Chapter 77
While Lin Ziyi was visibly astonished, Li Zhiwei remained far calmer.
After all, she didn’t recognize any of the beauties here.
As for whether they were imperial concubines or the wives of officials, Li Zhiwei didn’t pay much attention—she only hoped she wouldn’t stand out too much and cause trouble for Xu Heming.
“Oh, so this must be the future Princess Consort of An?”
But Li Zhiwei’s attempt to blend in like a quail was doomed to fail.
After all, who wouldn’t be curious about the woman destined to become Princess Consort of An?
Moreover, with Li Zhiwei having donated her lavish dowry to the imperial court, everyone’s curiosity about her only grew.
“?” Li Zhiwei stared at the palace-dressed woman before her.
She didn’t recognize her.
“This humble wife pays respects to Consort Lan. May Consort Lan enjoy boundless fortune and peace.” Lin Ziyi quickly curtsied, signaling to Li Zhiwei who this person was.
“This humble girl pays respects to Consort Lan. May Consort Lan enjoy boundless fortune and peace.” Li Zhiwei let out a quiet sigh of relief—thankfully, Lin Ziyi was here today.
Otherwise, she would have made a fool of herself, and worse, might have offended the emperor’s flock of delicate ladies, earning herself a charge of disrespect.
She wouldn’t even have a good excuse to defend herself.
“Ah, Lady Wei is here too. Why do you look so haggard?” Concubine Lan glanced at Lin Ziyi, her tone far from pleasant.
After all, Lin Ziyi had robbed her of an opportunity to criticize Li Zhiwei’s mistakes.
The thought irked her.
She recalled how she had once tried to arrange a marriage between her niece, Song Qingya, and Prince An as his second wife—only for Prince An to refuse.
She had wondered what kind of noblewoman Prince An was waiting for. Who would have thought he’d settle for a lowly merchant’s daughter?
Even now, with Li Tianyou serving as the Vice Minister of Revenue, Concubine Lan still looked down on them.
By now, even Li Zhiwei, dense as she might be, could tell that Concubine Lan didn’t seem to like her.
But why?
“Consort Lan flatters me.” Lin Ziyi forced a smile, though her heart ached—after all, the wound of her husband’s infidelity wasn’t something she could recover from so quickly.
But now, in the imperial palace, she had to stay sharp.
“I heard that Young Master Wei and Prince An’s Heir don’t get along. Yet, I never expected the two of you to be so close.” Concubine Lan sneered at them.
“Children’s squabbles shouldn’t be taken seriously. They might argue today, but tomorrow they’ll be friends again.” Lin Ziyi smiled.
She couldn’t fathom why Concubine Lan harbored such hostility toward Li Zhiwei.
Li Zhiwei could only offer an awkward smile in response, saying nothing.
After all, she wasn’t yet married to Prince An, and Xu Qingshi was Prince An’s son by his late wife—it wasn’t her place to comment.
Lin Ziyi was the more appropriate one to speak now.
“Miss Li, is it? Your Prince An is quite the coveted man. Many noble ladies in the capital dream of marrying him—you’d better keep a close eye on him.” Seeing that her provocations had little effect on the future Princess Consort of An, Concubine Lan grew even more displeased.
“Consort Lan’s advice is well taken.” Li Zhiwei replied obediently.
After all, it was hardly surprising that many wanted to marry Prince An.
Watching Li Zhiwei’s unruffled demeanor, Concubine Lan felt as though she had punched cotton.
She remembered how Li Zhiwei had originally been betrothed to the heir of Ruan Marquis Residence—only to be taken in by Xu Qingshi and brought to Prince An’s household.
Could it be that Li Zhiwei’s heart still belonged to the heir of Ruan Marquis Residence?
But then again, the Ruan Marquis Residence had long since fallen into ruin.
And all because of Li Zhiwei.
Just as Concubine Lan was about to say more, she spotted the Empress approaching from a distance.
Immediately, she wiped the hostility from her face, replacing it with a gentle and dignified demeanor as she curtsied.
“This concubine greets Her Majesty the Empress.”
“This humble wife/humble girl greets Her Majesty the Empress.” Lin Ziyi quickly pulled Li Zhiwei into a deep bow.
However, Li Zhiwei had met the Empress before, so she wasn’t as flustered as she had been with Concubine Lan.
Instead, she performed the bow gracefully.
“Rise,” the Empress said warmly.
“Miss Li, how did you get these injuries on your face?” The Empress looked at Li Zhiwei with motherly concern—only to be startled by the faint bruises still visible on her face.
Concubine Lan, who had been too busy mocking Li Zhiwei to notice earlier, now turned her gaze to Li Zhiwei as well.
Seeing the marks on Li Zhiwei’s face, Concubine Lan inwardly cursed herself for missing such an obvious detail.
The Empress held a very favorable impression of Li Zhiwei. After all, what other woman had the courage to donate her entire dowry without hesitation?
The emperor had told her how much Li Zhiwei’s contributions had helped the common people.
As the Empress, she naturally felt indebted to Li Zhiwei.
Now, seeing Li Zhiwei injured, the Empress was furious—who dared lay a hand on the future Princess Consort of An?
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. These injuries are nothing serious.” Li Zhiwei felt somewhat self-conscious—her wounds were surely unsightly.
If not for fear of defying the emperor’s will, she wouldn’t have come to the palace today.
But since she was here, she had prepared herself for ridicule.
The way Concubine Lan had looked at her earlier made Li Zhiwei think she would mock her injuries—yet, though her words were barbed, she seemed blind to the bruises.
For a moment, Li Zhiwei even wondered if she was imagining the injuries.
“How can it be ‘nothing serious’? Such a pretty face, marred like this—Prince An would surely be heartbroken if he saw.” The Empress teased lightly.
“Your Majesty, Miss Li was injured while protecting the young heir,” Lin Ziyi chimed in.
After all, the Zhennan Prince’s household had yet to face consequences.
“Qingshi is Prince An’s heir—who would dare lay a hand on a child?” The Empress frowned. To bully Prince An’s son wasn’t just an insult to Prince An’s household—it was a slap to the emperor’s face. Everyone knew Prince An was the emperor’s most trusted confidant.
“It was the Zhennan Prince’s household,” Lin Ziyi seized the chance to report the matter to the Empress.
She recounted the incident in detail, avenging her friend in the process.
By the time she finished, Lin Ziyi felt much lighter.
“Outrageous!” The Empress was furious. It seemed the Zhennan Prince’s household had outlived its usefulness.
“What matter has upset Our Empress so?” A figure in bright yellow robes emerged from the side of the imperial garden. Seeing the Empress’s anger, he assumed one of his concubines had provoked her again.
