Elusive Princess
Spring Banquet came to introduce the new Empress who legally obtained her seat of power.
That was a jab by other clans at the Mu Clan, as anyone with a brain knows how the Emperor felt about the irregularity of years ago that his concubines would tell their families how he treats her out of spite at his father-in-law. He was strongarmed by his mother into marrying Mu Shi and she wasn't even part of the harem. All he was told is that, 'do it for the country' so something was up.
What does marrying her have to do with 'do it for the country' exactly...?
Not only that, a week before that, Princess Royal was married to Xiao Yuancheng, a man who hasn't even earned neither merit nor rights to earn a Princess' hand in marriage. What was the Dowager thinking?
Nobody knows. But foul play is involved, so other clans alienated the Mu Clan and the Dowager lost power back then, losing support. Nobody answered to the royal family back then even during war, forcing the then Crown Prince to ascend the throne to take power from her from the disasters she wrought due to foul plays she was involved in with Marquis Jing'an. No wonder the Emperor banished him to the borders when Princess Beiyue was born.
He has a tendency to show up when the Emperor makes decisions the man doesn't like.
Read: doesn't benefit him. He thinks he can walk all over the Emperor now that he's his father-in-law? He doesn't know his place!
Mu Shi is clearly his spy in court in a blatant attempt to make a puppet out of the Emperor and unfortunately for him, he was hot-tempered and strong-willed, according to everyone's spies in court disguised as Eunuchs and maids. He wasn't a weakling like his mother. Princess Royal is a filial obedient daughter that even if she didn't want to, she obeys her mother even if she didn't want to do it. And when her daughter died, she fell ill, before leaving the country, leaving her son to pick up the pieces, and her granddaughter languished for four years, mistreated and exploited behind closed doors.
And years later when Dongling spoke of what actually happened to Princess Royal that she witnessed while hiding, who was the one behind Concubine Xue indeed! That Princess Royal willingly took poison and willing to die for the city in exchange for her death? She could not tell Beiyue back then with good reason and both of them will die to bury that criminal truth forever! Someone talked the Grandqueen into making Princess Royal die for Linhua City or else!
While the party went on, everyone has seen it. Beiyue's rather large leap in change in strength that stunned many.
From nothing to this much? Since winter ended?
How...?
'It seems Huiwen is helping her daughter even from the grave.' Prince Xiaoyao mused as the youngest princess clearly did NOT want to be here. But alas, part of a royal and noble's obligations are these social galas.
She has to deal with people who once disparaged, insulted and mocked her for what wasn't even her fault, now they look at her amazed.
She clearly did NOT want to be here judging by the disgust and contempt in her eyes and refusing to talk to anybody. Yingye gets snubbed actually that got the older girl disheartened.
'Her heart holds enough contempt.' said Lianyi, frowning at the young beauty's icy expression. She was easily the most beautiful girl among all women below age twenty. It helps that her dress was incredible as well, flaunting her delicate figure and tiny waist. 'Six years. Recent developments aren't enough to wash away those feelings that spanned six years. She has no one but a single maid in this country. She also has no ties here.'
'...'
When the banquet ended, she vanished.
xxx
'I'm home from that pointless shindig~' Beiyue called out as she got back. 'Have you had dinner while I'm out dealing with those fakes?'
'Yes, I've already eaten an early dinner because I still have to hang out laundry before going back to cultivation.' said Dongling. 'I did that, so I'll be spending my night cultivating.'
'Alright.' Beiyue gathered a lot of ki all over the city to form a ball of power which she gave to Dongling. 'Alrighty, enough to reach Silver Class A in power this time.' she said. 'After this, refine your body to standards in all basics and techniques, OK? After you reach Silver Class A I'll imprint Gold-Class techniques in you next.'
'Yes!'
'I'll also be outside for a few days myself, back to same old routine.'
Next day?
'Dongling, where's Beiyue? I was gonna ask her out for a tea party...' Yingye who was accompanied by her maids Wushuang and Wuxuan asked Dongling who was sweeping the stone pathways. Dongling who was also powerless, became a Silver Class A in a couple months! She who was skinny and stunted because of the Xiaos, got healthier and taller! Her skin as white as an egg shell! What's going on here, Yingye wondered. Jing's fiancee Lin Wanyi just reached Silver Class and she's twenty years old, soon to graduate by next year! Then this girl...!
The maids with her were also envious of Dongling's newfound beauty. Hercreamy skin brought out rosy lips and she's tall and developed for her age. Her hair vibrant and glossy yet they on the other hand, have brown skin, being commoners.
'...she has instructions.' said Dongling. 'She only comes back every night in time for dinner.'
'Instructions?'
'...milady's ghost...she's giving missy lessons. She can only hear milady yet i couldn't, so missy speaks for her.' said Dongling to Yingye's shock. 'I was also given things to do after I finish my chores.'
'O-oh my...' Yingye shook before looking down glumly. 'Royal aunt must be really angry with everyone...she can't even trust anyone to teach Beiyue now. Going to Lingyang is just a joke at this point and wasting her time for at least, the first three years.'
'Missy didn't wanna go either, but its tradition everyone must do. No exceptions even for future Emperors and whoever's lucky to be Crown Princess.' said Dongling. 'Six years they talk ill of her behind her back, having fun at her expense, unaware of why she was like that as she suffered those years.' Yingye wilted in guilt at the maid's piercing words. 'Now as if sweeping their malice under the rug, they will no doubt try to kiss up to her as if those six years didn't happen. Its disgusting.' she said in disgust. 'Missy is alone in this city full of people like them.'
'I-I'm sure things will get better at some point...' Yingye stammered out nervously.
'It will never be. Its why Milady came back in her own way.' Dongling shook her head before looking grim. 'She can never trust anyone with her daughter. Anymore. Anyone who tries to hurt missy will die. No more forgiveness and to think milady has the patience of a saint before. Everyone used that up to the last drop.'
The disheartened princess left, saddened.
"I have it easy compared to that, huh?" Yingye thought glumly. Compared to Beiyue, she had a rose-colored life.
A good home.
Parents that doted on her.
Her brother watches over her.
Beiyue didn't have those.
She had a treacherous family who made her life hell while exploiting her after royal aunt died. While she was alive, she wasn't even in their thoughts, dismissing her as trash while using her as their living wallet.
There's no way they'll ever come to an understanding.
How can she?
xxx
Zhanye sent his sister to her quarters with her maids, when she came to him crying.
She had visited Beiyue in hopes to invite her to a tea party but she was out training, following royal aunt's ghost as she can no longer trust anyone in this city with her daughter. Beiyue really did NOT want to attend Lingyang, but is obliged to. She wanted nothing to do with anyone who wasn't their father, and Dongling.
Dongling made clear how his cousin felt, that Yingye remarked she had an easy life, while Beiyue only knew suffering, that Yingye can't imagine living that kind of life that all she had was hatred and contempt. Everyone disgusted the youngest princess. She knows everyone's true colors. And now royal aunt fought her way out of heaven to protect her only child from abuse and castigation she didn't deserve.
Come to think of it, why hasn't she paid him a visit yet? She ran away from him in tears once because he glared at her for being weak yet not changing herself nor making an effort.
That was what he once thought, until he learned she was so abused she broke and had no hope left, thinking nobody would be kind to her ever again. She didn't dare trust her own relatives, and he had a hand in her belief.
Royal Aunt indeed, charged big.
What she did to Xue Che. To Concubine Qin and Xiao Yun.
Concubine Qin died from whipping via blood loss. Concubine Xue was apparently poisoning Beiyue for years, thus poisoned Xiao Yun back.
The Xiao Family are living in their former mansion that they left, when Xiao Yuancheng married Princess Royal.
His father sneered that being exposed for their crimes, and the deaths of Concubine Qin and Xiao Yun clearly damaged his hated brother-in-law enough. And Xue will be executed once they found out the whens, hows and whys, that in that sinful family, only Concubine Fang was the only decent human being in that family
According to Dongling, Qin was his favorite wife as 'she was great in bed' and has connections in the court for him to use at will, while Xiao Yun is his favorite child as she was a Summoner who inherited her grandfather's genius.
However, genius she was not.
She gained the spiritual foundations of a Summoner, in other words; having an element as only cultivators with elemental foundations can become Summoners. Just like only wind-orienteds are great Healers, and earth-orienteds are the only ones who can do Pharmacy.
When Princess Royal died, Beiyue had no idea how to manage her land, so Grandqueen trusted Yuancheng into managing for her.
Little did Grandqueen know he didn't manage it at all.
After a little pillow-talk from Qin, Xiao Yuancheng gave Qin Qinghe to manage and Xue Miyang as it was where she came from. Xue spent everything just to gain an elixir to give Xiao Yun the foundations to become a Summoner. Clearly it wasn't the Marrow-Washing Pill, otherwise Xiao Yun would be more than 3-stars by now. But its enough to make a typical cultivator into a Summoner by force, though understandably, little talent in it.
To make up for it, Senior Master got her her 5th-ranked Sky Snow Cat to get to where she is now, hence, a so-called 'genius'. Now then, how she got the poison to poison Beiyue is up in the air.
Qin also poured a lot of money for Zhongqi's cultivation, and years' worth of cosmetic pills so her daughter will grow up a beauty and score a rich husband, while she would retain her beauty as she gets older.
With a past like that, his father was pissed. Furious with grandmother for royal aunt and Beiyue's fates, that he forbade her from having anything to do with the royal children ever again or he'll forget he ever has a mother. He went that far with how angry he was. And now, for stealing from a royal, they're so buried in debt it'll take a hundred generations to pay it all back. The Xiao Family are basically, slaves now. The earnings of Xiao Qiyuan, Yuancheng, Zhongqi, Zhonglei, Ling and Rou will automatically go to Beiyue's accounts, and its magically ensured they cannot escape the debt no matter how they try!
And Beiyue wanted nothing to do with anybody.
Dongling is now a Silver Class A in cultivation while skill is unknown. And in just a short time when that normally...takes years. And then there's Beiyue!
Her cultivation that she gained in a few weeks, is unreal.
So she is learning from royal aunt indeed.
xxx
Dinnertime...
Dongling was experimenting on condiments.
Soy Sauce. Miso Paste. Culinary Herbs and Spices. Vinegar. And this thing missy created after trial and error in a bid to look for 'perfect taste', Mirin. It's like, sweetened alcohol made out of glutinous rice and rice malt with some alcohol, ferment for two months or so...that's normally the normal process, but missy speeds it up with unknown means.
And she said she'll bring home seaweed good for soup? Hummm...that can wait.
Wait, the ocean is a week away from here...
Pause.
'EHHHHH?!'
'Dongling, what's wrong?' Beiyue came in, and with her was a large basket-backpack of seaweed! 'Did you mess up?'
'Er miss, where did you get that?'
'From a foreign but newbie merchant...much of his stuff is poisonous except for this...' Dongling choked out at that. 'I think he's a scammer who decided 'I'll sell everything, who cares about them' and wait for the fallout while he enjoyed his money from afar. I made sure to tell uncle though.'
'Missy!'
'Nah, this one's safe, really.' Beiyue laughed with a handwave, before picking up a single leaf of seaweed she has and gave it to Dongling. 'I checked! We'll boil these as part of flavorings in soup, OK? But we won't eat it of course, too tough! Its here for flavor only. Once the color of boiled water takes on a tea-like color, take the leaf out and throw it. Then use it to make our miso soup.'
'OK...I started the rice now.' said Dongling. 'While we wait for the rice to cook, what do you want for tonight?'
'Hummm...roast duck with sauce, stir-fried green veggies and mushrooms with sweet-spicy sauce, miso soup and steamed fish with savory-sweet sauce. Just enough for two girls to eat so nothing's wasted.'
'Yes, miss!'
'I'll take a bath OK?' and Beiyue left Dongling to do her job while Beiyue took a bath, by magically controlling water to fill her tub, and heated the water to satisfactory levels before dumping a pile of rose petals in.
In the meantime, she controlled a showered bath. She had created soap using rose oils and lye water for use, as well as shampoo and conditioner. Its why she and Dongling smell too nice and cleaner than usual.
When Maria woke up in this world, the baths are just rose baths, marinade in there and that was IT. No soap, no shampoo and no scrubbers! A bath is NOT complete without those three!
After a bath, THEN she took a soak. Bye-bye work stress, and she'll smell of roses afterwards. Her whole body, but a magical tube to her nostrils linked to the surface so she can breathe while underwater so her body gets equal benefits. She stayed there for a good half hour, before coming out feeling better!
Last thing she did, is cleaning manicure before coming out to get dressed in her room.
And so...
'So miss, other than the seaweed, how did it go?' Dongling asked Beiyue as they ate together.
On Beiyue's requests, she cooks side dishes enough for a bowl of rice to prevent overeating while eating healthy at the same time.
Half a rice bowl for meat, half a rice bowl for vegetables, seafood just by itself, Miso Soup plus tea makes a good balanced meal.
'I got myself a Summon.' said Beiyue. 'So what if I have no element? There's always Phantom Beasts.' she scoffed with a smug armfold as Dongling gasped.
Phantom Beast!
They are those who can create illusions.
Summoners can wield their beasts' element as their elemental magic.
But in her lady's case, it's illusions.
However!
Because Mental Imaging was where Beiyue sucked at, she was under intensive boot camp under Yan for weeks afterward to be an effective Phantom Summoner.