“Empress mother……”


  Longze Yu Er climbed to the empress’ side, full of grievances.

  “Empress mother, doesn’t emperor father love Yu Er anymore?”


  “Yu Er, endure it a little longer. After empress mother gives birth to a little brother, he will become the crown prince and then emperor, and nobody would dare bully us anymore!”


  Duanmu Qing gently patted her daughter’s back.

  After hearing Duanmu Qing’s words, Longze Yu Er pushed her away.

  “Crown prince, crown prince, crown prince! In your eyes, in your heart, there’s only little brother. You only want a son; you don’t care about me, this daughter! Since you like sons so much, why didn’t you just strangle me to death when you gave birth to me?!”


  “Yu Er, what are you saying?”


  Seeing her daughter’s unfamiliar side, Duanmu Qing was frightened. She wanted to reach out to wipe away the tears in Longze Yu Er’s eyes, but her hand was pushed aside.

  “I despise you. I despise you all! I hate you all!”


  Longze Yu Er rushed out crying. Duanmu Qing went limp on the ground. Why, why didn’t Yu Er understand her difficulties of being a mother…… …… Duanmu Qing stroked her belly. Both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh. Both are her children. She must protect them.

  Both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh: both are of equal importance

  “Baby, because of you, big sister got angry with empress mother. After you grow up, you must protect big sister, do you understand?”


  Inside Piao Xue Palace, Murong Xue Lian was eating grapes in small chunks. One hand’s on her belly. She had passed six months safely. Three more months and this child would come into the world. Murong Xue Lian had let an imperial physician look at it in secret. He said it’s a prince which made her very happy.

  When this child is born, she must let him become the crown prince! Definitely!

  Hu Po came in quietly. She let all the other palace maid retreat. She went to Murong Xue Lian’s back to massage her.

  “Niangniang1, empress niangniang is one month pregnant and that one in Jing wangfu2 is also pregnant.”


  “What?”


  Murong Xue Lian had a grape seed in her mouth. She couldn’t swallow it and couldn’t spit it out. It’s choking her, very uncomfortable.

  “Are you sure?”


  “Sure.”


  Murong Xue Lian, who had been in a great mood, immediately had clouds in her expression.

  “That hen who couldn’t lay a egg got pregnant. Really hateful! Also, that bitch wants to fight with bengong3. Could it be that she’s dreaming that the child in her belly will get the place of crown prince for Longze Jing Tian? Humph!”


  “Niangniang, what do we do?”


  “Let bengong think. Bengong needs to think well about it.”


  Murong Xue Lian finally spat out the seed. Long red nails on her slender finger touched her belly.

  “Since these two want to fight with bengong, then don’t blame bengong for being ruthless!”


  The viciousness that flashed through Murong Xue Lian’s beautiful face frightened even Hu Po, who had followed her for many years.

  “Come here!”


  Murong Xin Lian also commanded Hu Po with her finger. She whispered in Hu Po’s ears: “Let a rumor out, let the one in Qing Luan Palace know that Jing wang’s4 cefei5 is pregnant. Bengong wants them to have a dogfight.”


  “Niangniang is wise!”


  In Hu Po’s eyes flashed a strange light. Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight is what this master is best at. It seems the calm life is now coming to an end……

  Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight: watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted

  The ninth of September.

  The weather was neither cold nor warm. The sky was cloudless everywhere and in the palace, there’s goldenrod in full bloom. Everywhere, it’s shiny. With one look, it looked full of extravagance.

  Longze Yu was very serious about the marriage alliance between Bei Zhou and Xi Qi. That’s why this year’s double ninth festival was exceptionally grandiose. The officials have long arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the palace where the banquet is being held. Even the emperor, the empress and imperial noble consort have arrived.

  After waiting for half a day, Feng Cang and Murong Qi Qi, the two main characters haven’t yet arrived. Longze Yu’s expression looked somewhat bad. The people were just sitting around. The atmosphere’s a bit tense.

  No need to blame these people. After all, Nan Lin wang Feng Cang’s name is too big and his ways are also astonishing. Chopping the heads of forty imperial guards in the capital a while ago made most people admire him. After that, the emperor didn’t pursue the matter. This demonstrated the deterrence of this Bei Zhou’s wangye.

  It’s just this wangye is too arrogant. He actually let Xi Qi country’s officials wait for him alone. There’s also that princess Zhao Yang Murong Qi Qi. She actually also didn’t come! The officials couldn’t help but cast a variety of eyes again and again at Murong Tai.

  At this moment, Murong Tai also couldn’t sit still for much longer. He took out a handkerchief to wipe off his sweat. When he left, Murong Qi Qi was obviously already awake. He didn’t know why she still hadn’t arrived. If Longze Yu pursued the matter, then it’ll be troublesome.

  Murong Tai wished that he could hang Murong Qi Qi and beat her when she arrives. But these are just the thoughts deep in his heart. The truth is that he can’t and he has no way to deal with Murong Qi Qi.

  These past days, those people of Bei Zhou used Feng Cang’s name to go blatantly in and out of his xiangfu6 From time to time, they would make cutting remarks in Bei Zhou’s language about him. And also that cook. Every day, he made roasted lamb, making the whole xiangfu billow with smoke. Everywhere, there’s the smell of lamb, making him lose appetite for several days.

  All these made Murong Tai get headaches, but he couldn’t afford to offend Feng Cang. So he can only endure. In his heart, he wished that Murong Qi Qi would get married, the sooner the better; once gone, gone for good.

  While everyone’s wondering what Nan Lin wang and princess Zhao Yang are doing, inside a carriage outside the palace, Murong Qi Qi finally woke up.

  Early in the morning, she had been dug out of bed by Feng Yu. Feng Yu said she must definitely beautify herself. The result was that while Murong Qi Qi was sleeping, she let Feng Yu bathe her, dress her ad then paint her body in balm. Then she (FY) put the ‘Gold thread dress’ on her (MQQ). Only after that did she (FY) began to make her (MQQ) hair and make-up.

  Murong Qi Qi swore she never knew a woman dressing and putting on make-up would take up so much time. Feng Yu had very skillful hands. Just a few turns with her black hair and a beautiful hairstyle appeared on her head, making Murong Qi Qi sigh in admiration.

  Just when Murong Qi Qi thought that everything was done, Feng Yu once again put her on the stool and continued to be busy with her hair. Finally, when the hair was done, Feng Yu began at her face.

  From beginning to end, Su Mei and Su Yue didn’t help. They only looked from the side. While they were looking, they will sighing in admiration at Feng Yu’s skillful hands, making Feng Yu more proud and she showed off even more.

  The whole process, Murong Qi Qi was half-awake, half-asleep. Several times when she was almost asleep, she would be woken up by Feng Yu. One time, it’s painting the eyebrows; one time, it’s adding blush; another time, it’s to smear rouge on the lips……

  After seeing Feng Yu’s forehead covered with a layer of sweat, even if Murong Qi Qi was very tired, she endured it.

  This person was good to her from the bottom of her heart. She’s also doing this for her, so she can’t spoil Feng Yu’s heart. Murong Qi Qi’s body was put in front of a mirror after Feng Yu had finished. Su Mei took out a brush and painted a goldenrod on her forehead to match everything Feng Yu did to her.

  “Princess is really beautiful……”


  Have to say, after the goldenrod was finished, it made her whole person more vivid and pretty. Feng Yu gracefully put Murong Qi Qi into the carriage. In her heart, she was fantasizing about the expression wangye has when he sees Murong Qi Qi.

  How would Feng Yu know that from the moment Murong Qi Qi entered the carriage, she would sleep till she reached the palace gate.

  TL Comments:

  Held on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, Chongyang Festival is also called Double Ninth Festival. In Chinese, nine is regarded as the number of Yang (which means masculine as opposed to Yin which is feminine). The ninth day of the ninth month is the day that has two Yang numbers, and ‘chong’ in Chinese means double which is how the name Chongyang was created. It is a day for people to eat Chongyang cake, drink chrysanthemum wine, climb mountains, and pay homage to chrysanthemums.

  Just as other Chinese festivals have their own unique story, so does the Chongyang Festival. It is said that, during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220), a devil inhabited the Nu River which caused disease in the neighbouring people. The parent of a young man, named Hengjing, died because of the devil’s magic. In order to rid the people of the devil, Hengjing went through extraordinary lengths to find an immortal to teach him swordsmanship in order to expel the devil.

  On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, the immortal told Hengjing that the next day the devil would appear and he was to go back to get rid of the devil and the disease. Taking a bag of dogwood and some chrysanthemum wine, Hengjing returned to his hometown. In the morning of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Hengjing led all the villagers who were each holding a piece of dogwood leaf and a cup of Chrysanthemum to the nearest mountain. At noon, when the devil came out from the Nu River, the devil suddenly stopped because of the fragrance emitted from the dogwood and the chrysanthemum wine. At that moment Hengjing used the sword to battle the devil for a few rounds and won.

  Since then the custom of climbing mountains, drinking chrysanthemum wine and holding onto dogwood on the ninth day of the ninth month have become popular.

  1. Niangniang: used to refer to the females of the imeperial family by people of lower rank

  2. Wangfu: residece of a wangye

  3. Bengong: I, used by the females of the imperial family

  4. Wang/wangfei: main wife of a wangye

  5. Cefei: second ranked wife of a wangye

  6. Xiangfu: residence of a prime minister