Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Old Friend

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Lord Xiao Ke was a Hanlin compiler, and his days were usually so busy that he was not someone one could simply happen upon while strolling down the street. The little county princess had been busy as well. She had not even found the time to wander near the Eastern Palace in hopes of meeting him.

She had prepared a surprise and wanted to see the astonishment on his face.

The next time they met was two full months after Empress Zhang’s birthday celebration. Exactly two months.

On the tenth day of the eighth month, the heir of the Prince of Yongning’s residence was to take a bride. Lord Xiao Ke was related by marriage to the Prince of Yongning’s household, and so he came to attend the wedding feast as well.

Jing Hu had learned from her sister-in-law, Ke Mingbi, early that morning that he would be representing the Ke family at the congratulations.

Thus, although she had no particular role to play that day, Jing Hu still had Bao Lan dress her up beautifully. The silver-red gauze jacket embroidered with clustered auspicious patterns of peace and good fortune was of her own design. She had sketched the pattern, selected the colors, and handed everything over to the seamstresses to embroider.

She found the twin-bun hairstyles favored by the younger maids far too childish, so she had Bao Lan braid her hair into numerous little plaits and weave them all together atop her head.

The ruby set into the floral coronet she wore had been given to her by her father on her tenth birthday. She rarely wore it, finding it too heavy. She preferred simply to take it out and admire it, turning it this way and that to play with the sunlight reflected from the gemstone.

Yet once it rested upon her head, its brilliance and beauty were quite different from when she merely held it in her hands.

She had taken such care with her appearance not only for her Lord Xiao Ke, but for someone else as well. The Lady of Huaiyi was her third brother Jing Xun’s maternal cousin, and she was also close friends with Jing Hu’s new third sister-in-law. Unless something unexpected occurred, she would certainly be attending that day.

In the past, Jing Hu and the other girl had known one another only by reputation and had never had much contact. Jing Hu did not know what the other girl thought of her, but in her own eyes, this fifth sister of Qingrou’s was no good person.

There had been no final verdict in the matter concerning the Duchess of Dingguo, but Jing Hu had watched Qingrou grow unhappier with each passing day. She clearly knew the reason, yet refused to tell Qingrou, choosing instead to watch her suffer. Jing Hu could not understand it.

Once she had finished dressing, Jing Hu went first to the main hall of her grandmother, the Princess Dowager of Yongning. As a widow, her grandmother could not come out to attend the ceremony when the time came, but the women from the various households who had come to offer their congratulations would all first go and keep her company.

When Jing Hu entered the main hall, she saw that quite a number of people had already gathered around her grandmother. Over the past few months, every corner of the Prince of Yongning’s residence had been redecorated. Her grandmother’s quarters had naturally been given a complete new look as well, with many festive furnishings brought in.

Even Fangshi Pavilion, where Jing Hu lived, had not escaped. The peach trees in the courtyard had been decorated with numerous red silk flowers by order of the princess consort. It was not even the season for them to bloom, and they looked hideous.

Still, her third brother Jing Xun had been in an excellent mood lately because of his upcoming marriage and had privately given her five hundred taels of silver as spending money. For his sake, she had refrained from throwing a fit and ordering the silk flowers removed.

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She supposed he had simply bought those peach trees with his money.

The Princess of Yongning was not there at present; she was presumably busy receiving the guests.

When her third brother married, Mother Consort had once again declared herself ill well in advance and had not appeared to help the princess consort with anything. The princess consort had no biological daughter-in-law of her own and was left to bear everything alone. It was indeed difficult for her.

Jing Hu went forward to pay her respects to her grandmother. Her grandmother had always favored her, after all. With Jing Hu helping her keep score, the old lady had not lost at their tile game for quite some time.

Jing Hu did not recognize the elderly woman seated beside her grandmother, so she listened as the Princess Dowager of Yongning introduced her.

“This is the Princess Dowager of Mingqing. She and your grandmother are old friends, and have been close since childhood. Go on, kneel and bow to her a few times. Honor her as you would your grandmother.”

Jing Hu readily complied. She immediately knelt before the Princess Dowager of Mingqing and respectfully bowed three times.

Like Jing Hu, her grandmother had loved playing with bone tiles since childhood. This old princess dowager had been her close companion from a young age, so she must have been her grandmother’s regular partner at the table. Jing Hu knew that the late Prince of Mingqing had been the late emperor’s full brother and had been granted a fief in Jiangnan, which explained why she had never met this princess dowager before.

Since the old lady had come all the way from Jiangnan and was close to her grandmother, who had always been hospitable, perhaps Grandmother would often invite her over for a game. That would give Jing Hu another opportunity to make a little profit.

As soon as Jing Hu rose, the Princess Dowager of Mingqing drew her to her side and examined her features carefully.

Jing Hu was still young and disliked using cosmetics, finding them sticky and greasy on her face. Yet even without anything applied, she had rosy lips, pearly teeth, bright eyes, and a graceful, lovely countenance.

The Princess Dowager of Mingqing smiled. “This is the one who was made a county princess? I never imagined you could raise such a beautiful little girl. She is even more captivating than pearls and jewels.”

The Princess Dowager of Yongning answered modestly, “She is still young, and her features have yet to fully mature. You flatter her, elder sister.”

Jing Hu merely looked at the older woman and smiled.

She hoped that when the two of them met across the tile table next time, she could win all the old lady’s money and still remain just as beloved.

The Princess Dowager of Mingqing glanced once more at the ruby in Jing Hu’s coronet. “I happen to have one of nearly the same quality. It has not yet been set into any piece of jewelry. I shall have someone send it to you tomorrow.”

The Princess Dowager of Yongning normally would not allow Jing Hu to accept such an expensive gift without reason, but her relationship with the Princess Dowager of Mingqing was evidently a truly close one. She merely smiled warmly at Jing Hu and said, “Why are you still standing there? Hurry and thank Her Highness.”

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Jing Hu had no objection either way, but since her grandmother had said so, she readily complied and curtsied once more.

“Hu’er thanks Your Highness for the gracious gift.”

Apart from playing tiles, Jing Hu had never been able to sit still for long in her grandmother’s presence. She now began looking around the hall, searching for anyone from the Xu family whom she knew.

Seeing her eyes darting about as though she were looking for someone, the Princess Dowager of Yongning understood that if she kept Jing Hu there any longer, the girl would soon become impolite.

So she smiled and dismissed her. “You want to go find that girl Qing from the Duke of Dingguo’s household, don’t you? Go on, then. Try to learn a little more composure from her, and do not spend all your time causing mischief.”

Jing Hu had heard such teasing countless times while growing up. She let it enter one ear and leave through the other. What was a reputation for quiet refinement compared with the pleasures of living life to the fullest?

Besides, her father doted on her, and even His Majesty treated her with favor. There was nothing for her to fear.

She had only just walked away when she heard the Princess Dowager of Mingqing ask her grandmother:

“The title of the capital’s two great beauties has traveled all the way to Jiangnan. Just now, when I heard you mention the Duke of Dingguo’s household, was the Lady of Huaiyi the young lady of the Xu family you were speaking of? I wonder how she compares with your little granddaughter…”

“Oh, no. That one is their eighth daughter…”

They were actually comparing her with the Lady of Huaiyi.

Even though Jing Hu felt she was no less beautiful than Xu Peirou, she was six years older than the girl. To compare them solely by appearance, at her present age, was somewhat unfair.

After hearing those words, Jing Hu was even more eager to meet the Lady of Huaiyi properly.