Chapter 8: Before the storm had even passed, was her life really that lucky?
Chu Yueyuan put down her teacup and said with a smile, "Madam Du, please excuse the formalities. Someone, please bring a seat and some tea."
Jin Tong brought over a rosewood armchair. After Du Shi sat down, she first inquired carefully about Xiao Yun's daily life, subtly probing whether her stepmother, Chu Yueyuan, had mistreated her precious grandson.
Xiao Yun naturally showered Chu Yueyuan with praise.
Hearing these words, Du felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
As the saying goes, "One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade." Seeing that his own daughter had risked her life to give birth to a son, yet he showed extra affection for Lady Hu's daughter, the young Empress Dowager was the one who benefited, enjoying wealth and luxury under the tree's shade.
Unfortunately, she could only enter the palace once a month, unlike the young empress dowager who could coax her grandson every day.
Suppressing her resentment, Madam Du put on a concerned expression, took Chu Yueyuan's hand, and said worriedly:
"Ever since hearing about what happened on the night of the palace coup, Your Highness's father and his wife have been filled with anxiety and have not been able to sleep for several nights. Fortunately, Your Highness and the Emperor are blessed with good fortune and have escaped this calamity. With Your Highness taking good care of His Majesty in the palace, His Highness can now rest easy."
Chu Yueyuan withdrew her hand from Madam Du's palm without changing her expression, and smiled faintly: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Chu and Madam Du. Your Majesty and I are doing well in the palace."
Seeing the Empress Dowager's lukewarm attitude, Madam Du's eyes twitched slightly. She picked up the cloud-mist tea from the tea table, took a small sip, and after a moment of silence, said with a smile:
"Does Your Highness still remember the heir apparent of the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, which is adjacent to ours?"
Chu Yueyuan lowered her eyes and said indifferently, "I don't remember much about my childhood. I only remember that Prince Meng was a young man who liked to practice martial arts."
Madam Du smiled and said, "To be honest, Prince Meng and His Highness are about the same age. When he was a child, whenever he came to visit our mansion, he would clamor to play with you. This year, there are many things going on in the capital, and it seems that the imperial examinations will not be held again. Seeing that he would not be able to become the top military scholar, he left a letter and ran away to the Northwest to join the army without telling his family. This matter has made the Countess very worried!"
Du Shi spoke with great enthusiasm about all the interesting things that had happened in the capital since Chu Yueyuan entered the palace, her tone so familiar that it was as if they were a mother and daughter.
Chu Yueyuan couldn't figure out what Madam Du was thinking, so she responded only half-heartedly.
Xiao Yun listened intently, his eyelids drooping, so bored he was almost falling asleep.
The conversation, like a rag about to be wrung out, grew drier with each passing moment. Du, however, felt no embarrassment. She gently swirled her teacup, her gaze falling on the bright face of the woman opposite her. A glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes, as if she were casually mentioning:
"By the way, Your Highness, are you aware that Prime Minister Shen's grandson, Shen Zizhan, has finished his duties as the salt inspector in Jiangnan and has returned to the capital not long ago!"
Inside the warm pavilion, both Granny Xu and Jin Tong's expressions changed abruptly.
Who was Shen Zizhan?
He was the grandson of Shen Xianggong, the Grand Secretary of three dynasties. His father was a duke or marquis of the current dynasty, and his mother was also from a prestigious family.
Shen Langjun was born into an extraordinary family, with a handsome appearance, a refined temperament, and outstanding talent. At a young age, he was promoted to the position of Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, which can be described as a promising future.
When the news spread that Pei Muwei had been exiled to Beiting by Emperor Wu, half of the noble ladies in the capital were heartbroken. Fortunately, Shen Zizhan, a gentleman of jade, held the hearts of the other half of the noble ladies.
As for a noble young man like Shen Zizhan, who was of noble birth and exceptionally talented, Chu Yueyuan could only admire his demeanor from afar at poetry gatherings or flower-viewing banquets held by princes and nobles, just like other young ladies who were just beginning to experience love.
Until a year and a half ago, Chu Yueyuan unexpectedly became entangled with Shen Zizhan at a plum blossom viewing banquet hosted by the Princess Consort.
There are many different stories in the capital about how the two met.
Rumor has it that the second daughter of the Chu family soiled her dress during the banquet, so she went to the guest room to change.
However, the maid who was in charge of leading the way was clumsy and mistakenly led Miss Chu into the guest room where the men were resting. When Miss Chu had changed half of her clothes, she bumped into Shen Zizhan, who was going back to the room to get his cloak.
A man and a woman were alone in a room, the woman's clothes were wet and half-undone. No one but the two people involved could understand the truth of the matter.
However, this rumor has too many flaws. Someone pointed out that the maids in the Prince's mansion had been working there for many years, so how could they have mixed up the guest rooms for men and women?
It is likely that Miss Chu did this intentionally, deliberately soiling her clothes during the banquet, and then sneaking into the men's guest room while the servants of the Prince's mansion were busy with the banquet in the front yard. She was willing to ruin her reputation in order to take the opportunity to get close to a nobleman like Shen Zizhan.
At that time, people in the capital were mocking Chu Yueyuan for wasting her efforts. How could the Duke and Duchess of Shen, a noble family with a promising future, allow their eldest son to marry such a troublesome woman?
A gentleman understands righteousness, and Shen Zizhan was an outstanding example of a gentleman.
It is unknown how he persuaded the Duke and Duchess, but in any case, when the rumors about the two were at their peak in the capital, the Duchess sent a matchmaker to the Chu family to deliver betrothal gifts, which finally silenced the gossip.
Not long after, Shen Zizhan took on the post of salt inspector in Yangzhou, and the two set their marriage for a year later, waiting for Shen Zizhan to return to the capital to complete the wedding.
Who would have thought that this marriage, which seemed to be a done deal, would take an unexpected turn within just one year.
First, Consort Chun gave birth to a prince in the palace, but soon after, she contracted a serious illness and died. Then, less than a month later, the Chu family received an imperial edict from the Inner Palace Department to officially appoint her as empress.
The marriage between the talented scholar and the beautiful woman ended without a trace, leaving only the people of the capital to reminisce and make fun of it when they had tea.
When Shen Zizhan is mentioned, people will naturally praise him from the bottom of their hearts, saying that Shen Lang is of noble character and values loyalty and righteousness.
When Chu Yueyuan is mentioned again, people often chuckle and say that she is lucky. Born a sparrow, she entered the palace and became a true golden phoenix, even though she did not marry into the Shen family.
Is she really lucky?
On the huanghuali tea table with phoenix patterns, wisps of smoke rise from the gilded lion-shaped incense burner.
Chu Yueyuan half-closed her eyes, wisps of green smoke swirling around her, making her features appear hazy and ethereal.
She raised her hand, her fair fingertips lightly brushing against the wisps of smoke, which immediately drifted and dispersed from her fingertips.
"At a time when the court is in dire need of capable people, Governor Shen is an invaluable talent. After he returns to the capital, he will surely be able to serve His Majesty and the Regent."
Du stared intently at the young empress dowager's reaction, but the woman opposite her remained calm and composed, her tone extremely indifferent when she spoke of old friends.
A hint of displeasure flashed across Madam Du's eyes. She put down her teacup, her expression changing swiftly as she smiled and said, "I am here today at my husband's behest to bring you some jewelry that you left in your boudoir."
After speaking, the maid behind Madam Du placed a box of agate jewelry with floral patterns on the rosewood tea table with phoenix patterns between the two of them.
With a smile, Du opened the box, and a dazzling light illuminated the woman's long, bright eyes.
Chu Yueyuan raised her eyebrows slightly, looked up at Madam Du, and asked in a puzzled tone, "What does Madam Du mean by this?"
Madam Du smiled and said, “There are many places in the palace where money is needed. When Wan’er was managing Chaoyun Palace, her monthly allowance was not enough to reward the palace servants. Fengqi Palace is much larger than Chaoyun Palace and has more palace servants. Therefore, the ‘jewelry’ we have prepared for Your Highness is twice that of your sister.”
Du pushed the heavy box of agate jewelry with intertwined flowers toward the woman, and her previously hunched back straightened up without her realizing it.
Silence fell over the warm pavilion. Xiao Yun leaned his head on the rosewood armrest and snored softly.
Du's eyes gleamed, and a smug smile played on her lips as she confidently awaited the woman's decision.
She still remembered the first time she visited Chu Wanxi in the palace. Her daughter was full of worries and complained that the monthly allowance allocated by the Inner Palace Administration was too little. She asked her to find a way to send money to maintain her dignity and honor as the head of the palace.
Of course, Chu Wanxi also used the money sent from her family to secure benefits for both the Chu and Du families in front of the emperor.
Now that Chu Yueyuan has become the mistress of the harem, Chu Shuheng and Madam Du sent over the prepared gold and silver jewelry before she could even speak.
Chu Yueyuan stared silently at the cloud and peacock pattern embroidered on Du's blue silk robe. After a long while, she pushed the heavy jewelry box back, her tone turning cold:
"On the day I left the Chu residence, I took all the ornaments with me. This box of jewelry is probably something my sister left behind at the Chu residence."
A hint of surprise flashed across Du's eyes, and the corners of her lips suddenly fell downwards.
However, with many palace servants present in the warm pavilion, she couldn't be too blunt, and her smile became increasingly unnatural.
"Blood ties connect you. Even if your Highness's bones are broken, the tendons still connect you. Your Majesty, why don't you think about this jewelry box again? Did Your Highness leave it at your residence before entering the palace?"
Chu Yueyuan leaned back in the phoenix chair, took the Suzhou embroidered koi-patterned round fan handed to her by Jin Tong, held the ivory handle with two fingers, and fanned herself slowly and gently, with two strands of black hair hanging down her temples swaying leisurely in the breeze.
"I am in my prime, with sharp eyes and ears, and I certainly won't be mistaken. It is Madam Du who is getting on in years and her mind is bound to become confused. The Inner Palace has a lot of ginseng and lingzhi from Liaodong, so Madam Du might as well take some back to her residence to nourish her body."
Jin Tong, who had retreated under the phoenix-patterned doorway, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Madam Du gritted her teeth, her face grim. She picked up the white jade cup, took a sip of tea, turned to look at the fragrant peonies outside the window, and said in a cold voice:
"The Lady knows that Your Highness has been harboring resentment because of the First Madam's affair... Your father and I, however, have moved on. People always have to look forward. Your Highness is now all alone in the inner palace. Without the support of your maternal family, you are destined to face many difficulties."
"On my way here, I overheard several palace servants whispering in the corner, saying that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been staying at Phoenix Perch Palace for three months, but has never rewarded the servants. In previous years, they would at least receive a couple of strings of cash as a reward during the Flower Festival. But this year, with such a stingy new mistress at Phoenix Perch Palace, it seems she won't be able to allocate a single penny for the Flower Festival..."
Chu Yueyuan sat up straight, holding a round fan to cover her cherry lips. Her bright eyes, which were visible outside the fan, widened slightly, and she spoke with surprise:
"Oh, is that so? Granny Xu, go outside and investigate. Find out which palace servants are ignorant of the rules and dare to talk about me behind my back."
"This servant obeys."
After Xu Mama left, Chu Yueyuan smiled sweetly at Madam Du: "Madam Du's teacup is almost empty, Jintong, please quickly add some tea to Madam's cup."
Jin Tong bowed slightly, picked up the gilded teapot, and poured steaming hot tea into the cup.
As the water dripped steadily from the water clock, Du, who had initially been confident of victory, gradually became uneasy.
The young girl who was once at her mercy, after only a few days in the palace, must have gotten so bold that she actually believed that by wearing the phoenix robe, she could transform into a golden phoenix.
Du calmed herself down; she wanted to see what kind of trouble the young empress dowager could stir up in front of her.
As expected of an old maid who had once worked in the palace, Granny Xu was able to identify the palace servants who were stirring up trouble in Fengqi Palace in less than half an incense stick's time.
A note from the author:
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Thank you to reader "Fairy Shopping Without Reason" for the nutrient solution, and to "Night Flight Westward" for the big rocket! Sending love!
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