On the first day of the third lunar month, birds chirped incessantly in the early morning.
Meng Shuhe walked to the window. As she pushed it open, a wave of floral fragrance greeted her. In the courtyard, magnolias, peonies, and herbaceous peonies competed in splendor, while the drooping crabapple trees were already heavy with buds about to burst.
Meng Shuhe sat before the bronze mirror, letting Lan’er style her hair.
“My mother is so beautiful—as lovely as a flower, enough to make the fish sink and the birds alight!”
Hearing the child in her womb praise her appearance, Meng Shuhe smiled softly.
“It’s just that Lu Jing who is blind. My mother is so gorgeous, yet he still has someone else in his heart.”
Looking at her reflection after her makeup was done, Meng Shuhe said to Lan’er, “Go and pick a peony. A peony would suit this hairstyle perfectly today.”
“Yes,” Lan’er replied.
After Lan’er left, Meng Shuhe gently caressed her lower abdomen and asked, “Since Lu Jing loves that woman so deeply, why doesn’t he give her a proper status? Even if her humble origins prevent her from becoming the Taizifei, she could still become a Taizi Cefei.”
Lu Xiu gave a light snort. “Lu Jing wouldn’t have the heart to let the woman he loves act subservient and lowly in front of you.”
Meng Shuhe chuckled softly. “Lu Jing is truly good to the woman he loves.”
After pinning the peony into her hair, Meng Shuhe and Lan’er prepared to head out to the streets to buy supplies for the journey back to Jiangnan.
Just as Meng Shuhe reached the main gate of the Houfu, she saw that the central gates were wide open today.
Meng Wang, dressed in a red silk robe, was waiting at the entrance as if to welcome an honored guest.
A moment later, Shen Qian arrived, supporting Meng Ruoli as they stepped over the threshold. The couple appeared deeply in love.
As soon as Shen Qian entered, the first thing that caught his eye was Meng Shuhe with the peony in her hair.
Today, Meng Shuhe wore a gown of bright primrose yellow, looking radiant and uninhibited. The peony in her hair made her seem even more delicate than the flower itself. Shen Qian couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
Noticing Shen Qian’s gaze, Meng Ruoli gave a light cough. “Shizi!”
Shen Qian withdrew his gaze and cupped his hands toward Meng Wang. “Brother, I have brought Ruoli back today for the Sanchao Huimen.”
Meng Wang laughed. “Please, come inside quickly. Grandmother has been looking forward to this.”
Meng Shuhe had no desire to witness their display of sibling affection. Just as she was about to leave, Meng Wang called out to her.
“Meng Shuhe, where are you going? Your sister has returned home today; what does it look like for you to be heading out?”
Meng Shuhe glanced back at Meng Wang but treated his words like wind passing her ears.
Seeing that Meng Shuhe still intended to leave, Meng Wang grew furious.
Meng Ruoli, however, walked up to Meng Shuhe and said, “Sister, are you still blaming me? But Qian-lang and I were the ones originally betrothed… Our sisterly bond shouldn’t suffer a rift over a man.”
Meng Shuhe replied, “A good dog doesn’t block the way. Move.”
Meng Ruoli looked pitiful as she said, “Sister, why must you treat me like this? I have never done anything to wrong you. How can you call me a dog for no reason? We are sisters, after all.”
Meng Shuhe said, “Who is your sister? Do you think you’re even worthy of being my sister?”
Meng Wang was enraged to the extreme. “Meng Shuhe! How is Ruoli not worthy of being your sister? If anyone is unworthy, it’s you! You grew up in the countryside with no sense of propriety, while Ruoli is the paragon of a Chang’an noble lady, meticulously raised by our Houfu. Who exactly is the unworthy one?”
“A paragon of a noble lady, indeed.”
Meng Shuhe let out a light laugh. “Meng Ruoli discussed marriage with a brother-in-law who hadn’t even divorced yet, and she married without her parents’ command. What kind of paragon of a noble lady is that?”
Meng Ruoli sobbed softly. “Sister, my marriage was also decided by Grandmother. It was Grandmother who accepted the proposal on my behalf. Sister, I’ve returned home today; why must you humiliate me like this?”
Meng Ruoli continued to weep softly. “If Sister dislikes me so much, then perhaps I should just leave.”
Meng Wang hurriedly said, “The one who should leave isn’t you! Ruoli, you are now the Shizi Consort of the Zhenguogong Fu. The Houfu will never sever ties with you. Grandmother has been waiting for a long time; please, go inside quickly.”
Shen Qian gently comforted Meng Ruoli, saying, “Let’s not keep Grandmother waiting.”
Meng Ruoli used a handkerchief to wipe the aggrieved tears from the corners of her eyes and followed Shen Qian into the Songhe Yuan, where Old Madame Pingyuan Hou resided.
Upon seeing Meng Ruoli’s arrival, Old Madame Pingyuan Hou smiled and said, “Ruoli, you’ve finally returned.”
“Greetings, Grandmother.”
Meng Ruoli and Shen Qian both bowed to Old Madame Pingyuan Hou.
Seeing the tears in Meng Ruoli’s eyes, the Old Madame said heart-wrenchingly, “My darling, why are you crying? Did Shizi Shen bully you?”
Meng Ruoli shook her head. “Grandmother, Shizi treats me very well. It’s just that I ran into Sister when I returned to the manor. Sister likely still has misunderstandings about me and spoke some harsh words… I don’t blame her; after all, I truly am sorry to her. I shouldn’t have cried. It’s only natural that she doesn’t want me to be the young lady of the Pingyuan Houfu.”
“And how exactly have you wronged her?”
Old Madame Pingyuan Hou comforted Meng Ruoli, saying, “Ruoli, don’t listen to the nonsense of that undisciplined country bumpkin. Although you are not a biological daughter of our Meng family, you were raised by my own hand. You are the true eldest young lady of our Pingyuan Houfu.”
“Someone, go and call Meng Shuhe here. I must teach her some proper rules.”
Meng Wang said, “Grandmother, Meng Shuhe went out early this morning. I don’t know where she went.”
The Old Madame, vexed, leaned on her cane and said, “When she returns, tell her to come to my Songhe Yuan. A daughter raised by country merchants truly has no sense of propriety to speak of. No wonder she was divorced. I will certainly teach her some rules.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Meng Shuhe spent some time wandering the streets and bought quite a bit of fabric. Spending the money given by the Zhenguogong Fu really didn’t hurt.
One hundred thousand taels of silver was enough for her to live extravagantly for a lifetime.
“Mother, the crucian carp soup at Baiwei Xuan at the end of the street is very delicious. I used to go there often. I didn’t realize this restaurant was already around fifteen years ago.”
Hearing the words of the child in her womb, Meng Shuhe realized that since today was Meng Ruoli’s return visit, the Meng family would inevitably dine together.
She had no desire to return to the Meng family to share a table with Meng Wang, Shen Qian, and the others, so she went to Baiwei Xuan to eat.
Meng Shuhe found a corner to sit in and ordered according to Lu Xiu’s suggestions. “Waiter, I’ll have a bowl of crucian carp soup, roasted squab, stir-fried shrimp with lily bulbs, and a bowl of seasonal vegetables.”
Just as Meng Shuhe finished ordering, she heard a familiar voice nearby—it was the voice of Wen De, Lu Jing’s attendant.
“Waiter, are there any private rooms left?”
The waiter replied, “You’ve come at an unlucky time, sir. The private rooms are all full, and the last table in the main hall was just taken. You’ll have to wait about fifteen minutes for a seat.”
Lu Jing, standing beside Wen De, looked toward Meng Shuhe sitting in the corner and said, “I know that lady. I’ll just sit at her table.”
Meng Shuhe tried her best to hide her profile with her sleeve, not expecting that Lu Jing had already spotted her.
“I really shouldn’t have stepped out today.”
Meng Shuhe heard Lu Xiu’s voice from her womb: “How did we run into Lu Jing here?”
Lu Jing heard the child’s voice and glanced around. The child’s voice seemed to come from right beside Meng Shuhe.
But there was no young child near her. Could he have misheard?
Lu Jing sat down beside Meng Shuhe and said, “Why haven’t you returned to the manor these past two days? You’ve made it quite hard for me to find you.”
Meng Shuhe looked up and scanned Lu Jing. Today, he wore a purple silk robe that made him look elegant and poised, like a refined tree of jade. His features seemed even more handsome, and he clearly carried an indescribable air of nobility.
Meng Shuhe couldn’t help but feel annoyed that she hadn’t noticed the cold, noble aura of a ruler about him before.
Had she known he was the Crown Prince and already had someone in his heart, she never would have provoked him. Alcohol really did lead to trouble.
“I had some business in Chang’an Cheng these past few days, so I didn’t return to the manor.”
After saying this, Meng Shuhe picked up her tea and took a sip.
Lu Jing leaned in and whispered in her ear, “So you had business in the city. I thought you had taken my innocence and were unwilling to take responsibility, choosing to just run away instead…”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Hearing Lu Jing’s words, Meng Shuhe choked on her tea.