Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace - Chapter 203: Fresh Start

“Eh, what…?”

Xu muttered blankly, still unable to grasp what just happened.

It was not so long ago that Yui Mei Libin, Libin and the personnel of the Ministry of Justice were discussing the possibility of this scenario.

However, it never crossed Xu’s mind; she probably thought she’d only be released from being a court courtesan when pigs fly.

The crown prince looked over Xu with a smile.

“Moreover, as a reward for letting His Majesty and I enjoy such wonderful music until now, you have been granted pension and a mansion. Here, receive the inventory list.”

The moment the crown prince said those words, the eunuch on standby stepped forward and presented a document to Xu.

“T-Thank you, thank you very much.”

Xu received the list with trembling hands. She could only manage to stammer her thanks in a daze.

As for Zhu, he was extremely confused at the turn of events, his eyes wide as saucers at the mention of ‘His Majesty’ and ‘amnesty’.

The crown prince continued talking to the two of them.

“Your trials and hardships that you’ve experienced until now also reached my ears, and His Majesty had also declared his will. He said, ‘It is not too late to pursue your happiness. It’d be good for both of you to spend a long time catching up with everything you missed with each other’.”

“H-His Majesty, His Majesty had already anticipated everything…!”

Xu was extremely shocked upon hearing the words of the emperor from the crown prince.

‘Eh, but you know, the one who declared all that stuff is right here with us, hehe…’

Unfortunately, in order not to break the mood in this place, Yui Mei had to restrain herself so she wouldn’t actually blurt that out loud.

In fact, the other soldiers who participated in the burial ceremony had cramped expressions.

They probably also wanted to point at him and say ‘he’s right there’, but they’re trying their best to endure.

Yui Mei was also feeling a bit torn with wanting to immerse herself in such a moving scene and yet not being able to do that.

The crown prince ignored the mental state of everyone present, and continued on.

“Moreover, the Jiaofang had also wished for Xu to be one of their instructors. I also wish to enjoy your lute’s profound music, so please accept it, Xu Zi.”

Despite the amnesty granted, Jiaofang still intended for Xu to be the master teacher.

Indeed, it’s a testament to Xu’s exceptional talent for composition.

Yui Mei didn’t find it surprising at all, given that she also experienced for herself how much of a genius Xu is after listening to her performance.

If Xu has a house and a job, she’s guaranteed a stable and secure life in the future.

Apparently, Xu was slowly coming into terms with these facts.

“…What an honor it would be. Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty the Emperor, we’re so grateful, thank you very much!”

Xu’s tears streaked down her cheeks once again, making her face a mess, and together with Zhu, she kowtowed to the ground.

***

It was decided right there and then that Xu would leave the palace right away.

“You can stay at my place for now.”

Ming offered, probably still immersed in the joyous feeling of their reunion.

Xu will still be entering the Jiaofang from time to time, so she could bring her things back bit by bit.

They could also check the estate granted to them the day after.

For now, their priority must be spending time with Zhu so they could make up for the long period they’ve been apart.

Xu and Zhu stood side by side with Ming, and the sun was about to set.

She would be starting her life afresh and Yui Mei, Du and Li Yong, who was there as their escort, stood at the Qianqing Gate to see them off.

“Miss Xu, there’s a good doctor in Outer City, and he’s the mentor of Doctor Chen. Lord Ming knows that person very well, so make sure you go to him for examination and have your feng shi bing treated, alright? You must’ve pushed yourself too hard for today’s performance.”

Yui Mei’s tone was a bit stern as she advised Xu.

Xu must’ve abandoned all consideration for her life after the performance and had gone all out to play the lute.

Her hands must be extremely painful now, so Yui Mei wanted her to be treated once again.

“Yeah, you did a lot to treat me, so I’m sorry about that.”

Xu seemed a bit embarrassed, but her manner of speech reverted back to its casualness.

She’s been used to this manner for so long, so it’s probably her default way by now.

Moreover, the rim of her eyes had turned red from all that crying.

But then, it doesn’t matter how much you cry if the tears are from joy.

___________

T/N: ANNOUNCEMENT:

Hello, Hanazakura here. This is a bit lengthy, but I hope you’ll read it to the end. First of all, I wish to thank you for the support and love you have given me and Hundred Blossom Palace these past two years. I am forever grateful to you guys, translating this novel has helped me maintain my sanity during the pandemic. Now that Covid-19 is no longer a major risk in our country, businesses and companies are starting to recover, and are now requiring their employees to work full time on site. My workload has increased since the last quarter of 2022, as you might have noticed with the erratic schedule, however, I could still manage to translate a few chapters of this novel despite that. Unfortunately, starting this January 2023, my workload has tripled and it’s very hard for me to find time to translate Hundred Blossom Palace anymore. I would love to continue doing this series, but I have to prioritize my real life work. Thus, with a heavy heart, I wish you to inform you that I will be dropping this series so as to give chance for another translator to pick it up and give it justice that it deserves. I really apologize for taking this long, I really really tried, however, it really isn’t feasible for me anymore. T.T Moving forward, I posted all the chapters from Patreon onto the site today. Because of Holy Week, we will have a week long vacation, enough for me to do a few additional chapters as tribute to my patreons who supported this novel. I’m forever grateful to each and everyone of you who read Yui Mei’s adventures for the past 2 years. I will post the additional chapters before this week ends.

Thank you so much again, everyone. **Deep bow**