Fragrance of Osmanthus (Part Three)
A white cloth stained with a green medicinal paste lay before Princess DanYang. This must be the folk remedy that the maidservant had mentioned.
Princess DanYang looked at Pei’er with displeasure, “Impudence! Do you not know how important an unmarried girl’s face is? Rather than obediently following an imperial physician’s prescription, why did you search for a folk remedy? If your young miss’ face never recovers, how many lives would it take to pay that back?”
Pei’er kowtowed while crying, and she continued kowtowing until her forehead started bleeding, “Princess, please understand. If an imperial physician wrote a prescription for young miss, this servant would rather die than go looking for a folk remedy!”
Princess DanYang was perplexed, “That’s quite the puzzling thing to say. Is the dignified prime minister’s manor unable to invite an imperial physician?”
Pei’er just cried and kowtowed, not daring to respond. Yin JiYao’s expression slightly changed. Her lips parted for a moment, but she did not say a word.
Dian’er could see the untouched food on the table and took a look. There were two dishes and a soup, and they were all made of radishes and lettuce. There was not the slightest sign of oil.
How could the darling daughter of the dignified prime minister’s manor eat such unseemly foods?!
“What exactly is going on here?”
She pointed at the dishes on the table, jutting her chin in the direction of Pei’er, “If you want your young miss’ face to recover properly, provide this princess with an honest answer; otherwise, nobody will be able to save your young miss!”
With her face covered in tears, Pei’er looked up at Princess DanYang with extremely conflicted feelings.
Should she offend the eldest young sir by revealing the truth to her, or should she just watch Yin JiYao’s beauty slowly get ruined? Yin JiYao’s beauty getting ruined was also partially a result of her mistake in believing a folk remedy…
She kowtowed three more times, “Princess, please save our young miss! Young miss did something wrong and offended the eldest young sir. In his anger, the eldest young sir refused to invite an imperial physician in to treat the young miss! But young miss is the young miss of the prime minister’s manor. Princess, please be merciful!”
The words coming from Pei’er were roughly what she had expected. Who in the prime minister’s manor, aside from Yin Shuo, would dare to mistreat Yin JiYao?
How could Yin Shuo be so fierce, not even caring about his own little sister’s face being ruined… What exactly had Yin JiYao done to make him act like this?
It was likely that she would not get a clear answer from the maidservant. She would need to ask Yin JiYao.
Princess DanYang turned around and looked at Yin JiYao, “In the end, I am your sister-in-law. Did you not consider telling me?”
Yin JiYao bit her lower lip and hesitated about whether or not she should tell Princess DanYang the truth.
This matter did not just concern Yin Shuo’s interests. More importantly, it concerned the entire Yin family’s interests in court. It might not be proper to tell Princess DanYang.
But Princess DanYang was the only one who could help her and invite an imperial physician to treat her scar. She might be the only one who could help her face heal.
She could not allow her face to become ruined. Gu JiuGe would not like a girl whose face was ruined!
Yin JiYao said: “If I tell you the truth, you will invite an imperial physician to treat me. Is that right?”
Princess DanYang nodded, “You can now be considered my little sister. If your face is ruined, my face will also lose its luster. Isn’t that right?”
She took a deep breath, “Alright, then I will tell you, eldest sister-in-law.”
…
Princess DanYang left Yin JiYao’s courtyard and gave Dian’er an order, “Immediately take care of my orders. Go into the palace and invite the imperial physician who is specialized in getting rid of scars. I’ll be going to the outer study. There’s no need for you to accompany me.”
Dian’er said: “This servant will go and give the order. Does princess not want anyone to accompany you? How about we have Yun’er and the others go to the outer study with princess?”
“No need.”
Princess DanYang thought back to what Yin JiYao just said, “This is a big matter, so it would not be good for there to be too many people to come with me. You go ahead. I will go look for my husband on my own.”
She had gained such useful information on Yin Shuo. She absolutely had to make good use of it.
It would be best if she could take advantage of this opportunity to attract Yin Shuo’s attention over to her in order to live the normal life a married woman should live…
Princess DanYang went to the outer study on her own, but the servant standing guard outside stopped her, “Princess, did princess come to see the eldest young sir?”
Princess DanYang said: “That’s right. Doesn’t he spend all day in the outer study?”
The servant respectfully said: “Indeed, the eldest young sir usually spends his days in the outer study, but he just went out. He said that he was going to take a walk in the garden.”
Princess DanYang started walking into the outer study and said: “Then I’ll wait for him inside the study.”
“Princess, you absolutely must not. In this manor, without permission from the eldest young sir, nobody is allowed in!”
The servant looked respectful, but he moved to block her path without any hesitation, “The study contains materials pertaining to court work and many other official documents. Eastern Ling’s laws dictate that women are not permitted to take part. Princess, please leave the study.”
She did not particularly want to go in. It was just that the more she was stopped, the more her pride did not allow her to leave so easily.
“If this princess insists on entering, what of it?”
The servant’s expression did not change, “There is no such possibility. Princess is not able to go in.”
He lifted his head and looked around the area surrounding the outer study, “If anyone dares to barge into the study, they will be detained by the guards hidden all around. Even if the eldest young sir is punished by His Majesty over this, he would not go against the manor’s rules.”
This was said in an even tone, and it was actually able to scare Princess DanYang.
She gave the servant a fierce stare, “Speak, where is my husband?”
“The eldest young sir has gone for a walk in the garden. Does princess need this servant to bring you there?”
“No need!”
Princess DanYang was furious. Flicking her broad sleeves, she left the courtyard.
She muttered to herself, “Worthless dog parading yourself around like a human, not even your master dares to be so impudent in front of me! Just you wait, when this princess truly becomes the female master of the prime minister’s manor, I’ll have you flayed!”
Filled with anger, Princess DanYang walked over to the garden. Not even the osmanthus flowers that she loved most could lift her mood.
She kicked a pebble near her foot. It bounced off of the toe of her cloth shoe then rolled forward. It was as if she had kicked the head off of the servant from earlier, and she felt quite a bit better.
When she raised her head, she saw a handsome young man standing beneath an osmanthus tree.
He had a warm bearing, and there was a faint smile on his lips. He was looking up at the flower petals that were being blown from the tree. The sweet fragrance filled the air.
The man reached out, and a golden petal landed in his palm. He then carefully stored it inside his sleeve.
The scene before Princess DanYang’s eyes was as beautiful as a painting, and it left her feeling a little dazed.
She always knew that Yin Shuo was handsome, as he was the second most handsome bachelor in the capital behind Gu ShuBai, but she previously only had eyes for Gu ShuBai. She had never even taken notice of Yin Shuo’s handsome features.
Looking at this scene, regardless of whether it was looks or bearing, he was not much worse than Gu ShuBai.
Yin Shuo stood beneath the osmanthus tree. Osmanthus flowers were very sweet flowers, as they could be made into pastries or sweet wine. Originally, he did not like sweet things, but for some reason, he started liking osmanthus flowers.
He breathed in the sweet air around him, and the pent-up worries quickly dissipated, as his lungs filled with the fragrant air.
Suddenly, he saw someone standing next to the rockery nearby. It was Princess DanYang.
In an instant, Princess DanYang saw the joy in his eyes disappear. The smile on his lips also disappeared. He completely returned to his usual aloof state.
He walked over to her, and a faint smile returned to his lips; however, it was completely different from the one that he had while beneath the tree.
As for what was different, Princess DanYang herself could not say for certain.
She just felt very disappointed. She really wanted to keep the earlier Yin Shuo, the Yin Shuo who was smiling gently and who carefully stored an osmanthus flower.
She did not want the one in front of her now, where the smile did not reach his eyes.
“This subject did not know that princess came and failed to welcome you. Princess, please do not get angry.”
Princess DanYang suddenly became irritated, “Does husband need to treat me so distantly?”
Yin Shuo was a little surprised and let out a strange laugh, “Has princess forgotten what you said to me during the spring banquet? Princess would not marry someone as lacking as this subject. Even if we were to get married, princess would never treat me well and would have this subject to die young.”
Princess DanYang’s expression changed. She never thought that he would be so petty as to remember every word of what she had said.
It was no wonder he stayed a respectful distance from her. It turned out that this was the reason.
But this was fine. She had her own methods to have him change his mind.
“Back then, this princess did not understand husband and misspoke. Does husband insist on quibbling over that with this princess?”
Yin Shuo cupped his hands, “This subject does not dare.”
He said that he did not dare, not that he would not. Princess DanYang sneered to herself.
She slowly walked behind Yin Shuo and reached out for a fallen petal on his shoulder. Feigning carelessness, she said: “I just came from JiYao’s courtyard and heard something absolutely horrible. I heard that husband, for the sake of disrupting the formation of the cabinet, actually had his own little sister go and be a honey trap. If father Emperor was to find out about this, I wonder what sort of reaction father Emperor would have.”
Her hand slowly moved down from his shoulder, as Yin Shuo’s back tightened up, and his lips became pursed.
Fragrance of Osmanthus (Part Three)
A white cloth stained with a green medicinal paste lay before Princess DanYang. This must be the folk remedy that the maidservant had mentioned.
Princess DanYang looked at Pei’er with displeasure, “Impudence! Do you not know how important an unmarried girl’s face is? Rather than obediently following an imperial physician’s prescription, why did you search for a folk remedy? If your young miss’ face never recovers, how many lives would it take to pay that back?”
Pei’er kowtowed while crying, and she continued kowtowing until her forehead started bleeding, “Princess, please understand. If an imperial physician wrote a prescription for young miss, this servant would rather die than go looking for a folk remedy!”
Princess DanYang was perplexed, “That’s quite the puzzling thing to say. Is the dignified prime minister’s manor unable to invite an imperial physician?”
Pei’er just cried and kowtowed, not daring to respond. Yin JiYao’s expression slightly changed. Her lips parted for a moment, but she did not say a word.
Dian’er could see the untouched food on the table and took a look. There were two dishes and a soup, and they were all made of radishes and lettuce. There was not the slightest sign of oil.
How could the darling daughter of the dignified prime minister’s manor eat such unseemly foods?!
“What exactly is going on here?”
She pointed at the dishes on the table, jutting her chin in the direction of Pei’er, “If you want your young miss’ face to recover properly, provide this princess with an honest answer; otherwise, nobody will be able to save your young miss!”
With her face covered in tears, Pei’er looked up at Princess DanYang with extremely conflicted feelings.
Should she offend the eldest young sir by revealing the truth to her, or should she just watch Yin JiYao’s beauty slowly get ruined? Yin JiYao’s beauty getting ruined was also partially a result of her mistake in believing a folk remedy…
She kowtowed three more times, “Princess, please save our young miss! Young miss did something wrong and offended the eldest young sir. In his anger, the eldest young sir refused to invite an imperial physician in to treat the young miss! But young miss is the young miss of the prime minister’s manor. Princess, please be merciful!”
The words coming from Pei’er were roughly what she had expected. Who in the prime minister’s manor, aside from Yin Shuo, would dare to mistreat Yin JiYao?
How could Yin Shuo be so fierce, not even caring about his own little sister’s face being ruined… What exactly had Yin JiYao done to make him act like this?
It was likely that she would not get a clear answer from the maidservant. She would need to ask Yin JiYao.
Princess DanYang turned around and looked at Yin JiYao, “In the end, I am your sister-in-law. Did you not consider telling me?”
Yin JiYao bit her lower lip and hesitated about whether or not she should tell Princess DanYang the truth.
This matter did not just concern Yin Shuo’s interests. More importantly, it concerned the entire Yin family’s interests in court. It might not be proper to tell Princess DanYang.
But Princess DanYang was the only one who could help her and invite an imperial physician to treat her scar. She might be the only one who could help her face heal.
She could not allow her face to become ruined. Gu JiuGe would not like a girl whose face was ruined!
Yin JiYao said: “If I tell you the truth, you will invite an imperial physician to treat me. Is that right?”
Princess DanYang nodded, “You can now be considered my little sister. If your face is ruined, my face will also lose its luster. Isn’t that right?”
She took a deep breath, “Alright, then I will tell you, eldest sister-in-law.”
…
Princess DanYang left Yin JiYao’s courtyard and gave Dian’er an order, “Immediately take care of my orders. Go into the palace and invite the imperial physician who is specialized in getting rid of scars. I’ll be going to the outer study. There’s no need for you to accompany me.”
Dian’er said: “This servant will go and give the order. Does princess not want anyone to accompany you? How about we have Yun’er and the others go to the outer study with princess?”
“No need.”
Princess DanYang thought back to what Yin JiYao just said, “This is a big matter, so it would not be good for there to be too many people to come with me. You go ahead. I will go look for my husband on my own.”
She had gained such useful information on Yin Shuo. She absolutely had to make good use of it.
It would be best if she could take advantage of this opportunity to attract Yin Shuo’s attention over to her in order to live the normal life a married woman should live…
Princess DanYang went to the outer study on her own, but the servant standing guard outside stopped her, “Princess, did princess come to see the eldest young sir?”
Princess DanYang said: “That’s right. Doesn’t he spend all day in the outer study?”
The servant respectfully said: “Indeed, the eldest young sir usually spends his days in the outer study, but he just went out. He said that he was going to take a walk in the garden.”
Princess DanYang started walking into the outer study and said: “Then I’ll wait for him inside the study.”
“Princess, you absolutely must not. In this manor, without permission from the eldest young sir, nobody is allowed in!”
The servant looked respectful, but he moved to block her path without any hesitation, “The study contains materials pertaining to court work and many other official documents. Eastern Ling’s laws dictate that women are not permitted to take part. Princess, please leave the study.”
She did not particularly want to go in. It was just that the more she was stopped, the more her pride did not allow her to leave so easily.
“If this princess insists on entering, what of it?”
The servant’s expression did not change, “There is no such possibility. Princess is not able to go in.”
He lifted his head and looked around the area surrounding the outer study, “If anyone dares to barge into the study, they will be detained by the guards hidden all around. Even if the eldest young sir is punished by His Majesty over this, he would not go against the manor’s rules.”
This was said in an even tone, and it was actually able to scare Princess DanYang.
She gave the servant a fierce stare, “Speak, where is my husband?”
“The eldest young sir has gone for a walk in the garden. Does princess need this servant to bring you there?”
“No need!”
Princess DanYang was furious. Flicking her broad sleeves, she left the courtyard.
She muttered to herself, “Worthless dog parading yourself around like a human, not even your master dares to be so impudent in front of me! Just you wait, when this princess truly becomes the female master of the prime minister’s manor, I’ll have you flayed!”
Filled with anger, Princess DanYang walked over to the garden. Not even the osmanthus flowers that she loved most could lift her mood.
She kicked a pebble near her foot. It bounced off of the toe of her cloth shoe then rolled forward. It was as if she had kicked the head off of the servant from earlier, and she felt quite a bit better.
When she raised her head, she saw a handsome young man standing beneath an osmanthus tree.
He had a warm bearing, and there was a faint smile on his lips. He was looking up at the flower petals that were being blown from the tree. The sweet fragrance filled the air.
The man reached out, and a golden petal landed in his palm. He then carefully stored it inside his sleeve.
The scene before Princess DanYang’s eyes was as beautiful as a painting, and it left her feeling a little dazed.
She always knew that Yin Shuo was handsome, as he was the second most handsome bachelor in the capital behind Gu ShuBai, but she previously only had eyes for Gu ShuBai. She had never even taken notice of Yin Shuo’s handsome features.
Looking at this scene, regardless of whether it was looks or bearing, he was not much worse than Gu ShuBai.
Yin Shuo stood beneath the osmanthus tree. Osmanthus flowers were very sweet flowers, as they could be made into pastries or sweet wine. Originally, he did not like sweet things, but for some reason, he started liking osmanthus flowers.
He breathed in the sweet air around him, and the pent-up worries quickly dissipated, as his lungs filled with the fragrant air.
Suddenly, he saw someone standing next to the rockery nearby. It was Princess DanYang.
In an instant, Princess DanYang saw the joy in his eyes disappear. The smile on his lips also disappeared. He completely returned to his usual aloof state.
He walked over to her, and a faint smile returned to his lips; however, it was completely different from the one that he had while beneath the tree.
As for what was different, Princess DanYang herself could not say for certain.
She just felt very disappointed. She really wanted to keep the earlier Yin Shuo, the Yin Shuo who was smiling gently and who carefully stored an osmanthus flower.
She did not want the one in front of her now, where the smile did not reach his eyes.
“This subject did not know that princess came and failed to welcome you. Princess, please do not get angry.”
Princess DanYang suddenly became irritated, “Does husband need to treat me so distantly?”
Yin Shuo was a little surprised and let out a strange laugh, “Has princess forgotten what you said to me during the spring banquet? Princess would not marry someone as lacking as this subject. Even if we were to get married, princess would never treat me well and would have this subject to die young.”
Princess DanYang’s expression changed. She never thought that he would be so petty as to remember every word of what she had said.
It was no wonder he stayed a respectful distance from her. It turned out that this was the reason.
But this was fine. She had her own methods to have him change his mind.
“Back then, this princess did not understand husband and misspoke. Does husband insist on quibbling over that with this princess?”
Yin Shuo cupped his hands, “This subject does not dare.”
He said that he did not dare, not that he would not. Princess DanYang sneered to herself.
She slowly walked behind Yin Shuo and reached out for a fallen petal on his shoulder. Feigning carelessness, she said: “I just came from JiYao’s courtyard and heard something absolutely horrible. I heard that husband, for the sake of disrupting the formation of the cabinet, actually had his own little sister go and be a honey trap. If father Emperor was to find out about this, I wonder what sort of reaction father Emperor would have.”
Her hand slowly moved down from his shoulder, as Yin Shuo’s back tightened up, and his lips became pursed.
