The noble girl is beautiful. - Chapter 59

My name is Ji Mingzhu. My father is the powerful regent, and my mother is the daughter of a duke and the elder sister of a favored consort. As their cherished daughter, I have always been blessed with every luxury from birth.

When I was six, I first entered the palace and met the emperor at a court banquet. According to hierarchy, I should address him as “Elder Brother Emperor,” but given that my mother’s position entitles him to be called “Uncle.”

He liked me very much and said I was the most beautiful young girl in the capital. At that time, the queen’s eldest princess, who was only a year older than me, looked on enviously.

I didn’t understand why he favored me, a young girl, so much over his own daughter.

Later, I discovered the reason. He said he wanted to take me out for fun but led me instead to a desolate palace.

“Do you know where this place is?” he said, sitting in a wheelchair, his face dark and pale. “This is where my father languished in his last years, where he spent three years. Your father, that traitorous scoundrel, has so insulted the late emperor. He should be punished!”

He locked me in that abandoned palace, cursing me with hateful words I couldn’t understand, cursing my father and mother.

Soon after, my father found me. He looked at the emperor with a gaze I had never seen before and took me away without a word.

Later, I learned that the emperor was imprisoned in that ruined palace for a whole month. When he emerged, he was nearly a skeleton.

That year, I set my sights high. I wanted to become emperor.

The first step to becoming an emperor is to have useful subordinates around you.

I set my sights on Yang Shen, the grandson of the Grand Secretary of the Hall. The Yang family had served in high official positions for generations and was a distinguished family that even my father had been unable to recruit.

Yang Shen was three years older than me and was the close disciple of my uncle. After I resolved to become emperor, I diligently sent him a nest of silk from my purse.

At that time, the emperor was imprisoned by my father under the pretext of recuperation. The whole court feared that the regent might take over, and the Yang family was particularly indignant. This anger affected Yang Shen, who threw my silk on the ground, calling me a treacherous daughter.

I was very angry, but I endured it and greeted him with a smile.

Maintaining composure in the face of such adversity is a necessary skill for those in power. This small difficulty was nothing. Thus began my years of trying to please Yang Shen.

Aunt Shen said I was being a sycophant, but I thought that lapdogs were quite cute, so I gave one to Yang Shen.

At fifteen, Yang Shen achieved the top score in the imperial examinations, gaining a reputation throughout the capital. By then, he had become a dashing young man with a refined appearance. Subsequently, more sycophants like me gathered around him.

My foresight proved correct.

On the day of the princess’s birthday in the palace, I went to deliver congratulatory gifts on behalf of my mother and then went to see her afterward.

My mother is a beauty, the most graceful and elegant woman I have ever seen. Time had left no marks on her face but instead made her more relaxed and composed.

She was holding my younger brother, teaching him to read. My little brother, just three years old, was dressed in a bright red embroidered jacket, a chubby and fair little boy.

“Mother,” I greeted her and sat down beside the bed.

Mother asked about the princess’s birthday celebrations. I briefly described the events in the palace. This year’s celebration was very lively; the princess turned thirteen, and in two years, she would be betrothed. Even the usually indifferent emperor made an appearance.

“Mother,” I asked, “do you have many of Father’s calligraphy scrolls?”

Mother replied, “Yes. Why, are you going to practice writing?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I took her hand and said, “Please get me a scroll. I have a use for it.”

Mother agreed and instructed Sister Du Juan to bring me a scroll. I took the scroll and immediately got up to leave.

My little brother tugged at me, wanting me to play with him.

“Be good; sister is busy,” I patted Ji Mingtang’s head. “I’m working on something important. Once it’s done, I’ll become emperor and make you the crown prince.”

Mother frowned and scolded, “What are you talking about!”

I laughed and ran out, meeting my father in the corridor. I stopped and stood properly in front of him.

“Have you seen your mother?” Father asked.

“Yes, I have.”

Father noticed the calligraphy scroll in my hand. “Still trying to curry favor?”

I smiled and said nothing more. Father added, “Go ahead, have someone follow you. Be careful.”

Unlike other noble girls in the capital, I had the freedom to leave the estate. My parents didn’t impose many rules on me.
Father was ten years older than Mother, and sometimes he really did treat me and Mother as his daughters.

I ran out of the estate and took a carriage to a small courtyard in the eastern part of the city. It was home to impoverished families, a tiny courtyard with vegetables planted in the corners and firewood piled up against the wall, leaving no space to step.

I entered the courtyard, and an old woman came out. I approached and supported her, asking, “Where is Lu Huan?”

“He’s in the house.”

I went inside. The room was simple, and Lu Huan was writing at a wooden table by the window.

He was handsome, with a refined appearance and an aura of scholarly elegance. Unlike the aristocratic Yang Shen, Lu Huan often smiled.

At the moment, he had his head lowered and looked dejected.

I approached him and said, “Don’t be upset. You’re second place, which is better than many others.”

Lu Huan looked up at me, his eyes momentarily brightening with surprise, then turning a bit disappointed. “But I still can’t compare to Young Master Yang.”

“Yang Shen came from an official family with many resources. If he still couldn’t achieve a high rank, that would be quite useless.” I placed the calligraphy scroll on the table and said, “This is my father’s calligraphy. He knows you have great talent but that you were slightly disadvantaged. So, he asked me to come and see you and to tell you not to be discouraged. The road ahead is still wide open.”
“You… you know about me?” Lu Huan was very excited.

“Of course!”

He immediately brightened up, not knowing how my father’s calligraphy could be so influential.

“I will definitely become the top scholar!” he grasped my hand. “Wait for me, I’ll make it!”

I nodded and said, “I believe in you.”

Being courteous to others is also a necessary quality for those in power.

After leaving Lu Huan’s home, I went to the Supreme Court, where they had a case today, and I went to observe.

The Minister of the Supreme Court is my great-uncle. Although he disapproves of the way my parents have raised me, he was still very polite to me.

After spending the afternoon there, I went to visit my uncle. My aunt loves me very much. As soon as she saw me, she hugged me and rubbed my cheeks.

“Our Mingzhu is growing more and more beautiful. I wonder which lucky young man will get her in the future?” Auntie had tea brought in and also sent my favorite snacks. My cousins loved playing with me, and I gave them the bamboo toys I bought outside. I stayed with Auntie for a while.

Someone came to report that my uncle had returned and was in the study with Young Master Yang.

Auntie nudged me, “Your uncle is back. You should go to him now.”

“Of course not,” I said, leaning close to Auntie. “I’d like to stay with you a little longer.”

Auntie smiled, and I chatted with her for a bit longer before heading to my uncle’s study.

A maid brought tea and snacks. I went over, took the tray from the maid, and said, “I’ll handle it.”

I knocked on the door and entered. My uncle was writing at his desk, while Yang Shen was flipping through books by the bookshelf. When he saw me, his expression remained indifferent, neither warm nor cold.

He was my uncle’s disciple and had the same cool demeanor as my uncle.

My uncle was giving Yang Shen a lecture, and I sat by to listen.

Sometimes, my uncle would praise me, saying that I was more diligent in my studies than my mother was in her younger days.

That was only natural. After all, I intended to become emperor.

Someone called from outside, and my uncle went out to speak. Yang Shen and I sat at opposite ends of the long table, engrossed in our reading.

“Did you go to see Lu Huan?” he suddenly asked.

I looked at him and said, “No.”

His expression remained aloof. “There’s mud on your shoes. Besides Lu Huan’s place, I can’t think of where else you could have picked up mud.”

His words conveyed a sense of arrogance, just like him. I pursed my lips and said nothing.

He knew about Lu Huan’s existence. I wasn’t surprised. He knew many things, and if I could recruit him, I would be equally well-informed.

“Yang Shen,” I closed the book and looked at him earnestly, “Have I ever offended you? You’ve never given me a kind expression.”

He glanced at me and said, “If you want me to be nicer to you, that’s possible.”

I adopted an attentive posture, and he said, “From now on, you can’t see Lu Huan anymore.”

I thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And no more visits to Qi Xinfang, Wei Xiao, the second son of the Minister of Revenue, or the eldest grandson of the General of the Guards.”

I looked at him, feeling quite disheartened. “You’re being unreasonable.”

He sneered and resumed reading.

My mood soured immediately. I went out, said goodbye to my uncle, and headed home.

When I arrived at the main courtyard, Sister Du Juan stopped me and said she had embroidered a pouch for me and asked me to take a look.

I glanced at the main room and knew my father was inside, so I followed Sister Du Juan.

As darkness fell, Sister Bai Yan brought in hot water in a copper basin. Seeing that it was about time, I returned to the main room.

My mother was lazily reclining on the couch, while my father was painting in the study. I didn’t care if I was interrupting my father’s work; I just threw myself into my mother’s arms and told her about Yang Shen’s behavior.

Mother stroked my hair and said, “Different paths mean no cooperation. Yang Shen wants something you can’t give, so he’s always dissatisfied.”

“What does he want?” I asked. “Should I just pick stars from the sky for him?”

Mother smiled without speaking. My father heard this and scoffed, “That young man from the Yang family has such a big mouth. Does he think he can stand up to so many talented young men alone?”

I felt outmatched as well, but I still wanted him.

Since I set my ambitions, I’ve had many capable subordinates, from the grand princess in the palace to the gatekeeper at Yang’s residence. I don’t need Yang Shen specifically, but I still want him.

“He will regret it,” I said, snuggled in my mother’s arms, gritting my teeth. “When I become emperor, I will make him regret it!”