Shen Yanshui did not practice the Eight Brocades today. She ordered everyone to leave and began cultivating on her own.
First-rank abilities were extremely weak. Take fire abilities, for example: at the first rank, one could initially produce only a tiny flame. After becoming more proficient, one might be able to launch a fist-sized fireball, but its power and duration were still rather limited.
The same was true of wood abilities. They were generally even weaker than fire abilities. Fortunately, there were no mutated beasts like those in the apocalypse, so being weak was not particularly important.
When her wood ability had been at the first rank, she could only hasten the growth of plants in a small area. In a confrontation, it was practically useless.
All these years, she had never given up exercising her body. It was only that her inexpensive parents had strictly forbidden her from learning martial arts, which had always been a source of regret.
In any case, if she encountered danger, she might not be able to defeat her opponent, but escaping with her life should not be a problem.
She was pondering this when the tips of her ears twitched.
At the same time, the courtyard rang with greetings of varying pitches, along with Zheng Yuande’s voice.
The moment Chunping entered the room, she saw that her mistress had already come out, fully dressed and ready. Chunping could not help but beam with delight. “Mistress, Eunuch Zheng has arrived.”
Shen Yanshui stepped outside and saw the plump, round-faced Zheng Yuande smiling cheerfully at her, along with the long line of people and gifts behind him.
After the two exchanged polite greetings, Zheng Yuande cleared his throat and explained the purpose of his visit. He had indeed come to deliver gifts from the Crown Prince to Lady Shen, but among those gifts was something inconvenient to mention in public—a bed.
Shen Yanshui understood at once. Thinking back, she seemed to have heard the wooden bed creak last night when things had gotten rather intense. She had not expected the Crown Prince to remember such a detail.
Pressing her lips together in a smile, she said, “I suddenly remembered that the paint on the bed in my room has started to peel. I’ll have the Imperial Household Department replace it with a new one later.”
Zheng Yuande let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Lady Shen was not quite as foolish as she appeared.
If the Crown Prince had directly bestowed a bed upon her, what would people say about him once word got out?
Satisfied, he glanced at the items being carried behind him and said, “The Crown Prince heard that you enjoy tending to flowers and plants, Lady Shen, so he specially sent you six pots each of peonies, weeping crabapples, qionghua, and lilacs. There is also some tea for you to sample.”
Shen Yanshui looked at the flowers in full bloom, her eyes curving into delighted crescents. She had not expected the Crown Prince to be so thoughtful with his gifts. As for the tea… Though she did not know why he had suddenly thought to send her tea, anything that came from the Crown Prince was unlikely to be ordinary.
“The flowers bestowed by His Highness are even more beautiful than those in the Imperial Garden. I’ll choose a few to place on my desk later and admire them every day. I certainly won’t fail to appreciate His Highness’s kindness.”
Zheng Yuande chuckled. “I’m glad you like them. If there is nothing else, this servant will take his leave.”
Shen Yanshui exchanged a few more polite words with him before saying, “Take care, Eunuch Zheng.” As usual, she had Quanfu see him out.
Afterward, she first looked over the flowers and plants, then examined the jewelry bestowed by the Crown Prince. A smile spread across her face, and her eyes curved into crescents.
Could it be that the Crown Prince thought… she had no jewelry to wear? Was that why he had given her all these gifts?
Still, this lotus pink crystal was truly beautiful. Even someone like her, who had never cared much for dressing up, found it so lovely that her heart stirred at the sight of it.
“Rain-Season Dragon Well, Silver Needle, Lushan Cloud Mist, Biluochun?” After admiring the jewelry, Shen Yanshui opened each of the white porcelain tea jars, taking a look inside before leaning closer to smell them.
She more or less understood why he had suddenly sent her tea. Perhaps the tea he had drunk at her residence had not suited his taste, so he had remembered to send some of his own here.
Quanfu happened to return after seeing the visitors out and heard her words. He smiled and said, “These are all fine spring teas. Outside the palace, they would probably be worth a fortune.”
Dongyi was astonished. “They’re really that expensive?”
Chunping said, “We must store them carefully, or we’ll end up ruining something so precious.”
Qiuyi’s face was full of smiles, and her eyes were filled with envy. “His Highness is truly good to our mistress.”
Shen Yanshui smiled.
He was indeed very good to her. Although the Crown Prince seemed somewhat aloof, he was not difficult to get along with. He was not overly rigid or formal either, and he was even… rather considerate.
She liked drinking tea as well. She did not have any particular preference, but in this life, she had at least been born into an earl’s household, so she knew the value of fine tea.
With such good tea on hand, she could even make milk tea if she had the opportunity.
However, she felt that if the Crown Prince bestowed gifts upon her two or three more times, she might become the target of everyone’s resentment.
But there was rarely a way to have the best of both worlds. How could one obtain good things without also bearing the risks that came with them?
Thus, she took it all in stride.
“Come, brew me a cup of Biluochun to try. Then go to the kitchen and bring back two plates of pastries.” She gave the order with a beaming smile.
“Yes, Mistress!” Dongyi replied, her face lighting up with delight.
*
The moment Eunuch Zheng left, everyone in the courtyards of the rear quarters learned that the Crown Prince had bestowed more gifts upon Lady Shen.
The flowers and plants were one thing. What shocked everyone was the news that the Crown Prince had even given Lady Shen an entire set of lotus pink crystal jewelry!
Lady Chu’s delicate face darkened, and her expression turned ugly. “That was tribute from the South Seas, an exceptionally rare and precious treasure. His Highness actually gave it to Lady Shen just like that?”
She had once tactfully asked His Highness about it, yet he had refused to give it to her!
The palace maid beside her hurriedly sent the young eunuch who had delivered the news away, then lowered her voice and said, “Please don’t be angry, Mistress. The two matrons are still here.”
Lady Chu took several deep breaths before barely suppressing the resentment and jealousy in her heart. “Forget it. They’re only a few pieces of jewelry. They’re nothing important.”
At present, nothing mattered more than the child in her womb. Once she gave birth to a royal son, there would be plenty of time to settle accounts.
At Begonia Court—
Lady Wu directly smashed the fine celadon cup in her hand after hearing the news.
She said furiously, “That vixen! Who knows what kind of spell she cast on His Highness, or what sort of medicine she gave him!”
Ever since she was young, she had relied on her beautiful face. As long as she wanted something, things generally went smoothly for her.
Yet after entering the Eastern Palace, the beauty she had always taken pride in seemed to have lost its effect. Not only was there now a Lady Shen whose looks were in no way inferior to hers, but that woman also opposed her at every turn.
The Crown Prince was not as attentive and eager toward her as other men had been.
Yesterday, she had even made such a huge fool of herself in front of the Crown Prince!
After returning and looking in the mirror, she had only to remember that she had appeared before His Highness looking like that for her chest to tighten and her breathing to grow labored.
It was all that scheming vixen, Lady Shen’s, fault!
She said indignantly, “Why doesn’t Her Highness the Crown Princess discipline her?! If I were the Crown Princess, I would have dealt with that Lady Shen long ago!”
Her personal maid hurriedly tried to console her, but Lady Wu was clearly in no mood to listen. She continued complaining angrily, occasionally mixing in a few curses and insults.
Living in Begonia Court, Lady Lu, one of the Crown Prince’s long-serving women who occupied the eastern side hall, merely lifted her eyelids when she heard the commotion erupting once again from the main hall. She then continued staring at the begonia blossoms she was embroidering, her gaze gradually growing deeper and more inscrutable…
The palace maid serving beside her heard the disturbance as well. Frowning, she said in a low voice, “I never would have thought Lady Wu had such a temperament. The things we sent her before were probably wasted.”
They had originally planned on befriending the new Lady Wu, thinking that with her beauty, she ought to win the Crown Prince’s favor. If that happened, he would naturally visit Begonia Court more often, making it all the more worthwhile to establish a good relationship with Lady Wu.
But seeing Lady Wu’s disposition now, their plans were likely to come to nothing.
Lady Lu raised her eyes toward the vividly blooming begonias outside the window and said gently, “There’s no need to hurry. Let’s wait a little longer.”
News traveled even faster in Xiefang Hall than it did from the rear quarters. After all, there was no way to conceal the Crown Prince opening his private treasury, and the Crown Princess naturally had people and informants of her own stationed throughout the Eastern Palace.
Matron Zhou had just entered with a bowl of medicinal soup. Taking one look at the Crown Princess’s expression, she knew that Her Highness was in a poor mood.
“Your Highness, please don’t let anger and distress harm you. It’s only a set of jewelry. You must take care of your health.” Matron Zhou was somewhat helpless. The Crown Prince was the heir apparent; it was perfectly ordinary for him to bestow gifts upon his women.
It was simply that, in the past, the Crown Prince had rarely rewarded the women in the rear quarters. Whenever he did give them something, he would usually inform the Crown Princess first and have her present the gifts on his behalf.
The Crown Prince’s attitude should have made them even more vigilant.
Matron Zhou continued, “Your Highness, perhaps the Crown Prince is behaving this way because what happened last time caused him to harbor some resentment toward you. Once a few more days have passed and the Dragon Boat Festival is over, how could His Highness continue holding a grudge against you?” Her words carried an unmistakable implication.
The tension between the Crown Princess’s brows eased slightly, and she instinctively stroked her abdomen.
Matron Zhou went on persuading her. “Your Highness, at most, this is merely a passing novelty for the Crown Prince. Why not go along with his wishes? However you put it, she is no more than a concubine who serves through her beauty. At present, nothing is more important than your health.”
The Crown Princess pressed her lips together. “I understand.”
Although she had long grown accustomed to being “virtuous and accommodating,” that had only been because the Crown Prince had treated everyone more or less equally, without showing any special preference.
But now, she truly needed to win back the Crown Prince’s favor. She could not allow the rift between them to take root.
