Chapter 2: Reprimand

When leaving, the four sisters walked out of the palace together.

Feng Bai Zhi deliberately slowed her pace, grabbing Feng Bai Kuan’s arm and twisting it.

Seeing her wince in pain but not daring to resist,

She couldn’t help but sneer, “You seem to get along well with Fifth Sister! What? Have you finally couldn’t resist and want to climb up to the Male Empress?”

Feng Bai Kuan’s eyes reddened involuntarily, her voice timidly replying, “I didn’t…”

Seeing her cowering and pitiful appearance, Feng Bai Zhi became even more annoyed.

Always pretending to be pitiful! So irritating.

She couldn’t help but increase the force of her grip.

Just as they walked out of the main hall, they saw the Emperor and the Male Empress walking towards them.

Seeing this, she immediately released her hand, put on a smile without changing her expression, and together they bowed to the Emperor and Male Empress, saying, “Your children pay respects to Mother Emperor! Greetings to the Male Empress!”

Then, they slowly straightened up.

The Emperor, already middle-aged, had a deep countenance, with a heavy aura of authority, her sharp eyes making people dare not look directly at her.

The Male Empress and the Emperor were childhood spouses, also middle-aged now. However, his face was smooth and delicate, wearing exquisite makeup, adorned with luxurious pearl hairpins and jewelry, looking dignified and magnificent.

When he saw the four of them, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face.

Seeing Feng Bai Kuan with her head lowered behind them, he asked in a gentle voice, “What’s wrong with Little Three? Why is she keeping her head down?”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Zhi, standing next to Feng Bai Kuan, couldn’t help but nervously clench her fists.

Feng Bai Kuan didn’t mention anything else, raising her head and replying in a soft voice, “Thank you for your concern, Male Empress. Your child is just happy to see Fifth Sister awake.”

As soon as she finished speaking, before the Male Empress could speak, the Emperor standing beside him frowned with displeasure.

Being a princess, crying and whimpering all day like a man! What kind of behavior is this!

Glancing at the lazy-looking Feng Bai Su, seeing her disheveled clothes and messy hair, a surge of anger rose in her heart.

She first looked at Feng Bai Kuan and reprimanded her for a few sentences: “As a princess, yet your nature is as fussy as a man, what kind of appearance is this?”

After speaking, she turned to look at Feng Bai Su, who was spacing out, and scolded, “And you, Seventh! Not doing anything proper all day! I told you to go write for the old tutor, but you either have a headache or your hand is sore and weak, shirking your duties! Simply outrageous!”

Her face completely darkened, “I’m telling you, go to Wenyuan Pavilion tomorrow! If I find out you’re being lazy and shirking again, I won’t let you off!”

After saying this, without waiting for their reactions, she turned and walked away.

The Male Empress, a step behind, comforted the two of them with a few words, then quickly walked ahead.

Only the four of them were left standing there.

When the Emperor started reprimanding, Feng Bai Kuan couldn’t help but lower her head again, her eyes becoming even redder.

Feng Bai Zhi not only didn’t comfort her, but even felt a bit of schadenfreude in her heart: Serves you right!

As for Feng Bai Su, she acted as if nothing had happened, not taking it to heart at all, her demeanor as lazy and casual as ever.

Seeing her like this, Feng Bai Ying couldn’t help but frown again, about to speak up.

Noticing her movement, Feng Bai Su quickly bowed to the three of them, saying, “First Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first!”

After speaking, without waiting for their reaction, she walked away with Cong Bai behind her.

*

Cong Bai followed behind her, and when she saw her turn right at the fork in the road, she couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, aren’t we going back to Qingfeng Palace?”

Feng Bai Su replied lazily, “I have to go to Wenyuan Pavilion tomorrow, so I’ll take the time to visit Sixth Sister today.”

The Sixth Princess Feng Bai Jiang’s father was just a small palace servant. He climbed into the dragon bed when the Emperor was drunk, and after one night of passion, she was conceived.

Unfortunately, his beauty was short-lived, and he died in childbirth.

Because of this, Feng Bai Jiang had a weak constitution from birth, and it wasn’t until she was ten years old that she could gradually get out of bed and move around.

Unfortunately, she still had frequent illnesses, big and small, over the years.

The Emperor, having been tricked into having Feng Bai Jiang, didn’t like this accidentally born daughter. When she was young, she was cared for by a wet nurse, and when she grew a bit older, she was placed in a remote palace to be raised.

Feng Bai Su had also sat next to her at a palace banquet once, and after chatting for a while, they got along well. Over the years, their relationship gradually became close.

Although they were half-sisters with the same mother but different fathers, they were more like friends. They were the only confidants in the palace over these years.

After hearing her words, Cong Bai couldn’t help but be surprised: “Your Highness, are you really going to Wenyuan Pavilion tomorrow?”

This doesn’t seem like her mistress’s style, does it? In the past, the Emperor had also reprimanded her, but she had never listened!

Wasn’t her mistress’s favorite thing to do to go against the wind?

Feng Bai Su didn’t know that she had a “stubborn” image in the minds of those around her.

Hearing the surprise in Cong Bai’s tone, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, turning her head to look at her irritably, “Your mistress isn’t a fool, didn’t you hear Mother Emperor say she would kill me if I didn’t go this time?”

Cong Bai, however, softly refuted, “The Emperor only said four words: ‘I won’t let you off!'”

Seeing that she was still not convinced, Feng Bai Su raised her hand and knocked on her head.

With a grave expression: “What do you know? That was her tone of wanting to kill me!”

*

After passing through a maple forest, the two arrived at Hanfeng Palace. This was where the Sixth Princess Feng Bai Jiang lived.

Although Hanfeng Palace was in a remote location, the scenery inside was quite nice.

Especially now that autumn had arrived, the entire palace was filled with falling red maple leaves!

The small palace servant guarding the palace gate saw Feng Bai Su walk in and immediately came forward to greet her: “This servant pays respects to the Seventh Princess!”

Feng Bai Su immediately raised her hand to let him rise, half-squinting her peach blossom eyes and asking in a lazy voice, “Where is your princess? Is she awake?”

The small palace servant, charmed by her alluring and enchanting appearance, blushed and replied in a gentle voice, “The Princess is already awake and is resting in her room.”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Su directly walked past him towards the inner palace.

Cong Bai, following behind her, saw the small palace servant’s face flushed with shyness, and couldn’t help but glare at him as she passed by.

It was because they always behaved like this that her mistress’s reputation was ruined, wrongly gaining a reputation for being flirtatious!

Feng Bai Su walked into the palace, passing the screen, and saw Feng Bai Jiang sitting by the window looking at the scenery outside.

Seeing this, she couldn’t help but frown.

Seeing her personal palace maid behind her about to pay respects, she put her slender white index finger to her thin lips in a gesture of silence.

Then she stepped forward and pulled down the wooden window support. Her voice was a bit low, “What are you so engrossed in looking at? Don’t you know you’re still ill and shouldn’t be exposed to the wind?”

Feng Bai Jiang was startled to suddenly hear her voice, slightly dazed.

Then she turned around, a faint smile appearing on her pale, thin face: “Little Seven is here. I just got tired of lying in bed for so long and wanted to look at the scenery outside.”

She had the palace maid standing beside her pull over a chair for Feng Bai Su to sit down.

“It’s the time when the red maples are in full bloom, so I wanted to see them flying freely.”

Seeing her start to cough lightly after speaking, Feng Bai Su quickly poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to her.

Her voice was a bit displeased: “There’s no rush to see the red maples at this moment, you can wait until you’ve recovered to see them, why be in such a hurry?”

Feng Bai Jiang took the hot tea from her hand and took a light sip, suppressing the itch in her throat before speaking, “You know the condition of my body, I might pass away with any bout of illness. While I’m still alive, let me take a good look at the beautiful scenery of this world!”

She smiled faintly at Feng Bai Su, her pale face calm, as if this was just an insignificant matter.

Feng Bai Su hated hearing her talk like this the most, and her brows immediately furrowed upon hearing it. Her tone was a bit heavy: “You’re talking nonsense again! The imperial physician said your body has shown improvement, why are you being so pessimistic?”

Feng Bai Jiang, however, laughed lightly, “The imperial physician also said that my body wouldn’t last past twenty. I know Little Seven cares for me, sister knows.”

Seeing the calm smile on her face, Feng Bai Su fell silent, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.

Feng Bai Jiang, however, changed the subject at the right moment, “I heard Fifth Sister has woken up, did you go to visit her today?”

Seeing this, Feng Bai Su had no choice but to follow the change in topic, although her voice sounded muffled: “I did. First Sister, Second Sister, and Third Sister all went. When we came out, we even ran into Mother Emperor and the Male Empress.”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Jiang lightly said “Oh,” a smile spreading across her pale face, “Then Mother Emperor must have reprimanded you again, right?”

Seeing her smile teasingly, Feng Bai Su pinched her little finger somewhat guiltily, which was her habitual action when feeling sheepish.

Seeing this, the smile in Feng Bai Jiang’s eyes grew even more pronounced, and she tapped Feng Bai Su’s forehead with her bent index finger: “You!”

Feng Bai Su became even more embarrassed, covering the spot where her finger had tapped, and said angrily out of shame: “Sixth Sister, you know very well. Mother Emperor has disliked me since I was little, she always has to reprimand me every time she sees me, I’m used to it by now!”

Feng Bai Jiang, however, didn’t listen to her words and said with a smile in her eyes: “Isn’t it because you’ve liked to slack off and act improperly since you were little? You’re actually very clever, yet you always pretend to be clumsy, making Mother Emperor want to hit you every time!”

Saying this, the smile disappeared from her face, and she asked, “Little Seven, tell Sixth Sister honestly. Are you deliberately acting this way, not wanting Mother Emperor to notice you?”

Hearing this, the frivolous look on Feng Bai Su’s face finally subsided a bit. She was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, “Sixth Sister, my ambitions don’t lie here.”

Upon hearing these words, Feng Bai Jiang couldn’t help but sigh. Then she smiled and reached out to ruffle the bangs on her forehead, sighing, “Alright, as long as Little Seven is happy! As long as Little Seven lives happily and contentedly in the future, Sixth Sister will always support you.”

Seeing her treat her like a child again, Feng Bai Su leaned back, avoiding her hand, her peach blossom eyes looking at her with some dissatisfaction: “Sixth Sister, can you stop treating me like a child?”

Feng Bai Jiang, however, leaned forward and put her hand on her head again, refusing: “I’ll treat you like a child!”

The two sisters played and joked around, and for a moment, the whole room was filled with laughter and joy.

Cong Bai, standing outside, and Hua Luo, Feng Bai Jiang’s personal palace maid, exchanged a glance, both with smiles in their eyes.

It was only at times like this that the two mistresses could be relaxed and lively!