Chapter 13 Ignoring her, I wanted to ask myself, then what was she? ...
Sun Cheng's gaze darted between the two men, his eyes fixed on his nose and his mind at ease. Knowing that this was not a place he should linger, he withdrew from the hall.
Shen Mi clutched her sleeve, hesitating for a long time before finally asking the question that had been on her mind: "Then, Your Highness, will you also be tonight...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Zhan looked up at her. His eyes seemed devoid of any emotion, but the slight furrowing of his brow was enough to send chills down her spine, like a sharpened sword gleaming coldly before her.
Shen Mi immediately stopped speaking, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "I misspoke."
She vaguely felt that gaze linger on her for a moment before slowly withdrawing, leaving her with only the words, "Go down."
"Yes." As Shen Mi bowed to him and withdrew, she noticed the needle marks on her fingertips from embroidering the sachet she had given to Gu Zhan, a result of her tireless efforts to perfect the piece. Her eyes reddened. Despite her tireless dedication, Gu Zhan hadn't even touched the sachet, leaving it to rest on the table alongside his numerous official duties. The pain from the needle pricks during the embroidery surged up again, spreading from her fingertips to her heart.
The saying "the pain of ten fingers being connected to the heart" is probably like this.
But according to the rules, she couldn't show the slightest loss of composure in front of Gu Zhan. Shen Mi took a deep breath, hiding all her grievances in her heart, forcing back her tears, and gracefully withdrew.
Gu Zhan's gaze lingered on her for only a moment. As the palace doors closed, he dipped his hand in ink and saw the slender, thin figure disappearing through the crack in the door. He shook his head gently.
This Shen Mi was quite beautiful and had no particular temperament, but she was too obedient, like a stagnant pool that could never be stirred. However, if she was just a dutiful concubine of the Crown Prince, being obedient wasn't a bad thing; it kept the inner quarters peaceful and trouble-free, which saved him a lot of trouble.
After Shen Mi left the Hall of Diligent Governance, Cuiwei draped a robe over her shoulders. She saw Sun Cheng looking in her direction with a hesitant expression, probably wanting to comfort her. However, she only wanted to get away from the suffocating Hall of Diligent Governance at that moment, so she didn't give Sun Cheng the chance. She nodded to him and left with Cuiwei.
Cuiwei glanced at her expression and didn't dare to speak the whole way. Only after returning to Qingluan Palace and dismissing the other palace servants did she dare to ask Shen Mi, "Your Highness, did you say something?"
Shen Mi clutched her handkerchief, a few tears falling onto the back of her hand. Once the tears fell, the vulnerability she had never wanted to show in front of others was now impossible to hide. Her grievances broke through the not-so-hard ice and surged out, along with her tears falling like broken pearls.
Cuiwei had no idea what had happened in the Hall of Diligent Governance. She had been standing guard outside the door and hadn't heard any argument inside. She also didn't know what His Highness the Crown Prince had said that made Shen Mi burst into tears as soon as she returned. Cuiwei was at a loss for words to comfort her.
Shen Mi sobbed, "I don't know, I really don't know how to break through His Highness's prejudice against me. I've already restrained all my emotions and tried every possible way to please him, but why..."
Why was it that he had already agreed to come to Qingluan Palace that evening, but then turned around and said that Minister Su had returned to the capital and that the Su family was hosting a banquet at Fanlou, and all her hard work was ruined in an instant?
She never dared to imagine that Gu Zhan, as the crown prince, would be devoted to her wholeheartedly, and she also clearly understood that sincerity was the most useless thing in the imperial family. But she just wanted Gu Zhan to pay more attention to her so that her days in the Eastern Palace would be easier in the future.
If she could have a son or daughter, even if Gu Zhan became emperor and had three palaces and six courtyards, she would have someone to rely on. However, she had been married to Gu Zhan for more than a month, and Gu Zhan had never come to Qingluan Palace. She really didn't know what to do.
At that moment, Danju's voice came from outside the door: "Lady, Eunuch Sun has sent someone to deliver a message."
Shen Miben was crying with tears streaming down her face. Upon hearing this, she quickly wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and said, "Please let them in."
The messenger was a young eunuch. Shen Mi remembered him; he called Sun Cheng "Master."
The young eunuch said, "My lady, Eunuch Sun said you don't need to worry too much. The banquet at Fanlou is scheduled for 5:30 PM. It's not an event orchestrated by the Su family. It's a welcome party for the eldest son of the Su family, who was once a student of His Highness in Bianjing. His Highness will be visiting from there."
Upon hearing the truth, Shen Mi was stunned. So that's how it was?
She thanked the young eunuch and asked Danju to give her a reward, saying, "Thank you for making this trip. Please thank Eunuch Sun for me."
It was quite a pity for Sun Cheng; seeing that she was in a bad mood, he even sent his apprentice to Qingluan Palace to deliver a message to her. If what Sun Cheng said was true, Gu Zhan went there to support that Young Master Su. This Young Master Su was Gu Zhan's study companion in his childhood. Although he was no longer in Bianjing, he was returning to the capital with Envoy Su this time, probably to be promoted to the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. It was reasonable for Gu Zhan to go to Fanlou. Moreover, the banquet started at 5:30 pm, but it was only just getting dark, so Gu Zhan probably wouldn't stay out all night.
The gloom in her heart faded slightly. She took a bath, burned incense, changed her clothes, and summoned the hairdresser to style her hair into an exquisite look. She then waited quietly in the Qingluan Palace.
As the crown prince, the emperor had already begun to entrust Gu Zhan with some government affairs. With the end of the year approaching, there were even more things piling up on his desk. By the time he finished dealing with these matters, it was almost 5:30 PM, the time for the banquet scheduled at Fanlou. After simply changing into casual clothes, he rode his horse to Fanlou.
When he arrived at Fanlou, he was a quarter of an hour late, but because he had sent word in advance, everyone waited for him before daring to start the banquet.
Gu Zhan was clearly used to this kind of thing. He was led to the seat of honor in a round-backed chair, nodded slightly, and looked at Su Xingjian, the eldest son of the Su family, who was sitting to his right: "When did you arrive? How has Mr. Su been lately?"
Su Xingjian picked up his wine cup, toasted Gu Zhan, and said, "My father still has some matters to attend to in Pingjiang Road, which will take some time. Huaiyang has experienced a once-in-a-century snowfall this year, and my father's health has been poor in recent years. It is estimated that he will not return by carriage until around New Year's Eve. Therefore, he instructed me and Yuzhao to ride back to the capital first to settle matters such as the New Year's Eve ancestral temple sacrifices."
Gu Zhan followed his gaze and saw Su Yuzhao sitting next to Su Xingjian.
Just like when she was young, Su Yuzhao preferred brightly colored clothes, but unlike other noble ladies in the capital, she did not like gold, jade, or hairpins. She simply tied her hair up in a bun with a red silk ribbon around the outside. She also did not like to wear earrings. The only thing she wore was a red agate bracelet on her wrist, which was a gift from the Empress several years ago, and she had not taken it off since.
Following Su Xingjian's example, Su Yuzhao also toasted Gu Zhan, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Gu Zhan nodded, recalling the day he entered the palace with Shen Mi. In his mother's bedchamber, Gu Chiying asked him if he should tell Su Yuzhao if she received any news. Now that Su Xingjian and Su Yuzhao had returned to the capital ahead of schedule, even he only found out this afternoon. Gu Chiying, being in the palace, probably didn't know.
Therefore, he said to Su Yuzhao in a low voice, "Chiying made a fuss about me the other day, saying she wanted to see you. If you are free tomorrow, you can go to the palace to talk to her."
Su Xingjian hesitated for a moment, glanced at his younger sister Su Yuzhao, and said to Gu Zhan, "Your Highness, Yuzhao is, after all, the daughter of an official outside the palace, and the Su family is not related to the imperial family. She has already reached marriageable age, but she has not yet found a suitable family to marry into. It is probably not good for her to frequently enter and leave the palace."
Gu Zhan didn't take it to heart: "It's alright. Chi Ying is the youngest among all the imperial heirs in the palace, and she is a bit spoiled. Over the years, only Yu Zhao has gotten along well with her. You are about to become my Grand Tutor. We are all family. Why are you being so formal?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xingjian could not refute it and could only say, "Since it is Your Highness's will, your subject and Yuzhao will naturally not refuse." He then turned to Su Yuzhao and instructed, "However, things are not the same as when you were young. You should go to the palace to keep Princess Roufu company and relieve her boredom. Do not, like before, run to the East Palace without thinking."
Su Yuzhao muttered, "You've been nagging me about this the whole way; I'm so tired of hearing it."
It was just a brief interlude. Those present were either Su Xingjian's close friends from his time in Bianjing or fellow Jinshi and Hanlin colleagues who had passed the imperial examinations with him. Gu Zhan did not put on airs, so the atmosphere quickly became relaxed, with toasts being exchanged and laughter never ceasing.
Just past midnight, a man dressed as a servant came in and whispered in the ear of a young man sitting at the lower seat. The young man's expression clearly became hesitant.
Some people had already seen through the scheme: "Is your shrewish wife here again, urging you to come home?"
The man whispered, "Don't talk nonsense, what 'tigress' or what?"
"Hey, you still won't admit it? Everyone in Bianjing knows that although our Du Sijian was the top scholar in the imperial examination back then, and was riding high on his career, his official career was booming and he was rising rapidly, but he married a woman from Sichuan. His reputation for being 'henpecked' is no secret." Someone joked.
Du Sijian retorted, "A true man walks between heaven and earth, how could I be afraid of her? It's just that we have a deep affection for each other, and I usually give in to her. By using the word 'fear,' whose reputation are you slandering? When you two get married in the future, I'm afraid you'll end up like me!"
He had barely finished speaking when his servant awkwardly said, "My lord, the mistress said she'll only wait for you downstairs for a quarter of an hour. If you don't come down, she'll come up with a knife..."
Everyone at the table burst into laughter. Du Sijian, without trying to save face, hurriedly stood up and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. To avoid my wife offending Your Highness, I shall take my leave."
Watching Du Sijian's hasty departure, Gu Zhan couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Someone joked about Du Sijian: "According to what Du Sijian said, those of us who are not married can hardly empathize with his troubles."
After several rounds of drinks, the guests relaxed their formalities and retorted, "I think it's Du Sijian who doesn't dare to break the lady's 'family rules,' but doesn't His Highness's Crown Prince also have one now?"
Su Yuzhao then asked, "Yes, I wonder what kind of person this Consort Shen is?"
When the topic of the inner quarters came up, Gu Zhan's smile gradually faded.
Su Xingjian had heard about the Crown Prince's decision to take the orphan of the fallen General Shen Huai as his concubine, which was why he advised his sister Su Yuzhao not to go to the Eastern Palace again. Seeing Gu Zhan's expression, he pondered for a moment and immediately stopped the man from joking: "Alright, there should be limits to joking."
Realizing he had misspoke, the man immediately apologized to Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan did not investigate this further.
After all, he was only granting Shen a title in the Eastern Palace by imperial decree. The Eastern Palace was not short of bowls and chopsticks. He did not have any special feelings for Shen Mi. Moreover, Shen Mi was the only one in the Eastern Palace. He observed that Shen Mi was a well-behaved person. So the so-called chaos in the inner quarters should not happen in the Eastern Palace.
The matter was quickly forgotten, and after a few drinks, no one mentioned it again.
Inside the private room at Fanlou, charcoal braziers were lit to warm the room, and a banquet was underway. No one noticed that it was snowing heavily outside again.
Shen Mi waited quietly in the Qingluan Hall of the East Palace. Seeing the snow falling outside, she couldn't help but worry. She heard that Gu Zhan had ridden a horse when he left the East Palace for Fanlou. She wondered if he had brought an umbrella, so she sent Danju to ask Sun Cheng.
Sun Cheng said that it was rare for Shen Mi to be so thoughtful. In the afternoon, the sky was cloudless and no one expected that it would suddenly snow in the evening. His Highness had left in a hurry and had not brought an umbrella. He had not even put on a fur coat before going to Fanlou.
A hint of worry crept into Shen Mi's heart. She asked Cuiwei, "What time is it now?"
Cuiwei glanced at the sky and replied, "It should be close to Hai hour."
At 9 PM, she figured things at Fanlou would be almost over, and she couldn't let Gu Zhan come back in the snow, so she had someone prepare a carriage, and with an umbrella and cloak, headed to Fanlou.
The car stopped outside Fanlou, and Cuiwei asked her, "Liangdi, shall we go up?"
Shen Mi lifted the curtain, looked at the bustling crowd at Fanlou, then lowered the curtain again and gently shook her head: "No need, it's better not to disturb His Highness's enjoyment. We'll wait here, and His Highness can come out of Fanlou to meet us."
"But there's no heater in this carriage, and it's snowing outside. It's too cold to sit in the carriage alone," Cuiwei said, unable to bear it.
"It's alright, Your Highness should be finishing up soon, right?" She dared not speculate further.
Cuiwei didn't dare to persuade her any further.
She waited in the carriage for a long time, but fewer and fewer carriages were parked outside Fanlou, and the conversation inside gradually subsided. She still couldn't see Gu Zhan. She sat in the carriage with her arms crossed, and the cold wind blew in through the curtain, forcing her to rub her hands to keep warm, but she had to stay awake.
"Lady, His Highness has come out!" Cuiwei whispered in her ear.
This one sentence awakened her consciousness. She lifted the curtain and was about to get out of the carriage when she stopped herself from saying the word "Your Highness".
Standing next to Gu Zhan was a young woman dressed in a pink jacket, whom Gu Zhan called "Yu Zhao".
At the banquet hosted by the Su family, who else could be so intimate with him besides that Miss Su?
Shen Mi stumbled back into the car, her lips trembling.
She wanted to ask herself, what is she then?
A note from the author:
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