plumnovel Chapter 1 Pisces Jade Pendant
Chapter 1 Pisces Jade Pendant
Tang Dynasty
The seventh year of the Zhenguan era, August.
The city of Chang'an was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, which cast a rosy glow.
The streets were bustling with people coming and going.
"Steamed buns, freshly baked steamed buns, one penny each!"
"Selling candied hawthorns! Sweet and delicious, suitable for all ages!"
The cries of vendors rose and fell, and passersby strolled lightly through the bustling market, inadvertently sketching scenes of the vibrant colors of the Tang Dynasty.
Inside the palace, as the heat accumulated during the day dissipated, the young dragon, which had been kept in the palace all day, was finally able to leave its nest and soar freely.
With a creak, the doors of Hanfeng Palace swung open, and a little baby with two pigtails in her hair ran out. She was wearing a hand-woven light yellow silk dress and carrying a miniature gilded bamboo horse in her hand.
"Clop, clop, clop, horse, run fast!" The little baby imitated his father riding a horse and galloped all the way.
"Your Highness! Slow down, be careful not to fall!" Two young and beautiful palace maids followed behind the little baby, watching her every move with tense expressions. This little baby was none other than Princess Jinyang, the apple of the eye of the entire Li Tang royal family.
The little princess ran all the way to the garden: "Wow, this cloud looks like a bunny! Oh, and there's a plump butterfly here too!"
Seeing butterflies gathering nectar in the distance, the little princess quickly put her beloved bamboo horse aside, and carefully moved towards the flower bushes with her bottom sticking out, her big, dark, bright eyes fixed on what was ahead.
"Hehe, Fat Butterfly, here I come!" The little princess took advantage of the moment and pounced forward, "splat!" Her small body was completely swallowed up by the flowers.
"Oh dear, Your Highness, are you alright? Let me see if you've hurt yourself anywhere!" The sudden fall startled the two palace maids, who quickly helped the little princess up and examined her from head to toe, afraid that she might have hurt herself.
"Oh dear, I didn't catch it again. The plump butterfly flew away," the little princess pouted, a speck of dirt clinging to her alabaster face, her expression one of utter disappointment.
"Your Highness, it's time for dinner. Flower Butterfly needs to go home and eat with her mother. Let's eat first, and come find Flower Butterfly again tomorrow, okay?" The palace maid Mingyue saw that the little princess was unharmed and gently comforted her while wiping the dust off her little face.
"Okay, I'm hungry too, I want some more food!" The little princess patted the dirt off her hands. Upon hearing that it was time to eat, her previously disappointed expression instantly changed, and she couldn't hide her foodie nature after all.
Another maid, Qiuxia, bent down and picked up the little princess. Just as they returned to the palace, several eunuchs brought in the imperial meal. The little princess sat obediently to one side, staring intently at the table, her drool almost soaking her clothes.
Mingyue picked up a set of chopsticks and bowls, skillfully scooping out a little food from each plate for the eunuch to taste first. This was a basic procedure before the little princess ate. After a moment, seeing that the little eunuch was alright, Mingyue waved her hand and began to serve the little princess food.
"I want Qi Youyou, not Qi Caicai!" the little princess said to Mingyue in a serious tone.
"Your Highness, eating meat and vegetables together will help you grow taller faster. Don't you want to grow taller quickly?" Mingyue quickly mashed the meat and vegetables in the bowl together.
"Hmm, I really want to grow taller, but I really don't want to eat vegetables!" The little princess's expression switched back and forth between longing and refusal.
"Who's saying they don't want to eat vegetables? Is Little Sizi being naughty again?" Suddenly, a clear female voice came from outside the palace. A girl who looked to be about ten years old poked her head out from outside the palace door and winked playfully at the little princess.
Mingyue and Qiuxia quickly rose and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness Princess Changle!"
"Wow! Big sister~" the little princess called out in her childish voice, ignoring the delicious food in front of her, and ran towards the door with her two short legs.
The person who came in was none other than the famous Princess Changle, Li Lizhi. She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Empress Zhangsun, and was also deeply loved by the two emperors.
"Little Sizi, slow down, don't run, be careful not to fall!" Princess Chang Le immediately went to meet her, and the little princess who came towards her fell into her arms.
The little princess raised her head, grinned, revealing two cute little tiger teeth, and said, "Hehe, did you come to play with me, big sister? Is Mother here?" She then turned her head to look at the door.
Princess Chang Le looked at the adorable baby in her arms and couldn't help but gently pinch her nose, making the little princess giggle.
"The Empress Dowager did not come today."
The little princess looked disappointed upon hearing this and turned to walk into the palace.
"What's wrong? Is Little Sizi unhappy? Although Mother didn't come, she still instructed my elder sister to come and see Little Sizi! What's wrong? Is Little Sizi not happy to see my elder sister?" After saying that, she also made a disappointed expression.
Seeing that her older sister seemed a little unhappy, the innocent little princess didn't say anything, but immediately rushed back into her older sister's arms.
"That's right, that's more like it! Did Sizi not eat properly today? I just heard someone say that they didn't want to eat vegetables. I'm thinking about how to complain to Mother when we get back." Princess Chang Le teased the little princess.
"Ah, no, no! Sister doesn't like cakes!" Upon hearing the complaint, the little princess immediately grabbed Princess Chang Le's sleeve and started acting cute again.
Princess Chang Le gently pinched the little princess's smooth cheek: "Alright, it's fine if you don't want your older sister to complain to Mother, but Little Si Zi must eat her food obediently, and she must eat her vegetables too!"
The little princess pouted, looking helpless, which instantly amused Princess Chang Le.
Suddenly, a "gurgling" sound came from inside. The little princess lowered her head shyly and looked at her round belly.
"Look, your little tummy is protesting! If you don't eat soon, it will keep growling!" Princess Chang Le gently stroked the little princess's tummy and tickled her when she wasn't looking. Laughter and cheers filled the hall.
Mingyue, who was standing to the side, smiled knowingly at the two sisters. She picked up the freshly crushed meat and vegetables and brought them to the little princess's side. She checked the temperature and found it to be just right.
"Your Highness, open your mouth, ah~, how is it? The vegetables are delicious too, right?" The group had long since figured out how to deal with the little princess's daily refusal to eat vegetables, and they enjoyed doing it. After all, who wouldn't like such a cute little thing every day?
"Mmm, good, but still not good!" The little princess nestled in Princess Chang Le's arms, smacking her lips and looking satisfied. Princess Chang Le looked at the little girl eating peacefully like a good baby and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big sister, after we finish eating, I want to go see Mommy~" Although the little princess was focused on the meat in her bowl, she was still thinking about her mother.
Upon hearing this, Princess Chang Le, out of the little princess's sight, had a worried look on her face. Previously, Empress Zhangsun had been taking care of the little princess, but half a month ago she suddenly felt increasingly unwell and had been recuperating in the inner palace.
At first, because Empress Zhangsun was not present, the little princess often cried, but after a period of adjustment, the situation has improved slightly.
"Oh, right, Sizi, your older sister brought you a gift. Mother specifically asked me to bring it for you!" Princess Chang Le naturally changed the subject.
Sure enough, upon hearing that her mother had given her a gift, the little princess immediately perked up and began to eat heartily, not even letting go of the last bit of meat left in the bowl.
Frugality and thrift, and avoiding extravagance and waste, were principles that Empress Zhangsun taught Xiao Sizi from a young age.
"Sizi, eat slowly, don't rush! I should have waited until you finished eating before telling you!" Princess Chang Le gently patted the little princess's back, afraid that she would choke.
Before she could even swallow the last bite of food, the little princess, her chubby cheeks puffed out, turned to Princess Chang Le expectantly and asked in a low voice, "Sister~ what kind of gift is it?"
Seeing the little princess's comical and adorable appearance, Princess Chang Le immediately took out a palm-sized, uniquely shaped jade pendant from her sleeve and handed it over.
The jade pendant is shaped like a carp, with a beautiful lotus flower carved at its tail. The scales on its body are not only depicted lifelike, but also seem to shimmer with light.
"Wow, what a beautiful jade!" The little princess opened her mouth in surprise and snatched it from Princess Chang Le with lightning speed.