As gifts and rewards poured into Lotusheart Court like flowing water, the people in the rear quarters were left utterly dumbfounded.
Behind closed doors, their eyes burned red with envy, and they nearly tore several handkerchiefs to shreds.
Could this Lady Shen be a fox spirit reincarnated?!
The Crown Princess had only just received the news when she heard the Crown Prince approaching. She quickly composed her expression and rose to greet him.
After seeing the child and having dinner, the Crown Princess took the initiative to bring up Lady Wu’s matter.
With a slight furrow between her brows, she sighed. “The newcomers who entered the residence this time have repeatedly behaved improperly. It is all because I have failed in my duty to discipline them. I originally thought they were young and needed more guidance. Who would have thought that indulging them would only make them increasingly arrogant and lacking in restraint? This is my fault.”
Cui Yu held his cup and took a small sip without saying a word.
Seeing this, the Crown Princess continued, “I never expected Lady Liu to be so bold as to harbor designs on Your Highness and bribe the attendants serving at Your Highness’s side. From now on, I will discipline her more strictly and make sure she does not dare repeat such a thing.”
Cui Yu’s expression softened slightly. His tone remained calm. “Mm. You have gone to a great deal of trouble, Crown Princess.”
A smile appeared on the Crown Princess’s face as she said gently, “Lady Wu is proud and willful, while Lady Liu is rash and ignorant of proper conduct. I have already sent a matron to instruct them.”
Cui Yu set down his teacup and gave a slight nod.
The Crown Princess glanced at him unobtrusively. Then she suddenly gave a helpless smile and said in the casual tone of someone making conversation, “Speaking of which, it was quite a coincidence. The selection happened to take place when Her Majesty the Empress was unwell and unable to oversee matters personally, so Noble Consort Lan chose these women to enter the residence. Now that I look at them…”
She paused, her voice gentle, as though merely mentioning it in passing. “Aside from Lady Zhang, who is well-read and sensible, and knows how to conduct herself, none of the others has been particularly easy to manage.”
Cui Yu lifted his eyes, his tone even. “The Crown Princess has to manage the affairs of the Eastern Palace every day. If there are matters beyond your capacity, Crown Princess, have Matron Rong assist you from now on.”
The Crown Princess’s expression changed.
Matron Rong was the Crown Prince’s wet nurse. During the first year after the Crown Princess married into the Eastern Palace, that old harpy had constantly interfered in her affairs. Fortunately, because of an old ailment in her hand, Matron Rong had reported it to His Highness in the second year and retired to enjoy her old age in the Eastern Palace.
What did His Highness mean by this?
Was he trying to take away her authority to manage the Eastern Palace?
She pressed her lips together, her expression somewhat strained. Then she lowered her head and said softly, “Matron Rong is enjoying her retirement now. There is no need to trouble her. From now on, I will make sure to discipline them properly and see that they do not break the rules again.”
If that old harpy Matron Rong truly began interfering in the affairs of the Eastern Palace, who knew how the other wives in the family would mock her behind her back? His Highness showed not the slightest consideration for her situation.
Cui Yu’s brows and eyes remained cold and detached, but he did not mention Matron Rong again.
The Crown Princess did not dare probe any further. However, just when she thought His Highness would spend the night with her, the Crown Prince left without even mentioning it. Her heart sank.
Fortunately, he had gone to the front hall rather than the rear quarters.
Seeing that her complexion was not very good, Matron Zhou hurried forward to console her. Her gaze fell upon the Crown Princess’s abdomen, which still showed no obvious signs of pregnancy, and she said with a smile, “Your Highness is not in a convenient condition to attend to His Highness at present. It is just as well that he has gone to the front hall.”
At those words, the tightness in the Crown Princess’s chest eased somewhat.
“Your Highness…”
The Crown Princess looked at her in confusion. “Matron? What is it?”
Matron Zhou was troubled by a lingering concern, and could not help bringing it up again. “Your Highness’s pregnancy is nearly secure now. Would it not be better to inform His Highness and Her Majesty the Empress? The Duanyang Festival is the day after tomorrow. With so many people present, should anyone accidentally jostle Your Highness, it would be disastrous.”
The Crown Princess lifted her chin slightly. “There is no need to worry, Matron. My mother specially sent a female physician to attend me. No one else knows that I am pregnant. Who would dare recklessly collide with me?”
“If someone with ill intentions found out, it might instead cause trouble. Why not give His Highness…and Her Majesty a surprise the day after tomorrow?”
If word were spread in advance, someone might make preparations and plot against her and the child in her womb.
Neither Noble Consort Lan nor Consort De was easy to deal with.
Her mother-in-law was already too preoccupied with her own affairs to help her. Since that was the case, what difference did a day or two make?
Besides, Her Majesty had never liked her. Simply because she had failed to give His Highness a healthy child, the Empress continued to look upon her with displeasure no matter how diligently she attended meals and paid her respects each day.
Yet when Lady Chu became pregnant, Her Majesty had immediately sent an experienced matron from her own side to care for her. When the Crown Princess had been pregnant with Zhang’er, she had received no such attentive care.
How could she not harbor resentment?
Matron Zhou was the person closest to and most trusted by the Crown Princess. Though she still felt somewhat worried after hearing this, she also found the Crown Princess’s reasoning sensible and therefore said no more.
*
Early the next morning, as the rising sun broke through the clouds and cast pale golden rays over the world, Shen Yanshui was already dressed and standing in the main hall of Xiefang Palace to pay her respects to the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess wore a flowing purple robe with wide sleeves. Her hair was arranged beneath a crystal-glazed mountain-style crown adorned with golden beads. With a warm smile covering her face, she looked at the women before her and said, “Rise. Bring them seats.”
However, when her gaze swept across a certain figure, the smile at the corners of her lips faded slightly.
“Thank you, Crown Princess.”
Only then did everyone slowly take their seats.
Shen Yanshui noticed that, apart from Lady Liu, who had been confined, and Lady Wu, who had been punished with copying the Admonitions for Women, nearly everyone else was present.
There was only one person she had never met before: Lady Sun, who had recently suffered a miscarriage.
Lady Sun was extremely thin, her cheeks sunken. Yet it was clear that she had carefully applied her makeup, perhaps in an effort to appear more spirited. Rouge had even been brushed across her face, making her look somewhat more like a normal person.
Naturally, everyone else was startled as well.
The Crown Princess furrowed her brows with concern. “Why have you become so thin? Have the people serving you been neglecting their duties?”
Lady Sun tugged at the corners of her lips in a smile. “In response to the Crown Princess, I am now able to get out of bed and walk. I have already recovered considerably. I should be fully recovered after some more time. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”
The Crown Princess smiled as well and said gently, “That is good, then.”
Lady Wang tactfully changed the subject, and everyone soon stopped paying attention to Lady Sun, who looked unnervingly thin.
The Duanyang Festival fell on the fifth day of the fifth month—tomorrow. Today, the Crown Princess would certainly decide which two women could accompany her, and everyone was secretly filled with anticipation.
A perfectly measured smile rested on Shen Yanshui’s face as she sat properly on a rosewood armchair with a pearwood frame. Noticing that Lady Chu had also come today, which was rare, she could not help casting her a second glance.
Then she listened as the women chatted and joked with the Crown Princess, before reaching for a peach blossom pastry from the small table beside her.
After listening for quite some time, she finally heard the conversation turn to tomorrow’s Duanyang Festival banquet at Golden Bright Pool. Her eyes immediately brightened. She knew the main event had finally arrived.
Sure enough, the Crown Princess said with a smile, “This year, Lady Zhang and Lady Shen will accompany me to the Duanyang Festival banquet at Golden Bright Pool.”
The moment she finished speaking, everyone’s expression changed in its own way.
Some concealed their reactions well and quickly composed themselves, while others made no effort to hide their displeasure.
The Crown Princess’s gaze deepened slightly, though she merely smiled.
Lady Zhang and Lady Shen both rose with smiles and thanked her for the favor.
Though the others were disappointed or displeased, most of them dared not say anything. Lady Shen’s favor was plain for all to see, so it was hardly surprising that she had been chosen to go.
As for Lady Zhang, her rank was high and her family background excellent. In the Eastern Palace, her status was surpassed only by that of the Crown Princess and Lady Chu, so her inclusion was perfectly reasonable.
At that moment, Lady Song, who was two years older than the others, pressed her lips together. Dressed in a pale-blue gown patterned with the character for longevity, she had a delicate, refined appearance, though her features were merely average. With an aggrieved and plaintive expression, she said, “Your Highness, in previous years, it was always Sister Chu and Sister Wang who accompanied you. Their ranks are higher than ours, so naturally they were more qualified than us, but…”
As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at Shen Yanshui.
Shen Yanshui: “…”
Was Lady Song indirectly targeting her?
Everyone present understood the implication behind Lady Song’s words. For a moment, their gazes turned, openly or covertly, toward Shen Yanshui.
Shen Yanshui kept a smile on her face and acted as though she had noticed nothing. She continued behaving as she pleased. Lady Song had not directly named her, so why should she be foolish enough to jump forward and draw attention to herself?
When Lady Song saw that she received no response—and that Shen Yanshui was still sipping her tea with an easy, smiling air—she grew furious inside.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth and said, “I wonder what Lady Shen thinks?”
Shen Yanshui’s expression did not change. Lowering her eyes with a faint smile, she replied, “I will follow whatever the Crown Princess decides.”
Lady Chu smiled and glanced at the Crown Princess before leaning back slightly to watch the scene unfolding before her. She had known there would be a good show today; otherwise, she would have been too lazy to leave her chambers.
For some reason, she had recently felt terribly dizzy and stifled whenever she stayed indoors for too long. Even the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician had done nothing. Yet after coming outside for a while, she felt much more refreshed.
The Crown Princess glanced at the faint dark circles beneath Lady Chu’s eyes and curled her lips ever so slightly. Before she could speak, Lady Wang, seated to the Crown Princess’s lower right, lifted the round fan in her hand to cover her lips. A meaningful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she said softly, “Sister Song, don’t be jealous. Sister Shen earned this honor herself before His Highness. How could Her Highness go against that?”
Lady Song’s face stiffened at once.
Shen Yanshui’s expression remained unchanged, though she turned to glance at Lady Wang, who sat beside the Crown Princess.
She then quickly finished the half-piece of pastry still in her hand and continued smiling politely.
“Your words make me uneasy, Lady Wang.”
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, and her tone was gentle and docile. “I have only been in the Eastern Palace for a short while and am still learning its many rules and formalities. How could I dare claim that I earned any honor before His Highness? It is merely that His Highness has shown me kindness, and Her Highness the Crown Princess is gracious enough to give me this opportunity to pay my respects.”
The fan in Lady Wang’s hand paused, and the smile on her lips faded slightly.
Shen Yanshui’s smile remained, and her tone grew even gentler. “Besides, I believe that His Highness and Her Highness must have had their reasons for deciding who would accompany them. All we need to do is accept the command peacefully and ensure that we do not disappoint their good intentions.”
Lady Wang’s expression changed subtly. With her fan covering her lips, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Lady Chu gave a low laugh. “Sister Shen is quite right.”
The Crown Princess had originally been holding her teacup and watching from the sidelines. At last, she spoke, her tone indifferent. “That will do.”
She glanced at Lady Wang. “Lady Shen is right. The list of those accompanying me was decided after discussion between His Highness and me. Naturally, I have my reasons.”
Lady Wang hurriedly rose and curtsied. “It was my mistake. I spoke out of turn.”
The Crown Princess waved a hand, indicating that she should sit down. She then looked toward Lady Song, her tone softening slightly. “Lady Song, you need not think too much of it. There is still a long road ahead. Whatever is meant to be yours will come to you in time.”
Lady Song’s expression turned awkward, and she dared not say anything more.
Shen Yanshui still wore that gentle, smiling expression, but the way the others looked at her had clearly changed.
Lady Shen truly was not someone easy to deal with… And that made sense. If she had not possessed some ability, how could she have risen above all the other newcomers and become so conspicuous?
The Crown Princess said, “The matter is settled. Tomorrow morning, Lady Zhang and Lady Shen will accompany me to pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress. The rest of you may leave for today.”
Shen Yanshui lowered her head and followed the others in bowing before taking her leave. She felt that if looks could kill, her body would by now be riddled with blades.
After everyone left Qifang Hall, Lady Chu naturally walked at the very front. Beside Shen Yanshui was Lady Sun, who was so thin that she looked almost skeletal. When Shen Yanshui saw her moving very slowly down the steps, she let her go ahead first.
Lady Sun smiled at her. “My health is poor. I hope I haven’t made a spectacle of myself before you, Sister.”
Seeing her emaciated appearance, Shen Yanshui could not help but speak earnestly. “Sister Sun, you’re still young, and you have a long life ahead of you. From now on, try to eat more nourishing food and take a little walk each day. Your health will gradually improve.”
Lady Sun froze for a moment, apparently not expecting her to say something like that. The smile at the corners of her lips became a little more genuine as she looked at Shen Yanshui and said gently, “Thank you.”
With that, she smiled at her and left with her attendants.
Xia An, who was beside Shen Yanshui, looked puzzled. “Mistress?”
Shen Yanshui let out a soft sigh. “Let’s go back.”
Could one miscarriage really turn a young woman in the prime of her life into someone who looked as though she were on the verge of death?
Shen Yanshui did not understand it. To her, there was nothing in this world more important than one’s own health.
