Pei shi argued with Princess Fuming to the point that they nearly tore each other’s faces off.
It seemed as though the banquet would end in displeasure.
Yet unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the two behaved as if nothing had happened at all, chatting and laughing with those around them.
Princess Fuming affectionately called her saosao, while Pei shi gently addressed her as Fuming.
To the imperial clan, such scenes were nothing unusual.
As members of the imperial family, if one couldn’t master the basic skill of changing expressions at will, then one was unfit to survive and would die sooner or later. And if they died, it would be a death in vain.
After watching the opera and finishing the banquet, the guests began to take their leave.
Zhang shi brought the young ladies forward to bid farewell to the hosts.
A maid led Zhang shi and the others to a side hall to sit, but singled out Gu Jiu.
“Gu guniang, niangniang wishes to see you. Please follow me.”
Zhang shi grew uneasy and asked the maid, “Why does the wangfei niangniang wish to see my Xiao Jiu at this hour? It’s already late, we ought to return home soon.”
The maid smiled. “Please rest assured, da taitai. Niangniang only wishes to speak a few words with Gu guniang. If da taitai does not wish to wait, you may return first. Our wang fu will provide a carriage to send Gu guniang back.”
Xie shi’s heart was moved. She certainly didn’t want to linger in the wang fu where she felt utterly ill at ease.
She looked at Zhang shi.
But Zhang shi shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not. Xiao Jiu must return with us together. There’s no reason to let the wang fu send her home separately.”
Gu Jiu secretly let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness her da bomu was here today. If it had been Xie shi, she would probably have agreed at once and left Gu Jiu alone in the fu.
Gu Jiu said softly to Zhang shi, “Don’t worry, da bomu. I’ll just go and be back soon. It shouldn’t take long.”
Zhang shi had no choice but to instruct her carefully: “Go quickly and come back quickly. Whatever wangfei niangniang asks, just answer honestly, and remember to be respectful.”
Gu Jiu smiled and agreed, “Thank you, da bomu, I will.”
Then she followed the maid to see the wangfei.
By this time, most of the guests had already departed.
Nearly all the imperial family members had received news of Mei pin’s downfall and were rushing home to prepare for the storm to come.
Pei shi lounged at ease in her chair.
The maid came to announce, “Niangniang, Gu Jiu guniang has arrived.”
“Mm, let her in.”
A moment later, Gu Jiu was ushered into the hall.
“Chennü, Gu Jiu greets wangfei niangniang.”
Her manner was respectful, her etiquette flawless.
Pei shi gave a cold laugh. “Gu Jiu, who gave you the courage to leave the opera hall without benwangfei’s permission? Do you still place benwangfei in your eyes? Do you really think that just because the imperial marriage edict has been bestowed, you can act recklessly? If you offend benwangfei, I still have ways to make you pay dearly.”
Gu Jiu understood at once. She had known from the start that Ning wangfei summoned her because of what happened at the opera hall.
When she chose to leave back then, she had already foreseen the consequences and prepared herself to bear them.
Gu Jiu raised her head and said, “Niangniang, please understand. The reason chennü dared to descend without permission was entirely for your sake.”
“Absurd!”
Pei shi snapped. “You shameless girl, how dare you claim it was for benwangfei’s sake? Hmph! If you spout more nonsense, benwangfei will have you slapped immediately.”
But Gu Jiu remained calm, her expression steady, not the least bit flustered.
She spoke slowly yet firmly: “Please calm your anger, niangniang. Today’s flower-viewing banquet was meant to welcome guests warmly and make them feel at home. It was never meant to be a Hongmen Banquet.
“At that moment, had others seen it, they might have mistaken your actions as an attempt to humiliate me, and thus misunderstood the purpose of your painstakingly arranged feast. Since chennü is Gongzi Zhao’s betrothed, how could chennü allow such a misunderstanding to tarnish your reputation?
“That is why chennü took it upon myself to go down first, so others’ suspicions would be dispelled, without disturbing your enjoyment of the opera.”
“Haha…”
Pei shi was so enraged she burst out laughing.
But her laughter quickly vanished, her face darkening. “Utter nonsense! You even claimed weakness and said you could not stand long. Gu Jiu, if you dare speak lies even before me, it shows your true nature is cunning and deceitful; you’re not worthy of Zhao’er at all.”
“Niangniang speaks correctly. Chennü is Indeed unworthy of Gongzi Zhao.” Gu Jiu agreed readily, without hesitation.
Instead of feeling satisfied, Pei shi nearly toppled backwards in fury.
She glared at Gu Jiu. “What do you mean? Are you unwilling to marry Zhao’er?”
Gu Jiu looked back calmly. “Chennü was only thinking, surely no family would deliberately make things difficult for their future daughter-in-law before she even marries in.”
Pei shi laughed coldly. “So in the end, you already harbour resentment against benwangfei.”
“Chennü wouldn’t dare. Chennü only have a question. Must every girl marrying into the imperial clan first be humiliated beforehand? While in the palace, I never heard of such things. I ask niangniang to enlighten chennü.”
Gu Jiu’s gaze was clear, her manner steady, as she waited for an answer.
Pei shi sneered. “You are bold indeed, the first little guniang to ever question benwangfei.”
Gu Jiu was equally frank. “Boldness is the only thing chennü has more of than others. If I’ve offended niangniang, I beg forgiveness.”
Pei shi gave a harsh snort. “Daring to offend benwangfei, what punishment do you deserve?”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, then raised her head with solemnity. “Then why not punish me by cancelling this marriage? From this day forth, Gongzi Zhao and chennü can each go our own way.”
That was, at this moment, Gu Jiu’s most genuine thought.
This marriage was utter nonsense, not worth a damn. Better to break it off entirely.
But the worry was, could Pei shi really make the Emperor retract his decree?
“You insolent girl!” Pei shi stared in disbelief. Gu Jiu had actually spoken of cancelling the engagement. This wretched brat, did she really look down on Liu Zhao? Look down on the wang fu?
Gu Jiu only smiled faintly, silent.
Pei shi’s voice turned cold. “Such disrespect toward benwangfei. Someone, fetch the ruler.”
Gu Jiu’s face tightened. “Niangniang means to have me flogged?”
Pei shi kept her expression severe. “You’ve offended your superior. A few strokes are already merciful.”
A maid brought the ruler, waiting only for the consort’s command to strike Gu Jiu’s palms.
Of course, Gu Jiu would not just stand still and take a beating. But the hall was filled with maids and old servants, and running was impossible.
Instead, Gu Jiu laughed lightly and held out her hands of her own accord. “If niangniang wishes to punish chennü, by all means do so. Only, when it is done, chennü hopes you will not regret it.”
Pei shi narrowed her eyes. “You dare threaten benwangfei?”
Gu Jiu shook her head with a smile. “Chennü would never dare threaten niangniang. Chennü just wants to kindly to remind you: Gongzi Zhao has promised that no harm will come to me in this wang fu. If he learns chennü has been flogged by niangniang, chennü wonders what he will think.”
Gu Jiu was gambling that Pei shi valued Liu Zhao. Valued him not only as a son, but with a trace of fear as well.
Sure enough, Pei shi frowned, displeased.
Maidservant Li Zhi spoke softly: “Niangniang, after all, Gu guniang is a guest. To flog her outright may not look well. And if da gongzi learns of it, the maids who carried out the punishment may all lose their lives.”
Pei shi’s fury flared. She lowered her voice and hissed, “Do you think benwangfei, his own mother, should fear him?”
Li Zhi bit back her words. In the imperial clan, “mother and son” or “father and son” were not like ordinary kinship among common folk.
Outwardly, everyone preached filial piety.
But in truth, brothers killed brothers, sons murdered fathers. What was filial in that?
To call it rebellious, inhuman, worse than beasts, was putting it mildly.
After a moment, Li Zhi tried again. “Niangniang, with Mei pin’s downfall in the palace, a storm is bound to follow. At such a time, perhaps all other matters can be set aside.”
Pei shi listened, and her gaze swept over Gu Jiu.
So young, yet with a calm bearing. Most galling of all, she wasn’t afraid of her. Of her, the wangfei!
In the past, Pei shi had only despised Gu Jiu’s humble background. But now, she felt true loathing.
This future daughter-in-law was no meek, pliant creature. Pei shi could already imagine it: once Gu Jiu entered the household, she would be driven half-mad with anger.
Fuming had been right. This wasn’t marrying in a daughter-in-law, it was inviting a troublemaker.
If Gu Jiu had known Pei’s thoughts, she would have cried injustice.
She had always lived peaceably, never picked fights. Trouble always came knocking on her door; she merely refused to endure it silently, refused to play the doormat. Yet in others’ eyes, that made her a “troublemaker.”
She wanted to roll her eyes: So if I go along with you, I’m a good girl. If I don’t, I’m a troublemaker? Do you think you’re the sun, that everyone must revolve around you?
If Pei shi had once felt ten parts of dissatisfaction toward this marriage, now she felt a hundred. This wasn’t a daughter-in-law; it was nothing but suffering.
She gave a cold snort. “Gu Jiu, today you are still a guest. Benwangfei will spare you this flogging for now. But once you enter this house, benwangfei will settle accounts with you, one by one.”
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly. So Pei shi meant to exact her revenge later.
“Many thanks, niangniang. If you have no other instructions, chennü shall take my leave.”
“Go.”
Gu Jiu bowed and withdrew.
Pei shi watched her retreating back, her heart heavy with irritation. This marriage was a fish bone stuck in her throat, hard to swallow, impossible to spit out.
Yet Gu Jiu was Liu Zhao’s own choice, and the Emperor himself had decreed it.
Pei shi gnashed her teeth. Was there truly no way to make the Emperor retract his order?
Maid Li Zhi personally escorted Gu Jiu to the gates.
“Gu guniang, please forgive niangniang. Because you went downstairs without permission, she was embarrassed in front of Princess Fuming and took it out on you. Normally, she is kind and gentle.”
Gu Jiu laughed. “Since Li Zhi jiejie says so, I’ll believe it.”
It was just that all of Pei’s gentleness was reserved for others, never for her.
Li Zhi looked at her, hesitating.
Gu Jiu smiled again. “Li Zhi jiejie, if you have something to say, go ahead.”
After a pause, Li Zhi advised softly: “Gu guniang, forgive nubi’s meddling. Next time you face niangniang, it may be better to speak with more deference. If she is pleased, your future life as daughter-in-law will be far easier.”
Gu Jiu nodded. “Thank you for the kind reminder, Li Zhi jiejie. I’ll remember it.”
What Gu Jiu really wanted to say was that she had always spoken gently and respectfully, but Pei shi had disliked her from the bottom of her heart. Even if she humbled herself into the dust, Pei shi would never give her a pleasant look.
The problem between her and Pei shi was simply that, as a mother-in-law, she would never be satisfied with her daughter-in-law, always nitpicking and finding faults.
And Pei shi’s status was far from ordinary, which only magnified the problem.
Gu Jiu thanked Li Zhi, then rejoined her family to head back to the fu.
Zhang shi showed concern and asked a few questions. Gu Jiu only replied that she was fine, refusing to reveal the truth, leaving everyone to worry on her behalf.
An attendant reported to Pei shi that Mei pin had been thrown into the Cold Palace.
Pei shi spat angrily: “That fool, Mei pin!”
The matter of Mei pin was actually simple.
She had a daughter, the Eighth Princess, who was not yet ten years old.
After giving birth to her, Mei pin had been neglected by the Emperor, and she poured all her resentment onto the young princess.
The Eighth Princess had been abused by her own mother for years. The palace servants, seeing which way the wind blew, naturally did not bother to care for her properly either.
Yesterday, the Eighth Princess quietly died in the palace, abused to death.
Originally, the child had never been valued. Her death should have passed without fuss; the palace attendants would simply have buried her.
But unexpectedly, the Emperor suddenly wished to see his daughter one last time. And thus, her tragic death by abuse was exposed.
The Emperor was furious.
She was his own flesh and blood. Even if he disliked her, even if she was neglected, she was not someone lowly palace scum could abuse.
All the more since Mei pin was her biological mother, yet not only did she fail to care for her child, she was the very hand that tormented her. How could the Emperor endure that?
“Even a tiger will not eat its cubs, and yet you could be so cruel to your own child. Venomous woman, you deserve to die!”
That was all the Emperor said to Mei pin before he left.
But that single sentence was enough to seal her fate.
Soon after, Mei pin was cast into the Cold Palace.
The Emperor’s wrath over the princess’s death at the hands of palace attendants led him down a dark train of thought: when he himself grew old and feeble, would his own children collude with servants to torment him, letting him die miserably?
Suspicious by nature, the more he thought, the more fearful he became. And with fear came madness.
“Pass on zhen’s decree: cleanse the palace staff, inspect all departments.”
And so, a grand purge began. No one knew how many would be implicated, how many heads would roll.
But every member of the imperial clan braced themselves for the storm.
Even Ning wang, upon hearing of the Emperor’s purge, lost all appetite for banquets.
He dared not enter the palace lightly, yet his ears strained constantly for news from within.
Inside the palace, attendants were as if facing a mortal enemy, trembling with fear, never knowing when the blade might fall on their own necks.
All those who had cared for the Eighth Princess, the mama, the wet nurses, had already been executed. The eunuchs who served Mei pin were all arrested.
The heads of the palace’s Four Bureaus, Eight Offices, and Twenty-Four Directorates could not hope to escape unscathed either.
The Emperor’s fury brought corpses floating for miles, rivers of blood flowing.
Even Chen Dachang, the Chief Eunuch who served at his side, was not spared misfortune.
Chen Dachang knelt to confess: “Your servant failed in his duty of oversight. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”
“Get out!”
The Emperor roared, and Chen Dachang could only withdraw from the hall.
Outside, his face darkened. He summoned his trusted aide, a young eunuch, and asked: “How did His Majesty suddenly decide to see the Eighth Princess one last time?”
The eunuch quickly replied, “Godfather, I have already inquired. The suggestion came through Wu Shunzi. Behind Wu Shunzi is Fang shaojian of Weiyang Palace.”
Chen Dachang gnashed his teeth. “So it was that surnamed Fang. With the pearls of Weiyang Palace long gone, what Weiyang Palace is left to him?”
“Godfather is right.”
The eunuch hurriedly slapped himself twice across the face.
Chen Dachang demanded, “Where is this surnamed Fang now?”
“This son will go inquire immediately.”
At that very moment, Fang shaojian was meeting with Xue guifei.
Since the death of the Empress, Fang shaojian had been marginalised within the palace. Though he still bore the title of junior supervisor, most of his power had long been stripped away.
Xue guifei lounged lazily upon her couch.
A servant peeled a lychee and placed the flesh into her mouth.
She chewed with satisfaction and nodded. “Indeed, these taste better than last year’s.”
“If niangniang likes them, we shall have two more baskets sent.”
She waved her hand. “No need for so much. One basket is enough.”
“Yes.”
After eating the lychee, she finally gave Fang shaojian a proper look.
Her smile was faint, half mocking. “I never expected you, Fang shaojian, to come to bengong of your own accord. You were Ruizhen Empress Cui’s most trusted confidant. Aren’t you afraid people will gossip that you bite the hand that fed you, betraying your mistress?”
The late Empress had been posthumously titled Ruizhen, and all referred to her as Ruizhen Empress Cui.
Fang shaojian’s face was cool and calm as he replied unhurriedly: “I came to see niangniang at the Empress’s own instruction.”
“Utter nonsense!” Xue guifei’s expression changed abruptly, and she sat up straight.
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