If Su Rong’s arrival in the capital city was marked by her sensational debut at the Princess Residence as a guest of honor under Duanhua’s invitation, and her second claim to fame was her audacious venture to the Duke Residence to annul her engagement, then the third was her unorthodox visit to the Crown Prince’s Residence, during which she took away, to be made into tea, every single chrysanthemum from the Crown Princess’s beloved chrysanthemum garden at the command of Princess Duanhua.
These three events propelled Su Rong’s name far and wide across the Capital City, making her a household name almost overnight.
News of their departure from the Crown Prince’s Residence and the ensuing events spread like wildfire, reaching far and wide as if they had wings.
Those who heard were astounded.
Ever since the Emperor started supporting the power struggle between the Crown Prince and the second prince, there hadn’t been many people who dared to be disrespectful toward the Crown Prince’s Residence. Even the supporters of the Eastern Palace, apart from Zhou Gu who occasionally showed his character by refusing to pander to people, treated the Crown Prince’s Residence with an ostensible cordiality. No one, before Duanhua and the Su siblings, dared to offend the Crown Prince’s Residence on their turf and so thoroughly.
Moreover, it came as a shock that they managed to do so without facing any retaliation.
The general consensus was that the Crown Prince’s wife must be fuming with anger.
And countless people, especially those from the second prince’s faction, were secretly reveling in the scandal. Although the two princes had recently agreed to join forces against the crown prince in secret, they did not share the same mother and did not fully trust each other. The alliance was simply a reluctant decision born out of necessity, and they would undoubtedly be at odds once the Crown Prince was defeated. Hence, they did not hesitate to mock and spectate in secret.
The noblewomen of the city, part of the refined circles, laughed behind their hands. The Crown Princess had been humiliated in her own home and had been unable to retaliate — a situation that drew mockery from other noble ladies.
Members of the Crown Prince’s faction refrained from openly ridiculing their leader. But they were inwardly puzzled and concerned. Indeed, the Crown Princess was known to be cunning and far from a pushover. It was hard to imagine how she had allowed herself to be thus manipulated — a mystery indeed.
As more details of Duanhua’s visit to the Crown Prince’s Residence were unfolded, many fell silent. If they put themselves in the shoes of the Crown Princess, it seems they, too, would have had no choice but to endure the indignity, their grievances unspoken.
After all, Duanhua had used the excuse of making chrysanthemum tea as a filial gesture for the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine to clear the garden in the Crown Prince’s Residence of its chrysanthemums. Could the Crown Princess have refused? Would she dare? Should she refuse, she would not only be seen as unfilial but also as obstructing Duanhua’s display of filial piety.
Furthermore, who could have anticipated that Su Rong would bring along her younger brother to the Crown Prince’s Residence’s kitchen, so he and the second prince could learn how to cook a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall from the head chef? Nobody could have anticipated that the siblings would then share the dish with Duanhua, hence fulfilling their courtesy to dine at the host’s residence and eliminating the need to stay for the scheduled banquet.
Indeed...
This visit certainly redefined people’s perception of being a guest.
Upon their return to the Princess Residence, Princess Qingping and the Prince Consort, who had already heard the news in advance, were waiting for them. The Prince Consort had been resting that day. After hearing about their monumental activities at the Crown Prince’s Residence, he just shook his head in disbelief.
Qingping, on the other hand, after a moment of stunned silence, clapped her hands in delight. "Well done! I was aware of the backbiting behind my back by that woman Ning Yao. I’ve been wanting to confront her for a while!"
The Prince Consort could not help but chuckle, "Oh, it seems that the Su family from Jiangzhou has indeed chosen to side with the Eastern Palace. Although Su Rong called off her engagement with Zhou Gu, it doesn’t seem to have affected their alliance with the Eastern Palace. Otherwise, Su Rong and Fen Ling would not have gone out of their way to offend the Crown Prince’s Residence."
Qingping asked, "Are you implying that Su Rong deliberately incited Fen Ling and Duanhua to antagonize the Crown Prince’s Residence to align the Princess Residence with the Eastern Palace?"
"Not necessarily," he replied, "Duanhua, being your child, probably also harbored resentment against the Crown Princess and thus seized the opportunity to strip her chrysanthemum garden bare. What I’m saying is that the actions of Su Rong and Fen Ling clearly indicate that they had no intention whatsoever of currying favor with the Crown Prince’s Residence. This, in turn, indirectly hints that the Su family from Jiangzhou have truly aligned themselves with the Eastern Palace."
"Jiangzhou’s Inspector, Su Xu was promoted to his position by the Crown Prince, so they are naturally part of his faction," Qingping pointed out.
"I also thought so at first, but I found Su Rong’s initiative to call off her wedding strange. It seemed like the Su family from Jiangzhou didn’t want to take sides but were forced into it by others who assumed they were on the Eastern Palace’s side while they might have a different plan. Now that Su Rong and Fen Ling have offended the Crown Prince’s Residence this way, it seems their calling off the marriage doesn’t affect the alignment of the Su family to the Eastern Palace."
"Did you find any progress on the investigation you ordered?" Qingping then lowered her voice to ask, "Does Zhenmin really have any connection with Su Rong?"
The Prince Consort shook his head. "Not yet, let’s wait some more."
Qingping nodded. "Regardless, what Duanhua did today was really satisfying. If Ning Yao dares to ridicule Duanhua and if Yan Li ascends the throne in the future, she would likely not be kind to the Princess Residence. As for Yan Lin, although he has a bad temper, he has always respected me as his aunt and his wife, Zhang Wan has never slandered Duanhua. However, among all the princes, the Crown Prince, who is always upright, gentle, and courteous, has not only always respected me as his aunt and always presented generous gifts during festivals, but he has also been more caring towards Duanhua than others. Even when Duanhua was acting out by chasing Zhou Gu to the Eastern Palace and he caught and scolded her until she cried, it was all for Duanhua’s own good. I am not an ungrateful person. If he ascends the throne smoothly in the future, he will definitely not treat the Princess Residence wrongly."
The Prince Consort nodded, "That’s true, but the situation also matters."
Qingping understood what he meant, "Yes, let’s wait and see!"
Upon Duanhua and the others’ disembarkation from the carriage, the guards at the Princess Residence were moving baskets of chrysanthemums to the residence. Although the servants within the Residence had heard rumors about it, seeing the Princess had brought back so many baskets of chrysanthemums left them speechless.
The housekeeper was astounded, "Princess, you’ve got so many chrysanthemums, how much chrysanthemum tea can you make? We couldn’t possibly finish all of it!"
"Who cares how much we make or if we can finish it all. Just make it anyway. Get some small containers and fill them. Send one to each household that is friendly with our Princess Residence, one or several containers," Duanhua generously suggested. She then inquired from the housekeeper, "Does anyone here know how to make chrysanthemum tea?"
Despite claiming that she wanted to make tea personally with Su Rong back at the Crown Prince’s Residence, Duanhua didn’t actually intend to, considering the work to be exhausting. She doubted if Su Rong would enjoy it either as it seemed like empty talk. Apart from Fen Ling, who would love to hole up in the kitchen?
"There is someone. Our cook here knows how to," the housekeeper immediately responded.
Duanhua relaxed, "That’s good, just send all of them to the kitchen. Clean them properly because these chrysanthemums are so beautiful, and I want to keep some for myself."
The most crucial aspect wasn’t the taste of the chrysanthemum tea, but that the tea made from the chrysanthemums Duanhua plundered from the Crown Prince Consort’s chrysanthemum garden would undoubtedly be incredibly delicious. She planned to drink it throughout the entire winter.
The housekeeper acknowledged with a "Yes" and instructed the transfer to the kitchen, subsequently making his way there as well.
Fen Ling held his stomach, "Princess, we really need to have lunch, a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall simply isn’t enough to fill me."
Duanhua looked at him, "Then why didn’t you eat at the Crown Prince’s Residence? Their cooks may not be as good as those at the Princess Residence, but they are still decent."
"Ah, that Ning Ze, he’s up to no good," Fen Ling trusted his instincts, "From the moment he set his eyes on my sister, I could tell his gaze was detestable. Tying him up in the kitchen for the entire morning was my limit, I cannot be sure of his actions if I stayed for lunch in the Crown Prince’s Residence. He might not be able to harm my sister, but starting a ruckus within the Crown Prince’s Residence would certainly be unsightly, wouldn’t it?"
On their first visit, they needed to maintain a certain level of decorum. Fen Ling understood the principle of knowing when enough was enough. If a fight had broken out within the Crown Prince’s Residence, it wouldn’t have been appropriate given their unstable foothold in Capital City. Furthermore, the Crown Prince’s Residence was still royal grounds, and they, merely commoners and a lowborn girl, would be at a disadvantage, possibly drawing backlashes.
Realizing this, Duanhua scoffed, "That Ning Ze, he’s sharp-looking but doesn’t amount to much."
Su Rong glared at Duanhua, "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"
Duanhua quickly assured, "Of course, I’m complimenting you."
Satisfied, Su Rong let her off the hook and confirmed to Fen Ling, "You’re right. It wasn’t wise to overstay our welcome on our first visit to the Prince’s Residence. Making a well-timed exit was a smart choice."
Even if she wanted to deal with the Crown Prince, there was no need to resort to violence within his Residence. That would easily draw trouble, considering their recent arrival in Capital City. While it was fine to be a bit assertive, it would be something else altogether if a major incident occurred at the Prince’s Residence. It wouldn’t just refrain from helping the Crown Prince, but also add to his burden.
It was good to let the Crown Prince Consort simmer while others mocked her. That was the most advantageous way to handle it.
As for Ning Ze, he was hardly intimidating.
Upon hearing his compliment, Fen Ling beamed, "So, let’s have our meal quickly! That Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, it was hardly enough."
Duanhua was pleased to hear this, "Good, good, let’s have a meal." She ordered her maid, "Hurry to the kitchen and have them prepare a good spread. We need to celebrate."
The maid giggled and acknowledged her order, promptly hurrying along.
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