Chapter 1359: Chapter 1357: The Gatekeeper
Yilan smiled and nudged her arm.
"You must be joking!"
"Wouldn’t the Empress have all the food she desires? How could you be lacking?"
Yue Er spread her hands helplessly.
"Otherwise, what can I do! My mother says I’m too spoiled and won’t let me eat tasty things!"
"She keeps saying children are still growing and should eat bland food! Otherwise, they won’t grow tall!"
Yilan couldn’t help but laugh.
"With your personality, it’s a wonder if the Empress can control you!"
"Besides, you’re not living in the harem now!"
Yue Er greedily ate a piece of goose feet, unable to resist offering a few words of praise.
She then continued.
"My mother can’t control me!"
"But she sent several Sisters over!"
"The Wetnurse Sisters around me are okay, but only Sister Fan is the most annoying!"
"My mother especially values her and summons her every few days for questioning!"
"I have no way around it!"
"So I..."
"So you don’t like staying in the palace and often run around, right!" County Princess Yilan finished her sentence for her.
Yue Er chuckled, picked up a piece of osmanthus yam, and took a bite, mumbling.
"What, are you not happy to see me!"
"I used to stay at the Eastern Palace often when I was a child, my big brother doted on me the most!"
"The Sisters wouldn’t allow me to eat or play with things, but my brother would personally give them to me and even play with me!"
"Now, it’s not the same..."
"I’ve been reduced to such a state!"
She finished eating the whole piece of osmanthus yam, then put on a look of helplessness.
County Princess Yilan furrowed her brows and protested.
"What do you mean by that? Why is coming to my house considered a reduction?"
"You better not feel reduced, careful our small household might tarnish the Princess!"
As she spoke, she began to remove the snacks and tea from the table.
Yue Er, clutching onto a snack, looked reluctantly and quickly pleaded for mercy.
"No, no! Let me eat one more piece!"
"Sister! My dear sister, I was wrong, can I eat a little more?"
County Princess Yilan’s facade broke instantly, as she couldn’t help but mock her.
"Look at your sorry state, and you’re supposed to be a Princess!"
Reluctantly, she put the snack back down, huffing lightly.
"Watch what you’re saying!"
"But... I’m not worthy of being your sister; the one living at the Princess’s Mansion is your real sister!"
Yue Er chuckled.
"I’m also not a Princess; the one sick in Fengyu Pavilion is the real Princess!"
The County Princess Yilan and the Imperial Concubine both laughed upon hearing this.
"Alright, alright!"
"You two stop just eating, have some tea!"
"This tea is made in a foreign way, called... milk tea!"
"I’ve heard it’s made with a kind of precious tea leaves mixed with goat milk, the taste is unique. I find it quite pleasant, Princess, give it a try!"
Yue Er picked up her cup again upon hearing this and opened the lid of the tea cup.
Under the bright candlelight of the night, the milky white liquid in the cup had a faint brown hue, with occasional sparkling tea leaves shimmering on top.
Bringing it close to her nose, a unique aroma of tea mixed with milk wafted through her nostrils, refreshing and wonderful.
Yue Er took a sip without hesitation, and the strange yet fresh taste suddenly became intensely rich, filling her mouth with silky, full-bodied flavor.
"Delicious!"
Yilan also took a sip.
"Indeed, it’s pretty good!"
"Though it’s not the taste of our Great Chu Dynasty, the flavor is quite acceptable!"
Yue Er tried a few more sips and laughed.
"Tea and milk are completely different things, yet when mixed, they’re not bad at all!"
"Does Aunt have more?"
"So I can take some back for my mother to try!"
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled and asked the Imperial Concubine.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The Imperial Concubine replied with an enthusiastic smile.
"There’s plenty! When you leave, I’ll pack some for you to take back!"
Yilan, however, jokingly said.
"Hey, you come over and take everything with you!"
"You have something new and don’t think of me... Hey..."
Yue Er raised her eyebrows and replied cheekily.
"It’s not yours I’m taking, it’s Aunt’s gift to me! Right, Aunt?"
The Imperial Concubine promptly smiled.
"It’s just some tea leaves, naturally they should be sent to the palace as a tribute to the Empress!"
"But since these are not new things and the Empress likes tranquility, we don’t want to disturb her, so we haven’t gone over!"
"Since the Princess wants to take them back, that’s all the better!"
Yue Er was smug.
"See, hear that, it’s Aunt who dotes on me, you’re the stingy one!"
As she spoke, she reached out and pinched Yilan’s rosy cheek.
Yilan couldn’t help but nudge her arm back.
"Hey, hey, your skin is really thick!"
The two tussled and laughed, accidentally rolling onto the couch behind them.
The Imperial Concubine quickly pulled them up, putting on a stern face as she scolded Yilan.
"You’re the elder sister, you should give way to your younger sister!"
Yue Er laughed joyously.
"It’s true, Aunt is the one who spoils me the most!"
Yilan couldn’t help but playfully chide her mother.
"You’re something else, seeing the Princess makes you forget you have a daughter!"
The Imperial Concubine laughed as she pulled over her daughter and Yue Er.
"Nonsense!"
"The Princess is a guest and you’re the older sister. It’s rare for her to visit, we should treat her well!"
"Mind your manners!"
Yilan finally felt appeased and said no more.
She and Yue Er ate some snacks to aid digestion, then went to Yilan’s place to rest.
...
The next day.
County Princess Yilan woke up early, while Yue Er was still asleep beside her.
When she returned from washing up, she saw that Yue Er was also awake and Ying Luo was helping her dress.
Yilan teased her.
"You’re so grown up, and yet you still need someone to help you dress?"
Yue Er yawned and replied nonchalantly.
"Getting up so early is hard work, okay!"
"It’s rare these days that I don’t have to go to lessons!"
Yilan couldn’t help but ask.
"So when you’re not studying, what time do you normally wake up?"
"Whenever, I just get up when I wake up!" Yue Er said casually.
Yilan sighed with envy.
"Oh, you really have it good!"
"I can’t do that!"
"If I sleep in, my mom nags at me, saying a lady shouldn’t be lazy and clueless about household matters!"
"She says if I stay in bed till the sun’s high, I’ll get criticized by my in-laws when I get married, and it won’t look good!"
"So I don’t dare sleep in now!"
Yue Er didn’t care.
"Let her nag, are you afraid of nagging?"
She’s thick-skinned herself, and her cousin’s no slouch!
They often teased each other like this, so to County Princess Yilan, these words hardly bothered her.
She raised an eyebrow and said softly.
"How can I compare to you?"
"When you get married, you’ll live in your own Princess’s Mansion, and in-laws and sisters-in-law won’t concern you!"
"But I can’t do that!"
Yue Er thought about it, found it true, and said no more.
After washing up, the two sat side by side in front of the dressing mirror, served by the palace maids.
Yue Er casually fiddled with the hairpins and rings on her vanity, suddenly asking.
"By the way, which family did Aunt choose for you to meet?"
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