Chapter 207: Make Her Hurt
Amidst the curling incense smoke…
Seeing the pain in Wen Jia’s eyes, Xue Sui had Niu Niu taken to the courtyard to play before changing the subject.
“Does Wen Jia know that the envoy sent by the High Priest was assassinated on the way to the Princess Huguo’s Mansion?”
“Someone is deliberately trying to sabotage the peace between Xizi and Daliang…”
Wen Jia’s fingertips tightened around her handkerchief, her face full of worry.
“My mother, as a princess sent for marriage from Xizi to Daliang, also bore such a mission. Mother said that before my maternal grandfather’s death, he had warned that the eagles of Wulan Holy Mountain should not always be gazing at the wheat fields of the Central Plains. Peace between Xizi and Daliang is the greatest blessing for the children of the Wolf Tribe.”
Xue Sui smiled slightly: “If Ashina insists on war, Xizi will surely fall into disarray… To stabilize the situation, the High Priest must rely on Daliang. Daliang, holding the passes and grain supplies, will certainly not miss the opportunity to profit. Peace is hard-won…”
Wen Jia nodded, “The common people suffer, and the court is in chaos. Everyone longs for peace and dreads war, yet there are people like Ping Le, who stir up trouble amidst it all.”
Xue Sui placed her teacup heavily on the desk.
“This matter cannot be let go. I must seek justice for Niu Niu.”
Wen Jia gave a bitter smile and shook her head, “What’s the use without evidence to bring her down? Moreover, His Majesty openly and secretly shields her…”
“It matters not. If the law does not punish, Heaven’s will shall.”
Xue Sui suddenly let out a cold laugh, “If Ping Le dares to set her sights on a child, then let her taste the bitterness of a mother and child being torn apart.”
Wen Jia was startled.
The sunset glow streamed through the window lattice, casting Xue Sui’s shadow onto the Xiang Fei bamboo screen. Her slender form was taut, her silhouette like a knife, exuding a sharp power.
When would she be like Ping An?
At 10:45 AM, Lu Mansion.
A carriage from Princess Ping Le’s Mansion rolled over the blue stone slabs and stopped before the ornamental gate.
Nanny Zhou lifted the curtain, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes—
The Lu Mansion’s facade was, after all, more shabby than the Princess’s Mansion.
“Kindly inform Duke Lu. This old servant is here on Princess Ping Le’s orders to pick up the two young masters and mistresses to return to the mansion…”
The steward bowed and replied with a smile, “The Master is currently meeting guests in the study room and cannot be disturbed.”
Nanny Zhou sneered, her handkerchief flicking with a rustling sound.
“The arrangements were made at the beginning of the month. Does the Lu Mansion intend to go back on its word?”
The steward repeatedly clasped his hands.
“… The Master is truly unable to get away. Perhaps, Madam, you could have some tea in the corridor first?”
Nanny Zhou took a step forward, her shoe sole grinding fiercely against the blue brick ground.
“The Lu Mansion is making excuses and delaying. What exactly are they planning? The two young masters and mistresses are flesh and blood from Princess’s womb, children born after ten months of pregnancy, risking half a life. In this world, how can there be a reason for natural-born children not to see their mother? Even if this matter were brought before the Golden Palace, the Princess would still be in the right!”
The steward repeatedly wiped his sweat, “Yes, yes, Madam, you are right, but…”
Before he could finish his “but,” two children came running, laughing and playing from the corridor. The boy held a sugar cake in his hand, and the girl was tugging at his belt. They chased each other, their laughter echoing through the corridor.
These were the twins of Lu You’an and Princess Ping Le.
“Young masters and mistresses!” Nanny Zhou exclaimed joyfully and quickly called out to them.
She beckoned them eagerly.
“Come here, young masters and mistresses, come to this old servant quickly.”
Lu Guan Chen stopped, looking at his younger sister.
“Why are you here?”
Nanny Zhou put on a smiling face, “Young masters and mistresses, this old servant is here by order of Her Highness the Princess. Shall I take the two young masters and mistresses back to the mansion to see their mother?”
Lu Guan Chen trembled all over, and the sugar cake in his hand fell to the ground, its honeyed filling spilling out…
Tong Tong hid behind her elder brother, her fingertips tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, her face pale.
Nanny Zhou’s expression changed slightly, “Young masters and mistresses, what is wrong? Don’t you miss your mother? The Princess prays for you every day in the Buddhist hall. Come back to the mansion with this old servant to see her…”
“No!”
Lu Guan Chen suddenly clenched his small fists and retorted loudly.
“My mother is a bad woman, and you are a bad woman’s lackey! Her knife cuts people, her whip beats people. She’s fiercer than the tigress on the back mountain. We don’t want to see her.”
After her elder brother spoke, his sister also chimed in.
“We don’t want to be with the bad woman. Our wet nurse was forced to death by her. We don’t want to go to a place with monsters…”
“Who taught you to speak such nonsense!” Nanny Zhou’s eyes widened like copper bells. She took two quick steps forward, startling the girl, who cried out and grabbed her brother’s hand, weeping in a childish voice.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, save us…”
“Save brother, save Tong Tong, we don’t want to go back to the demon mansion…”
Nanny Zhou’s veins bulged with anger. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to chase them when two servants from the Lu Mansion stepped forward to block her.
“Presumptuous!”
The steward, bracing himself, clasped his hands, “Madam, please do not trouble the children. Although the two young masters and mistresses are of the Princess’s bloodline, they bear the Lu surname, and their wishes should be considered to some extent… Even if this matter were brought before the Emperor, it would likely be difficult to force them…”
The nanny’s face changed drastically, “This is outrageous! You dare to go back on your word? When the Imperial Son-in-law went to war, Duke Lu himself promised that the Princess could take the young masters and mistresses back to the mansion for a few days every month…”
As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced at the vermilion-lacquered and gold-decorated carriage behind her.
“Tell your Duke to come out and give our Princess’s Mansion an explanation?”
The carriage remained silent, with no sound.
Ping Le clenched her silk handkerchief, her nails almost digging into her palm.
She was under house arrest and could not leave the mansion without a decree, yet to pick up her children, she had disguised herself as a maid and risked escaping—
Only to unexpectedly hear her own children utter such heartbreaking words.
Indeed, what was more piercing than her husband’s betrayal was the rejection from her own flesh and blood.
How could two such exquisitely carved children, with two sweet and adorable mouths, utter such heart-rending words?
In such a short time, they were unwilling to return to the mansion…
If this continued, would they still recognize her as their mother?
“Return to the mansion,” she gritted her teeth and ordered the coachman.
The carriage wheels rolled over fallen leaves, startling several grey sparrows, but they could not break the gloom in her eyes.
She had made up her mind—
At any cost, she would reclaim her children.
In the Lu Mansion’s chess room, incense smoke curled.
Xue Sui and Old Master Lu were locked in a fierce game of chess.
The steward passed through the corridor and came to report on the situation outside.
After he finished speaking, the parrot in the corridor also echoed his words.
“The bad woman left, the bad woman left—”
Old Prime Minister Lu stroked his white beard and shook his head, his gaze fixed on the chessboard.
The black stones had already occupied the center, while the white stones had laid a killing formation in the corners.
“Consort Xue has put in great effort.”
Xue Sui stood up, bowed, took out a chess manual from her embrace, and offered it with both hands.
“Duke Lu, please judge. Princess Ping Le is deeply misguided and has lost her original intentions in her actions. Children should not become chess pieces, nor should they be tainted by their mother’s fierce aura and implicated by her sins.”
Old Prime Minister Lu looked at the chess manual, his eyes brightening slightly.
As the founding Prime Minister, he had lived a life of integrity and incorruptibility, his only passion being the art of chess—
He never expected that the chess manual he had searched for in vain would be in Xue Sui’s hands.
He did not show surprise or eagerness, but stroked his beard and chuckled lightly, placing a piece with his fingertips.
“Black and white contend; victory and defeat lie in the heart.”
“One wrong move, and the whole game is lost; one brilliant move, and the whole game comes alive,” Xue Sui said calmly, inserting a white piece diagonally, cutting off the black stones’ escape route.
“Duke Lu might as well guess whether a discarded piece, disliked by the player, has a chance to turn the tables.”
The old man raised his eyes, his gaze like a knife, “The struggle of chess pieces has never been a struggle for power.”
Xue Sui placed another piece, “A chess game has a thousand turns; the move reveals the true skill.”
Old Prime Minister Lu looked at the great dragon about to form in the game, and suddenly clapped his hands, laughing heartily, his voice like a thunderous bell, “Excellent! The world says Consort Xue is skilled in medicine, but they don’t know you are even more skilled in strategizing.”
He beckoned the steward, “Bring me my treasured Qing Ping San Lue, to gift to Consort Xue.”
The steward complied and soon retrieved an old, yellowed chess manual from the bookshelf, presenting it to Xue Sui with both hands.
A half-dried yellow flower petal was tucked into the title page, filled with Old Prime Minister Lu’s annotations from years past.
“Consort Xue has eyes that can see through a chess game.”
Xue Sui accepted it with both hands, curtsied in thanks, and looked at the old man’s graying temples before bowing solemnly.
“Esteemed Prime Minister, would you be willing to play another game with me?”
“That is precisely my intention.”
Outside the chess room, the autumn wind swirled fallen leaves like scattered gold.
The tenth day of the eighth lunar month was the day of the Women’s Society’s elegant gathering.
Lu Xi had not attended for a long time, and today she had specially dressed up to keep her appointment.
In the Fei Hong Small Dwelling of the Women’s Society, gauze curtains were lifted by the autumn wind, revealing the noble ladies and madams in the pavilion, their smiles like flowers, their attire as vibrant as blossoms, truly a hall full of brocade, soft jade, and warm fragrance.
Lu Xi clutched her newly made Suzhou embroidery handkerchief and looked at the empty main seat in the Fei Hong Small Dwelling, a hint of cold mockery flashing in her eyes.
Suddenly, someone tugged at her sleeve.
Turning her head, she saw Xiao Qing’er.
“Second Young Lady Lu, look—” Xiao Qing’er pouted, pointing towards the corridor.
In the sunlight filtering through the carved window lattice, several richly dressed noble ladies were leaning on their armrests, talking. Tea cups emitted wisps of steam, and they clustered together, discreetly mentioning the recent events in the Eastern Palace, speaking one after another, their cheeks powdered and fragrant with cosmetics, their lips smiling.
“The Crown Prince has taken a key position in the Shenwu Army, meaning he has gained real power.”
“His Majesty is clearly testing him. Who knows when…”
“Hush— How dare you speak such things?”
“I mean, the Eastern Palace still hasn’t established a Crown Princess. Who knows which family this immense fortune will fall to…”
“I said the Crown Prince was heroic, but you insisted I was exaggerating. Last year at the hunting grounds, I saw him galloping on horseback, wearing armor, more imposing than any young general in storybooks…”
“Oh, Yun Niang, are you smitten? I heard that at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, you deliberately dropped your handkerchief on the path the Crown Prince would take…”
The shifts in the court’s power occurred silently, but these noble ladies, from powerful families, were the closest to the imperial court, or rather, the most concerned about the young talents in the capital…
As long as they were still in their chambers, who wouldn’t wish to marry a good man…
Looking across the realm, was there any man more illustrious and noble than the Crown Prince?
Before, Princess Ping Le held great sway, Consort Xiao controlled the inner palace, and Prince Duan held significant power. They feared the Crown Prince would not gain the Emperor’s favor and would suffer a tragic fate.
Now, the situation in the Eastern Palace had reversed. The Eastern Palace’s inner chambers were empty. Even if Li Zhao was as reclusive, suspicious, and ruthless as rumored, the honor of being the Crown Princess was truly enticing.
“Sister Yun Rong, why are you spacing out?” Xie Weilan dangled her fan and walked up to Guo Yunrong, teasing her with a smile.
“I heard your elder brother voluntarily transferred to the Chancellery of the Eastern Palace. Are you trying to get close to the water tower to catch the moon first…”
The crowd burst into laughter.
Guo Yunrong, sensing the barbs in her words, forced a smile and raised her wrist, revealing the jade bracelet on it.
“What thoughts could I possibly have? I’m just admiring the bracelet Her Majesty the Empress bestowed. Look at its clarity; it’s truly more translucent than ordinary ones…”
Xiao Qing’er, walking alongside Lu Xi, said with a hint of sourness.
“Some people really don’t understand. His Highness the Crown Prince is of noble birth. If anyone is to be close to him, it should be Second Young Lady Lu, not others.”
She put an arm around Lu Xi.
“Second Young Lady Lu’s grandfather is the Crown Prince’s esteemed teacher. She played in the Eastern Palace when she was young, and her childhood affection with His Highness the Crown Prince is something no one can compare to!”
Lu Xi’s cheeks burned like fire, but she still tried to remain calm.
“Sister Qing, please don’t praise me too much, lest it harm the harmony among sisters…”
“Yun Rong,” she called softly again, “The Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet is approaching. You must perform well before Her Majesty the Empress…”
Guo Yunrong’s pretty face turned bright red, and she turned around.
“I am clumsy with words and don’t know how to curry favor. How can I compare to Second Young Lady Lu? Second Young Lady Lu is the golden branch and jade leaf from the Grand Tutor’s Mansion. The words ‘Crown Princess’ are etched on her forehead. Even King Yama himself wouldn’t dare move you, a Buddha, from the threshold of the Eastern Palace…”
“You—” Lu Xi’s face turned red, and she trembled with anger.
“Stop talking! Everyone, stop talking…”
Immediately, someone came to mediate, but they all watched with the attitude of enjoying a good show.
Guo Yunrong stood up abruptly, flicked her handkerchief, and swept out.
Everyone fell silent, their expressions awkward.
Lu Xi wiped the corners of her eyes, “Before, I saw her meekly following Princess Ping Le, like a mindless echo, and I never expected her to be so arrogant…”
Everyone exchanged glances, all sensing a hint of sarcasm.
“Princess Ping Le hasn’t come to the Women’s Society for a long time. The atmosphere of this gathering has become so cold.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, then sighed again.
Guo Yunrong returned to the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion and hid in her boudoir, crying for half the night.
Lu Xi was also not feeling well. Sitting alone before the mirror, the corners of her eyes were red, and even her makeup couldn’t hide the grievance in her eyes.
Unexpectedly, when Madam Lu learned of her distress, she opened a chest and took out a box of treasured pearl powder.
“Go to Jiaofang Palace tomorrow and pay your respects to Her Majesty the Empress…”
Lu Xi looked up in astonishment, “Mother, you mean you want me to go and curry favor with Her Majesty the Empress, to beg for this marriage? It’s too humiliating, I won’t do it.”
She was the one who refused to marry into the Eastern Palace before, and she had spoken ill of the Eastern Palace behind closed doors. Now, she was being asked to humble herself and beg for mercy, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Foolish child,” Madam Lu sighed, “Who else can speak to the Crown Prince these days besides Her Majesty the Empress? If you had seized the opportunity back then, why would you be in such a passive position?”
The osmanthus trees outside the window rustled.
Lu Xi clenched the pearl powder, suddenly remembering that at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, the Crown Prince had brushed past her without even a second glance.
She regretted it so much that her heart ached as if a thorn had been pricked…
If she had known this would happen, why had she been so proud before?
Reader: Ping Le, does it hurt?
Ping Le: Come on, make it hurt more…
Reader: This cockroach that can’t be killed???
Xue Sui: It can’t be that easy to die, don’t you think…
