Chapter 117 When you find a bug in your house...
"Ahhhhh, Yan Yan, what secret code are you exchanging with the princess?!"
On the carriage ride back, Shen Lingyue grabbed her and shook her incessantly, "How strange, aren't we together every day? When did you and the princess become so familiar?"
"...Stop shaking me, I'll talk, I'll talk."
Yan Yi jokingly raised her hands in surrender, but when she met Shen Lingyue's eager eyes, her expression suddenly became serious.
"Princess Tong'an intended to seize the throne—or rather, she began planning her move long ago."
Shen Lingyue: Huh?
She now resembles that big white cat from the meme, her mouth slightly agape, staring at the person opposite her in disbelief.
My head is so itchy, I need to grow a brain...
"Yes, Yunshao Girls' School?" Shen Lingyue seemed to have found a thread in her mind.
Yan Yi nodded. "From Yunshao Girls' School to Min'en Temple, education and charity—Princess Tong'an is very clever. She chose these two angles that are most easily overlooked by those in power as her first step in changing the political landscape of Daye and getting to the officials. She minimized their sensitivity to 'women's involvement in politics' and gradually built up her own voice."
Yunshao Girls' School was a national policy left over from the reign of Emperor Taizu. Princess Tong'an, by claiming to be acting in accordance with ancestral laws, personally funding the school and enrolling students, and deliberately making Yunshao Girls' School a glittering royal brand, would create a misconception among the officials in the court:
The women trained in this school are virtuous and talented, suitable for marriage and family life. Whether you are marrying off your daughter or choosing a daughter-in-law for your son, you can't go wrong choosing a woman from this school.
Unless they are willing to lower their arrogant heads and personally examine the courses offered in the girls' schools, they will understand—
Are the girls who studied and lived here only meant to be good wives and good mothers?
The path to becoming empress has always been a difficult and arduous one, fraught with thorns. Few succeed, and their achievements are often erased from history books by later generations, their deeds demonized, and they condemned as heretics and delusional.
Princess Tong'an needs more allies. She wants to personally cultivate a group of knowledgeable and talented female students, officials, and generals, and put them in the officialdom to compete and fight against countless men.
Once people have tasted power, they won't want to let go. They must, and can only, support Princess Tong'an in order to firmly safeguard their own interests.
However, due to the age restrictions for female students' enrollment, such helpers, who were gradually trained from a young age, might not be enough. Thus, the establishment of Min'en Temple was a further attempt.
Judging from the relatively mild reaction of the court officials, it was clear that they had once again underestimated the princess and the woman.
"I see!"
Shen Lingyue suddenly realized, "No wonder you suggested to the princess last time that not only should you recruit all the noblewomen from both the inner and outer courts to work at Min'en Temple, but you should also have all the young unmarried women and newly married daughters-in-law from various families come to assist them. You're trying to 'catch up' the old, middle-aged and young generations and drag them all into this mess."
Yunshao Girls' Academy is only in its fourth year. Young ladies in the capital who are around the same age as Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi are actually from the group that missed out. They were already too old when the academy was first established, and most of them were looking for husbands, preparing dowries, and learning household management skills from their mothers.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.” Yan Yi’s eyes lit up with approval. “Once a woman gets married, she’s confined to the small world of the inner quarters, surrounded by trivial matters such as mother-in-law and sister-in-law, husband and concubines, and raising children. If they were content with their current lives, that would be fine, but after we came here, we’ve seen so many women of different ages and backgrounds, how many of them can truly feel happy?”
That's too little.
She is not denying the contributions of women in the family, but respects everyone who finds happiness in marriage and family, and feels genuine joy for their good fortune.
She simply felt that those who were less fortunate should have more choices.
The first person Shen Lingyue thought of was her eldest sister, Shen Yuanjia.
“My older sister is so wonderful… She is the most perfect lady, carefully raised by my mother. She is at least at the level of a senior executive in a Fortune 500 company. But my brother-in-law is only lucky to be born into a good family. How is he worthy of her?”
A year ago, when Shen Lingyue learned that Han Zhihuan was keeping a mistress, her first reaction was to advise Shen Yuanjia to divorce him, but she was scolded by Zhao Lan.
She was young and naive back then, thinking that divorce would solve everything, but she overlooked the fact that the world was ultimately different from hers.
Marriage is not just a matter between two people, but also a bond between two families, a transfer of benefits, a political alliance, and countless intricate human relationships that cannot be severed.
No matter how scumbag or despicable her brother-in-law is, as long as he remains the heir of the Pingxi Marquisate, her sister can only endure and persevere for the sake of this title hanging in front of her and the family's expectations and the glory that is within her grasp.
Not everyone has the courage to go against the tide and confront the world and traditional ideas that have lasted for hundreds or thousands of years.
More than a year after getting married, Shen Lingyue found herself beginning to understand her mother's and eldest sister's choices.
Sometimes she would feel terrified by this thought, as if the carefree, lazy college girl who used to eat junk food, stay up all night playing games was slowly being assimilated by the world into a blurry face, becoming a line in the family tree: "Shen, wife of a certain generation of a certain family."
She resisted this change, and subconsciously didn't want to have children. It was also a form of resistance, as if as long as she didn't take on the responsibility of being a mother, she would still be the same Shen Lingyue as before.
"I was so stupid... I guessed so many princes back then, even Prince An, how come I never thought it was Princess Tong'an?"
Shen Lingyue covered her face, ashamed of her "lack of courage".
Why would this happen? Is it because they know the path to becoming empress is too difficult, so they subconsciously excluded the princesses from their choices?
But Princess Tong'an dared to think and act. How could a college student who was educated in the new era and had progressive ideas be inferior to an ancient native?
...No, the princess should belong to the fifth generation?
Shen Lingyue was amused by her own rambling thoughts, which suddenly revived her and she started frolicking around in the carriage.
"Very well, we want this empress!"
Yan Yi quickly covered her mouth, "Keep your voice down, or the driver will think we're fighting inside."
She and Shen Lingyue looked at each other, and in each other's eyes they rediscovered that glimmer of light.
If they don't want to be changed, why can't they try to make the world a better place?
Tiny dust particles floated and drifted in the air, and a picture seemed to slowly unfold before Yan Yi's eyes:
More female officials stood in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, including Guan Pu whom she had seen before, as well as the grown-up Heng Jie'er and A Zhi, and Liu Qiao, Fang Yuan Yuan, and Huang Qiao Ni, whom she had met once before.
She also saw her second sister, Zhou Yanling. She was darker and thinner, but she stood tall and proud among a group of warriors, like a sword drawn from its sheath. The quiet and composed figure beside her was none other than Chen Xiaoya, whose archery skills had been praised by Azhi.
This time, the throne of power, symbolizing the vast empire, on the golden steps in front of the main hall, was no longer shrouded in mystery, but revealed its true form to Yan Yi.
Emperor Tong'an, Xiao Zhuoying, dressed in black robes and crimson skirts, with a crown of twelve tassels, exuded a dragon-like and phoenix-like aura, looking down upon the world.
...
"Quickly serve tea to Physician Wen."
Princess Chun invited Wenxian into the house and warmly welcomed her, explaining, "I really didn't expect to be able to invite you here. The Crown Princess has been taking the Imperial Physician's medicine these past few days, and she should still be asleep. I'll send someone to her courtyard to inform her right away..."
"The Imperial Physician Wang is very experienced in ensuring a safe pregnancy, so there is no need to disturb the Crown Princess. I have come today for the sake of the Princess Consort."
"For me?" Princess Chun asked, puzzled. "I didn't call the imperial physician."
Wenxian smiled slightly at her, her dimples making her look even more approachable. "The other day, Princess Tong'an suggested to His Majesty that since the weather is getting colder, many of the older aunts and grandmothers in the imperial clan are not feeling well. Why not arrange for imperial physicians to take turns visiting them for consultations, so that the elders won't be too embarrassed to speak up and won't take minor illnesses seriously? If they are left untreated, it will be too late to treat them if they develop into serious problems."
Princess Chun nodded in understanding and praised, "Your Highness is truly kind and benevolent. I heard that Min'en Temple is newly established and there are countless matters to attend to, yet she still finds time to think of us."
"Does the Princess Consort also know about Min'en Temple?" Wenxian subtly probed, "I heard that His Highness has recruited many members of the imperial family to help. Haven't you ever thought about giving it a try?"
Just as Princess Chun was about to speak, she began to cough uncontrollably. She quickly covered her lips with a handkerchief and it took her a while to calm down. Her face was still flushed. She waved her hand and said, "You can see for yourself. My body is so weak. I can only lie in bed for half the month. Even if I want to, I can't... Besides, the Crown Princess had an accident and needs to rest and recuperate. I have to take care of all the big and small matters in the Prince's mansion. I'm too busy to be in two places at once."
"The Princess Consort has worked hard managing the household, so please take good care of yourself."
Wenxian opened the medicine box and placed the pulse pillow on the table. "Let me take your pulse."
Princess Chun was in poor health and had a habit of having her pulse checked regularly. However, Wenxian was coming to her door on the orders of Princess Tong'an and under the pretext of providing relief to the relatives of the imperial family. She could not refuse, so she extended her wrist.
Wenxian took a long time to take the pulse, and then asked her to switch to the other hand, her brows furrowing slightly.
"Imperial Physician Wen, is there some undiagnosed problem with my body?" Princess Chun looked at her face and couldn't help but become nervous as well.
Wenxian did not answer, but took out a notebook from her medicine box and said in a serious tone, "The princess instructed that all the details of this consultation be recorded, including your daily diet, living habits, etc., and sent to the Imperial Hospital to be filed and sealed together with the previous pulse records. I wonder if I may visit the Princess Consort's room to check if there are any adverse reactions between her diet and medications."
Princess Chun, without suspecting anything, led Wenxian into the inner room and had her maid bring her recent prescriptions and diet plans.
Wenxian checked and recorded everything one by one, and finally her gaze fell on an embroidered handkerchief on the dressing table.
She picked it up and looked at it. The stitches weren't very fine, and the color matching wasn't very sophisticated. It looked like the work of a beginner.
He shouldn't have appeared in the Princess's room.
Upon seeing this, Princess Chun said, "This is a handkerchief that Qiong'er embroidered at the girls' school. She insisted on bringing it back to present to me. She'll be unhappy if I don't use it."
She shook her head, uttering complaints, but any parent could tell she was actually showing off.
Wenxian smiled and said, "The Princess Consort is kind-hearted. I heard before that you adopted a girl from outside and even asked the princess to make an exception and admit her to the girls' school."
“I get along well with that child, and I have to think about her future.”
Princess Chun said apologetically, "It's all thanks to the princess for not holding it against me and doing me a favor. Once Qiong'er stays at the girls' school for two years and makes some good friends, she won't be all alone and helpless when I'm gone."
When she went out of the city to burn incense, she found Wu Qiong, who had fainted from hunger, by the roadside. Feeling compassion, she asked her maid to take her into the carriage and feed her water and snacks.
After Wu Qiong woke up, she knelt down and begged her to take her in. She said that she had escaped because she did not want her parents to arrange a marriage for her brother with an old cripple who had driven his wife to jump into a well. She said that even if she had to sell herself as a maid, she would never be caught again.
The similar experience reminded Princess Chun of herself.
She didn't originally have to marry Prince Chun, who was more than ten years older than her, as his second wife. It was only because her brother caused trouble while drunk and offended a powerful figure who wouldn't let it go that her parents decided to marry her into the Prince's mansion, hoping to use Prince Chun's status as a member of the imperial family to quell the matter.
She knew before she entered the house that being a second wife would be difficult, but she didn't expect Xiao Chuwen to be so cruel at such a young age. Not only did he kill the unborn child in her womb, but he also caused cold to enter her body and damage her health. The older she got, the worse her health became.
She brought Wu Qiong back to the mansion, but didn't make her sign any indenture. Instead, she gave her a separate room and assigned two maids to serve her.
Wu Qiong was very apprehensive. Every day before dawn, she would wait outside Princess Chun's room. Once Princess Chun woke up, she would stay by her side to help her wash and change. She would even personally test the temperature of the tea brought by the maid before handing it to her. She was observant, meticulous, and thoughtful.
She was also very eloquent, spending all her time by the side of Princess Chun, often making her laugh heartily, as if a little light had finally appeared in her otherwise dull and monotonous life.
Sick people are always particularly vulnerable. Now that Wu Qiong has to go to school and Xiao Chuyang is busy with something all day, Princess Chun must be feeling very frustrated and can only confide in Wen Xian.
Perhaps it was because Imperial Physician Wen had always been well-regarded among the female members of the imperial family. As women themselves, they could let down their guard and confide in Wen Xian under her gentle and calm comfort, revealing their shameful secrets and troubles that they couldn't tell male physicians.
This time, Wenxian once again played the role of an excellent listener, and asked her, "Forgive my impertinence, but you and that child are just strangers who met by chance. As the Princess Consort, you could have simply given her a sum of gold and silver as a dowry. Why did you have to adopt her as your daughter? Won't the Prince and the Heir Apparent have any objections?"
A barely perceptible stubbornness and obstinacy surfaced on the delicate face of Princess Chun.
"I've suffered injustice in this mansion for half my life. Apart from Chu Yang, I can't even have another child. Can't even this small wish be fulfilled?"
At first, she didn't intend to become Qiong'er's mother; it was all because of Xiao Chuwen.
His hatred for her even extended to a teenage girl—he insisted that Qiong'er was blocking his way in the garden and slapped her across the face.
Qiong'er was afraid that her daughter would worry, and even more afraid that her daughter would cause trouble for Xiao Chuwen if she found out, so she deliberately jumped down from the tree and fell, getting herself bruised and battered. When she came back, she said it was because she was careless.
If it weren't for other people in the garden who witnessed Xiao Chuwen hitting her and secretly came to report it, Princess Chun would not know how long she would have been kept in the dark.
Xiao Chuwen not only slapped Qiong'er, but also her stepmother's face.
From that moment on, Princess Chun made up her mind to make Qiong'er her adopted daughter, the young lady of the Prince's mansion, so that no one could bully her again.
At first, Prince Chun naturally disagreed and even scolded her, asking if she was crazy for letting a wild girl whose background was unknown into the Xiao family.
For the first time, she defied him, producing the testimony of the person who instigated Xiao Chuwen to push her wet nurse, as well as the medical records written by the imperial physician. She said that if Prince Chun did not agree, she would take these documents to the Imperial Clan Court and make a big fuss, not believing that Emperor Qingxi would allow Xiao Chuwen to continue as the heir apparent.
Prince Chun had no choice but to compromise, but on the condition that Wu Qiong could not change her surname or be included in the family genealogy. She was just the daughter adopted by the Princess Chun herself and had nothing to do with the entire Prince's mansion.
...
"They put on quite a good charade."
After hearing Wenxian's report, Princess Tong'an gripped the armrest and snorted coldly, "Xiao Chuwen is quite good at figuring out his stepmother's thoughts. He fabricated such a backstory for Wu Qiong and deliberately made things difficult for her, arousing the protective instincts of the Princess of Chun County."
Of course, Wu Qiong's subtle flattery and thoughtfulness also played a part, warming the heart of Princess Chunjun in every way.
Princess Tong'an had a list of evaluations of Wu Qiong from the girls' school's professors and life instructors. They all praised her for being diligent and hardworking, caring about the health of her teachers, and proactively pointing out her shortcomings in her studies and earnestly asking them for advice.
If Yan Yi hadn't exposed her true colors beforehand, Princess Tong'an might have been fooled by Wu Qiong's disguise when she went to inspect the girls' school one day.
People tend to be more tolerant and affectionate towards little girls.
After all, who would have thought that a quiet and well-behaved girl could harbor the soul of an adult?
Wenxian then took out a handkerchief from her bosom.
“The Princess Consort of Chun’s daily diet and medicine are taken care of by special people. Wu Qiong can only return to the Prince’s mansion on her days off, so she doesn’t have much opportunity to do anything. But this handkerchief was embroidered by Wu Qiong herself and given to her. She also repeatedly told the Princess Consort of Chun to keep it with her and use it often.”
Princess Tong'an: "Has anything been tampered with on the handkerchief?"
"Yes, I can smell that the embroidery thread on the handkerchief seems to be infused with fragrance. Princess Chun said that Wu Qiong learned this from Dr. Xu, who taught the art of incense. She soaks the silk thread in spices and then uses it to embroider clothes. This way, the fragrance lingers when she walks, sits, or lies down, but it is not as pungent as incense."
Wenxian looked ashamed. "This handkerchief has been carried by the Princess Consort for some time, and the fragrance has almost dissipated. There are also many other scents mixed together, so I really can't identify it."
"It's alright, it's already very good that you've investigated this far." Princess Tong'an waved her hand dismissively and instructed the lady-in-waiting beside her, "Go to the girls' school and see if Dr. Xu has any classes today. Tell her to come over when she's done."
Xu Yaoniang's classes were all scheduled for the morning today, and when she saw someone from the princess's residence arrive, she immediately rushed over with her.
Wenxian handed the handkerchief to her. Xu Yaoniang first held it under her nose and smelled it carefully for a while. Then she asked the maid to bring a basin of boiling water, put the handkerchief into it, and gently fanned the steam to smell the rising water vapor.
"Lilac, tulip, cardamom..."
Xu Yaoniang closed her eyes and concentrated, reciting a series of spices.
Wenxian quickly took out her pen and wrote it down. Then she compared it with the tonic prescription of the Princess Consort of Chun County and found a problem.
"The spices are fine, and the prescription is fine, but putting these two things together for a long time will not only damage the medicinal properties, but also cause chronic poisoning and gradually weaken the body."
After hearing the whole story from Wen Xian, Xu Yaoniang suddenly realized, "No wonder Wu Qiong seemed particularly interested in my course for a while. After class, she would often come to me and ask me questions, saying that she wanted to study the incense formula herself. I reminded her at the time that the ratio of incense should vary from person to person, and if the user is unwell, she should pay more attention to whether it will interact with the medicine."
She frowned in annoyance, "How did my perfectly good incense ceremony class become a means for her to harm people?"
“This isn’t your fault; she was the one who intended to harm others first,” Princess Tong’an said. “Just like those who kill with a knife, you can’t blame the blacksmith, can you?”
She comforted Xu Yaoniang and said gently, "Since we're already here, and Lan Ya'er and Yingying are working in the back, let's go see her."
"Ah, thank you, Your Highness."
Xu Yaoniang's attention was indeed diverted, and her smile blossomed like a peach blossom as she happily went to the back.
Princess Tong'an then asked Wenxian, "Which imperial physician is usually responsible for examining the pulse of Princess Chun? Do you think he was also bribed by Xiao Chuwen, which is why he happened to prescribe such a prescription?"
His voice turned colder towards the end.
Xiao Chuwen's ability to bribe the imperial physician to murder his stepmother demonstrates that this physician is no longer trustworthy. If he continues to remain in the Imperial Hospital, who knows who might bribe him next, or who he might harm?
Wenxian named a name and said with certainty, "If he regularly takes the pulse of Princess Chun, it's impossible that he wouldn't have discovered her health problems. There's no such incompetent person in the Imperial Hospital."
"Very good, I've noted it down." Princess Tong'an secretly added the Imperial Hospital to her list of targets for surgery.
What was that little Yue saying again?
When you find one bug in your house, it's actually because a whole nest of them has already hatched in places you can't see.
Ugh... Just thinking about it makes me feel a little nauseous. Princess Tong'an silently hugged her arms tightly.
The words may be rough, but the principle is sound. What she has now exposed is the mess in the Chun Prince's mansion. What about the other members of the imperial family?
If this is the case even in the capital, what about the vassal kings who were enfeoffed to various regions in previous dynasties?
Princess Tong'an sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
The present-day Daye is like a century-old ocean voyage. It looks intact and can continue to sail, but in fact it is full of pits, holes, and mottled scars left by the wind, waves and reefs. Who knows when it will be widened into a big hole and flooded with water.
There are still many things she needs to fix.
Princess Tong'an smiled softly, recalling the trusting and expectant look in Yan Yi's eyes.
Fortunately, she had the confidence, and only she could do this well.
...
Ten days later, the people Princess Tongan sent to the south to find out Wu Qiong's origins returned.
"Your Highness, I have not failed in my mission."
The head guard leading the group clasped his hands in a fist salute, and after standing up, a complex expression appeared on his face. "Wu Qiong... she's simply a vicious and insane madwoman."
-----------------------
Author's Note: [I'm speechless] I didn't get to write that part... My neck hurts and my head is spinning, so I'll stop here for today TAT I'll definitely come and cause trouble tomorrow (just kidding).
Ahhh, August is finally over! How are you all doing back at school? [Let me see] I hope September will be cooler!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
