Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C086 pt1

Ding-ling, ding-lang.

Mei Wushuang subconsciously retracted her foot. Not only was Ji Yang, who was engrossed in his research, taken aback, but she herself was also startled.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a hurried, low voice, her wit serving her well. "It was a little itchy."

To avoid appearing abrupt, she even reached out to touch it, intending to tuck it back into the quilt, but he caught her again.

"Where did you get this bell? I don't recall ever seeing you wear it before," he said, flicking the bell with his hand.

How could Wushuang dare to admit that Prince Wei had tied it on her while she was unprepared? She hadn't even noticed when he first put it on. Later, when she heard the dinging and clanging, she realized it, and was nearly mortified to death. Yet, she didn't dare cut the string herself and take it off.

She had almost forgotten about it, but unexpectedly, he had discovered it.

The truth was certainly not an option, but Wushuang felt guilty about lying. She pretended to still be tired, half-covering her face and burying it in the quilt.

"It seems Meifang or Xiaohong stuffed it into my jewelry box. I saw it a few days ago when I was looking for jewelry, so I tied it to my ankle with a red string to play with."

"It is quite pretty, but this gold is a bit too vulgar and doesn't quite suit you."

He even knew that gold could be too vulgar?

However, Wushuang felt guilty and dared not speak, only listening.

In truth, Ji Yang's words were against his heart. Wushuang's legs were already fair, her lotus feet small and exquisite, her ankles white and slender. The red of the string and the gold of the bell together, a rich and vibrant contrast against the snowy white, were exceptionally beautiful.

It could truly be said:

Red silk tied around the wrist, truly like congealed white snow,

It is not only I who say it is good, but all agree.

Silla embroidered anklet, the instep like the beauty of spring,

Others may not say it is good, but only I know its loveliness.

Ji Yang suddenly descended from the couch.

Mei Wushuang, seeing his unusual behavior, wondered if he had discovered something, but who knew he would return in a short while.

It wasn't until she felt a coolness on her ankle that she saw him tying something to it.

From afar, it looked like a jade egg, but upon closer inspection, it was a small dragon-knob seal, made of white jade. The jade was exquisitely translucent and lustrous. The overall shape was cylindrical, about the thickness of a woman's little finger and the length of two finger joints, tied to a gold chain interwoven with red silk.

"What is this?" Wushuang asked curiously.

"For you to wear as a trinket."

After it was fastened, Wushuang brought her foot closer for a detailed look. Although the seal was small, anything adorned with a dragon was certainly no ordinary object. At first, she thought it was merely shaped like a small seal, but when she turned it over to look at the bottom, she realized that there were words and patterns carved on it. However, the characters were too small, and she couldn't get close enough to see them clearly.

"This thing must have a purpose; how can it be worn on the foot as a plaything?"

"Just don't lose it."

Because of this sentence, Wushuang specifically examined the gold chain. What she initially thought was interwoven gold and red was actually gold with red silk threads wrapped within, likely to reinforce the soft gold.

Thus, on one of Wushuang's ankles, two objects were now fastened.

One was the golden bell, and the other was this small jade seal. One was white and translucent, the other gold and rich, together creating a unique sense of beauty.

But Wushuang felt it was strange, always feeling that Ji Yang's sudden act of putting this on her was definitely not as simple as just wearing it as a trinket.

***

In the afternoon, the Eighth Prince and his wife arrived.

This was the first time anyone had come to visit since Prince Wei was injured.

Although Emperor Taihe had lifted the ban on the villa, because of Prince Wei's injury, Emperor Taihe, while not explicitly issuing an imperial edict forbidding people from visiting Prince Wei, had sent people to guard Yuxiang Pavilion. Ordinary people, seeing this, naturally wouldn't dare to violate the taboo. Unexpectedly, the Eighth Prince would come.

But Wushuang understood after a moment's thought. The Eighth Prince's maternal family was unremarkable, and his wife's family was only a low-ranking official of the fourth rank. He was young and had not yet left the palace to establish his own mansion, and he did not have deep relationships with the other princes. Pure Consort Zhou had always been timid and fearful, so he naturally belonged to an outsider.

Outsiders naturally had the advantages of outsiders. His visit was simply a visit, his visit to Prince Wei was simply a younger brother visiting his older brother, so naturally there were no concerns.

Wushuang even wondered if Emperor Taihe had betrothed Wan Chun'er to the Eighth Prince precisely to prevent his son from participating in the struggles between these princes. If that were the case, Pure Consort Zhou's desire to find a powerful wife's family for her son was contrary to Emperor Taihe's intentions.

The Eighth Prince spoke with Ji Yang in the inner hall, while Wushuang took Wan Chun'er to the outer hall.

The two drank tea, and before long, they became familiar again. Mei Wushuang inquired about the unfinished words of Wan Chun'er from that day, asking why she dared not speak much with the Eighth Prince.

Wan Chun'er did not conceal anything, and told her the reason in a soft voice.

It turned out that after she married the Eighth Prince, because the Eighth Prince had not yet left the palace to establish his own mansion, the two lived in the princes' quarters within the palace. The rules in the palace were strict. Although the husband and wife lived in the same courtyard, they had separate residences and often only saw each other every few days.

In addition, she was of humble birth, and Pure Consort Zhou was strict with her. The palace servants were most adept at flattering the high and stepping on the low. The newly arrived Eighth Prince's Consort, neither favored by the Eighth Prince nor valued by Pure Consort Zhou, naturally looked down on her.

Adding all the reasons together, coupled with the timidity and shyness of a new bride, the times Wan Chun'er and the Eighth Prince spent together were few and far between. Most of the time, they shared a meal together, one being extremely nervous and shrinking back, the other leaving as soon as he finished eating. The number of times they shared a bed added up to less than five.

When she spoke of sharing a bed less than five times, Wan Chun'er's small face turned so red it seemed blood would drip from it, but she felt that Third Sister-in-law's gaze was strange. Why did it seem like there was a little bit of envy?

But what was there to envy? If the Eighth Prince did not stay in her room so rarely, Pure Consort Zhou would not have used this as an excuse, saying that she could not win over her husband, and wanted to marry a Secondary Consort for the Eighth Prince.

Seeing Wan Chun'er looking over curiously, Mei Wushuang's face flushed, and she coughed twice.

However, Wan Chun'er did not think too much about it, and lowered her head, dejectedly saying, "It's all because I'm not up to par. My mother also said so, but it's really... really..."

"Really what?" Mei Wushuang asked, curiously leaning closer.

"It's really too painful, I'm afraid." Wan Chun'er was so ashamed that she dared not raise her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

Alright, Mei Wushuang understood. In her previous life, when she was with Ji Yang, didn't she also suffer a lot in the first few times? If it weren't for Cao shi being perfunctory before she married, casually finding two old women to talk to her, and those two old women not respecting her as a Miss, daring to say anything when they got excited, she wouldn't have been able to use that little bit of knowledge to find a way to suffer less, and slowly the two of them became harmonious.

In this life, because of her skillful guidance, except for the first night, she hardly suffered any pain afterwards.

Except that he demanded too much.

"Actually, I also wanted to ask Third Sister-in-law, doesn't... doesn't it hurt for you?" After saying that, Wan Chun'er quickly lowered her head.

Mei Wushuang's face flushed instantly. How could she answer such a question? To say that she not only didn't hurt, but also... She quickly cursed herself a few times in her heart, her cheeks also red. Looking again at Wan Chun'er, who was so ashamed that she was about to cry, she still forced herself to ask.

Actually, she also wanted to live well with the Eighth Prince, didn't she?

Mei Wushuang's expression changed for a while, as if she was making some kind of decision. After a long while, she beckoned and said, "Come here, I'll tell you quietly."

The two young women whispered secrets to each other, and in the eyes of outsiders, apart from the fact that their faces were abnormally red, everything else looked quite normal.

Only Linglong, who was serving nearby, knew what the Princess Consort was saying to the Eighth Prince's Consort.

However, afterwards, because the two's voices were too soft, even she couldn't hear very clearly. She could only see Eight Prince's Consort sometimes exclaiming in surprise, sometimes looking astonished, but her eyes were bright as she pulled on the Princess Consort and asked a string of questions. The Princess Consort's face was also flushed, and she whispered back to her.

After a long while, the two finally returned to normal, once again becoming dignified young ladies from prominent families.

Then, speaking of other issues, Wushuang said, "Since the two of you are husband and wife, you are meant to spend a lifetime together. Do you plan to remain like this forever? You also said that Pure Consort her Majesty has the intention of seeking a Secondary Consort for Prince Wei. If you cannot establish yourself and cannot win Prince Wei over to your side, and if that Secondary Consort is even better at gaining favor than you, how will you live your days in the future?"

Mei Wushuang spoke somewhat realistically, but this was precisely the advice she gave Wan Chun'er based on the circumstances of her previous life. Her thinking was actually very simple: husband and wife are originally one entity, and not a pair of resentful enemies. Whether based on appearances or out of affection, a husband will protect his wife.

It was only because most women nowadays were subjected to blind and mute marriages. If the parents at home were more enlightened, they might let their daughter know what her husband looked like and what his character was like. If they were unenlightened, she would only know what the other person was like after lifting the veil.

Furthermore, affection is cultivated through interaction. How can you develop feelings or understand each other's nature or how to get along if you don't even speak?

Apart from what happens within the bed curtains, the things outside the bed curtains are actually more important.

Wan Chun'er was beautiful and delicate. In any case, Wushuang didn't believe that there would be a man who wouldn't like her. If she could make her husband fall in love with her, that would be even better. He would naturally stand with you and protect your peace.

In any case, Wushuang had already told Wan Chun'er the principles that needed to be said. She couldn't help her with anything else. After all, one had to live one's own life, and how it turned out still depended on oneself.

"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law," Wan Chun'er said gratefully, holding Wushuang's hand.

She was truly grateful that Third Sister-in-law had actually told her so much. Although she was timid, she wasn't stupid. In fact, Third Sister-in-law didn't need to analyze some things so clearly for her, but she had told her everything.