Chapter 104 Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet
To Cui Shiliang, those around Li Yuanzhao were all there for personal gain, and would disperse once that gain was gone.
Following Li Yuanzhao now is nothing more than coveting the power and benefits that are within easy reach right now.
Once the second prince ascends the throne, these people will switch sides and come to curry favor with him again, so there is nothing to fear.
He was unsure about Su Qingci alone.
He originally admired this woman's talent and even intended to marry her to Jiulang.
Unexpectedly, she latched onto Li Yuanzhao's coattails and went against him.
At first, he didn't take her, a mere woman, seriously at all, thinking she was nothing more than a "mascot" in the court, used to satisfy Li Yuanzhao's overestimation of his ambition for power.
But now, seeing the memorial she presented, so precise and well-organized, more insightful than the bunch of men in the Hanlin Academy who only knew how to quote classics.
Even the Emperor praised Su Jingzhi's daughter on several occasions, saying that she "writes like a god and has the talent to govern the world."
If Su Qingci weren't a woman, and not clearly someone of Li Yuanzhao, the Emperor would probably have already considered promoting her.
Recently, news has spread that Li Yuanzhao has actually suggested to the Emperor that Su Qingci be put in charge of the chief examiner for next year's women's imperial examination.
Although His Majesty has not yet agreed, it is not impossible that he will.
Now, such a person suddenly organizes a grand chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and invites the daughters of various ministers in the capital. His intentions must be quite simple.
If that's the case, why don't they go?
How can you know her true purpose in holding this banquet if you don't go?
On the first day of the ninth lunar month, the sky was high and the air was crisp. Liu Liniang finally followed Cui Shiliang's instructions and attended the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet at the Su family.
The carriage traveled along the route, bypassing half of the imperial city, and slowly made its way to the Su residence.
Su Jingzhi is the only one of the three prime ministers in the court who is not from one of the "Five Surnames".
He was born into the Su clan of Kuaiji, which was considered a prominent clan among the gentry of Jiangnan during the previous dynasty.
However, they suffered heavy losses in the wars at the end of the previous dynasty, their clansmen were scattered, and their property was confiscated.
By the time of this dynasty, they had long lost their former influence and could only be considered a declining aristocratic family.
Su Jingzhi was able to climb to his current position entirely through his own hard work and perseverance.
After passing the imperial examination in his early years, he started as a local county magistrate, and successively served as an imperial censor, a vice minister, and now a prime minister. He has taken each step steadily and surely.
It was precisely because of his "helpless" background that he developed a personality that was adept at navigating social situations and cautious in his actions.
Otherwise, how could an official from a declining aristocratic family like him possibly gain a foothold in the court where powerful clans were dominant?
The emperor probably valued his "status" as well, which is why he relied on him so much.
Now his daughter has become the only female official in the court, and is highly regarded by the emperor and the princess. She may even preside over next year's special imperial examination for women.
Therefore, almost every household in the capital that received an invitation to his banquets would attend.
The carriage slowly approached the Su residence, and from afar one could see a bustling scene of carriages and horses at the gate.
The carriages of each household lined up in a long queue, and each one checked the invitations at the door. Servants were busy running around, and the scene was very impressive.
After Liu Liniang checked the invitation, she followed the servants into the mansion and discovered that it was even more lively and bustling inside.
The courtyard had already been carefully arranged, with chrysanthemums of various colors vying for beauty on both sides of the bluestone path.
The female guests gathered in twos and threes, some sipping tea, others chatting and laughing, with bursts of clear laughter frequently heard, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
But Liu Liniang chose the least conspicuous corner and quietly sat down.
Since marrying into the Cui family, Cui Dalang has used the excuse of "avoiding suspicion" to scold her for "attracting attention" when she goes out, and has almost confined her to the inner courtyard.
For the past three years, she has been practically a "prisoner" in the inner courtyard of the mansion, and has long since faded out of Beijing's social circles.
At that moment, Su Qingci, who was entertaining guests not far away, spotted Liu Liniang sitting alone in the corner almost immediately.
This woman was someone whose name she had heard of even before she returned to the capital.
It is said that she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. At the age of sixteen, she won a game of chess with Gu Shi, a chess master of the Hanlin Academy, with her exquisite skills. Her talent amazed everyone and made her famous in the capital. She was praised by literati as "the most talented woman in the capital".
Back then, countless sons of powerful and wealthy families would break down the threshold to woo this beautiful woman.
In the end, she married into the powerful and influential Cui family in a magnificent wedding procession, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes.
This marriage once aroused the secret envy of countless young women.
The woman before him, though dressed in solemn and gorgeous attire, had a pale face, etched with weariness, and a faint deathly stillness lingered in her eyes.
She was completely different from the bright and stunning woman in the legend.
After settling the guests around her, Su Qingci slowly walked towards Liu Liniang.
"Lady Li? I have long admired your talent. It is truly an honor for the Su family to have you here at the banquet today."
Liu Liniang wasn't surprised when Su Qingci came over to greet her.
But when she heard the words "Li Niangzi," she froze, a barely perceptible tremor flashing in her eyes.
This title is too unusual.
She was not "Madam Cui" who depended on her husband's family, nor "Lady Liu" who was bound to her father's family, but "Lady Li" who belonged only to herself.
She stared blankly at Su Qingci for a long while before slowly raising the corners of her mouth to reveal a very faint smile, "Lord Su."
It should be "Lord Su", not "Miss Su".
After these words were spoken, a moment of silence fell between the two of them.
A knowing smile flashed in Su Qingci's eyes.
As rumored, Liu Liniang was indeed intelligent and knew which form of address would be most respectful to her.
She became increasingly certain that this chrysanthemum appreciation banquet was indeed the right decision.
On the day of the polo match, she heard many secrets about the Liu family from that thug.
The most chilling of all was Liu Liniang.
It turns out that less than a year after Liu Liniang married into the Cui family, she was beaten on the spot for advising Cui Dalang to take fewer concubines, which caused her to lose her six-month-old child.
Since then, she has been diagnosed with difficulty conceiving again.
Liu Liniang also dragged her sick body back to her parents' home to beg for help, but her father and brother only blamed her for being "unsentimental" and "not knowing how to please her husband," fearing that she would offend the Cui family and ruin the relationship between the two families.
From then on, her life in the Cui family became increasingly precarious, and she often became a tool for Cui Dalang to beat and scold her at will, venting his anger and frustration.
The Liu family was fully aware of all this, yet no one spoke up for her, only watching coldly as she fends for herself in that den of wolves.
In the eyes of those men, such an experience was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Even when that thug mentioned it, it was just a casual remark, spoken with disdain.
But Su Qingci realized that such a woman might be of great use to them.
If we can win over this woman who was abandoned by the Liu family and trampled on by the Cui family, we can not only find out the Cui family's movements, but we may also be able to use her to plant a "hidden chess piece" within the Cui family.
Moreover, seeing a woman who should have been dazzling trapped in a deep mansion, gradually withering away, she felt a pang of pity and wanted to help her.
If we could persuade her to join Your Highness's ranks, with her intelligence and resilience, she would surely become a great asset to Your Highness.
However, Liu Liniang usually lived a secluded life, making it difficult to get close to her.
That's why Su Qingci specially organized this chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and sent her an invitation.
She had long suspected that the suspicious Cui Shiliang would send Liu Liniang to find out the truth.
In retrospect, everything was exactly as expected.
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