Chapter 523: Chapter 523: Returning Triumphant
“This won’t do. With the battle spirit already stirred in her heart, calling off was not an option. Seeing this, she imdiately sped up, shouting loudly, ‘Charge!'”
Her montum was like a rainbow as she ran, scaring the big rooster into turning tail and fleeing.
She was not about to let it go. Wielding the rattan, she chased after the big rooster, striking it several tis. Several feathers were lost, and the little child of the He Family was dumbstruck, watching them run by with his mouth agape, both chasing at breakneck speed—one person and one chicken.
The big rooster, pursued by her, grew increasingly frightened and kept crying out, flapping its wings fast in desperation until she purposefully chased it toward the fierce watchdog of a neighbor, trapping the rooster in front of the fierce dog.
The dog was afraid of her but not the chicken, and the chicken was afraid of both her and the dog. That ti, she righteously didn’t scare the dog; she just encircled the chicken, not letting it escape. Consequently, the dog grew braver. Although it was chained, it also wanted to bite the chicken.
For a while, the cries of the chicken and the barking of the dog were incessant. The little child from the He Family rushed over to see and was terrified.
After that encounter, she returned ho triumphantly. She even forgot about the mischief she had planned while climbing over the wall. Carrying several tail feathers of the big rooster, she ran back ho, eager to boast to her second brother. Unfortunately, she forgot that she had climbed over the wall to get out and was discovered by her mother, who scolded her severely, alas…
After that day, she never saw that big rooster again, nor did she see the children she played with; she heard the defeated rooster had been stewed.
What can I say, she’s been reasonable since she was young, always upholding fairness and justice. Whoever provoked her, she would retaliate in kind—the big rooster tried to bite her, so she let the fierce dog bite it back, fair and square.
But she was asured—she never let the fierce dog bite into the flesh of the big rooster, just a few feathers at most. And she never retaliated against the little child from the He Family, showing great magnanimity.
This ti she just wanted to scare Consort Zhen, a very minor retaliation, first avenging Xiao Qing. Who let Consort Zhen keep Huang Zude to herself while the other Imperial Physicians harbored ill intentions, unknowable if they were friend or foe.
Although she didn’t know who truly wanted to harm her, she was not one to be trifled with. Anyone who colluded in harming her would have to pay interest.
This ti, she was unhard, but what if Nanny Qi hadn’t noticed and sothing had happened?
The misery of loved ones and the joy of enemies is sothing she could least tolerate; she was already being very restrained.
All she wanted now was to see what had transpired; whether Consort Zhen had been frightened out of her wits.
She had long noticed that Consort Zhen was timid. Sister Consort De had once scared her so badly that Consort Zhen nearly wet herself, so she was confident in scaring her.
‘Why haven’t they returned yet? Goodness!’
Wondering how effective the chili water was and if the blood-stained clothes had worked. Oh, she was so eager to know.
The biggest test in this matter was the acting skills of Pang Ya and Xiao Jizi. On their way back and forth, Xiao Jizi and his companions needed to display their anxiousness in a shifty way, partly concealed, partly revealed, trying hard to control but just enough to let people notice sothing was off.
This nuance was subtle, hard to grasp; even she might not handle it well—no, she simply couldn’t do it well—and this was her greatest concern.
In their eting with Consort Zhen, it was crucial for Pang Ya and Xiao Jizi’s acting to be explosive, and they needed to coordinate well. Before departing, she specifically instructed them to cry out as loudly and miserably as they could, to overwhelm with their presence. Even if it ant achieving the worst outco of not scaring Consort Zhen, they should at least deafen her for a mont.
She paced restlessly within the palace, unable to calm her anxious and irritable heart.
Nanny Qi watched her, amused and smiling to herself, thinking how full of tricks the young girl was. This mission aid to discern Consort Zhen’s attitude and possibly expose a spy, following the trail to uncover the mastermind behind everything.
But the young girl didn’t worry about this at all, as straightforward as ever; if nobody wronged her, she wronged no one, but here she couldn’t wait, lacking any patience, directly seeking to retaliate. If she could retaliate, she would, coming up with many cunning plans.
Look at that expression, anyone unaware would think sothing major had happened—her little face all tense and excitedly red, a picture of restless unease. Only those in the know understood that she was waiting to see the outco, waiting for the excitent.
Xiao Qing saw Lian Hua’s anxious deanor and grew impatient herself, unable to help but say, “My lady, we should return soon, or perhaps this servant should go have a look?”
Lian Hua waved her hand, “There’s no need, no need. Calm yourself, I am unwell and need to rest properly.”
“…Yes.” Xiao Qing wanted to say she felt no discomfort, but at the end, she chose not to ntion it. After all, she couldn’t bring up the fact that her stomach no longer hurt, as that would lead back to discussing her nstrual cycle.
Lian Hua paced back and forth, then walked to the entrance of the Side Hall, stretching her head out to look, and quickly pulled back, fearing that soone would spot her.
She rubbed her hands impatiently, finding the wait extrely agonizing.
If it weren’t improper, she truly wanted to go and see for herself.
She even felt the urge to wait at the courtyard gate, but feared being seen and exposing herself, so she convinced herself, “Impatience won’t get you fernted bean curd, endure hardship like lying on straw and tasting gall, suffer the bitter patiently for the greater plan, minor discomforts shouldn’t disrupt major sches…”
Mumbling to herself, she randomly applied whatever phrases she could think of, using them haphazardly.
Xiao Linzi opened his mouth, wanting to correct her, thought it over carefully, and ultimately decided to correct just one: “My lady, the saying is ‘Impatience cannot eat hot tofu,’ not ‘fernted tofu.’ Fernted tofu is slly, inedible.”
He had heard of it before entering the palace but had never tried it, though he believed it should be inedible.
Lian Hua’s eyes lit up, turning to him.
Nanny Qi’s heart skipped a beat, that look…
Thinking of sothing pleasant, Lian Hua clapped her hands together, “Right, fernted tofu! How could I forget, I haven’t had it in many years, and I really miss it.”
Though it slled foul, it tasted incredibly delicious. Just thinking about it made her mouth water!
Nanny Qi could not help but place a hand on her forehead; she knew it had sparked the young lady’s interest.
“Oh, the folks’ fernted tofu, which is not really edible, that sll, that appearance, it’s indecent to speak of, and absolutely should not be eaten,” she lanted.
Besides, if they were to make it, the entire Canglan Court would be perated with that foul sll, what sort of impression would that make!
Just thinking about that scene gave her an imnse headache. Roast chicken she could tolerate, but she absolutely couldn’t stand fernted tofu, such a filthy thing.
In her youth, when she went out of the palace on an errand, she had the misfortune of encountering the folks’ fernted tofu once; it was covered in fur and disgustingly oily. Once fried, the sll spread, incredibly foul.
The stench clung to her clothes, hair, and body, impossible to clear away as if tainted by filth and penetrating everything, causing onlookers to stare at her all the way back to the palace, casting strange glances at her, which was terribly embarrassing.
Only after discarding those clothes and bathing several tis did the sll finally fade.
She was always dignified and placed great importance on decorum and appearance; that incident had left her covered in dirt and ash, a mory that was still vivid after all these years, making her feel uneasy whenever she thought of it.
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