She leaned forward, gazing pleadingly at her mother.
In terms of family background and chastity, she was confident that she surpassed the Lu woman by a hundredfold. But she also knew full well that she had nothing to do with the words “beautiful as a fairy,” whereas the Lu woman was so stunning that she could make the Emperor overlook the fact that she had once been a minister’s wife.
A woman like that, with her status, could never become Empress. But she would certainly be a formidable rival down the line.
Princess Linchuan smiled at her. “It’s good that you have such ambitions.”
More than a decade ago, Princess Linchuan’s consort had been unlucky. While serving in a local post, he got dragged into a case involving a royal clan’s secret hoarding of armor. He survived, but lost his title and office.
To that end, the Grand Princess Linchuan had begged her imperial younger brother and her nephews, but none of them restored his title.
With both her husband and son being utterly mediocre, it seemed inevitable that after her death, the household would decline—perhaps lasting only two or three generations before becoming no different from common folk.
Then Great Yan got a new master.
His harem was empty, with not a single soul.
Her eldest daughter’s marriage had suffered due to that major case back then, but her youngest daughter was still waiting in the boudoir. If she could become Empress, the Liu family could leap back to its former glory—or even surpass it.
Although the Emperor had no intention of establishing an Empress or taking concubines, his indifference to everyone meant opportunity for all.
Liu Zhilan had heard her mother’s promise from childhood: once her father’s title was restored, all past mistakes would be wiped clean, and she would surely be granted the title of County Princess. But now, with a chance at becoming Empress, who would still covet a mere County Princess?
She knew her mother had frequently entered the palace in the past and had shown great care to the young Emperor after he lost his mother. She still carried some favor.
“Mother, do you have any ideas?”
Grand Princess Linchuan frowned slightly.
Marquis Pingyang had been decisively convicted and sentenced to death with a stay of execution. For the moment, she didn’t dare make any big moves.
She had also heard of the Emperor’s military achievements in the capital, knowing he had governed the northern border quite well. With accomplishments like that, he naturally had no mind for dalliances with flowers and willows. Upon returning to the bustling red dust, it was normal to be captivated by a peerless beauty.
Thus, when Grand Princess Linchuan accidentally learned there was a woman by the Emperor’s side—and discovered her identity—she wasn’t too surprised.
Moreover, this woman had been married before, so she could never become Empress.
But if there was one, there should be a second. Grand Princess Linchuan wasn’t sure if her inquiries had been inadequate, but there had been no one else by the Emperor’s side afterward. Then came the matter with Marquis Pingyang’s daughter, which clearly showed the Emperor was willing to back the Lu woman.
The Lu woman hadn’t died; she had survived and entered the palace.
Though she had no name or status, Grand Princess Linchuan’s determination to see her dead only grew firmer. A married woman might serve the Emperor even better than an ordinary girl, winning his favor more easily.
She didn’t want her own daughter to enter the palace only to suffer under the hands of favored concubines. Besides, if the Lu family received too many rewards, the Liu family might get less.
But what had the Lu woman been punished for by the Emperor last time? If only she knew…
She pondered for a long time but couldn’t come up with an answer.
Liu Zhilan watched her mother lost in thought and couldn’t hold back. She urged, “Mother!”
Once they returned to the palace, there would be no chance. At least in the Western Garden, she could still see the woman.
She had to find a way out quickly.
Poison or assassination was impossible.
Unless they ended up like the Marquis Pingyang household—some dead, some exiled.
Moreover, the Emperor was in the Western Garden too; killing someone would be far too difficult.
Grand Princess Linchuan’s train of thought was interrupted by her, and suddenly, an idea struck her.
“Bribe a few palace maids and have them make sure the Lu woman overhears people cursing her for being unchaste, unfaithful, and impure.”
This wouldn’t be hard for her.
The Emperor had been away for years with no women managing his household; bribing palace maids to say a few words was easy, and disposing of them afterward would be simple too.
Liu Zhilan looked disdainful. “What’s the use in that? She’s already done it—why would she care what others say?”
“That’s different,” Princess Linchuan smiled. “She lost her father at just over ten and lived as a dependent in her uncle’s house, then her maternal family’s. Women like that usually have very strong self-respect. It might not matter if no one says anything, but if she hears how people are talking about her, she might just go make a scene with the Emperor.”
Grand Princess Linchuan quickly made the arrangements.
–
In her sleep, Yirong vaguely heard voices talking.
She wanted to ignore it, but the annoying noise didn’t stop.
Impatiently, Yirong opened her eyes.
She remembered that Shuilian and Xingxiang had kept her company all afternoon, and she had told them not to stand night watch and to go rest. Zhu Jin and Dan Liu were in the palace and hadn’t been brought out, so the night watch was handled by the Western Garden’s maids.
Once Yirong opened her eyes, her hearing sharpened.
Beyond a room divider and a layer of lotus-pink gauze curtain, she quietly moved behind the curtain.
She was a bit curious about what they were saying.
“…How dare she have the face to follow His Majesty out here?”
“She won’t be smug for long. Do you know, His Majesty’s imperial grandfather once had a very favored beauty? When an official remonstrated that he was favoring her too much and neglecting state affairs, the imperial grandfather directly had her executed—sent right here to the Western Garden to drink poisoned wine.”
“This Lu woman has already been married, and her background isn’t even as clean as others’.”
“She deserves to die…”
The lowered voices were exceptionally clear in the night.
They were just inches from Yirong, almost echoing.
The two continued, letting out low, knowing chuckles of “you don’t tell, I won’t tell.”
Yirong stood still for a moment, rolled her eyes, sighed softly, pinched the gauze curtain in front of her, and heard the voices outside abruptly stop. Then she went back to bed and continued sleeping.
After she lay down, the two little maids reported to their superiors overnight, having said everything they were supposed to.
Grand Princess Linchuan and her daughter didn’t sleep well that night. Early the next morning, they sent people to inquire and learned that His Majesty planned to leave in the afternoon.
So they pretended not to know—why would they volunteer to leave?
A peaceful night meant that Lady Lu had at least restrained herself that evening and hadn’t thrown a tantrum at the Emperor out of favoritism in the morning.
Thus, they continued having people monitor the Lu woman’s movements.
Meanwhile, Yirong learned the Emperor planned to head back in the afternoon. He had gone riding with Fan Ying and the others, so she decided to go for a stroll.
The Western Garden, as an imperial garden, wasn’t just for hunting; the scenery was quite nice too.
The air was fresh after the rain, and the sun was pleasantly warm.
Yirong wandered idly, with Shuilian still complaining about how slippery the paths were after the rain. From afar, she saw a group of people dressed in fine attire approaching.
It was Grand Princess Linchuan.
Yirong took a few steps forward and curtsied.
Grand Princess Linchuan glanced at her maid, who immediately said, “Madam Lu, why don’t you kneel upon seeing the Grand Princess?”
The group stood amid lush flowers and trees, with dew dripping down.
Yirong felt a chill on her neck and frowned slightly.
Grand Princess Linchuan looked at her with a half-smile. “Madam Lu, what are you doing here?”
She spoke politely, but her two maids approached as if to force Yirong to kneel before the Grand Princess.
Yirong smiled. “Grand Princess, in the past, I often entered the palace to pay respects to His Majesty, the late Empress Dowager, and the palace concubines. Those kind souls never required kneeling. Of course, you are the imperial aunt, of noble status. If you prefer people to kneel before you, there’s no need to force it.”
She made as if to kneel, and this time, Grand Princess Linchuan’s two maids swiftly supported her, not daring to let her actually kneel.
Grand Princess Linchuan said nonchalantly, “No matter, no matter. The sentiment is what counts. Madam Lu, what are you doing here?”
Yirong smiled faintly. “Hiding from the rain.”
At those words, Grand Princess Linchuan’s expression darkened slightly.
Yirong pretended not to notice and walked forward unhurriedly.
Why weren’t this mother-daughter pair hovering around His Majesty? At least let him see the Liu girl. What was the point of picking on her?
After exchanging a few inconsequential words, Grand Princess Linchuan sighed. “In the past, I often told the Madam of Marquis Pingyang that your family’s niece was truly exceptional. If my son hadn’t already married, I would surely have come to ask for her hand. It was so nice back then, all of us sitting together chatting. It’s a pity about your uncle and aunt… Never mind, I won’t mention your sad matters.”
Yirong replied, “The Marquis Pingyang household was audaciously bold, spying on the Emperor’s movements—they fully deserved their punishment. Forgive my bluntness, Grand Princess; you shouldn’t pity them.”
Grand Princess Linchuan calmly sized up Yirong.
At just eighteen, the girl was quite clever. If she were from her own kin, Grand Princess Linchuan would have liked having such a beautiful and intelligent young lady around.
But clearly, she wasn’t one to yield or hide her edge.
That, perhaps, was her lack of wisdom.
It was a clear autumn day with not a cloud in sight. Grand Princess Linchuan patiently walked and talked with Yirong, eventually steering the conversation back to her.
“What are your plans for the future?” Grand Princess Linchuan asked with a look of pity. “You’re at the perfect age to remarry. If your family has any difficulties, since we’ve crossed paths, it’s fate—you can come to me for help in finding and arranging a match.”
Yirong smiled. “Thank you for your kind intentions, Grand Princess.”
Grand Princess Linchuan continued, “Speaking of which, how did it end in divorce? I saw that you and Young Lord Cui were quite close before. Not long ago, I heard someone say they saw Young Lord Cui but didn’t even recognize him at first. A fine young noble, never having suffered hardship, reduced to such a wretched state.”
“She only dared to recognize him as Cui Sixth Young Master once she got closer.”
After Grand Princess Linchuan finished, she seemed to wait for an explanation, looking at Yirong with feigned confusion.