Half-face Make-up Vol 1 Chapter 26

“Sister, I know you have not been at ease for many years . This is a small gift . How do you feel? Is this a small surprise for you?” She laughed . The Virtuous Concubine Ruan just nodded, choked up and unable to speak . Only I, piteously looking at the inconspicuous scroll consisting of a hundred forms of the character for “shòu,” and the pillow consisting of a hundred forms of the character for “fú,” was sad . It took a long time for The Virtuous Concubine Ruan to restore her equilibrium . The Precious Junior Concubine Ding said, a little crossly, “Look at you, aren’t you afraid the younger generation will laugh at you? Lanzhi specially made a new dance for your birthday, so that we can enjoy it at dinner . ”Yuan Lanzhi’s smile was blooming like an intoxicating flower . Her smile seemed to be charming . With the fragrance from the incense burner around, it infiltrated into everyone’s blood and bone marrow without a trace, so that people could not move their eyes .

And I, a standard daughter-in-law who should display my skill to its fullest, was like rooted gra.s.s . I was silent and depressed . Even I was a dispensable person . At the banquet, Yuan Lanzhi’s graceful posture and movements swayed in my eyes, slowly turning into a messy shadow, and my thoughts flew away . That day I saw the painting in Xiao Yi’s study by accident . In the full moon, there was a shy girl, who was intoxicated by the clear breeze and the bright moon, beside the vague and clear stream . I smiled . The thought was interrupted by Mingzhu’s call . “Concubine, The Virtuous Concubine Ruan said that you and the prince needed to pay a visit to her . ”When I came to The Virtuous Concubine Ruan’s room, I saw that she had changed into a casual dress and wore a jade hairpin on her head . The jade hairpin was like a dragonfly, which waved its wings as if it wanted to fly away, but it was pressed under a thick hair bun . “Don’t stand on ceremony . There are not so many rules among families . ” Her att.i.tude was surprisingly kind, and I was somewhat flattered . “Yi, I’m very happy to see that you have such filial piety, but you still have to remember my words . As a prince, you should first attach importance to national affairs, which is your responsibility as a member of the royal family . Don’t just think about your poems every day . ”

“Yes, I’ll listen to you,” Xiao Yi said . “It’s a pity that I’m so humble that I can’t help you . You can only rely on your own efforts,” she said with emotion . “Mom, you can rest a.s.sured that I will not disappoint you . Someday, I will give you the highest honor . ” Xiao Yi’s tone was very firm .  “My son, I am a member of the royal family; there is nothing to ask for . As long as you can make achievements in the future and do a good job in front of your father, I will be satisfied . ”“Mom, you can rest a.s.sured . ” Xiao Yi was about to speak more, but said nothing . A strange light flashed through his one eye . “I’m counting on you for the rest of my life . It’s not easy to get your father’s praise from all these brothers . Although the prince is young now, he is known for his benevolence and filial piety . He has the majesty of an emperor . He will surely treat you and your brothers kindly when he ascends the throne in the future . What you should do in the future depends on yourself . I can only say so much . ”“Yes, Mom . ” Xiao Yi’s voice sounded like the bell in a temple, revealing a hint of insensible depression . Then, she turned to me and said, “Pei, I know you’ve spent a lot of time on my birthday . Come here and put this on your body . ” As she said this, she handed me a purse that had a pattern of Children-Sending Guanyin . Seeing my astonished look, my mother-in-law went on to say, “There are special gra.s.ses in it . Common women, who hope to have a boy, will put this on their body . Although the royal family can’t be as casual as the folk, in order to have a good luck, I specifically asked the maid to make it into a purse . You have to put it by your side day and night in order to have a boy early . ”After a peaceful chitchat, I felt a warm glow in my heart, and hurriedly expressed grat.i.tude to her, “Thank you, Mom . ”The scroll consisting of a hundred forms of the character for “shòu” and the pillow consisting of hundred forms of the character for “fú” were still stained with my blood, but at last they had won the favor of my mother-in-law . It was worth it!This time, The Precious Junior Concubine Ding rewarded all the concubines with some geraniums . This was a kind of perfume . It was said that it was a special local product from India . The quant.i.ty was not much . It was said that the production technology was very special, but it had strong aroma . The Precious Junior Concubine Ding didn’t like it, so she sent them all out as gifts . Xiao Yi was invited to leave again by the prince of Jin’an . I went home alone . On the way, a few jackdaws flew overhead, making bleak calls from time to time, but it did not affect my mood at all . At this time, I realized The Precious Junior Concubine Ding’s words . As long as I put my heart into it, everything would go smoothly . Back home, I was exhausted and sat in the sandalwood chair . Mingzhu handed me a cup of tea . As soon as I picked it up and was about to drink, I saw Madam Su come in with a pale face and said, “Concubine, I have something to tell you . ”“What’s the matter?” Madam Su’s nervous look aroused my alarm . “Well, before you left, you asked the doctor to examine Yanran, but the doctor said Yanran, she . . . ” She peeked at me as she spoke, and then stopped . “What’s wrong? Is it serious? Why are you so hesitant?” I tried to relax myself and laughed . “Concubine, Yanran is two months pregnant . ”A loud noise came . The cup in my hand fell to the ground and shattered into fragments . My smile stopped abruptly and I felt dizzy . She had become pregnant two months ago, but I had only been Xiao Yi’s wife for more than a month . She would have been pregnant before we got married .  Oh my G.o.d, I touched my purse full of special gra.s.ses, and I was disappointed . It was said that this special gra.s.ses were also called Forget Worry Gra.s.s . Ji Kang in Jin Dynasty wrote in “Protecting Health” that orange day lily could let people forget worries; this was general knowledge known to fools and sages . But how could I forget this sadness?