Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C102 pt2

"Look at this little face, so fair and tender. What is he clutching in his little hands, unwilling to let go even in his sleep?" the Empress Dowager asked curiously.

Wushuang said with a touch of embarrassment, "The child is still young and doesn't understand. Just now, when he saw his Imperial Father, he grabbed his Imperial Father's hand and wouldn't let go, only willing to release it when his Imperial Father rewarded him with something."

The Empress Dowager laughed and said, "What a clever little one! What will become of him when he grows up?! Since his Imperial Grandfather has already given him something, his Imperial Great-Grandmother can't be outdone."

She took a longevity lock engraved with scriptures from the hands of Sulan, who was standing beside her. Because the child was asleep, she didn't put it on him but placed it in the swaddling clothes.

She then said, "May my Imperial Great-Grandson grow up safe and sound, be protected from all evil, and enjoy blessings, longevity, health, and peace."

Wushuang said, deeply moved, "Thank you, Imperial Grandmother. When Zuo'er grows up, he will certainly show filial piety to you."

The Empress Dowager was amused by her earnest demeanor. Consort Dowager Hu, standing to the side, said, "Look at me, I wasn't prepared for Prince Wei and Princess Wei to come today, and I didn't bring anything good. Fortunately, I made preparations in advance. Tanxiang, have someone return to Shoukang Palace and bring the tiger-head hat I made."

Tanxiang, a middle-aged palace maid, responded and turned to instruct a younger palace maid standing behind her, making it clear that the younger palace maid was one of Consort Dowager Hu's people.

Wushuang glanced at the young palace maid.

The Empress Dowager smiled and teased Consort Dowager Hu, "You really know how to save! The Princess Consorts of various houses bring their children, and you just give them a tiger-head hat to send them off."

"How can this concubine compare to Your Majesty? Your Cining Palace has everything, while I only have this little bit of needlework to offer, just to bring some joy to the children," Consort Dowager Hu replied with a smile.

Just from their exchange, even those unfamiliar with the inner workings could see that the Empress Dowager and Consort Dowager Hu shared an excellent relationship, and Consort Dowager Hu, like the Empress Dowager, was an enlightened and benevolent elder.

Below, Mei Wushuang's gaze flickered again and again.

Before long, the item was brought.

Despite its small size, the object was exquisitely crafted. A ring of fox fur adorned the tiger ears, making it appear exceedingly adorable.

"Thank you, Consort Dowager."

As Mei Wushuang received the item, she glanced once more at the little palace maid.

Consort Dowager Hu's gaze flickered, and she said, "I noticed the Princess Consort Wei looked at Dongkui several times. Could it be that Princess Consort Wei has met this girl before?"

Mei Wushuang smiled and said, "I haven't met her before, but she bears a slight resemblance to one of this concubine's maids, so I couldn't help but take a few extra glances."

"I see."

And so, that topic passed.

The Empress Dowager said to Wushuang, "Ah, she never listens to me, no matter how often I tell her. At her age, she still busies herself with needlework. But she simply enjoys doing it, not only for this old one, but also for the Princess Consorts of Prince Qin and Prince Zhao when they brought their children. It's all from her heart."

The Empress Dowager was explaining her earlier banter with Consort Dowager Hu, afraid that Wushuang would misunderstand Consort Dowager Hu as being stingy.

"Consort Dowager is kind-hearted and skilled. This tiger-head hat is so lifelike. I fear the Empress Dowager and Consort Dowager will laugh, but this concubine has always been clumsy with needlework and greatly admires those with nimble hands." One lifts the flowered sedan chair for another; Wushuang was not incapable of offering warm and flattering words.

After speaking for a while longer, Wushuang and Prince Wei took their leave.

Prince Wei was not off duty today but had specifically made time to accompany Wushuang into the palace. The Empress Dowager could not keep them for too long.

As she was leaving, Wushuang, using the angle, inconspicuously glanced at the little palace maid again.

Her actions did not escape Prince Wei's notice.

Only after they were seated in the carriage did Prince Wei ask, "Is there something amiss with that palace maid?"

Wushuang paused for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, didn't you think that palace maid looked like Meifang?"

Prince Wei thought for a moment. She did indeed resemble her somewhat, particularly around the eyes. However, it wasn't so much that it would cause her to lose her composure. Prince Wei guessed that there was something else she wasn't saying.

What was she hiding from him?

Prince Wei understood Wushuang extremely well, so he could only think of the matter of her two lifetimes. Only something related to this would she conceal from him. Could it be that she had met that palace maid in her previous life?

Wushuang had not only met her, but this palace maid named Dongkui had also entered Lady Fengtian's residence in her previous life to serve her.

She was originally an unremarkable palace maid, but at that time, Meifang had been dead for less than half a year. Wushuang's heart still trembled from the tragedy of that day and Meifang's loyalty. Suddenly, a palace maid who looked like Meifang appeared before her, and she couldn't help but transfer her affections.

The situation at the time was that after Meifang's death, Linglong came to her side. Linglong was calm and methodical in her actions. At that time, limited by her status and environment, she had little opinion of her own. Since Linglong and Granny Gong were sent by him, she let them arrange everything.

Therefore, she did not take Dongkui to her side to serve as a personal palace maid, but only promoted her to a second-class palace maid, doing odd jobs around her and assisting the senior palace maids like Linglong.

This time, not only did she see an old acquaintance from her previous life, but she also learned that Dongkui had served Consort Dowager Hu before coming to her side. Doubts inevitably arose in Wushuang's heart.

What kind of doubts?

Perhaps Wushuang couldn't understand it in her previous life, but after this life, with her understanding of Prince Wei, anyone Prince Wei sent to her side would definitely have a clean and simple background.

A palace maid who had served a Consort Dowager could definitely not be considered to have a clean and simple background.

Moreover, in her previous life, Wushuang had met Consort Dowager Hu.

It was an accident. At that time, Wushuang was riding in a palanquin to Rouyi Hall.

At that time, her status was special, and she was also thin-skinned. In any case, in terms of status, she was Emperor Qianwu's sister-in-law. Now that the sister-in-law and brother-in-law had an improper relationship, she always rode in a carriage whenever she entered the palace, never showing herself to outsiders.

But sitting in the palanquin, she could see the outside. She saw an old woman walking on the palace road.

This old woman was too old, and she couldn't help but glance at her. Linglong told her that this was Consort Dowager Hu, a concubine of His Majesty's grandfather, and also the longest-lived concubine in the palace.

At that time, she was looking at the old woman, and the old woman seemed to feel someone looking at her, and turned her head to look at the carriage window.

What kind of gaze was that?

Wushuang couldn't say, but it gave her goosebumps at the time.

In addition, this old woman was too old, her face full of layers of wrinkles, but her skin was white and her hair was all white, looking both strange and frightening, scaring Wushuang quite a bit.

Later, she even had a nightmare in which this Consort Dowager Hu appeared.

It was entirely different from Consort Dowager Hu she had seen earlier at Cining Palace!

This Consort Dowager Hu was kind and amiable, a little thin perhaps, but her demeanor was gentle and approachable. Yet, the Consort Dowager Hu of her past life had been strange and frightening.

Only a few years separated them, but could a few years truly transform a person so drastically?

Even now, Wushuang remembered that gaze, a gaze that had absolutely nothing to do with kindness, approachability, gentleness, or amiability.

For a time, Wushuang's heart felt heavy, so much so that even after arriving home and alighting from the carriage, she still wore a pensive expression.

She even wondered if her death in her previous life had been connected to Dongkui and Consort Dowager Hu.

She felt as though she were bewitched. Why would Consort Dowager Hu want to harm her? She couldn't possibly suspect someone of wanting to harm her simply because they seemed a little strange.

Prince Wei, noticing her unusual behavior, sighed inwardly. He instructed Linglong to take the child back inside, while he led Wushuang to the study.

"Is something weighing on your mind?"

Wushuang looked up at him.

How should she speak, what should she say? Once she spoke of it, the truth of her living two lives would be impossible to conceal. Would he then think of her as a monster?

This was her greatest secret, one she had never considered revealing to another soul.

But if she didn't speak, Wushuang knew that with her limited intellect, she would never be able to unravel such profound matters.

She had once privately analyzed who could have harmed her in her previous life.

It shouldn't have been Mei Wuxia. With Mei Wuxia's personality, she was still counting on her to bear a son for her, so she could continue to fight with Consort Hui and secure her position as Empress.

Even if Mei Wuxia wanted to harm her, it would have been after she had been used to her fullest potential.

Wushuang had once suspected Consort Hui, but Consort Hui had instructed her mother-in-law, Chen shi, to bring her into the palace precisely to annoy Mei Wuxia, so that the two sisters would fight amongst themselves.

Could it be that Consort Hui regretted her decision upon seeing her gain favor, and thus wanted to kill her?

But when Wushuang learned of the grudges between Prince Wei and his brothers, and that these princes never hesitated to harm women, she wondered if it could have been Prince Qin or Prince Jin.

However, in her previous life, by the time she had met Ji Yang, those princes were either dead or imprisoned. Given Prince Wei's character, he would never have allowed any lingering threats, much less allowed them to reach her.

So, who could it be?

Mei Wushuang was once again lost in bewilderment.

Unable to understand for the moment, and without a clear idea in her heart, Wushuang asked Prince Wei, "Your Highness, could you tell me about Consort Dowager Hu?"

Prince Wei glanced at her, pulled her onto his lap, and began to tell her about Consort Dowager Hu.

In truth, this Consort Dowager Hu was quite unremarkable. When Prince Wei's grandfather was still on the throne, she was not particularly favored. However, she did bear a son, who was granted the title of Prince An.

When Emperor Taihe ascended the throne, it was similarly not peaceful. In any case, the path of an emperor was never peaceful. It was said that back then, during the princes' struggle for the throne, there was a storm of blood. At that time, Emperor Taihe had seven adult brothers, and with the exception of Prince An, almost none of them met a good end.

As for Prince Chen, it was because he was young and did not participate. Prince An, on the other hand, did not participate because of his weak constitution.

However, Prince An did not live long, dying in the fifth year of the Taihe reign.

According to this, Prince An and Consort Dowager Hu could not have had any conflicts with Emperor Taihe, and naturally, they would not have any grudges against Prince Wei, so there would be no reason for them to harm her.

But Wushuang always felt that something was not quite right.

Perhaps it was because of that meeting in her previous life, when Consort Dowager Hu had truly frightened her quite a bit. Perhaps it was because this reunion in this life felt too abrupt, and then there was Dongkui.

Wushuang always had a feeling of something stuck in her throat, as if something was lodged there, making her very uncomfortable.

"Do you have something on your mind that you don't want to tell this Prince?"

"Your Highness?"

Prince Wei gently stroked her lips with his thumb and said, "Have you forgotten what I told you? What should you call me in private?"

"Shengheng."

Prince Wei nodded and said, "Is there anything you can't tell me? We are husband and wife, so intimate, and we have Zuo'er. In this world, is there anyone more intimate with you than I am?"

There was not.

Only he and she were the most intimate.

She couldn't help but snuggle into his embrace, feeling that his chest was so broad and vast, giving her a boundless sense of security. Feeling his arms around her waist, so strong and powerful.

Clearly, his outward appearance even seemed somewhat delicate and scholarly, yet his core possessed formidable martial prowess; with the pen, he could pacify the realm, and on horseback, he could secure the heavens and earth.

Such a man was her husband!

She ought to trust him, just as he trusted her.