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Palace Banquet Fright (1)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Does it hurt?
Of course, it hurt.
The tip of her finger had gotten lashed by the zither string, practically hurting to the core.
Lu Qi Yang kissed her fingertip, and then, along the back of her hand, slowly plant his kiss upwards. When he reached her elbow, he lightly used his teeth to bite her, startling Shen Lan Chi to softly call out, “……..You bit me again!”
Lu Qi Yang raised his head, his smiling eyes slightly curved, overflowing with a burst of romantic elegance.
“Precisely biting you.” He said, “Attracting bees and butterflies everyday! That Lu Zi Xiang’s gaze towards you was like as if about to swallow you.”
“What kind of random vinegar are you eating?” Shen Lan Chi said, “Him looking at me a few times won’t make me lose a piece of flesh. Even if Lu Zi Xiang has thoughts towards me, Noble Consort Liu certainly won’t agree, so why be overly bothered by that second prince?”
Lu Qi Yang slanted his mouth, grumbling, “This young master precisely minds, what about it? That Lu Zi Xiang is peeking at this young master’s person all day long, am I not allowed to be displeased?”
He rolled up his sleeves, having an indignant look. Although his expression was unserious, there was still a trace of seriousness in his eyes, don’t know if he was really angry, or just pretending to be angry.
Seeing this look of his, Shen Lan Chi slightly sighed and said, “You’re really this worried that the second prince will have me snatched away?”
“Really.” Lu Qi Yang said, “I’m scared that the second prince will have fantasies towards you.”
“Alright then.” Shen Lan Chi’s eyelashes slightly trembled.
She extended her hand, pressing against the heir’s chest.
Her arms were slender, appearing soft and powerless, her fingers delicate and fair, just like the spring scallions. Clearly appearing to be this weak, yet a light push from her was able to make the heir stagger backwards, and afterwards, fall onto the ground.
“What…..what are you doing?” Lu Qi Yang propped his palms against the ground, his eyes showing hesitation.
“Weren’t you worried that I’ll run away with someone else?”
Shen Lan Chi bent her knees and sat onto the heir’s waist. Lifting her hand, she took off her own outer garment, revealing her jade white shoulder. The core of the lantern crackled and flickered, the light making her shoulder and neck glow with a tender light pink.
She lifted her head and slightly hooked her lips, her bright and pretty eyes directly looking into his eyes. The bottom of her eyes were filled with provocation. She lifted her dark long hair with one hand, while the other hand untied the straps hanging around her neck, “Alright then, why don’t you take my body now and make me become yours. That way, you won’t have to worry anymore.”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Lu Qi Yang slightly blanked, his breathing quietly becoming heavier, his fingers clenching into a fist.
It was already at such a difficult time, yet the girl in front of him was still smiling ambiguously, her eyes filled with ripples that could drown a person.
She lightly bit her lower lip, silently mouthing to him with her lips, saying ‘come~’.
Lu Qi Yang’s mind instantly exploded.
Composure and impulse mutually wrestled one another, neither gaining the upper hand. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his two eyes tightly closed, his long brows tightly furrowed, as if facing an army of ten thousand, while also as if about to retreat in defeat.
Shen Lan Chi bent down, leaning against his ear, softly muttering, “Why not have me? The front is still lively, so no one will come here.”
When the girl spoke, her faintly warm breath blew past his ear, extremely seductive.
Ever so faintly, they seemingly could still hear the sound of the strings upon the great hall. Separated by a few doors were the properly dressed court officials and the majestic emperor.
A while later, Lu Qi Yang finally moved.
“……..You asked for it yourself.”
After saying this, he tightly embraced the girl sitting upon him, buckling her neck and forcing her to lock lips with him. Inside the thin muslin cover, the lantern core lightly flickered, briefly producing a soft crackling sound. Two long shadows casted upon the wall, blending into one another.
Right at this time, a knocking sound came from outside the door. Her servant girl Bi Yu said, “Miss, the third miss came.”
The sound startled the two in the room. Shen Lan Chi who was incomparably proactive a moment ago, immediately changed face in the next moment, swiftly jumping up at a flying speed and directly having the heir pushed behind the folding screen.
Poor Lu Qi Yang didn’t even have time to do anything. While still lying on the ground, like the rolling pin rolling out the dough, he just got rolled behind the folding screen, nearly bumping into the table and chair behind it.
Shen Lan Chi randomly draped a piece of clothing around herself and tidied her hair before going to open the door. Sure enough, she saw Shen Ran standing at the door. The weather at present was already very cold, don’t know how long Shen Ran has stood outside for, her delicate little nose already thoroughly red from the wind.
Shen Lan Chi couldn’t bear seeing her like this, thus called her into the warm room.
“Older sister Lan.” Shen Ran had her head lowered, her voice carrying a trace of timidness, “Ran’er……Ran’er had accidentally overturned the teacup, yet one doesn’t have any clothes to change into on hand. On older sister Tong’s side……..she also didn’t prepare any extra clothes. That’s why, Ran’er shamelessly came to ask, whether or not older sister Lan can lend me a spare set of clothes?”
Shen Lan Chi carefully looked. On Shen Ran’s dress, there was a large dark patch of water stain, very eye-catching.
Shen Ran was a shu daughter. She originally wasn’t able to attend this banquet in the palace. Hua-yiniang desperately begged and pleaded until Shen first madam finally gave in, agreeing to take Shen Ran into the palace together. Xiao-shi was unhappy, so thought of ways to cause trouble for her in terms of her clothes and servant girl. A perfectly fine young lady actually didn’t have a single servant girl when going out and can only follow behind Shen Tong Ying. She also didn’t have anyone bringing clothes for her. Not only so, the clothes on her were also extremely plain, not the least bit like a young lady of the duke manor.
When Xiao-shi demanded Shen Ran to wear these clothes, she even boldly said, “Isn’t that Shen Lan Chi from the first branch also dressed in this kind of impoverished manner? But when it comes to you, you even feel wronged?”
“I do have spare clothes, but may not necessarily be fitting, and also not that pretty.” Shen Lan Chi brought over the spare clothes and handed them to Shen Ran.
“Thank you older sister Lan!” Shen Ran revealed a pleasantly surprised look, her little mouth slightly pursed.
Afterwards, Shen Ran’s line of sight landed on a hairpin on the dressing table, the bottom of her eyes revealing a trace of envy, saying, “Ran’er doesn’t mean anything by this, merely having little experience, not having seen such a pretty hairpin before.”
Shen Lan Chi turned her head, discovering that there was indeed a hairpin before the dressing table mirror. The head of the hairpin had a small circle of southern pearls and an inch-long gold wires holding an eight-sided ruby, extremely wealthy-looking and ostentatious.
Ever since her rebirth, she didn’t wear these expensive-looking accessories much anymore, her clothes also just picking light and plain colors to wear. This kind of fancy accessory clearly must have been secretly shoved in by her mother or brother.
It just so happens that Shen Ran only has a few pitiful pearls in her hair. As such, Shen Lan Chi simply gave her this hairpin. “You can just take it, I don’t lack this kind of thing.” Shen Lan Chi had that hairpin handed to Shen Ran, “Similarly daughters of the Shen family, second aunt truly is a bit too much, how can she treat you this harshly?”
——Shen Tong Ying was the future crown princess. Presumably, Xiao-shi must have thought that after becoming an imperial in-law, she can do whatever she wanted. Even if taking the opportunity to mistreat the shu daughter, no one would dare to comment. Because of this, she just had this harsh and mean behavior on full display, not covering up in the slightest, and also not scared of getting criticized by others.
Shen Ran was extremely surprised, her pretty little face turning thoroughly red. She accepted the hairpin, as if holding something hot in hand, endlessly praising, “So pretty……..thank you older sister Lan. In the future, I’ll make some more little things to give back to older sister Lan. Although Ran’er doesn’t have anything expensive, the feelings are the most important.”
Shen Lan Chi smilingly nodded.
Shen Ran thanked her again before finally going out.
Once Shen Ran left, Shen Lan Chi immediately detected a strangely bitter line of sight behind her. Turning back, she saw Lu Qi Yang curled up behind the folding screen, expressionlessly staring at her, appearing very pitiful.
Recalling the lovely spring scenery a moment ago, then seeing this look from Lu Qi Yang, like a disappointed groundhog, Shen Lan Chi felt extremely amused. “Aiyaa, lord heir, next time!” Shen Lan Chi propped against the folding screen, laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, “Isn’t there still plenty of opportunities? Next time!”
Lu Qi Yang’s complexion turned even darker.
“……….Can’t win against you.” He plucked a handful of fur from the velvet rug, as if this rug was his Majesty’s head, mumbling, “Can’t win against you, so do as you please.”
• • •
Shen Ran went out the door, putting that hairpin in her hair and immediately returning to the banquet.
The court officials and titled madams have long respectively separated, having a male banquet and a female banquet, or in twos and threes, or in groups, drinking and chatting.
Shen Tong Ying was together with the daughters from the Xiao family, her face full of pride, the corner of her lips raised high. Those daughters from the Xiao family knew that Shen Tong Ying will be the crown princess in the future, so were currently flattering her nonstop, their praises more exaggerated than the last, making Shen Tong Ying be over the moon.
“Older sister Tong is of national grace and divine beauty. His Highness the Crown Prince really is blessed.”
“What does that Shen Lan Chi count as? Can’t even compare to a finger on older sister Tong!”
“Similarly having the Shen surname, yet only older sister Tong is the most graceful.”
Shen Tong Ying was feeling elated when she suddenly saw Shen Ran return with her head down. Shen Ran still had that timid appearance, her thick bangs hanging low, making one unable to see her face clearly. But, what was different from when she left was that she not only changed her clothes, there was also an exquisitely-crafted hairpin in her hair.
Shen Tong Ying stared at that hairpin, suddenly feeling that it was a bit familiar-looking———A few days ago, she seemingly had seen this hairpin before in her father’s study. At the time, she even thought that this hairpin was for her mother, but now, this hairpin was on Shen Ran’s head instead.
Shen Ran was a mere shu daughter, how can she be worthy of such a hairpin? Certainly must have been stolen!
Shen Tong Ying coldly sneered and left behind those three young ladies from the Xiao family, pulling Shen Ran to an empty corridor and immediately just giving her a slap.
“Shen Ran, even if you’re the daughter of a bed-climbing servant girl, you’re still a young lady of the An Duke Manor. To think that you would actually do something this disgraceful, stealing my mother’s hairpin! Really an embarrassment to the An Duke Manor!”
After saying this, she pulled out the hairpin in Shen Ran’s hair, weighing it in her hand before placing it into her sleeve.
After Shen Ran took the slap, her cheek instantly swelled up. She seemed to be extremely pitiful, her tears swirling in her eyes.
Shen Ran’s swollen cheek certainly will leave a mark. When Shen Tong Ying saw, she was slightly nervous inside, instantly regretting——-She’d slapped Shen Ran in a moment of impulse. If others were to find out, won’t that be embarrassing? It’s all this Shen Ran’s fault for having dirty hands, causing her to be angered.
“For the time being, I will temporarily leave you some face and won’t tell mother.” Shen Tong Ying composed herself, saying, “If you want me to help you keep this secret, then you better not tell anyone. This face of yours became swollen because you fell on the ground, understand? This hairpin, you’d never seen before, and I also didn’t take it away.”
Shen Ran held her swollen cheek, nodding her head with tears in her eyes, murmuring, “Ran’er understands.”
Shen Tong Ying nodded in satisfaction before turning to leave, her figure still haughty.
The night wind gently blew through the corridor, causing the clothes to flutter and swell. A while later, Shen Ran lifted her head, her beautiful face no longer having her usual timidness, just leaving behind a mocking smile. Her distinctly black and white eyes penetrated with a hint of resentment, practically about to drip with poison.
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