HomeSheng Shi Di FeiChapter 12: The Virtuous Dowager Consort

Chapter 12: The Virtuous Dowager Consort

The Virtuous Dowager Consort was the current matriarch of Prince Li’s residence, though she wasn’t Prince Mo Jingli’s birth mother. Both Mo Jingli and the current Emperor were born to the Empress Dowager. The Virtuous Dowager Consort was Empress Dowager’s cousin, and unlike other imperial consorts who typically engaged in open and subtle rivalries, these two had supported each other throughout their lives. The Virtuous Dowager Consort had a daughter, Princess Lin’an, who had married the Great General of National Defense years ago and followed him to guard the frontier. The Virtuous Dowager Consort herself had been invited by Prince Li to leave the palace and live under his care. In truth, this arrangement was because the Empress Dowager worried about her younger son living alone outside the palace, so she had asked the Virtuous Dowager Consort to look after him.

After changing her clothes, Ye Li followed the housekeeper’s wife to Old Madam Ye’s Hall of Glory, where a harmonious gathering was taking place. Old Madam Ye was sitting with the Virtuous Dowager Consort, while Madam Wang naturally accompanied them with Ye Ying at her side. Several other noble ladies of rank were seated at the lower positions. What surprised Ye Li most was that Mo Jingli was also seated below the Dowager Consort. After a moment’s confusion, Ye Li recalled that in this world, the segregation between men and women wasn’t as strict as she had heard about in ancient times from her previous life, nor was there a rule forbidding unmarried men and women from meeting. Of course, young ladies from good families still needed to be accompanied by maids and chaperones when meeting their fiancés. If not for this custom, Ye Ying wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become involved with Mo Jingli.

“This humble subject pays respects to the Dowager Consort and His Highness Prince Li. Greetings to Grandmother. This junior pays respects to all the ladies present.”

The noble lady seated in the primary position possessed an elegant dignity with considerable gravitas. Her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, and though her prime years had passed, her well-maintained face showed no trace of wrinkles. The Virtuous Dowager Consort wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but she carried herself with such grace and nobility that people couldn’t help but be drawn to her presence.

“Old Madam, is this the Third Young Lady?” the Dowager Consort asked Old Madam Ye while looking at Ye Li.

Old Madam Ye smiled apologetically and replied, “Yes, Dowager Consort, this is my third girl.”

The Dowager Consort nodded and smiled, “She’s a lovely, spirited child. It’s just unfortunate… that our Li’er wasn’t fortunate enough.” The Dowager Consort drew Ye Li closer and praised her, then removed an ice jade bracelet from her wrist and placed it on Ye Li’s, immediately causing Ye Ying’s eyes to darken as she stood beside Madam Wang. Ye Li couldn’t dare accept the Dowager Consort’s bracelet and quickly tried to decline: “Thank you for your praise, Dowager Consort, but such a precious item is better suited for you. I dare not accept such a generous gift.” The Dowager Consort held down her hand as she tried to remove the bracelet, feigning anger: “Child, could it be that you look down on my bracelet? This was bestowed upon me by the Late Emperor himself. I’m getting old now, and it would look better on young people like you. It would make me happy.” Since she had mentioned it was the Late Emperor’s bestowal, refusing further would seem like rejecting an imperial gift. Ye Li finally acquiesced, curtsying gracefully with a slight smile: “Thank you for your generous gift, Dowager Consort. This humble subject will carefully preserve your gift.”

The Dowager Consort seemed very pleased with Ye Li’s response and nodded with a smile before releasing her. Ye Li then properly took her place standing behind Madam Wang, alongside Ye Ying.

The ladies who had accompanied the Dowager Consort were all surprised upon seeing Ye Li. Third Young Lady Ye’s reputation in the capital was almost as well-known as Ye Ying’s, who was celebrated as the premier beauty, though for opposite reasons – one was known for having complete virtue, talent, and beauty, while the other was said to lack all three. It seemed impossible to believe they were from the same family. However, this Third Young Lady Ye was also peculiar in that she rarely attended gatherings of noble young ladies in the capital, with the excuse that she had been in poor health since Madam Ye’s death. Now seeing Third Young Lady Ye in person, with her elegant beauty and refined manners, she subtly reminded them of the graceful bearing of the late Madam Ye from the prestigious Xu family. How could such a lady have gained such an unfavorable reputation, not only losing an excellent marriage to Prince Li but also being betrothed to Prince Ding? Her life seemed ruined.

Ye Li stood respectfully behind Madam Wang, completely ignoring Mo Jingli, who had been glowering at her darkly since she entered. While listening to everyone paying compliments to the Dowager Consort, she studied the crystalline jade bracelet on her wrist, her thoughts racing. If anyone suggested that the Dowager Consort either liked her or felt guilty about Prince Li breaking off the engagement enough to gift her a Late Emperor’s relic upon first meeting, neither she nor anyone present would believe it. Moreover, the Dowager Consort had just casually mentioned Prince Li while both Ye Ying and Mo Jingli were present, clearly intending to make her uncomfortable. So what was the meaning behind the Dowager Consort’s performance?

“We old ladies talking here must be quite boring for young people. Why don’t Third Young Lady and Fourth Young Lady take Li’er out for a walk?” the Virtuous Dowager Consort suddenly suggested with a warm smile.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang and Ye Ying’s expressions immediately stiffened. Old Madam Ye was also startled but quickly recovered, saying with a smile, “The Dowager Consort is right. I’ve been thoughtless in keeping Prince Li here listening to us waste time. Ying’er, Li’er…”

Ye Li’s heart skipped a beat, but she stepped forward and smiled at Old Madam Ye: “Grandmother, Fourth Sister, and Prince Li are in love and naturally miss each other. I wouldn’t dare to be a red lantern and make myself unwelcome.” After speaking, she stuck out her tongue and made a face at Old Madam Ye, displaying such girlish charm that it caught both the Old Madam and Madam Wang off guard, as they were used to Ye Li’s usual calm demeanor. Ye Ying, her feelings exposed, blushed deeply and glared at Ye Li, then shyly glanced at Mo Jingli, her beautiful face tinged with red, looking breathtakingly gorgeous. Mo Jingli, hearing Ye Li’s words, looked even more displeased and snorted coldly, saying to Ye Li, “It’s good that you know your place!” Ye Li raised an eyebrow, maintaining her smile as she replied cheerfully, “Your Highness speaks true. I am indeed a sensible person. How could I interrupt Fourth Sister’s time with her future husband? I’d rather stay here to accompany Grandmother, the Dowager Consort, and all the ladies. I admire the Dowager Consort’s bearing and only hope she won’t find me wanting.”

The Dowager Consort gave Ye Li a long look before smiling, “In that case, Li’er shall stay.”

Mo Jingli snorted and left with Ye Ying. Ye Ying naturally followed Mo Jingli with great joy, while the Dowager Consort observed the quietly smiling young woman before her, imperceptibly furrowing her brow before quickly smoothing it away and continuing her conversation with Old Madam Ye.

Ye Li stood boredly behind Madam Wang, listening to the capital’s noble ladies chat while mentally reciting several chapters from “The Art of War” twice, a habit from her previous life. In her past life, Ye Li came from a military family. Her great-grandfather had come from a poor background and fought in the Anti-Japanese War – simply put, he was a rough man. Yet this rough man particularly hated being called uncouth, so starting from Ye Li’s father’s generation, they were all trained in the way of scholarly generals. The old man’s greatest pleasure was making the younger generation memorize books, particularly classical texts full of archaic language. The younger generation, unable to bear this torment, generally chose schools as far away from home as possible and refused to return during holidays. However, after more than a decade of this drilling, the younger generation had indeed benefited greatly.

The ladies present were all prominent figures in the capital, and while they maintained appropriate expressions during their casual conversation, they hadn’t ignored Ye Li standing behind Madam Wang. The longer they observed, the more they found this Third Young Lady Ye different from the rumors. No matter what they discussed, this young lady showed neither curiosity nor surprise, even when they mentioned Prince Li and Fourth Young Lady Ye’s marriage – she showed no signs of resentment or grievance. Whether genuine or false, the ability to maintain such composure that even these experienced ladies couldn’t read her true feelings was quite remarkable. Such equanimity in the face of both favor and disgrace was rare not only among young ladies but also among men.

“Speaking of which, we rarely see Third Young Lady in the capital. Will Third Young Lady be attending this year’s Hundred Flowers Festival?” Ye Li was reciting internally when one of the ladies suddenly asked.

Before Ye Li could answer, Old Madam Ye smiled and said, “Li’er’s health has improved greatly these past two years, so she will naturally attend this year.” The Old Madam had understood Madam Wang’s previous intentions in preventing Ye Li from attending, but now that both girls’ marriages were arranged, preventing Ye Li from participating would be unreasonable by any standard. Although she favored Ye Ying more, the shrewd Old Madam Ye had no intention of alienating this granddaughter who was about to become Prince Ding’s consort from the Ye family.

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