At a flower banquet personally hosted by Her Majesty the Empress, even the most spirited young ladies dared not act willfully. Striving to avoid any mistakes, they followed behind their family elders, occasionally answering a question from the Empress. When it came time to take their seats, the Empress even laughed. “I said there was no need to be constrained, yet once you truly arrive at my place, you can’t help but feel constrained.”
Old Madam Du was the eldest in age and highest in seniority. Hearing this, she also laughed. “Though Your Majesty says so, children have limited experience after all. How would they dare to act presumptuously before you? In my opinion, there’s no need to be particularly eloquent or argumentative. Just having the virtue of honesty is quite enough.”
The hostile undertones in those words even reached First Madam Song’s ears. Among those present who could be described as eloquent, argumentative, and overly competitive, who else was there besides their own family? Old Madam Du’s target was truly too obvious. First Madam Song simply turned her head to speak with Consort Song instead.
Her Majesty the Empress didn’t pick up that thread of conversation either. She instructed the young ladies to go out and admire the flowers while she conversed with the group of titled ladies in the hall.
The flowers in the Imperial Garden naturally grew beautifully. Xiang Zhi led them through the enchantingly beautiful flower clusters, and they happened to encounter Imperial Etiquette Officer Xie coming from the flower house with cut flowers, heading toward Qingning Hall.
Imperial Etiquette Officer Xie invited the young ladies to each select a favorite flower from the basket to wear in their hair. The two girls from Elder Du’s household each picked a peony. The young lady from Minister Cen’s family chose a camellia. Lu Chonghua hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take a Chinese rose. Finally, it was Song Chuyi’s turn, and she took a wild rose without hesitation. Imperial Etiquette Officer Xie glanced at her imperceptibly, smiled, bowed to everyone, and took her leave.
After the noon banquet bestowed by the Empress concluded, Her Majesty specifically kept Song Chuyi and Lu Chonghua behind. “I heard that Sixth Miss has grievances with Buddha. Why not stay and help me copy some scriptures?”
As for Lu Chonghua, she was family from the Empress’s natal side, so keeping her was even more natural and proper. Old Madam Du was somewhat displeased. She finally glanced at Song Chuyi before respectfully taking her two granddaughters and withdrawing.
The Empress then gently instructed First Madam Song to wait briefly at Fengzao Palace. She handed Lu Chonghua over to Imperial Etiquette Officer Xie to entertain and kept Song Chuyi to talk. She first smiled and looked at Song Chuyi, with her very first words asking about her previous return to Tianshui Town. “I heard you were already besieged once before. Having barely escaped danger, why didn’t you first go ashore to seek help from the authorities, but instead rushed back to Tianshui Town?”
Song Chuyi raised her head with an open gaze to meet the Empress’s eyes, then lowered them, her tone calm. “His Highness once saved me from danger in Jinzhong. At that time, I had nearly a hundred people at my command. Compared to going ashore to find the authorities, naturally taking people back myself was faster.”
The Empress was quite satisfied. What Zhou Weizhao needed was precisely this kind of capable and decisive Grand Heir Consort. She propped her chin with one hand, her well-maintained face showing a deeper smile. “You’re a young lady, yet you don’t act like a young lady should.” She saw Song Chuyi’s eyebrows move slightly and said softly, “At first, I noticed you because of your rather remarkable family background. Later, I was frightened by your reputation as a star of calamity and loneliness. But now, I find you to be extremely good.”
Song Chuyi raised her head to look at her, her beautiful eyes blinking.
“Perhaps it’s a case of loving the house and its crow.” Seeing her appearance, the Empress thought it was indeed as her grandson had said—this young lady had a pair of eyes like a cat’s. When they looked at you moistly like that, one truly couldn’t withstand it. Her tone involuntarily softened. “Weizhao always speaks well of you before me. Over time, even if I didn’t like you, I couldn’t help but do so.”
When Song Chuyi wanted to make someone like her, she was very good at it. After thinking, she said, “Your Majesty is also quite different from what I imagined. Previously, when Your Majesty twice bestowed gifts upon me, I received them with trepidation and felt deeply honored. But His Highness said this was because of your wholehearted devotion to his welfare. I thought that since Your Majesty would favor me, it must be because Your Majesty finds me worthy of favor. And since Your Majesty shares the same vision as His Highness, you must surely be as good a person as His Highness is.”
Empress Lu had to admit that when this girl retracted her thorns, she was truly a most endearing young lady. What she said both praised Zhou Weizhao and complimented herself. She laughed with a snort. “Weizhao’s temperament is quiet. Your temperament is just right to complement his. Otherwise, if two silent gourds were tied together, wouldn’t they both become sawed-mouth gourds? How stifling.”
After talking for a while, the Empress said softly again, “What do you think of the story of Ehuang and Nüying?” Seeing Song Chuyi look toward her, her expression unchanged as she picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Back then, Duanhui also mentioned to me that she wanted to strengthen family ties through marriage. But naturally that matter didn’t come to pass. However, if… I ask you, if Duanhui still has this intention, what would you do?”
Song Chuyi was silent for a moment, her tone still without any particular fluctuation. “Does Your Majesty wish to hear me speak the truth?”
The Empress nodded.
Song Chuyi seemed to give it careful thought before slowly but firmly shaking her head. “Then I must tell Your Majesty that I am neither Ehuang nor do I wish to be Nüying. I would rather yield everything than share with another.”
These children nowadays truly haven’t experienced the life of daily necessities. They don’t know at all that so-called love is least able to withstand the test of time. Even the most beloved face will become tiresome as time passes. Even the most beloved person, even the deepest feelings, will tend toward blandness in the day-to-day repetition of life, making one want to escape the tedious life and seek new pleasures. She recalled that her grandson had also earnestly assured her, saying that of three thousand in the weak water, he would only take one ladle—that besides Song Chuyi, he wanted no one else.
But how could this be possible? Setting aside the fact that in the future Zhou Weizhao was to ascend to that position and the three palaces and six courts would be unavoidable, even taking ten thousand steps back—even if Zhou Weizhao were just an ordinary imperial grandson who would later be enfeoffed as an ordinary prince, could he really stay with one person until old age? What truly childish naivety.
She smiled, clearly noncommittal about such naive thoughts. Yet looking at Song Chuyi’s resolute gaze, she still nodded. “I understand.”
Song Chuyi didn’t expect the Empress to understand hers and Zhou Weizhao’s thinking. As long as the Empress temporarily respected their wishes and, for the sake of her grandson’s marriage proceeding smoothly, temporarily abandoned the idea of Ehuang and Nüying, that was enough. She pressed her lips together, then suddenly turned the conversation in another direction, speaking to the Empress about other matters.
She patiently explained Chen Mingyu’s situation bit by bit, her tone remaining calm and even throughout, as if discussing the smallest of trivial matters.