At noon, Xiao Cheng carried a plate of pastries, gracefully entering the inner chamber.
The moment she stepped inside, she heard a jarring burst of zither music. It was chaotic and disorganized, stirring anxiety in the listener.
Xiao Cheng immediately realized that the Commandery Princess was troubled.
Although Zhao Qihuang was not skilled in music, whenever she felt vexed, she would sit and pluck the zither listlessly. Today’s notes were uglier and more grating than ever before. She was clearly deeply troubled.
She carefully placed the pastries on the small table by the window and was about to turn and withdraw when suddenly, there was a sharp *thwang*.
A zither string had snapped.
It was followed immediately by a muffled cry of pain from Zhao Qihuang.
Xiao Cheng panicked and rushed forward.
“Commandery Princess, are you injured?”
Zhao Qihuang frowned and spread her palm. On her left index finger, a bloody gash was visible, crimson beads of blood rushing to the surface.
The broken string still vibrated faintly.
Xiao Cheng gasped, quickly saying, “I will call the medical maid immediately!”
Zhao Qihuang raised a hand to stop her, her voice carrying an edge of lingering frustration. “There’s no need.”
She glanced carelessly at her bleeding fingertip.
“It’s such a minor injury. By the time a slow doctor ambles over, the wound will have healed itself.”
Xiao Cheng had no choice but to fetch a clean cloth, carefully pressing it against the wound. She couldn’t help but sigh.
“Commandery Princess, are you still upset about Madam Lin’s actions earlier today?”
Zhao Qihuang sneered, her face filled with disdain.
“Does she even deserve to make *this* Commandery Princess angry? I was merely thinking about the Duke of Zhenguo’s Estate.”
Xiao Cheng paused, a flicker of understanding crossing her eyes.
So, it was still about Heir Apparent Wei. No matter how harshly the Commandery Princess spoke, she must still harbor feelings. It was understandable; the Shizi was, after all, a man of heavenly bearing.
Zhao Qihuang saw through Xiao Cheng’s thoughts with a single glance.
Her eyes narrowed warningly. “Put away your silly, convoluted notions. This Commandery Princess holds not a shred of romantic feeling for Wei Lanzhou.”
Xiao Cheng shrank back, not daring to speak further, and simply followed her mistress’s lead. “Then what is troubling the Commandery Princess?”
Zhao Qihuang walked to the window, gazing out, her voice sounding remote. “I am thinking about how difficult it is to gauge the Emperor’s heart, and how fleeting imperial favor is.”
“Look at the Duke of Zhenguo’s Estate—what immense, towering prosperity, like embroidered silk and blooming flowers. Yet with a single imperial decree, wasn’t it instantly reduced to ashes, scattered like monkeys from a fallen tree?”
She turned around, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. “In the capital, the people who secretly envy me, are jealous of me, and desperately wish for my downfall are countless. If I were to meet such a fate one day, wouldn’t I suffer a truly terrible death?”
Zhao Qihuang sighed deeply. “This Commandery Princess is quite incapable of enduring hardship.”
“Commandery Princess, you are borrowing trouble,” Xiao Cheng quickly comforted her. “Our Yongan Marquis Manor is utterly loyal, and the Emperor is benevolent; how could such a thing happen? Furthermore, your Fate is supremely excellent. You are destined for a life of enjoyment, not suffering!”
Zhao Qihuang sighed internally. She feared her death would stem precisely from that Fate. Her destiny was linked to the current Empress, who was the Crown Prince’s birth mother. If anyone *other* than the Crown Prince ascended the throne, she would inevitably die. But if the Crown Prince ascended, she would suffer a fate worse than death.
As she pondered, hurried footsteps sounded outside the window. A maid called softly from the doorway, “Commandery Princess, the Third Master has returned to the manor. The Old Madam requests that all branches go to the Glory and Longevity Hall for the evening meal.”
Zhao Qihuang’s finger stilled. The copper mirror reflected her suddenly cold gaze.
Yes, in the dream, her Third Uncle, Zhao Yuanjiang, had returned to the manor around this time. After the collapse of the Duke of Zhenguo’s Estate, her father, the Marquis of Yongan, had recommended her Third Uncle to take over the city defense. Since then, this uncle, eager to flaunt his newfound authority, had constantly sought to undermine her.
Zhao Qihuang slowly exhaled, suppressing the chill in her eyes. She rose, changed into a different dress, and walked unhurriedly toward the Glory and Longevity Hall.
As soon as she stepped through the door, the aroma of food mixed with the sound of conversation washed over her.
The Old Madam sat at the head of the table. The various uncles, aunts, siblings, and cousins were already assembled, laughing and chatting merrily.
Zhao Qihuang stepped forward and politely performed a proper bow toward the Old Madam.
“Qihuang greets Grandmother.”
Seeing her, the wrinkles on the Old Madam’s face smoothed out. She hastily waved her closer. “My dear Huang girl is here! Quickly, come sit beside Grandmother.”
She patted the cushion on the sandalwood chair beside her.
Zhao Qihuang sat down in the empty spot on the Old Madam’s right, as instructed. This seat was always reserved specifically for her, positioned closer to the main seat than even her uncles’ places.
The moment she sat down, her Third Aunt, Zhou Yuhu, who was seated diagonally across from her, spoke with a beaming smile.
“Oh, my! I wondered why the room suddenly looked so radiant—it turns out our Qihuang has arrived.”
Her sharp eyes scrutinized Zhao Qihuang, finally settling on the gold-threaded jade hairpin.
“It truly is the soil and water of the capital that nourishes people. Look at our Qihuang; in just a few short years, she has become increasingly bright and noble!”
She adopted a familiar air. This was because Zhao Qihuang had lived with the Third Branch in the family’s ancestral home several years ago.
Zhou Yuhu waited with a plastered smile for a response, but Zhao Qihuang only offered a faint curve of her lips, not even bothering to lift her eyelids.
Undeterred, Zhou Yuhu leaned closer, speaking intimately.
“Speaking of which, does the Commandery Princess still remember my good-for-nothing nephew, Zhou Furan? The boy hasn’t married yet, and he has always had you in his heart!”
The atmosphere around the table instantly stiffened.
Zhao Qihuang’s grip on her ivory chopsticks tightened. She looked up, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “Thinking of me?”
Zhou Yuhu nodded eagerly. “Yes, he harbors deep feelings for the Commandery Princess.”
Zhao Qihuang let out a cold laugh, her gaze instantly turning icy. “Third Aunt had better go back and tell your good-for-nothing nephew to put that idea to rest immediately.”
“Otherwise, the next time this Commandery Princess is in a bad mood, I will send people to break his pathetic legs.”
Zhou Yuhu’s smile froze, her expression turning exceedingly ugly.
Her husband, Zhao Qihuang’s Third Uncle Zhao Yuanjiang, slammed his wine cup onto the table with a crash, splashing wine everywhere.
“This is outrageous!”
He glared at Zhao Qihuang, the veins throbbing in his forehead. “She comes to the capital, gains a bit of imperial favor, and dares to run wild over the heads of her elders?”
Zhao Yuanjiang then turned to the Old Madam and Lin Wangshu at the main seat, roaring, “This is all your spoiling! Look at the state of her now! When I disciplined her back at the old house, she didn’t dare even breathe.”
Zhao Qihuang felt a layer of ice settle over her eyes.
Back then, her mother had died young, and her father was far away in the capital. Though nominally the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis, she had been a dependent, living at their mercy. Zhou Yuhu had criticized her constantly. Walking too quickly earned a penalty; speaking too loudly earned a scolding. They set rules every few days, and punishment often meant copying texts or house arrest. And her “good Third Uncle,” Zhao Yuanjiang, would hear a piece of gossip, and without verifying the truth, force her to kneel in the ancestral hall, endure the disciplinary ruler, and compel her to recite the rigid and severe *Lessons for Women*.
She hadn’t even settled old scores with them yet, and this couple dared to put on airs as her elders?
Lin Wangshu, who had been silent beside Zhou Yuhu, adopted a look of distress. She pressed a handkerchief to her dry eyes and said, “Third Brother, please calm your temper. Qihuang is just a child…” She trailed off, glancing hesitantly at Zhao Qihuang, and sighed lengthily. “She has a blunt nature; I’m sure she didn’t intend to speak rudely.”