Chapter 13 The Princess Smears Waste on Her Face
byChapter 13: The Princess Applies a... Facial Treatment?
At the question, Ji Yuntang didn't move a muscle. She lazily lifted her eyelids and shot a lazy glance at Chen Hu.
"You're back. Everything go smoothly?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Hu felt as if struck by lightning. He stared at Ji Yuntang in disbelief, stammering.
"You... y-y-you are the Princess?"
"Princess, why did you smear feces on your face?"
Ji Yuntang: "..."
She sniffed. The medicinal mask did have a scent, but it was the slightly bitter aroma of Chinese herbs, not the outrageous stench of feces, right?
However, she didn't explain to Chen Hu, merely saying, "It's a beauty treatment."
Chen Hu's eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
What the hell? Was he too outdated?
Could feces be used for beauty and skincare now?
Had she lost her mind?
Chen Hu thought of other noble ladies who were adorned in gold and silver, slathering expensive cosmetics on their faces, and dressing themselves up beautifully every day.
Only Ji Yuntang went bare-faced, wearing the simplest white dress. Frankly, her attire wasn't even as good as the servants in the Night Prince's mansion.
Rumors said she was Marquis Yongning's illegitimate daughter, lost outside and later found. Because of her ugly appearance, she was utterly neglected. Before she could even be the Marquis's eldest daughter for a month, the Marquis's household sent her as a substitute bride.
Given this, Ji Yuntang must have resorted to this irrational act of smearing feces on her face because she had no money to buy proper beauty products.
Chen Hu immediately pulled out the hundred-tael silver note Luo Sinian had given him from his sleeve.
"Princess, this subordinate just received a hundred-tael silver note from Prince Chen. Why don't you take it to buy some cosmetics?"
"This subordinate has heard that Peiyue Pavilion's cosmetics are the best in our capital. All the noble young ladies like to buy there. This subordinate is a rough man and doesn't understand those women's things. If the Princess likes them, use this money to buy a few items. It's definitely better than using feces for beauty."
Chen Hu's gaze fell on the hundred-tael silver note in his hand. Though his heart ached at the thought, he felt no reluctance.
In his view, if Ji Yuntang hadn't assigned him this task, he wouldn't have gotten this hundred-tael silver note for nothing.
After all, he had just run an errand, delivered a message, and done nothing else.
Ji Yuntang observed Chen Hu's entire reaction, feeling somewhat surprised.
Chen Hu was just a menial servant in the Night Prince's mansion. What this hundred taels meant to him, Ji Yuntang understood better than anyone.
Yet now, he was offering this money to her without hesitation?
She was somewhat moved. "No need. Since Prince Chen gave it to you, keep it. If this Princess wants silver, she'll earn it herself."
"But, Princess, you..." Chen Hu was about to speak when Ji Yuntang interrupted, "No 'buts.' No matter how unpopular this Princess is, she is still the mistress of the Night Prince's mansion. A mere hundred taels of silver is not enough to take from a servant."
"Chen Hu, this Princess has a task for you right now. See that paper under the teacup? Bring it here."
Chen Hu turned to fetch it. Pulling the paper from under the teacup, he found it snow-white, smooth, and clean, completely different from the rice paper he had seen before.
Most importantly, he noticed four drawings on the paper, looking very peculiar.
"Princess, what are these?"
Ji Yuntang moved her finger over the paper, explaining one by one, "These are fitness equipment I drew: horizontal bars, five-step stakes, a horizontal ladder, and a forty-jin barbell rod. Go find carpenters in the city and see if they can make them. The sooner, the better."
Ji Yuntang's current situation wasn't good, and this body was too weak. She had to start training as soon as possible to regain her previous life's physical fitness.
"Understood, Princess. This subordinate will go find carpenters in the city right away."
Chen Hu didn't understand what those things were, but he was an obedient man of action. He immediately took the paper and left.
What he didn't see was a small green figure flitting past the doorway, but Ji Yuntang noticed. She sneered inwardly.
It seemed some people couldn't hold back from plotting mischief again.
Meanwhile, before Chen Hu could even step out of the Night Prince's mansion gate, he was blocked by four house servants. Nanny Xu and Liu Linlang emerged, flanked by two maids.
"Chen Hu, where are you going? Have you chopped the firewood in the backyard today? Have you fed the horses?"
Chen Hu faced Nanny Xu's gloomy expression and frowned. "I already fed the horses fodder this morning. The firewood chopped yesterday can still last a few days, right? I have something to attend to outside now. If you're in a hurry, I'll chop more firewood to stockpile when I return."
Upon hearing this, Liu Linlang instantly flew into a rage, pointing at Chen Hu's nose and starting to berate him.
"How dare you! How dare a lowly dog like you speak to my mother like that? Kneel down immediately and kowtow to apologize!"
Her face, still swollen from Ji Yuntang's beating, looked quite distorted and somewhat ugly.
"I'm just stating facts. What wrong have I done?"
"We are both servants in the Night Prince's mansion. Don't think you're nobler than me just because others call you 'Miss Liu'?"
Chen Hu felt disdainful. In this mansion, the person he disliked the most was Liu Linlang.
Relying on being Nanny Xu's biological daughter, she threw her weight around in the Night Prince's mansion, arbitrarily beating and scolding other servants.
When he learned that Ji Yuntang had beaten Liu Linlang this morning, Chen Hu felt immensely relieved.
Liu Linlang's neck flushed red with anger. She hated nothing more than others bringing up her status.
Knowing that the other party was extremely strong—ten of her couldn't beat one Chen Hu—Liu Linlang stamped her foot, hugged Nanny Xu's arm, and started acting coquettishly.
"Mother, this lowly dog is bullying me~ You must stand up for your daughter~"
Chen Hu took orders from Nanny Xu in the Night Prince's mansion. If Nanny Xu intervened, she didn't believe he would refuse to kneel and apologize!
A fake smile stretched across Nanny Xu's plump face, a calculating glint flashing in her eyes.
"Chen Hu, I heard you got a hundred taels of silver today. Don't forget you still owe this nanny five hundred taels. Isn't it time to repay the debt now?"
Their purpose in bringing people here today was precisely for this matter.
If Chen Hu really left the mansion, given his appetite of eating at least eight bowls per meal, the silver would probably be spent by the time he returned. How could she get the money from him then?
Chen Hu was inwardly horrified. He had just gotten this silver note from Prince Chen; it hadn't even warmed in his hands. How did Nanny Xu know about it?
However, since even Ji Yuntang hadn't taken his silver, he certainly wouldn't give it to Nanny Xu.
Once it fell into her hands, he would get no benefit from it.
"This silver was given to me by Prince Chen as a delivery fee. I earned it with my own ability. Why should I give it to you just because you say so? If you have the skill, go carry a thousand-jin bed to earn it yourself."
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