BERW - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Shen Yuyao slipped quietly out of bed. When she pushed open the door and stepped out, Shi Caiwen was still sound asleep; Shen Yuyao could even hear her faint little snores.

Could this count as unlocking the ancient sovereign-and-subject achievement of sleeping foot to foot?

Shen Yuyao smiled, turned, and called over Shi Caiwen's maid, telling her to go in and rouse Shi Caiwen to get up and wash.

How cruel she was, robbing Shi Caiwen of the chance to laze in bed just like that.

Faintly hearing the sounds of Shi Caiwen struggling, unwilling to rise, Shen Yuyao felt wonderful.

"Princess, Tao Li, from Prince Shen's side, has come. He says Prince Shen will arrive in half an hour."

Shen Yuyao would not let anyone else sleep in, and now she had no time to sleep in herself, either; her own elder brother had even sent someone specially to tell her to hurry up, get out of bed, wash, and dress.

Shen Yuyao gave an ungracious huff. "So annoying. He rises early every day, so no one else gets to sleep, either. Zhuxiang, where is Juxiang?"

Meixiang had been frozen out by Shen Yuyao, and Lanxiang was still at Qianyin Temple keeping her adoptive mother company, so when Shen Yuyao came down the mountain she had brought only Zhuxiang and Juxiang with her.

Zhuxiang was silent by nature, but dependable in her work, and Shen Yuyao often liked to use her. Compared to Zhuxiang, Juxiang was far slicker; not slick in the sense of lazy in her work, but a bit smooth-tongued.

"Princess, your servant is here. Your servant prepared a sober-up soup for the Princess. The Princess was drunk last night, so her head must be aching terribly."

Juxiang darted out from behind, carrying a sober-up soup that gave off a strange smell.

Actually, Juxiang was attentive and knew how to care for people, which was rather good; only, she had one flaw: she was a bit careless in her work.

Shen Yuyao loved sweets, and a sober-up soup, this strange-smelling liquid, felt to her like drinking Chinese medicine, truly a torment!

And Juxiang had not put in even a spoonful of sugar, serving the original flavor straight to Shen Yuyao.

Forcing herself to drink down the sober-up soup, Shen Yuyao truly could not muster any gratitude toward Juxiang.

"No wonder you're the Princess. Even a soup this awful, you drink down without changing expression. In the future the Princess will surely endure the bitterest of the bitter and become a person above others!"

"Enough, enough, say no more. Read more books from now on." Shen Yuyao's head was starting to ache again from Juxiang's words.

So you do know the soup tastes bad! Then put some sugar in it for me!

And what's all this about enduring the bitterest of the bitter to become a person above others? Is this the place for such a saying?

"What the Princess says is right. These past days your servant has been reading all along. Not only your servant, I've had Zhuxiang read too, and Zhuxiang knows quite a few characters now."

Hearing this, Shen Yuyao narrowed her eyes at Juxiang, a bellyful of complaints with no idea where to begin.

Zhuxiang already knew plenty of characters to begin with. Is that your doing? Of the four palace maids, you're the least literate. As soon as class starts, before the instructor has even begun to speak, you're off wandering the great void!

And that reading of yours, is that reading? That's putting yourself to sleep. When you can't sleep at night, you take out a book and set it up, and before long you're out cold. Don't think I don't know and you can just say whatever you like!

Shen Yuyao's bellyful of words finally turned into two characters.

"Forget it. You can't force these things."

Some people were born with photographic memories, like Shi Caiwen, and so naturally there were people born without any aptitude for study; forcing it was useless.

But not everyone in the world understood as Shen Yuyao did the principle of what could not be forced.

Shen Qingjin was one of its foremost exemplars. He understood not at all what was meant by "a melon forced off the vine isn't sweet." No matter what, he had to twist a melon off.

No, he was determined to make the Shi clan look at him with new eyes and no longer dare slight him!

He also wanted to kick down the Empress and her son, who had long lorded it over him and his mother consort, and ascend himself to that supreme seat of power.

A lovely idea, but putting it into practice was beset with difficulties.

For example, coming to see his sister: after waiting all morning, just as it neared the midday meal, his thousand-cherished, hundred-pampered sister finally deigned to come downstairs.

Shen Yuyao had changed into a set of fine silks and satins, a crimson long skirt that, paired with her snow-white skin, was most eye-catching; not to mention the pearls, kingfisher feathers, and gemstones on her head, which made her look like she had come from a very wealthy house.

Her very entrance was so imposing it struck people speechless.

Shi Caiwen, who had come down long ago to wait, had her eyes dazzled blind by Shen Yuyao's sudden finery, and a measure of deference rose on her face.

The night before, when they had talked, she had already grown familiar with Shen Yuyao, and the sense of distance in her heart had faded, thinking the Princess was just an ordinary person, too.

Now she suddenly understood that before her was a princess of Great Zhuang, and the most favored, beloved of His Majesty and the Empress at that. She had been born the brightest pearl.

"Yuyang, when traveling abroad, why dress so elaborately? Extravagant and wasteful. If people see it, there's no telling how they'll talk."

Shen Qingjin did not much like ostentation, as one could tell from his traveling with only a few guards and attendants and riding in a single carriage.

Compared with other imperial kin and nobles who made great displays, one could almost call it shabby.

But the Original Owner had loved ostentation, and Shen Yuyao was dressing entirely according to the Original Owner's character.

"Brother, is there anything improper about your sister's dress?" Shen Yuyao now understood why the Original Owner had disliked Shen Qingjin.

Just imagine: you do something joyfully, and when you've finished, you wait full of anticipation for others' praise, and then a person suddenly comes to pour cold water on you, wearing the look of one who means to teach you how things should be done, and scolds you.

Who wouldn't be angry?

"By my look, it is improper in every way."

Shen Qingjin very much wanted to tell Shen Yuyao to go back and change into something simple and easy to move in.

But years of experience quarreling with his sister told Shen Qingjin that if he dared command Shen Yuyao, she would quarrel with him on the spot.

There were others present, and Shen Qingjin cared rather much for his face; he did not like his family's shame being spread abroad.

"Bear with it, Brother. In any case, it's not for you to wear. If Brother likes to dress up, next time your sister will wait for you." Shen Yuyao covered her mouth with a light laugh, her manner quite natural as she spoke.

The mockery in her words was so thick that even Shi Caiwen caught it.

When Shi Caiwen heard Shen Qingjin's words, she did not think there was anything wrong. Most elders, out in public, disparaged their own family's children.

Putting a fine name on it: this was humility.

And then she heard that passage of Shen Yuyao's, a refutation that could be called rude, yet on careful thought was rather reasonable.

Shen Yuyao was not wearing palace dress, only dressed somewhat elaborately; but young ladies of high houses traveling abroad were not without dressing so.

It wasn't as if Shen Qingjin had to wear it. What was he picking at?

Shi Caiwen looked at the matter from Shen Yuyao's standpoint and felt Shen Yuyao was right; Shen Qingjin, as the one being retorted, had his smile all twisted.

First he had waited here half the day, and then he was contradicted by his sister in front of an outsider. Truly a loss of face.

Just before Shen Qingjin could flare up, Shen Yuyao heaved a long sigh.

"Ah, I had thought, not having seen Brother for some days, to dress up nicely to welcome Brother. I never expected Brother would dislike this outfit. Since Brother doesn't like it, then Brother, wait for me, I'll go back and change."

With that, she made as if to go upstairs.

Shen Qingjin instantly recalled the irritation of waiting bitterly all morning.

If Shen Yuyao went back to change clothes again, how much longer would he have to wait?

"Forget it, forget it. On close look, this outfit of yours is passable. You and I are siblings of one womb; you needn't be so courteous." Next time dress simply and come down to see me quickly, and that will do!

Shen Yuyao, as if she had not heard Shen Qingjin's words at all, sat down beside him with a smiling face.

That's right: she had said she would go back and change clothes, but in fact she had not even turned around.

The word "perfunctory" was practically written on her face.

Seeing her like that, Shen Qingjin's anger came from nowhere; he began to suspect his brains had been kicked by a donkey, or else why had he come to Shen Yuyao's to ask for boredom?

"Princess, tea."

Just then Shi Caiwen spoke up, offering Shen Yuyao tea, and Shen Qingjin's mind, somewhat addled by the fire of his rage, finally came back to him.

He had not come to ask for boredom. He had come to court someone.

"Brother, my friend and I are going to the streets to enjoy ourselves. Brother has come here, presumably to spend the festival with Imperial Grandmother. Imperial Grandmother is up on the mountain. Shall I find someone to show you the way?"

Shen Yuyao opened her mouth to shoo him off.

With Shen Qingjin sitting beside her, even her water didn't taste good.

Shi Caiwen gave Shen Yuyao a look beyond words.

She knew the prince and the seventh princess did not get along, but she had not expected it to be this bad. How long had they been together, and already they were on the verge of a quarrel.

"Princess, Prince Shen waited for you a long while, and has not yet taken his midday meal."

Shi Caiwen felt she should lend a hand. If Shen Yuyao's treatment of her own brother got out, and those gossiping censors learned of it, there would likely be no shortage of memorials before His Majesty impeaching the Princess for presuming on favor and being spoiled.

"Ah, perfect timing! There's no good cook in Yudu Town, and the food is mediocre. Brother has always been one who 'does not tire of fine grain, nor of finely minced meat'; you surely won't be used to it. The cooks at Qianyin Temple came out of the palace, so their cooking is surely more refined. If Brother hurries over now, he'll still catch the serving of the dishes."

"Does not tire of fine grain, does not tire of finely minced meat" had always described someone with high demands for food and drink, a term of praise; but placed in Shen Yuyao's words, it let one catch a note of mockery.

However nicely said, it was still cold mockery.

If Shen Qingjin could have swallowed it, he would not have come running to court someone after the Shi clan rejected the marriage.

Even if the one who spoke of him was his own sister, he still could not swallow this breath.

But there was nothing he could do to Shen Yuyao, so in the end he could only glare at her in a huff, fling his sleeve, and leave, truly skipping the midday meal.

Seeing that even Prince Shen's back as he left betrayed his anger, Shi Caiwen marveled inwardly: this Princess Yuyang's temperament was truly forceful.

Even a rather favored imperial prince, her own elder brother, could not hold her down.

"Hmph, a posturing fellow. If he really wanted to eat, he would have ordered the dishes long ago."

Hearing this, Shi Caiwen suddenly understood.

Shen Yuyao was not being rude to Shen Qingjin; rather, she could see Shen Qingjin's true nature more clearly than others.

Shen Qingjin simply disdained the things here, so after sitting half the day, before him there was only tea, and even that tea was made from leaves brought from the palace.

The cooks now kept at the inn had all been brought out by Shen Yuyao, and their cooking surely suited her tastes better.

If they really kept him for a meal, there was no telling how he would start "holding forth on the state of the realm" again.

Because the Original Owner and Shen Qingjin had different tastes at meals, they had quarreled an untold number of times as children over it.

"Serve the dishes. After we eat, we'll wait for your cousin to come, and then we'll go play with the sand table." Shen Yuyao quickly cast this unpleasant interlude to the back of her mind.

Shi Caiwen nodded heavily; the palace delicacies brought to the table drew all her attention.

And Shen Yuyao, before eating, passed Yu San a look.

Yu San nodded, and with a flicker of movement left for a moment; when Shen Yuyao finished her meal, she appeared again.

Elsewhere, Shen Qingjin came out in a huff and got into his carriage.

"The Prince is the Princess's elder brother. How could the Princess contradict the Prince like that in front of outsiders?"

Tao Li, in the carriage, set out pastries for Shen Qingjin while nursing his indignation for him.

Instead, Shen Qingjin, who had just been wearing his anger on his face, was now expressionless, with few traces of anger left.

"What do you know? She was testing me." Shen Qingjin sneered. "This sister of mine has made quite some progress lately."

Tao Li had not believed it at first, but since it was the Prince who said it, he had no choice but to believe.

Only, what would the Princess be testing the Prince for?

Tao Li lowered his head and mulled it over carefully, then his expression changed drastically. "Princess Yuyang, could she... could she know something?"

"She captured people, and she has shadow guards with her. Sooner or later she'll pry their mouths open."

Shen Qingjin was not surprised. The world said the Court of Judicial Review had many harsh officials, but in truth the truly ruthless ones were all in the palace.

"I just didn't expect it would be so soon... The shadow guard with her, do you recognize her?"

Tao Li thought back carefully, but could not recall who it might be at all.

"Reporting to the Prince, the shadow guard with the Princess is likely a woman; she does not train together with the likes of us."

"Mm. To the Fan Residence; I want to call on my teacher."

"Yes."

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