Chapter 554

Chapter 554 – Fortune

Ye Zhen came out of the upper hall, stood on the stone steps in the courtyard, and waited for a while. Lu Xiangzhi soon came out followed by Lu Jing*. She had already shed all pretenses with Lu Jing before leaving the capital, so there was no need to feign to have any sisterly affection. She just nodded lightly as a greeting.

[*Fourth Miss, concubine born]

“Yaoyao, tell me, how did you help the emperor to subdue them in Zhao Jia Island without wasting a single soldier?” Lu Xiangzhi walked to Ye Zhen and asked, lowering his voice mysteriously.

“I didn’t do anything.” Ye Zhen glared at him.

Lu Xiangzhi took Ye Zhen’s hand and walked out, and when he reached a deserted place, he asked again, “Then what happened when you were taken away by Zhao Tianji? I heard that you also cured other people’s illnesses.”

“Who told you this?” Ye Zhen asked in surprise, even Old Madam Lu and the rest didn’t know about it.

“I inadvertently overheard the Marquis of Jing Ning mentioning it. It’s just my conjecture, but am I correct?” Lu Xiangzhi exclaimed. “Yaoyao, how much (medical skills) have you learnt from Mr. Huangfu? It’s so amazing.”

Ye Zhen slapped his hand angrily. “We met Zhao Tianji by accident. He and Master originally knew each other, and we followed him to Zhao Jia Island to heal his legs… Who knew that his elder brother actually had the idea of rebellion and statehood? Anyway, I didn’t do anything, so don’t spout nonsense.

Lu Xiangzhi laughed and said, “How can you not be credited? Isn’t the plague in Huaijiang worth the credit? You cured Zhao Tianji who returned to ruling the island, this is also a merit. Yaoyao, Grandmother is right, you are a lucky star*.”

[*福星 fú xīng: mascot; lucky star]

“How can I be lucky—” Ye Zhen smiled bitterly and murmured in a low voice. If she was lucky, how could she still not find her father and brother? If she was lucky, she wouldn’t have died at Lu Lingzhi’s hands.

“Oh, by the way, Big Brother, has Eldest Brother really recovered?” Thinking of Lu Lingzhi, Ye Zhen abandoned her musing, she wanted to know how he was detoxified.

Lu Xiangzhi sighed. “Eldest Brother originally went to Huaijiang to find you, but you were no longer there at that time. On the way, he met a poison master from the western border. He went with him to the western border. I heard that the poison master transfused* his blood and expunged the poison completely.”

[*It’s literally exchanging blood, so we went with transfusion.]

“Transfused his blood?” Ye Zhen’s eyes almost popped out in astonishment. There is actually something like blood transfusion in this world, I thought it was just a legend.

“I don’t know exactly know how it is done, but Eldest Brother must have undergone a great degree of pain.” Lu Xiangzhi said softly, his tone holding a strong admiration and awe for Lu Lingzhi. “We have Eldest Brother in the Lu family, and we will definitely not fall.”

Ye Zhen’s heart was filled with anger, how could Lu Lingzhi not die?!

“When you and Eldest Brother were away, Grandmother recited sutras and prayed to Buddha every day… Father and Mother were also very worried. It’s good, now you both are finally back.” Lu Xiangzhi laughed. “Yaoyao, you can’t be so willful in the future, you’ll have us all worried. ”

“Yes, I know.” Ye Zhen nodded, but her tone was a little perfunctory. She was still thinking about what she should do next now that Lu Lingzhi had recovered. She could not just sit back and do nothing like before.

In the past, she couldn’t do anything because she didn’t have the ability. If she didn’t take revenge now, with Lu Lingzhi’s means and ability, she couldn’t do anything even more.

“Are you exhausted? Go back to rest.” Lu Xiangzhi assumed Ye Zhen’s perfunctory as her being extremely tired.

Ye Zhen smiled and said, “Big Brother, then I’ll go back to my courtyard.”

Lu Xiangzhi touched her head and smiled as he said, “Hmm.”

As early as when she learned that Ye Zhen was coming back soon, Pei Shi had already had her yard repaired. Now it looked wider and brighter. All her maids were already waiting outside the courtyard. When they saw her, they were excited and bowed on the ground.

“Your Imperial Highness, you’re back.” Yu Ping walked ahead, looking at Ye Zhen carefully.  She has been worried all this time when her master was away. Seeing that her master was well, her eyes welled up while she was relieved.

Ye Zhen gestured for the others to rise as she said, “I’m back.”

“Your Highness, when you go out in the future, you must bring your servants with you,” Hong Ying, who was standing behind Yu Ping, said.

“Have your injuries healed?” Ye Zhen asked with a smile. When she was in danger on the hunting ground, Hong Ying was seriously injured to save her.

“Replying to Your Highness, the servant’s injury has already healed,” Hong Ying said softly, feeling guilty that her injury had healed too slowly, if not she would have gone out with the princess to protect her.

Ye Zhen said with a smile, “Dai Mei is still on Zhao Jia Island, Master should bring her back. I’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me, if you can help me freshen up, I will feel much more comfortable. ”

Yu Ping smiled with crimson eyes. “This servant will immediately go to fetch water.”

Aunt Rong, who had been looking at Ye Zhen with a smile, also said, “Your Highness, hurry into the room.”

As Ye Zhen stepped into her boudoir, she realized that this was still the most comfortable place in the whole wide world. “I can finally sleep comfortably tonight,” she remarked.

Aunt Rong was assigned by Empress Dowager to serve Ye Zhen. She looked to be in her thirties and always wore a soft and amiable smile. She personally came over to undress Ye Zhen, and said while combing her hair through, “Your Highness went out for a while. The skin is still as white and smooth as before, it is really natural beauty.”

The likelihood of skin damage was high at sea. Ye Zhen used lingquan to bathe and wash her face every day on the ship. Speaking of lingquan, since the time the little golden phoenix had appeared in her mind’s eye, she’d felt like the elixir she held in her palm was different— it was more potent. And even more mysteriously, that little bird had seemed to slowly grow up.

[*lingquan or spirit spring water is the elixir that appears on her palm. Lingquan literally means spirit spring water.]

Ye Zhen couldn’t help but think of a legend her father had once told her, about how some people had their own realms*. Perhaps the place she had met that little golden phoenix was a realm of her own?

[*lit. space; we’re guessing it’s a kind of pocket dimension or astral realm]

“Your Highness, this servant has prepared the water,” Yu Ping said. “This servant will wash your hair for you.”

Ye Zhen came back to her senses and nodded lightly, she was sluggish now and really didn’t want to move too much.

Aunt Rong and Yu Ping were worthy of being people who served in the palace. Not only did they know how to relax Ye Zhen’s body, but they also had a unique way of maintaining it. Ye Zhen was enjoying Aunt Rong’s massage while soaking in the bath and almost fell asleep.

“Your Highness is very beautiful.” Yu Ping gazed at Ye Zhen who was lying on the edge of the bathtub.

As a woman, faced with the distinguished, opulent charm of the princess, her heart could not help but beat faster. She was aware the princess’ beauty was unmatched in the entire capital, but she never imagined that in person, she would be this bewitching. She had never attended the princess in her baths before, but now, she knew that the princess was very exquisite… Her skin was like the finest white jade, smooth and supple… So delicate that a mere bubble could break it.

She reckoned that whoever managed to marry her would only gripe about how they could not spoil her enough.

♚♚♚

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