Chapter 19, "Pity".
==Chapter Nineteen: Clash of Titans==
The Seventh Princess had no choice but to leave the pavilion, but she didn't go far. She waited for Su Wanyue right below the pavilion. Su Wanyue took a deep breath and said in a clear voice, "Your Highness, please speak freely."
Xiao Ruofei adopted a gentle demeanor in front of her, "I've long heard of your intelligence, Third Sister-in-law. I wonder if you have any understanding of the situation in the capital?"
Su Wanyue: "Your Highness is too kind. I have been living in seclusion for a long time and am not very familiar with the situation in the capital. If Your Highness is lacking in talent, you should not have come to me."
“It’s normal that my third sister-in-law doesn’t understand the situation. But does she understand the principle of ‘choosing a strong tree to perch on’?” Seeing that she couldn’t understand his implied meaning no matter what, Xiao Ruofei was annoyed and his face tightened.
"What does Your Highness consider 'strong wood'?"
"A person who can rise above others and make those 'rotten wood' only look up to them is a 'strong wood'."
Su Wanyue remained polite throughout, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but want to laugh, wondering if the Crown Prince was referring to other princes as "rotten wood."
At this moment, the eunuch standing behind the crown prince whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, Prince Cheng has arrived."
Xiao Ruofei's expression immediately changed, a smile appearing on his lips as he looked at the newcomer, "Why has Third Brother come to the palace at this time?"
With his wide sleeves, Xiao Yu calmly stepped onto the pavilion and said, "Your subject is entering the palace to pay respects to Mother."
Xiao Ruofei's smile was somewhat insincere. "I see. It's getting late, so I won't bother you two any longer."
As he left, Xiao Ruofei glanced at Su Wanyue, but Su Wanyue's gaze did not fall on the Crown Prince at all. This made the Crown Prince feel a chill in his heart. This princess from Nanqiong really did not know what it meant to choose the strongest tree to perch on. She followed Xiao Yu and would only be an ordinary princess in this life. Why would she want to be with him? If her heart belonged to him and she helped him pass on the news of becoming king, then when he ascended the throne, he would definitely not hold a grudge and make her a noble consort.
As soon as the Crown Prince left, the Seventh Princess ran excitedly to the pavilion, grabbed Su Wanyue's arm, and asked, "Sister-in-law, what did Brother Crown Prince just say to you?"
With her nominal husband beside her, Su Wanyue spoke very softly, "We only talked about Princess Zhaoning a few times, nothing else."
The Seventh Princess was innocent and naive, and upon hearing this, she didn't think much of it and simply said "Oh." Xiao Yu, on the other hand, had a deep look in his eyes.
The three went to Chengqian Palace, where Consort Qin resided. The Emperor's carriage was placed at the palace gate. It was the Emperor's arrival at Chengqian Palace. When Eunuch Zhou saw Xiao Yu and his wife, as well as the Seventh Princess, his face was full of smiles, and he gave a deep bow.
The next moment, Consort Qin's languid and charming voice came from the inner hall, "Is it Weiyang and Xiaoqi who have returned? Quickly let them in."
Inside, the Emperor and Consort Qin sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed). Consort Qin peeled an orange and handed it to the Emperor, who took a bite. Consort Qin immediately covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes filled with tender affection.
"Greetings to Father Emperor and Mother Consort."
"Yu'er is here too." Consort Qin raised her eyes. "It just so happens that your father is also here today. The three of you can leave the palace after you have lunch."
The food in the palace was much more refined than that outside the palace. Because the Emperor was present, there were a total of forty-eight dishes. Just as Consort Qin was about to serve the Emperor some food, the Emperor pressed down on her wrist and said in a pained tone, "I can't bear to let Consort Qin serve me food. You've been working hard these days, so eat more."
To outsiders, the Emperor's favor towards the Imperial Concubine is unparalleled in the harem. But if he truly loves her, why does he indulge the Crown Prince so much that the Crown Prince has become so arrogant and forgets his place?
Su Wanyue was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the yellow glazed bowl in front of her. Xiao Yu sat next to her and picked up a piece or two of roast goose meat for her.
Su Wanyue came to her senses and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The Emperor commented calmly, "My son has become much gentler and more considerate since he got married."
Consort Qin smiled, "I think so too. After Yu'er got married, he also knows how to cherish women."
The Emperor smiled, then casually changed the subject, "I've heard that the Xie family intends to form a marriage alliance with the Mu family."
Consort Qin pretended to be stunned for a moment, then pondered for a long time, "Madam Xie does have this idea, but Miss Xie doesn't seem to be too happy about it."
The Emperor seemed quite interested, and said "Oh," then asked, "Why is that?"
Consort Qin's eyes held a hint of coquettishness as she scolded the Emperor, "Your Majesty, you've forgotten that the young general is honest and simple. Although he has been trained in the military, he is not particularly proficient in either literature or martial arts. Miss Xie is a talented woman, and of course she would prefer to marry a man who is skilled in both literature and martial arts."
Everyone in the capital knew that Mu Ziyi was a dashing young man who had joined the army early on thanks to his father's military achievements. However, he was all brawn and no brains and was neither good at literature nor martial arts. This angered General Dingguo so much that he wanted to whip him several times. General Dingguo had previously said that his son had not inherited even a trace of his ambition, which was a great pity.
The Emperor picked up a piece of peony fish slice with a silver pick, chewed it slowly, and said, “I think this marriage is a good one.”
Consort Qin covered her lips with her long sleeve and took a sip of plum wine. A marriage between a civil official's family and a military general's family is not a good match. If the Empress knew, she would be so angry that she wouldn't even be able to eat.
After finishing his meal, the Emperor did not intend to leave. He sent Eunuch Zhou to escort Xiao Yu and his wife, along with the Seventh Princess, to the palace gate.
Eunuch Zhou cheerfully escorted the three to the palace gate: "Your Highness, Princess Consort, please take care."
Before getting into the carriage, the Seventh Princess hugged Su Wanyue and said she would visit her at the Prince Cheng's Mansion when the weather was cooler.
Perhaps to show their affection in public, Xiao Yu put his arm around Su Wanyue's waist and pulled her up to the carriage, saying, "The Crown Prince's temperament is unpredictable, so don't get too close to the Eastern Palace."
This was the second time he had reminded her. Su Wanyue's eyes were gentle and graceful as she lowered them. "I understand."
***
As August approached, the weather grew increasingly hot, as if one were surrounded by a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). Several plates of ice had to be placed in the Zixia Palace every day. Su Wanyue had no appetite for several days and could only satisfy her cravings by drinking plum and lychee drinks.
Qin'er went out to buy some things today and brought back two candied hawthorns for her. She also heard some rumors circulating in the neighborhood: "This servant thinks that the marriage between the Duke of Xie's mansion and the General of Dingguo's mansion is a sure thing."
"Miss Xie and General Mu are well-matched in terms of social standing. If they are compatible, it would be a wonderful marriage."
The daughter of a civil official and the young master of a military family—isn't that the perfect match from the classic Chinese novels? Qin'er thought this marriage was wonderful. However, through this marriage, Qin'er thought of her own princess and the second young master. If it weren't for the later incident with Princess Weiyang, wouldn't everyone have praised the princess and the second young master's marriage?
The mistress and servant were chatting and laughing when a maid knocked on the door. "Your Highness, the steward requests an audience."
A moment later, the honest and steady steward with white hair and beard walked in. "This old servant greets Your Highness."
Su Wanyue softly called out "Rise," and the steward stood up respectfully. "Your Highness, this old servant has come today to ask Your Highness about something."
Su Wanyue sat up straight. "Please speak, butler."
"His Highness's birthday is on the seventh day of next month. I wonder what the Princess Consort plans to do?"
Su Wanyue was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. Back in Nanqiong, it was always others who celebrated her birthday; she had no experience hosting a birthday banquet. However, she reacted quickly, her gentle voice asking, "How were things arranged in previous years?"
“The Prince Cheng’s residence holds a birthday banquet every year, inviting opera troupes from outside to perform. On His Highness’s birthday, several princes in the capital and various ministers from the court will come. This year’s situation is a little different from previous years, so this old servant has come to ask the Princess Consort for her opinion.”
As he spoke, the butler frowned and muttered, "The rest is fine, but the opera is the same every year, which is a bit monotonous."
Su Wanyue understood the steward's unspoken meaning: in previous years, when there was no mistress in the manor, the banquet might have been uneventful and would have passed without much novelty. But this year, with a mistress in the manor, the banquet needed to be more innovative to avoid making it boring.
Su Wanyue recalled how she celebrated her birthday in Nanqiong, pondered for a long time, and asked, "Are there dancers in the manor?"
The butler nodded hurriedly, "Yes."
From the imperial court to the homes of officials, banquets are held in Beili. These banquets are always accompanied by music, dance, and singing, so there are bound to be dancers.
"Who is the dancer in charge of the music?"
"It's Su Niang. Su Niang came from the Palace Music Bureau. She arranges the dance music for every banquet."
Su Wanyue told the steward that she wanted to see Su Niang. The steward, being the kind of person he was, immediately understood that the princess was planning to make a fuss about the dance music, and immediately summoned Su Niang to Zixia Palace.
With so few servants in the Prince's mansion, the news spread like wildfire, and even the study in the front courtyard was not spared.
Perhaps surprised, Xie Cheng smiled, a rare occurrence, with a hint of teasing, "It seems the Princess Consort truly cares about His Highness."
However, as far as Xie Cheng knew, Princess Nanqiong Weiyang was not good at dancing. How could someone who was not good at dancing choreograph her own dance? Xie Cheng had some doubts, and his smile was somewhat superficial.
Xiao Yu's pupils were as black as ink. He glanced at Xie Cheng indifferently, and Xie Cheng smiled and stood up, "Then I'll take my leave."
On this day, Xiao Yu arrived at Zixia Palace half an hour earlier than usual. The crimson sunset in the evening was like a beautiful painting, gently overlooking the entire imperial city.
"Your Highness." Qin'er had just come out of the palace when she bumped into Xiao Yu. Qin'er curtsied.
The inner palace was much cooler than the outside. Su Wanyue had already heard the commotion outside. She gracefully climbed up from the chaise longue, stroked her smooth black hair, and softly called out, "Your Highness."
"What is the princess doing?" Xiao Yu placed his large hand on her jade-like shoulder and sat down beside her.
Su Wanyue answered honestly, "I'm reading a book."
The book she was reading today was a martial arts chronicle, which showed she had become quite studious. Xiao Yu shifted his gaze from the book to her, noticing she seemed more eager to learn. "I heard the Princess Consort plans to choreograph a dance herself."
Su Wanyue pursed her lips slightly, her eyes shimmering like water, and her eyelashes fluttered gently. "It's not dance music, it's opera."
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