Chapter 6: An Unexpected Disaster

Meng Qingci returned to Biqiong Garden, feeling a pain in her temples. She hadn't slept well the night before, and this troublesome matter at noon made her feel heavy-headed. She leaned against the footstool to take a nap.

After an unknown amount of time, outside, Qiao'er softly called from under her window: "Sister Qing'er, Sister Qing'er."

Meng Qingci sighed and asked through the gauze window, "What is it?"

Qiao'er was relieved to hear that she was not angry with her: "Rui'er came to play with me and said she had something to say to Sister Qing'er."

"Let her in." Meng Qingci paused for a moment upon hearing this, and her drowsiness immediately vanished. She slipped on her embroidered shoes, tucked her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear, and took out half a string of coins from the box and gave it to Qiao'er: "Go to the kitchen and pick out some pastries. You and Rui'er can share them later."

Qiao'er was surprised by this good thing and agreed with a big smile, then ran out in a flash.

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Rui'er moved closer and lowered her voice: "Sister Qing'er, the Lady of the Marquis asked me to pass on a message to you, telling you to be very careful these days, to avoid the area if possible, and not to wander around the mansion."

"Please thank your master for me. I'll remember this favor. If there's anything I can do to help, just tell her to give me her orders." Meng Qingci's heart skipped a beat. On the surface, she gently sent Rui'er out to find Qiao'er to play with, but in her heart, she felt as if a lead weight had been placed on her.

Lady An Yi died young. Because of the reputation of Marquis Fu Jizong, he only married Jiang, the illegitimate daughter of a seventh-rank official, as his second wife. The heir, Fu Hongxuan, was not more than ten years younger than Jiang. At first, the Marquis was still concerned about her young age and was infatuated for a while. Later, he let go and went to find someone newer.

Marquis Fu Jizong had long been weakened by wine and women. His second wife, Jiang, had been unable to conceive since marrying into the family. Seeing the absurd behavior of the Marquis and his son, and considering her own lowly family background, weak character, and inferior nature, she felt hopeless and fell ill from depression, never to recover.

Two years ago, when the eldest master had just arrived in the capital to take up his post, the eldest daughter, Fu Jingyu, had Meng Qingci send some nourishing items to Jiang Shi as a greeting. When Meng Qingci saw Jiang Shi, he was also shocked. Jiang Shi was so thin that she was just skin and bones.

Meng Qingci couldn't bear to see her like this at such a young age, so he offered her a few words of comfort.

Unexpectedly, not long after, Jiang's condition gradually improved. From then on, Jiang only cared about pleasing Old Madam Fu, and no matter how much the father and son caused trouble, she just smiled and remained silent.

Meng Qingci recalled the subtle tension she had witnessed between the Marquis of Anyi and the Crown Prince during their banquets, realizing that the Marquis was no longer the same person she had first met two years ago. She sighed, thinking that the Marquis of Anyi's mansion was truly a den of iniquity that devoured people without spitting out the bones.

This time, Jiang must have stumbled upon the young master plotting something again, but she couldn't tell him directly, so she asked Ruier to ask Qiao'er to pass on the message to her. This shows that she is a person who values ​​loyalty and righteousness.

Meng Qingci counted down the days until the eldest young lady's wedding, pretending to have caught a cold, and hid in Biqiong Garden for two days.

Princess Zhile'an specially invited the Crown Prince and his fiancée to her spring banquet this year to add splendor to the event, hoping that this royal couple would set an example for the sons and daughters of noble families.

Princess Le'an is the current emperor's younger sister, born of the same mother. She is of noble status. Now that she has passed away, the princess's tastes have become increasingly eccentric. She has taken to playing matchmaker and holds a grand spring banquet every year, inviting the sons and daughters of powerful and noble families to the banquet.

It was also at the Spring Banquet at the Grand Princess's residence last year that Fu Jingyu became famous throughout the capital for her dance, fell in love with the Crown Prince, and instantly became a talented woman in the capital.

Therefore, the Crown Prince specially wrote a letter to the Fu residence, saying that he could not refuse the kindness of his aunt, the Grand Princess, and invited Fu Jingyu to go with him.

He then expressed his longing for Fu Jingyu, whom he hadn't seen for many days, and thanked the Grand Princess for giving him the opportunity to ease his yearning. The Crown Prince spoke gently, each word conveying deep affection, without any airs of a crown prince, like an ordinary young man exchanging letters with his beloved.

Since the Crown Prince has already agreed, Fu Jingyu, the future Crown Princess, has no choice but to accept.

Meng Qingci could no longer remain 'sick'. Together with Zifu, Chunxi, and Yunjian, they prepared all the necessary clothing, jewelry, accessories, and incense for Fu Jingyu's banquet. The mistress and servants then went to the banquet together.

The spring banquet at the princess's residence, though intended to facilitate matchmaking for unmarried young men and women, was governed by rules, as men and women were not to be seated together.

Therefore, three seats were specially set up: one for the ladies of each family, and one for the sons and daughters. This year, the Princess's Mansion went to great lengths to renovate the pavilions and kiosks in the mansion, so that they could see each other across a bay of clear blue lake, seeing each other clearly yet vaguely. This way, the seats were divided and the etiquette was observed.

The ladies of the house would chat casually, while the young masters and ladies of the house would compete in literature, calligraphy, and talent. To ensure fairness, servants would pass poems and paintings back and forth between the two tables for mutual critique.

If one prefers to keep a low profile, one can enjoy games like pitch-pot, drinking games, or grass-fighting. In the afternoon, one can go to the garden to admire the flowers. If, by chance, the man and woman are interested in each other, they can take the opportunity to meet and exchange a few words in public, which is not considered inappropriate.

After paying her respects to the Grand Princess of Le'an, Fu Jingyu was pulled away by the familiar Princess of Lin'an to perform a drinking game. The two were already on good terms, and with the Prince of Lin'an always supporting the Crown Prince, their relationship had become even closer.

Princess Lin'an smiled and pulled Fu Jingyu to the table, saying to everyone, "Today we'll share in the good fortune of the Crown Princess and have her be our drummer. Before she enters the Eastern Palace, let her serve us for a while."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingwan, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, sneered without giving him any face: "You said it yourself. If you lose later and become a drunkard, don't try to cheat."

Several familiar young ladies nearby hid their laughter behind their round fans. They all knew that Princess Lin'an was arrogant and had mediocre talents. If she lost, she would have to drink a penalty drink in addition to telling the truth.

Princess Lin'an was indeed so angry that her chest heaved. Pointing at Lu Qingwan, she said irritably, "Don't underestimate me. Today I've borrowed the east wind; I'm very lucky!"

Lu Qingwan feigned surprise, widening her eyes and asking curiously, "Oh, how good is it?"

"Could it be that you'll find your ideal husband at the Spring Banquet? Congratulations in advance, sister!" After saying this, Lu Qingwan gave a curtsy to Princess Lin'an.

Princess Lin'an blushed instantly, let go of Fu Jingyu and grabbed Lu Qingwan, pretending to teach Lu Qingwan a lesson.

Lu Qingwan was terrified and hid behind Fu Jingyu, crying out, "Sister Fu, please save me! The princess is furious!"

The pavilion was filled with laughter and playful banter, with some even adding their own teasing and joking remarks.

"The princess loves you the most, how could she bear to really hurt you?"

"Yeah, don't run away if you don't believe me."

Lu Qingwan said coquettishly, "I don't believe your nonsense, you're just teasing me."

After some playful banter, they sat down properly to give their orders.

Meng Qingci handed a pair of drumsticks to Fu Jingyu and stood beside the drum.

Xue Sinan, the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, objected and shouted, "Quickly tell Qing'er to stand here. Don't even think about standing there and reporting to your master."

Princess Changning suddenly realized, and swayed her fan, humming softly: "No wonder Lin'an is so fearless, so this is what they're planning. Qing'er, come here quickly and punish yourself with a cup on behalf of your master."

Princess Changning's maid, Lüyao, deftly poured a cup of wine and handed it to Meng Qingci, beaming, "Drink up quickly, the first cup of the banquet is for you."

"With so many eyes watching, how could I dare to show favoritism?" Meng Qingci thought bitterly, but on the surface she pretended to be flattered and looked at Fu Jingyu with a look of unspeakable bitterness.

Despite saying this, Princess Changning told her to drink as punishment, and she couldn't refuse. She reluctantly took the wine cup and smiled apologetically: "To be honest, this kind of fine wine is not a punishment for me. It is clearly because my masters love me. I am just trying to taste it for them."

Having said that, Meng Qingci tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. She hadn't expected that what she'd been given wasn't fruit wine, but a glass of strong liquor. Two rosy blushes immediately rose to her cheeks, and her beautiful eyes became misty.

Seeing that Qing'er had cleared up her mistress's name and spoken so eloquently and readily, everyone couldn't help but admire Fu Jingyu even more. As expected of a girl from the century-old Fu family, she was not only capable herself, but also had trained her maids to be exceptionally clever.

Fu Jingyu knew Meng Qingci's alcohol tolerance and could tell from his condition that the alcohol was strong. She quickly gave Yun Jian a wink and teased everyone, "You greedy cat who loves to drink, you're drunk now. We can't expect you to serve us. Don't stay here trying to be clever. Go down and sober up quickly."

Yun Jian hurriedly stepped forward to help Meng Qingci, who was visibly swaying, out of the waterside pavilion to sober up. Before leaving, Meng Qingci praised the wine, which drew laughter from inside the pavilion.

They were all used to playing around, so there was no need to mention the rules. Fu Jingyu threw the red silk flower into Princess Lin'an's arms, and the sound of drums rang out.

Yun Jian helped Meng Qingci to the princess's residence, to a private room specifically for guests to change clothes and rest. Meng Qingci was extremely dizzy and leaned on a small table on the soft couch. She took out a hangover pill from her purse and swallowed it dry.

"It's always fruit wine, why are you being forced to drink such strong liquor?" Yun Jian frowned and poured her a cup of tea.

Meng Qingci didn't drink. After calming down a bit, she pulled Yunjian and said, "Go to the carriage and fetch the master's everyday clothes, dance costume, and rouge and powder."

"What did you notice?" Yun Jian asked, puzzled and worried. "Can you manage here alone like this?"

"I'm so drunk, how can I think about such things? But something unusual must be going on. We should be prepared. After all, our master is in a high position now, and there are always people who don't want what's best for us." Meng Qingci lowered her eyes: "Don't worry, after taking the hangover pill, the effects of the alcohol will wear off in less than half an hour."

After years of tacit understanding, Yun Jian felt that Qing'er's words made sense. Without further delay, she closed the door of the room and hurried away, intending to return quickly.

In the waterside pavilion, after several rounds of drinking games, the red silk flower once again fell into the arms of Princess Lin'an. She protested and acted spoiled, saying, "You're all bullying me! You're ganging up on me! Otherwise, why is it always me? Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"I knew you were cheating. Come to think of it, we've been chosen just as many times as you. It's your own fault for not having any special skills. All you can do is drink, so naturally you get drunk quickly." Princess Changning sneered and teased her, "Why don't you pray that Sister Fu won't choose you?"

Xue Sinan couldn't help but giggle: "Without Qing'er, even if she begged a god, it wouldn't help."

Fu Jingyu felt that they were being very talkative, but Lin'an was easily provoked and her cheeks puffed up with anger after just a few words. Fu Jingyu shook her head helplessly and smiled without saying a word.

Princess Lin'an curled her lip in disdain: "Who needs to beg grandpa and grandma? I'd rather beg myself. Humph, let me be the official in charge so that Sister Fu can take a break. Let's see who can still pick me."

Fu Jingyu noticed that Princess Lin'an had drunk quite a bit, and not wanting to offend her and spoil everyone's fun, she could only sit down and join in the drinking games.

After only a few rounds, she sensed something was wrong. Before she could think about it, the red silk flower was drawn against her. Fu Jingyu had no choice but to draw lots to be punished. The lot read: she had to dance "The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven," the very dance she and the Crown Prince had performed at the spring banquet last year to pledge their love.

Lu Qingwan noticed that Fu Jingyu's expression was slightly different after reading the fortune slip. Curious, she stepped forward and took the fortune slip from Fu Jingyu's hand. Casually fanning herself with her fan, she carefully examined the small characters on the fortune slip, exclaimed "Eh!" and glanced at everyone. She snorted, "That's really strange. If someone else had drawn this fortune slip, they would definitely have been punished by drinking wine."

Xue Sinan was impatient and urged her, "Stop exaggerating and tell me quickly, what exactly was the punishment?"

Lu Qingwan, however, remained unhurried, keeping everyone in suspense until she finished, then waved the tokens in front of everyone: "Well? Apart from Sister Fu, who here can dance 'The Goddess of the Luo River Flying to Heaven'? I wonder which mischievous devil put these tokens in here."

"It's a shame you made me the commander, and Sister Fu even gave me a beating, otherwise I would have been forced to drink again." Princess Lin'an was furious when she heard this. The alcohol was taking effect, and her words became incoherent. She threw the drumsticks aside and supported her dizzy head with one hand.

Princess Changning smiled gently: "Who knew it was fate? Last year at the spring banquet, Sister Fu's dance was breathtaking, and we all got to see it. Today, by sheer coincidence, we are able to feast our eyes on it."

Fu Jingyu became famous for this dance. If she chose to drink the penalty wine and not dance at this time, it would seem that she lacked class. So she did not refuse and went to change her clothes with her maid.

As soon as Fu Jingyu left, the noble ladies in the waterside pavilion displayed various expressions; some harbored expectations, while others pretended to admire the scenery by the lake, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

All the noble ladies in the capital knew that Princess Changning was infatuated with Gu Huaixu, the son of Grand Tutor Gu. Gu Huaixu had fallen deeply in love with Fu Jingyu at the spring banquet last year, and everyone privately speculated that if the Crown Prince hadn't gotten there first, Gu Huaixu might have been the one engaged to Fu Jingyu.

Princess Changning made almost no attempt to hide what happened today, which explains why she sent the maid away; it turned out she had this in mind.

Now that Fu Jingyu is the Crown Princess, to ask her to dance with everyone at the Spring Banquet would be to embarrass her. Princess Changning's move is quite ruthless, leaving Fu Jingyu in a difficult position. However, Fu Jingyu calmly accepted the challenge, and this composure impressed all the noble ladies.

Fu Jingyu entered the room and saw Qing'er, who was still three-tenths drunk. On the dressing table were dance clothes, rouge, powder and other items. Knowing that Qing'er was thoughtful, half of her anger dissipated. She glanced at her sideways and said, "You are not wronged to be drunk today. Half of this disaster is directed at you. The peach blossoms you attracted, I, as your mistress, have to cover for you. There is no reason for this."

Unlike her usual quiet and gentle demeanor, she spat out, seemingly still angry: "Is Gu Huaixu a dog? He expects me to be his shield for his shady thoughts about you, and he can't even handle his own rotten love affairs. What a talented young nobleman, what a useless dog!"

Meng Qingci, Zi Fu, Yun Jian, Chun Xi:

A note from the author:

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Update tomorrow [procrastination][okay]