Chapter 193: The Vortex
Xue Sui had slept too soundly the previous night and had overslept. By the time she finished dressing, had breakfast, and chatted with Xue Ji for a while, she felt refreshed and went to Shou An Courtyard to pay her respects to the Old Madam.
Inside Shou An Courtyard, Old Madam Cui was holding sandalwood prayer beads, basking in the autumn sun in the warm pavilion.
Fu Shi and Qian Shi sat on either side. Young Lady Xue Yue E, the ninth daughter, was twisting a handkerchief with a listless expression. Young Lady Xue Yue Man, the eighth daughter, was arranging a few candied fruits on a porcelain dish, her eyes showing impatience…
The maids stood with their heads bowed beside the screen, their breathing barely audible…
Scattered embroidery threads and wedding character patterns were laid out on the desk.
Perhaps because there were too many people, the originally spacious warm pavilion felt somewhat cramped and crowded…
“Sixth Girl, you’ve come at just the right time.” Old Madam Cui’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she saw Xue Sui curtsy to pay her respects.
She raised her hand, gesturing for Xue Sui to come closer, her face full of affection, “Take a look at your eighth sister’s wedding dress. The embroidery women worked for half a month to finish this pattern. Isn’t it festive?”
Young Lady Xue Yue Man’s wedding date was set for the day after Dongzhi. Time was a bit tight, and the Xue Mansion was preparing in a rush, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. However, the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion offered a perfunctory explanation, “A concubine’s son marrying, it’s not appropriate to be extravagant,” and politely dismissed the Xue family’s doubts.
Everyone knew that the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion was not satisfied with this marriage.
First Madam Fu Shi paid no attention, and Third Madam managed the household, but she was not the mistress of the eighth daughter, making it difficult to handle everything perfectly.
Old Madam Cui felt as if she had swallowed a fly, and she had no enthusiasm for arranging the wedding.
The entire Xue Mansion was being perfunctory about this wedding…
Xue Sui picked up the embroidery pattern and couldn’t help but smile.
“The stitches are fine, and the colors are bright. Eighth Sister will surely look dignified and beautiful when she wears it.”
Young Lady Xue Yue Man frowned, glanced at the twin lotuses embroidered on the wedding dress, and bit her lip.
When Eldest Sister married, the mansion was filled with nobility; when Second Sister married, she was adorned with pearls and jade; when Third Sister married, the ground was covered with brocade; and when Fourth Sister married, it was even more magnificent. Each wedding was grander than the last, while she felt like an unwanted daughter…
Her eyes couldn’t help but redden, and she twisted her handkerchief.
“Sixth Sister is teasing me again. I am merely a concubine’s daughter, destined by fate to have no such fortune, merely picking up the scraps of dignity left by others. How can I compare to Sixth Sister’s ten-mile dowry back then…”
Everyone knew that the First Branch truly only had Xue Yuechen as their legitimate daughter; all others were concubine’s daughters. Xue Liu’s marriage to Prince Duan was also extremely humble; where did she get a ten-mile dowry from?
Wasn’t this sarcasm?
Xue Yue Lou lightly tapped her teacup and chided with displeasure, “Eighth Sister, what are you saying? You were the one who begged the elders for this marriage, and now you’re blaming others?”
Young Lady Xue Yue Man gritted her teeth, “It’s easy for you to say when you’re married and divorced, returning home. What are you so proud of…”
“You—”
Xue Sui placed a hand on Xue Yue Lou’s arm as she was about to rise and said with a light smile, “Duke of Zheng holds a supreme position in court, and Guo Si Lang is as refined as jade. To marry into such a prestigious family, Eighth Sister should be the one feeling proud. Second Sister, don’t be envious…”
The two of them, singing in harmony, made Xue Yue Man’s face turn red with anger. She tugged at Xue Yue E, wanting her to chime in.
Xue Yue E, however, lowered her head, pretending not to see.
She was also in a terrible state right now.
The child Xue Yue Ying had with Prince Wei was like a thorn in Ninth Sister’s heart. Moreover, Prince Wei had several children, and being a stepmother was not easy…
Especially after she inexplicably “attempted suicide” last time, and they still couldn’t find out who harmed her. Even with a hundred mouths, she couldn’t explain it clearly. There were even rumors that she had another lover, which was why she tried to refuse the marriage by ending her life…
Heaven and Earth as my witness, she wanted to be Prince Wei’s Consort more than anyone. How could she have sought death?
“Ninth Sister, Eighth Sister is calling you?”
Xue Sui’s voice, laced with a half-smile, startled Xue Yue E, making her pupils widen.
She suddenly looked up, and seeing Xue Sui’s gentle smile, it was as if a cold current had doused her head…
When she spoke again, she suddenly began to stammer…
“Sixth Sister is right. The Duke of Zheng’s Mansion is a prestigious family, and Eighth Sister is marrying a suitable husband. Her life will surely be smooth…”
Xue Yue Man trembled with anger, “Ninth Sister!”
“Ninth Sister is a straightforward person,” Xue Sui interrupted before Eighth Sister could finish, chuckling lightly, “Coincidentally, the Prince rewarded me with a set of filigree hair ornaments a few days ago. I’ll send someone to deliver it to Ninth Sister as a wedding gift.”
A faint blush spread across Xue Yue E’s pale face.
It wasn’t a feeling of surprise, but rather inexplicable fear.
“Thank you, Sixth Sister…”
Xue Yue Man gritted her teeth in hatred.
This Xue Liu was so two-faced, clearly using this opportunity to establish her authority, wanting to tell everyone that those who obey her will prosper, and those who defy her will perish…
It was too lawless.
Since when did a discarded daughter in the Xue Mansion have the right to dictate things?
“Mother…” Xue Yue Man had just called out to Fu Shi when a messenger announced from outside.
“Master is back!”
The painted quail birds under the eaves flapped their wings, scattering a flurry of fallen leaves.
Xue Qingzhi stepped into the courtyard, treading on ginkgo leaves that looked like scattered gold, his face as solemn as if covered in frost.
“What’s wrong today?” Old Madam Cui saw her son’s ashen face and tapped her prayer beads against a small table.
Xue Qingzhi clasped his hands in greeting and sat down by a chair with intertwined wood carvings.
“At the imperial court today, we learned that King Xizi personally led a hundred thousand cavalry to station troops at Chishui Pass. Crown Prince requested to lead the expedition, which incurred the Emperor’s great wrath…”
Old Madam Cui’s teacup trembled in her hand, “The Crown Prince, with his precious body, how can he lightly venture into danger?”
“Isn’t that so…” Xue Qingzhi picked up the teacup handed to him by a maid, his brows deeply furrowed.
“His Majesty reprimanded the Crown Prince on the spot, calling him reckless. However, Lu You’an submitted a military order, vowing to repel the enemy and retrieve the imperial grandson, earning His Majesty’s favor and the praise of the entire court…”
He suddenly looked at Xue Sui, his gaze intense, “Today His Majesty inquired about Prince Duan and learned that His Highness claimed to be ill and at home. You should also return to your mansion to check on him…”
This was an eviction.
Xue Sui was pouring tea for the Old Madam. She looked up and smiled at the sound, asking a question instead of answering.
“Did the Xizi scout that Father captured the night before last reveal anything?”
Xue Qingzhi’s heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
“Women in the inner chambers should not inquire about such matters carelessly.”
“Father is being foolish.” Xue Sui calmly put down the teapot and turned to curtsy with composure, “The Xue family is already in a precarious situation. Do we still need to cover for the Zhang family?”
Her voice was clear and cold, like an ice pick piercing the bone.
“Self-preservation is the most important task right now.”
Xue Qingzhi stared at her sharply.
If he hadn’t seen her grow up to the age of eight with his own eyes, he would have suspected that this daughter, who possessed extraordinary courage, had been swapped with someone else…
Why did Xue Liu have such keen intuition?
The night before last, the Ministry of Justice had indeed found evidence of Zhang Huaiyi colluding with the Xizi Merchant Caravan, but he was the brother of Prince Duan’s consort, a man of Prince Duan…
Currently, Prince Duan claimed illness, the Crown Prince requested to fight, and the Emperor was suspicious and wary, clearly not wanting the Crown Prince to wield military power.
The Emperor’s thoughts were difficult to fathom. Presenting Zhang Huaiyi’s evidence at this moment would be akin to putting the Xue family on the fire to roast, pleasing neither side…
He looked at the withered chrysanthemums on the windowsill, sun-baked by the autumn sun, and shook his head, steeling himself.
“Sixth Girl, your father has his own considerations. You shouldn’t speak so much…” Before Old Madam Cui could finish speaking, Xue Sui had already risen and bowed to Xue Qingzhi, her wide sleeves unfurling like flowing clouds, the hem of her skirt brushing the ground.
“Grandmother is right, I was rude.” Xue Sui personally picked up the teapot and, in front of Xue Qingzhi, refilled his cup, “I am merely worried that if Father holds onto the evidence for too long, it will not only lose its value but become a burden…”
The steam rising from the teacup brushed Xue Qingzhi’s face, condensing a misty trace on the window paper.
Xue Qingzhi looked up directly at Xue Sui, his heart suddenly beating a little faster.
“The Ministry of Justice has its own procedures for handling cases. Standing on the wrong side is a hundred times more dangerous than mishandling a task. You are a woman; do not presume to discuss court affairs.”
Old Madam Cui quickly smoothed things over, “Sixth Miss is also worried about the family. Your father just returned home, let him rest a bit…”
Xue Sui seemed not to have heard Old Madam Cui, nor did she pay attention to the female relatives in the room with their varied expressions. She lowered her gaze and smiled lightly.
“Father, how long do you think Prince Duan can protect the Xue family?”
Xue Qingzhi’s hand trembled. Gazing into his daughter’s unfathomable eyes, he vaguely recalled Daoist Master Ling Xu, who had already ascended to immortality…
Could it be that this Sixth Girl truly possessed some divine ability?
He had never doubted that Prince Duan would lose to the Crown Prince before.
Since learning the truth of Consort Xue Shu’s unjust death, and then witnessing the changes in the court’s situation, what he had once been certain of had now become shrouded in mist…
The Crown Prince and Prince Duan are vying for power in the imperial court. Who will emerge victorious, and who is the true dragon, is still uncertain, with the outcome unpredictable.
A gust of autumn wind suddenly blew outside, rustling the bamboo curtain.
Xue Qingzhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
“I’ll go for a walk to Prince Duan’s Mansion.”
