The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

88. Is Embroidering Interesting?

Translator: Iris Guo

“How’s your back?” A’Chou moved her fingers up to the bruise on Zhong Mingwei’s back and pressed gently. “Does it still hurt?”

“No. Didn’t you just apply cold compress there yesterday?” said Zhong Mingwei while moving his body slightly. Then, he continued hesitantly: “Why don’t you help me up again? I think I can do better today.”

“Okay…” answered A’Chou while getting up. Then, she froze suddenly, stood there with eyes wide open for a long time, sat down cautiously, and said while blushing: “I can’t today… In a few days then.”

Zhong Mingwei looked at A’Chou, astonished. Her behavior was a bit strange today. She used to be so eager to help him out of bed and keep nagging about how sunshine was good for his health. “Why?” asked him softly, “Are you okay?”

“I’m… fine. Why shouldn’t I be okay?” said A’Chou perfunctorily. Then, she shared the news with Zhong Mingwei gladly, “Haha, I just picked up the tools from Mrs. Chen’s house. She’s so nice and got me an easy job with good pay—one qian of silver ingots for embroidering four pieces of patterns. So much easier than my job at the palace!”

“Really?” Zhong Mingwei looked at A’Chou’s cheerful face with complicated feelings.

“Yes! Wait for it! I’ll show you!” A’Chou ran forth a few steps, suddenly stopped, and walked out slowly.

Zhong Mingwei couldn’t help frowning as he saw A’Chou walking strangely. Who taught her to walk like a duck? With abdomen in and butt stuck up…

By the time Zhong Mingwei realized where he was looking at, A’Chou was already out of his sight. He stared blankly at the door for a while and suddenly turned his face around.

Why on earth would he be staring at a girl’s butt like a hooligan?

Zhong Mingwei’s face took on a ghastly expression.

…

“Check it out! Here!” While Zhong Mingwei was still despising himself, A’Chou entered the chamber joyfully with the sewing kit. She carefully put it on the bedside and began to introduce the tools: “Look, how good the cloth is! Real silk, which Miss Duan used to wear. And the thread! Of course it’s not as good as the one used in the palace, but it’s pretty cool. And here are the needles. I bet you’ve never seen them.”

“I have.” said Zhong Mingwei slowly while looking at the shiny silver needle in A’Chou’s hand.

In fact, he had seen them many times. His legal wife surnamed Ding loved embroidering and always had a needle in her hand. He barely checked his harem, but every time he did, he would see a sewing kit in the warmth chamber, bedroom, or wing-room, and a needle would be pinned to the half-finished piece.

“Is embroidery interesting?” asked Zhong Mingwei shortly after their wedding.

“Yes.” Ding smiled faintly, held the needle in her fine and slim hand, and embroidered slowly and carefully. “When my mother first taught me, I didn’t like it, but she said I would find it interesting after getting married. She was right. If I knew nothing about embroidering, what would I do to kill time?”

Zhong Mingwei left hastily in anger.

What was she implying? She blamed him for being so busy that she had to kill time by embroidering?

He was the dignified Crown Prince and the future Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty! There was no way he would waste time on his harem!

He complained about her lack of virtue inside and hadn’t entered her room for months. When he was willing to see her again, he felt much more comfortable when seeing her fully obedient in front of him. From then on, she became abnormally virtuous and generous. As long as he noticed a maid, she would be eager to send her to his bed. Even the Empress Dowager praised her for being rarely virtuous with a big heart.