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Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Chapter: 080 out of 513 – The position of the secondary wife (1)
Hearing something off in his voice, she looked in his direction and saw a silver fox fur cloak hanging on the divider screen. It was a valuable cloak embroidered with a golden dragon with four-claws.
She sighed. This cloak had nothing to do with her. Early this morning, when the crown prince had come to pay respect to Noble Consort Nie, a part of the cloak had been damaged when it was being hanged. Noble Consort Nie knew that she was very skillful with needlework, so she had handed the cloak to her to mend.
But, Ning Yuxuan thought about this matter differently. He knew Zhao Zhe better than anyone else and had negative mental associations when he saw the cloak here.
“Are you very close with the crown prince?”
Ji Man seriously said, “This matter has to be clearly explained. I’m not familiar with the crown prince and I’m not mending this cloak because of him. Noble Consort Nie was the one that handed me this cloak to mend.”
Ning Yuxuan made a sound of acknowledgement. The corners of his lips faintly curved. “It’s true that your embroidery skills are very good, but there are plenty of people in the palace. The noble consort doesn’t need to order you around like a servant girl.”
His words made it seem like she was deliberately trying to show off. Ji Man decided not to argue with this person. Otherwise, she would be the one that was angered to death.
“My lord, you’ve been here long enough. You should go back to keep Madam company,” Ji Man considerately said with a smile. “You only need to go through the motions here. This servant won’t say any unnecessary words in front of Old Madame and the noble consort. You don’t have worry. This servant will only say good things about you in front of them.”
Marquis Moyu’s expression sunk. His peach blossom eyes seemed like they were full of needles. “You’ve become very mature. You used to eagerly hope that I would stay longer. Now, you eagerly hope that I’ll leave sooner.”
“People will always change.” Ji Man lightly smiled. “Wouldn’t it be so stupid to spend an entire lifetime loving a person that didn’t love you back? My lord, walk slowly. It’s slippery outside. Have the servants support you more while you’re walking.”
Ning Yuxuan didn’t know what to say. He sullenly flung his sleeve and started to leave the ting yu xuan. However, he saw the crown prince after only walking a few steps.
Zhao Zhe had a Casanova-like smile. “Marquis, did you just go to pay your respect to Old Madame?"
Ning Yuxuan stopped walking. “Your Highness, weren’t you staying home to work on your assignments? Why are you here?”
Zhao Zhe rubbed his nose and said with a smile, “I came to the palace early this morning and ordered the servants to say I was working on assignments. You understand why I have to use those cheap tricks. Otherwise, other people will think I’m a hedonistic crown prince that doesn’t know how to diligent.”
Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent.
But, the crown prince was in a very good mood and he said, “It’s good that I met you here. Bring out my silver fox cloak for me. Let’s go to Chun Feng.”
(T/N: Literal translation of Chun Feng is spring breeze.)
She’s like a spring breeze in the three-mile long Yangzhou Street. There are many rolled up beaded screens, yet there is no one equal to her.*
* (T/N: These are lines from a Tang poem that’s about a beautiful songstress.)
As the capital’s most popular money squandering establishment, Chun Feng had captivating women that were very understanding of their customers’ needs. Ning Yuxuan wasn’t an ascetic person and he frequently went there at the request of others. He wasn’t in a very good mood today. Thinking that it would be good place to get over his unhappiness, he agreed.
He turned around and personally went inside to bring out the crown prince’s silver fox fur cloak.
Zhao Zhe put on the cloak. His phoenix eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled. “Her skill is truly better than the capital’s best embroideress’s.”
His smile was dazzling as he caressed the embroidered blooming lotus flower that was at the cloak’s corner. “Sangyu is so skillful with her hands. There was such a big rip in the cloak that I thought I would have to discard it, but she embroidered a lotus flower to hide the mended tear.”
The contrast between the golden dragon that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws and the elegant lotus flower blooming in the corner of the silver cloak gave off a different kind of feeling from the original design.
There was a saying; I’m willing to rebuke the entire world for you and protectively hold you in my grasp as if you were a flower.
Ning Yuxuan’s expression sunk and turned ugly. He coldly harrumphed, “It had been a perfectly good golden dragon cloak. Adding a nondescript lotus flower is the same as ruining it. It’s surprising that Your Highness think she’s skillful.”
The crown prince loudly laughed. “Didn’t you say that you despise Nie Sangyu the most? Why does your voice sound like you’re feeling jealous?”
“If you want to go, let’s leave quickly.” Ning Yuxuan flung his sleeve, raised his foot, and sat down on the sedan chair.
Seeing that he was annoyed, the crown prince snickered before following him by going into his own imperial sedan chair and leaving the palace together.
---
At Chun Feng, beautiful women danced and sung in soft voices that resembled moving water, “There are trees in the mountains and there are branches on the trees. I adore you, but you do not know me.”
The crown prince and Marquis Moyu were sitting in the best private room. Hearing the news of their arrival, the officials came by affably to propose toasts. They didn’t expose these two people’s status. They addressed the crown prince as “Second Master” and Marquis Moyu as “Sir Ning”.
Sir Xu, a Ministry of Rites’s official, looked at the crown prince and said, “Second Master, why did you come out while wearing this cloak? It’s not peaceful and safe outside and your status is very noble. You should be more careful.”
Zhao Zhe had already drunk two cups of wine, but he was still holding the lotus flower in his other hand. He said, “This master likes this cloak and doesn’t want to take it off.”
Ning Yuxuan glanced at him.
The crown prince’s gaze happened to meet his. He couldn’t help breaking into laughter. “Look at Sir Ning. Doesn’t it look like Sir Ning’s eyes are shooting fire after this master said I like this cloak? He’s exactly like a jealous wife.”
The officials from the Ministry of Rites all awkwardly laughed. They didn’t dare to honestly answer even though Marquis Moyu’s expression truly looked very ugly.
“Second Master, you should pay attention to propriety.” Ning Yuxuan didn’t drink wine. He calmly said, “Everyone has a bottom line. You shouldn’t provoke her.”
The crown prince paused. Holding a wine cup, he approached Ning Yuxuan and said, “Tell me the truth. Do you also like her now? You go on and on about her bad points, but aren’t you still feeling angry right now?”