Madam Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Both the governess and the official historian had returned to report their satisfaction. Since the Lunar New Year was fast approaching, Meng Qi’s training did not last the full month.
Mammy Sang heaped praise upon Meng Qi, declaring her truly worthy of being a Marquis's daughter, with every gesture and word being perfectly standard. She added that Meng Qi was humble and eager to learn, and treated her with great respect. She promised that upon her return, she would report these facts truthfully to put the Empress’s mind at ease.
As for the official in charge, Guan, she remained expressionless, offering only two words: "Acceptable."
Scholar Zhang and Official Historian Li had little to say, save for one extra suggestion: they hoped Meng Qi would learn to prepare the specific snacks that the Prince enjoyed before she was married.
Meng Qi recalled the recipes for the snacks Prince Rui liked, which she had noted down in her booklet, and shook her head inwardly. Having been married to Song Chengze for five years in her past life, she had never once known what he liked to eat.
In the first two years, she had been too disdainful to care; in the final three, she had been too weak to even get out of bed.
Thinking of the plan that was becoming increasingly clear in her mind, she decided that starting today, she would practice making those dishes.
The New Year at the Huainan Marquis Estate was exceptionally lively. Four daughters being married off in a single year was unheard of—not just in the capital, but in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.
Whether forced or pleasantly surprised, outsiders had to give them credit. The eldest daughter was marrying into a Viscount’s family, which was also the maternal home of the Prince favored most by the Emperor. The second daughter was marrying the direct heir of a Commandery Prince’s manor. The fourth daughter was marrying the Emperor’s own son. Although the third daughter’s match was slightly less prestigious, her suitor was still a promising young general with a bright future.
Meng Changfeng forced himself to look at the bright side. He looked at Meng Hai, who claimed to have returned to attend Meng Qi’s wedding, and felt a headache coming on. Yesterday, he had half-requested, half-threatened him to get those matters settled as soon as possible.
He looked at his two legitimate sons. The eldest was flushed with drink, tugging at Meng Hai and slurring his words, demanding he fetch ten more jars of wine to share with his friends. The second son was drinking with a maid’s help; he walked over to Lady Song and said something that made her tap him on the forehead with her finger. A moment later, she gave instructions to a serving woman, and the second son nodded happily.
Meng Changfeng sighed again. If he had a single son who could hold his own, he wouldn't have been forced to pin his hopes on this illegitimate son, only to be led around by the nose.
Meng Qi watched Meng Hai, who was flushed from drinking with Meng Shao and the second branch’s Meng Ji, and sneered inwardly. Returned specifically for her wedding? Ha, tell that to the ghosts. Who knew why he had really come back?
Thinking of Meng Hai’s fate in her previous life, Meng Qi wore a cold smile. Although she didn't know whether Meng Hai was a man of the Prince of Jing or the Prince of Cheng, both of those men had ultimately been defeated by the Crown Prince. As their follower, Meng Hai naturally met a grim end, dragging Madam Liu and Meng Qi down with him.
Therefore, Meng Qi had no desire to waste her energy dealing with the third branch. Even though they had been the ones stirring up trouble behind her recent predicaments, as Meng Wan had once said, she had given them the opportunity in the first place; flies don’t bite seamless eggs.
Of course, not wanting to waste her energy was one thing, but occasionally causing them trouble to make their lives uncomfortable was another matter entirely.
In another month, she would be married into Prince Rui’s Estate. That would be her true battlefield. She needed to master more information that could work to her advantage, though gathering it would be difficult, given that in her past life, she had never had the slightest interest in anything within the walls of Prince Rui’s Estate.
Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all those holding the title of Marquis or higher, as well as officials of the third rank or above, were required to enter the palace to enjoy the moon with the Imperial family. This was a tradition that had lasted for generations in the Great Xia Dynasty.
And every year, this day was an agonizing ordeal. One had to set out in the afternoon, and even just waiting in line to enter the palace gates took a long time. Once inside, one had to stand in a drafty, wide-open hall, chilled to the bone by the winter wind while wearing a forced smile and making small talk with everyone. Not to mention the food at the banquet: by the time it was carried from the Imperial Kitchen to Kunning Palace, the layer of grease floating on top had already turned white and congealed.
The older guests, in particular, could not handle such strain, and there were always some who fell ill early just to avoid the fifteenth-night banquet.
As the legitimate daughter of the Huainan Marquis Estate, Meng Qi had to attend every year. The Marquis Estate was already in decline, and there were few families they were truly close with; their relatives by marriage were not of a high enough standing, which always left Meng Qi in a foul mood.
She was naturally competitive and wanted to stand out, but in the palace, everyone was a "golden branch and jade leaf" from a prominent house—the name of the Huainan Marquis Estate really didn't carry much weight. Consequently, Madam Wang would always lecture Meng Qi before they left, terrified she wouldn't be able to control her temper. Fortunately, while there were always minor incidents, they were never serious—to put it bluntly, they weren't important enough to cause a stir.
This year was different. Meng Qi had received an imperial decree from the Empress long in advance, ordering her to enter the palace on the tenth day of the first lunar month and return with the Huainan Marquis family after the banquet on the fifteenth.
While Madam Wang was relieved, she was also anxious. It was only five days, and since Meng Qi had been learning her manners very well lately and had become much more sensible, there shouldn't be any major disasters.
But she was also worried about the palace targeting her. Everyone knew of the rumors between Meng Qi and Hong Zhe. Although Hong Zhe was the Prince of Jing’s brother-in-law, and the Princess of Jing was the daughter-in-law of Consort Xian, Consort Xian wouldn't allow anyone to bring up such talk in the palace for the sake of her own reputation. Still, there were always exceptions to every rule.Meng Qi watched Mother Liu pack her luggage and said with a smile, "It's only for five days, why bring so much? A daily change is quite enough. Just have my formal dress for the fifteenth ready, and that will be all."
Seeing Mother Liu reach for three more jewelry boxes, she chuckled, "All right, all right, no need to take those. I'm not going to a selection. If I have to wear a head full of clinking ornaments and the Empress makes me stand for too long, my neck will snap."
Mother Liu paused, weighing the heavy jewelry boxes in her hands, and nodded. "This old servant thought that since the palace is full of consorts and princesses, and imperial princesses-in-law occasionally enter to pay their respects, we mustn't let them overshadow you."
Yuanyue walked in, carrying the dress Meng Wan was to wear on the fifteenth. Meng Qi looked it over and said, "Fine, this one will do. Have someone send it in a day early."
Turning back to Mother Liu, she added, "Let them overshadow me; I'd much rather they didn't even notice me. Besides, no matter how well I dress, could I possibly outshine the princesses? There are two adult princesses in the palace. One is Princess Yongan, who is the apple of the Empress's eye. The other is Princess Fanghua, who is the Emperor's dearest treasure. Why on earth would I want to draw their attention?"
With that, Meng Qi sat back down, her thoughts turning to Emperor Jing'an's children.
Emperor Jing'an had many sons and few daughters. Out of five princesses in total, the eldest had not survived to adulthood. The second princess was Princess Fanghua, born of the Emperor's maternal cousin. Unfortunately, that cousin lacked fortune and passed away early, leaving behind this only daughter who was left with a limp because the midwife had used excessive force during her delivery. This caused her to develop a sensitive and petty disposition. The Emperor pitied her and kept her by the Empress's side, where she was raised alongside Princess Yongan. Her food, clothing, and daily provisions were in no way inferior to those of Princess Yongan, the legitimate princess.
As for Princess Yongan, needless to say, she and her full brother, Prince Cheng, had completely opposite personalities, as if they were not born of the same mother.
As the legitimate princess, Princess Yongan had every reason to be proud, yet she was dignified and sensible. Every day, when she was with the older concubine-born Princess Fanghua, she was always the one to yield. She was one of the very few mistresses in the palace from top to bottom who never became the subject of gossip.
The remaining two princesses had mothers of low rank and were very young, so Meng Qi had almost no impression of them.
Among Emperor Jing'an's sons, five had reached adulthood.
The Crown Prince was the only son of the late Empress and had been invested as Crown Prince at a very young age, holding the position for over thirty years. Now thirty-eight years old, his only offspring was a daughter born to the Crown Princess. There were plenty of women in the Eastern Palace, but not a single one had conceived. The Crown Princess was so anxious that she had even sent incense-burning prayers all the way to Henan and Shanxi. It was said that the Crown Prince had suffered from an illness in his youth, leaving him in frail health and particularly struggling with heirs. This was also an important reason why Prince Cheng and Prince Duan did not take the Crown Prince seriously and dared to challenge him.
Prince Duan, the second imperial son, was born to Noble Consort Xiang. As mentioned earlier, Noble Consort Xiang had a fiery temper. The Xiang family had originally been military officials, and with only one daughter, she had been raised like a boy—competitive, ambitious, and daring to rival men in trials of skill. Unfortunately, the Xiang family also grew less distinguished with each generation. The current head of the household was Noble Consort Xiang's older brother, a man who merely extended his hand to his sister for a living. Prince Duan's temperament did not follow Noble Consort Xiang, but his brain took after his uncle—he was a complete fool. One could never utter a single criticism of him; he had to be constantly flattered, possessing no real ability yet loving to show off—a person who accomplished nothing and ruined everything.
The third imperial son had not survived and had passed away early.
Prince Jing, the fourth imperial son, was born to Consort Xian. He maintained the air of an elegant young gentleman—gentle and courteous, wearing a modest smile for everyone. In any dispute, he never put himself forward, maintained good relations with all his brothers, and was deeply favored by the Emperor. Moreover, he was a renowned giver of wealth, especially popular among the palace maids and eunuchs of both the inner and outer courts. Even just for showing the way or helping to pick up an item, one could receive a reward, making him a figure with an exceptional reputation and popularity.
The fifth imperial son, Prince Cheng, had a fiery temper that could ignite without a spark. Born to the current Empress, he considered himself a legitimate son and looked down on everyone else, especially the Crown Prince. In his mind, since the late Empress was gone and his own mother was now the Empress, the position of Crown Prince should rightfully be his. Therefore, at any given time, he treated the Crown Prince as if he were air, and by extension, Prince Rui, who was close to the Crown Prince, had numerous faults in his eyes. Furthermore, this Prince Cheng had a peculiar penchant for young girls. Many people pandered to his tastes by sending him underage girls, and it was said that every month young girls were carried out dead from Prince Cheng's Estate—truly a heinous sin.
At this thought, Meng Qi remembered someone else—a girl from the Meng family named Meng Zhi. In the spring, she had been presented to Prince Cheng by the Meng Family. Meng Qi later learned that it had been Meng Hai's idea, and Lady Song had searched the entire Meng Family clan to select her.
In her past life, Meng Qi had had zero interaction with this Meng Zhi before her own marriage. However, during several imperial banquets after she married Prince Rui, and during gatherings of the brothers, Prince Cheng had brought Meng Zhi out a few times, and she had appeared to be greatly favored by him.
Later, when Prince Cheng's affairs failed, where she went and what her ultimate fate was, Meng Qi did not know.
Next was the sixth imperial son, Prince Rui, the very same man Meng Qi had married in both her past and present lives.
Meng Qi sighed softly. Two paths now lay before her eyes—how should she choose?