Chapter 3 Who is cursing him?
As dawn broke, Feng Mian got out of bed, put on the old sky-blue shirt that Wu Liu handed him, and went to wash up.
Several palace maids dressed in dark blue dresses were busy setting out breakfast and scenting clothes in the bedroom. When they saw Feng Mian get up, they bowed to her quietly.
The handkerchief was soaked in the warm rose dew in the copper basin. Wu Liu wrung out the water and gently wiped Feng Mian's face, speaking softly to her as she said, "Someone just came to report that His Majesty said that he and the Princess will have lunch together in the Roufei Palace."
Feng Mian nodded, brushed his teeth carefully, took the golden jade cup from Liu Ying's hand, rinsed his mouth several times with sandalwood honey water, and only then did his tense nerves feel a moment of relief.
She barely slept in the latter half of last night, repeatedly trying to recall everything she could remember from her dream, but could only recall a few scattered details related to her.
Because official historical records don't seem to mention definitively what happened to her after she married the Crown Prince's heir, there are many different theories about her fate. Some speculate that she was rescued by the emperor and brought back to Shengjing beforehand; others speculate that the Crown Prince used her to blackmail the emperor, and she was poisoned by him; still others speculate that she died long before the Crown Prince's rebellion.
Feng Mian had no way of knowing which version was true, but at least she knew that "the Crown Prince of Dingbei would rebel." She, her uncle, and many, many others would perish in this coup.
As the initial bone-chilling fear gradually subsided, Feng Mian calmed down. Thinking about her easier marriage, she guessed that these recorded historical facts were not unalterable. Rather than trying to cancel the engagement, she preferred to marry into the family and find a solution, perhaps hoping to prevent a bloody coup.
Emperor Jiayu was not a foolish emperor. The current Yongzheng Emperor was well-governed and prosperous. If the Prince of Dingbei's rebellion was driven by personal desires, she would find a way to kill him before anything else could begin.
It is now the sixteenth year of Chengping, and there are still five years until the twenty-first year of Chengping when the crown prince rebelled. There is still time for everything.
*
In Chengxi Palace, in front of Emperor Jiayu, Consort Rou personally led Feng Mian to a seat and looked at her with a loving expression: "Qingping looks much healthier, it seems that you are really well."
"I should have invited your sister Zhaoning to dine with me today so that she could apologize to you. But considering that she is currently kneeling as punishment in the small Buddhist hall and eating simple meals every day, it would be a reward to break the rule today. So let it go. Let her reflect on her actions and see if she dares to make such a reckless joke again."
The first half of the sentence was spoken to Feng Mian, but the second half was spoken to Emperor Jiayu. It was clearly an attempt to ingratiate herself: Look at our Lian'er, she is seriously being punished and sincerely repenting. She has suffered a lot. After all, this was just a girl's unintentional joke. Let's feel sorry for her and lift the ban for now.
Before Emperor Jiayu could speak, Feng Mian praised, "No wonder everyone praises Your Majesty for being the most fair and selfless. With such a mother, I think Sister Zhaoning will never make an unintentional mistake again."
The smile on Consort Rou's face stiffened almost imperceptibly before she continued, "This little matter is hardly worthy of the words 'fair and impartial.' Any mother should act this way. How can she cover up her children's mistakes? Since Lian'er is being punished and cannot come in person, I, as her mother, will apologize on her behalf."
As Consort Rou spoke, she actually tried to get up to apologize to Feng Mian. Feng Mian quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her, and said sincerely, "Your Highness, there's no need for that. I haven't yet thanked Your Highness for your hard work in facilitating this marriage. If in the future, if I were to have my misfortunes reversed and auspicious stars shine upon me because of the Crown Prince's birth chart, I really wouldn't know how to thank Your Highness."
"Although I fell critically ill because of Sister Zhaoning, I also had the opportunity to turn my luck around and avert disaster because of Your Majesty. In this way, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and merits and demerits can be offset. Your Majesty, please do not mention the matter of apologizing again, and do not send any apology gifts."
As Feng Mian spoke, she gestured to Wu Liu behind her, who then led Liu Ying, who was waiting outside, in and placed down the various gift boxes she was carrying. These were all apologies sent by Consort Rou after she heard that Feng Mian had woken up, and Feng Mian had brought them all back untouched today.
Consort Rou was taken aback and asked, "What does Qingping mean by this?"
“The northern frontier is far away, and there are many bandits along the way, so I thought it best not to bring too much stuff on the road, as it would be a waste of manpower. As for the gold, silver, and jade that Your Majesty gave me, I won’t bring them.” Feng Mian smiled, appearing innocent and naive. “The northern frontier is vast, so why not exchange the gold and silver for land deeds and shops? Then the money will generate more money, and I can buy these things later.”
Her naive remarks amused Emperor Jiayu, who shook his head and said, "What are you thinking, girl? Do you think I'd let you travel alone? The Imperial Guards will escort you all the way. Who would dare to be so blind as to attack the royal convoy? Besides, Shengjing is a hub of transportation; there are some things you can't just buy in the northern frontier."
"Keep the things Consort Rou gave you as part of your dowry. As for the land deeds and shops, I will naturally provide them for you."
Feng Mian happily thanked her and then showered Consort Rou with praise, saying that if the world knew that Consort Rou had added to her dowry, they would surely praise her for being virtuous and kind. This prompted Consort Rou to say, "How can such a small trinket as an apology be worthy of a princess's dowry? Apology items are only for apologies. I have other preparations for Qingping's dowry."
While speaking so generously, Consort Rou's heart was bleeding. The gifts offered as apology, supposedly precious treasures, were actually all items she disliked, merely used to save face and appease her. She had no intention of using her own private treasury to enhance Feng Mian's dowry. Wasn't Feng Mian's dowry, already provided by the Emperor from the treasury, already substantial enough?
Now that I'm being put on such a pedestal, I have no choice but to cut some flesh to save face.
Roufei ate without tasting anything, while Fengmian left happily, like a poor relative who had successfully taken advantage of someone.
She planned to do something big in the northern frontier, so naturally, the more money she had, the better.
Therefore, she was not in a hurry to return to the palace. Instead, she turned and headed towards the East Palace.
Crown Prince Chu Jingze was seven years older than Feng Mian. He had been taken in and carefully taught by Emperor Jiayu since childhood. He even helped take care of the infant Feng Mian, who urinated on more than one of his robes. He treated her even better than his own younger sisters.
Without Feng Mian even having to bring it up, Chu Jingze had already handed over the prepared dowry list.
In His Highness the Crown Prince's neat and solemn study, Feng Mian sat unceremoniously on a rosewood armchair with openwork ruyi cloud patterns, eating snacks while looking at the dowry list in his hand, his smile so wide that his eyes disappeared.
Besides various gold, silver, and jade artifacts, the list also included many small household items, which were incredibly detailed.
Looking at Feng Mian's carefree appearance, Chu Jingze sighed softly: "You're so happy over just a few inanimate objects? You've hardly ever left Shengjing since you were a child. Do you even know what the Northern Frontier is like? With your body, you'd break after just a few gusts of wind there."
"How can you curse people like that?" Feng Mian was not happy, but then she saw the dowry list in her hand and laughed again. "Besides, I have a lot of precious furs that my brother the Crown Prince gave me. I can make cloaks, enough for me to wear seven or eight layers, and I won't wear the same one twice in a month. And these hand warmers, gold, jade, silver... they can bury me in them. How can I be afraid of getting cold?"
Having spent so many years together, Chu Jingze could easily see through Feng Mian's unusual behavior. He immediately asked, "You're not usually this greedy. What, are you planning to run away halfway?"
Is she such an irresponsible person?! Feng Mian gave Chu Jingze a sullen look from above the dowry list, but she couldn't bring herself to say what happened in her dream.
As a child, she suffered greatly because of this dream. At that time, the Empress Dowager believed that she was possessed by evil spirits, so she secretly locked her in a Taoist temple, withheld water and rice, and forced her to drink talisman ash water for seven days, which almost made her die.
Naturally, Chu Jingze wouldn't report that she was still having such dreams, but whether he would believe her was another matter. Even if he did believe her, she still didn't know the situation of the Dingbei Prince's Mansion. There were quite a few wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice in history books. What if the Dingbei Prince wasn't planning a rebellion at this time, but instead they were the ones who forced people into a rebellion?
It is truly unfair to punish people today for the sins of the future.
Feng Mian sighed softly. Did she have any other choice but to accept her fate? Perhaps, as those sorcerers and the Imperial Observatory said, if she married the prince in the Northern Frontier, her health would gradually improve.
Chu Jingze lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unreadable, but he seemed somewhat saddened and annoyed: "If I hadn't been outside the city those few days, I would never have been able to let someone scheme against you like this..."
He received the news and rushed back, but he was still a step too late. Consort Rou had handled the matter very cleanly, and for a time, no one could find any fault with her. One step behind meant another step behind, and the officials of the Eastern Palace did not want him to clash with the powerful Luo family, Consort Rou's maternal clan, over the matter of investigating Feng Mian. Thus, the matter was settled.
"Are you really feeling guilty?" Feng Mian leaned over to peek at his face, then quickly presented him with the dowry list. "Then add some more treasures. If I'm doing better, you'll definitely feel better."
Chu Jingze: "..."
Chu Jingze chuckled, took the dowry list as instructed, and asked, "Tell me, what else do you want?"
Feng Mian eagerly stepped forward and began to select the treasures.
Outside the study, on the gilded and ornate corridor, Liu Yue, a maid carrying a lacquered wooden tray, stomped her foot angrily and glared at the guard blocking the door: "What do you mean the study is a secret place where you can't enter? Princess Qingping can enter, but our Crown Princess can't?"
The guard kept his eyes down, seemingly unmoved by reason.
The Crown Princess, dressed in a light purple gauze dress with silver cloud patterns, accepted the situation well. She simply nodded slightly, then turned and left with Liuyue, offering Liuyue some words of comfort without any hesitation: "After all, the Princess has grown up with the Crown Prince since childhood, and their friendship is deep. How can I, a newlywed Crown Princess, compare? Moreover, the Princess is about to be married off to a distant place, and it will be a rare opportunity for the siblings to reunite. How could she possibly want outsiders to disturb them?"
Her tone was open and generous, and her features were bright and magnanimous. Her overly simple and gentle attire actually overshadowed the heroic spirit in her eyes.
Liu Yue: "Well then, should we leave this lotus seed soup behind? So that the Crown Prince will know the Crown Princess's good intentions."
The Crown Princess waved her hand: "The Crown Prince doesn't have time for soup right now. It won't taste good if it's left out for too long. I'll take it back and eat it myself."
"...My Crown Princess, you've been married into the Eastern Palace for over two months now, why don't you think about winning over the Crown Prince's heart at all..." Liu Yue was at her wits' end with the Crown Princess. Today, she had finally managed to persuade her to come and deliver soup to the Crown Prince, and she even changed into a gentle and elegant dress, but she didn't even see a shadow of the Crown Prince.
"The Crown Prince isn't a donkey; he won't just go wherever a carrot is dangled in his face. I can't handle this kind of thing." The Crown Princess quickened her pace, wanting to leave Liu Yue's lecture behind. "It's really pitiful that Princess Qingping is married off to the Northern Frontier all alone, and that Prince Dingbei's heir is quite a scoundrel. I remember the Crown Prince was thinking of adding to the Princess's dowry; as the Crown Princess, I should also express my gratitude."
When Feng Mian returned to his bedchamber, he received a complete set of finely crafted steel daggers and hidden weapons from the Crown Princess, along with a note written in wild cursive script, instructing him to take them for self-defense and not let anyone bully him.
Feng Mian was overjoyed as she examined the box of cold weapons. She remembered that the Crown Princess Dilan's family managed the armory, and she hadn't expected her to be so generous and unconventional in sending her so many good things. With a knife in hand, she wouldn't panic. She would also ask the maid to teach her some moves, so that she could have a chance to survive if something happened in the future.
This new sister-in-law is truly generous and interesting. After leaving home, she should write to her often, and it would be great if she could get more interesting hidden weapons.
Feng Mian toyed with a palm-sized hidden arrow, imagining the scene of the Prince of Dingbei trying to commit an act of treachery but being shot down by him with a flick of his sleeve, and let out a wicked chuckle.
At this time, the snow in the northern frontier was just melting. The howling cold wind beat against the barbed branches, and the sound of galloping hooves overlapped with the crisp sound of withered leaves being crushed. A young man in light armor rode his horse and drew his bow, his cloak billowing in the wind.
Bai Lixun was intently aiming at a pair of wild geese under the clear sky when he suddenly sneezed just as he was about to release the arrow. The arrow pierced the air and simultaneously pierced the wings of both geese.
The goose fell swiftly to the ground, and he sneezed twice more.
Who is insulting him?
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