Chapter 368: Re-raising Herself
A new day.
Waking up.
Opening eyes.
Palace maids and servant girls were already waiting silently by her side (one must choose good-looking servant girls, otherwise one would be startled every day upon waking up). The original head maid, Pang Ya, had gotten married. She would likely return later to serve as a mammy; this was the career path for maids, and Pang Ya was quite lucky to have secured a state-sanctioned position.
The palace maid opened the curtains, dressed her, put on her shoes, and brought water for her to rinse her mouth, wash her face, and brush her teeth… No, wait, she was used to brushing her own teeth.
Although it would be fine to have a palace maid help, she wasn’t even used to using an electric toothbrush back in modern times, and she wasn’t used to it now either. It was better to do it herself.
Mianmian brushed her teeth very conscientiously, reaching every single tooth, carefully attending to her molars as well. She brushed them neatly, left and right, up and down.
After rinsing, ensuring her breath was fresh and her teeth were white, she would apply a little bit of her homemade face cream.
She felt as if she hadn’t done much, just changed various aspects of her daily life, yet it also seemed like she had done quite a lot—it was just that these small changes didn’t seem to drive any societal progress.
Perhaps it counted as a tiny bit of change. After having this face cream, noble ladies used less face cream containing lead powder, which might be better for their health and reduced infant mortality during childbirth.
However, the number of noble ladies was small, and commoners didn’t use expensive lead powder anyway; luxury goods didn’t exploit the poor.
Therefore, the impact on the overall progress of society was actually minimal.
Mianmian didn’t have such lofty ideals.
She just wanted to live each day more interestingly; that was good enough.
After washing up and dressing beautifully, she went to find Father and Mother.
Cong Geer would also be there at this time.
Cong Geer was very self-disciplined, and his hobbies were quite singular. The colors of the clothes he chose were all the same. The clothes Mother prepared for Cong Geer were all of a consistent color, and she had prepared many, so it looked a bit like he hadn’t changed clothes at all.
Mianmian felt that Cong Geer would definitely be successful in the future because he carried the frugal style of a big shot.
Wearing one style until he was old, with an air of officialdom, of the hall, and of royalty.
Cong Geer could almost always wait for Mianmian right on time.
The two of them would go together to pay respects to the elders, then have a meal together.
The breakfast was rich, with all kinds of beautiful pastries. However, after tasting them a few times, she felt they looked good and were suitable for entertaining guests, but they didn’t taste good.
Now, every bite of pastry was half-filled with sugar, which she found cloying.
At the beginning, she had struggled to chew cornmeal buns, trying to chew out a sweet taste.
Back then, her body must have been lacking sugar, and her mind would imagine the taste of sugar.
Now, sugar was a bit excessive, and there was even a risk of diabetes.
However, she was still young, so it was fine. Princess Grandma had a higher risk, but fortunately, Princess Grandma was an active old lady, so it should be much better.
Father and Mother both maintained their figures well, and Father didn’t have middle-aged spread, though her brother-in-law’s family might be at risk.
Mianmian’s thoughts drifted while eating.
She had been taught dining etiquette many times, mainly for the special training before entering the palace, back when Father wasn’t the top leader yet.
The key points of the training were to eat slowly, not to gobble, and not to desperately grab at food even if it was delicious. You couldn’t let people see what you wanted to eat; you had to eat just a little bit of everything—the main idea was to put on a show. Anyway, you could eat at home, so eat less, speak less, and open your mouth less.
Now that she lived in the Imperial Palace, she could be a bit more casual.
If she were transported back now, she could probably pretend to be a wealthy young lady; her temperament would be full marks.
What she liked to eat most was still the taste from her childhood, all kinds of mixed-up soups and stews.
No palace maid or eunuch would mock her behind her back; after all, everyone wanted to live well.
The palace maids and eunuchs were products of extreme internal competition; at the very least, they were all smart people, not the silly, naive kind.
After breakfast.
Jiang Changtian had to go to work.
But today, he planned to take his little daughter along.
His eldest son was meant to work hard without complaint and had already gone to gain experience like an ordinary official early in the morning.
Cong Geer had gone freely to the Star-Gazing Pavilion to study.
Jiang Changtian was a traditional parent.
The eldest had to inherit the family business, so he had to suffer more and gain more experience.
The remaining children could develop their own hobbies.
Because Cong Geer had clearly refused, Jiang Changtian just hoped he could do things he liked, interesting things, and live a good life; that was enough.
As for his daughter, she was meant to be pampered.
Jiang Changtian was more or less biased.
He wanted to at least let Mianmian receive the treatment he had wanted as a child but hadn’t received.
The way countless adults raise their children is actually an attempt to re-raise themselves, to grow up all over again, and to make up for regrets.
He wished he had grown up that way.
So, he raised his child in the way he had expected for himself.
When he was a child, he wanted to go to Father’s study, very curious about what Father did every day.
He felt Mianmian was also quite curious, so he decided to take his daughter to broaden her horizons.
So Mianmian had the fortune to follow him to the Imperial Court. Of course, she also had the opportunity to dress up like a little eunuch and follow by Father’s side.
First was attending the Imperial Court.
Watching the officials pay homage, this feeling inexplicably gave her a thrill. No wonder Father seemed quite happy after becoming Emperor; the pinnacle of power really felt different.
It gave a rush of adrenaline. It was addictive and exciting.
No wonder Father grew more handsome as he aged, his looks undiminished.
The officials below were all very dignified, dressed in magnificent attire.
They were all very capable people; after all, everyone standing here was a super academic genius. First, they had to pass exams better than everyone else, and then with the right time, place, and people, and various conditions and opportunities, they were able to step by step reach the front of the Imperial Court. They were all super big shots, the cream of the crop.
Mianmian watched Father match wits with them, sometimes speaking, sometimes not, sometimes nodding, sometimes smiling. Listening to them go back and forth made her dizzy. The clever Eunuch Duan brought her a small stool to sit behind the dragon throne.
By the time the morning court session ended, Mianmian had dozed off twice.
It was harder than class; she couldn’t understand a lot of it, feeling muddled, and it was a bit obscure.
But Mianmian saw that Father was very excited.
After the court session, Father kept Uncle Gong for a long chat and had lunch. In the afternoon, he continued to take Mianmian to the Cabinet, where different officials came to talk.
Mianmian sat in Father’s large office, eating snacks on a small side couch, while Father had prepared leisure books for her to flip through.
But she suspected the books Father had specifically prepared for her, such as “The Tale of the Heartless Top Scholar,” “The Case of the White Fox Digging Out Hearts Under the Guise of Gratitude,” “Childhood Sweetheart Can’t Compete with the Brothel,” “…”… It was really difficult for Father to dig up so many leisure books that violated universal values.
Mianmian read them quite seriously, eating snacks, reading novels, and basking in the sun.
And the ministers who came to report work, seeing the warm little Princess in the corner under the sun, looking like a beautiful cat, knew that the Emperor was in a very good mood at this time, so even if it was bad news, they could report it.
In such a work setting, when the Emperor was happy, the officials were also happy, and they didn’t have to be so cautious.
By evening, Father clocked out early.
They returned to the palace to find Mother.
The Empress also had reception duties.
She, along with her daughter-in-law, would set aside time every day to receive officials’ wives, clan wives, and also worry about whether the elders of the late Emperor were doing well.
There were quite a lot of issues among the female relatives: favoring concubines over wives, Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problems, and fertility issues.
Qin Luoxia would first listen to Aunt Yin describe the situation of these people, and then make judgments based on her own.
Her personality had always been decisive; she would help those who were willing to listen, and for those who just cried and didn’t listen, she would say it once and that was it; she wouldn’t force herself on them.
In short, the Empress’s work was even more outstanding than the Emperor’s. Especially decisive.
Father, having left work early, took Mianmian to find Mother, and the two of them went to stroll in the Imperial Garden.
The Imperial Garden was very large, the scenery very beautiful. The two had changed into casual clothes and were strolling in the Imperial Garden. Mianmian followed behind.
She kind of wanted to shout, “You two are dating, can you not bring me, this little lightbulb?” But watching them walk together, she was inexplicably moved. Very moved.
The light at four or five in the evening was very soft. The sun was bright but not too hot. It cast long shadows. Mianmian thought to herself, it’s really good; being able to support each other and walk on is already the best state in the human world.
She walked behind, kicking small stones, walking slowly, trying to be as slow as possible so that the couple could say some private words.
She let Little Tree out, and they walked together on the ground. She followed Little Tree, walking and stopping. The figures of Mother and Father had already disappeared in front of a flower bed.
Mianmian thought happily, she was truly a qualified little cotton-padded jacket.
Up ahead, Jiang Changtian held Xia Mei‘s hand and walked slowly, stopping at the flower bed to wait for Mianmian. From where they stood, they could see Mianmian squatting on the ground playing with ants.
Jiang Changtian asked somewhat hesitantly: “Xia Mei, do you think Mianmian’s brain might be a little slow?”
Qin Luoxia also felt a bit guilty, feeling that Mianmian’s looks followed her husband, but her brain habits might follow her own.
“Probably not. Wasn’t that ant raised by her since she was little? I heard that when Mother was young, she also raised big snakes. Mianmian might be a bit like our Mother.”
“Hiss!”
If Mianmian was like his Princess Mother, Jiang Changtian felt a toothache just thinking about it, his jaw feeling a bit sore. He would have someone write more storybooks later, must write some with educational value; he couldn’t let the child just follow someone else because they were good-looking. Must guard strictly. He needed to take Mianmian to see more of the world.
When Mianmian walked over with the ant, Jiang Changtian asked kindly: “Daughter, what do you want to do when you grow up?”
“Ah.” Jiang Mianmian thought that at her age, she was already considered grown up in ancient times, because by sixteen or seventeen, one could get married.
“I want to be a Princess, just like Princess Grandma is fine, eating, drinking, and having fun for a lifetime.” Without raising kids, Mianmian added in her heart.
Jiang Changtian, Qin Luoxia:…
“Daughter, what kind of man do you like?” Qin Luoxia asked tentatively.
“I like good-looking ones.” But so far, she hadn’t found anyone who surpassed Father, so naturally, there were none.
Jiang Changtian, Qin Luoxia:…
Jiang Changtian thought to himself, tonight he would ask Mother if she wanted to go up the mountain to practice cultivation; lately, she had been taking Mianmian running around too much, would it delay her self-cultivation?
At night, the Emperor and Empress went to bed. There was no flipping of name tags, no romance; the couple seriously discussed the future of the two children, Mianmian and Cong Geer. It felt like it was much more serious than state affairs.
Mianmian was sleeping when she inexplicably felt her ear itching, feeling that someone was talking about her.
A palace maid knelt by her side and asked: “Princess, this servant knows how to clean ears; may I help you relax?”
Mianmian nodded, and she saw the palace maid take out an eight-piece set, with all kinds of fine hairs and bells, scratching her ear, scraping along the ear canal. Another palace maid gently rubbed her legs. After the refreshing service was finished, Princess Mianmian slept comfortably. Decadent and sound sleep. A good night’s dream.
She dreamed of a poem: “The moon sets, the crow cries, frost fills the sky; Jiang Feng, fishing lights, facing sorrow and sleep…”
The scene changed.
It seemed she heard a baby crying again.
It was a midsummer evening.
The wind was scorching.
Cicadas chirped and frogs croaked incessantly.
She opened her eyes and saw a woman with a round face in front of her, smiling at her.
“Daughter is awake, hungry, right?”
The big-faced woman picked her up and skillfully lifted her clothes.
She reflexively opened her mouth and suckled hard.
[End]
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