Chapter 22 - Unlucky

 Yan Xue was unmoved and repeated coldly, "Miss Zhao, please don't embarrass me."

Zhao Yujiao looked at Yan Xue with wet eyes and was about to cry. "Guard Yan, can't you really make some concessions? I'm here to find the princess to burn incense at the ancestral hall."

In previous years, the first thing the princess did when she got up was to go to the ancestral hall of the palace to burn incense. Although Zhao Yujiao had no status, she would go there.

"No!"

The three guards next to her couldn't stand it anymore. Seeing Zhao Yujiao's pity, their hearts tightened, but Yan Xue just wouldn't listen.

Ye Chuyan and Bai Zhi in the yard heard the conversation outside. Bai Zhi frowned and said "Pooh" at the gate of the yard.

"It's New Year's Day, unlucky!"

Ye Chuyan was amused by Bai Zhi. She stood in the yard, took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky. Although the weather was cold, there was a sunrise. Her heart was suddenly filled with strength. No matter what, she had to find a way to see her mother once! She also wanted to see her sister-in-law give birth to her nephew safely.

Li Fu saw Zhao Yujiao at the gate of Jianjia Garden from a distance and hurriedly went up to greet her.

"Miss Zhao, Happy New Year! Are you here to find the princess to burn incense at the ancestral hall? Is it because the princess doesn't want to come out?"

Hongying glanced at Li Fu and couldn't help but sighed; the old ones are still the best. Zhao Yujiao understood Li Fu's meaning almost instantly.

"Yes, it's a pity that Guard Yan didn't give any leniency, and my sister didn't say anything inside."

Yan Xue frowned slightly. The prince didn't ask for burning incense today, and the princess was still under house arrest. He hesitated for a while.

Bai Zhi was so angry in the courtyard that her teeth itched.

"Princess, why don't we ask Guard Yan to open the door and let me go out and scold this bitch? What qualifications does she have to go to the ancestral hall of the palace to burn incense?"

Ye Chuyan thought Bai Zhi was really cute. She forgot about the pain after the wound healed, and she didn't know how to restrain herself at all. She smiled faintly and said slowly, "Pei Xiuyan will be back soon. Don't worry, there will be a good show soon."

Pei Xiuyan came back faster than expected.

Before the New Year's opening ceremony was over today, an urgent report came that the Emperor of Beirong died suddenly on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month before the New Year, and the Beirong Palace had been keeping it secret. Five days ago, the second prince of Beirong, Na Sheng, forced the Beirong Crown Prince to death on the grounds that the Crown Prince was plotting to murder the Emperor. He then took over the Beirong Palace on the spot and killed all the people with the surname Na in the royal family.

Na Sheng was born to a slave in the Beirong Palace. He was born with double pupils and a ghostly appearance. He was despised by the Beirong royal family. He knew he was lowly, so he asked to join the army at the age of five. He fought Dafeng on the border for more than ten years. He acted decisively and cruelly, and he was extremely evil. Beirong concealed this matter very well, until the second prince ascended the throne yesterday, proclaimed himself Emperor Tianwu, and then announced it to the world.

At the same time, the new emperor of Beirong sent someone to write a letter to Dafeng, saying that on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the new emperor of Beirong would personally bring envoys to Kyoto to visit the emperor of Dafeng. He came at this time without explaining his purpose, which caused an uproar in the court.

The court officials quarrelled before the New Year's ceremony in the morning was over. Some people suggested assassinating Na Sheng or holding him hostage, which would inevitably cause chaos in Beirong. Dafeng could use this to take down Beirong.

Some people also said that Na Sheng had just ascended the throne and did not stabilise the government in Beirong, but came to Dafeng instead. He must have a backup plan. Who knows if he deliberately came to induce Dafeng to attack Beirong? If they act rashly and cause Beirong to retaliate, the gains will outweigh the losses.

Some court officials also speculated that Na Sheng's visit to Kyoto was a gesture of goodwill, so it would be better to make friends with him and let the border cease fire from now on.

Pei Ye was very upset about this. The matter of Prince Pingyang had just ended, and Beirong had done this again. The beginning of this year seemed particularly unsuccessful. After the opening ceremony of the palace, all the court officials were dispersed. The emperor wanted to have some peace and quiet today.

Pei Xiuyan returned to the house with a lot of things on his mind. After he came back, he saw a group of people standing at the gate of Jianjia Garden from a distance. When he went over, he saw Zhao Yujiao, Li Fu, and Yan Xue were all there.

"Jiaojiao, didn't I tell you to have a good rest? Why are you here?"

No matter how Pei Xiuyan felt, he couldn't help but soften his voice when he saw Zhao Yujiao, for fear of scaring her.

Everyone saluted.

Zhao Yujiao said aggrievedly, "Your Highness, I want to ask my sister to go to burn incense together, but Guard Yan is not flexible, and my sister is silent inside."

Pei Xiuyan pinched his eyebrows and felt a little tired. "Ye Chuyan is under house arrest; you don't have to pay attention to her; I'll take you there."

After saying that, he was about to push Zhao Yujiao. She was weak, and her leg injury recovered slowly. She had not yet recovered and was still in a wheelchair.

Zhao Yujiao turned her head and looked at Pei Xiuyan, worried.

"Your Highness, my sister is the princess. If she doesn't go, I have no status and no position to accompany you. I always feel it's not right."

Pei Xiuyan was slightly angry. "Who said you have no status? Didn't I say it? When your leg is healed..."

"Open the door, open the door; the princess has something to say to the prince." Bai Zhi's knocking on the door in the yard interrupted Pei Xiuyan's words.

Pei Xiuyan nodded slightly at Yan Xue, who understood and opened the lock.

Zhao Yujiao pretended to be surprised, but she was secretly sneering in her heart. She heard this morning that Pei Xiuyan stayed overnight at Ye Chuyan's place, so she came up with this plan just now. She wanted Ye Chuyan to hear in person how Pei Xiuyan gave her a status.

The door opened...

Ye Chuyan had her hair tied up high, without makeup, wearing a moon-coloured silver silk embroidered bamboo waist-length gown, a snow-white fox fur waistcoat on the outside, and only a pear wood hairpin on her body. Her skin was cold and white, her eyebrows and eyes were clear, she was neither sad nor happy, and she was pure and unstained by dust. A trace of ripples flashed in Pei Xiuyan's tired eyes, she was so clean that people dared not blaspheme.

"Greetings to the prince." Ye Chuyan bowed to Pei Xiuyan in a proper manner.

 

Without waiting for Pei Xiuyan to answer, she turned to Zhao Yujiao and said, "Sister, are you going to accompany the prince to the ancestral hall to burn incense?"

 

Zhao Yujiao said coquettishly, "Sister, you haven't come out yet. The prince took pity on me and offered to take me there. Sister, please don't be angry with the prince."

Ye Chuyan smiled lightly.

"How could it be? I was ignorant in the past and caused a lot of trouble for my sister, making her unhappy. Today is the beginning of the new year. In front of everyone, the prince will also help me to bear witness. I apologise to my sister here, and I hope my sister will forgive me."

After that, he said to Bai Zhi behind him, "Hurry up and give my sister the New Year's gift I prepared."

Bai Zhi was unambiguous. She held a gift box with both hands and said crisply, "This is a thousand-year-old ginseng. I hope Miss Zhao will accept it."

Hongying and Zhao Yujiao's faces changed immediately. This is the thousand-year-old ginseng that Zhao Yujiao gave to Ye Chuyan last time she came to provoke Ye Chuyan. What kind of evil does Ye Chuyan want to do with this?

For a moment, everyone looked at each other, wondering why the princess suddenly changed her temper today and treated Zhao Yujiao so well.

Pei Xiuyan thought that Ye Chuyan received Ye's mother's letter yesterday, thought everything clearly, and was willing to be a princess. He couldn't help but feel a little relieved. "In this case, Jiaojiao, please accept it quickly. No matter who was right or wrong in the past, it's all in the past."