For a moment, Ren Anle was dazed. She looked at An Ning, parting her mouth a little, the corners of her mouth quirking up slightly, "Oh? Who does the princess feel that I am like?"
"When I entered Mount Tai at five years old to study martial arts with shifu, I was only summoned down the mountain by Fu-huang once." In the stillness of the night, An Ning's voice was pensive, carrying some faint yearning, "You should know that twelve years ago, a young lady from an aristocratic family entered the capital. Fu-huang treated her with the respect of a princess, and at that time, there was no princess of age in the royal palace, so he had me return from Mount Tai to keep her company."
Hidden in the dark, Ren Anle's pupils were a bit deep, her voice indistinct: "There is no one in the world that doesn't know that the highly favoured noble young lady was given a name by Taizu himself, the Di family's beloved daughter, Di Ziyuan. How come, hearing the princess's words, could it be that Di Ziyuan and I have very similar appearances?"
( the pearl in the palm, used to describe a child that is extremely cherished)
Han Ye paused as he approached closer, and stopped in place.
An Ning was surprised by Ren Anle's bluntness. She nodded and shook her head, and the wine pot in her hand spun around and landed quietly on the wooden table. "Appearance isn't the same, however temperament is very similar."
Ren Anle raised her eyebrows, and there was a bit of a ruffian look between them.
"Di Ziyuan is very intelligent. Although I was not convinced at the beginning, I have to admit that no matter what, even if I learned from the best Taifu in the palace, I would always be inferior to her."
( an official that serves as a tutor and teacher to royalty)
"Being intelligent at an early age does not necessarily bring success upon growing up. Gongzhu should adopt more of a long-term view. Di Ziyuan was imprisoned in Mount Tai for ten years. In terms of intelligence, she has long not been as good as you." Ren Anle lazily took a sip of her wine and smiled widely.
"I still feel that this isn't the case. You and her are the same, appearing mild and harmless, but actually harboring bad intentions. It was like this in the gambling house, and just now at Lingxiang Lou was the same." An Ning shook her head, her voice clear and powerful, "Ren Anle, you are no easier to deal with than that little girl from the Di family back then."
( a stomach full of bad water)
"I'm the biggest female bandit in Jinan. Using me as a comparison is not a compliment to Di Ziyuan." Ren Anle spoke while smiling, as if very casual, and asked, "It is heard that Di Ziyuan only stayed in the capital for a year. Unexpectedly, gongzhu has such a deep memory of the little girl from more than ten years ago."
"The women in the Di family are different after all, aren't they?" An Ning winked slyly, then sighed, "If the Di family was still safe, she would have long become my royal sister-in-law, and would not have been imprisoned at Mount Tai for ten years, and how would there be room for you to mess around? Anle, it's better for you to give up, huang-xiong will not welcome you into the Eastern Palace."
( royal brother)
"Oh? Why?" Ren Anle's voice was lazy and noncommittal.
"I heard about you and your matters at the frontier. You are not only an outstanding commander, but also have the ability to manage the country and handle state affairs. Huang-xiong will not waste your talents and allow you to enter the Eastern Palace as a side concubine who can't interfere in politics."
( a term that refers to someone who can command an entire army with their skills, who has high prestige and organizational leadership)
"An Ning, what you want to say seems to be more than that."
"And there's… Di Ziyuan." An Ning's voice was incisive and cold, with absolute certainty, "It's not just because this marriage was arranged by Taizu. Huang-xiong, he will not give the position of Taizi-fei to any other woman in the world, even if… he has someone he loves in the future."
(consort to the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess)