Chapter 7
The Promotion Record of A Crown Princess
Chapter 7: Adultery on the Shores of the Taiye Pool (4)
Under the moonlight, Lu Liâs small appearance was quite alluring, justâ¦â¦ah, I was too familiar with her, it was hard to make a move! So, I could only say: âLu Li ah, do you know how to sing? Sing a song for me!â
The edges of Lu Liâs eyes were still rimmed red as she shook her head in utter shame .
I sighed: âAh! Then how about I sing you something?â
Lu Li nodded with an overwhelmed expression on her face .
I originally wanted to sing Eighteen Touches to her, but one look at Lu Liâs worshipingexpression and I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed for wanting to bully the little girl . Hence, after thinking it over, I simply stood up from the steps and walked forward a few steps so that I was standing firmly in front of Lu Li . Making a gesture to imitate the appearance of holding a guitar, I swept my fingers and opened my mouth to sing1:
âThe girl across from me, look over here,
Look over here, look over here,
The performance over here is quite amazing,
Please donât pretend to ignore it,
The girl across from me, look over here,
Look over here, look over here,
Donât be scared by my appearance,
Actually Iâm very cute,
The sorrow of a lonely boy,
Saying it out loud, who would understand,
Begging you to throw a flirtatious glance here,
Coax me,
Make me laugh,
â¦â¦â
In the beginning it was only Lu Li who was listening, but after a while the other small maids in the palace also came over . Seeing everyone cheering me on, I immediately got hyped up . The more I sang the happier I became . It was as if I had returned to my past . Not sleeping in the afternoon but instead, holding a worn-out guitar while standing at the bottom of the girlâs dormitory and singing loudly, only for the sake of obtaining a girlâs smile .
Finishing the song, I happily smiled and looked at Lu Li and everyone else, waiting for everyoneâs reactions .
But, my surrounding was dead silent .
It took a while before Lu Li timidly asked: âCrown Princess, what is with your neck and hands? Are they okay?â
I was stunned, a thunderbolt dropped down from the sky2â¦â¦Sure enough, pretending to be cool will result in being struck down by lightningâ¦â¦ .
I heard Lu Li then ask: âCrown Princess, where did you learn this song? Iâve never heard you sing it before ah . â
Riiiiight, I was now the Crown Princess Zhang-shi . This kind of song, from where exactly did I learn it? Why hasnât even the personal maid Lu Li heard it before?
I opened my mouth but for the moment, I couldnât find an answer to give .
I was blankly standing there, but then I saw the palace maids in front of me, along with Lu Li, all kneel down and with pleasant voices like that of nightingales and swallows, they called out: âYour Highness the Crown Prince . â
Turning around, I found Qi Sheng standing not too far away . His expression seemed sad, or pleased, or angry, or pitying, or blamingâ¦â¦In short, it was really hard to describe!
Aiya ya! I was trying to attract chicks, but got caught in the act . How could this be a good thing?
I was wondering what Qi Sheng would say to me when I heard Qi Sheng suddenly growl: âPreposterous!â
Finishing, he flicked his sleeves and left just like that .
âWas it really thatâ¦â¦preposterous?â I turned around to ask Lu Li .
Lu Li looked at me worriedly, the hot tears that had always been in her eyes finally flowing down as she asked me in a choked voice: âCrown Princessâ¦â¦what has happened to you?â
Crown Princessâ¦â¦what has happened to you? Your Crown Princess has long since ascended to bliss, but what about me? What has happened to me?
âLu Li, you should go in . I want to sit by myself for a while . â
Lu Li remained kneeling at my side as she stared at me with tears in her eyes, refusing to leave . For some reason, my heart began feeling inexplicably annoyed, and I charged at Lu Li and roared: âF*** you, leave me alone okay?!â
Lu Li covered her mouth with her hand and looked at me with her eyes wide open, momentarily scared to the point that she couldnât even cry .
Looking at her pitiful state, I suddenly felt my entire body lose its strength . Such a good girl, what was I doing getting angry at a little girl like her . Thinking up to this point, I softened my voice and quietly said to Lu Li: âIâm fine, you go back to the room first . I just want to sit by myself for a while and thoroughly think over these matters . â
Yeah, I just wanted to carefully think things through by myself . The Crown Prince originally already had powerful enemies surrounding and watching him and yet he didnât try to obtain the favour of the old Emperor . He even went as far as to dare to have a tryst with his sister-in-law during the palaceâs grand feast and said such utterly disgraceful words like a whole lifetime with just the two of them, just how far away was this from his deposition? The moment the Crown Prince was deposed, as the Crown Princess what path could I take? I feared that even borrowing this body to reside in and muddle my way through life wasnât possible anymore .
After I returned from sitting outside the palace for half the night, Qi Sheng changed my confinement term from one month to three months . Inside the palace and outside the palace, it was privately passed on that after falling into the water the personality of the Crown Princess had changed drastically . Also, on the night of the Spring Lantern Festival she met with evil at the shores of the Taiye Pool so after she returned to the Eastern Palace she finally went half insaneâ¦â¦
From then on, no one in the Palace dared to walk around at night while wearing red clothingâ¦â¦ in fear of encountering evil . Aiya ya, this time it was red clothing that was wronged, it was clearly an encounter with the white clothingâs evil!
Grounded for three months, I couldnât go out to see people, other people also couldnât come in to see me . It was so stifling that I would get up early everyday to squat on the palace eaves outside and get sun-tanned . I feared that if I didnât bask in the sunlight for even one day I would grow hair .
During these days, it was visibly clear that Lu Li had lost weight, and the expression she used to look at me was even more sorrowful . I had heard her several times in the middle of the night as she kowtowed to the moon, quietly praying: ââ¦â¦I wish for my Crown Princess to get well soon, devotee Lu Li will willingly reduce her life by ten years . â
I was just feeling very moved after hearing that when I heard Lu Liâs tone change as she cursed with bitter resentment: âI wish for Jiang-shi that slut to have a painful death, her husband leaving and abandoning her soonâ¦â¦devotee Lu Li will willingly reduce her life byâ¦â¦twenty yearsâ¦â¦â
Aiya ya, I say girl, what youâre doing here is wrong isnât it . Your love for Jiang-shi is clearly far greater than your love for me! Too unfair!
So everyday was spent just like this . By the time I could go out again it was already warm spring and the flowers had bloomed . The thick winter clothes of the palace maids had all been switched to thin spring clothes . What was even more eye-catching were their slender, willowy waists and neat, graceful bearings . I clung to the door of the Eastern Palace and, watching the beautiful palace maids coming and going on that narrow path, the rims of my eyes finally couldnât help reddening .
A full three months, f*** your grandmother he had finally endured it to the very end!
From behind, Lu Li draped a cloak over me and softly said: âCrown Princess, the days are still a bit cold, you shouldnât brave the winds . Itâs getting late so let us return for now and come back tomorrow . â
âWait a bit, wait a bit longer . â I begged . That little palace maid with peach blossom eyes and a slender and slim waist that had just passed by hadnât returned yet . I needed to wait a bit more . It would be best if I asked and found out exactly which Palace she was from, that would be great .
Lu Liâs voice sounded somewhat pained as she softly coaxed me: âCrown Princess, itâs already this late, I believe His Highness the Crown Prince wonât be returning . Weâll come back and wait again tomorrow, okay?â
I felt there was something wrong as I listened, and after pondering for a moment I realized that Lu Li had misunderstood . I turned my head wanting to correct her mistake, but then I saw Lu Liâs watery, almond eyes . Alas, even if I explained she wouldnât listen, so what was the use of exerting the effort? Wouldnât it be better if I just let her misunderstand that I was keeping watch here and waiting for Qi Sheng so that at the very least, I could still honorably come here again tomorrow to cling to the door and look at the pretty girls?
Lu Li continued to persuade me in a low whisper: âIn addition, in a few days it will be Daughterâs Day . His Highness the Crown Prince must accompany Crown Princess back to the ministerâs residence . At that time, after meeting with the old Lord, you can take your time in making a decision about all these matters . Crown Princess has already waited for three months, can you not wait for a few more days?â
Although Lu Liâs voice was quiet as she spoke, when her words entered my ear they werenât inferior to a clap of thunder . In just a few days Qi Sheng would actually have to accompany me, this fake, in returning to my parental home! Aiya ya, how could this be a good thing!
1 . In the original Chinese version, this song was suppose to rhyme . Unfortunately, I couldnât find a way to make it rhyme while keeping the original meaningâ¦sorry guys!
2 . A saying to emphasize just how out of the left field a situation or scenario was