Chapter 168: Birthday Offering and Scheming
The twenty-eighth of July marked Empress Dowager Cheng Qing’s seventieth birthday.
Taverns along the street had set up Xiang Fei bamboo curtains, and the steaming vapor, carrying the gamey aroma of mutton soup, wafted across the street. Even the heart protection mirrors of the patrolling Imperial Guards were polished to a gleam—
As dawn broke, the Prince Duan’s Mansion was already bustling.
Before the dressing table, Xue Sui was being adorned by two maids. A hairpin inlaid with tourmaline and kingfisher feathers rested in her cloud-like dark hair, a pair of agate tassel earrings swayed gently from her earlobes, and even the bracelets on her wrists exuded a faint, clear light.
Her pretty face, illuminated by the morning sun, held a watery sheen, both cool and striking.
Upon seeing her, Xue Yuechen let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.
“My sister looks so radiant today. Truly, she is dazzling.”
She was no longer the bullied pushover, Xue Liu, of the past.
“It is you, Elder Sister, who is truly radiant. With such grace and dignity, no other Princess Consort can compare! Just now, even the sparrows on the branches seemed mesmerized.”
Xue Sui’s eyes crinkled with a smile, not sparing any compliments.
Xue Yuechen looked with satisfaction at her sky-blue dress, its ginkgo leaf veins outlined in gold thread, perfectly complementing the season, as if tailor-made for her.
“Let’s go. Don’t delay any longer; we must enter the palace early to avoid gossip.”
As Xue Sui helped her into the carriage, she saw Li Huan riding alone at the front, his expression stern, lost in thought.
Mister Qiu had found him a Nine Dragon Glazed Pottery Cup. He had expected Li Huan to have more clandestine matters to discuss, but he remained inactive, making no further moves.
Could it be that the return of Princess Ruihe to the capital had unsettled him, disrupting his thoughts?
It didn’t seem like it.
Xue Yuechen noticed the coolness of her fingertips and said softly, “Sister, are you feeling unwell, or are you nervous about entering the palace?”
Xue Sui went along with it, replying, “I have never attended such a grand birthday ceremony before, so I am naturally a little apprehensive…”
Xue Yuechen sighed inwardly.
After all, she was a young lady raised outside the family; she lacked some experience.
She comforted her, “Just follow me. As long as you avoid Consort Xiao and her daughter, nothing will go wrong.”
Today, the imperial palace was hosting a grand banquet.
Avoiding Consort Xiao and her daughter—how could that be possible?
Indeed, just past Anren Ward, they saw Princess Ping Le’s imperial sedan chair approaching with great fanfare.
Accompanying her was Princess Ruihe.
Li Yuning’s face was hidden behind the curtain. The white jade hairpin in her hair reflected the morning sun. She was so slender, like a wild grass desperately pushing through the cracks of the palace walls, exuding an indescribable fragility…
Meanwhile, Princess Ping Le’s skirt billowed, her wide sleeves fluttered. Even after being confined to her mansion for a long time and suffering from a chronic illness, her eyes still held an undisguised pride. Her cold and arrogant demeanor had not diminished in the slightest compared to the past.
Her imperial sedan chair swayed gently. She, carrying the stolen Medicine King Sutra embroidered scroll, glanced subtly at the Prince Duan’s Mansion’s carriage, a cold smile playing on her lips.
“Imperial Brother is truly foolish, completely infatuated with that Xue Shi girl.”
Li Yuning coughed softly, twisting a handkerchief as she advised.
“Sister, please do not be angry. She is, after all, Second Brother’s family.”
“You are destined to be bullied your entire life, you spineless wretch!”
Princess Ping Le then glanced at her attire with annoyance and sneered coldly.
“The palace dislikes plainness the most, and today is Grandmother’s birthday. Yet you appear dressed like a sickly widow. Who are you trying to bring bad luck to?”
Li Yuning’s face instantly turned ashen.
Princess Ping Le snorted coldly, tilting her chin slightly. She turned and ordered the sedan bearers to quicken their pace, leaving without so much as a farewell, her eyes filled with disdain and arrogance.
Princess Ping Le was arrogant and unrestrained, like the perilous mythical beast on the palace eaves. Li Yuning, however, was pitifully delicate, remaining silent even when wronged, and bowed gracefully towards the Prince Duan’s Mansion’s carriage.
She gazed at Li Huan, who was riding ahead, her eyes seemingly holding a thousand unspoken grievances.
“How have you been lately, Second Brother?”
Li Huan nodded slightly. “Thanks to the County Princess’s concern, all is well.”
Li Yuning continued, “I have visited the Prince’s Mansion several times but have not been able to see Second Brother. I thought I had done something wrong to displease you.”
“I have been occupied with official duties, which has caused me to neglect the County Princess. In the future, if you have any matters, please approach your Imperial Sister-in-law.”
Li Huan’s voice was always gentle, but today it carried a hint of coldness, like a thin blade dipped in ice.
Li Yuning smiled wistfully. “I had intended to accompany Imperial Sister-in-law to Ci An Hall to pay respects to Empress Dowager, but I did not expect to meet you here.”
She had already composed herself, her expression returning to normal.
Li Huan nodded and said no more.
At this moment, Xue Yuechen lifted the curtain and said with a gentle smile, “Greetings, County Princess. Why don’t we go to the palace together?”
Li Yuning breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was just feeling bored on the journey. Having the Princess Consort accompany me would be wonderful.”
–
Emperor Chong Zhao, in a display of filial piety, specially decreed the construction of thirty-six Ci An Hall palace lanterns, which were hung throughout the palace.
By the time they arrived, the palace walls were already adorned in splendor. Copper bells on the eaves chimed like celestial music. Palace maids carrying gilded copper basins hurried through the corridors, their wide sleeves trailing with the gentle sound of silver bells.
Xue Sui helped Xue Yuechen alight from the carriage.
Looking at the opulent scene, she couldn’t help but exclaim.
“The grandeur of the Imperial City is truly different. Look at these jade hairpin flowers; they bloom with exceptional vibrancy.”
Xue Yuechen smiled and glanced at Rui He, her arm stiffening slightly.
She saw Princess Rui He, her fair fingers lifting the curtain halfway, her gaze fixed on Li Huan, who had just dismounted. She seemed to have forgotten their presence.
Xue Yuechen reminded her softly, “County Princess, aren’t you getting off the carriage?”
All carriages arriving from outside the palace had to stop outside Chengtian Gate.
Li Yuning snapped back to attention, adjusted the white jade hairpin at her temple, and gave an awkward smile, looking around to change the subject.
“The Empress Dowager wanted me to stay in the palace to keep her company a few days ago. I thought I would invite the Princess Consort to come together, which is why I left the palace. Now that I think about it, I have perhaps failed to live up to the Empress Dowager’s kind intentions.”
Her words implied a closer relationship with the Empress Dowager.
Xue Yuechen smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Today, the Imperial City was crowded with officials, and the Emperor was feasting with them to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s seventieth birthday. Men and women were seated separately. Li Huan clasped his hands in greeting, nodded to Xue Yuechen, and strode away without looking at anyone else.
Xue Sui subtly observed Li Huan’s subtle expression. Her brow furrowed slightly as she saw the magnificent imperial sedan chair of the Eastern Palace slowly approaching. Li Zhao’s face was hidden behind the imperial yellow canopy, exuding a stern and majestic aura.
Xue Yuechen quickly curtsied.
“Greetings, Crown Prince…”
Rui He also knelt.
Xue Sui, however, was a beat slower. By the time she curtsied, Li Zhao’s sedan chair had already passed by in a hurry, leaving only a receding silhouette.
Everyone exchanged glances…
Why did the Eastern Palace detour and come this way?
At this moment, Lai Fu approached with a beaming smile, bowing to everyone.
“The Crown Prince said the roads are slippery after the rain and has specially granted sedan chairs to escort the female dependents of the Prince Duan’s Mansion to Ci An Hall.”
With that, he beckoned, and two sedan chairs slowly approached, stopping before Xue Yuechen and Xue Sui.
Lai Fu had made it clear: it was to escort the female dependents of the Prince Duan’s Mansion.
While it sounded like a gesture of friendship between the Crown Prince and the Prince, it excluded Princess Rui He.
Xue Yuechen looked at her half-sister with surprise and uncertainty, then smiled faintly, “Thank you for the Crown Prince’s kind offer. We are traveling with Princess Rui He. There is still plenty of time, so walking and talking will be fine.”
Lai Fu nodded and did not insist.
He also felt that his master’s actions were rather peculiar.
Li Yuning watched the departing sedan chairs and suddenly chuckled, “Does the Crown Prince’s arrangement perhaps have another meaning?”
She said it jokingly, but Xue Yuechen’s expression turned serious.
“County Princess, be careful with your words. Some things should not be spoken lightly.”
Li Yuning pursed her lips and said apologetically, “I spoke casually and forgot about the palace rumors I heard some days ago… I did not mean to offend Madam Ping’an, but I feel somewhat wronged on your behalf.”
Her words left it unclear whether she was lamenting Xue Sui’s position as a secondary consort or implying she was framed by Ping Le and involved in rumors with Li Zhao.
Xue Sui chuckled lightly. “County Princess, you need not worry. The world only sees the gilded cage, unaware that the oriole prefers the willow branch.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Yuechen felt pleased and glanced at Li Yuning. “County Princess, you may not know, but my sixth sister has always been free-spirited and unrestrained. She does not possess such a competitive spirit.”
Li Yuning smiled in agreement and said no more.
The three of them proceeded to Ci An Hall.
Many noble ladies of rank had already arrived.
Xue Sui spotted Old Madam Cui and Fu Shi in the crowd. They exchanged greetings and pleasantries before a female official guided them inside…
Xue Sui deliberately lagged a step behind.
Her gaze met Wen Jia’s, who had just arrived, as they exchanged nods before stepping over the threshold.
Noble ladies from within and outside the palace were seated according to their rank. The Empress Dowager occupied the main seat.
The Empress and the imperial consorts were seated next.
The remaining noble ladies from outside the palace were seated at tables below.
The palace banquet officially began. The Empress, leading the noble ladies from within and outside the palace, solemnly performed the kowtow ceremony to the Empress Dowager.
After the ceremony, each family presented their birthday gifts, showcasing their intentions and ingenuity.
Peacock lanterns reflected the scene of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. On the stage, Prince Xian had respectfully presented a Magu Offering Longevity performance. Empress Dowager Cheng Qing was delighted, her face full of smiles. She carefully admired each birthday gift, praising it highly.
Just as the performance reached an exciting point, a commotion suddenly erupted from outside the hall.
Everyone turned to look.
Princess Ping Le, in a crimson skirt embroidered with gold thread, swept gracefully over the threshold. Eight palace maids followed her in single file, their entrance instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
The Medicine King Sutra embroidered scrolls they held were slowly unfurled. On the two-zhang-long cloud silk brocade, the calligraphy was neat and elegant, the colors bright and dazzling, exuding a solemn and devout power.
“Congratulations on Grandmother’s seventieth birthday…”
Ping Le held the scripture scroll high above her head with both hands, while the eight palace maids supported the sides of the scroll, kneeling respectfully at the Empress Dowager’s seat.
“To pray for Grandmother’s longevity and prosperity, and eternal peace and well-being, your granddaughter pricked her finger to mix colors with her blood, and offered it before the Buddha for a hundred days to achieve this…”
Li Zhao: I thought the title was about someone trying to capture my heart?
Xue Sui: It will happen, just wait.
