Chapter 33 Exorcising Evil Spirits from the Seventh Prince; the main gate of the Prince's Mansion faces south...

Fu Sui's two baskets of glutinous rice dumplings caused chaos in the Yue household, but she ate and drank her fill and slept soundly until dawn. However, not everyone could get a good night's sleep. Compared to Fu Sui's great victory, Yan Shan's Dragon Boat Festival was filled with anxiety.

Ever since the hunt, the Seventh Prince has been acting strangely, running to the Prince's Mansion every few days.

The Prince of Xiping couldn't stand the word "Kule," and the seventh prince was turned away every time. When he finally managed to get in, he was politely "sent out" after only a few words.

On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, the Seventh Prince knocked on the door of the Prince's Mansion, saying he wanted to take Princess Yanshan out for a trip. The Prince of Xiping, unable to tolerate it any longer, gave the Seventh Prince a severe beating.

As evening approached, Yanshan was looking at the flowers and plants in the small garden on the east side of the Prince's Mansion. He was instructing two old women to move a few pots of flowers that were afraid of the afternoon sun to a shady place when suddenly a person jumped out from the top of the wall.

"Oh dear!" The old woman, who was the first to see someone on the wall, was so frightened that she fell to the ground while clutching her flowerpot.

The maidservant beside Yanshan blocked him behind her and was about to shout for help, but Yanshan recognized her and stopped her in time.

"The Seventh Prince?" Yanshan asked, half surprised and half doubtful.

The seventh prince was overjoyed to see Yanshan and greeted him from the wall: "What a coincidence, so you live here."

Yanshan was both amused and exasperated. The veranda and flower hall here were wide open on all sides, and it didn't look like a place for people to live. Only the Seventh Prince would consider any building with a door and a roof as a dwelling.

"Why is the Seventh Prince here? The main gate of the Prince's Mansion is on the south side."

The Seventh Prince scratched his head sheepishly, "The Prince of Xiping has sent men to guard the gate, and he won't let me in." As he spoke, he took a package off his chest and pretended to throw it, "I have something for you, catch it quickly."

"What?" Before Yanshan could react, the Seventh Prince had already tossed the package in his hand over. Yanshan hurriedly caught it and was about to look up to ask when he saw the Seventh Prince leave with the words "I'm leaving" before jumping off the wall and disappearing without a trace.

Yanshan stared in disbelief at the towering courtyard wall, reaching out to touch the solid surface. "Won't the Seventh Prince fall to his death outside?"

“Princess, this…” The maid looked at the package in Yanshan’s hands, not knowing what to do.

When the package was thrown at him, Yanshan impulsively reached out and caught it. Only after calming down and thinking about it carefully did he realize that the package was hot to the touch. For some reason, the four words "climbing over the wall for a secret rendezvous" popped into Yanshan's mind, which disregarded social norms, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Yanshan glanced at the old women and maids beside her; they all looked panicked, watching her intently as she made her decision. Finally, Yanshan gritted her teeth and said, "Pretend nothing happened. No one is allowed to tell anyone."

Unable to decide whether to keep the package or throw it away, Yanshan simply turned around, grabbed the package, and went back into the house.

The package contained no personal items, just a few kinds of pastries: calamus cake, five-poison cake, and mugwort cake—all seasonal treats. Some were marked with the shop's logo, while others were crudely wrapped, clearly bought from a vendor pushing a wooden cart.

The seventh prince was probably not careful enough when climbing the wall, and many of the snacks were crushed.

Yanshan was furious and pushed the open package away. How could he so brazenly climb over the wall? If word got out, what reputation would he have left? Did the Prince's mansion need a few snacks from him?

The split mugwort cake revealed a glistening, oily sesame filling, mingled with the delicate fragrance of mugwort. Yanshan glared fiercely at the pile of pastries before turning his head away. He dared to jump off such a high wall? What if he got hurt?

The calamus cake has the two characters for "auspicious" raised on it, indicating that it is a pastry from Jixiang Bakery. Jixiang Bakery is one of the most famous pastry shops in the capital, with long queues in front of the shop every day. Today is a holiday, and I wonder how long I will have to wait to buy some.

"Fool." Yanshan picked up a broken piece of pastry, put it in his mouth, and muttered under his breath.

After the holiday, Fu Sui spent a few days at home practicing calligraphy, working alongside Ji'er to copy five pieces of calligraphy as punishment each day.

The consequence of studying hard is that you miss the birth of rumors.

When Zheng Zizai was led into the study, Fu Sui was still engrossed in copying. Only after Zheng Zizai sat down did she throw down her pen, slump in the chair, and swing her arms.

Zheng Zizai glanced discreetly at the stack of books. They looked somewhat familiar; she should have read them before, but her memory of them was vague and she couldn't quite place them. A thick stack of papers lay on the table, and several sheets of writing were spread out on the desk to dry, but judging from Fu Sui's posture, it didn't seem like he was practicing calligraphy.

Zheng Zizai smiled and praised the tea at the Princess's residence, without asking at all what Fu Sui was writing.

"Is something the matter?" Fu Sui's mind was filled with the phrase "do your best to abide by the law and be loyal to your master" whether his eyes were open or closed. Everything seemed to have something to say, so he really had no energy to socialize.

Zheng Zizai was always good at reading people's expressions, and seeing this, he went straight to the point: "I'm here to deliver an invitation from the Qian family, inviting the princess to the pomegranate blossom banquet."

Qian's son, Xiao Jiulang, was born with many illnesses and misfortunes. A master had predicted that he was destined for greatness but difficult to raise. Fearing that the young child would die prematurely, the Qian family sent Xiao Jiulang to a Taoist temple for foster care.

Now that Xiao Jiulang has completed fifteen years of living at the Taoist temple, he can return home, and the Qian family is holding a grand banquet to celebrate.

The Qian family's ancestral home in Boling was planted with pomegranate trees. In summer, the pomegranate blossoms were as red as fire and very beautiful. Therefore, the Qian family in the capital also liked to plant pomegranate trees. However, it is now June and only a few pomegranate blossoms remain on the trees.

Zheng Zizai's mother was from the Qian family of Boling. According to the Qian family's lineage, Xiao Jiulang's father was Zheng Zizai's maternal uncle, so Zheng Zizai's act of sending a letter on behalf of his maternal uncle was justified.

"My cousin stumbled and fell, barely managing to overcome his life's hurdles and return home. The so-called pomegranate blossom viewing was merely a ritual to ward off evil and bring good fortune to my cousin. Princess, you are of noble birth; if you were to set foot here, I imagine those ghosts and evil spirits would dare not bother you again." Zheng Zizai had his own set of speaking skills, saying exactly what he wanted to say to whomever he was talking to, never beating around the bush or engaging in witty banter with Fu Sui.

Fu Sui was exhausted from copying books, so he agreed to do it since it didn't seem like a big deal.

As Zheng Zizai was leaving, he vaguely said, "The princess studies and practices calligraphy, and is not bothered by trivial matters, unlike us common people who listen to gossip every day."

Fu Sui raised an eyebrow. If Zheng Zizai was considered an ordinary person, then there wasn't a single insightful woman in the entire capital: "Tell me what rumors you've heard."

"It's quite a coincidence that this rumor is somewhat related to the princess. Apparently, someone saw a man accompanying the princess on her outing, and that's how the rumor spread. It's common for any woman of some status to have carriages and servants when she goes out, and it's also common for male servants to accompany her. I suppose some busybody mistook the servants who were protecting the princess for someone else, and that's why they're spreading it around."

Zheng Zizai came specifically to remind Fu Suike to use the pomegranate blossom banquet to dispel the rumors.

Han Zhenyi's mouth is pretty fast.

Fu Sui didn't take the Qian family's pomegranate blossom banquet seriously. The women of high-ranking and wealthy families had nothing to do all day long, putting on plays one day and flower parties the next, inviting guests from one family after another. For someone of her status, simply showing her face and eating was enough; there was no need for her to put in any effort.

She didn't take the rumors seriously. Han Zhenyi only had a few close female friends, and she wasn't going to marry their fathers, brothers, or uncles. If Han Zhenyi really dared to spread rumors that she was secretly engaged, it would just give her a reason to force Yue Shanling into marriage.

"So you two came here just to pick out clothes for me?" Fu Sui looked at Qiao Zhenzhen and Yan Shan with a puzzled expression.

Yanshan smiled faintly and pushed Qiao Zhenzhen forward: "I didn't say I was coming, it was Qiao Niangzi's idea."

"What are we waiting for?" Qiao Zhenzhen instructed Dai Ling, "Go and open all the trunks of your princess."

Fu Sui raised his hands to stop them: "Wait, wait, what are you going to do with me? At least let me die knowing why."

Qiao Zhenzhen pressed Fu Sui into a chair: "Naturally, I'll pick out a gorgeous outfit for you to wear to the Pomegranate Blossom Banquet."

Fu Sui struggled and shouted, "No, you must be hiding something from me." His eyes swept around and landed on Yan Shan, questioning her with his eyes.

Yanshan waved his hand gently, indicating that he was unaware of the matter.

Fu Sui grabbed Qiao Zhenzhen's waist and pulled her into his arms. Qiao Zhenzhen immediately lost her balance and fell onto Fu Sui, who held her tightly so she couldn't get up.

Fu Sui grinned maliciously and slapped Qiao Zhenzhen's buttocks: "Hurry up and confess honestly."

Qiao Zhenzhen pressed against the back of the chair and kept kicking the floor: "Put me up first."

Fu Sui not only didn't let go, but hugged her even tighter. Qiao Zhenzhen could clearly feel Fu Sui's chest pressed against hers, softly squeezing together, and her ears turned bright red with embarrassment: "I'll talk, I'll talk. My second cousin told me to keep a low profile at the pomegranate blossom banquet and not to stand out. He also said that if I went with you or Yanshan, he would push you out if anything happened."

Qiao Zhenzhen was squeezed by Fu Sui and was a little out of breath. She paused for two breaths before continuing, "Let me go quickly. I want to pick out all your clothes and jewelry. I want to dress you up in the most beautiful way. I'll just stay by your side and be an ugly sparrow."

Qiao Er? To put it nicely, Qiao Er has friends all over the world; to put it bluntly, he has many cronies. He knows a lot of the ridiculous things young men do.

As soon as Fu Sui let go, Qiao Zhenzhen hurriedly scrambled off Fu Sui, covered her chest with her hands, and glared at Fu Sui reproachfully.

"Does Qiao Erlang have any inside information?"

Qiao Zhenzhen carefully examined her hairpins and skirt before sitting down and saying, "My second brother and the Ninth Prince of the Qian family have known each other for many years. The Ninth Prince's so-called hurdle in life is not something he just passed recently, but the Qian family didn't tell anyone and let the Ninth Prince continue to live in the Taoist temple as he pleased. As for this pomegranate blossom banquet, it seems that the Qian family made the decision on the spur of the moment. Rather than saying it was to bring good fortune to the Ninth Prince, it was more like pushing the Ninth Prince to be seen by all the noble ladies."

Fu Sui glanced at Qiao Zhenzhen with a playful look: "The Qiao family didn't take a liking to Ninth Prince, so they made you dress up as an ugly sparrow?"

Yanshan also tilted his head curiously to look at Qiao Zhenzhen, waiting to hear what happened next.

Qiao Zhenzhen lowered her voice: "That's not how it is. My second brother said that the Qian family might want Ninth Prince to marry the princess."

"Marry a princess?" Fu Sui was very puzzled. "How can he marry a princess? The eldest princess of the Sage has already been betrothed and is just waiting to get married. The second eldest princess is even younger than me. Which princess will he marry?" Unless he is willing to wait for several years under the title of the pre-arranged consort, until the princesses grow up.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be the work of a sage,” Yanshan said.

Among the current emperor's sisters, there are not many who are not imperial consorts. Princess Chang Le became a nun after her consort passed away. Princess Lu Ling's consort died in battle outside the Great Wall, and Princess Lu Ling lived with her children.

The emperor's two youngest sisters are not yet married, but they are younger than the second princess and their titles have not yet been decided.

This leaves only Princess Wanchun, who, after divorcing the Tao family, maintained a close relationship with the Grand Princess Shangxian, and her reputation...

"Could it be that Shang Wanchun and the Qian family are so flexible and adaptable?" Fu Sui felt more and more that these aristocratic families were not to be underestimated.

Qiao Zhenzhen also found it absurd: "These are all Second Brother's speculations, and they can't be taken seriously. Besides, why would the Qian family suddenly want to marry a princess for no reason, and why not just Ninth Prince?"

Fu Sui did not believe it was without reason. With Wang Yifu's death, the emperor's attitude towards several powerful families was now out in the open. The Qian family's marriage to a princess at this time was nothing more than surrendering to the emperor.

"I don't care about anything else, you just have to be dazzling. Yanshan and I will hide behind you as inconspicuous little followers. Who cares what's at the pomegranate blossom banquet? With our famous Princess Yong'an in charge, it'll all be a piece of cake." Qiao Zhenzhen raised her chin, imitating Fu Sui's arrogant demeanor.

“Yes, they were all easy to do.” Even Yanshan, who was usually reserved and obedient, put his hands on his hips and raised his head to echo.

After not seeing Yanshan for over a month, he's been corrupted. Fu Sui pointed at the two of them with trembling fingers: "You two should build me a tall ladder, and sooner or later you'll build it to the sky."

Having finally chosen her outfit for the Pomegranate Blossom Banquet, Qiao Zhenzhen held a pair of ivory bracelets and a pair of glass bracelets, comparing them back and forth, unsure which one to choose.

"Why don't we wear them all? This colorful gemstone necklace would be good too," Yanshan suggested from the side.

Fu Sui stared wide-eyed at Yan Shan. Everyone's wearing them? Are they using her tiny arms as scales? Has fashion changed or has Yan Shan's aesthetic sense regressed? Only the Seventh Prince would wear them so carelessly.

Although Yue Shanling dressed like a warrior every day, his body was completely bare without a single jewel, upon closer inspection, both the color and the amount of fabric were comfortable and appropriate, and one could even see a touch of elegance in them, a stark contrast to the Seventh Prince's utterly ruggedness.

Fu Sui was manipulated by Qiao Zhenzhen and Yanshan like a puppet. They fed the two of them two meals before sending him away. He was so tired that he collapsed on the bed and didn't move.

The next day, before Fu Sui could even get out of bed, Kou Yun, who had been waiting in the room, came to report: "Xu Zhiyi sent a letter, which I have been guarding and have not let anyone touch."