Chapter 079: Palace Attire

Jiang Xuening barely slept all night. As dawn approached, she remembered she had to attend classes at Fengchen Hall, so she forced herself to ignore the discomfort the palace brought her and took a nap.

But it didn’t last an hour.

The stricter the royal family, the stricter the rules. Sleeping in was something Jiang Xuening could do at home, but Shen Zhiyi rarely could in the palace. After many years of palace life, she woke up at the same time every day without needing the palace maids to call her. She got up and was attended to by the palace staff for washing and dressing, clearly accustomed to it.

Perhaps because she had cried and vented last night, she seemed to have regained her usual energy this morning, except for some swelling around her eyes.

Not only did she wash herself, but she also directed the palace staff to attend to Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening hadn’t slept well the night before last, and after last night’s ordeal, she was even more exhausted. But seeing Shen Zhiyi’s rare cheerful demeanor, she didn’t want to show her fatigue and ruin her good mood. So she forced herself to ignore the throbbing tension in her temples, smiled, and chatted with Shen Zhiyi while being attended to by the palace staff.

The palace staff in Yangzhi Zhai did not attend to daily needs.

But Jiang Xuening, having been an empress in her previous life, was not uncomfortable being attended to by palace staff. It was only when she naturally handed the silk handkerchief back to the palace maid and instinctively waved her away that a chill ran up from her feet, making her shiver.

Shen Zhiyi hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

The female official serving in the bedchamber looked at Jiang Xuening and hesitantly asked, “Your Highness, you impulsively kept Companion Jiang in the hall last night, but the palace staff haven’t fetched her usual clothes from Yangzhi Zhai. What should she wear now?”

What should she wear?

Shen Zhiyi turned to look. At that moment, Jiang Xuening stood there in plain white undergarments, her beautiful face bare, looking somewhat sickly and melancholic, like a sick beauty from a scholar’s painting.

She was stunning.

Shen Zhiyi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately said to the female official, “Ning Ning is about my size, so wearing my clothes would be perfect! Come, Ning Ning, I’ll pick out the best outfit for you!”

Jiang Xuening: ???

She was still thinking about the pampered habits she had developed in Kunning Palace and hadn’t noticed what they were saying. Before she could react, Shen Zhiyi had already pulled her to sit in front of the dressing mirror.

Then Shen Zhiyi started giving orders.

She called one maid to apply powder and draw eyebrows, another to bring a new palace outfit, and personally opened her jewelry box, comparing ruby earrings and cloisonné bracelets on Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening found it both amusing and exasperating, feeling like Shen Zhiyi had suddenly gotten a new doll that she had to dress up beautifully.

Feeling tired, she didn’t have the energy to resist.

So she stood up and sat down as directed, letting Shen Zhiyi have her way.

Shen Zhiyi tried another pair of earrings on Jiang Xuening, feeling that only her slender neck and fair skin could do justice to the light purple glass, making it so beautiful that one couldn’t look away.

But as she looked, her previously cheerful expression faded.

Jiang Xuening noticed and asked, “Does it not look good?”

Shen Zhiyi put down her hand, her gaze still fixed on Jiang Xuening, but now filled with a bit of heartache: “It looks good, but it’s too good. I can’t help but think, with your gentle nature, you’ll still be schemed against in the palace. If Yan Lin is gone in the future, who will protect you?”

Jiang Xuening was silent.

Shen Zhiyi, however, began to think seriously, her eyes brightening as she asked, “What do you think of my brother?”

Shen Jie?!

Jiang Xuening’s eyelids twitched, immediately recalling the trajectory of her fate in her previous life. Without thinking, she quickly said, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. Prince Linzi is indeed elegant and virtuous, but I, Jiang Xuening, only wish for a peaceful life. Please don’t joke about this.”

Shen Zhiyi was puzzled: “What’s wrong with my brother?”

Jiang Xuening thought, your brother is fine, just not suitable for me.

Shen Zhiyi was very excited about this idea. The palace was full of her people, so she wasn’t afraid of being overheard. She squatted in front of Jiang Xuening and said, “Really, Ning Ning, I’ve heard my mother and brother say that they will soon choose a consort for my brother. If you could become his consort, my brother will most likely be made Crown Prince by the Emperor. Then you would live in the palace too, and we could be together every day, eating, playing, and sleeping together.”

Her eyes were sparkling.

Jiang Xuening remembered how sincere Shen Zhiyi had been to her in this life. She wanted to refuse directly, but facing such a gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

But if she didn’t make it clear…

The memory of how she ended up as a companion reader in the palace, despite not being the one originally chosen, resurfaced in her mind, followed by all the experiences she had in the palace and what was to come.

She was truly scared and tired.

Having experienced the splendor of her previous life, Jiang Xuening didn’t want to repeat it.

She suddenly looked at Shen Zhiyi with unprecedented seriousness, gently took the purple glass earrings from her hand, placed them back in the jewelry box, and said, “I was summoned to the palace by Your Highness’s special order, and the process was quite complicated. Your Highness knows this better than I do. You should also know that the person originally reported by the Jiang family to enter the palace was not me. I am grateful for Your Highness’s favor and care. Knowing Your Highness has made me very happy. But life in the palace is not what I desire. I come from a humble background and have no great ambitions. I just want to return to the countryside of my childhood and live freely…”

Shen Zhiyi was stunned.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Xuening to say such things.

The purple glass earrings were gone from her hand, replaced by Shen Zhiyi’s slightly warm palm.

But a surge of anger rose from her heart.

Shen Zhiyi wanted to say, “I’ve treated you so well, how dare you think of leaving,” but when she met Jiang Xuening’s warm and sincere gaze, the anger that had just risen was like being suppressed by a gentle stream, slowly extinguishing, turning into a bit of loneliness and pity.

She said, “You don’t like the palace?”

Jiang Xuening replied, “Life here is very unpleasant.”

Shen Zhiyi held her breath: “Then tell me, who makes you unhappy? I’ll make sure they get what’s coming to them and make you happy!”

Such childish temper.

Her eyes were wide open, her thin eyebrows raised. Although there was an old scar under her eye, it didn’t detract from her noble demeanor as a princess. Her cheeks puffed up, lips tightly pressed together, clearly unwilling to let it go.

Jiang Xuening was extremely helpless.

She feared that continuing this topic would provoke Shen Zhiyi’s temper further, leading her to secretly arrange a marriage with Shen Jie without any recourse. So she sighed and tried to change the subject, saying, “Let’s see what to wear today. The earrings are quite pretty…”

But Shen Zhiyi wasn’t so easily fooled.

She liked Jiang Xuening as a companion.

While dressing her up, she racked her brains trying to get information out of her, asking, “Is it the palace staff at Yangzhi Zhai treating you badly? Did the Internal Affairs Department shortchange you? Is that You Yue bullying you again? Just tell me, who makes you unhappy? Ning Ning…”

It seemed like if Jiang Xuening named someone, Shen Zhiyi would deal with them immediately!

Jiang Xuening broke out in a cold sweat.

But Shen Zhiyi’s questions kept coming, each guess more bizarre than the last.

Her mouth kept chattering non-stop like a noisy parrot.

Jiang Xuening sighed deeply.

For the first time, she wanted to slap herself: If she had known this would happen, she would have simply told Shen Zhiyi that she preferred being her companion rather than her sister-in-law. Shen Zhiyi would probably have happily dropped the idea of marrying her off to Shen Jie. Instead of being interrogated repeatedly like now!

True feelings struck by lightning!

Finally, after Shen Zhiyi’s twenty-third bizarre guess, Jiang Xuening couldn’t resist the temptation and tried to say, “Since Your Highness cares so much about my happiness… I’ll say it. Actually, I’d be happy if I could leave the palace…”

Shen Zhiyi gave her a sweet smile: “Ning Ning, you’re dreaming.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

Shen Zhiyi put the pair of purple glass earrings on her and cheerfully coaxed her, “Change it, change it, this princess will definitely make it happen for you!”

Jiang Xuening silently cried in her heart, thinking for a long time before a daring idea popped into her head: “The thing that makes me most unhappy is learning the qin. Master Xie drags me to learn the qin every few days, and his requirements are extremely strict…”

Shen Zhiyi: “…”

Jiang Xuening blinked her eyes: “You said you would definitely make it happen.”

Shen Zhiyi: “…”

Now it was Shen Zhiyi’s turn to cry silently in her heart: The entire court knows Master Xie’s status in academia. If it weren’t for his approval, she wouldn’t even be able to attend school in the palace. And with Master Xie’s teaching style, even if she had a hundred times the courage, she wouldn’t dare to be arrogant in front of him and forbid him from teaching Jiang Xuening the qin!

But anything could be sacrificed, except the dignity of Princess Leyang!

Shen Zhiyi, suppressing her guilt, righteously said, “Master Xie takes the time to teach you seriously, despite his busy court duties, spending more than half an hour each day to teach you the qin. It’s something others envy. How can you dislike Master Xie for being strict? That’s too much!”

Jiang Xuening tried to speak: “But—”

Shen Zhiyi interrupted: “If you say one more word, I’ll tell Master Xie that you dislike learning the qin!”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

I never knew you could threaten people by tattling?!

She was stunned.

Shen Zhiyi coughed and said, without blushing or skipping a beat, “Ah, this princess isn’t omnipotent. Besides these two things, who else makes you unhappy? Tell me, and this princess will definitely seek justice for you!”

Jiang Xuening thought for a long time and squeezed out a sentence: “No one else.”

After dressing and putting on makeup, they had breakfast together. Jiang Xuening looked at the pastry in her bowl, decorated with a half-bloomed orchid made of rose filling, took a small bite, and slowly lowered her eyes.

Shen Zhiyi asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xuening’s eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the small piece of pastry and said, “It’s nothing, I just suddenly remembered that my sister at home also makes such pastries, and I miss her a bit…”

After saying this, she changed the subject and continued eating.

Shen Zhiyi, however, lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, seriously remembering this sentence.

After breakfast, they went to Fengchen Hall for their lessons.

When they arrived, the others were already there.

Everyone was talking, but when they heard that Princess Leyang had arrived, they all turned to look.

But unexpectedly, their gazes couldn’t be pulled away—

However, their gazes were not on Princess Leyang, but on Jiang Xuening!

Having been in the palace for a long time, the companions mostly wore the clothes they brought with them.

Jiang Xuening usually dressed simply, relying on her good looks and being lazy about dressing up. But today, coming from Mingfeng Palace, she wore a palace outfit that the palace staff had spent a long time selecting, one that Shen Zhiyi used to wear.

The white fabric was layered with intricate gold threads.

Dark blue cranes holding clouds climbed up from the hem of the dress, and the wide sleeves were adorned with flowing patterns like brocade. She wore a white jade pendant at her waist, with only the moon-white embroidered peony sachet being her own.

Her face was even more exquisite and radiant.

Her skin was already fair, her eyebrows and eyes were painted, her lips tinted with red, and her every glance was captivating.

But what was even more surprising was the impression she gave.

There was no sense of discomfort or mismatch from a young girl secretly wearing luxurious clothes. Wearing this palace attire, her usual casual and carefree demeanor seemed to unconsciously become more restrained. Holding the hand of a palace maid, she walked step by step, exuding a sense of majesty and elegance befitting the nine-layered palace.

Xiao Shu stared at her for a long time without reacting.

Princess Leyang, however, was delighted to show off to everyone, proud of the result of her morning’s efforts.

Seeing Jiang Xuening’s appearance and her carefully dressed look, everyone was both shocked and a bit envious. They had to praise her, but their feelings were mixed, like a bottle of five flavors had been overturned.

Before leaving Mingfeng Palace, Jiang Xuening had looked in the mirror. She felt that the luxurious palace attire looked good on her, but it also felt like a nightmare. Through the mirror, she saw not herself, but the empress from her previous life, trapped in splendor and unable to move forward or backward.

She wanted to change her clothes.

But seeing that it was almost time for class, she didn’t have time to change and had to go to Fengchen Hall in this outfit.

She hadn’t slept all night and was distracted during the lesson. It wasn’t until the class ended and she saw everyone placing their qins on the tables that she remembered the next class was with Master Xie.

She pinched her temples to wake herself up.

The zither “Jiao’an” was still in the side hall. Jiang Xuening left the main hall and headed there.

Unexpectedly, Master Xie was already in the side hall.

The little eunuch at the door looked at her in surprise. After announcing her arrival, he opened the door for her.

Jiang Xuening entered.

Master Xie didn’t have a lecture this morning and didn’t want to stay in the cabinet arguing with the old ministers, so he came to the side hall to handle documents. At that moment, he was taking his zither “Emei” off the wall. When he turned and saw Jiang Xuening, he was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Xuening greeted him, “Good morning, Master Xie.”

Master Xie’s gaze lingered on her for a long time, examining her attire and makeup. His brows gradually furrowed, and he simply said, “Not good.”

Then he carried his zither and walked out of the hall.

“……”

Jiang Xuening stood there, utterly confused.

What was wrong with him?

Although she herself didn’t like the outfit much, hearing it from Master Xie was unpleasant. What did a man know about women’s makeup and clothing to comment on it?

Moreover, how could she not look good!

Master Xie, who usually read Buddhist scriptures and Daoist texts, probably never had any interest in women in his previous life. No wonder he couldn’t get a wife!