0037 Jade Exquisite (Part 3)
Madam Li welcomed the prince all the way to Qichuan Hall, then took Shu Wei, who was a beat behind as she entered, by the hand and bowed to him again.
The positioning for the greeting was quite clever; with Madam Li and Shu Wei standing side by side, they perfectly covered the faces of Shu Fu and Shu Yin.
Only then did Shu Fu realize the identity of the young man in front of her.
The young man's name was Li Qiao, and he was of the same generation as Li Miao, both of whom had the radical "wood" in their names. He inherited the title of Prince of Wuwei two years ago and now holds a sinecure at the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.
She had never heard of this person before, so she could only keep this matter in mind and find out more about him from Li Miao when she had the chance.
While Shu Fu was soaring through the air, Old Madam Li, using the force of Li Qiao helping her up, took the opportunity to put Shu Wei and Li Qiao's hands together.
"The banquet will probably take some time to be served. Why don't you and Wei'er take a stroll around my humble abode? Although my abode is small, my late husband put a lot of thought into the garden design. I think it should be able to meet your esteemed opinion."
Li Qiao responded without hesitation.
After Shu Wei and Li Qiao left, Madam Li found an excuse to call Shu Fu and Luo Shi into the inner hall.
Shu Fu lingered half a step behind. When she went in, Madam Luo was supporting Old Madam Li as they stood in front of the openwork diamond-shaped window.
"grandmother."
Hearing her voice, Madam Li glanced at her indifferently and gestured for her to come forward and stand with her.
Shufu stood by the window and looked up to see a pair of figures silhouetted against the backdrop of the slanting branches in the courtyard.
The man was tall and imposing, while the woman was petite and graceful.
They are truly a perfect couple.
"Did you see it?" asked Madam Li.
"What does Grandmother want me to see?" Shuf asked instead of answering.
"Your elder sister and the Prince of Wuwei," Old Madam Li had been standing for a long time, and her knees, which were prone to rheumatism, could no longer support her, so she went back to the inner hall and found a chair to sit down. "The two of them are in love and mutually attracted. After this year, the Prince of Wuwei will send someone to come and discuss the marriage."
Shu Fu paused in her motion as she sat down, but eventually sat down slowly.
Madam Luo was the first to lose her composure: "Auntie, is what you're saying true? I've never heard anyone mention this before."
Madam Li sneered, "With your sickly body, and all your scheming focused on how to suppress your concubines and play mind games, how could you possibly pay attention to these things?"
Luo's face turned pale, and she was choked and unable to speak.
“This matter cannot be entirely blamed on Mother. Mother has been in poor health for many years, and she has to do all the big and small things in the house herself, so it is inevitable that she will neglect her elder sister.”
Not to mention the eldest sister, even if someone suddenly appeared in her room, wouldn't Madam Luo still not have noticed?
"Wei'er will be listed in the royal register and become a princess consort in the future, so her reputation cannot be blemished in the slightest."
Shu Fu's heart skipped a beat as she listened to Madam Li's tone, vaguely guessing what was going on.
As expected, Madam Li continued, "The matter of the Spring Festival banquet was entirely due to Second Madam's lax management of her subordinates, which allowed her maids to act recklessly. Considering that Second Madam is still young, it is understandable that she might have been caught off guard. Therefore, I will hand-copy ten copies of the 'Admonitions for Women' by the great master Ban Gu as a minor punishment."
“But Auntie—” Madam Luo said, “Ah Fu clearly did nothing wrong, how can you punish her like this?”
"The matter of the Spring Festival banquet needs to be addressed. This whole affair started because of Second Madam, so it's most appropriate for her to clean up the mess. Besides..."
Madam Li's gaze suddenly sharpened as she glanced at Madam Luo: "I know you feel sorry for Second Mother, but you might as well think about Young Master. Prince Wuwei is a close relative of the royal family. When Young Master enters officialdom in the future, he may very well need his favor. You've offended him now because of some minor friction between Wei'er and Second Mother. Who knows if you won't regret it in the future!"
Luo was taken aback, looked at Shu Fu with a guilty look, then lowered her head and remained silent no matter how much Shu Fu looked at her.
The latticework of the diamond-shaped window cast dappled shadows on the floor, and an occasional breeze cooled the sweat on Shu Fu's back. (Note: The last part, "Hong Shaorou, add group 2001," appears to be unrelated and likely refers to another group or online chat.)
She had never felt so lost and helpless before.
She thought her upright and incorruptible grandmother had been unreasonably biased towards her eldest sister; she thought her gentle and kind mother had pushed her to the forefront only to retreat back, leaving her alone to bear her grandmother's harshness.
Perhaps her mother didn't not love her, but her love was certainly based on the premise that everything went smoothly for Shu Mingde.
Her innocence and self-respect at this moment seemed so insignificant compared to Shu Mingde's still distant and uncertain bright future.
The ugliness and misfortune that she had not noticed in her previous smooth days were now exposed to her without any concealment.
She couldn't help but chuckle, then suddenly asked, "What about my third sister?"
Madam Li didn't react for a moment and looked at her with a frown.
Shu Fu added, word by word, "In the end, the one who schemed against the eldest sister was the third sister, and she is also the one who truly suffered. Grandmother made me take the blame for the eldest sister, but how can I take the blame for the suffering of the third sister?"
Madam Li frowned, seemingly not having considered this aspect. After pondering for a moment, she finally said, "Third Sister is gentle and kind. Once this storm has passed, we will find her a suitable family outside the capital and provide her with a proper dowry. Then this matter will be considered closed."
...
Shu Wei and Li Qiao walked along, stopping frequently, with the servants keeping a considerable distance between them.
The courtyard features unusual rocks and beautiful water, with a few swaying bamboos turning green. The sunlight and sky are slanting westward, and the flower petals hang down, silently nestled among the mottled pebbles, highlighting the desolate and quiet scene of the central courtyard.
Li Qiao stopped by a flowerbed, plucked the topmost red peony, and leaned over to tuck it into the dark hair of the woman beside him.
"Master Shu loved simplicity and elegance throughout his life. When I entered the garden, I felt desolate seeing the withered bamboo and cold cypress. Fortunately, the peonies have some color, which is worthy of matching Wei'er's beauty," Li Qiao praised.
Shu Wei lowered her eyes, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She shyly turned her head to the side, revealing a glimpse of her fair neck.
Li Qiao paused, a tickle running through his heart. He continued to put the flower in her hair, but then leaned down, wanting to take the opportunity to kiss her.
Shu Wei didn't intend to dodge, but she caught a faint scent of osmanthus as he leaned closer.
It's not the season for osmanthus blossoms right now, so it's impossible that the flowers picked up on the way here.
Moreover, this subtle, lingering feeling is clearly like being touched by a woman's faint fragrance.
She was startled, but took half a step forward and looked up to meet Li Qiao's astonished expression.
“The Prince has a scent of osmanthus on him, unlike the ambergris and camphor he used to wear.” She composed herself and decided to get straight to the point.
The reason for her breakup with Li Qiao in her previous life was the lack of heart-to-heart communication between them.
In the fifth year after his marriage in his previous life, Li Qiao was promoted to Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of matters related to the imperial clan's genealogy, and his social engagements increased day by day.
At that time, she had just become pregnant with their second child and was in a state of constant anxiety.
The doctor said that she was experiencing excessive worry, a common condition among pregnant women, and that medication was not suitable for her; she only needed to relax and take it easy.
She had tried to comfort herself, but it was always to little avail.
That period was precisely when she needed Li Qiao's company and comfort, but Li Qiao was promoted and was constantly out socializing from early morning to late at night.
She couldn't say much, nor could she blame him, so she could only gently explain her distress to him.
Once, she prepared a sweet soup and waited for him late into the night, her head propped up on her hand, feeling dizzy. She intended to confess her feelings to him, but unexpectedly, he was so drunk that his personal servant had to help him back to the main courtyard.
The servant didn't dare look at her, bowed his head, said "Your Highness" and hurriedly withdrew.
She was suspicious, and as soon as she took Li Qiao's clothes, she smelled the perfume on his collar.
Alarm bells rang in her mind. She lifted the collar of his outer robe, and the mottled red marks on his white inner garment came into view.
—These clothes were put on him by her own hands this morning before he left, when she forced herself to get up despite being sleepy. She was absolutely certain she wouldn't mistake them.
The clothes were clean in the morning, but by night they were in this state.
She had a guess in her mind, and a suffocating pain spread through her body, even causing a slight throbbing in her swollen abdomen.
In life, one can't avoid using two standard approaches to conduct oneself and interact with others.
She could persuade Shufu to be more accepting of her husband taking a concubine, but she absolutely could not tolerate Li Qiao's betrayal of her.
That night, she had a hysterical fight with Li Qiao. No matter how Li Qiao explained, she wouldn't believe him, which angered Li Qiao so much that he didn't enter her yard for several months.
During this time, the newly widowed Shu Yin was taken back to Chang'an by the Shu family. Under the pretext of taking care of Shu Wei, she stayed at the Prince of Wuwei's mansion. Before long, she got entangled with Li Qiao.
Now that she has a second chance, she will not let the past repeat itself.
One reason is that he schemed to make Shu Yin lose her innocence, and another is to avoid misunderstandings with Li Qiao, who currently has the deepest feelings for her.
Upon hearing this, Li Qiao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled calmly.
“What do you mean? So that’s what Wei’er cares about. Before I came here, I was drinking with my brothers at the Prince An’s residence. You know the Prince An’s temperament; he loves to frequent brothels and keep maids. These days, his favorite concubine likes to use osmanthus incense. I suppose it was because the Prince An’s son asked her to pour wine for us that she accidentally got it on her.”
Li Qiao's expression was relaxed and his demeanor was at ease, not like he was faking it.
Shu Wei breathed a slight sigh of relief, ultimately choosing to believe his explanation.
After all, Li Qiao and she were in love at this time. If it weren't for Shu Yin in their previous life, if she had given in earlier, they might not have ended up like that.
Shu Wei smiled brightly: "If that's what Qiao Lang says, then I'll believe it. Just remember not to let me down."
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