Chapter 64: Kiss. I Care More About You.

Su Zhenyue was a little baffled and blinked her eyes.

From the Empress Dowager’s words, it was clear there was a story behind them. Could it be that Princess Chengping had offended the Empress Dowager in the past?

Su Zhenyue carefully considered her words and said softly, “May this subject report to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager. Although Zhenyue resides in the capital, I have always lived within the inner residence and rarely go out. I have never truly met the Princess, but…”

“But what?”

“But the Princess’s only beloved daughter, Chang Le Princess, is married to the Jing’an Marquis Heir. I have had dealings with a momo from the Princess’s side.” Su Zhenyue said tactfully, “That momo was aggressive, boorish, and extremely rude. She even once barged into my residence, cursing and threatening me.”

—As for the assassination, Su Zhenyue had no concrete evidence, so it was best not to mention it. But she could use her own real experience to subtly “sow discord” by mentioning that Sun Momo.

As expected, the Empress Dowager frowned upon hearing this. “Aren’t you Jing’an Hou’s adopted daughter? How dare a mere momo be so rude to you?”

Su Zhenyue gave a bitter smile. “I dare not deceive Your Majesty. At that time, I was not yet Jing’an Hou’s adopted daughter, just a ‘cousin miss’ lodging at the estate.”

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly. “Even so, that doesn’t give a momo the right to be so insolent. For a servant to dare act like that, she either takes after her master, or her master instructed her to do so.”

Su Zhenyue remained silent, neither refuting nor agreeing.

“You poor child, you’ve truly suffered,” the Empress Dowager said with a touch of pity in her voice.

Su Zhenyue replied obediently, “Thanks to the blessings of Your Majesty and the Emperor, it’s all in the past.”

The Empress Dowager smiled, then remembered something and asked, “Right, you just mentioned that Chang Le Princess. What was her name again? Wen something?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, the Princess’s boudoir name is Wen Shan.”

“Wen Shan, Wen Shan…” The Empress Dowager murmured it twice, then sneered. “She herself is arrogant and vicious, yet she gives her daughter the name ‘Shan’ (Goodness). Doesn’t she feel any shame?”

Su Zhenyue listened quietly, becoming more and more certain that Princess Chengping had offended the Empress Dowager.

For some reason, she felt a little schadenfreude.

…

At this moment, outside Shoukang Palace, Princess Chengping’s expression changed slightly. “Did the Empress Dowager really say that?”

She was even refused an audience when she came to pay her respects?

“Yes, the Empress Dowager is busy. Your Highness, please return for now.” Qingluan’s attitude was extremely polite, yet left no room for negotiation.

The Princess forced a slight smile and asked again, “Then, can you tell me what the Empress Dowager is busy with? When might she be free?”

—Ever since she could remember, she had been a princess of incomparable nobility. After her father, the Emperor, passed away, her full-brother ascended the throne, and she became the Eldest Princess. For more than thirty years, her favor had never waned; she had never had to lower herself like this.

The palace maid named Qingluan remained expressionless and said woodenly, “This servant is not at liberty to disclose that.”

She then turned and returned to the hall.

The Princess had no choice but to leave the palace and return to her residence.

The carriage was luxurious and traveled smoothly. Sitting inside, the Princess felt an uncharacteristic sense of unease.

Previously, Princess Chengping had always firmly believed that her life was noble and would never change. Even when her imperial brother passed away in the future, no matter which of her nephews succeeded the throne, they would not treat her poorly.

After all, her status and position were there for all to see.

But how could the Princess have imagined that the one now sitting on the throne was a cousin she had barely ever met?

As the saying goes, a new monarch brings new courtiers. How was it any different for a princess? Although the new Emperor, for the sake of face and morality, would not strip her of her princess title or directly reduce her stipend upon his ascension, there was a world of difference between a favored princess and an unfavored one.

Moreover, she had acted without restraint in the past. If the Emperor was of a mind to settle old scores, would he not be able to find fault with her?

And the Empress Dowager’s dislike for her was practically on full display.

The Princess vaguely knew the reason for this, which was most likely due to an old affair from over twenty years ago. But twenty years had passed; could the Empress Dowager still be holding a grudge against her?

No, perhaps the Empress Dowager had been holding a grudge all along, but was helpless before, wary of her imperial brother, and could only endure it. Now that she was the Empress Dowager, she no longer wanted to endure it?

The carriage moved quickly.

The Princess closed her eyes, trying her best to calm herself down.

Upon returning to the Princess’s residence, a servant informed her, “Your Highness, the Princess of the Commandery has returned.”

The thought of her daughter slightly improved the Princess’s mood. She pulled herself together. “I know, I’ll go over now.”

However, the first thing her daughter said upon seeing her was, “Mother, that Miss Su has been enfeoffed as a princess of the commandery.”

“What?” The Princess suspected she had misheard. “Which Miss Su? What enfeoffment as a princess?”

Was it the Miss Su she knew?

“It’s that Miss Su Zhenyue who was previously at the Gu residence. The Empress Dowager issued an Imperial Edict yesterday, saying that for her meritorious service in protecting the Crown Prince, she has been specially enfeoffed as Jiayi County Princess. Mother, you went to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Didn’t you hear about this?”

The Princess’s heart sank. Her face changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She didn’t tell her daughter that she hadn’t seen the Empress Dowager during her visit to the palace, only saying vaguely, “Oh, that…”

—When she heard two days ago that Shen Ji, a civil official, had been ennobled, the Princess already knew that a moment of carelessness back then had left a hidden danger. Now, learning that the Su girl had been made a princess of the commandery, she was filled with even more regret.

Born into the imperial family, no one knew better than the Princess how difficult it was for a woman of a different surname to be enfeoffed as a princess of the commandery.

Perhaps, back then, she shouldn’t have sent people to assassinate Miss Su. Or even earlier, she shouldn’t have requested an imperial decree to betroth her daughter.

Who would have thought that Miss Su would have a day where she could turn her fortunes around?

And so quickly, in less than two years.

Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything now.

“Mother, Mother…” Wen Shan noticed her mother’s pale face and swaying body. Startled, she quickly reached out to support her.

The Princess brushed her daughter’s hand away. “I’m fine, just a little tired.”

She forced herself to calm down and tried to comfort her daughter, “Don’t be afraid. Her enfeoffment is her business; it won’t affect us. She’s just a princess of the commandery, not a true princess.”

Wen Shan was not convinced, but she still nodded and softly agreed, “Yes.”

“Even with the new Emperor’s ascension, it won’t affect us,” the Princess said, word by word. This was for her daughter’s ears, and also for her own.

She was still the Eldest Princess.

Wen Shan studied her mother’s expression and gave a soft “en,” a faint worry in her heart. She wasn’t afraid of anything else, only that her mother had offended people in the past and would face retaliation.

Before, she had her imperial uncle, the Emperor, to protect her. But this new Emperor shared little affection with her mother.

— — — — — — — —

The Empress Dowager had Su Zhenyue stay for lunch before letting her leave. Before she left, she gave her a token, instructing, “When you have free time in the future, you must come to the palace often to chat with me.”

“Yes, Zhenyue will remember.” Su Zhenyue agreed with a smile, carefully putting away the token. She then followed a young eunuch out of the imperial palace.

It was still early when she returned home, so she took a short nap. Soon, a servant came to report that a guest had arrived.

“Who is it?”

“It’s the eldest young lady of the Shi family.”

The Shi family’s eldest young lady was named Shi Xuezhen, the older sister of the bearded Shi Jun. Shi Jun’s parents had passed away, leaving him with only an older sister. Her husband had also died early, so she and her children lived with and depended on Shi Jun.

This time, when the new Emperor’s family and followers entered the capital, Shi Jun had his sister and her children come along as well.

The two families’ residences were not far apart, but this was the first time the Shi family’s eldest young lady had come to visit.

Unlike her brother, Shi Xuezhen was gentle and reserved, a woman of few words. On the journey from Youzhou to the capital, she and Su Zhenyue had barely exchanged a few sentences.

Therefore, Su Zhenyue was quite surprised to hear she was visiting, but she still hurried to welcome her.

After they were seated as hostess and guest, Shi Xuezhen hesitantly stated her purpose. “Madam Shen, you grew up in the capital. Do you happen to know the fourth young lady of the Pingjiang Earl’s family?”

Su Zhenyue was slightly surprised, then shook her head. “I don’t know her. Is Elder Sister Shi looking for that fourth young lady for some reason?”

“No, no…” Shi Xuezhen waved her hands repeatedly, her cheeks flushing red. After a moment, she hesitated again before saying, “I wanted to inquire about this young lady’s temperament. I thought that since you grew up in the capital, you might know.”

“Well, Elder Sister Shi, you may not know this. Although I grew up in the capital, I rarely went out to socialize. I only know that there is a Pingjiang Earl’s Estate, but I’m not clear on how many young ladies they have or what their individual temperaments are like.”

“Is that so…” Shi Xuezhen was slightly disappointed.

Su Zhenyue observed her expression, and a thought stirred in her mind. She ventured a guess, “Is Elder Sister Shi thinking of a marriage alliance with their family?”

Other than that reason, she couldn’t think of why one would inquire about a young lady’s temperament.

Shi Xuezhen was startled and waved her hands again. “No, it’s not me.”

After composing herself, she said, “It’s them. The Pingjiang Earl’s family sent a matchmaker to our door today, saying they want to marry their fourth young lady to Junjun. The matchmaker spoke very highly of her, but Junjun is a full thirteen years older than the girl. For them to be so eager to form this alliance, I… I don’t dare to make the decision, but I’m also afraid of missing a good match. I thought you might know her, so I came to ask you.”

Shi Xuezhen’s face reddened as she spoke; she herself felt embarrassed.

“This…” Su Zhenyue was in a bit of a bind, not knowing how to respond. She could only say tactfully, “Marriage is a major life event; it’s best to be cautious. It would be best to ask for the opinion of the person involved.”

Shi Xuezhen nodded, deeply agreeing.

Seeing that she couldn’t get any information from Su Zhenyue, she sat for a little while longer before getting up to take her leave.

It was Nanxing, who had been serving tea on the side, who sighed, “A thirteen-year difference, and that fourth young lady is willing?”

Su Zhenyue said nothing.

She knew very well that it was most likely the Pingjiang Earl’s family wanting to curry favor with the new Emperor’s confidant, hence using marriage as a method. As for the fourth young lady’s wishes, they were probably not very important in everyone’s eyes.

Thinking of this, Su Zhenyue felt that she was still fortunate. She had fought for her own marriage and hadn’t been sent off in a political alliance.

She hoped that the fourth young lady could be fortunate as well.

In the evening, after Shen Ji returned, Su Zhenyue told him about the matter.

—Ever since their marriage, sharing the day’s events had become a habit for the two of them. They couldn’t be together every moment, but they could understand each other’s lives.

Shen Ji’s brows lifted slightly. “Shi Jun?”

“Mhm.”

“Then this matter most likely won’t work out,” Shen Ji said with a confident tone. As usual, he took off his official robes and changed into casual clothes.

Su Zhenyue was curious. “Cousin, why do you say that?”

Shen Ji smiled. “Want to know?”

“I do,” Su Zhenyue nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation. She was indeed curious.

Shen Ji didn’t speak, only raising a finger to point at his own cheek.

Su Zhenyue’s cheeks flushed red. Seeing that no one was around, she leaned over, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then, she gave him a light push. “Tell me.”

“Shi Jun has someone he fancies.”

Su Zhenyue was surprised. “Really?”

She hadn’t interacted much with Shi Jun. Her impression of him was a bearded man with high martial arts skills and an impulsive nature. At first, she thought he was over forty, but later learned he was twenty-nine this year. His sister was always worried about his marriage. It turned out he already had someone he liked?

“Really.” Shen Ji nodded slightly, then added coolly, “Besides, His Majesty dislikes the Pingjiang Earl. Shi Jun probably won’t form a marriage alliance with their family.”

Although Shi Jun was reckless, he wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t deliberately go against the new Emperor.

“I see. But why does the Emperor dislike their family?”

Shen Ji poured a cup of tea and didn’t hide it from her. “Not just their family. Some of the noble houses in the capital, who clearly built their families on military merit and receive stipends from the court, cowered and refused to fight when the foreign tribes caused chaos, seeking only to protect themselves. How could the Emperor possibly look upon them favorably?”

It was only because these people were adept at trimming their sails and had promptly pledged their support that the new Emperor hadn’t made his dissatisfaction plain.

That group of nobles were shrewd people. Knowing the new Emperor didn’t particularly like them, they tried every means to win over his trusted aides, with marriage alliances being the most common method. Just today, someone had tried to send beauties to Shen Ji, but he had refused.

Of course, there was no need to let Mianmian know about these things.

A thought stirred in Su Zhenyue’s heart. “Then the Gu family…”

Shen Ji knew what she was thinking and said directly, “The Gu family is slightly better off. Although the Marquis’s performance was not good, the Heir Apparent once opened his private residence to let the common people take shelter inside. Third Young Master Gu also killed foreign soldiers.”

Especially Third Master Gu. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, and during the chaos in the capital, he had secretly left home to fight the foreign soldiers with his friends. It was said he had even been injured.

Su Zhenyue gave a soft “en,” feeling a little more at ease.

—After all, she had grown up in the Jing An Marquis Estate. Although there had been unhappiness during those ten-plus years, there were also people there who had been very good to her. Deep down, she didn’t want the Gu family to truly anger the new Emperor.

“I’ve been too busy these past few days and haven’t found the time. When I have a day off, we can go to the Gu residence to pay our respects to the Old Madam,” Shen Ji added.

In fact, they should have paid a visit right after returning to the capital, but there had been too many things to do, and he truly couldn’t get away.

“Mhm.” Su Zhenyue nodded; she had the same intention. Speaking of the Gu family, she thought of someone else. “Cousin, has Divine Doctor Xu not arrived in the capital yet?”

“It should be soon. His Majesty has already issued an imperial decree. He should arrive in the capital next month.”

Divine Doctor Xu was proficient in medicine but not in martial arts. When the new Emperor began his campaign, he did not accompany him. Later, when the new Emperor was about to ascend the throne and brought his family to the capital, Divine Doctor Xu was in the military camp teaching and training army medics, so he didn’t come along.

It was only a few days ago that the new Emperor felt his training was more or less complete and issued another decree summoning him to the capital.

“Next month…” Su Zhenyue pondered for a moment. “Next month is fine. Cousin, I want to ask Divine Doctor Xu to help treat someone.”

Shen Ji’s gaze shifted, understanding in his heart. “Fourth Young Master Gu?”

“You guessed?”

The person Su Zhenyue was thinking of was indeed Fourth Brother Gu. In fact, when she first met Divine Doctor Xu, she had this thought. But Youzhou and the capital were far apart, and Divine Doctor Xu was getting on in years. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to travel a thousand li to treat a patient.

Later, when she learned that Divine Doctor Xu had gone to the Shu Region to treat Yuan Ye, the thought had faintly resurfaced. In terms of character, Fourth Brother Gu was much better than Yuan Ye.

But then, one thing after another happened, and Su Zhenyue never found a suitable opportunity. Today, hearing the Empress Dowager mention in passing that Divine Doctor Xu was about to arrive in the capital, the idea stirred in her again.

Although she didn’t know if Divine Doctor Xu could cure the congenital weakness Fourth Brother Gu was born with, it was, after all, another chance, another sliver of hope.

Fourth Brother Gu was a good person. She hoped he could live for a few more years, for as long as possible.

Seeing that his wife didn’t deny it, Shen Ji let out a soft “tch,” his tone unreadable. “Other than him, I haven’t seen you care so much about anyone else.”

Su Zhenyue refused to admit it. “Who says? There are many people I care about. Cousin, I clearly care more about you.”

To prove her point, she took his hand and listed examples one by one. “I know what you like to eat, what you’re good at, I know you have a scar on your chest…”

They had been married for over a year, and she was as familiar with him as could be. Reciting these things was second nature to her.

Shen Ji looked at her, a smile rippling in his eyes, and suddenly interjected, “Mhm, and there are also two scratch marks on my shoulder blade, newly added last night.”

“You…” Su Zhenyue never expected him to suddenly say something like that. Had he forgotten how those two marks got there? How could he have the nerve to mention it?

Her eyes went wide, and she was momentarily speechless, her red lips slightly parted.

A thought stirred in Shen Ji’s heart. He lowered his head and wantonly kissed her lips.

He thought, he didn’t care that much anymore.

Although she had briefly sought out Gu Si, the one she ultimately chose was him, wasn’t it?

Besides, they were husband and wife now. They would grow old together, hand in hand for a lifetime. As for Gu Si, he also hoped the man could live a good, long life.