Chapter 39 (1/2)

After this awkward event, the ladies present pretended nothing had happened, in order to maintain the families’ faces. Mistress Wu’s expression was not good. While she managed to keep up a small smile, everyone could see she was not quite happy. In the capital, while the Wu Family was not as prestigious as the Sima and Li families, they were still famed, and had great reputation in their ancestral Fan Prefecture.

The Wu misses had been raised with great care. So seeing her daughter schemed against by the Sima Third Branch, Mistress Wu was naturally not very happy. Fortunately, she remembered that this was the empress dowager’s birthday, and managed to swallow her anger.

Li Wu shi who had not spoken much suddenly laughed softly. “Lady Sima’s niece is a rare beauty.”

The mistress of the eldest Sima branch was from a prestigious and noble background, the Zheng Family of Qinlin Prefecture. The Zheng Family had produced many people who had been recorded in the history books. Zheng shi‘s father was a scholar revered by many other students, and even though the Zheng Family resided in Qinlin Prefecture, Zheng shi had a lot of reputation among the women.

Once Li Wu shi started to speak, Zheng shi knew the other was mocking her but still smiled politely and responded, “The third branch has raised her well.”

At these words, the ladies present immediately understood. The eldest branch was discontent with the third branch. Otherwise, why would they say such a thing and not mention Li Wu shi‘s words?

Yang shi watched the conflict between the Li and Sima families coldly. She bent her head to blow softly at the tea leaves on the surface.

At the side, Mistress Chen looked at the Sima family members, sneered, and then walked to the back of the hall. When she thought of her daughter and unborn grandson killed by the Sima Family, she felt so disgusted she could throw up.

Yang shi saw her in-law leave and turned to say a few words to Duchess Yang before following.

When she walked to the back of the hall, Yang shi heard Chen shi‘s daughter-in-law comforting her. She hesitated and did not follow. Chen shi‘s death was the Chen Family and Gu Family’s pain. The Chen Family may not want to see the Gu Family.

This was not because the Chen Family was unreasonable, but people’s emotions were sometimes not controlled by their logic. Maybe the Chen Family would think that the Gu Family had not taken good care of Chen shi, or it would have been good if the Gu Family hadn’t allowed Chen shi to go to Five Estates Temple.

In reality, she had thought of this. That day, if only she hadn’t agreed to Chen shi going to Five Estates Temple. Then, Chen shi would not have died, and her son would not be grieving and depressed now.

On her seat, Gu Ru Jiu looked worriedly at the empty seat that her mother should be in. She only sighed in relief when she saw Yang shi return to her seat.

The empress dowager saw her inattention when sitting next to her and said, “I know you miss your mother. Go get her tea and pastries.”

“Aunt, don’t be angry. I also want to pour you tea.” Gu Ru Jiu stood up, made a new cup of tea for the empress dowager before bobbing a curtsy. “This subject will do as you say and go serve my mother tea.”

The empress dowager saw this, and was both amused and exasperated. She waved her hand and said, “Go, go.”

Seeing Gu Ru Jiu leave, the empress dowager’s smile did not fade. She turned and said to Jin Yang, “You know what I like the most about Jiu Jiu?”

Jin Yang had been peeking at Gu Ru Jiu’s back. Hearing the empress dowager’s words, he stilled and then said, “In this son’s view, Junior Sister is good in all aspects.”

The empress knew he was implying that he had such intentions but pretended ignorance. She spoke with a smile. “This child is one to remember who is good to her and did favors to her. She is good to whoever is good to her.”

She would be good to whoever was good to her?

Jin Yang looked thoughtfully at Gu Ru Jiu who was sitting next to his master’s wife. She was whispering something that caused her mother to smile.

If he was good to Jiu Jiu, would Jiu Jiu be willing to be his empress?

“Since the empress dowager likes young girls, then you should get a filial daughter-in-law soon. That way, someone will keep you company all day to relieve your boredom,” the wife of Commandery Prince Ping said with a smile. “Don’t you think so?”

Empress Dowager clapped and said with a smile, “This is right. I should get a daughter-in-law. But she shouldn’t keep me company, but have good days with my son. They should mutually respect each other and be of one heart.”

The other women of the imperial family heard this and agreed with smiles. They also praised the empress dowager for being an open-minded and kind mother-in-law, and that once the empress entered the palace, she would definitely be in love with the emperor.

Everyone could say pleasing things, and everyone liked hearing pleasing things. But after speaking so long, no one was able to get out of the empress dowager which miss she liked.

After having fun for an entire day, everyone felt that the empress dowager had said one concrete thing. The imperial family was preparing to have an empress. But no one knew which miss the imperial house wanted. But from His Majesty’s neutral attitude towards the Sima Family, they did not seem likely.

They didn’t know what the Li Family was thinking this time. Other than Li Wu shi and the other wives, they had not brought along any Li misses of age. Many of the young masters had come instead, and gained great attention today.

Ever since two years ago when the miss of the Li Eldest Branch fell off her horse and died, the other Li misses had suddenly become low-key, and not been as proactive about becoming the empress. No one knew if they had really given up on a marriage alliance with the imperial house, or if they were waiting to act.

Regardless of what they thought, at least their actions looked better than the Sima Third Branch’s.

Near sunset, Empress Dowager Zhou stood up and expressed her thanks to everyone present before indicating they could leave.

After the phoenix carriage and the imperial carriage left with the empress dowager and the emperor, the remaining aristocratic family members left the Taihe Palace together. Gu Ru Jiu sat in the carriage. Listening to the sound of fireworks suddenly coming from the Taihe Palace, she lifted the curtain and saw that the fireworks exploding above the just-darkened sky seemed exceptionally lonely.

The caravan was extremely long, so that she had to stick her head out to see the end. She leaned her head against the carriage cushion and inexplicably thought of the moment Jin Yang had reached his hand out to her.

In these years, Jin Yang had taken good care of her, gentle and considerate like her older brothers. In their interactions, Jin Yang was always the one who invested, and she was the one taken care of.

Maybe because Jin Yang was always calm and intelligent and did not race horses and fight with poetry like other aristocratic family young masters that she almost forgot the other was a youth not yet seventeen.

As the carriage wheels rumbled along, the sky gradually darkened completely. The sound of hoofbeats and the collisions of the guards’ metal armor came from the windows.

Suddenly, the scream of a woman broke through the air. The carriage caravan suddenly stopped.

“What happened?” Gu Ru Jiu lifted the curtain. She saw a guard holding a torch beside her carriage and asked, “Why has the carriage stopped?”

The guard being asked was an ordinary imperial guard, unlike the dragon guards of high birth. So at Gu Ru Jiu’s questions, he said respectfully, “This subordinate does not know the details, but someone has gone to investigate.”

Gu Ru Jiu nodded. As she was preparing to put down the curtain, Yang Chui Wen galloped over on his horse.

“Miss Gu.” Yang Chui Wen was worried that Gu Ru Jiu would be frightened by the scream and came over on his horse. He whispered, “Don’t worry, it’s not anything major.”

Gu Ru Jiu saw that he seemed to know the details but did not say any details. She perceptively nodded. “Thank you, Young Master Yang, for coming to tell me.” After she spoke, she heard someone else come request Yang Chui Wen. Yang Chui Wen bowed to her and then moved in the direction of another carriage.

That carriage was further away. Gu Ru Jiu could not hear what Yang Chui Wen had said, but his tone was still warm and the voice of a miss seemed to come over.

Gu Ru Jiu put down the curtain, thought carefully and then smiled.

As expected, not long after, the carriages started to move again. Gu Ru Jiu lifted the curtain and found the guards around her had changed. Now, riding beside her carriage was Hu Yun Qi.

Seeing her lift the curtain, Hu Yun Qi gave her a bright smile. “Little Sister Gu.”

“Cousin Hu.” Gu Ru Jiu nodded towards him. Hu Yun Qi was her second sister-in-law’s brother. In order to show closeness between the two families, she always called the Hu Family members of her generation as cousins.

Pointing ahead, Gu Ru Jiu showed a curious expression. “What happened up ahead?” If nothing had happened, Hu Yun Qi would not have come next to her carriage to follow.

Hearing Gu Ru Jiu ask this, Hu Yun Qi had an odd expression. He pulled his reins so the horse was closer to the carriage. “An accident occurred to Miss Sima.”

“Miss Sima?” Gu Ru Jiu frowned. No wonder the scream had come from ahead. But what could have caused a Sima miss to scream aloud?

“The miss of the Sima Third Branch received a fright. The dowager empress’ Matron Liu has already gone to visit. Nothing major.” Hu Yun Qi lowered his voice. “Supposedly, a black cat suddenly jumped into this Miss Sima’s carriage, and she was scratched on her hand.”

Black cat?

Gu Ru Jiu frowned even more deeply. With the empress dowager and the emperor present, the guards had cleaned the way long ago. Why would an inauspicious black cat suddenly charge in?

Hu Yun Qi saw Gu Ru Jiu’s frown and laughed. “Maybe it is just a wild cat. Do not think too much. With Cousin Hu here, a mosquito cannot fly in, much less a black cat.”

Gu Ru Jiu tilted her head towards him. “Are there mosquitoes in weather like this?”

Hu Yun Qi laughed embarrassedly and then said, “The night wind is cold. Put the curtain down.” His Majesty had told him to come take care of Little Sister Gu due to the in-law relationship between the two families. But if he did not take good care, then he would have failed the Gu Family and also could not end up well with His Majesty.

“Cousin Hu, you also have to take care.” Gu Ru Jiu smiled and then put the curtain down.

Looking at the obediently lowered curtain, Hu Yun Qi rubbed his chin and thought, this Little Sister Gu was really lovable. No wonder Cun Qing treated her like a pearl. Even his younger sister, who had married Cun Jing, was very happy whenever she mentioned this Little Sister Gu.

After the carriage entered the city, Hu Yun Qi called over a guard to stand next to Gu Ru Jiu’s carriage before going forward to report to His Majesty.

Hearing slow hoofbeats, Jin Yang’s brow moved slightly. Hu Yun Qi’s voice passed in.

“Your Majesty, this subject Hu Yun Qi asks for an audience.”