The Beloved Imperial Consort - Chapter 74

“Does your Highness want to tell qie something?” Mu Xi Yao asked helplessly as she has detected that it was the third time this night Zhong Zheng Lin gazed at her. If he kept staring at her like this, she won’t be able to sleep. Being placed next to the boss and constantly watched by him, she was under great pressure.

“Jiao Jiao, after the capping ceremony, bendian will have a grand wedding.”

Capping ceremony? Mu Xi Yao was puzzled. When did it happen? Grand wedding? It will happen sooner or later, nothing out of ordinary.

“When?”

The hand Zhong Zheng Lin that caressed her back halted. She actually didn’t know when was the capping ceremony?

Apparently, the sixth Highness strayed from the main course due to Mu Xi Yao. Originally, he wanted to discuss with her about the issue of the grand wedding. However, that woman’s blunt question has attracted his attention.

“Jiao Jiao doesn’t know bendian’s birthday?” The man’s intonation slightly rose. Danger was approaching.

The woman who just now had the whole body relaxed and mind on a mental journey instantly came back to herself.

The custom of Great Wei was to officially celebrate birthday after one reached adulthood. The elders in the family didn’t specifically celebrate the younger generation’s birthday. For instance, in the past few years that Mu Xi Yao has been here, it has always been only Mu Jin Zhi who continually sent her gifts every year. Sir Mu and lady Yu merely kept her company during the meal, admonishing her few words that she was a year older and ought to be even more thoughtful.

Hence, Mu Xi Yao naturally wouldn’t know when being asked by him. Nobody has celebrated before. What’s more, nobody has even mentioned it. How can she know?

Besides, was the birth chart of the Great Wei’s imperial princes something one could inquire as one pleased? Moreover, she didn’t even remember her own birthday. It was all thanks to Mu Jin Zhi’s congratulatory gifts to remind her. As a result, this matter was truly too tough for her.

“Your Highness, qie cannot inquiry about your birthday in the private, right? Qie has been in the estate for less than two years, yet have heard no one mentioned it, isn’t it so?” This time, Mu Xi Yao didn’t pretend to be muddle-headed. Rather, she was truly perplexed.

Her predecessor failed to live up expectations. Whenever it came to a crucial point, she became dispirited. From the loss of children to passing away, her mind was chaotic. There was just a very few useful information. As her successor, it wasn’t easy for her to succeed by relying on her bits and pieces of memories. As for such a trivial matter as a birthday, your Highness, can you not be so aojiao?

Zhong Zheng Lin looked at her “earnestly asking for guidance”. His phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. Did Mu Xi Yao bear in mind “husband comes before everything else” or not?

“The fourth day of the sixth month.”

As soon as his words fell, the person covered her body, “Bendian allows you to inquire. You’re free to ask to clear your confusions. If you don’t engrave it into heart, Jiao Jiao, you will not want to know the consequences.”

Zhong Zheng Lin caught the person and began to infuriatingly kneading her. Mu Xi Yao repeated fiercely the fourth day of the sixth month for several times inside the heart. This unfortunate day not only produced the evildoer above her but has also caused her to be sorted out.

“Your Highness~” An idea came into Mu Xi Yao’s mind. She hooked her jade-like foot and wrapped it around Zhong Zheng Lin’s waist. Her toe stroked and rubbed against Zhong Zheng Lin’s tailbone.

“Your Highness, if qie was bullied after your grand wedding, what should qie do?”

At the crucial time, one ought to be efficient when hugging a thick leg1. Dignity something was already nibbled away by Zhong Zheng Lin.

The sixth Highness was pleasurable rubbed by Mu Xi Yao. The land of joy ambiguously tantalized his hotness. As he was going to press the woman’s waist to enter the paradise, he heard her soft and delicate words.

Zhong Zheng Lin was happy to see Mu Xi Yao’s reliance on him. At the moment, the scorching heat made him burn with lust. He was so stimulated by her delicate cries that he couldn’t care less about other things. He urgently pulled at her and slammed inside her.

Amidst intense thrusting, Zhong Zheng Lin’s sweated profusely. He leaned over to kiss the little woman’s captivating red lips. His phoenix eyes were as deep as night.

“Bendian’s darling is only you, Jiao Jiao.” The man’s deep and hoarse hint made the corners of Mu Xi Yao’s mouth curl up.

Zhong Zheng Lin watched the gorgeous woman beneath him who was like a blossoming delicate flower with a scorching gaze, gradually losing all of his reason.

Since Mu Xi Yao has received a satisfactory reply, she let out a delicate chuckle. She deliberately squeezed and then loosened her lower abdomen. The squeezes of the inner muscles made Zhong Zheng Lin’s breathing chaotic, keeping drawing in the breath.

“Elder cousin~” Mu Xi Yao was enveloped by the air of demoness. She suddenly lifted her upper body to suck his earlobe into her mouth and said sweetly.

Mu Xi Yao’s abrupt wantonness has almost aroused him to the point he lost it. He reprimanded her lowly and then pick the person up and began to diligently slam into her.

For a moment, there was only a scene of springtime in the room, waves after waves of delicate moans could be heard from the inside.

The news spread from the palace: a princess consort is being selected for the sixth Highness and new people will enter each estate. All the noble families in Shengjing put an effort, most of them marking the honorable position of the sixth Highness’s princess consort, openly and discreetly utilizing connections and cotton up to others. Consort Shu became so busy that in a day she has received audiences of quite a few noble ladies and young misses.

Consort De’s place was also busy with entertaining guests. The positions of the eighth prince’s shufei and concubines were all still vacant. No matter which of the position was occupied, it would still be a gain for the clan. Moreover, in comparison to the sixth prince’s consort, picking eight prince’s inner yard was more adequate as there was no risk of taking a side. 

The fourth month’s spring of Shengjing was well. The well-bred young ladies of noble families engaged in mutual competition.

Those love-longing and starry-eyed maidens who were full of bashful expectations originally looked forward to skyrocketing good news. However, the abrupt and shocking news that came from the palace beat them to the extent that all kind of flowers fell and withered, taking sorrowfully the blow.

The sixth Highness’s cefei lady Mu was again being diagnosed with a two months old pregnancy after safely giving birth to the estate’s firstborn son!

This happy news made Yuancheng Emperor broke into a smile. He deeply felt that this lady Mu had quite a good fortune.

Wasn’t taking a wife and concubines supposed to serve the purpose of siring more progenies? When the imperial clan accepted new members, they emphasized on continuing the lineage. It was visibly a good omen that jubilant news has spread out of the estate during the selection of the princess consort. Yuancheng Emperor was very pleased with Zhong Zheng Lin’s effort in offspring’s matter. He has greatly praised Mu Xi Yao and bestowed her with gifts for her “toilsome labor and distinctive merits”.

This made other imperial princes turn up their noses. The old man’s heart was too biased, wasn’t it? Whenever they favored a concubine they’ve always received only a reprimand. How come when Zhong Zheng Lin favored just that lady Mu, it became him “putting his heart and soul into in the matter of progeny”? Moreover, which household didn’t secretly conceal the news of pregnancy before the principal consort entered the estate? How come the sixth made it public and even showed it off in such a great fanfare manner? His action has clearly embarrassed his future wife’s clan.

Did Zhong Zheng Lin need the support of his wife’s clan? It was merely that the sixth Highness did well the outward impression and has spent some efforts on setting a illusion.

Privately, Zhong Zheng Lin has never thought of borrowing forces from his wife’s family. What he contemplated more was how to check and balance power. Though the main point of this consort selection was the candidate of the principal consort, however, consort Shu has already passed down the information that Yuancheng Emperor wanted to fill up all the vacant high ranks in the estate of each grown-up prince.

This was the sovereign’s power play. The war in Mobei was near at hand. The positions in the prince’s inner yard became the most beneficial tool to win over the court and pacify people’s heart.

In this way, the one with the biggest change among all the princes’ inner yard was no one else than the sixth prince Zhong Zheng Lin. Who knew how many maidens will he alone take into the estate?

On the occasion of newcomers entering the estate, Zhong Zheng Lin had given out the news in high profile. This act differed in no way from openly declaring the stability of Mu Xi Yao’s position. Naturally, he had also placed her at the spot where the wind and the waves were the fiercest2. However, the sixth Highness never worried that Mu Xi Yao won’t be able to handle it. A woman who was capable to plot against Di Wu Yi Zhao and him and make them perfectly happy to be schemed against would be someone easy to bully?

Mu Xi Yao was very vexed at the fact that the sixth Highness hasn’t yet ascended to the throne but has already “seized uncompromisingly the decision-making power”.

What she originally planned was to temporarily keep low-profile and leisurely watch the play together with the bun in Danruo Courtyard. To her surprise, Zhong Zheng Lin had pulled the carpet from under her and obliterated cleanly her thoughts of goofing off.

Although on the surface it appeared to declare her magnificent favor, Mu Xi Yao knew better. That petty man simply disliked the fact that her life was too comfortable and insisted on her acting “conceited” before everyone and showing that she was very concerned about him the lord, better even if she rivaled others for his affections and intercept other’s advances.

In this way, not only will he have the excuse to avoid those women, but he will also enjoy her attentive tendance. He sure had damned good calculations!

Mu Xi Yao suddenly realized that the main point of the principal consort marrying over has seemingly deviated off the course. Could it be that the deity of transmigration was fed up with the inner yard struggles and he wanted to see her cross swords with boss instead?

Translation notes: 

[1] Hug a thick leg is a Chinese phrase meaning to find protection from someone powerful

[2] Where the wind and the waves are the fiercest is a Chinese idiom meaning at the heart of the struggle