Chapter 8: Adultery on the Shores of the Taiye Pool (5)

Over here I was completely stunned, but Lu Li who was watching me thought I was pleasantly surprised . She couldn’t help but smile bitterly as she reached out to smooth the hair at my temples . She seemed to be comforting me but also seemed to be comforting herself: “Although His Highness hasn’t met with you face to face for three months now, but on Daughter’s Day1, he will definitely accompany you back home, definitely!”

Good things often don’t come in pairs, but bad things certainly come in stringed clumps . I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of learning that Qi Sheng had to accompany me back to ‘my home’ for Daughter’s Day, when a messenger arrived from the Bathroom Lord who was sending me a vulgar commoner’s song……

Looking at the person standing in the palace hall, I calmly turned my head and commanded the Lu Li who was about to serve tea: “There’s no need to serve tea, go get some Osmanthus cake for our guest . ”

Although Lu Li didn’t understand the reason for it, she still obediently went . She barely passed through the door when the messenger rushed up to me with a smile, bowed, and said: “Aiya ya, that day I did not know it was the Crown Princess and severely offended you, so I ask for the Crown Princess’ forgiveness . ”

It was too dark that night, so I didn’t get that clear of a view of what he looked like . It was only now that I saw that he was a honest-browed and bright-eyed handsome young boy in his teens, the age where boys loved to smooth-talk .

I ignored his obviously half-hearted apology and just asked: “Name?”

He was visibly startled: “Uh, my surname is Yang, Yang Yan . ”

“Oh, do you still want melon seeds?” I asked again .

“……”

Little guy, how could I not punish you?

Lu Li had already approached while holding a plate of Osmanthus cakes . I let her carry it to Yang Yan and said: “Try the Osmanthus cakes from my place . They may be more delicious than yours?”

Yang Yan happily picked up a piece, tried it, and nodded . “Not bad . ”

“If that’s the case, eat a some more . ” I turned my head to ask Lu Li, “Do we have any other popular pastries here? Like this or that cake . ”

Lu Li replied: “There’s chestnut cake, lotus seed cake, cold sticky rice cake, nine layercake, jade bean cake, small bean cake, two-coloured bean cake……”

“Enough, bring them all here for Yang……uh……Yang what?” I turned my head to ask Yang Yan .

Yang Yan promptly answered: “Yan, Yang Yan . ”

“Uh, right, Yang Yan . Hurry and bring them all over for Yang Yan to taste . ”

“Ah! There’s no need!” Yang Yan rushed to block Lu Li, but Lu Li had already gone to carry the dishes over, in a short moment, she returned while leading several maids who were carrying more than ten dishes, placing them down in front of Yang Yan one after the other .

I enthusiastically said: “Taste them, taste them all, you don’t have to worry about them tasting bad . ”

Yang Yan found it difficult to refuse my hospitality, so he could only reach out to take a piece of chestnut cake and take a bite .

I asked: “Is it sweet?”

Yang Yan nodded his head . “It’s okay!”

I asked again: “How about the lotus seed cake? Quickly taste it . ”

Yang Yan used effort to swallow the chestnut cake in his mouth, and then somewhat helplessly took a piece of lotus seed cake .

“How about this piece?”

“……”

Lu Li saw Yang Yan uncomfortably choke and promptly wanted to go get water, but was stopped by my glance . She gave Yang Yan a sympathetic glance before standing back in position .

Yang Yan was choking so much that his neck straightened: “Water……water……”

Only then did I turn my head to call Lu Li: “Lu Li, hurry, pour2 water into him!”

Lu Li was really so great, truly worthy of someone that I harboured in my heart ah! She grabbed a teapot and went up just like that, before telling the other maids to hold down Yang Yan and pry open his mouth . In went an unrelenting stream of water .

Yang Yan’s continuous choking was then followed up by a burst of violent coughing .

I quickly yelled: “Ah! Ah! He is choking, use force to hit his back, use force! Hurry!”

Lu Li quickly dropped the teapot to slap Yang Yan’s back . Unfortunately, a young girl’s strength was too small . The more I watched the more impatient I felt, so when I finally couldn’t withstand it I charged up and gave Yang Yan’s back a hard slap .

I let you eat melon seeds, I let you eat Osmanthus cake, I let you clap your hands, I let you climb the tree, I let you climb the tree……I won’t hit you to death3!

In the end, it was still Lu Li whose soft heart could no longer stand watching this continue, who carefully asked me: “Crown Princess……don’t hit……that……what’s his name right?”

I stopped my hands and then saw that Yang Yan had lowered his head and wasn’t moving . My heart received a scare, shoot, taking revenge was justified, but taking away someone’s life was way too excessive for revenge!

Just as I was feeling disturbed, Yang Yan started to move and then coughed twice . Then he slowly turned his head around, his face covered in water trails, and it wasn’t clear if they were tears or the tea water Lu Li had poured down . He only stared at me silently for a long moment before wiping some water from his eye, his voice hoarse as he asked: “Just how much hatred did I earn, ah? You can even use such a ruthless method……”

I choked on my words at his question, and didn’t know what exactly to say in response .

Yang Yan then lamented: “Sure enough, the ancients said it correctly . It’s better to offend a nasty person than to offend a woman!”

This sentence managed to completely step onto my sore spot . That small drop of guilt that had just risen within my heart was erased without a trace by the word ‘woman’, and with anger replacing it, I immediately exclaimed: “Lu Li, feed him Osmanthus cake, and pour water into him!”

“Don’t! Don’t! Please don’t!” Yang Yan was scared to the point that he immediately jumped up from his chair and fled outside the palace door as he shouted: “I’ll be leaving first now, there’s no need to send me off!”

He was really too swift, watching made me feel a bit dazed . It was only after a short moment that I turned my head to ask Lu Li: “What did he come here for today?”

Lu Li hadn’t even answered yet before Yang Yan returned, though he did not dare to enter the room . He clung to the threshold of the door and only stretched his head inside as he handed over a few sheets of paper, shouting: “Sending you sheet music, sheet music, Ninth Brother had me deliver the musical score for the Three Six Song to Crown Princess . ”

If he didn’t say anything about the music I would have let it end, but mentioning it, I immediately remembered that day in the washroom . The embarrassment as I stood beside the Bathroom Lord and dug and dug and dug for a long while yet I was unable to take out anything . As a result, I didn’t say anything more, and just loudly shouted: “Lu Li, pack some Osmanthus cake for him . ”

Yang Yan shrieked miserably, and cried: “Are you even a woman, ah!” After saying that he didn’t even wait for the maid to retrieve the sheet music, he just raised his hand and threw it before turning around to flee . His next words were spoken when he was already in the courtyard: “In this life I will never eat Osmanthus cake again . ”

Lu Li walked over to pick up the sheet music one at a time, then turned around to give them to me . Lightly biting her lip, it was easy to see that her heart was very conflicted, before she finally said: “Crown Princess, this servant has words she doesn’t know if she should say . ”

I know that it’s rare for her to be like this, so I couldn’t help asking: “What is it? Just say it . ”

Lu Li carefully gave me a glance and softly said: “Although the His Highness the Ninth Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince are full brothers, His Highness the Ninth Prince is already an adult . Crown Princess should not ask for his sheet music . Otherwise, when it reaches the people, they will definitely say that you and His Highness the Ninth Prince are in a secret relationship . ”

I knew Lu Li had a point so I quickly nodded and said: “I’ll remember that, from now on let’s have less contact with them . ”

Lu Li saw that I took it good-naturedly and faintly smiled .

But I still couldn’t forget the words Yang Yan had said . I couldn’t help feeling somewhat angry and depressed so I walked around the place by myself twice . My anger had yet to fade so I couldn’t help turning my head and asking to Lu Li: “Do I seem like a woman?”

Lu Li immediately brought her hand to her mouth, almond eyes widening as the rims turned red . She comforted me with a soft voice: “Crown Princess, why would you ask that? You are this world’s most gentlest and favorable woman . Not only do you have great looks but also a wonderful temper……”

Ha, Lu Li, you really know how to comfort people, comforting to the extent that I even have the heart to die now .

Perhaps it was because Lu Li saw my face become even more gloomy that she rushed to add: “If even you can not be considered a woman, then in this world there are only boorish men left . ”

God ah, it’s better to let me die!

1 . Daughter’s Day is basically a day where married daughters return to their parent’s homes .

2 . The words in the original text are usually used in the context of irrigation so at this point the MC is treating the poor guy as a thing rather than a person .

3 . Chinese wording, kind of like when your parents tell you with a smile to come over and that they won’t punish you, but you can totally tell from their tone that they would