Chapter 929 Came Across Zhaoyi Di

When Empress Dowager’s invitation arrived, Shao Wanru was playing chess with Chu Liuchen.

Hearing Empress Dowager’s order, Chu Liuchen stood up and tidied up his robe. “I’ll go with you!”

“Your Highness, you’d better not go!” Shao Wanru said with a smile. She stood up and threw the chess in her hand into the chess basket aside.

“Why?” Chu Liuchen knew from her expression that Shao Wanru had an idea, but he couldn’t help making fun of her.

“I have told you about the complicated marital thing between Second Sister and Third Sister in Marquis Xing’s Mansion, haven’t I?” Shao Wanru squinted at him and said. Then she walked to sit at the dressing table. All the servant girls were absent. They left before to make private space for the couple.

Chu Liuchen walked behind Shao Wanru, picked a sapphire hairpin, and gently put it in the right place of her bun. “Are you sure that you don’t need me to go with you?”

“Yes, I am sure! You’d better stay here. If Empress Dowager sees that you are always around with me, she must be unhappy!” Shao Wanru said with a slight smile and looked at Chu Liuchen in the mirror.

“He is so charming that it seems he has a circle of moonlight around him.” She couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth.

“It is so lucky to marry him!”

Chu Liuchen looked at the girl in the mirror and said with a smile, “Well, you go by yourself. If you bump into any problem, leave it alone first!”

“Okay!” Shao Wanru answered. She felt warm in her heart.

She took the way through the side door as Empress Dowager’s messager did just now. Shao Wanru went to the Palace through the side-door way more times than through the gate after she married into Prince Chen’s Mansion.

The Nanny leading the way was very polite to Shao Wanru.

Of course, it was because of Chu Liuchen, who was the most favored prince of Empress Dowager. So she, as Princess Chen, got more respect from others.

When she went through the side door and then passed by Chuxiu Palace, Shao Wanru suddenly remembered the painter Madam Ou, who painted for the beauties.

Shao Wanru casually looked in the direction of Chuxiu Palace and asked, “Nanny, are the painters who drew the portraits for the beauties still here?”

The Nanny knew that Princess Chen used to attend the Pageant. She answered with a smile, “Yes, they are! I heard that those painters haven’t left yet. His Majesty thought highly of their paintings, so he asked them to stay and draw a few more paintings of beauties!”

“Paintings of beauties? Who is he going to give them to?” Shao Wanru was stunned and asked subconsciously. Most of the princes had been betrothed, anyway.

“I am not sure! Some people said it was to Prince Cheng, but some others said it was not. They said that Prince Cheng needed to take them to Xu State,” the Nanny answered.

“There is a visit to Xu State?” Shao Wanru’s heart skipped a beat. There was no such a thing as an overseas journey in her last life! But she seemed to have some memories related to Xu State. It seemed that a princess from Xu State married to their country. She wasn’t sure whether Chu Liuchen had anything to do with it, because he didn’t appear in this piece of her memories.

However, along with her heart skipping a beat, something in the depths of her memory was stirred.

She couldn’t help rubbing her forehead. She was bewildered by the memory of her last life. Why was the memory related to Chu Liuchen lost? She could do nothing but keep searching for it in her head.

There seemed to be a woman in such a piece of memories. Where was she from, the capital city or Xu State? She had something to do with a failed marriage. Why? Shao Wanru could not remember…

“Are you feeling uncomfortable, Your Highness? Do you want to have a rest? Empress Dowager has told me that you can walk slowly if you are tired!” The Nanny misunderstood Shao Wanru’s action and slowed down with a smile.

Even Empress Dowager’s servants did not dare to slight Princess Chen. They had witnessed how gentle the emotionless Prince Chen became when he was talking about his wife! Such kind of gentleness was also different from that he showed to keep a distance from others.

And Empress Dowager certainly cared about what he liked. It could be seen from the fact that Empress Dowager only allowed Princess Chen to take her time. When Empress Dowager summoned other people in the past, the Nanny never saw that she allowed any of them to slow down their paces. Everyone was in a hurry, for fear of delaying Empress Dowager’s business.

Princess Chen was the only one, and she would be even if Prince Yue and Prince Zhou got married in the future. Because only Prince Chen was favored by Empress Dowager like that.

Since the Nanny didn’t urge her, Shao Wanru walked at a slow pace and tried to search for the lost memory in her mind. However, she failed though she tried so hard. “Who on earth got married? Was it that the princess of Xu State married to our country or that one of our princesses married to Xu State?”

If it weren’t a famous marriage, she wouldn’t have known in her last life. So it must be a well-known marriage. Could it be Chu Liuchen’s?

With such a thought, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable. She felt sad and envious once thinking that Chu Liuchen might marry someone else in her last life.

Then she bumped into a graceful young lady at the corner. The young woman, followed by a palace maid, was stunned and showed surprise on her beautiful face when she saw Shao Wanru. It seemed that she didn’t expect to meet Shao Wanru here.

“Princess Chen?” The young woman smiled gently.

She looked a little familiar to Shao Wanru. But Shao Wanru couldn’t recognize her after taking a close look at her. She had never seen the young woman before.

“Who are you, please?” Shao Wanru raised her watery eyes and asked with a confused face. She stopped to look at the woman in front of her up and down.

“This is Zhaoyi Di, Your Highness!” the Nanny reminded Shao Wanru. Nanny bowed to Zhaoyi Di in a normal attitude, without any trace of flattery. As the servants of Empress Dowager, they were confident in front of Zhaoyi Di.

Zhaoyi Di was the daughter of a concubine in Duke Yong’s Mansion. It was said that Zhaoyi Di had only been in the Palace for a few years, but she was always favored by the Emperor. She could be regarded as one of the favorite concubines in the Palace.

Zhaoyi Di was lower than Princess Chen in rank, but Zhaoyi Di was the Emperor’s people and Shao Wanru’s elder.

“Princess Chen is going to see Empress Dowager?” Zhaoyi Di took a step back, stepped aside politely, and asked in a soft tone.

“Empress Dowager summoned me!” Shao Wanru said lightly. “No wonder she looks familiar to me! She looks like Madam Di.”

But Zhaoyi Di was much more beautiful and younger than Madam Di, though they had similar eyebrows and eyes. It was said that Zhaoyi Di was the daughter of a concubine favored by Old Duke Yong. However, the concubine died soon after Old Duke Yong passed away. They left the youngest daughter, who later was brought up by the Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion.

As she was a beautiful girl, Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion didn’t treat her badly. Instead, Old Madam raised her wholeheartedly. Later, she entered the Imperial Palace to attend the Pageant and was picked and awarded the title of Zhaoyi by the Emperor.

Shao Wanru didn’t expect to see Zhaoyi Di here, who was so gentle.

“After you, Princess Chen!” said Zhaoyi Di with a smile.

“You’re too polite, Zhaoyi Di!” Shao Wanru said politely. However, she moved her feet and walked by Zhaoyi Di slowly, with a kind smile and her eyes glancing at Zhaoyi Di’s face.

In the last life, when Shao Wanru entered the Palace, Zhaoyi Di had been a favored imperial concubine. It seemed that she never lost her beauty even in front of Shao Yanru. However, she had always been a Zhaoyi. Shao Yanru was also in such a position at that time.

Shao Wanru had never seen Zhaoyi Di in her last life. So she had no connection with Zhaoyi Di and knew nothing about her.

It was the same at the moment. But one thing was certain. Zhaoyi Di designed to meet her here!

They were near Chuxiu Palace, where few imperial concubines or other people would come, because Chuxiu Palace only served the beauties during the Pageant. Although the scenery was good there, it was not outstanding or special at all compared with other places in the Palace. Zhaoyi Di could not go here for sightseeing.

Moreover, Southern Palace and princes’ resting places were also near. It was inappropriate for her, as an imperial concubine, to meet any prince here alone.

Shao Wanru stopped and looked back. She found that Zhaoyi Di still stood there looking at her. Zhaoyi Di smiled gently at Shao Wanru, behaving like an elegant and beautiful lady.

Unlike Shao Yanru, Zhaoyi Di was so mild that no one could sense aggressiveness from her and show hostility to her! What’s more, she was so polite and didn’t act arrogantly like a favored consort.

Shao Wanru also smiled at Zhaoyi Di and walked away slowly.

Zhaoyi Di kept staring at Shao Wanru’s back until the latter disappeared out of her sight. But the smile was still kept on her face.

“Zhaoyi Di, she has been away!” the palace maid reminded her.

“Okay, let’s go back!” Zhaoyi Di said softly and walked on the way Shao Wanru left.

“Why didn’t you talk to her, Zhaoyi Di? We came here to see Princess Chen on purpose! Didn’t Duke Yong say…” the palace maid asked in confusion.

But she was cut off by Zhaoyi Di. “I just want to see Princess Chen in the flesh. I heard that Princess Chen was chosen by Prince Chen himself. I wonder what kind of woman can make Prince Chen fall in love with her. It seems that she is such a gorgeous beauty that we can never find another even in the Palace!”

“Zhaoyi Di, indeed, a beautiful face is essential to become a favored imperial concubine, but it is not the only element!” the palace maid said in defense of her master. She didn’t think Zhaoyi Di was less beautiful than Princess Chen. Her master was both beautiful and amiable, without any aggressiveness. That was why the Emperor liked her!

“Princess Chen is a blessed woman!” Di Zhaoyi shook her head and said with a self-deprecating smile, “How can I be compared with her?”

“How comes that you can’t be compared with her, Zhaoyi Di? You are just unwilling to compete with others. Even Prince Chen…” The palace maid became more and more dissatisfied.

“Shut up! Did you forget what you can and can’t say in the Palace?” Zhaoyi Di’s face darkened, with the smile on her face disappearing and a trace of fierceness showing up.

“Yes, Zhaoyi Di! I made an indiscreet remark!” The palace maid hurriedly lowered her head. She realized something and suddenly turned pale!

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