"No Wedding Unless Enemies and Lovers" 《不是冤家不拜堂》Chapter 214

 Ru Yi was getting married, Ji Ling Xue didn't leave the palace to send her off, she heard Xiao Yi Chen had sent her off like a princess, ten li of dowry, the procession was long, until sundown the Dongqi flag could still be seen fluttering in the wind.

Ji Ling Xue rested her chin on her hand looking at the last trace of rosy tinted sky disappear from the horizon, muttering: "Will you marry me if your hair has grow to the waist. When your hair is styled as a woman, will you be willing to have ten li of dowry. I'm afraid if you hair reaches your waist, your heart will belong to another young man. When your hair is styled as a woman, you're smiling in your young man's arms."

Ji Ling Xue used her hands to cover her eyes, there was still a seam of light, "It's Ru Yi who is getting married but why do I get a feeling it's Mo Xiang who is getting married?"

Behind her came the laugh of nanny Rong: "It must be because Mo Xiang has been by your majesty's side for so long, without her here, empress you don't feel like it's right, empress, I've already brought the people over, take a look?"

Ji Ling Xue nodded, very soon a group of neatly dressed new maids walked to Ji Ling Xue and greeted her.

Nanny Rong said: "They just entered the palace and finished their etiquette training, pick at least two."

Ji Ling Xue was now the empress but she only ever had one maid by her side, Mo Xiang, nanny Rong knew Ji Ling Xue was used to Mo Xiang, Mo Xiang was also rather capable and could do anything, of course Ji Ling Xue thought highly of her.

Ji Ling Xue nodded, "Nanny help me pick."

Nanny Rong was an old hand in the palace, it wasn't difficult for her to train a few little maids, she was too lazy to deal with this.

Nanny Rong respectfully bowed, "Then this old servant will choose on the empress's behalf." Having spoken she walked around the group of new maids, leaving behind four, the others were sent away.

The four maids bowed at Ji Ling Xue: "Servant greets your majesty the empress, please bestow a name for us."

Ji Ling Xue raised her head to look at the four pretty maids: "From left to right, Chun Tao, Xia He, Qiu Ju, Dong Mei."

"Thank you empress for the names!" The four maids spoke in unison.

Nanny Rong said: "Chun Tao is good at cooking, Xia He is good at styling hair, Qiu Ju is good at brewing tea, Dong Mei is rather meticulous, she's very good with feminine arts, lady Mo Xiang left behind these needlework, let Dong Mei finish them, what do you think empress?"

Ji Ling Xue nodded indicating her thoughts, waving her hand, indicating they should do their own thing.

Nanny Rong and the four maids all bowed and left.

Xiao Yi Chen waved at everyone to leave, sending away the announcing eunuchs, he pushed the doors opened and entered Chenhua palace, Ji Ling Xue leaned on the bed relaxing with her eyes closed, hearing footsteps, she didn't even raise her eyelids saying: "Nanny, leave, I'm fine, Mo Xiang is only leaving me for a month, it's only been one day, I'm just not used to it for the moment."

Xiao Yi Chen sat down next to Ji Ling Xue, reaching out to stroke her bulging belly, softly saying: "Why are you by yourself, are you tired?"

Ji Ling Xue opened her eyes, looking confused at Xiao Yi Chen.

Xiao Yi Chen reached out to tap Ji Ling Xue's nose: "What's this expression, why are you so surprised to see us?"

Ji Ling Xue nodded her head earnestly, "Isn't his majesty constantly busy? Why were you only busy for a moment, you're not busy today?"

Xiao Yi Chen's lips twitched, "Are you eager for us to be busy every day until dawn? Then being the emperor is tiring..." As he spoke he opened up his arms and lied down next to Ji Ling Xue continuing, "Right now whether it's the Jingzhou plague or the Jiangnan flooding, someone is already there on behalf of us, the court is in harmony, of course I'm idle, we're worried about you, so I came to see you, just now hearing you say that, we're a little curious, why was Mo Xiang sent with the wedding procession?"

Ji Ling Xue gave an oh: "Because princess Ling Long keeps begging me to give Mo Xiang to her for a few days, I couldn't deal with her pestering and pitied the young girl for marrying so far away, it was hard for me to not panic, I sent Mo Xiang to accompany her for a part of the journey, it also gives her some time to take a break."

Xiao Yi Chen smiled, "We heard she insisted on sleeping at Chenhua palace yesterday, I didn't think her relationship with you was so good, making us spend the night reading in the study, look at how black my dark eye circles are?" As he spoke he pointed at his eyes, pitifully leaning into her.

Ji Ling Xue pushed Xiao Yi Chen's chest back onto the bed again: "Since you're tired then have a good sleep, I didn't have it any better than you yesterday, Ru Yi that girl was too excited last night, she kept talking to me until daybreak."

Xiao Yi Chen frowned hearing what was said, "How can that girl be so unreasonable..." He sat up as he spoke, letting Ji Ling Xue rest her head on his thighs, personally massaging her.

Ji Ling Xue closed her eyes in comfort, "Getting your majesty to personally give me a massage, this is such an incomparable honour..."

Xiao Yi Chen's lips twitched, "Don't bootlick so much, we've heard enough, my ears will grow to big."

Ji Ling Xue looked Xiao Yi Chen's face up and down, she was very pleased, "Ah Chen, when Mo Xiang returns, let's find her a good family to marry into."

Xiao Yi Chen gravely and sternly said: "Your an empress and you still want to be a matchmaker, aren't you tired?"

Ji Ling Xue rubbed her belly: "I've been bored recently with nothing to do, when the babies are born, maybe I won't be as bored..."

Xiao Yi Chen lowered his head, placing his ears against Ji Ling Xue's belly, "Come let us listen, what are the two babies doing in empress's belly..."

Ji Ling Xue stroked the top of Xiao Yi Chen's head, suddenly thinking Xiao Yi Chen was like a child, without the dignity of an emperor.

Ji Ling Xue asked: "What do you hear?"

Xiao Yi Chen very seriously nodded, "I hear them fighting...really, they're fighting really happily, oh, my face was kicked.."

Ji Ling Xue sneakily laughed, Xiao Yi Chen continued to say: "You two brothers should stop fighting, we know it's a bit crowded in your mother's stomach, you're growing each day, of course it would be crowded, not long now, after a while you will come out."

Ji Ling Xue eyes curved, "Then emperor, have you thought of baby names?"

Xiao Yi Chen raised his head tapping Ji Ling Xue's nose, smiling: "No rush, no rush, it's not too late even after their born, only the coming days will be difficult for empress."

Ji Ling Xue pulled on Xiao Yi Chen's hand, placing it on her cheek, she closed her eyes and softly said: "Husband, with these words, no matter how hard it'll be in the future, no matter how bitter...it'll be sweet!"

Xiao Yi Chen lowered his head kissing Ji Ling Xue's forehead, gently and in love.

The days passed, in a flash half a month passed, Ji Ling Xue's belly grew with each passing day, most of the time she spent it in her room, every day she ate the pastries and snacks Chun Tao made, she also became more lazy.

It was a hot summer, the sun was scorching, a pregnant woman was scared of heat, Xia He and Qiu Ju took turns to fan the heat for Ji Ling Xue.

Nanny Rong took ice from the ice cave and placed them on the tea table, sighing: "These days have been passing quickly, in a blink that girl Mo Xiang has already been gone for half a month, let alone missing her a lot, without her arguing with me, my heart feels a little empty...that girl has never been so far away, I wonder if she's doing well..."

Ji Ling Xue said: "Nanny was talking about me, but aren't you the one who misses her, calculating the days, if they were going at a quick pace, they ought to have reached the border of Dayan."

Nanny Rong's lips twitched as she smiled: "Once princess Ling Long reaches Dayan, she ought to come back, their journey should have been fine?"

Ji Ling Xue nodded, Xiao Yi Chen sent three thousand imperial guards to accompany her, what could happen, she even sent An Ge to be part of the procession just in case.

Dong Mei jogged in, waving the letter in her hand: "Empress, there's a letter!"

Ji Ling Xue glanced in Dong Mei's direction, asking: "Where did it come from?"

Dong Mei said: "The personal eunuch of the emperor sent it over."

Ji Ling Xue sat up and took the letter from Dong Mei, seeing the handwriting on it, one was from Ru Ge, another from Ru Yi.

The communication during this time wasn't developed, a letter would have been delivered by a secret guard going as fast as possible, travelling through night and day, several horses would die from exhaustion before it arrived.

Opening Ru Ge's letter, her nose was filled with a faint tea scent, Ji Ling Xue raised an eyebrow, it seems when Ru Ge wrote this letter he was brewing a good cup of tea, his frame of mind must have been good.

"Zhi Xue, I still like to call you by this name, I've already returned to Dayan, sitting in the third prince's residence, I brew a pot of tea in passing, these past few years events are vivid in my mind, Ru Gong and I have been hostile for so many years, now that he's already dead, all the wrongdoings and mistakes he made while alive should be forgiven, thinking about my first half a lifetime, being plotted against, I really am tired, being alive always seemed to be about the supreme throne, but I don't want it at all, I only want to finish the rest of my life being free..."

Ji Ling Xue looked towards the end of the letter, there was a blob of ink, not knowing what was written.

Ji Ling Xue curled her lips, thinking there was still something missing, oh well, since Ru Ge covered it up, it means they were unnecessary words.

Ji Ling Xue opened the second letter, it was written by Ru Yi, her calligraphy was exquisite, "Empress sister, you must not have imagined I would write to you, I'm sitting in the wedding sedan wearing bridal clothes, even though there's no bridegroom to pick me up, I'm still a bit restless, after a day and night of travelling, with Mo Xiang by my side, she made me quite a lot to eat, and told me jokes to cheer me up, right now I'm finally a lot more relaxed, that's why I wanted to write a letter to empress sister, to tell you I'm safe. Today we passed by a forest, an imperial guard caught a rabbit, such a cute rabbit, they wanted to skin and eat it, Mo Xiang saved the rabbit and gave it to me to look after, that rabbit is so cute, looking at me with red eyes, like it wants to say something, with it accompanying me, I don't feel bored. That's enough, I'll write to this point today."

Ji Ling Xue lips raised into a faint smile, it was not hot summer, the bride could not get out from the bridal sedan, it was very hard for such an energetic Ru Yi to stay still in the sedan.

Nanny Rong saw Ji Ling Xue was smiling slightly, carefully asking: "Empress, who wrote the letter?"

"It's Ru Ge and Ru Yi, the two of them have a tacit understanding, they both wrote me a letter."

Ji Ling Xue put the letters away, telling Dong Mei to take them.

Nanny Rong said: "Is empress going to reply?"

Ji Ling Xue had a lot of questions in her mind, the letters had come from the imperial study, then did Xiao Yi Chen sneak a peek at her letters?

Nanny Rong saw Ji Ling Xue didn't reply, she then called out again, "Nanny?"