049

"Madam is teasing the cat again."

The maid Qingzhu stepped forward and said with a smile, "This little raccoon is quite naughty. It usually refuses to be fed by me, but now it is nestled obediently in Madam's arms. It doesn't seem to have the fierce and talkative manner it used to have."

"This little guy probably still doesn't recognize his own name." The woman was wearing a moon-white, narrow-sleeved jacket that reached her ankles, which made the black cat in her arms even more eye-catching.

Ancient books describe a black cat as having fur that is "as black as ink in the dead of night, and with a faint gleam of reddish copper in the sunlight."

It is called "Tianxuan Dihuang" and is a mythical beast that wards off evil and brings good fortune.

"Don't let its small size fool you, it's extremely intelligent."

The woman gently stroked the fur of the cat in her arms. The kitten nestled in her arms, its eyes half-closed, occasionally purring contentedly.

Qingzhu smiled and poured her tea, then spoke of the people who had just arrived: "The Princess sent an invitation, saying they will be visiting this afternoon."

"Perhaps he came to talk about the Northwest," she sighed, her eyes slightly lowered. "Father shouldn't have left at this time. My second brother is hardly a good emperor."

Qingzhu, being a mere servant, naturally dared not agree, and simply poured more tea before retreating.

In the afternoon, the woman and her maid were already waiting.

Every household on the street had their doors and windows locked. Because of the recent series of mutinies in Luoyang and the farcical drama of the princes taking turns on the stage, there had been no vendors or carriages for many days.

From afar, the clattering of horses' hooves echoed through the once-quiet street.

"Whoa—" The carriage stopped in front of the heavy vermilion gate inlaid with copper door studs. When the curtain was lifted, a dashing woman with long hair tied up stepped out.

Immediately following behind was a person dressed in coarse white cloth and wearing a straw hat.

She looked rather thin, and her clothing was quite different from that of the woman in front of her.

Despite her seemingly frail physique, she was not overshadowed by the princess's aura, and the woman standing at the door was immediately drawn to her.

Perhaps out of curiosity, she asked, "My eldest sister hasn't come for a long time. May I ask who this is?"

She knew that her eldest sister never liked to bring maids when she went out, and in the past, she would come to her residence alone or with a few guards.

"Zihe, she is a guest who has come from afar, and she seems quite interested in you."

The eldest princess said meaningfully, "Why don't we go inside and talk first? There are too many people watching outside."

Before entering, the eldest princess looked up.

Above this heavy gate hangs an imperial plaque with gold lettering on a black background, the words "Martial Peace and Stability" still looking brand new even after many years.

However, the character for "Father" is rather poorly written, and one must have been quite reluctant to write it at the time.

Perhaps he never imagined that the Marquis of Wu'an, whom he had been wary of for over a decade, would turn out to be the most loyal and obedient one.

His fears and paranoia ultimately led him to his death in the imperial mausoleum.

The person who was happily planning to bring beauties into the palace and go to the imperial palace just the day before suddenly collapsed that day, and after finally showing some improvement, suddenly died.

She didn't believe it was some kind of acute illness.

She looked away, a cold smile playing on her lips. She was more inclined to believe it was the Second Prince and his brothers, who couldn't wait any longer.

After all, the throne is a good thing.

Zhou Zihe dismissed the servants, and Song Ling took off the somewhat prickly bamboo hat, then bowed to her, saying, "I'm truly sorry to have made the Fourth Princess laugh."

Zhou Zihe, sitting opposite, was stunned for a moment by the title. It seemed that she hadn't heard this palace title for a long time since she married into the Marquis of Wu'an's household.

Not long after their marriage, Marquis Wu'an led his troops on a campaign, and she stayed quietly in the mansion. Occasionally, when she had to go out to banquets with other ladies, she was usually addressed as "Madam Chen".

This might be related to her marriage, she thought, but it was probably more due to other people's fear of Marquis Wu'an.

Her birth mother was of lowly status and was not favored in the palace from a young age. She survived like a weed until the age of seventeen, and it was a miracle that she was able to leave the palace alive.

But her husband was different.

Although he came from a declining family, he became famous at a young age.

In the following ten years, he became a true general protecting the north, repeatedly repelling the barbarians in the north. Even the emperor had to personally bestow upon him the title of "Wu'an" upon the petition of his subjects, which can be described as an honor for all time.

His Majesty's daughter should marry into a lower social class with honor, but she is just an unknown fourth princess...

In the eyes of the aristocratic families of Luoyang, it was somewhat unfair that Chen Hejun, the Marquis of Wu'an, married her, the fourth princess.

However, she didn't care.

"It's been a long time since I've heard anyone call me that, and I'm a little dazed for a moment."

Zhou Zihe raised the corners of her lips slightly, "I always feel like I'm back in the palace, but then I realize I'm already married."

"Looking back now, it's been less than a year."

"This humble subject, Song Ling, apologizes for my abrupt visit to Your Highness today."

Song Ling sat opposite the princess, and with amusement in the princess's eyes, she took out a gold bar engraved with the imperial gift and pushed it over, saying, "It's just a small token of my respect, Princess. I don't have anything else to give you besides gold."

Zhou Zihe found this person quite interesting. Her Wu'an Marquis's mansion was not short of gold and silver, but she had never seen a girl give gold upon meeting someone before.

Not to mention... she looked down and happened to see the imperial inscription.

My father reigned for a long time and was extravagant, so he rewarded his ministers a lot in his early years.

As for the gold and silver bestowed by the emperor... those civil and military officials who had made great contributions, as well as the princesses who had married, all received them.

However, such gold and silver should not be circulated among the public.

Where did this simply dressed girl come from?

Just then, Qingzhu suddenly entered and reported, "Madam, someone has arrived at the gate of the Marquis's residence..."

Her face showed anxiety and conflict, perhaps because the two princesses were present.

"Should we excuse ourselves for a moment?" Song Ling asked, standing up.

Zhou Zihe seemed to have already guessed what it was: "No need."

He asked Qingzhu, "Speak."

“It’s Young Master Chen…” Qingzhu said, “He said he wants Madam to let him in, otherwise he’ll make a scene outside and let all of Luoyang see the Marquis’s true colors…”

In fact, what that person said was much harsher, but Qingzhu always had to embellish it a bit to avoid offending the lady's ears.

The so-called Young Master Chen was Chen Qige, a member of a collateral branch of the Chen family, who was also the adopted son of Marquis Wu'an and the other party involved in the near-fight between father and son.

Song Ling perked up her ears. The princess, who was standing to the side, slowly took a sip of tea and, unusually, met Song Ling's gaze. With just one glance, she understood what the other was thinking.

The eldest princess showed no embarrassment at interfering in her fourth sister's family affairs. Instead, she looked like she was ready to watch the show: "Oh? I haven't met this young master yet. Fourth sister, why don't you come in and take a look? If anything happens, your elder sister will take responsibility for you."

After all, there are many dramas in the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, and that incident back then really made her scratch her head.

Since she had some minor entanglement with Marquis Wu'an, and the Fourth Princess was her relatively well-behaved and worry-free younger sister, she naturally couldn't let the General's family, who was far away in the north eating dirt, be robbed.

Zhou Zihe seemed to know the princess's temperament and was not annoyed. She instructed, "Please go to the front hall. I will be there in a moment."