The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

4. The Dowry Maid (2)

Translator: Iris Guo

“What else can I do?” said Duan Chenghong helplessly with a long sigh while he scratched his gray sideburns, “Right after Imperial Concubine Zhao sent A’Chou to our family, she urged the Emperor to send Lan’er to NingGuTa. Do we have to pretend that we didn’t figure out her abundantly clear intention? Forget it. Just let it be. ”

“Imperial Concubine Zhao is… making sure that Lan’er will marry the deposed Crown Prince, and A’Chou will watch our daughter’s every move in a flagrant manner,” Mrs. Duan took a deep breath, “She plans to completely and permanently punish us for being related to the deposed Crown Prince, so that our family has no chance to rise again!”

“That’s it,” said Duan Chenghong helplessly, “Under the circumstances, the only thing we can do is to obey Imperial Concubine Zhao to stay alive.”

Mrs. Duan burst into tears again, sobbing and wringing her handkerchief. Then, she had another sleepless night.

On the next day, as usual, A’Chou got up before dawn. Then she spent two hours chopping wood, boiling water, and cooking. Her waist began to ache again despite a whole night of rest. Also, her body was always sore, and she was unsure whether her growing caused the pain. Besides, she never got enough sleep, and she had a few cramps last night so that she grimaced in pain for most of the night, which explained why she now looked tired and spiritless.

A’Chou brought the food to the main hall and set the table. When she was about to leave, Duan Chenghong called her.

“Master?” A’Chou was afraid of looking at Duan Chenghong. Since he brought her home from the Yanxi Palace, she had never seen a pleasant smile on his face. A’Chou knew that he hated her, and she was always tactful, so she never dared to spend much time in the main hall. She asked nervously: “What do you need, Master?”

Duan Chenghong looked A’Chou up and down, whose head could not be lowered further. He kept staring at her for a long time until A’Chou’s neck got sore. “Tomorrow you’ll leave for NingGuTa with the Miss.”

“What?” A’Chou got a shock. She had always known that Duan Rulan was leaving for NingGuTa to get married, but she never thought that it would involve her. She didn’t have the time to worry whether she would be hated more, and hastened to look up, “Master…What do you mean by that?”

Presently, Duan Chenghong’s face was no longer calm and only showed disgust and aloofness. “What’s your problem? Ugly girl, you think being the Miss’ dowry maid is unworthy of your talent or what?”

Yes, A’Chou deserved her name—She was very ugly. However, she was not born like this. She got burned when she was putting out a fire in the Imperial Palace last year.

The scarlet scars were not that big, but they covered all the way from her right wrist to her neck, and there was even a mark as big as a fingernail on her chin.

“No, no, it’s not that…”A’Chou hastened to wave, paused, and shook her head, “It’s just…”

“Just what?” Duan Chenghong didn’t bother to talk to A’Chou any more. He waved to kick her out, paused, and then frowned at her coarse linen robe that had lost its color due to frequent washing, “Go to the housekeeper and ask for a decent dress. Go serve the Miss and no more heavy chores today.”

“Yes, Master.” A’Chou had to grin and bear it. Since Duan Chenghong mastered her life, of course she would obey him unconditionally. She did not have a say at all.

But, now she had to leave for NingGuTa…

A’Chou went to the housekeeper with a frown. She stared at the tender buds emerging from the cracks in bricks, while recalling the gossip that the imperial servants shared.