Chapter 11 "His Highness Prince Cheng has arrived."...
Chapter Eleven: Princess Cheng ==
Because it was the Crown Princess who hosted the banquet, people throughout the capital who had received invitations flocked to the feast. One after another, expensive carriages filled the entire alley. The glazed tiles of the East Palace gleamed under the sun, and two stone lions stood solemnly in front of the courtyard.
The East Palace was bustling with activity. The people who came to the banquet were led by the East Palace steward to the Lotus Pavilion in the backyard. There was a huge lotus pond in the pavilion, with bright and beautiful lotus flowers rising gracefully from the water.[1]
The pavilion is surrounded by mountains and water, and a waterfall flows down from it, creating a pleasant landscape.
The noble ladies gathered together, exchanged pleasantries, and then talked about interesting things in the capital. A slightly plump nanny secretly observed for a while before going to the main hall to report to the Crown Princess.
The current Crown Princess's maiden name is Lin Ruohan. She is the second daughter of the General of the State. Although she comes from a military family, she is extremely skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. There is a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows, which adds to her charm and allure.
Today, a banquet is being held at the mansion. Lin Ruohan is wearing a red, floor-length gown, her hair is styled in a high bun, and two seven-tailed phoenix hairpins are inserted in her temples. Her lips are as red as cinnabar, and her eyes and brows exude a natural charm when she looks at people.
"Your Highness, all the young ladies have arrived. The Eldest Princess felt unwell this morning and sent word that she couldn't come. The Xie family sent someone to say that their Third Miss is currently engaged in marriage negotiations and will not be coming either."
The young maidservant who was helping the Crown Princess with her makeup trembled slightly, not daring to look at the Crown Princess's expression.
Lin Ruohan remained calm and instructed him to prepare two congratulatory gifts to be delivered to the Princess's residence and the Duke of Xie's residence respectively. The steward replied, "Yes."
"Hasn't Princess Cheng arrived yet?" Lin Ruohan had barely finished speaking when a maidservant came in from outside. "Your Highness, Princess Cheng has arrived."
The Crown Princess smiled slightly, casually placing her hand on the maid's sleeve. "Help me out."
The side hall was paved with glazed bricks, and the brick walls were engraved with dragon patterns. The brocade screen was embroidered with pictures of beautiful ladies on both sides. The hall was decorated in an extremely luxurious manner. Incense smoke curled up from the incense burner. A little maid led Su Wanyue to sit down in the hall.
A moment later, a group of maids escorted the Crown Princess to the side hall. Su Wanyue stood up, and as soon as she bent down, Lin Ruohan quickly stepped forward and took her slender wrist, saying, "Sister Weiyang, there's no need for such formalities."
"Please sit down and have some tea."
Su Wanyue: "Thank you, Your Highness, Crown Princess."
The teacups used in the Eastern Palace were white jade cups, which cooled to the touch. While drinking tea, Lin Ruohan secretly glanced at the woman in front of her and said with a smile, "Actually, I have wanted to invite Sister Weiyang over for a gathering for a long time, but I have been feeling unwell recently, so I am not quite able to do so. I heard that Sister Weiyang and Prince Cheng are a harmonious couple, and I am very happy for Sister Weiyang."
Everyone in the capital knows that Prince Cheng is extremely cold-hearted. When the Crown Prince came of age and married the Crown Princess, he already had a concubine and three maids by his side, not to mention his concubines. Although the Seventh and Eighth Princes were younger, they were already well-versed in matters of men and women. Among the royal family, only Prince Cheng was known for being indifferent to women. Before he married, he had neither concubines nor maids by his side, and he had never even touched a woman. That's why the Crown Princess said those words.
Su Wanyue pondered the meaning behind the Crown Princess's words, but because she had little contact with the Crown Princess, she couldn't figure out what she meant for the moment, so she pretended to be shy and lowered her head.
Lin Ruohan's smile deepened, "Sister Weiyang, you don't know because you haven't been out much, but I've heard that the most talked-about topic right now is you and Prince Cheng."
The Crown Princess's attitude towards Princess Cheng is not hard to figure out, because if they were commoners, the Crown Princess and Princess Cheng would still be sisters-in-law. It's just that because they are in the royal family, they need to follow the rules everywhere, but the rules are ultimately inflexible.
Hearing Su Wanyue talk about her life in Nanqiong, Lin Ruohan felt quite emotional. She picked up her handkerchief and covered her eyes. "Speaking of which, I have never left the capital since I was young, unlike my sister Weiyang who has been to so many places."
At this moment, a maid serving in the front yard brought over a plate of fresh lychees. Each lychee was crystal clear and looked plump. Lin Ruohan asked the maid to bring the lychees to Su Wanyue, saying, "These are lychees that have just been transported from Jiangnan. Sister Weiyang, please have a taste."
Qin'er peeled one for Su Wanyue. After Su Wanyue tasted it, Lin Ruohan asked her how it tasted. Su Wanyue smiled and said, "It's very sweet."
Lin Ruohan glanced at the graceful woman before her again and roughly figured out what kind of person she was. Just like the current King Cheng, she was not sharp and did not show any sharpness, making it impossible to guess her thoughts and ideas.
Lin Ruohan smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it, Weiyang. It's almost time. I need to change my clothes. I'll go to the Lotus Pavilion later. Cai'er, you lead Princess Cheng to the Lotus Pavilion."
"Your Highness, this way please."
After the woman left, Lin Ruohan turned to her personal maid and asked, "Where is Zhaoning now?"
"Your Highness, Princess Zhaoning has already gone to the Lotus Pavilion."
Lin Ruohan thought to herself, "Since King Cheng didn't come today, I guess nothing should have happened to Zhao Ning."
Today, Su Wanyue wore a light green peony-patterned floor-length dress with a light-colored jade belt around her waist. Her beautiful appearance and slender figure complemented the scenery of the Lotus Pavilion.
Before they even stepped into the pavilion, an arrogant voice came from inside: "So what if she's a princess? Aren't we all born into noble families? Just because she's a princess doesn't mean we're just commoners."
"Moreover, it was Nanqiong who first proposed the marriage alliance. Perhaps it was because their royal princess, Weiyang, couldn't find a husband in Nanqiong, so Nanqiong wanted to marry her off to Brother Xiao Yu."
Cai'er, who had led Su Wanyue to the Lotus Pavilion, turned pale. Who else could that arrogant voice belong to but Princess Zhaoning?
The others in the pavilion sneered inwardly. The Princess Consort of Prince Cheng, a princess of the Southern Qiong royal family, was of noble status. However, because she was the younger sister of the current Crown Princess, and the father and son of the Great General who defended the country died on the battlefield and made great contributions to the country, the Emperor treated her only remaining bloodline with great favor, so they could not openly say anything bad about her.
"Princess Consort Cheng has arrived."
The noble ladies were startled and hurriedly stood up, bowing deeply to the newcomer, "Your humble servants greet Your Highness, Princess Consort Cheng."
They never expected that Princess Consort Cheng would come at this time. If they had known earlier, they would have stayed away from Princess Zhaoning. The situation in the court was still uncertain, and no one wanted to offend the Crown Prince's Palace, but they also did not want to offend the Prince Cheng's Mansion or the Imperial Consort in the palace.
They regretted that they were just sitting there and not leaving, as if they were colluding with Princess Zhaoning.
No need for formalities.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Everyone rose to their feet, not daring to raise their heads even slightly. The only one in the pavilion who wasn't intimidated by Su Wanyue's status was probably Princess Zhaoning. She openly sized Su Wanyue up and down without any restraint. Meeting Princess Zhaoning's undisguised gaze, Su Wanyue softly spoke, "This must be Princess Zhaoning."
Princess Zhaoning replied arrogantly with a disdainful expression, "Yes."
In her eyes, the Princess Cheng in front of her had nothing but a beautiful face and a good family background.
The noble ladies wished they could disappear on the spot. No matter what, Princess Cheng was still the daughter-in-law of the imperial family, the principal wife of the prince, and a princess of another country. Even the Crown Princess would not treat Princess Cheng this way. The current Crown Princess was not Princess Zhaoning, but her elder sister. Where did Princess Zhaoning get her confidence?
Su Wanyue's voice was calm, her eyes like water, "Does the princess know what 'a gentleman focuses on the fundamentals, and when the fundamentals are established, the way will naturally arise' means?"[2]
She was lecturing her.
Princess Zhaoning found it absurd. She was the daughter of a meritorious official, born into a prestigious family. Her elder sister was the Crown Princess, and her ancestors had even produced an Empress. If she didn't know what the rules were, then who was qualified to talk about them?
Princess Zhaoning immediately raised her eyebrows and said, "What does Your Highness Princess Cheng mean by this? Could it be that you are jealous because you also like Brother Xiao Yu, and you intend to frame me?"
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei and Xiao Yu were both in the Qianqing Palace. The Emperor looked at the memorials they presented and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince is concerned about the people and works diligently. I am very satisfied with this. However, as the heir apparent, one cannot have ideas but lack the courage. The Crown Prince should learn from your third brother when it comes to making decisions."
Xiao Ruofei naturally understood his father's unspoken meaning: when it came to catching corrupt officials, none of the princes could compare to Xiao Yu, because... all the people he caught were officials who depended on the Eastern Palace for their livelihood.
Xiao Ruofei forced a smile and said, "Yes, Father."
Eunuch Zhou hurriedly refilled the Emperor's cup with hot tea. Just then, a eunuch who had been guarding outside came in, seemingly to secretly report the truth to the Crown Prince. The Emperor simply asked directly, "What's wrong?"
The eunuch, in a humble manner, reported, "Your Majesty, Qi, a close attendant of His Highness the Crown Prince, has come over and says he has something to inform His Highness."
"Let him in to report."
Wei Qi was a close attendant of the Crown Prince. He had been injured while serving the Crown Prince and had a scar on his right cheek. He entered the hall with neither arrogance nor servility and reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Zhaoning and Consort Cheng have had a dispute."
The Emperor frowned. "What's going on?"
Wei Qi recounted the entire incident to the Emperor, including how Princess Zhaoning initially spoke rudely, and how she attempted to refute the advice of Princess Cheng, but failed. Princess Zhaoning was rendered speechless by Princess Cheng's words and began to cry and make a scene in the East Palace, where she was now threatening suicide.
"This is utterly absurd, Your Highness. Zhao Ning is willful by nature. In the past, because of her father and brothers, you and the Crown Princess have been quite indulgent towards her. But if this continues, she will only become arrogant and ignorant. I think Your Highness understands what to do next."
"Your subject understands."
“The Princess Consort has been wronged today. Eunuch Zhou, please send the newly acquired bolts of cloud-patterned brocade to the Princess Consort’s residence.”
His Majesty may favor the Crown Prince, but he won't do it too openly, as is the case now.
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
The emperor glanced silently at Xiao Yu, whose face was as handsome as jade and whose expression was calm. This son was the most unpredictable person. At least the crown prince had a weakness, but this son had no weakness at all. Moreover, it was rumored in the capital that Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng had a harmonious relationship. Today, it was his princess who had a dispute with him. However, the emperor could not guess what he meant.
With such an incident at the Eastern Palace, Xiao Ruofei naturally had to rush back, and Xiao Yu also asked the Emperor for leave and went to the Eastern Palace.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
"His Highness Prince Cheng has arrived."
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