Chapter 25 The Prince of Jing's Mansion dares not disobey the King's will; her slender frame holds a heart full of devotion. ...

Su Jinxiu followed Qu Xianshang into the Jingwang Mansion. Inside the vermilion gate, there were carved beams and painted rafters, and the passageway was paved with white marble. On both sides, there were gnarled pines as dark as ink.

Let alone the gilded beams and pillars and the jade steps, even scraping off some gold leaf from the eaves or picking up a piece of broken glass would be enough for an ordinary family to make a living in the marketplace.

Su Jinxiu kept her eyes down the whole way, only daring to glance at the place out of the corner of her eye. Although she had been to some luxurious mansions before, compared to the scale of this Prince's Mansion, they were like a small hill compared to Mount Tai, worlds apart.

"I heard that the head of your Huayun Pavilion returned a few days ago and even helped you with your embroidery?" Qu Xianshang turned her head to look at her and asked casually.

Su Jinxiu quickly lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Sister Chisu is kind-hearted and generous in helping us."

"Sister Chisu? Renshan?" Qu Xianshang said indifferently, "Indeed, she always has a gentle, compassionate nature, like a saint who is willing to show mercy to everyone."

Su Jinxiu did not understand the deeper meaning in her words, but silently followed in her footsteps, stepped onto the white marble steps, and entered Chengxi Hall.

The hall was filled with the fragrance of agarwood, and warm light streamed in through the high window lattices, shimmering on the gold-brick floor.

The King of Jing was sitting upright on the dragon throne at the head of the table, holding a scroll in his hand, seemingly reading it intently. Several servants in blue robes stood beside him, all with their hands at their sides and their eyes lowered.

The Prince of Jing pointed his finger at the book: "The Dowager Consort dislikes the cloying sweetness of the lactose lion and also dislikes the sweet plum scent of incense. These two things need to be changed."

“Your Highness,” Qu Xianshang stepped forward and bowed, “the beautiful lady from Huayun Pavilion has been brought here.”

Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu knelt down and performed a deep bow, her voice respectful: "This humble woman, Su Jinxiu, greets Your Highness, Prince Jing."

Upon hearing the noise, the King of Jing waved away his attendants, and the hall fell silent instantly, with only the gentle breathing of sandalwood incense from the burner.

He glanced down at the woman kneeling before the steps, noticing her slender figure, delicate as a willow in the breeze, her back stiff and trembling slightly with her breath. It was hard to reconcile this timid appearance with the courage to discuss herself in private.

"Get up."

"Is the Twenty-Four Filial Piety Scroll that I asked you to embroider at Huayun Pavilion complete?"

When Su Jinxiu looked up, there was no fear in her eyes. She replied calmly, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I am incompetent and have failed to finish the embroidery."

When the words were spoken, the silence in the hall seemed to freeze.

Qu Xianshang's hand holding the handkerchief suddenly tightened. She had only hoped that Su Jinxiu would suffer, but she never thought that Su Jinxiu would admit to the crime in public and force herself to this point.

"Oh? In that case, you're here to confess your crimes directly?"

King Jing's eyes bulged with impatience. He had already pointed out the serious consequences of delaying the birthday celebration, yet this woman dared to admit defeat so readily, which seemed like a blatant provocation. Therefore, he laughed angrily: "Delaying the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration is a serious crime of disrespecting the royal family. Considering you are a woman, I can give you two choices. Either you are thrown into the imperial prison and handed over to the Dali Temple for trial and sentencing, where you will suffer all the punishments and hardships you deserve. Or you can submit your resignation now, confess your guilt, and I will reward you with a cup of poison, which will be a quick and painless end to your crime."

"Wait!"

A clear male voice broke the silence in the hall.

The Prince of Jing, Qu Xianshang, and Su Jinxiu all looked up. A figure had appeared at the palace gate at some unknown time. The figure was tall and elegant, wearing a dark blue plain robe with a black jade pendant at the waist. She was even more dignified than the royal family members in the palace.

Su Jinxiu knew this man was easygoing and had never seen him dressed so formally before, so she was momentarily confused.

Upon recognizing the newcomer, the King of Jing first raised an eyebrow and let out a soft "Ah..." before changing his tone: "Why is Daoist Ying here?"

Ying Bumei smiled upon hearing this, fanning himself as he stepped forward. His tone was so familiar, as if he were in his own home: "Having nothing to do, I came to the Prince's residence for a stroll. I didn't expect Your Highness to have time to attend to matters today." With that, he walked straight to the table, picked up a celadon teacup, poured himself a cup of cool tea, and drank it down. He glanced sideways at Su Jinxiu, who was still kneeling, then turned to Prince Jing, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Your Highness, what is this?"

The King of Jing tapped the corner of the table with his fingertips: "Nothing serious, just dealing with a reckless person."

“Oh,” Ying Bumei put down his teacup and tapped his folding fan lightly on his palm, “How audacious can a commoner woman be? In my opinion, Your Highness should listen to what she has to say first, just in case there is any misunderstanding.”

The Prince of Jing glanced at Ying Bumei, then turned to Su Jinxiu: "I will give you another chance to speak. If you are still vague, even if the Emperor himself comes, it will be difficult to save you from this crime of disobeying the royal family."

Su Jinxiu immediately raised her head and called softly towards the outside of the hall. After a short while, the hall door opened slightly, and An Chisu entered carrying a half-foot-high silk scroll. Her steps were light and slow, as if she were walking on clouds. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she lowered her eyes and placed the scroll down. She did not utter a word from beginning to end.

The moment Qu Xianshang caught sight of that figure, her breath caught in her throat. It wasn't until the silk scroll was about to be unfurled that she snapped back to reality, her fingertips digging uncontrollably into her palms, her nails digging deep into her flesh, without her even noticing.

The silk scrolls unfold one by one. The first painting depicts Emperor Shun, who moved Heaven with filial piety. He is dressed in coarse linen clothing, with elephants carrying grains and birds pecking at the millet beside him. The Suzhou embroidery is so fine that even the texture of the linen clothing and the downy feel of the bird feathers are clearly visible. The second painting shows Emperor Wen of Han serving his mother medicine with a spoon. The steam from the medicine is rendered with light gold embroidery, making it seem as if a warm mist is truly swirling around her.

The most captivating of all is the painting of washing a chamber pot.

The flowing cloud patterns on the hem of the figure's robe were embroidered with woolen thread after a rain shower. The thread was dyed with azurite, as fine as a silk thread yet as resilient as a bowstring, and it shimmered with a cool, watery sheen under the light. Even the folds of the flowing clouds seemed to be wrapped in a gentle breeze, as if they were about to flutter away from the silk at any moment.

The only sound in the hall was the soft rustling of silk scrolls being unfurled. King Jing stared blankly at the images of filial piety.

The stitches are as fine as silkworms spinning buds, the color scheme is elegant yet lively, and even the emotions in the eyes of the figures are embroidered realistically. He vaguely recalled the line "Ten fingers like spring breeze embroider flowers, silver needles thread through youthful beauty", and now seeing it embroidered on a filial piety picture, he felt that the reputation was well-deserved.

Ying Bumei stepped forward, fanning himself with a folding fan. His gaze swept over the embroidery, and a smile played on his lips. "Your Highness, to say that she is incompetent when she uses such skill to hide spring within needle and depict scenes within silk would make us both look blind."

The King of Jing's gaze swept over the azure clouds on the silk scroll, and his heart was filled with admiration. Such craftsmanship was something that even the embroidery workshops in the palace could hardly match.

But then he remembered her previous words, which were clearly just a pretense, so he suppressed his praise and asked in a deep voice, "Since you have such embroidery skills and have completed the painting, why did you put on such a show and tease me just now?"

Su Jinxiu immediately kowtowed, her forehead lightly touching the gold brick, and said each word firmly: "This humble girl would never dare to tease Your Highness. Your Highness is known for your benevolence and filial piety, and for your kindness to others; this is common knowledge throughout the court and the country. When Your Highness assigned this task to me, I secretly wondered why. This task is so complicated, requiring me to embroider a complete set in a short time. Could it be that I made some mistake that displeased Your Highness, and this is how you are testing me?"

She paused slightly, her tone becoming even more respectful: "Therefore, my daughter has been working from dawn till dusk since taking on this task, getting up at the third watch and resting at the fifth watch to spin thread and embroider, hoping only to atone for her mistakes, and has never dared to slack off in the slightest."

"My frank admission of incompetence just now was not meant to be mysterious, nor was it intended to be condescending or humiliating. Your Highness's filial piety towards the Dowager Consort is already a well-known story. Would it be diminished in the slightest by the success or failure of my daughter's embroidery? Your sincerity in respecting your mother comes from the depths of your bones. Would it be shaken in the slightest by a few rumors or the suspicions of some petty people?"

"In my humble opinion, this painting is nothing more than a frivolous addition to your filial piety. Even without it, your affection for the Dowager Consort remains as clear as a spring, without any pretense."

"It was my daughter who overstepped her bounds; I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

After saying that, she bent over again and performed a full bow.

Upon hearing these words, the King of Jing felt a pang of shame. Such a simple principle of filial piety being rooted in one's heart was something even a young girl could understand clearly. Yet he himself had become fixated on the success or failure of the embroidery because of a few speculations and doubts from others, thus falling short of expectations.

Standing to the side, Ying Bumei stared blankly at Su Jinxiu, his folding fan long since still in motion. He had come because he was worried about her, fearing that the Prince of Jing might deliberately make things difficult for her, but he hadn't expected that she had already made plans.

Just as the atmosphere inside the hall eased slightly, a clear "Father!" suddenly came from outside the hall.

As Su Jinxiu knelt, she suddenly heard a bell ringing crisply, accompanied by light footsteps that swept past her side, carrying a sweet pear scent on the breeze.

A clear, crisp female voice rang out from ahead, tinged with a touch of coquettish urgency: "Father, please help this sister up! She has done a great service by embroidering such exquisite needlework, why should she still kneel?"

The King of Jing was brought back to his senses by the call. The shame he felt earlier had not yet dissipated, and his heart softened at his daughter's words. His tone instantly softened: "Very well, get up. This was my oversight. I will reward you handsomely later."

Su Jinxiu got up as instructed and saw a girl in a pale yellow silk dress standing beside the Prince of Jing, with golden bells and tassels in her hair. She guessed that this must be the Prince of Jing's eldest daughter, Cen Wanying.

Is this the Qingping County Princess who is in love with Aqin?

In terms of family background, she is a legitimate daughter of the Prince of Jing. In terms of appearance, she is so beautiful and gentle. With such outstanding qualities, she is truly the best match for Aqin.

The King of Jing turned to Su Jinxiu, his fierce gaze completely gone, replaced by gentleness: "Get up. What is your name?"

"Your Highness, my name is Su Jinxiu." Su Jinxiu rose as instructed, lowered her eyes, and answered respectfully.

The King of Jing nodded and asked, "Where is your residence? Tomorrow I will have someone send the reward over, so you won't have to make an extra trip."

Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu quickly bowed again: "Your Highness, I live in the Embroidery Alley. The money I received for this embroidery is more than enough to supplement my household expenses. Moreover, Your Highness and the County Princess just said that filial piety is not about material possessions, and I have never valued such material rewards."

"Since you've already asked, you must genuinely want to reward me. So please accept it without hesitation and don't refuse anymore."

Upon hearing the words "Embroidery Alley," Cen Wanying's cheeks suddenly flushed a light pink, like peach blossoms just beginning to bloom. She said softly, "Embroidery Alley? That's quite a coincidence. I have a friend who also lives in Embroidery Alley."

Su Jinxiu felt as if her heart had been gently pricked by a fine needle. She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said, "That's quite a coincidence."

Ying Bumei, who was standing nearby, saw the disappointment in her eyes clearly. He quietly reached out and pulled her to his side, praising her, "Your handling of the situation today has truly opened my eyes."

Before Su Jinxiu could respond, the Prince of Jing, who was seated at the head of the table, stroked his beard and instructed, "Since Miss Su has such excellent skills and a clear mind, the embroidery work for Wanying's coming-of-age ceremony will also be entrusted to you."

Upon hearing this, Qu Xianshang, who was standing below the steps, turned pale.

She had previously subtly slandered him before the Prince of Jing, but now the Prince of Jing's words clearly showed that he had come to his senses and publicly humiliated her. From now on, the embroidery work in the mansions of princes and nobles will probably fall into the hands of Huayun Pavilion.

Seeing her disheveled appearance, An Chisu felt a pang of pity and was about to say a few words of comfort when Qu Xianshang suddenly curtsied and apologized.

King Jing, mindful of his reputation, agreed. Qu Xianshang, without waiting for An Chisu to speak again, lifted her skirt and hurriedly left the palace, fleeing in a panic.