As Su Yuewu had anticipated, by evening, Su Chengyuan, having returned from his duties, learned of her “failure to be selected” and sent a servant to summon her to the main courtyard.
The Su family was a simple one. Apart from her mother, who had passed away due to difficult childbirth, the household consisted only of her father, Su Chengyuan; Yun Yiniang; her legitimate elder brother, Su Yuan; her concubine-born elder brother, Su Yuze; and her concubine-born sister, Su Yuewan.
It happened to be dinnertime. As Su Yuewu approached the doorway, she could hear the cheerful sounds of laughter and conversation from within—a scene of familial harmony.
The maid standing guard at the door lifted the curtain, revealing the sight inside.
Su Chengyuan sat at the head of the table. To his left was her elder brother, Su Yuan; to his right sat Yun Yiniang and Su Yuewan. Su Yuewan was animatedly recounting something, eliciting bursts of laughter from everyone, so much so that they seemed to have forgotten their meal.
To an outsider, it truly appeared to be a picture-perfect family—a devoted couple with both sons and daughters.
Su Yuewu sneered inwardly and walked in unhurriedly. With a call of “Father,” she shattered the lively atmosphere that had excluded her.
The room fell abruptly silent.
Su Chengyuan glanced at her, the warmth in his eyes already gone, his expression turning grim. “I heard from your yiniang that you failed to be selected today?”
Su Yuewu corrected him earnestly. “Father, first of all, Lady Bai is not my yiniang. Secondly, if you’ve already heard it from her, why ask me?”
“You insolent creature!”
Su Chengyuan slammed his chopsticks onto the table, his voice sharp with anger. “Who allowed you to speak to your elders like that? Kneel down!”
Su Yuan also frowned, looking disapprovingly at his sister.
Unfazed, Su Yuewu let out a light laugh. “Father, no matter how much I misbehaved before my coming-of-age ceremony, you never punished me severely. But ever since I entered and left the Eastern Palace that year, you’ve been quick to scold and punish me at every turn. Is it because you think your daughter is no longer useful, am I right?”
Her words struck directly at the heart of the matter.
The reason Su Chengyuan had indulged his eldest daughter for so many years was simply because she had been born with a beautiful face. With that face and the Su family name, she was sure to marry into nobility, bringing him great prospects.
With daughters, it was best to foster closeness before they married, so they could later bring benefits to their natal family.
Who could have imagined that his indulgence had gone too far, making her so reckless that she insisted on returning home merely because the Crown Prince had acquired a scar on his face!
Now, with that man having become the emperor, which official family would dare take in a woman who had spent a year by the emperor’s side without any formal status?
Su Chengyuan’s hopes were dashed. Now, whenever he saw this daughter, he felt nothing but annoyance. Provoked by her defiance and questioning, his anger flared even more, and he immediately clamored to enforce family discipline, only to be stopped by his beloved concubine.
“Lady Wu is just upset about failing the selection and spoke without thinking. Please don’t be angry, Master. The important matter comes first.”
Yun Yiniang gently soothed him.
Although Su Yuan disliked his sister’s domineering nature, he couldn’t bear to see her subjected to family punishment and chimed in, “Yiniang is right. Please calm your anger, Father.”
With both his beloved concubine and his legitimate son speaking up, Su Chengyuan’s rage subsided somewhat. He snorted coldly and sat back down. “For the sake of Yunniang and your brother, I’ll let you off this time.”
He paused and said to Yun Yiniang, “Go ahead and discuss the matter.”
Su Yuewu remained completely unaffected, standing there with an air of lazy indifference.
Hearing her father’s words, she slowly turned her gaze toward Bai Yunniang.
Concubine Yun beamed with a smile, “Wu Jie’er, you know well that ever since you left the Eastern Palace two years ago, your reputation has suffered. Your father, brother, and I have tried to find you a good husband, but it has been truly difficult. Fortunately, fate brings people together across great distances. My nephew fell in love with you at first sight. You saw him the other day—tall and handsome, a fine figure of a man. Marrying him would be a good match for you.”
“A good match?”
Su Yuewu let out a light scoff, her tone dripping with undisguised mockery. “Since your nephew arrived in the capital, his most frequented place has been the Wanhua Pavilion. Oh, and he occasionally visits the gambling den too, though he doesn’t gamble with money. Instead, he bets with people using their concubines as stakes—quite a unique approach, I must say. Since you think marrying such a person is a good match, why not arrange it for Yuewan? As her elder sister, I wouldn’t dream of taking what she desires.”
With her nephew’s flaws exposed, Concubine Yun’s face flushed with embarrassment. She cursed the little wretch inwardly but maintained a soft, delicate expression outwardly. “Wu Jie’er, if you look down on my nephew’s family background, you can say so directly. There’s no need to belittle him in such a roundabout way.”
Su Yuewu had no patience left for her and turned directly to Su Cheng Yuan. “Father, do you also think your daughter should marry such a person?”
She still clung to a sliver of hope, hoping that the fifteen years of doting indulgence and deep father-daughter affection weren’t entirely driven by self-interest.
But reality was always disappointing.
Su Cheng Yuan’s face hardened as he spoke coldly, “Your own reputation is in tatters. What gives you the right to criticize others for their misconduct? I’m not discussing this with you. Whether you agree or not, you will obediently marry him when the time comes!”
Su Yuewu laughed softly. It was expected, so she wasn’t too disheartened.
She then turned to Su Yuan, who had remained silent.
“Brother, what about you?”
Su Yuan looked at his sister, who had been spoiled since childhood, and felt a headache coming on.
He sighed and spoke in a gentle, persuasive tone. “A Wu, although our cousin from the Bai family was a bit wild in the past, he has turned over a new leaf since meeting you. For a man, such behavior isn’t a big deal.”
Seeing Su Yuewu sneer disdainfully, he grew somewhat displeased. His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke with a hint of admonishment. “He is handsome and talented, and as our aunt’s nephew, he will surely respect and honor you in the future. What more are you dissatisfied with?”
If Su Yuewu felt more mockery than heartbreak upon hearing her father’s words, then her brother’s words now left her feeling mostly heartbroken.
Concubine Yun was originally a mistress Father had secretly kept outside. That year, when Mother was pregnant with her younger sister and nearing childbirth, Concubine Yun arrived at their doorstep with her three-year-old daughter, demanding that Mother grant her a proper status. Overwhelmed with shock and anger, Mother went into premature labor, which turned into a difficult birth, resulting in her death along with the unborn child.
At that time, Su Yuewu was only six years old, a child raised with endless pampering. She cried daily for her mother. Her ten-year-old brother had his studies during the day but would spend nights comforting her, sometimes staying awake all night, even falling seriously ill because of it.
He too had resented Father and harbored deep hatred for Concubine Yun and her daughter. When did things begin to change?
Perhaps it started when Father arranged for two maids to serve in his brother’s quarters when he was fourteen.
Her brother began to understand the ways of men and women and gradually came to empathize with Father.
He said, “A woman must not be jealous. A Wu, you must not be like Mother in the future. You must learn to be tolerant and become a virtuous and gentle wife.”
…
“A Wu, your brother is speaking to you! What exactly is it that you’re dissatisfied with?”
The originally gentle voice now carried a tone of reprimand, interrupting Su Yuewu’s reverie.
She looked at her brother, whose face was stern, and suddenly smiled.
Her usually lazy and carefree Peach Blossom Eyes shimmered with a faint glimmer in that smile, the slightly reddened corners of her eyes like petals dampened by rain.
“Brother, you shouldn’t ask me whether I’m satisfied or not.”
Su Yuewu straightened her sleeves and resumed her willful, indulgent demeanor, tilting her chin slightly as she said, “You should go ask His Majesty whether he is satisfied with you marrying off his consort to another man.”