Chapter 174: Ah Bao Tears the Heroine

“Today is the ancestral worship ceremony, and all the concubines, princes, and princesses, as well as the civil and military officials, must attend.”

A few of the titled ladies must also make an appearance.

For the Tiansheng Dynasty, this was a very special day.

In the middle of January, the weather was extremely cold. Concubine De dressed Ah Bao in a little cotton jacket, a small rabbit hat, and a scarf, making sure she was wrapped up warmly.

Ah Bao quickly drank her milk and stuffed a few small pastries into her pocket before following Concubine De.

At the main hall, the civil and military officials were already kneeling outside in rows. Ah Bao, on Concubine De’s shoulder, could only see a sea of people from a distance.

On the way, Concubine De quietly instructed Ah Bao to follow Feng Zhuo. As one of the four Concubines, she would stand at the front during the ancestral worship, and would definitely not be able to attend to Ah Bao.

After the ceremony, Ah Bao could return to Yihe Palace with Feng Zhuo.

As for them, they would have to stay until dawn.

“Ah Bao, Daddy will carry you.” The Great Tyrant’s appearance to pick up Ah Bao was unexpected for Concubine De.

“Your Majesty, it might not be appropriate to bring a child to the ancestral worship.” Concubine De frowned.

The Great Tyrant kissed Ah Bao on the cheek. “It’s fine. Let our ancestors see my precious daughter.”

[Our ancestors… oh, I see now.]

The Great Tyrant: ?

Concubine De: ?

Ah Bao understood something they did not.

Ah Bao happened to stand next to the Great Tyrant. Her presence astonished everyone. It was one thing for the Emperor to carry the little princess to court, but bringing her to the ancestral worship was quite unexpected.

Normally, the Crown Prince or the future heir would stand next to the Emperor during such ceremonies…

“Mother, is that the little princess?” Di Hongluan, kneeling on the ground, looked ahead, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Behind them were civil and military officials, and as royal relatives, they were in the last row of the royal family.

Di Hongluan felt a bit disgruntled. Why did Di Jiaoyang get to be in the front row? It was so unreasonable.

“Mother, after the ceremony, may I wait over there for you and Father?”

Princess Han’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled the instructions from the Prince Han before leaving the residence.

After the ceremony, she must have the nanny take Luan’er back to the residence to avoid further trouble.

“Luan’er, your father has instructed…”

Di Hongluan interrupted, “Mother, didn’t I tell you what I wanted before we left the residence?”

Princess Han felt a bit confused.

Luan’er had said she wanted to make a great impression during the ancestral worship, to let everyone know she was a lucky star, and to be surrounded and adored by everyone.

It sounded impressive, and Princess Han was also moved. Who wouldn’t want their daughter to excel?

She wanted to share in the glory too.

“Mother, today is the only chance. I’ve been preparing for several days.” She even went so far as to steal scriptures from the National Protection Temple just for today’s ceremony.

Princess Han gave Di Hongluan a look, signaling her to keep her voice down. “Alright, you can act as you wish. Once it’s done, I will come to fetch you. But remember, you must not cause any more trouble. It’s the ancestral worship today. Don’t make your father angry again.”

After the ceremony, Ah Bao felt a bit hungry as a delicious aroma wafted through the air…

“Roast duck, roast fish, roast chicken, roast ribs, roast lamb legs…”

Inside the main hall, offerings to the ancestors included freshly roasted meats—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, sizzling with oil. The aroma filled the entire hall, even in the cold winter.

Ah Bao was so tempted that she almost cried.

She had enough red envelopes but hadn’t eaten enough meat.

“Little princess, I will take you back…” As Feng Zhuo appeared, Ah Bao waved her hand and headed toward a side corridor, thinking of going to the hall to get some meat.

She saw a young girl in plain clothes sitting on the ground not far away, seemingly busy with something.

[Di Hongluan? The little heroine? What is she doing here?]

The people participating in the ancestral worship were still outside the hall. Here, the servants were coming and going, clearing the entrance to the hall.

[What’s that long scroll? Is Di Hongluan writing scriptures in the middle of the night?]

[Isn’t she a bit strange?]

“Di Jiaoyang!” Di Hongluan, copying scriptures, looked up and saw Ah Bao approaching. Having held in her anger for days, she couldn’t help but shout in frustration.

Ah Bao, with a wriggle of her bottom, walked over. Feng Zhuo followed behind, understanding that the little princess seemed to be in a bad mood. Someone might end up suffering.

“Ha!” Ah Bao finally saw what Di Hongluan was doing.

[She really is copying scriptures. This looks like the Ksitigarbha Sutra.]

[I remember now. In the original plot, the little heroine copied scriptures alone on the day of the ancestral worship in the cold, burned them in front of the ancestors, and used a divination charm to communicate with the Queen Mother and the Retired Emperor. It made quite an impression, earning her the title of the little goddess of the Tiansheng Dynasty from the civil and military officials, the Emperor, and the Queen Mother.]

[Because of this, the little heroine’s reputation soared, and she became more and more impressive in the Tiansheng Dynasty.]

Di Hongluan sneered at Ah Bao. With no one around except a young eunuch and without Concubine De, the Queen Mother, or the Emperor present, Di Hongluan openly displayed her dislike for Di Jiaoyang.

“Pighead! Little fool!” Di Hongluan scolded her fiercely. “Always eating like a dumb pig!”

Feng Zhuo’s face darkened. He stepped in front of Ah Bao, glaring coldly at Di Hongluan. “Princess, please watch your words!”

“You’re just a little eunuch. What right do you have to speak to this princess? Go away.”

Feng Zhuo’s eyes narrowed, his anger rising. Just as he was about to lose his temper, Ah Bao hugged Feng Zhuo’s leg and poked her small head out. “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry.”

Feng Zhuo’s heart softened. He picked up Ah Bao and said, “Little princess, should I teach the princess a lesson for you?”

He wasn’t afraid of punishment but wouldn’t tolerate anyone bullying Ah Bao.

Ah Bao smiled sweetly. “No, no need.”

“Indeed a stupid pig,” Di Hongluan sneered. “So fat and round, a complete idiot, just a silly pig!”

Feng Zhuo had no choice but to resort to verbal retaliation. He couldn’t physically punish Di Hongluan, but he could certainly criticize her. Besides, Di Hongluan’s words were not very clever and wouldn’t cause trouble.

She wasn’t afraid!

“Hehe.” Ah Bao’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her gaze darkened. Let her scold; the worse it got, the more terrible it would be later.

[Little heroine, you’re done for. You’ll be crying later!]

Di Hongluan was surprised to see that Di Jiaoyang didn’t show any anger. Why wasn’t Di Jiaoyang crying?

Does she not understand human language?

She’s been scolding her so harshly, and yet she acts as if nothing happened? Truly a fool!

Ah Bao spotted a figure approaching from afar and curved her lips into a smile. “Feng Zhuo, let’s ignore her.”