Chapter 86 - Keep the Crown Prince’s Secret
Chapter 86: Keep the Crown Prince’s Secret
Translator: Henyee Translations
Editor: Henyee Translations
Lu Chen shook his head.
Qjao Jinniang was a little annoyed. She had looked at herself in the mirror this morning and was very satisfied with her makeup today, but Lu Chen didn’t even praise her beauty?
Lu Chen took her hand and said, “You’re even more beautiful than an immortal descended to Earth. With you in the mortal world, even immortals wouldn’t dare to go down to the mortal world.”
Qiao Jinniang chuckled. “Are you saying this so that I’ll keep that secret for you?
Lu Chen tightened his grip on her hand. “Qiao Jinniang, if you dare to say I’m potent again, Ill prove to you that I’m not right now!”
Qjao Jinniang shook her head and said, “No, it took me nearly two hours to do my makeup today. I even woke up before dawn for this. You can’t mess it up.”
Lu Chen said, “So, you’d better not read so many novels.”
Jinniang said in a small voice, “You gave those novels to me, okay? I have never read this kind of novel before, but I have read all the ones you sent me. Are there anymore ”
Lu Chen: “.. No, you are not allowed to read those again!”
They entered Tuan’er’s room. He had just got up and was wearing a bright yellow round-neck robe today.
Jinniang couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you let him wear the little red robel made for him? I specially wore a red skirt today just to match that robe.”
Lu Chen whispered in Jinniang’s ear. “Did you forget that my father will announce Tuan’er to be my heir today? So he should be wearing a bright yellow robe. If you want to wear the same color as Tuan’er, become my crown princess.
Qjao Jinniang said, “Forget it then.”
Lu Chen said, “Those attending today’s banquet will be my eight brothers and sisters, three aunts and their children, and the rest are the cousins of my father’s side, as well as the people of Duke Wu Mansion and Earl Cheng Mansíon.”
Qjao Jinniang said softly, “The royal family already has so many members, but you still use the heir as an excuse”
Lu Chen quickly changed the subject and said, “With my mother and me at the banquet, whoever bullies you, you can just scold back and don’t have to save him any face.
“But the Empress Dowager is my senior, so you’ll have to show her respect and bear with her.”
“Will the Empress Dowager come today?” Qjao Jinniang asked, “I heard that the Empress Dowager doesn’t seem to like the Queen and you?”
Lu Chen nodded and said, “Yes, but you don’t have to worry too much. You are from the Qiao family, so the Empress Dowager won’t be too harsh to you.”
Qjao Jinniang followed Lu Chen and Tuan’er into the Chengxi Palace where the imperial banquet would be held.
The palace was already full of people, and everyone was talking and laughing so it was very lively.
Hearing the eunuch announce that the Crown Prince and the imperial grandson had arrived, there was an instant silence in the palace.
Everyone stood up to salute the two.
Qjao Jinniang was a little nervous. After all, the people here were all the royal family members who were previously out of her reach.
Li Lingling glared at Qiao Jinniang with hatred. If she knew it was her, she should not have destroyed that chess piece, Qjao Ruoshui.
Lu Chen took Qao Jinniang to the seat above, and there were several seats above them. She guessed that it should be for the Emperor, the Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines.
Prince Qi’s wife, Consort Qi whispered to her husband, “Why is Tuan’er wearing bright yellow clothes today? Isn’t there a rumor that Qiao Jinniang is disliked by the Crown Prince? Look at what she is wearing today, if she is in bright yellow to0, she will be dressed just like a crown princess.”
Prince Qi motioned to Consort Qi to keep it down. “Although Qiao Jinniang v not brought up by the Duchess, her appearance and family background are not bad. The Crown Prince is not stupid.”
Consort Qi glanced over, only to see the Crown Prince and Qiao Jinniang holding hands undermeath the table, looking so affectionate.
Tuan’er, who was supposed to sit between them, could only sit aside with the rabbit doll in his arms as he played with the little ears of the rabbit doll.
Not long after, an eunuch came to ask Lu Chen to go to the Hall of Diligent Governance, and Lu Chen said into Qiao Jinniang’s ear, “T’ll be back soon.”
Qjao Jinniang nodded.
Only after Lu Chen left did people dare to look Qjao Jinniang up and down openly.
Fulu walked over to Qiao Jinniang regardless of the etiquette and said, “Have you made up with my imperial cousin?
Qjao Jinniang nodded. “Yes”
Fulu smiled and said, “Great, then I can visit you in the East Palace more often from now on. Last time I ate the acacia honey you made, I heard from your maid that you can also make sweet- scented osmanthus honey?
Qjao Jinniang said, “Yes, the sweet-scented osmanthus in my courtyard is blooming well. I’ve ordered my maids to collect all the sweet-scented osmanthus, and I will send you a bottle of sweet-scented osmanthus honey when I make it.”
Fulu said, “That’s great. Do you know the people here?
Qjao Jinniang shook her head.
Fulu said, “Those sitting next to my mother are the three sisters of His Majesty, the aunts of the Crown Prince, and next to them are the three sister of the Crown Prince. You should know Jinghua, right?
“The other two princesses are very arrogant. They both think they’re the most beautiful women in Chang’an and hate women more beautiful than them. And you’re so beautiful today, so be careful of them.
The young men sitting on the left are Prince Chu, Prince Qi, Prince Lu, Prince Mediocre and Prince Su. They are the Crowm Prince’s brothers.
“Only Prince Qi and Prince Chu already have wives. Prince Lu has no wife just yet, and Prince Mediocre and Prince Su already have fiancées, so the women sitting beside them are all their concubines.”
Qjao Jinniang remembered carefully. The one sitting beside Prince Mediocre was not Qiao Ruoshui but a gentle- looking woman, who must be Concubine Jian.
She tried to remember these royal family members when she suddenly heard sound of Tuan’er falling to the ground.
Tuan’er was feeding his rabbit doll water with a little spoon, but was bumped hard by a fat dark-skinned child, and the spoon fell to the ground.
After that, the black-skinned kid snatched the rabbit doll from Tua pushed him to the ground.
The child didn’t speak clearly. “Bunny, give it to me.”
Just when Qiao Jinniang was nervous and distressed, Tuan’er suddenly got up and punched the child to the ground.
Then Tuan’er sat on him and bit the fat child’s arm. Seeing his arm bleed, the fat child cried out in pain. “Mother, it hurts.”
Seeing this, Tuan’er took the opportunity to take the doll rabbit back.
Consort Qi immediately got up and hurriedly hugged her child.
“Bao’er, you ill-bred brat, what is so valuable that you need to snatch it? Only a merchant-raised child would regard it as a treasure. Don’t get your hands dirty!
Qjao Jinniang knew that Consort Qi was obliquely scolding Tuan’er although she seemed to be scolding her son.
Merchant-raised, could it be more obvious?
At this time, an eunuch announced that the Empress Dowager came with a few imperial concubines.
After everyone saluted, Prince Q’s mother, Imperial Concubine Wan, saw her grandson’s arm bleeding and was immediately angry. “Who did this?
Junior Prince Bao pointed at Tuan’er crying. “Boohoo, it hurts!”
Tuan’er hugged the doll rabbit and said, “Yes, I bit you, so what?!
Imperial Concubine Wan glared at Tuan’er. “Little Highness, isn’t there no brotherhood in the countryside?
Just when Qjao Jinniang was about to speak…
She heard Tuan’er say in his childish voice, “According to the “Historical Records”, brotherhood means that the elder brother is kind to the younger brother, and the younger brother is respectful to the elder brother.
“But he, as my elder brother, snatched my doll and was not friendly to me at all. If he wants my dol1, he can ask me for it, and I can ask my mother to make one for him, but he didn’t say anything and just pushed me to the ground. Why couldn’t I bite him? I didn’t do anything wrong! Humph!”
The entire hall instantly fell silent, you could even heara pin drop.
After all, it was incredible for a three-year-old boy to quote the “Historical Records”.
The Empress Dowager said angrily, “How dare you bite your brother! As the grandson of the Emperor, how can you bite your brother like a dog? Come, hit all his maids, mammies and eunuchs thirty times with a cane.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “Your Grace, hold on.”