The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 116

Chapter 116: Taken Home by the Princess Part 4

Shi Qing’s hands trembled inside her sleeves. She thought that if the princess were to punish them, she would kneel and beg for forgiveness.

This was her fault, she couldn’t just stand aside.

Tao Ning’s gaze remained fixed on the table, her peripheral vision catching the princess’s light blue robe with its intricate floral patterns. She replied calmly, “Your Highness, my name is An Ning.”

A thought suddenly crossed Tao Ning’s mind—the princess actually wears such light colors.

Then she remembered Qin Yang was only twenty-one, in the prime of her youth, so wearing light colors was perfectly normal.

A maid behind the princess frowned and scolded, “Insolent! Whose subordinate are you? Have you no manners?”

Qin Yang put down her chopsticks with a soft click, the sound almost drowned out by the music, but the maid immediately fell silent, standing stiffly like a puppet.

Not only the maid, but Shi Qing also heard the click, a shiver running down her spine.

Despite the beautiful spring day, everyone felt a chill, the dancers’ movements faltering slightly, only the emperor on his throne, oblivious, watching with amusement.

Qin Yang said softly, “An Ning? Is that the ‘an’ for peace and ‘ning’ for tranquility?”

Tao Ning: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Since neither of them looked up, they didn’t notice the subtle shift in Qin Yang and Cui Hong’s eyes as they observed the palace maid more closely.

Although thin, she was tall and had delicate features, probably older than sixteen.

Qin Yang and Cui Hong exchanged glances.

Qin Yang said again, “Lift your head.”

Tao Ning slowly raised her eyes, meeting Qin Yang’s gaze, her own eyes flickering slightly.

For a moment, she felt lost in those light-colored eyes, feeling the person’s demeanor matched her voice, clear and pure like a spring.

Qin Yang, regal and elegant, her black hair neatly tied up in a high bun, adorned with a phoenix hairpin, sat on the throne.

To Tao Ning’s surprise, the powerful Princess Regent had a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows, resembling a Guanyin, yet holding immense power.

Even her elaborate attire couldn’t conceal the cool aura emanating from her. Some people, even dressed in fiery red, seemed like celestial beings.

Like Qin Yang.

And now, she was here, amidst the splendor, in the heart of the court, a true celestial being descended to the mortal realm.

After a brief glance, meeting Qin Yang’s gaze, Tao Ning lowered her eyes again.

Just as Shi Qing’s nervousness reached its peak, Qin Yang finally spoke, “Your movements are quite deft, stay by my side and serve the dishes.”

Being praised by the Princess Regent and chosen to serve her personally was a great honor.

Many maids and eunuchs looked over, secretly observing the silent woman, wondering what had caught the princess’s attention.

Not just them, but Tao Ning was also puzzled. She had never met the princess before.

And “deft movements” wasn’t a convincing reason. The princess had seen all kinds of people, it couldn’t be just that.

Tao Ning, despite her doubts, replied, “Yes, Your Highness,” and walked around the table to stand on Qin Yang’s right.

The serving maid stepped back, handing Tao Ning the silver chopsticks, which she accepted with both hands.

Cui Hong, the Grand Historian, seeing the other palace maid frozen in place, said, “Since Her Highness has no further instructions, you may leave.”

“Yes, I’ll take my leave.” Shi Qing snapped back to attention, bowing hurriedly and leaving, her unspoken words trapped in her throat.

The spring sunlight warmed her sweat-soaked back as she stepped outside.

The warm sun and the shade of the trees were much more comfortable than carrying dishes back and forth.

An Ning should be fine there, Shi Qing thought, quickening her pace, her heart easing slightly.

The banquet wasn’t over yet, and the dishes hadn’t all been served. Returning late, Shi Qing was scolded by the kitchen staff. That was the Princess Regent, whom even the emperor feared, if they offended her, their lives would be forfeit.

Seeing Shi Qing alone, they asked where the other person was, and why she was late, vowing to punish her upon her return.

Shi Qing said, “An Ning was kept by the Princess Regent, that’s why she couldn’t come back.”

A puzzled voice came from behind, and Shi Qing’s sleeve was tugged: “Where did you say An Ning went?”

Steward Chen, in charge of the imperial retreat’s kitchens, had suddenly appeared behind her, startling her.

Shi Qing, still shaken, replied, “Answering Steward Chen, An Ning was kept by the Princess Regent to serve her personally.”

“Kept by the Princess Regent?” Steward Chen muttered, “How strange…”

Shi Qing didn’t understand his strong reaction to this and simply replied, “Yes.”

Lowering her eyes, Shi Qing…

After being released, Shi Qing joined another palace maid to serve the dishes.

The dancers had been replaced, but the emperor, still watching, seemed unfazed, his attention unwavering.

The palace staff were used to this. As long as Emperor Chongxi wasn’t burdened with state affairs, he could find amusement in anything.

Steward Chen was also present this time. As Shi Qing and the other maid arrived, they heard him say, “…If my subordinates fail to serve you well, it’s my fault.”

Qin Yang put down her chopsticks, wiping her lips with a silk handkerchief, and said, “I find her pleasing to the eye, so I kept her by my side. There’s no need to overthink it.”

Steward Chen nodded repeatedly, apologizing profusely.

Qin Yang’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, her expression cooling slightly: “You may leave, there’s no need to ask for my permission for everything.”

“As Your Highness commands.” Steward Chen bowed and retreated.

He was actually about to leave just like that, without even acknowledging the emperor, who was sitting on his throne, chatting happily with the eunuchs beside him, seemingly oblivious to what was happening here.

No wonder rumors spread that the Yu Dynasty only knew the Princess Regent, not the emperor.

Tao Ning noticed Steward Chen giving her a strange, almost unsettling look as he left, as if she were some kind of immortal being.

She didn’t understand what he was up to, his behavior odd, even his bow incorrect, his right hand covering his left, performing a palace maid’s curtsy, and expressing concern about his subordinates’ manners before the princess.

The princess, of course, noticed the improper curtsy but chose to ignore it.

Tao Ning shifted her weight to her other leg, looking at the untouched dishes on the table.

No wonder the princess resembled a celestial being, they didn’t eat much, and neither did she.

520 suddenly said, [I finally understand what’s wrong! Qin Yang also has a cinnabar mole! Any thoughts?]

Tao Ning didn’t understand, asking, “Is that strange? Among the vast population, even in the Yu Dynasty, finding a woman with a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows isn’t difficult.”

But that wasn’t the point!

520 didn’t know how to explain it, struggling for a while before saying, [But your previous wives… no, wait, your previous spouses, all had red moles, and one Mermaid even had it on her hand.]

Tao Ning: “…”

So 520 now suspected its host had a fixation on women with cinnabar moles, even if it wasn’t on their face, a hand would do.

Tao Ning almost lost her composure, her fingers trembling slightly: “You’re saying, I didn’t even spare a fish?”

520 comforted her, [It’s alright, in that world, there was no reproductive isolation between humans and Mermaids, it was acceptable to have a relationship.]

This explanation didn’t comfort Tao Ning, who had been raised with traditional values. She remained dazed for a long time.

Despite this, she continued serving the princess.

This surprised Tao Ning slightly. When had she learned to serve others? She had always been the one being served.

Now, she started to believe 520’s claims about her proficiency in cooking, music, and other domestic skills.

Tao Ning was about to eat, but noticing that Qin Yang hadn’t touched the dish she had just served, she put down her chopsticks, feeling slightly dejected.

Why isn’t she eating?

It smelled delicious, and it was still warm, it would get cold soon.

Qin Yang, unaware of her new serving maid’s frustration, looked ahead, her elbow resting on the armrest, lost in thought.

Tao Ning, observing this picturesque scene from the corner of her eye, noticed the white jade ring on Qin Yang’s left thumb.

The princess’s fingers were long and slender, her skin smooth and jade-like in the sunlight.

Looking closely, one could see faint calluses from years of handling official documents and holding a brush.

The world line only mentioned Qin Yang wielding a sword to break the palace gate’s lock, and the calluses on her hand indicated she had practiced martial arts.

But the marks were faint, suggesting she hadn’t touched a weapon in a long time, her hands becoming soft.

Tao Ning quickly looked away, focusing on serving the dishes.

She figured the princess didn’t like the braised pork trotter, so she placed it aside, letting her choose what she wanted.

Qin Yang glanced down and paused.

The small plate was almost full of dishes, An Ning’s enthusiasm seemingly limited only by the plate’s size.

Qin Yang felt this wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, and leaving too much food would make the kitchen staff apologize profusely, asking if the dishes weren’t to her liking.

Even if she said she simply wasn’t hungry, they wouldn’t listen, kowtowing repeatedly, which was annoying.

Qin Yang sighed and picked up her chopsticks, eating each dish.

Just as Tao Ning saw the plate empty, she added a few more dishes, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, healthy and nourishing.

Although she didn’t know where she learned this phrase, it just popped into her head, probably something her future self had heard.

Qin Yang, finally finishing the dishes, only to find more food on her plate: “…”

Sometimes, being too diligent wasn’t a good thing. She picked up her chopsticks and ate again.

Tao Ning, seeing that the princess had finished again, served her some refreshing vegetables.

Qin Yang, in a blink of an eye, found bamboo shoots on her plate.

Staring at the bamboo shoots for a moment, she picked up her chopsticks and ate them.

The maid who usually served Qin Yang hesitated, wanting to stop An Ning’s enthusiastic serving.

The princess always had a small appetite, there was no need for more food.

Cui Hong glanced at the maid, signaling her to remain silent.

With the Grand Historian’s instruction, the maid didn’t speak.

The princess hadn’t eaten dinner last night due to the journey and only had a few bites of porridge this morning, so eating more now wouldn’t hurt.

Unexpectedly, this clueless palace maid was actually useful. Perhaps the princess’s residence needed a few more straightforward servants who didn’t understand social cues.

Qin Yang, unaware of her Grand Historian’s thoughts, only knew that after finally finishing the dishes, she was given two more pastries and then a bowl of soup.

The jade bowl was small and delicate, filled with only half a bowl of soup, the oil skimmed off, steam rising from the surface.

For someone thirsty, this wouldn’t be enough, but for Qin Yang, who had just eaten a day’s worth of food, it was quite a lot.

Tao Ning whispered, “Your Highness, please have some soup.”

Qin Yang finally couldn’t hold back: “If I finish this, is there more?”

Tao Ning looked at the soup pot in her hand and replied truthfully, “There’s still more than half left, Your Highness, would you like more?”

Qin Yang sighed again: “…No.” She lowered her head and drank the soup.

Tao Ning, watching from the corner of her eye, couldn’t help but smile.

It was just half a bowl of soup, quickly finished. Qin Yang looked at the empty bowl, amused.

She was a grown woman, why was she competing with a young palace maid?

Despite this thought, Qin Yang, slightly annoyed, looked at Tao Ning, holding the jade bowl.

For a moment, she thought the palace maid was doing this on purpose.

This look, however, conveyed the wrong message to Tao Ning, who seemed puzzled, glancing at the soup pot.

Tao Ning asked innocently, “Would Your Highness like more?”

Qin Yang quickly put down her spoon and then the bowl, not a hint of reluctance: “No, I’m full.”

Tao Ning thought, The princess is full after eating so little?

But since she had said so, Tao Ning put down the ladle: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Qin Yang: “…”

What am I even doing? She wondered.