The doctor left, and she sat by the bedside, watching Sisi. She wanted to offer comfort several times, but the words caught in her throat, and not a single one came out.
"Big sister, I'm fine. Don't worry, I won't hurt myself for someone like that. Just give me a couple of days to recover, and I promise I'll be back to my boisterous self, annoying you again by the New Year."
Zhao Jiaqi squeezed her hand gently and smiled, "You're just like a child. Right now, it's only Mengmeng who annoys me. That little girl is so mischievous; I can barely control her."
Speaking of her own daughter, she was a spitting image of her father.
Didn't most little girls like silk flowers and pretty dresses? Her daughter, however, at such a young age, loved watching Zehao practice his broadsword and whip. Occasionally, she'd even try to mimic his boxing stances, doing so with surprising accuracy.
Zhao Jiaqi had seen her twice and tried to stop her. The girl would then squat on the ground and cry.
If you offered her candy to appease her, she wouldn't even look at it. But give her a wooden sword, and she'd be overjoyed.
Because of this, her father declared that his daughter should become a female general.
Li Sisi listened and covered her mouth, chuckling, "That's what they call 'like father, like daughter.' It's good. If she's ever bullied, she can fight back on the spot. Who says girls are inferior to boys? Let them see what kind of valiant and heroic daughter our Prince has."
Zhao Jiaqi rubbed her forehead. What a good girl, and they wanted to turn her into another Mu Guiying!
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.
With the Emperor of Zongsheng Kingdom and several high-ranking officials present, and on such an important festival, the imperial banquet was grand.
All officials of third rank and above were on the guest list. Consequently, young ladies from every household were vying to dress up, hoping to adorn their hair with the most precious jewels.
The ladies and noblewomen in the palace were like walking jewelry boxes, resplendent with pearls and gems. Of course, there were also those who preferred a bare face, not wishing to attract attention, and simply tied their hair with elegant jade hairpins.
As soon as she got up in the morning, Fan Zehao gave her a heads-up, "The Xiao Ba you knew in Xikou Village is the new Emperor of Zongsheng Kingdom, Zong Han. Ah Shi is his elite guard. At tonight's banquet, I suspect he might..."
She rubbed her forehead. How melodramatic. She had casually saved someone, and it turned out to be the emperor of a neighboring country. She had thought he was a spy or something similar.
"I understand. I'll be careful!"
Even though they knew she was the consort of the Zhenguo Prince, she doubted they would embarrass her at the banquet. After all, she was his savior!
She wore an ice-blue, floor-length mermaid gown, cinched at the waist with a colored ribbon tied into a bow, adorned with a piece of mutton-fat jade.
She wore light makeup. Her dark hair was styled with a jade hairpin, and her temples were accented with two small pearl flowers, giving her a slightly playful yet elegant look.
Her refreshed appearance truly captivated Fan Zehao. It was the first time he had seen her dressed like this.
"You look beautiful, even prettier than on our wedding day!"
Zhao Jiaqi blushed. In her own words, she was just average-looking, certainly not ugly.
But for her to be called beautiful, only her husband would say such a thing.
As the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!"
He helped her onto the carriage, and they headed straight for the palace.
At the palace gate, Pingting was already waiting, craning her neck and looking around. When she saw the Zhenguo Prince's carriage arrive, she immediately darted over.
"Big... Consort!" In her excitement, she almost blurted out "Sister-in-law," but thankfully, she stopped herself in time.
"Your mother allowed you out?" Zhao Jiaqi teased with a smile.
Pingting blushed and lowered her eyes for a moment before looking at Fan Xudong, who had come with Fan Zehao. They exchanged a longing glance from afar, a look that anyone with eyes could see the affection between them.
Fan Zehao whispered a few words to Zhao Jiaqi, then led Fan Xudong into the palace. In such a busy place as the palace gate, their lingering gazes could be seen as detrimental to the princess's reputation.
She took Pingting's hand, and they walked together on the cobblestone path.
"I heard that Zongsheng Kingdom brought a favorite princess with them. It's said that this princess is both talented and beautiful, rumored to be the number one beauty of Zongsheng Kingdom, and they intend to arrange a political marriage. Do you know about this?"
Pingting nodded, replying very seriously.
"I've seen Zong Huofeng. She is indeed a beautiful woman, even more so than the Shuangzhu sisters in our capital. As for whether she's talented, I'm not sure."
Her eyes scanned their surroundings. Seeing no one else, she leaned closer to Zhao Jiaqi and whispered, "Don't be fooled by her name, Huofeng (Fire Phoenix). She's actually very cold and arrogant. Even as a defeated nation, she has never bowed her proud head since arriving here. I don't understand what she's so proud of!"
They lost, yet she still acted so haughty!
Zhao Jiaqi pursed her lips and smiled. Although both were princesses, Pingting was approachable. She had been raised pampered but without the arrogance or disregard for others.
"Does the Emperor intend to keep her in the palace, or arrange a marriage for her with a prince?" Women were naturally gossipy, and Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but indulge.
She was mainly curious. Such a beautiful woman, any man would like her. Plus, she would be pleasing to the eye and could lift one's spirits.
Pingting snorted and shook her head, replying uncertainly, "I heard from my mother that this beauty might not be able to be my sister. I suspect she might be bestowed upon one of our prince brothers."
There were only two adult princes, Huangfu Xu and Huangfu Xian. Neither of them had taken a main consort yet, though they each had two concubines.
The Crown Prince... Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. Even if a marriage was arranged, it wouldn't be for the Crown Prince as his consort. It might be possible for him to take a secondary consort.
However, given Pingting's description of her arrogance, it was unlikely she'd agree to be a concubine.
To Zhao Jiaqi, it didn't matter which prince she was bestowed upon.
As they were chatting enthusiastically, the Prime Minister's wife, adjusting the pearl hairpin on her head, approached them from a distance.
Upon seeing each other, the three bowed to each other. As they were all quite familiar and had compatible personalities, their conversation was much more comfortable.
"Ah, the eyes of these ladies must be turning red!" Zhou Qiangwei said with a sigh.
Pingting instantly understood what she meant. Her mood, which had been down, was instantly brightened by the Prime Minister's wife's remark.
"Madam, they say a good woman is sought by many. But I see your son is yearned for by a thousand families and worried about by ten thousand. Why not find a proper wife for Brother Fei sooner? That would save these ladies the trouble of being so infatuated."
Zhao Jiaqi, who had been a bit bewildered until now, finally understood and covered her mouth, chuckling.
The current Emperor had only a few princes, and the positions of consorts were scarce. Therefore, many daughters of high-ranking officials set their sights on these noble young men.
"I would like to, but Princess, have you seen how high your Brother Fei holds his head? Who could possibly catch his eye? I'm worried to death!" Zhou Qiangwei now had a place to vent her frustrations.
Speaking of her own son, the Prime Minister's wife clutched her chest, her heart pounding more than a dozen times its normal pace out of anger.
With a sigh, she said, "Sooner or later, he'll be the death of me!"
From behind, a slovenly figure approached, glanced at Zhou Qiangwei, and sneered, "If he truly angers you to death, your son will have to observe three years of mourning. That would be just what he wants! Madam, if you truly care about your son, why not just let him have his way? Go and die, and stop idling here chatting!"
These words were highly disrespectful, especially during the New Year's festival, publicly cursing the Prime Minister's wife to die!
Zhou Qiangwei's face turned purple with anger. She raised her hand to strike him, yelling, "Hu Yurong, you scoundrel!"