Gluttonous Crown Princess

Gluttonous Crown Princess Chapter 18.2

Empress Zhou’s red lips lifted into a sincere smile, “Look at how sweet this little mouth is, what a good child.” She turned and glared at Pei Lingbi, “You are not a child anymore, don’t always just think about playing, talk to your sister-in-law more often when you have the time. If you were just half as intelligent and sensible as your sister-in-law, I wouldn’t have to worry about you getting complained about by your in-laws after you get married.”

Pei Lingbi was already upset by Tao Ti’s mocking indifference, and hearing her mother comparing her with Tao Ti now, she was even more peeved.

She bit her red lips, her eyebrows were full of arrogance, “Empress Mother, I am a princess! Even if I’m married, I am of the imperial family, and my in-laws are our subjects. Even if I’m wrong, they wouldn’t dare to complain even if someone lent them a hundred guts!”

Having said this, she even shot Tao Ti a glance and muttered in a low voice, “How pretentious.”

Pei Lingbi was sitting right next to Empress Zhou, so of course, Empress Zhou heard the muttered words clearly. Her face automatically darkened a little and she called out warningly, “Lingbi.” Then, she raised her eyes and smiled somewhat apologetically at Tao Ti, “Ah Ti, Lingbi has been spoiled by me since she was a child and doesn’t think before she speaks… but she does have a good heart. Don’t hold it against her.”

Tao Ti thought inwardly, Good heart my ass, but on her face was a gentle magnanimous smile, “I am her sister-in-law, and thus am her elder as well, so of course, I will treat her with great tolerance.”

Sure enough, as soon as she said that, Pei Lingbi’s face clearly turned darker. How dare this shameless bitch dare claim to be her elder? Is she trying to take advantage of her?

Seeing Pei Lingbi’s rage without being able to do anything about it, Tao Ti felt really pleased.

After about fifteen minutes, a senior palace maid came to report to Empress Zhou that the various concubines were already waiting outside.

Seeing this, Tao Ti and the other princesses got up to take their leave discerningly.

Empress Zhou smiled and said genially to Tao Ti, “Ah Ti, come to Ganquan Palace for a visit when you have time.”

Tao Ti naturally agreed, then took her leave with everyone in a docile manner.

As soon as she walked out of the main hall, she saw that there were already many concubines waiting in the courtyard. There were a few who looked familiar; Tao Ti could still remember them, so she smiled and nodded at them as a greeting.

Suddenly, her sleeve was gently tugged.

Tao Ti retracted her gaze and looked blankly at the little girl beside her, “Sixth Princess?”

The sixth princess was the youngest child in the palace. She was eight years old this year and was a pretty little girl with a round face. Compared to the other princesses, Sixth Princess didn’t speak much. Most of the time, she would just be listening to her sisters and never took the initiative to speak. The only thing she ever said to Tao Ti was the standard ceremonial greeting.

Seeing her suddenly tugging on her sleeve now, Tao Ti’s lustrous black eyes carried a hint of surprise, “What’s the matter?”

The sixth princess blinked her gleaming black eyes, as if summoning her courage, and said in a small voice, “Sister-in-law, don’t take Second Sister’s words to heart, she has always been like that…… Umm, it’s not worth getting angry because of her.”

Her voice was soft and velvety, and her pink face was still child-like, but her clear black eyes contained a maturity that did not match her age.

Children who grew up in the palace mature earlier, I guess. Tao Ti bent over, raised her hand to touch her little head, and said with a smile, “Thank you… But don’t worry, I didn’t take those words to heart.”

Probably because her actions were rather intimate, the sixth princess was slightly stunned for a moment before she said nervously, “Mhm, that’s good.”

Maybe it was because the little girl in front of her was too cute, or maybe it was that she was the first member of the imperial family to show her kindness, for some reason, Tao Ti suddenly was in the mood and invited her warmly, “Are you busy now? If you are free, would you like to come to the Eastern Palace with me to play?”

The sixth princess was stunned again. Her cute little appearance really resembled the emoji of a hamster hugging a melon seed.

“Can… can I?”

“Why not?” Tao Ti saw that the little girl’s expression was a mixture of anticipation and hesitance and thought it might be because she was scared of strangers, so she took the initiative to stretch a hand out to her and gave her a bright smile. “Shall we go? I just happened to have soaked some peach gum1 before coming out, I’ll use that to make you dessert later.”

Looking at the fair and jade-like hand in front of her, the sixth princess’s black and slender eyelashes trembled. In the end, she still couldn’t resist Sister-in-law Crown Princess’s smile and placed her little hand in her palm.

The sixth princess didn’t know why, but she had an inexplicable trust in this Sister-in-law Crown Princess.

Sister-in-law Crown Princess seemed to be different from everyone in the palace. She was like the bright sun hanging in the sky, like a vibrant vine, always full of vigour and hope... which made others involuntarily want to get close, to draw warmth, and to absorb the light.

Footnotes:

1 peach gum:  Peach gum is the resin from peach and Chinese wild peach trees, already solidified when it is found. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and can be used to thicken, emulsify, and coagulate food. Peach gum is best enjoyed in sweet soups and desserts, by first being soaked and double-boiled on its own before other ingredients are added.