"Your Highness, good day.
My mistress is currently attending to important matters and has instructed me to pass along a message. Please wait outside for a moment, and once Her Ladyship has finished, you will be invited in."
After delivering her message, Qingzhi turned and walked into the warm chamber, her demeanor suggesting that the person standing in the wind and snow of the corridor was not the Crown Prince's Noble Consort, but merely some random maid in the courtyard.
Standing in the biting wind, Chun Yurong's eyes reddened. Her slender figure swayed slightly, and the white fox-fur cloak made her face look even paler, presenting a picture of utter fragility, like a delicate willow branch trembling in the wind.
Chun Yurong's maid supported her arm, burning with righteous indignation:
"My Lady, Noble Consort Jiang has gone too far! As fellow Consorts to the Crown Prince, what right does she have to make you stand waiting for her in the freezing wind?
When His Highness returns to the mansion, this servant will surely report this to him.
I will make His Highness see Noble Consort Jiang's true colors."
Chun Yurong's gaze swept over the guards, her lips pressed tightly together in silence. Once she lowered her eyes, however, venom churned in their depths.
His Highness had long since told her that she was the only one in his heart, and that today's events were merely an expedient measure, asking her to endure it for the time being.
This Jiang Wumei was nothing more than a despicable woman who had usurped the magpie's nest and served as a shield to block disaster for her.
Once His Highness ascended the throne and she became Empress, she would definitely make Jiang Wumei pay a heavy price for all the humiliation she had suffered over the past six months.
Imagining the scenes of torturing Jiang Wumei after she became Empress, the pent-up anger in Chun Yurong's chest dissipated somewhat. She lifted her face, assumed a wronged expression, and continued to wait in the snow.
Not knowing what Chun Yurong was thinking, the maid simply supported her mistress's arm, continuously whispering complaints and curses.
For a time, aside from the maid's grievances, the vast courtyard was filled only with the sound of snow falling on tiles and the howling of the bitter wind.
After a long while, when the cold wind and snow had frozen Chun Yurong's legs until they ached and went numb, Qingzhi finally emerged from the room. Smiling at the two figures, whose faces were pale from the cold with frost, she offered an apologetic smile:
"Thank you for waiting so long, Noble Consort. Her Ladyship has just freed up her schedule and instructed me to invite you inside."
"Thank you for your trouble, Qingzhi."
When one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
Jiang Wumei held a position of supreme reverence in the Crown Prince's Mansion, and by extension, no one dared to look down upon her personal maid, Qingzhi. Even when Chun Yurong saw her, she had no choice but to show a modicum of respect and address her as Qingzhi.
Qingzhi nodded, turned, and pushed open the door, revealing the censer burning fragrant incense within the hall. Chun Yurong bit the corner of her lip, forcing her numb legs to step forward and follow.
Outside the courtyard the wind and snow howled, but inside the hall it was warm and cozy.
Stepping into the warm chamber and catching the faint scent of plum blossoms in the air, Chun Yurong felt as though she had come back to life.
Yet the moment she raised her head and looked at the jade treasures and precious artifacts casually placed around the room, envy and hatred churned in her eyes, and she almost lost her composure.
Behind a screen, Jiang Wumei reclined lazily on a chaise longue. She had shed her elaborate, luxurious gowns and changed into a peony-patterned long skirt embroidered with gold threads, her beautiful eyes half-closed as she enjoyed the ministrations of her maids.
Five or six maids knelt by her side in humble postures, kneading her shoulders, pounding her legs, applying balm, and staining her nails, each performing her duties in an orderly fashion. Surrounding Jiang Wumei like stars around the moon, the sight was intensely glaring.
Thinking of how comfortably Jiang Wumei was enjoying herself inside while she had played the fool enduring the torment of the wind and snow outside, the anger that Chun Yurong had managed to suppress flared up anew. After several bouts of bitter suppression, her entire face gradually twisted and warped.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Wumei slowly opened her eyes. Her sparkling eyes, rippling like spring water, looked at Chun Yurong with a mocking half-smile:
"Sister's constitution is poor, and she usually stays in her courtyard and dislikes walking about. Why does she have the leisure to come to my place today?"
"Sister saw that the snow scenery in the estate today is exceptionally lovely, so she wanted to come over to your place to beg for a cup of tea. I wonder if Sister would be willing?"
Chun Yurong's tone was stiff. When she caught sight of the glaring red marks on Jiang Wumei's neck, a sharp pain pierced her chest, and her fingernails snapped within her sleeves with a sharp click, filling her with a piercing fury.
Jiang Wumei let out a charming, tinkling laugh, not even bothering to puncture the facade of her insincerity. Her eye tails lifted, brimming with malice:
"Since Sister has such elegant taste, how could I spoil the mood? However, just looking at the snow and drinking tea would inevitably be a bit monotonous; I happen to have a much better idea.
Qingzhi, fetch the Phoenix-Tail Zither bestowed by the Crown Prince.
I have long heard of Sister Yurong's peerless zither skills. Today, as we sisters drink tea and watch the snow, wouldn't it be even more delightful to enjoy the sound of the zither together?"
Chun Yurong almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her complexion shifted from white to purple, and from purple to red—quite a spectacular sight.
That bitch Jiang Wumei actually dared to treat her like a common entertainer to be toyed with!
Chun Yurong initially wanted to flick her sleeves and leave, refusing to endure this humiliation, but the thought that she hadn't seen His Highness for half a month rooted her feet to the spot.
Every day when His Highness returned to the mansion, he would undoubtedly come to this woman's quarters for dinner. If she could drag it out until dinnertime and cross paths with His Highness, she could let him witness her suffering and mentally chalk up a heavy debt against this bitch.
At this thought, Chun Yurong pulled back her restless toes and forced a compromising, submissive smile to her face:
"If Sister doesn't mind my clumsy skills, this younger sister will make a fool of herself today."
Delivered amusement was too good to pass up.
Jiang Wumei nodded. Watching Chun Yurong's deeply humiliated expression, she held back her laughter until her stomach ached:
"Sister, what are you saying? Let us begin, then."
Qingzhi fetched the Phoenix-Tail Zither, arranged a low table, and lit the censer. Chun Yurong took a deep breath, cleansed her hands, and sat before the desk. As her delicate fingers lightly plucked the strings, notes of pleasing music drifted out from the warm chamber.
The servants clearing snow outside the courtyard paused upon hearing the sound, sighing in admiration at Noble Consort Jiang's formidable methods.
Though both were Consorts, she could make Noble Consort Chun personally play the zither for her; one glance was enough to tell who was the red flower and who was the green leaf. It seemed they would have to work even harder to curry favor with Noble Consort Jiang from now on.
Unaware of what the servants in the mansion were thinking, Chun Yurong was utterly lost in fantasies of seeing Xiao Tong.
Jiang Wumei propped her chin up to listen for a while, thoroughly amused and so delighted that she ate an entire plate of pastries.
The snow showed no sign of stopping, but the sky gradually grew dark.
Chun Yurong had calculated everything nicely, but heaven simply refused to cooperate.
Today, Xiao Tong had been kept in the palace by the Emperor to discuss state affairs, and he returned to the mansion very late. She played the zither in the warm chamber until her fingers bled, yet she didn't catch even a glimpse of Xiao Tong.
This infuriated Chun Yurong to no end. Forcing a smiling facade as she took her leave of Jiang Wumei, she ran all the way from the warm chamber back to her courtyard, where she went on a smashing rampage, breaking things left and right before she could barely regain her sanity.
...
Meanwhile, Xu Junjun had just returned from the Crown Prince's Mansion and happened to run into Huo Qiming as he returned from the military camp.
Huo Qiming wore light armor, his handsome face marred by a frown so deep it could crush a mosquito, as if silently reproaching her for unrefined behavior.
Xu Junjun turned a blind eye to his gloomy expression, averted her gaze, bypassed him, and strode into the estate, treating him as though he were as terrifying as a snake or scorpion.
Anger flared in Huo Qiming's chest. Remembering Yue'er, who had cried herself almost to fainting last night, he hardened his heart and decided to visit his grandmother tonight, figure out a way to deal with those thirty-six women, and incidentally bring up the matter of taking Yue'er as a concubine.
After returning to her chambers and changing her dress, Xu Junjun headed to the Old Madam's courtyard.
Seeing her arrive, Old Madam Huo, who had been resting against a couch for a nap, relaxed her features and beckoned to her:
"You rascal, where did you go off to sponge off others today?"
"Replying to Grandmother, this granddaughter went to the Crown Prince's Mansion today to express her gratitude.
On the way back, I even bought your favorite jade-paste cakes, but these cakes are hard to digest, so Grandmother cannot eat too many."
Feeding a piece of the jade-paste cake into the Old Madam's mouth, Xu Junjun sat down beside her, smiling brightly as she felt the Old Madam's pulse. Seeing that everything was normal, she resumed bantering with her.
Old Madam Huo had been poisoned with a potent toxin in her youth; although the situation was perilous and she was pulled back from the brink of death, it left behind a chronic root of illness, and her constitution had been poor ever since.
Now that she was advanced in years, whenever the winter cold wind entered her body, she would frequently suffer from migraines, insomnia, and a loss of appetite. Numerous imperial physicians and renowned doctors had examined her to no avail.
Half a year ago, Xu Junjun suddenly claimed she could completely cure the Old Madam's illness. No one believed her until Xu Junjun administered a few medicinal decoctions, which actually caused new green hairs to sprout from Old Madam Huo's white temples, convincing everyone in the General's Estate.
Presently, Xu Junjun was responsible for recuperating Old Madam Huo's health and was deeply favored by her. Even though her relationship with Huo Qiming was strained, no one in the General's Estate dared to offend her.
After chatting idly with Old Madam Huo for a while, Xu Junjun brought up the main topic:
"Grandmother, I've had nothing to do these past few days. Would it be all right if I came over to accompany you in copying Buddhist scriptures?"
"Aren't you the one who hates sitting still the most? Copying scriptures takes hours at a time; can a restless girl like you sit through that?"
Old Madam Huo smiled and tapped the tip of her nose, assuming she was just joking.
Xu Junjun smiled, stood up, and walked behind the Old Madam. Placing her fingertips on both sides of the Old Madam's temples, she found the precise acupuncture points and massaged them gently.
Seeing the Old Madam assume an expression of enjoyment, Xu Junjun continued:
"These past few days, this granddaughter hasn't been sleeping well and has had nightmares every night.
Thinking that you have the golden statue of the Bodhisattva here to suppress evil, Grandmother, I wanted to come accompany you in copying scriptures to find peace of mind."
The border war was growing tense, and in another half month, Huo Qiming would be dispatched to the borderlands by the Emperor.
Yet according to the plot of the novel, Old Madam Huo would not even live long enough for Huo Qiming to return.
And all of this was inextricably linked to Huo Qiming's venomous cousin, Chen Yue'er!
In the book, Huo Qiming had repeatedly attempted to take Chen Yue'er as a concubine, only to be sternly blocked by Old Madam Huo every time.
Harboring deep resentment, Chen Yue'er took advantage of Huo Qiming's expedition to the distant borders, spent a large sum of money to bribe Xu Junjun's maid, and used threats and lures to force the maid into poisoning the Old Madam's tonic soup.
After the Old Madam's death, Chen Yue'er jumped forward to testify, claiming that Xu Junjun was the murderer who had secretly harmed the Old Madam, and even led people to search a packet of unused arsenic in Xu Junjun's room.
With both human and physical evidence present, and while Old Madam Huo's coffin was still laid out in the estate, the original Xu Junjun had no way to clear her name. Huo Qiming had directly sent her to the dungeon, sentencing her to death by a thousand cuts for the crime of murdering her grandmother.
Recalling the original owner's fate of being scraped down to a skeleton, Xu Junjun pressed closer to Old Madam Huo, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked out at the wind and snow beyond the window.
She didn't want to die, nor did she want Old Madam Huo to die.
The Old Madam was the only person in the General's Estate who had truly treated her with kindness. If Chen Yue'er dared to lay a hand on Old Madam Huo, she would take Chen Yue'er's dog life!
The Old Madam patted the back of Xu Junjun's hand, smiling with tolerant affection:
"You child, you always know how to talk nonsense.
Very well, come if you wish; is your grandmother going to stop you?"
As the grandmother and granddaughter were speaking, Mammy Li from Old Madam Huo's side entered, curtsied, and reported:
"Old Madam, Young Madam, the Young Master has arrived."
Before Mammy Li's words had even faded, Huo Qiming, wearing a blue brocade robe and trailing a flurry of cold air, strode into the room.
Seeing that Xu Junjun was also there, Huo Qiming paused for a fraction of a second, then quickly recovered and saluted Old Madam Huo.
"Grandmother, peace be with you."
"Hmm. How was the drill at the military camp today?"
As the eldest grandson born of the primary wife, possessing both virtue and talent, Huo Qiming was viewed with high hopes by Old Madam Huo as well as General Huo and his wife.
Huo Qiming sat down to one side, accepted the cup of hot tea handed to him by Mammy Li, and replied respectfully:
"The drill went reasonably well. Thank you for your concern, Grandmother."
"Your father and mother are protecting the country at the border; since you are in the Capital, you must not slack off."
Having given this admonition, Old Madam Huo saw that the hour was getting late and instructed Mammy Li:
"Serve the meal."
Huo Qiming glanced at Xu Junjun and frowned; he truly didn't want to share a room with her.
However, since Grandmother was here, he still wanted to bring up the matter regarding Yue'er, as well as the disposal of those thirty-six women.
Noticing that Huo Qiming kept staring at her, Xu Junjun rolled her eyes and adopted a wounded, dejected expression.
"Grandmother, this granddaughter has already eaten dinner at the Crown Prince's Mansion. You and my husband can dine together; this granddaughter will take her leave first."
Once Xu Junjun left, Huo Qiming furrowed his brow, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Old Madam Huo sighed as she looked at her grandson, saying nothing further until the dishes were brought out. After the grandmother and granddaughter finished their meal and Old Madam Huo rinsed her mouth, she finally spoke in a leisurely tone:
"Speak, then. What urgent business brings you to your grandmother today?"
Huo Qiming put down his hand-wiping cloth, weighed his words, and began:
"Grandmother, this grandson wishes to take Yue'er as a concubine, and hopes you will grant your permission."
Old Madam Huo's hand-wiping motion paused, and she turned back to appraise Huo Qiming:
"If Grandmother does not grant it, what will you do?
Treat me the way you treat your wife—giving your grandmother the cold shoulder?"
Old Madam Huo's words were utterly unsparing, lacking a shred of polite pretense. Huo Qiming's face stiffened, and he hastily bowed in confession of guilt:
"This grandson wouldn't dare."
Old Madam Huo let out a cold snort, her anger flaring:
"You wouldn't dare with Grandmother, yet you dared with Junjun?!
For over half a year of marriage, you've shown Junjun nothing but indifference, while pampering Chen Yue'er to no end!
Chen Yue'er merely saved you from drowning once when you were children, yet it's made you fiercely protect her for all these years—she certainly has her abilities."
Seeing the sharpness in Old Madam Huo's words, Huo Qiming hurriedly defended her:
"Grandmother, you misunderstand. Yue'er isn't the kind of person you think."
"Whether she is or isn't, Grandmother has her own eyes to see and ears to hear; I do not need your biased explanations."
Old Madam Huo's expression was displeased, and her determination to marry Chen Yue'er off grew even firmer.
Chen Yue'er was merely a distant female relative who had grown up in the Huo household. If she continued to adversely affect the relationship between Huo Qiming and Xu Junjun because of this, Old Madam Huo would be the first to refuse.
Thinking of the rosters sent by the matchmaker a few days prior, Old Madam Huo stated firmly:
"Chen Yue'er has an unsettled disposition and is not a suitable match for you.
Look at Junjun instead. Grandmother has watched her closely these past six months; she is a good child with a cold exterior and a warm heart. Settling down and living a proper life with her is what you ought to be doing."
Huo Qiming tried to speak again, but Old Madam Huo raised a hand to cut him off:
"Say no more. Chen Yue'er grew up inside the estate, and Grandmother will not mistreat her.
I have already selected several well-matched, refined and talented scholars from respectable families. In a few days, you will choose one, and after the New Year, Grandmother will take charge, prepare a generous dowry, and marry her off."
Old Madam Huo's words struck Huo Qiming like a bolt from the blue. His expression instantly changed as he abruptly stood up and shouted:
"No!
This grandson will not agree!"
Old Madam Huo stared coldly at Huo Qiming:
"Huo Qiming, are you trying to defy your grandmother?!"
Clenching his fists tightly, Huo Qiming dropped heavily to both knees, fire burning in his eyes:
"Grandmother told this grandson to marry Xu Junjun, and I married her.
If Grandmother pushes me further, this grandson will go petition the Emperor to make the decision!"
Old Madam Huo was so furious she nearly tipped backward. Snatching up the teacup at her side, she hurled it straight at Huo Qiming, shouting sternly:
"You unfilial wretch! Such domestic shame, and you actually dare to broadcast it before His Highness the Emperor? Do you have a death wish?! Do you not want your official career?!"
The teacup shattered against Huo Qiming's temple, and fresh blood dripped down. Yet he straightened his spine, maintaining a resolute posture as he confronted Old Madam Huo.
"This grandson has no fear! I only ask Grandmother to grant my wish!"