Empress Qin’s willow-leaf brows arched slightly. “The daughter of the Marquis of Pingyuan? Marquis Pingyuan has only one daughter, and if I recall, she is about your age. Is she not yet betrothed?”
Lu Jing gave a faint smile. “She is nineteen, and she is currently unbetrothed.”
Empress Qin said, “Then I shall have Jiayu send an invitation to the Pingyuan Houfu, inviting the Marquis’s daughter to the Shangsi Jie poetry meet on the third day of the third month. I will have your imperial sister evaluate her first to see if she is fit to be the Taizifei.”
Lu Jing replied, “Mother, I have already decided that only the daughter of Marquis Pingyuan shall be my Taizifei.”
Empress Qin remarked, “Marquis Pingyuan and his wife are both exceptionally good-looking; their daughter must surely be a great beauty as well? I didn’t take much notice of her during previous palace banquets.”
Lu Jing chuckled softly. “She possesses an ethereal grace; to say she is beautiful enough to topple nations would not be an exaggeration.”
Empress Qin glanced at Lu Jing. “It is rare for a woman to catch your eye. In that case, I would like to see her for myself. On the day of Shangsi Jie, I shall also go to your imperial sister’s villa to witness this divine beauty.”
Inside the Pingyuan Houfu, Meng Shuhe tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She eventually called out softly to the child in her womb.
“Lu Xiu, are you still awake?”
A child’s milky voice rang out, “Mother, can you not sleep?”
Having suddenly gained a child—and the child of the Crown Prince at that—she truly could not sleep.
“Little Xiu, who is the woman your father loves? Do you know?”
Lu Xiu shook his head. “I don’t know. Lu Jing kept her very well hidden, but many people still knew that he had a woman cherished above all others in his heart. For her sake, Lu Jing’s harem had no other consorts or concubines besides you.”
Meng Shuhe was stunned. “Is he not the Crown Prince? How could the back courtyard of the Donggong have no other side-consorts or concubines? Even Shen Qian had two waiting maids before our marriage.”
Lu Xiu said, “Lu Jing was deeply devoted to the woman he kept in his heart. To stay pure for her, he was unwilling to touch any other woman. The only reason he married you as Taizifei was a forced marriage due to the pregnancy. After you entered the palace, Lu Jing rarely visited you.”
Meng Shuhe coughed twice. “Does a child like you even know what ‘visiting’ means?”
Lu Xiu replied, “I am fourteen years old; of course I understand. Visiting means coming to your palace. I have seen Lu Jing’s Qijuzhu. After he ascended the throne, he never once went to your palace.”
Thinking it was inappropriate to discuss such matters with her son, Meng Shuhe coughed again.
Changing the subject, she asked, “If Lu Jing loved that woman so much, why did he not marry her as Taizifei back then?”
Lu Xiu whispered, “It was because the woman Lu Jing loved came from too humble a background. Imperial Grandfather and Imperial Grandmother would never have allowed a woman of low birth to be the Taizifei. Because of this, Lu Jing remained unmarried even as he approached twenty. But you got him drunk and became pregnant with me. Imperial Grandfather felt your background was respectable, so your status rose because of the child, and you were titled Taizifei.
“Later, when Imperial Grandfather passed away and Lu Jing ascended the throne as the ruler of the world, no one could control his marriage anymore. He then thought of having us, mother and son, make way for the woman he loved. On the day I was punished with kneeling, it seemed the woman he loved was already pregnant. I heard Lu Jing asking the imperial physician if it would be more difficult for a woman over thirty to give birth. So, that woman he kept outside must have been carrying an imperial heir.”
Meng Shuhe placed her hand gently on her lower abdomen. “How can you call him by his name, Lu Jing? He is your father, after all.”
“I don’t acknowledge him as my father.” Lu Xiu gave a small huff after speaking.
Meng Shuhe gave a helpless, faint smile. “In that case, it truly is for the best to stay far away from Lu Jing.”
Lu Xiu urged, “Exactly. We should escape back to your old home in Jiangnan as soon as possible.”
Meng Shuhe fell into deep thought. Although Lu Jing did not know she was the daughter of the Pingyuan Houfu, he did know where she lived in Jiangnan. However, since Lu Jing had a woman he loved, he likely wouldn’t keep her in his heart or come looking for her.
Thinking this, Meng Shuhe drifted into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Meng Shuhe woke up early, planning to go to the streets to purchase some clothes needed for the journey. From Chang’an Cheng to Jiangnan, traveling by boat would take at least two to three months. The journey would take place during the transition between spring and summer, and there was currently a late spring cold snap, so she needed to prepare clothes for three seasons.
Furthermore, she was now pregnant. She remembered seeing her foster mother lose her appetite when she was pregnant with her younger brother, so she also needed to prepare some preserved fruits and sour treats.
After dressing, Meng Shuhe took Lan’er to the market and bought many clothes and some winter fabrics. Fearing the boat trip would be boring, she thought she could sew a few outfits for little Lu Xiu while on board.
Lan’er asked in confusion, “Miss, it’s already the end of the second month. Why are you buying fabric for winter clothes?”
“Buying winter fabric is cheaper at this time.”
Meng Shuhe gently stroked her belly. It was now the end of the second month, which meant little Lu Xiu would be born exactly in the winter. These fabrics would be perfect for making his clothes.
When Meng Shuhe returned to the Pingyuan Houfu, Marchioness Pingyuan, Xie Qing’an, walked up to her as she entered. “Shuhe, I was just looking for you.”
Meng Shuhe asked with a smile, “Does Mother have some business?”
Xie Qing’an brought out an invitation. “Shuhe, Princess Jiayu just sent someone to deliver an invitation. She invites you to her villa for a poetry meet on the third day of the third month, for Shangsi Jie.”
Meng Shuhe took the invitation from Xie Qing’an with both hands. “Mother, can I choose not to go?”
Xie Qing’an replied, “This is an invitation sent by the Princess; it cannot be refused.”
“But…” Meng Shuhe feared running into Lu Jing. “Mother, why don’t I claim to be ill?”
Xie Qing’an smiled. “There is no need to feign illness. The Princess is hosting this poetry meet; while poetry is part of it, the most important purpose is to select a Taizifei for the Crown Prince. Many young ladies and noblewomen will attend this Shangsi Jie meet, as will many talented young men and sons of noble families. You have just divorced Shen Qian; you might as well go and have a look. Perhaps you will encounter a young talent even better than Shen Qian…”
Meng Wang’s voice rang out from behind them. “Mother, you had better not let Meng Shuhe go to the poetry meet and embarrass us. She grew up in the countryside; what does she know of poetry? When the time comes, won’t she make our Pingyuan Houfu a laughingstock again?”
Meng Shuhe heard a frustrated sound from the child in her womb: This makes me so angry! It’s a good thing this guy dies early!
Meng Wang continued, “Mother, besides, this invitation might not even be for Meng Shuhe. I just heard the maids say the invitation is addressed to ‘Miss Meng, daughter of the Marquis of Pingyuan.’ It was likely meant for Ruoli. It’s just that Princess Jiayu didn’t know Ruoli was married off yesterday, which is why the invitation was sent to our manor.”
Meng Shuhe handed the invitation to Meng Wang. “You’re right. This invitation must be for Sister Ruoli. Hurry to the Zhenguogong Fu and deliver it to Meng Ruoli.”
Meng Shuhe had no desire to go to the Princess’s poetry meet. What if she ran into Lu Jing there?
Meng Wang took the invitation and looked coldly at Meng Shuhe. “At least you have some self-awareness this time. I’ll deliver the invitation to Ruoli right now.”
Inside the Zhenguogong Fu.
Meng Wang gave the invitation to Meng Ruoli. “Sister, this is an invitation sent by Princess Jiayu, inviting you to the Shangsi Jie poetry meet on the third day of the third month.”
Meng Ruoli smiled. “I actually have a part in this? I heard this Shangsi Jie meet is for selecting the Taizifei?”
Meng Wang nodded slightly. “Yes.”
Meng Ruoli looked at the gold-embossed invitation. She had already heard about the Princess hosting the poetry meet. She hadn’t expected that as a foster daughter of the Marquis, she would still receive an invitation for the selection of the Taizifei.
Meng Ruoli did not regret marrying yesterday, nor did she feel it was a pity to miss out on the position of Taizifei. After all, while she was raised by the Pingyuan Houfu, she did not share their bloodline. With her obscure origins, she could never become the Taizifei. Being the wife of the Shizi of a Duke’s manor was already excellent.
The status of a Shizi’s wife was something Meng Shuhe would never be able to reach or surpass in the future.