Absolutely Spoiled - Chapter 67.1

Chapter 67.1 – Shi Yi’s Second Life

“The clouds disperse, the moon sinks, the curtains roll up the Weiyang Tower. The night is cool, the Milky Way cut across the sky, and the palace is locked in the autumn.”

The little girl’s clear and childish voice echoed in the room as she read a poem.

The nanny carried the dried bedding into the hall and spread it on the couch.
“Princess, cough cough——” Just as the middle-aged woman was about to say something, her throat was choked by a cough.

“Mammy, you are coughing again,” the little girl said while putting her book away.

“Princess, this old slave is fine.” Looking at the nine-year-old Princess Jiahe, the nanny could only swallow the bitterness in her heart.

Princess Jiahe’s mother was originally a girl from an ordinary family. Because of her outstanding appearance, the emperor took a liking to her when he visited some other places. The emperor brought back the innocent girl, and she became the most favoured one in the harem.

After Princess Jiahe was born, the emperor was overjoyed and promoted the princess’s mother to a noble concubine.

But that happiness didn’t last long. The noble concubine became a thorn in everyone’s eyes, and because she didn’t have a powerful maternal family to rely on, she met a tragic fate.

Others tricked the emperor step by step so that the emperor gradually started neglecting the noble concubine and finally hated the helpless woman.

The helpless woman, who lost the protection of the emperor, was tortured physically and mentally and finally left this world, leaving the little princess alone.

Initially, the emperor paid attention to this little princess, but soon he forgot her. How could the emperor, who had a lot of children, remember the motherless child for so long?

As more princes and princesses came into the world, the little princess gradually faded into the background of the isolated palace due to someone’s meddling.

She was a princess, but her life was worse than that of the maid serving the emperor’s favourite concubine.

Realising they would not get any benefits as they served the little princess, the maids and eunuchs were reassigned, leaving only Princess Jiahe and her nanny behind.

The nanny initially thought about asking the emperor to help the young princess, but after receiving a few harsh words from him, she realised it would only stir up trouble with those who had ill intentions. Ultimately, the nanny understood the harshness of human nature and chose to keep a low profile, focusing solely on being there for the little princess as she grew up.

“Mammy, drink some water.” Fortunately, Princess Jiahe was sensible and not spoilt.

The nanny was sick, but no one treated her.

The palace was preparing for an autumn banquet, but Princess Jiahe was not aware of it because her nanny was ill.

Princess Jiahe remembered that there was a kind-hearted doctor named Li in the Imperial Medical Bureau, so she went there in person and invited Doctor Li to check her nanny.

Doctor Li saw the desolate scene here, thought of the glory of the noble concubine in the past, and sighed repeatedly.

Thanks to Doctor Li, Nanny started feeling better.

Outside was buzzing with excitement, and Doctor Li pointed out. “It’s the Autumn Banquet!”

Princess Jiahe was really looking forward to it and wanted to join in on the fun. Feeling a bit bored, she gazed longingly into the distance at the lively sounds. However, remembering her nanny’s warning not to wander off, she stayed in the garden.

She was squatting and playing with some stones, and suddenly, someone leapt down from a big rock in front of her, startling her so much that she fell over.

It was Shi Yi who had jumped down.

When he saw her sitting on the ground, clearly frightened, he quickly helped her up.

Although boys and girls weren’t supposed to sit together after turning seven, he had just returned to the capital from the border with his dad and hadn’t learnt the formalities yet.

“Are you a palace maid?” he asked, noticing her simple clothes and the lack of attendants.

Princess Jiahe blinked, choosing not to reveal who she was right away. Instead, she asked, “Who are you?”

Shi Yi raised his eyebrows and replied, “I’m Shi Yi. What’s your name?”

Princess Jiahe was taken aback by his friendly demeanour and found herself smiling. She introduced herself as “Yu Zhiyi”, using her mother’s surname.

“What are you doing here?”

“Playing.”

“What’s so fun about rocks?”

“I don’t know.” She couldn’t find anything else fun.

Shi Yi lived near the border, and after he returned to the capital, the only people he interacted with were older folks or maids. Once he entered the palace, he was struck by the sight of people in their fancy, colourful outfits that dazzled his eyes! When he dashed out from the Autumn Banquet, the first person he bumped into was Yu Zhiyi. Her simple attire and fair complexion were a refreshing sight. Shi Yi thought she was the sweetest, softest little girl he had ever seen. She seemed a bit silly but really fun! Just as he was about to speak, his stomach let out a loud growl.

Yu Zhiyi heard it and asked innocently, “Are you hungry?”

Shi Yi patted his stomach and dramatically replied, “Yeah, no one fed me; I’m starving!”

Yu Zhiyi took this to heart, thinking the boy was being mistreated, and felt sorry for him. “Come with me,” she said after thinking for a few minutes.

Shi Yi saw this new place as an adventure, but he didn’t expect this little palace maid to lead him to an empty palace.

She grabbed a plate of cakes from a table and handed it to him, saying, “Here you go.”

Even though Shi Yi wasn’t sure about palace etiquette, he knew he shouldn’t just take things. Holding the plate, he asked, “Whose are these?”

Yu Zhiyi paused. “Um…Princess Jiahe’s.”

“Can I really take the princess’s stuff?”

“It was given to me by Princess Jiahe.”

“Are you her maid?”

Yu Zhiyi looked away and replied, “Um…yeah.”

The little princess was unaware that men had different cravings than she did, and even after devouring an entire plate of cakes, Shi Yi still felt hungry.

Yu Zhiyi opened her eyes, gazed at the empty plate, and sighed. “What now? I’m out of food.”

“I know a spot with tons of tasty treats. Let me take you there!” Shi Yi eagerly said, pulling her along.

He had just eaten those cakes, which were cold and hard, lacking the delightful sweetness of the ones he had enjoyed before. Shi Yi intended to take her to the Autumn Banquet and secretly bring her some delicious food.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of string instruments in the distance, and Yu Zhiyi froze. “I can’t go in.”

Shi Yi thought she was scared, so he didn’t push her. Then, he had a lightbulb moment and said, “I know another place!”

The second location was the imperial kitchen.

There were no scary ladies here, and the little princess felt at ease.

The kitchen was bustling with people preparing for the autumn banquet, and they seized the chance to sneak in and hide in a corner.

Yu Zhiyi had never done anything like this before, but she found it exciting.

The cakes seemed to vanish into thin air, and a clever kitchen servant quietly gestured to surround the two little ones.

The little girl accidentally got frosting on her mouth and was caught red-handed before she even realized it.

The royal chef recognised her. “Princess Jiahe.”

Shi Yi was taken aback. ‘Wait, you’re a princess?’

Later, Shi Yi found out that the girl he had just met was not a palace maid but a princess.
But she was the least favoured one.

Have a nice day!