Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Winter passed and spring came. Walking in the mansion, there was no longer a need to wear heavy cloaks.

The whole mansion seemed to welcome the colors of spring, with green buds covering the branches.

The matter of Xiaoxi had long passed and no longer stirred a ripple in the hearts of those in the mansion.

With the arrival of spring, the Marquis Qi Mansion became thoroughly busy. The marriage dates of the Eldest Miss and the Fourth Miss were only about a month apart, but everyone in the mansion clearly understood the priorities, focusing first on the Fourth Miss, since she was to marry into the royal family, and everything had to be handled with utmost care.

On the way back from paying respects at Fangyun Hall, Luo Yi’er could see the busy scenes in the mansion, along with Luo Yu’s slightly shy expression.

No matter what, Luo Yu was still just a girl not yet of marriageable age, naturally harboring fantasies and hopes about marriage, especially since the man she was to marry was extremely noble.

Luo Qian passed by her with a blank expression. Seeing Luo Yu’s face flushed like rosy clouds, she suddenly sneered. Luo Yu’s expression slightly froze, and she frowned slightly, looking at her.

Luo Qian said nothing, only gave a deep look at Luo Yi’er and Luo Yu before turning and leaving.

The smile on Luo Yi’er’s lips was faint and sparse. She glanced coolly at Luo Qian’s back. Although the mansion was busy, it had little to do with her.

She withdrew her gaze, held Pansi’s arm, and headed toward Yunxia Courtyard.

The charcoal fire in Yunxia Courtyard had been lit, and the room was less stuffy. A thin wisp of incense was burning, refreshing the mind.

Perhaps because spring had arrived, Luo Yi’er had been somewhat lethargic recently. As soon as she entered the room, she had Linglong undo her hair bun and sat at the dressing table.

The woman in the bronze mirror had willow-like brows, charming eyes, skin like congealed cream, and occasionally showed gentleness in her manner.

Linglong took the hairpin from her bun and, looking at the flawless jade, smiled and praised, “Prince Jing treats Miss well. The things he sends are all very suitable for Miss.”

Luo Yi’er lightly raised her eyebrows and looked through the bronze mirror at the jade hairpin in Linglong’s hand, slightly startled.

She recalled that this jade hairpin was the one given to her last year on Mid-Autumn Festival, her birthday, when that person specially rushed back to give it to her.

Suddenly, she sat up straight, her eyes slightly wide. Linglong behind her was startled and looked at her in confusion. She saw Luo Yi’er seemingly thinking of something, raising her hand to her forehead, but could not hide the faint smile at the corner of her eyes.

Linglong hesitated a little: “Miss, what’s wrong?”

Luo Yi’er got up from the bronze mirror and waved her hand: “Nothing.”

Although she said so, Linglong could tell that her mood seemed quite good.

Linglong blinked, somewhat puzzled. Just now, Miss had seemed a bit weary, so how did she suddenly become happy?

Luo Yi’er lay crookedly on the soft couch, her pale fingers sliding over the white jade pendant at her waist.

Her eyes grew brighter. She recalled something but was somewhat hesitant to be sure.

On the day Prince Jing was born, his birth mother, Consort Yu, died in childbirth. Emperor Jing had complicated feelings toward Consort Yu.

Before her death, he showered her with affection. Later, the beauty died saving him, giving birth to a son for him.

Perhaps because of her high status, he cherished that bit of warmth even more. Consort Yu’s sacrifice left an indelible mark in Emperor Jing’s heart, so even many years later, he still favored Prince Jing.

Because of this, Prince Jing’s birthday was also Consort Yu’s death anniversary. It was never celebrated grandly, and Emperor Jing deliberately ignored the day. Others naturally dared not mention it.

The year Luo Yi’er transmigrated here, the young girl’s original memories were still confused, only clearly remembering the affairs of the Marquis Mansion.

To avoid exposing herself, she did not ask much, only knowing that the Empress had no children, and the birth mother of the current Third Prince had died early.

The Marquis Qi Mansion had only one legitimate daughter. Her future path was not very broad. The deep palace was likely where she would go later.

She was clear in her heart that after entering the palace, she treated all the princes well, except for Prince Yu.

No matter what, the Third Prince was the Empress’s child, and both emotionally and logically, she should be on good terms with him.

That year, the birthdays of many princes and princesses were celebrated grandly. Knowing that the Third Prince was favored, she prepared birthday gifts early.

However, by noon, there was still no sign of any celebration in the palace. She was always cautious and naturally had doubts.

That day at noon, in the Empress’s palace, she met Fang Jinling, who was then just a young man. His expression was calm, his sharpness restrained, as if unaware that it was his birthday.

He calmly entered the Kunning Palace, but she, sensitive in mind, inexplicably felt his aura was somewhat lower than usual.

She walked out of Kunning Palace with him and eventually gave him the birthday gift.

The young man frowned tightly, looking at her with a heavy gaze. She held the brocade box, and after a long time, felt hesitant and uneasy.

Just as she was about to take back the box and apologize, the young man coldly told someone to accept it and turned to leave. But as he turned, he seemed to look at her deeply.

Time passed, and she could barely remember clearly.

Only when she was accompanying the princess studying that day did she quietly extract information from Qingya and learned that she had violated a taboo.

The young man’s birthday was also his birth mother’s death anniversary.

Filial piety is paramount; he should not show any joy.

Let alone celebrate a birthday.

From then on, Luo Yi’er knew why the palace never mentioned the Third Prince’s birthday. Because of this, she later became more careful and cautious, not letting herself make another misstep.

At that time, she naturally thought the young man was displeased with her actions and deliberately ignored it. After some time, she truly forgot about it.

The year the emperor took up hunting, she had already left the palace and no longer accompanied studies there.

But just now, when Linglong mentioned the jade hairpin, she suddenly remembered that Prince Jing’s birthday was approaching.

She vaguely recalled that in the second year she accompanied studies in the palace, the young man once waited for her for a long time at the gate of Kunning Palace.

After she slowly walked out, he turned to look at her. She was puzzled in her heart and could only bow and salute.

The young man seemed to look at her for a long time. The surroundings seemed colder, but in the end, he said nothing and turned away.

She stood up behind the young man, watching his back. Although there were many servants behind, it seemed extremely lonely, with no one able to approach.

However, she never knew what the young man meant. When Qingya asked her to accompany studies, she forgot about this matter.

Luo Yi’er pinched the jade pendant with her fingertips, vaguely guessing that the day he waited for her at the gate of Kunning Palace was probably… his birthday.

He waited a long time, perhaps waiting for that… birthday gift.

But after she made her first mistake, she deliberately forgot this date. That day she thought for a long time but never realized what the young man meant.

The faint smile at the corner of Luo Yi’er’s eyes faded, and a bit of bitterness rose in her heart.

The jade pendant in her hand was warm and of excellent color, suddenly reminding her that the birthday gift she gave him that year was a jade pendant.

Her unintentional act, but he didn’t know how long he had remembered it.

Although that day was his birth mother’s death anniversary, he had seen many princes’ birthday gifts since childhood.

Everyone avoided celebrating because of his mother’s passing, but no one ever congratulated his arrival.

Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Over the years, as she once thought, no one would give him gifts to avoid suspicion. The birthday gift he longed for had still not arrived after so many years.

At this moment, she did not know what mood he had when he gave her this jade pendant under the osmanthus trees that year.

Pansi pushed open the door and walked in. Luo Yi’er suddenly woke up as if from a dream, hurriedly got up from the couch, and said in a delicate and urgent voice:

“Prepare the sedan chair!”