The noble girl is beautiful. - Chapter 52

As dawn broke, Changming entered the main courtyard. The neatly paved path was lined with pomegranate trees, which were now bearing fruit. A few steps closer, he noticed the doors to the main rooms were tightly shut. He hesitated to disturb them and went to the eastern side rooms, softly calling out, “Sister Bai Yan?”

Bai Yan emerged and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Changming replied quietly, “It’s already quite late. If we don’t get up soon, we’ll be late for the palace greetings.”

Bai Yan seemed troubled; since the main lady hadn’t risen, they were unsure whether they should call her.

At that moment, Ji Zhuo’s voice came from the main room, and Changming quickly went outside to wait. Inside, Bai Yan, Bai Yue, Hua Mei, and Du Juan quietly entered the main room.

The main house, spacious and bright, was divided into several rooms. The central room served as the main hall, furnished with two redwood armchairs, a square table, and six redwood chairs with crane and cloud carvings. To the right was the dining area, and the farthest right was the study. The two rooms on the left were the private quarters, separated from the main hall by a carved door.

Bai Yan and Bai Yue entered the small door, where a silk screen, a bed, a wardrobe, a dressing table, a tapestry screen, and a daybed were all elegantly arranged.

They carefully gathered the red pearl curtains and hung them on either side of the floor-to-ceiling screens. They then entered the bedroom, where the red candles had burned through the night, leaving only two candlesticks.

Ji Zhuo pulled aside the bed curtains and got up, still wearing a crimson-colored night robe.
Du Juan and Hua Mei approached to help Shen Yourong get up.
Ji Zhuo waved them away, saying, “She’s not awake yet.”
With that, he went behind the screen, where Bai Yan and Bai Yue attended to him as he washed and dressed. Du Juan and Hua Mei exchanged glances, standing by the bed, unsure whether they should wake Shen Yourong.

Just then, Shen Yourong let out a muffled sound from under the covers, indicating she might be waking up.

As Du Juan moved closer, Ji Zhuo stepped out from behind the screen and leaned into the bed, speaking softly and gently, “Are you awake?”

Shen Yourong groaned, her voice hoarse as she asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s just past the second hour of Chen,” he said, gently caressing her cheek. “Do you need a bit more sleep?”

She suddenly became alert, “It’s already the second hour of Chen!”

Even without having to greet the elders, they still needed to go to the palace for the morning greetings!

“There’s no need to rush,” he quickly reassured her. “We’re not late.”

Shen Yourong found it impossible to go back to sleep. As she sat up, the soreness in her body returned. She let out a soft moan, and Ji Zhuo helped her, rubbing her back and unable to suppress his laughter.

She cast a glance at him, feeling a bit aggrieved.

“If you’re too uncomfortable, we can skip the palace visit today,” he said, showing the authority of a high official, making decisions according to his own preferences.

Although he had the audacity to say so, Shen Yourong didn’t want to draw too much attention. She replied, “It’s fine; I’ll get up now.”

She pushed him out of the way, insisting, “You go out and let my maid servants attend to me.”

He raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat reluctant, but he was eventually pushed out by her.

With a smile, he shook his head and went to get dressed behind the screen.

Du Juan and Hua Mei quickly moved to help, lifting the hibiscus curtains and bringing tea to moisten Shen Yourong’s lips.

When Ji Zhuo emerged from behind the screen, it was still his wedding day, and he wore a crimson robe with gold embroidery. As soon as Shen Yourong saw him, her gaze fixed on him, but she quickly looked away when his eyes met hers.

“If you want to look, do so openly; I am now your husband,” he said.

She walked to the screen and muttered, “Who is looking at you?”

Behind the screen, there was hot water, and she quickly freshened up. She sat down at the dressing table, where Du Juan and the others helped her get ready.

Bai Yan smiled and said, “I’ve learned some techniques for arranging women’s hair. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to help you with your hair.”

Hearing her address her as “princess,” Shen Yourong was momentarily stunned and said, “That would be wonderful.”

Bai Yan took over the comb from Du Juan and began styling her hair.

Du Juan opened Shen Yourong’s cosmetics box, arranging the hairpins and ornaments for the day, while Bai Yue stood by, taking the jade bracelet from Hua Mei and putting it on Shen Yourong’s wrist, and then a gem ring on her delicate finger.

Their friendliness towards her wasn’t meant to overshadow Du Juan and Hua Mei’s duties but was a gesture of respect for the new mistress of the house.

Ji Zhuo sat on a cushioned bench outside, watching Shen Yourong as she was being groomed. A few simple dishes of congee and side dishes were sent in for her, and he asked them to be brought to her. Since Shen Yourong was in a hurry to go to the palace, he decided to eat separately.

After a considerable amount of time, the two were finally ready and set off in the carriage to the palace.

At the Palace, the emperor’s face had darkened from waiting. When he saw Ji Zhuo, he sarcastically remarked, “Your Highness, such a grand entrance. You’ve kept me waiting for so long.”

Ji Zhuo’s expression remained calm as he replied, “There were delays on the road; please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

He didn’t even bother with excuses, plainly brushing off the emperor’s remarks.
In contrast, the Empress remained composed. Despite the long wait, she showed no signs of impatience and continued to converse warmly with Shen Yourong.

Previously, when the Empress had sought Shen Yourong’s help, Shen Yourong had not intervened, leading to the downfall of the Empress’s brother in that case. However, the Empress bore no grudge against her and continued to be courteous, demonstrating a clear intention to build rapport.

What Shen Yourong didn’t know was that the Empress had personally approached Ji Zhuo later on, but he had not helped her brother. Instead, he merely pointed her towards a different path.

“Without your brother, the only hope for the Duke of An’s residence is you,” he had said, his gaze lowered and indifferent. However, the Empress understood immediately. With her brother gone, all the resources of the Duke of An’s residence would be directed toward her.

After sitting with Shen Yourong and Ji Zhuo for a while, they took their leave. Before they left, the Empress gifted Shen Yourong a pair of gold-inlaid jade ruyi scepters, a zitan and white jade ornament, and a six-foot-tall coral tree.

Such generous gifts honored Shen Yourong as the new Princess Consort, though the Emperor’s expression grew darker.

As they exited the Empress’s Palace, Ji Zhuo instructed Shen Yourong, “I need to go to the Taihe Hall to discuss some matters. You should go to the Shun Gui Fei Palace and wait for me there.”

Shen Yourong nodded obediently. He then turned to Bai Yan and the others, saying, “Take good care of the Princess Consort.”

Bai Yan and the others complied.

Arriving at the Shun Gui Fei Palace, the two went to the eastern side hall to chat. Shen Qingyan observed Shen Yourong’s expression and asked with a smile, “Sister, did you sleep well last night?”

Shen Yourong frowned and replied with a smile, “Not very comfortably.”

Shen Qingyan laughed, guessing that she had not eaten breakfast due to her early rise. Therefore, she had prepared some pastries in advance. The two sisters chatted while eating.

They talked about the wedding, Shen Qingyan’s marriage years ago, Shen Qinghan’s upcoming marriage, and then the gifts from the Empress.

Shen Qingyan commented, “The Empress is indeed composed. Even now, she maintains her poise. While the marriage of Prince Duan has little effect on the Emperor, who is just a puppet, it elevates you, as the Princess Consort, to the highest status in the capital. Do you see any trace of resentment in the Empress? She’s no ordinary person.”

Shen Yourong nodded while nibbling on the pastries.

As noon approached, Ji Zhuo arrived at the Shun Gui Fei Palace to pick up Shen Yourong. Shen Qingyan playfully said to Shen Yourong, “Princess Consort, hurry up; your lord is here to fetch you.”

Shen Yourong shot her a reproachful look before leaving with Ji Zhuo.

Once beside Ji Zhuo, she immediately asked, “Have you eaten?”

He was taken aback and replied, “I had some snacks and tea during the meeting, so I’m not hungry.”

“Good,” she said, having been concerned about his well-being since he hadn’t eaten breakfast and had been in meetings all morning.

He smiled and said, “Very few people pay attention to these small details for me.”

She felt a bit embarrassed, “Am I being too fussy?”

“No,” he embraced her, “I appreciate it.”

The two had lunch together. Ji Zhuo was not very familiar with Shen Yourong’s tastes, but Shen Yourong knew his preferences well.

“You always wanted to review the meal plans when you were at my house,” she said. “I even asked around about your likes and dislikes, worried you might not be satisfied with something at the house.”

“Oh,” he laughed, “So you were preparing to be a wife for me even then.”

She playfully nudged him, “You’re talking nonsense!”

After a bit of teasing, she became too tired to keep her eyes open. After a full day and restless night, she yawned continuously, and soon her eyes grew moist.

Ji Zhuo personally helped her remove her outer garments, took off her hairpins, and attended to her as she lay down to rest.

She lay on the bed, propped on her elbow, and looked at him, saying, “Why don’t you take a rest too?”

“No,” he replied, “I have matters to attend to.”

“Then go quickly,” she said. “The maidservants will take care of me.”

He brushed her stray hairs back and said, “I’ll stay until I see you fall asleep.”

She yawned again, mumbling, “Do as you wish.”

Outside, the crisp autumn air was refreshing. The young maidservants sat by the door, leaning against the pillars and nodding off. Even the birds under the eaves were silent. A gentle breeze rustled the pomegranate tree in the garden, occasionally causing an unripe fruit to fall to the ground with a soft “thud.”