struggle, only able to beg for mercy.

When Noble Consort Wei saw drops of blood falling to the floor, not even a flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes.

She was livid.

All the effort she had put into preparing the talent performance had gone to waste because of this foolish daughter!

She had hoped to shine before the emperor tonight, to steal his attention away from the Empress.

But now, not only had she lost her chance to appear at the banquet, she had become the laughingstock of the Empress’s faction.

All because of this wretched girl!

Noble Consort Wei slapped Princess Junhe hard across the face, her eyes filled with hatred.

“Apologize? All you can do is apologize! What use are you to me? Even your father doesn’t take you seriously anymore. Do you still think you’re some lofty, untouchable princess?”

“If I had known you’d cause a disaster like this, I should’ve strangled you the moment you were born!”

Her voice was sharp and cruel—every word came from the heart.

The palace servants of Changle Hall were already used to this.

Though Noble Consort Wei had been fighting with the Empress for years, she had only one child: Junhe.

She had tried countless remedies over the years to conceive a son, but her womb remained barren.

Because she couldn’t produce a son, while the Empress’s Crown Prince continued to grow stronger, every time she became frustrated, she took it out on Princess Junhe.

Even though Junhe had once been greatly favored by the emperor, Noble Consort Wei still resented her for being a girl and not a prince.

Now that even the emperor no longer shielded her, and even a mere marquis’s heir could trample over her…

Noble Consort Wei shoved Princess Junhe to the ground, her gaze turning cold.

The Marquis of Chengming’s household… I’ll remember this.

Their son ruined her opportunity. She would make them pay.

Junhe’s wet nurse saw that Noble Consort Wei’s fury had shifted and quickly stepped forward to carry the princess out.

Only once they were outside did Princess Junhe dare to sob quietly into her nurse’s shoulder. “Nurse, why wasn’t I born a boy?”

Hearing the injustice in her voice, the nurse gently patted her shoulder. “Princess, Noble Consort Wei is your mother. She only said those things out of anger. She doesn’t truly hate that you’re a girl. When you grow up, you’ll understand.”

Princess Junhe nodded faintly, not quite understanding. A fleeting image flashed in her mind—the chubby girl she had seen at the teahouse that day.

She thought of how fiercely the Marquis’s young heir had reacted when he saw her hurt. He even ordered someone to cut off the hair she had spent so long growing, just because she had insulted the chubby girl.

Now, she was forced to spend the New Year wrapped in a headscarf, punished by her father.

Until now, her father had never been willing to punish her, never even scolded her harshly.

But today, after hearing she had clashed with the Marquis’s heir, not only did he not come to see her, he even took back the gift he had just given her yesterday and ordered people to reprimand her mother for failing to teach her properly.

Only then had her mother struck her.

Princess Junhe covered her swollen cheek with her hand, tears of grievance falling silently down her face.

Why was that chubby girl so lucky?
She was treated like a precious treasure by the Marquis’s heir—he would do anything to protect her.

And she? A dignified princess, had to spend New Year’s Eve with an empty stomach, kneeling before a Buddha statue to repent her sins…