Qingque frowned, speaking up for Shen Yao, “The Princess Consort has just risen. Why must she be rushed over so urgently?”
The matron snorted, “Indeed. The Princess Consort comes from a military family, holds a noble status, and was personally betrothed by His Majesty. No wonder she looks down on Aunt Zhou, a widow, with such disregard.”
Qingque was taken aback, widening her eyes, “When did I ever say that was my meaning?”
“If the young lady cannot even clarify her own meaning, perhaps it’s best not to speak at all!”
With a few sharp words, the matron deftly silenced Qingque and turned to Shen Yao, “Princess Consort, what do you say?”
Sending such a sharp-tongued matron showed that Aunt Zhou was determined to put Shen Yao in her place on the very first day of her marriage.
Under the matron’s piercing gaze, Shen Yao merely smiled, “It is indeed proper to pay respects to Aunt Zhou.”
Her tone was gentle and calm, but the words “pay respects” pricked the ears.
The matron lowered her eyes slightly, “The Princess Consort misunderstands. It is not about paying respects, merely a meeting.”
Shen Yao, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard this, “General Xue sacrificed himself to save the Prince. His widow deserves respect from all, and I deeply admire Aunt Zhou. It is only fitting to pay my respects to her today.”
Watching as the matron swelled with pride at these words, Shen Yao curled the corner of her lips and continued, “Therefore, I must trouble you, Matron, to make a trip to the palace.”
The matron was puzzled, “To the palace?”
Shen Yao nodded with a smile, “Yes. Please enter the palace and report that as the widow of a martyr, Aunt Zhou takes precedence. I must first pay my respects to her before I can attend upon His Majesty and Her Majesty.”
The matron froze, a flicker of panic in her heart.
Not to mention whether she could even enter the palace gates, the mere suggestion of prioritizing Aunt Zhou over Their Majesties would likely cost her head the moment the words left her mouth.
Such disrespect—how could she dare!
Her earlier arrogance deflated, and the matron forced a smile, “The Princess Consort jests. Naturally, His Majesty and Her Majesty hold the highest honor.”
Shen Yao continued smiling, “Since you understand, go back and tell Aunt Zhou that I will see her once I have finished my duties.”
The matron was left speechless for a long moment.
The orphaned daughter of a general’s household appeared delicate and gentle, yet she was not someone to be easily bullied.
With a disheartened sigh, she turned and left.
Shen Yao resumed her grooming.
Qingque whispered to her, “Princess Consort, are you really going to see Aunt Zhou?”
Shen Yao fiddled with the hairpins on the table, carefully selecting one, “After all, she is an aunt and indeed the widow of a martyr. Of course, I must see her. However, it will be on my terms—when I decide to go, not when she demands it.”
This was a matter of who held the initiative.
If she were to lower herself from the very beginning, her future days would surely be difficult.
These were lessons taught to Shen Yao by her sister-in-law.
Her sister-in-law came from a centuries-old clan teeming with wives, concubines, and children. As the eldest sister-in-law put it, she had seen all manner of demons, ghosts, and schemes. The storms and bloodshed within the inner chambers were no less fierce than the battlefields her father and brothers had experienced.
After marrying Shen Yao’s elder brother, with no one in the household engaging in such domestic struggles, her sister-in-law, having little else to do, would come to impart her wisdom to Shen Yao.
As the only daughter in the family, Shen Yao received almost all of her sister-in-law’s teachings.
In her previous life, Shen Yao had never put those lessons to use, sometimes thinking it a pity.
Now, however, things were different.
After finishing her grooming and having the carriage prepared, Shen Yao took Qingque and another palace maid, Yinzhu, and made her way out.
“I’m not drunk! I’m not drunk! I can still drink three more jars!”
Just as she was about to board the carriage, Shen Yao heard a commotion.
Following the sound, she saw an unfamiliar carriage stopped outside the gate. Two attendants dressed as tavern servers were helping a young man down from the carriage.
The youth was dressed in fine silk robes, his jade hairpin slightly askew, and his sleeves stained with wine.
Staggering to the ground, he barely steadied himself before slapping away the attendant beside him, cursing, “Do you know who I am? Prince Jing is my cousin! Empress Dowager Shuxian watched me grow up, and I’ve even met His Majesty!”
The attendant covered his face, not daring to retort.
Everyone else tried to placate him with gentle words.
Shen Yao frowned and asked Yinzhu, “Is that His Highness’s cousin?”
Yinzhu nodded. “Yes.”
Shen Yao had heard of Xue Suichuan—a notorious libertine who loved drinking and frequented brothels, a regular patron of pleasure houses.
Yesterday, during her wedding to Xie Yuan, Xue Suichuan had been too drunk in the arms of a beauty to return for the ceremony.
What kind of relatives had Xie Yuan gathered in his household?
She sighed silently and climbed directly into the carriage.
Unbeknownst to her, Xue Suichuan caught sight of her through the gaps in the flowering trees.
Her fair, delicate face reflected in his eyes like a stone dropping into a pond, rippling through his drunken haze and revealing a clear, stunning beauty.
Xue Suichuan rubbed his face, grabbed a nearby servant, and asked, “Who is that young lady? How have I never seen her before?”
The servant hadn’t seen her but recognized the carriage. “That’s the newly wedded Princess Consort Jing.”
“Princess Consort Jing?”
Xue Suichuan frowned, slowly recalling that his cousin had indeed gotten married yesterday.
Watching the carriage gradually drive away, Xue Suichuan muttered to himself, “But with my cousin unconscious, she must be alone, unable to consummate the marriage.”
The thought amused him, and a smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Shen Yao entered the palace and first went to pay her respects to the Empress.
Traditionally, on the first day after marriage, tea should be served to the parents. However, the late Emperor and Empress Dowager Shuxian had both passed away. With the eldest brother acting as the father, Shen Yao came to greet the Emperor and Empress.
Shen Yao calculated the timing: the imperial consorts had just finished paying their respects to the Empress and returned, the morning court session was about to end, and after chatting with the Empress for a while, the Emperor would arrive.
But she had overlooked one thing.
Outside the door, Shen Yao ran into Xie Jingchu.
She remembered that Xie Changyou had mentioned Xie Jingchu was ill yesterday, which explained why he hadn’t attended court today. He did appear thinner, with a lingering sickly pallor.
He was staring at the corner of the wall, either searching for something or waiting for someone.
Shen Yao felt that, whatever it was, it had nothing to do with her.
But out of courtesy, she paused and said, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Xue Jingchu looked up, slightly taken aback.
In Shengchao, once a woman married, she had to wear her hair up.
Today, Shen Yao had her hair styled into a high bun, adorned with jade hairpins and floral ornaments.
The image of Shen Yao in her phoenix crown and ceremonial robes from last night’s dream overlapped with the present moment, then blurred away.
Now, she wasn’t smiling at him; her expression could even be described as cold.
When had Shen Yao ever treated him like this?
Xue Jingchu felt irritated, his voice low and heavy. “Shen Yao, you must be very pleased to have married the Ninth Imperial Uncle, aren’t you?”
Shen Yao shook her head. “No.”
Xue Jingchu’s gaze flickered slightly. So, she wasn’t happy?
Just as he was about to say something, Shen Yao straightened her face and said, “You should address me as ‘Imperial Aunt.’”
Xie Jingchu was taken aback, taking a moment to realize that her “that’s not right” referred to the form of address being incorrect.
Shen Yao even adopted the air of an elder, admonishing, “Just now, you directly called me by my name—that was truly improper behavior.”