Chapter 96: A Turn of Events
What kind of distinguished guest needed caution?
Old Madam Cui did not say explicitly, and Xue Sui did not ask further.
During these days, the Third Madam managed the household’s affairs, large and small, in an orderly and skillful manner. Xue Sui carefully reviewed the birthday gift list and menu, and also inspected the banquet arrangements. She could not find any fault and praised the Third Madam thoroughly.
The Third Madam was delighted and gifted Xue Sui another generous present.
Xue Sui thanked her repeatedly, smiled, took the gift, and went to visit Xue Ji.
The sun was blazing outside.
Xiao Zhao held a plain paper umbrella, carefully shielding Xue Sui from the sun. Ru Yi, on the other hand, held a palm-leaf fan, trying to dispel some of the heat.
The surroundings were quiet, save for the chirping of cicadas.
The three of them walked slowly along the bluestone path shaded by large trees, and suddenly saw a young man standing in a distant pavilion.
He wore magnificent robes and a tall crown, his posture tall and handsome.
His every move exuded a noble aura, making it clear at a glance that he was no ordinary young master.
It had to be said that Emperor Chong Zhao’s five sons were all handsome.
If one had to compare them…
Crown Prince Li Zhao possessed peerless beauty but was ruthless.
Prince Duan Li Huan was handsome and elegant, but ambitious.
Prince Chun Li Jian had a dignified bearing but was impetuous in his youth…
The Prince Wei Li Yan before them could also be described as graceful and elegant…
But his conduct and demeanor were truly beyond compliment.
Even without Old Madam Cui’s admonition, Xue Sui had no intention of conversing with Prince Wei.
She subtly signaled Xiao Zhao and Ru Yi, intending to bypass the fragrant crape myrtle bushes and quietly leave by another path.
But Prince Wei Li Yan walked directly towards her.
Before he was even close, he spoke.
“Sixth Miss Xue…”
Xue Sui stopped, turned, and looked back.
Li Yan sensed the coldness in her eyes and, as if just remembering etiquette, slightly cupped his hands in a bow.
“Ru Ren Xue, where are you headed?”
Regardless of the separation between men and women, or Xue Sui’s relationship with Li Huan, Li Yan’s words and actions seemed somewhat frivolous, and his question was ill-timed.
Xue Sui’s lips curved slightly, her tone indifferent.
“There are many matters at my maternal home. Does Prince Wei expect me to report each one?”
While her words sounded respectful and polite, they were sharp with sarcasm.
Prince Wei was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
“You are indeed sharp-tongued, worthy of the woman who trounced Ping Le so thoroughly.”
Xue Sui curtsied, “Your Highness’s words are like accusations, Sixth Miss Xue cannot bear them.”
Li Yan glanced around, the smile on his face growing more ambiguous.
“There is no one else here, Ru Ren Xue, why pretend? The Spring Flower Banquet, Imperial Brother’s birthday, all these events concern you. Can you truly remain uninvolved? I heard Imperial Brother still dares not touch you, is that true?”
Xue Sui raised her eyebrows slightly, “I have always been respectful to Your Highness.”
Li Yan said, “I am also very interested in Ru Ren Xue.”
Xue Sui met his gaze coldly, “I respect Your Highness’s noble status, yet Your Highness insults my reputation. If you continue to pester me, I will report it to Prince Duan. Your Highness knows I am plagued by bad luck, so you know there is no benefit in provoking me. Please conduct yourself with dignity!”
Seeing her stern expression and resolute tone, Li Yan’s heart couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Rumor had it that this Sixth Miss Xue came from a humble background, had extremely poor luck, was bullied relentlessly in her former residence, and was not favored by Prince Duan even after marrying into his mansion.
She was merely an unfavored concubine, no need to be overly cautious. Seeing her beautiful appearance, Li Yan lost his composure in his speech.
Unexpectedly, Xue Sui retorted and threatened him without mercy.
He had to restrain himself somewhat, chuckling softly as he apologized.
“Ru Ren Xue, please do not be angry. This humble one did not treat you as an outsider, which is why I spoke so casually. I have offended you greatly. This humble one will apologize now.”
While saying he was apologizing, Li Yan cupped his hands and bowed his head, his gaze secretly lifting to Xue Sui’s fair, jade-like cheek.
Such beauty, and Imperial Brother doesn’t cherish it?
If Imperial Brother doesn’t want her, it would be good for me…
Li Yan’s thoughts turned lascivious, and he couldn’t help but smile, his eyes curving.
“To be frank, Ru Ren, you resemble the enchanting beauty in my dreams. Every movement, every smile, pleases me…”
Xue Sui’s expression remained unchanged, as if she were unaware of Li Yan’s lewd words, and calmly said:
“If the opportunity arises, I will certainly be reborn.”
Li Yan was stunned, then burst into laughter, “Ru Ren Xue is truly amusing.”
Xue Sui: “Your Highness is truly shameless!”
Just then, a sharp shout came from the side.
“Xue Liu, what are you doing? Why are you clinging to Prince Wei and not letting go…”
Xue Sui didn’t need to turn around to recognize Xue Yue E’s voice.
That unique sharp tone, like the cry of a night owl, was extremely grating.
For some reason, Ninth Miss was so furious. She strode out from the flower bushes, first bowed to Prince Wei, then looked at Xue Sui with a face full of defensiveness.
“Prince Wei is a distinguished guest of Father and Mother, how can you disturb him? Didn’t you tell Grandmother you had something to do? Hurry up and go, why are you standing here?”
Xue Sui raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Prince Wei with a half-smile.
Li Yan was slightly embarrassed, stepped aside, clasped his hands behind his back, and smiled charmingly, “This humble one was admiring the excellent scenery in the garden and got lost while walking. I happened to encounter Ru Ren Xue, and that’s why I approached to ask for directions. Thank you, Ninth Miss, for taking me to see the Minister.”
Xue Yue E glared at Xue Sui warningly, then turned to Prince Wei, instantly changing into the gentle, demure, and knowledgeable demeanor of a refined young lady from a noble family.
“Your Highness, this way, please follow me.”
Xue Sui silently watched them leave, then turned with a smile.
It was Li Yan who, after walking a short distance, looked back at her, a meaningful smile on his lips.
–
Xue Sui stayed in Xue Ji’s room for a full hour.
Xue Ji seemed much better than the last time Xue Sui saw her. She held Xue Sui’s hand and spoke many words of complaint and self-pity.
Xue Sui remained mostly silent, occasionally offering a few words of comfort. When she left, she left the gift from the Third Madam for Xue Ji and instructed the maids to take good care of her mother before departing.
When she went to pay her respects to Xue Qingzhi and Fu Shi, Li Yan was no longer there.
Xue Qingzhi, as usual, lectured her on speaking cautiously, acting prudently, and adhering to feminine virtues.
Fu Shi, however, kept her lips tightly shut, saying nothing, her mouth pursed like a clam shell.
She had been sulking and ill these past few days, rarely socializing. Yet today she came out to accompany Xue Qingzhi in receiving guests, indicating that Li Yan’s arrival was not ordinary.
This question was answered on the way back to Prince Duan’s Mansion.
Jinshu smiled and told her.
“Guess what? The First Master and the Old Madam have had an idea: they want to betroth Ninth Miss of the mansion to Prince Wei as his remarriage wife.”
Prince Wei’s Princess Consort had passed away over a year ago, and he had not remarried.
Although Prince Wei’s mansion had many legitimate and illegitimate sons, and not a few consorts, ru ren, secondary wives, and attendants, Prince Wei was still a highly sought-after bachelor in Shangjing City. Some even praised him for his deep affection and fidelity to his deceased wife, and many prominent families were willing to send their daughters to Prince Wei’s mansion as remarriage wives.
Unexpectedly, the Xue family also had such aspirations.
Xiao Zhao and Ru Yi complained to Jinshu nearby, saying that Ninth Miss had a terrible temper and was also wicked. They thought the First Master was crazy to try and use his daughter for a political marriage. No matter how bad Li Yan was, he was still an Imperial Prince. For a remarriage wife, he would want a daughter born of the primary wife, not Xue Yue E.
Xue Sui sat to the side, smiling silently.
She had a premonition that the days ahead would become lively.
–
The news of Xue Sui being ridiculed for not being favored also reached Li Huan’s ears.
That day, Li Huan returned to the mansion and heard from a servant that the Princess Consort had punished several gossiping servants. His already displeased expression immediately darkened.
He could no longer avoid going to Ru Ren Xue’s courtyard.
Li Huan instructed the servant, “Go tell Ru Ren Xue that this King will dine at Tan Qiu Courtyard tonight.”
The servant’s heart pounded wildly, and he quickly lowered his head.
“This subordinate will attend to it immediately.”
During this period, Xue Yuechen had been taking excellent care of Li Huan.
Although she didn’t say it, Li Huan knew that Xue Liu’s contributions were indispensable.
Furthermore, the clues regarding the Imperial Envoy from Old Mausoleum Swamp had yielded nothing. That person seemed like a legend; he had searched the entire Shangjing City but could not find anyone who had interacted with the Imperial Envoy.
Not only that, they couldn’t even ascertain whether the Imperial Envoy was male or female.
Old Mausoleum Swamp was undoubtedly a hidden danger.
But at the same time, it was a good chess piece for him to contend with the Eastern Palace.
Perhaps he could obtain some useful information from Xue Liu’s mouth.
Li Huan finally made up his mind to properly meet his uniquely positioned Ru Ren.
–
When the news reached Tan Qiu Courtyard, everyone’s expression changed instantly.
Jinshu looked nervous and quickly arranged for Ru Yi.
“Hurry to Mu Yue Residence and inform the Princess Consort of this matter.”
Ru Yi bit her lower lip, her eyes full of worry. She nodded forcefully, and before Jinshu’s words had even finished, she rushed out.
Xue Sui did not stop her; her expression was also very calm.
It was as if all of this was within her expectations.
The weather was scorching hot. An ice basin was placed in the room, and Xiao Zhao’s fan whirred rapidly, yet it couldn’t dispel the oppressive heat.
Jinshu, seeing that her young lady remained silent, couldn’t guess her thoughts. She was anxious and hot, her underclothes nearly soaked with sweat.
“If there is no room for maneuver, is Young Lady prepared?”
Xue Sui’s eyelids drooped slightly.
After a long while, she softly said, “Mm.”
She was unwilling to serve him.
She was also confident that she could persuade Li Huan not to engage in marital relations with her, or to take more drastic measures to prevent it from happening.
However, her eighteen years of life, though not long in experience, had long taught her that she was just an ordinary person, and not everything in this world goes as one wishes.
From the day she stepped into Prince Duan’s Mansion, she had prepared for the worst.
In her opinion, the fate of this physical form was not that important.
“I wonder… what is Prince Duan’s intention in coming?”
Jinshu looked at her with complex emotions, her eyes full of heartache.
Xue Sui, however, showed no such worry, a faint smile on her face.
“When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, dam it.”
Her voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring strength.
Xiao Zhao was no longer afraid, “We will obey Young Lady’s orders.”
Jinshu sighed silently.
“Prince Duan’s mind is meticulous and difficult to fathom. This servant fears…”
Before she could finish speaking, Xue Sui interrupted her with a raised hand.
Xue Sui stood up, walked to the drawer by the couch, took out several finished scented sachets, and handed them to Jinshu.
“Put them in the cabinet.”
These sachets contained benzoin, as well as seeds of Spina Date, Caulis Polygoni Multiflori, Albizia Bark, Platycladus Orientalis Seed, and other medicinal materials. They were made using Senior Disciple Brother’s unique formula and had the effect of calming the nerves and aiding sleep, with no aphrodisiac properties.
Xue Yuechen did not know the secret, thinking it could help her conceive.
But Xue Sui knew that a person who could help Li Huan sleep well was far more precious than women who brought him temporary pleasure.
Chronic insomnia was very painful.
Since Li Huan could sleep soundly at Xue Yuechen’s place, he would naturally prefer to go there.
The more he went, the more feelings would develop over time.
This was what she had planned for Xue Yuechen, not for herself.
Jinshu put away the sachets as instructed and turned to see Xue Sui already sitting at the dressing table.
Quietly, she looked at the woman in the bronze mirror.
“Xiao Zhao, come and do my hair.”
Xue Sui: My grand plan for revenge, no one can stop it. Men only slow down my drawing of the sword…
Li Zhao: Ah, no… Author!! I beg you, spare me with all my might!
Author: All-purpose?
