Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C093

Ji Yang's sudden act left Wushuang utterly stunned.

Seeing his changed demeanor, she realized it was Ji Yang, not Prince Wei.

This was the first time she had witnessed the two of them switching before her very eyes. She hadn't even felt it; one moment, it was one person, and the next, another. Indeed, Song You was right; they were, in essence, one and the same.

Seeing His Highness speak, the maids busied themselves preparing everyday clothes for Wushuang. Taking advantage of this interlude, Wushuang rose to wash and dress her hair. Originally, Prince Wei had not intended to take the morning meal, but with Wushuang present, forgoing it was out of the question. Ji Yang, then, accompanied her, partaking in a few bites.

After eating, Wushuang, attended by the maids, changed her clothes.

She wore a small jacket of lapis-lazuli color, embroidered with phoenixes amidst peonies, and a red twelve-panel skirt adorned with pheasant patterns and double-layered borders. Her hair was styled into a high bun, upon which rested a complete set of hair ornaments depicting pavilions and figures—the hairpin, top hairpin, temple ornaments, and pearl-encircled hairpiece, all present and accounted for. From the flower-shaped hairpins on either side hung a pair of filigree gourds, beneath which were slender, golden silk tassels.

On her ears, she wore a pair of South Sea pearl gourd-shaped earrings. The South Sea pearls were lustrous and large, clearly of the highest quality.

This set of hair ornaments had been sent by Prince Wei before the New Year. The craftsmanship was exceedingly exquisite; the entire set was made of gold filigree, appearing rich and magnificent, refined and luxurious. Yet, in truth, it was not heavy when worn, prepared precisely for Wushuang, who was with child.

Wushuang's features were naturally soft and charming, and her temperament was pure and youthful, making her appear young. Wearing such an ensemble, however, set off her dignified and generous air considerably.

At this time, it was just past the midpoint of Yin hour (3-5 AM), and it was still dark outside, and the weather was cold. However, the carriage had already been prepared, and ample charcoal had been provided inside.

Wushuang and Ji Yang boarded the carriage together, and she then asked, "Everyone else will be wearing ceremonial robes, but I won't. Is that acceptable?"

"Why not?" Ji Yang said, tugging at the cloak around her shoulders. "Rather than you suffering and straining yourself, and still not knowing if you can endure it, it's better to simply be lazy. You're not even preparing to attend the grand court ceremony, so whether or not you wear ceremonial robes is of little consequence."

"But…"

"Listen to me. Those who dare to find fault with you won't find fault with you on this matter. As for those who wouldn't dare to find fault with you, there's no need to concern yourself with what they think." He said, completely unconcerned.

"But if that's the case, won't the fact that I'm pregnant be impossible to conceal?"

"There was never any intention to conceal it. Let everything take its natural course. If they know, then they know. Surely you don't worry that I can't protect you?"

Wushuang pouted and said, "This has nothing to do with whether or not you can protect me. I'm just afraid of unforeseen complications."

"This matter can be concealed for a time, but not forever. Those people will find out sooner or later. It's just that we'll be spending more time in the palace these next few days. I'll try my best to stay with you. If you happen to encounter a situation when I'm not by your side, then make sure to have your maids with you. If anything happens, don't hesitate; protect yourself. Even if the sky falls, don't be afraid. You still have this Prince."

"Understood."

At the same time, Ji Yang was speaking with Prince Wei in his mind.

[If you didn't worry so much, things would be simpler and easier.]

This time, Prince Wei did not reprimand Ji Yang. Instead, he sighed inwardly, chiding himself for being too caught up in appearances.

The carriage soon arrived at the Imperial Palace.

Looking out the carriage window, she saw countless carriages and horses gathered at the palace gates. The carriage did not stop, but instead detoured to the Xuanwu Gate at the rear.

They paused briefly outside the Xuanwu Gate. Upon seeing Prince Wei's carriage and hearing that it was to enter the palace directly, the Imperial Guardsmen guarding the gate dared not stop it, allowing the carriage to pass through the palace gate.

Only when the carriage could go no further did Prince Wei help Wushuang alight.

After a short walk, they arrived at Cining Palace. The palace was already brightly lit, and the palace servants were quite surprised to see Prince Wei arrive.

Before long, Sulan, the Empress Dowager's head palace maid, arrived.

"The Empress Dowager has not yet risen. What brings Your Highness, Prince Wei, here?"

Prince Wei explained his purpose. After listening, Sulan did not delay and hurried inside to report to the Empress Dowager.

At this time, the Empress Dowager was still sitting on her bed. After hearing Sulan relay Prince Wei's words, she pondered, "Prince Wei has always been known for his propriety and understanding of etiquette, yet this time he is so unconventional. Could it be..."

Sulan blinked and said, "Is the Empress Dowager implying—"

The Empress Dowager smiled.

"Perhaps only this matter is worth Prince Wei making such a stir. Well, he is not young anymore, and it is normal for him to value it so highly. It is rare for him to come and plead with this old one, so this old one shall grant him his wish. You select a few careful and attentive people to serve her with care. It is still early, so let her rest in the side hall first."

Sulan acknowledged and returned outside the hall.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager had agreed, Prince Wei felt relieved and entrusted Wushuang to Sulan. Linglong and the other three followed behind them.

Wushuang was led to a side hall.

The hall was very warm. Sulan repeated the Empress Dowager's words. Naturally, she could not say them verbatim, but the general idea was to tell Wushuang not to be restrained and to treat it as if she were in the Prince Wei's mansion. She also said that it was still early and that she could go to sleep and did not need to force herself to stay awake.

Although Sulan's words did not explicitly state that Wushuang was pregnant, that was undoubtedly the implication, and Wushuang did not refuse.

After Sulan left, the palace maids of Cining Palace all retreated outside the door, and Wushuang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It had to be said, waking up this early was truly not something she was accustomed to.

"Princess Consort, why don't you rest on the low platform bed for a while?" Linglong suggested.

"This is Cining Palace, after all. There will be a grand court celebration later. It would be one thing if I didn't wear the ceremonial robes and didn't participate, but if everyone is bowing outside, and I'm sleeping in the palace chambers, it would be rather unseemly. Besides, I don't know if the Empress Dowager will summon me."

Despite Mei Wushuang's reasonable explanation, she couldn't help but yawn as she spoke. Since she had become pregnant, she hadn't experienced any other reactions, such as morning sickness, but she did find herself easily overcome by sleepiness.

"If the Empress Dowager seeks you, this servant and the others will wake you. There's no need to take down the hair ornaments; we'll just remove the ones on top. That way, even if something truly happens, we can manage in a hurry."

Wushuang considered it for a moment and didn't refuse. She allowed Linglong and the others to help her remove the hair ornaments before lying down on the bed.

She was quite carefree; before long, she had fallen asleep.

Linglong gestured to Linglang, Lingding, and Meifang, instructing them to keep a close watch on all sides, while she herself sat down on the footstool in front of the bed.

Before this trip, Prince Wei had given them strict orders, so naturally, they dared not be negligent.

By the time Wushuang awoke again, the grand court celebration outside was nearing its end.

The sky was already bright. Linglong, observing the movements outside, had woken her in advance.

She rose, unhurriedly dressed, and put on her jewelry. One couldn't tell that Wushuang had just taken a nap, and this nap was not without its benefits; at least she felt much more refreshed.

After a while, a palace maid arrived, saying that the Empress Dowager requested Wushuang's presence.

When Wushuang arrived, many people were already seated in the hall, mostly elderly noblewomen, as well as Noble Consort Sun and several other high-ranking concubines, along with Princess Changhe and several other princesses, and Princess Consort Jin and Princess Consort Qin.

Everyone in the great hall was wearing ceremonial robes, making Wushuang's attire the focus of countless gazes.

Princess Consort Jin was about to say something, but the Empress Dowager spoke before her, "Princess Consort Wei arrived even earlier than all of you. Prince Wei was worried about his young wife and sent her over early in the morning. She paid her respects to this old one beforehand, so she doesn't need to join you all."

The Empress Dowager spoke with a smile on her face, clearly explaining Wushuang's unusual situation on Prince Wei's behalf.

For this court celebration, the noblewomen of each family were to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Since the Empress Dowager didn't mind, others naturally couldn't say anything.

However, several noblewomen who had not met Wushuang before took this opportunity to praise Wushuang in a perfunctory manner. Wushuang also acknowledged them, but there is no need to elaborate here.

As Wushuang sat down, many eyes were fixed on her stomach, sizing it up.

To be able to sit in this great hall today, one could say without exaggeration that they were among the most powerful women in all of Great Liang. Whose eyes didn't hold a story?

Everyone was wearing ceremonial robes, except for Prince Wei's Princess Consort. Everyone else was outside enduring the freezing wind and offering congratulations, while Prince Wei's Princess Consort was inside. Among them were several noble ladies, old enough that their hair had turned white, yet they still waited outside with everyone else. Only Prince Wei's Princess Consort was so delicate.

Just because she's with child! As if no one else has ever been pregnant!

In truth, there was indeed someone here who had never been pregnant. A fleeting hint of jealousy flashed in Prince Jin's Princess Consort's eyes. She seemed about to say something, but for some reason, she held back.

It seemed that Wan Chun'er, like Wushuang, was slow to react. She hadn't realized what was happening. Seeing everyone looking at Wushuang, she also looked, blinking in confusion, wondering what everyone was looking at.

The court congratulations continued, but the others were not qualified to sit in this great hall. After it ended, they were led away by palace servants.

According to custom, the palace would also hold a banquet today to entertain the princes, dukes, ministers, and noble ladies who had entered the palace to attend the Grand Court Assembly and the court congratulations.

The two banquets were not held in the same place. Wushuang had received prior instructions to stay by the Empress Dowager's side. There was also another person by the Empress Dowager's side, and that was Commandery Princess Minghui.

Commandery Princess Minghui had previously used the excuse of returning to her hometown to worship her ancestors, leaving the capital for a while. Seeing her again this time, she felt very different. She seemed less arrogant than before, and her attire was not as bright and flamboyant as it used to be, but rather looked like that of a proper lady from a prominent family.

However, she still disliked Wushuang. In any case, Wushuang saw her glare at herself several times behind the Empress Dowager's back.

Wushuang had no intention of competing with her for the Empress Dowager's favor. Following her now was merely a temporary measure.

After the banquet, she heard that there was a play at the opera tower, and Wushuang followed the Empress Dowager to the opera tower.

Unfortunately, not only could she not understand the play, but it was also very noisy. Fortunately, Sulan told her that if she wanted to rest, she could return to Cining Palace first.

Just then, Wan Chun'er came to find her, and the two of them left.

The two chatted idly along the way. During this time, Wushuang also asked Wan Chun'er if there had been any progress between her and the Eighth Prince. Seeing her shy and bashful appearance, it seemed that there had been progress, which was excellent.

As they walked to a fork in the road, a palace maid suddenly rushed out from a side path.

Because her movements were sudden and her speed was fast, Wushuang watched with her own eyes, but unfortunately, her body did not react as quickly as her mind.

Wan Chun'er subconsciously wanted to pull her away, but her movements were already too late. Seeing that she was about to bump into Wushuang, the next moment, Linglong grabbed the palace maid by the back of her collar and threw her aside.

"Princess Consort, are you alright?"

"Third Sister-in-law, are you alright?"

Immediately following was the palace maid's cry of pain. Quickly, she scrambled up from the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Your Ladyship, spare me! Your Ladyship, spare me!"

From behind, several more palace maids approached, also kneeling and begging for mercy.

It turned out that these few young palace maids, caught up in a moment of excitement, were chasing and playfully fighting. Someone had called for them to stop, saying they feared being seen by the managing Granny, and the others had halted. However, this particular maid, still laughing and playing with another, was a step too slow.

As ill luck would have it, she stepped directly onto a patch of thin ice. Thus, the others could only watch as she failed to stop, crashing headfirst into two people who were walking around the corner.

In the end, although she hadn't actually collided with them, Mei Wushuang and Wan Chun'er's attire had already revealed their noble status, which was why the maids were so terrified.

At this moment, Wushuang calmed down and also considered that the maid's posture as she came crashing over was off.

If she had intentionally meant to collide with someone, her head and feet should have been in a normal position, not head over heels as she had been just now. It was truly as the other maids said, that she had slipped and crashed headfirst.

Mei Wushuang looked to Linglong, who went forward to investigate.

Where the maids had come from, there was a patch of thin ice, approximately two meters long. The thin ice was due to the terrain, narrow and elongated in shape, and indeed bore traces of having been stepped on and rubbed.

"With so many noble ladies from various families in the palace today, how dare you frolic and play? Where are you stationed, and under whose charge are you?" Here, Wan Chun'er, seeing her Third Sister-in-law startled, put on the airs of the Eighth Prince's Consort and rebuked them.

The maids did not appear to be cunning individuals. They quietly stated where they were stationed and the names of the managing Grannies in charge of them.

At this time, Linglong returned from her investigation, gently shaking her head at Mei Wushuang.

Seeing this, Mei Wushuang thought better of pursuing the matter further, but she conceived a plan. She had Wan Chun'er's maid lead Linglong to escort the palace maids back to the managing Granny in charge of them, and then let them go.

"Luckily, you weren't hit, Third Sister-in-law, otherwise…"

Wan Chun'er had already learned about Mei Wushuang's pregnancy during their earlier conversation, and naturally felt relieved. But a layer of worry settled in Mei Wushuang's heart. She felt that this matter, though seemingly accidental, might not be an accident.

She thought of a conversation she had previously had with Prince Wei—

"In the palace, do not underestimate anyone, or anything that seems ordinary. The women in the palace may seem weak, but the methods they use to deal with people are beyond your imagination."