Meanwhile, Consort Su had returned to Xinyi Garden, keeping only Xia Chun, who had served her since childhood, by her side.
“Xia Chun, what do you make of that Fu-cha woman’s intentions?”
Xia Chun crouched down to gently massage Consort Su’s legs, her voice low as she replied: “My lady, Consort Fuca likely simply doesn’t wish to socialize with others.”
“But that Lady Gao clearly—”
“My lady, Consort Gao’s father is the Chief Steward of the Zhanshi Mansion, while Consort Fuca’s father is only a Deputy Steward.”
“I thought she was so aloof and above it all—turns out she’s just another one who plays to power.” Consort Su hailed from the Jiangnan region and was a proper lady of the boudoir; how would she know the family standings of those two women? These were things Xia Chun had gleaned from the household—not exactly secrets, as no one bothered to hide them.
“My lady, should we still visit Rongmuzhai in the future?”
“We should—why wouldn’t we? When you go to fetch the food hampers on ordinary days, be even more courteous to the people of Qinglan Study. As for Rongmuzhai, we can’t suddenly grow cold toward them either—that woman is His Highness’s first.”
“But the Fourth Prince hardly ever goes to Rongmuzhai anymore.” Xia Chun genuinely believed Rongyu had fallen out of favor. Even if she was the first woman, she was also the oldest—how could she compare with the young beauties?
“Xia Chun, our foundation is still shallow. We cannot afford conflict with anyone, and we must never underestimate anyone. Just look at the furnishings in Rongmuzhai—my Xinyi Garden can’t compare.”
The largest courtyards in the rear compound were Rongmuzhai and Qinglan Study, both laid out in the standard four-bay-with-five layout; Lady Jin’s Qiuxi Garden and Consort Su’s Xinyi Garden were considerably smaller—three main rooms, two half-side rooms, and a single storeroom, with the eunuchs of the courtyard having to rest in the front wing rooms.
Still, this counted as fortunate. Only two empty courtyards remained in the rear compound—one the Fourth Prince had clearly reserved for his daughter, and the other a miscellaneous yard. Any woman who came later would have to share quarters with someone else.
But if any woman bore a child and was elevated to Lady, then it would be anyone’s guess who would have to make room for whom.
On the other side, Lady Jin was also discussing the inner household, accompanied by Ye Tao.
Ladies Jin and Su had arrived at an opportune time. When they had participated in the Minor Selection, the Fourth Prince had already established his own household outside the palace, and thus they were permitted to bring a personal maidservant into the residence.
Consort Su had brought Xia Chun, and the additional maidservant assigned by the Zhanshi Mansion was named Xia He.
Lady Jin’s Ye Tao was also a woman of the White-Clad Tribe, while the one assigned by the Zhanshi Mansion was called Ye Mei.
Ye Mei did not enjoy Lady Jin’s trust. In daily conversation, Lady Jin spoke with Ye Tao in the White-Clad tribal language, effectively shutting Ye Mei out.
“Princess, should we also visit Rongmuzhai and Qinglan Study?”
“It should be them coming to see me. They’re merely daughters of stewards—how could my status compare to theirs?”
“Princess—”
“Enough, enough. Have that one go find out where the Fourth Prince is spending tonight. If there’s no news, send over a plate of peach blossom cakes. And from now on, stop calling me Princess.”
Lady Jin was thoroughly irritated. So what if that woman was the Fourth Prince’s first? Wasn’t she still being thoroughly overshadowed by herself now?
Running errands was the job of the young eunuchs in the courtyard, and one soon returned with word: the Fourth Prince would be taking his evening meal at Qinglan Study.
Lady Jin let out a derisive snort and said nothing more, only instructing that the peach blossom cakes be sent to the front courtyard after the morning court session the next day.
“Princess, wouldn’t our ginseng soup be far better than those peach blossom cakes?” Ye Tao truly didn’t understand. Her princess made excellent ginseng soup—why on earth would she insist on sending those blasted peach blossom cakes instead?
“I asked that young eunuch—the Fourth Prince’s favorite is peach blossom cake. He wouldn’t dare lie to me.” Lady Jin waved her hand. “Come, I’m tired.”
The unremarkable Ye Mei remained standing in place, but her slightly lowered head flickered with a glint.
Peach blossom cake—that was Consort Fuca’s signature delicacy. One could only wonder what Lady Jin would think when she learned she had made a gown for another woman to wear.
And sure enough, the next day, when the Fourth Prince saw the peach blossom cakes sent from Qiuxi Garden, he instantly thought of that stunning beauty who always loved to sip tea and listen to jokes beneath the peach blossom trees.
“Li Xiang, send word to Rongmuzhai—His Highness will go there tonight to eat peach blossom cake.” It had been half a month since he’d last visited Rongmuzhai. That woman certainly had patience—she hadn’t sent so much as a single thing over. He wondered what she did with herself all day.
“Yes, and this plate of peach blossom cakes?” Li Xiang could already guess the outcome, but he had to ask.
“Distribute them among yourselves.”
“Yes.”
The Fourth Prince was truly fickle-hearted. He remembered to send Li Xiang to Rongmuzhai with word, but forgot to send someone to placate Lady Jin, who had used the peach blossom cakes to vie for attention.
So when Lady Jin learned that the Fourth Prince would be spending the night at Rongmuzhai, she couldn’t even wait until the next day—she marched straight over with Ye Tao and Ye Mei in tow.
By then, Rongyu had just finished tipping Li Xiang when Lady Jin stormed in in a fury. Li Xiang, rather than leaving, simply stayed and paid his respects to Lady Jin, then subtly positioned himself to shield Rongyu.
Lady Jin’s scattered wits only returned somewhat upon seeing Li Xiang, but the sight of Rongyu’s face inevitably reignited her anger: “Fu-cha, you did this on purpose!”
Rongyu was no fool. Li Xiang had just hinted at things subtly, so she naturally understood why this rising Lady Jin had come. Still, she feigned ignorance on the surface: “I don’t know what Lady Jin means by this.”
“Don’t know what I mean? What a joke. You clearly know it was I who sent the peach blossom cakes to the front courtyard, yet the Fourth Prince slapped my face by coming to see you instead—and you still claim not to understand my intent?” As she spoke, Lady Jin’s eyes reddened at the edges.
Rongyu was hardly one to pity a fair maiden. She remained utterly unmoved by Lady Jin, even finding it somewhat amusing: “Then I must ask Lady Jin—did I ask you to send those peach blossom cakes?”
“No, but…” But the peach blossom cakes were something I had sent over.
“And did I send anyone to the front courtyard to pass along some message, to keep His Lordship from going to your Qiuxi Garden?”
“How would I know whether you…” Whether you had used some scheme or another.
“You know nothing, and yet you come storming into my Rongmuzhai to make a scene. The one who told you about the peach blossom cakes wasn’t me. The one who humiliated you wasn’t me. I don’t see you seeking out the one who passed you the information, nor do I see you going to His Lordship. Instead, you come here to shout and scream at my doorstep. This truly makes your white-robed Lady Jin of the Jin family seem all bark and no bite—utterly senseless.”
Honestly, she, Fu-cha Rongyu, had been quite renowned in the inner chambers back in her maiden days. Now she was being accosted in her own home by some woman from another clan.
Lady Jin’s command of Chinese was never particularly good to begin with. Being silenced repeatedly by Rongyu’s sharp retorts, her reddened eyes brimmed with tears.
Just then, the Fourth Prince stepped into Rongmuzhai. It turned out that Li Xiang, seeing the situation growing tense, had signaled Cheng Mu with a glance to go fetch someone with authority to settle matters.
Seeing the Fourth Prince enter, Rongyu suppressed the anger in her heart, turned to look at Lady Jin, and said, “Enough. You’re putting on this act of being wronged by me, but the one who can give you answers is here now. If you have anything to say, ask His Lordship directly.”
With that, she performed the standard greeting salute toward the Fourth Prince—but without waiting for him to bid her rise, she turned and walked straight back into the main chamber.
The Fourth Prince’s intended words were choked off before he could speak them. Never mind, never mind—she had been the one wronged today. He would indulge her this once.
And so, the partial-hearted Fourth Prince turned directly to look at Lady Jin, whose eyes were red and face full of grievance—and said not a word.
But that was precisely it. Lady Jin, who had meant to lodge a complaint, swallowed her words back down. Seeing the Fourth Prince’s expressionless face, she knelt directly and spoke cautiously: “My Lord, this concubine—”
“Enough. If you want to kneel, go kneel in your Qiuxi Garden. Don’t do it here.” With that, he didn’t spare Lady Jin another glance, turning to walk toward the main chamber.
The tears Lady Jin had held back for so long finally fell. A beauty weeping—what a pity no one was there to appreciate it. All around her were Rongmuzhai’s people. If she stayed any longer, she would truly become a laughingstock. Lady Jin left quickly.
Inside the room, Rongyu had also calmed herself. The outburst just now had taken all the courage she had. It was likely the bitterness of being neglected all this time that had made the sight of the Fourth Prince standing together with his new favored beauty so unbearably jarring.
But he was a prince—the future emperor. In the end, she had been too greedy.
“His Lordship hasn’t even taken offense at your impertinence, so why are you still so angry?” The Fourth Prince’s flat voice sounded from behind her. Rongyu’s heart jolted suddenly, but she stubbornly refused to turn around.
Seeing that Rongyu wouldn’t turn, and realizing they were the only two in the room, the Fourth Prince set aside propriety and stepped forward, forcibly turning her by the shoulders. He lifted her chin—only to find that the beauty before him was also weeping a rain of tears.
“There, there. His Lordship isn’t blaming you. Why are you acting like a stubborn child?” The Fourth Prince’s voice had softened considerably, carrying a tenderness even he himself hadn’t realized. “I know our Arong was upset today. Don’t be afraid—I’ll get even for you.”
With that, he called out the window, “Li Xiang, pass on my order: Lady Jin has only recently arrived in the capital and is feeling unwell. Let her rest properly in Qiuxi Garden, and no one is to disturb her.”
“Yes.” That was house arrest in all but name.
“Feeling better now?” The Fourth Prince lifted her directly into his arms, seated himself on the soft couch, and gently stroked Rongyu’s hair.
“My Lord, call me Arong once more.” Her voice was thick with tears, lacking her usual deliberate coquetry, carrying instead a fragile sort of beauty.
“Arong. My Arong, and mine alone.”
“My Lord, you said that in the years to come, you would always protect me.”
“Yes. All my life, I will protect our Arong.”
Even heroes stumble at the gates of beauty. And with countless beauties in the world, who can say whether this hero will forever guard just that one?