As Fengping thought her mistress was unconcerned, she started to relax. Suddenly, she saw tea overflowing from the cup, quickly spreading across the entire table.
“My Lady!” Fengping exclaimed, hurriedly helping Mei Zhaoxue up to avoid the scalding tea spilling onto her clothes. “What’s wrong?”
“That Shen Zaiye,” Mei Zhaoxue laughed bitterly, her eyes unfocused. “I foolishly thought he’d be wary of the Mei family’s influence, that I could still turn things around. But in the blink of an eye, he’s given the position of principal wife to Jiang Taohua.”
“Don’t be too upset,” Fengping quickly said. “The Lord has always favored Lady Jiang. This was expected.”
“No,” Mei Zhaoxue shook her head, mumbling. “You don’t understand.”
The position of principal wife wasn’t so easily obtained. Even if Jiang Taohua was a princess, her influence in Great Wei was far less than Mei Zhaoxue’s as the daughter of the Minister of Ceremonies. For Shen Zaiye to make this decision meant he no longer needed the Mei family’s influence.
How could this be? He was the Chancellor, and the Minister of Ceremonies was the highest of the Nine Ministers under him. Why would he break ties with her father?
Mei Zhaoxue’s eyes darted back and forth as she seemed to realize something. She shook her head, muttering, “It can’t be, it can’t be like this…”
“My Lady,” Fengping was extremely worried and hurried out to call for a doctor.
Thus, Taohua’s first act as the new principal wife was to lead a group to visit Mei Zhaoxue.
“What’s wrong with Lady Mei?” she asked.
Fengping was momentarily stunned by the new form of address before replying, “My mistress has been unwell since this morning. Now she’s speaking nonsense and behaving erratically.”
Has she gone mad? Taohua was surprised and couldn’t help but approach the bedside to look closer.
Mei Zhaoxue lay still, but her eyes were moving slightly under her eyelids, clearly awake.
Taohua frowned, about to step back when Mei Zhaoxue suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed her throat, pushing her onto the bed.
“My Lady!” Nangong Qin and Gu Qingying were startled. Qingtai moved swiftly, pulling Mei Zhaoxue away and restraining her hands. She then looked at her mistress with concern, “Are you alright?”
Coughing a couple of times, Taohua said with a wry smile, “I’m fine. But what was that about, Lady Mei? What grudge could make you want to strangle me?”
“You bringer of misfortune!” Mei Zhaoxue cried with reddened eyes. “Since you entered this house, people have died, left, or been injured. Not one person has remained unscathed! You must be an evil spirit, come to bring calamity to the Chancellor’s house!”
Everyone was shocked. Gu Qingying instinctively took a step back.
Although Mei Zhaoxue seemed truly mad, her words weren’t wrong. The household had fallen apart, with only Jiang Taohua unharmed and even promoted from concubine to principal wife. Gu Qingying had already been suspicious, feeling that Jiang Taohua wasn’t simple. Hearing Mei Zhaoxue’s words now only confirmed her thoughts.
Jiang Taohua must have come to the Chancellor’s house with some purpose. Now that she had likely obtained what she wanted, Mei Zhaoxue had gone mad.
“If I were truly an evil spirit, would you still be alive now?” Taohua smiled. “From the first time you moved against me, you should have known that all the turmoil in this household wasn’t caused by me, but stirred up by your hand.”
Mei Zhaoxue was taken aback. “When did I ever move against you?”
“You didn’t act directly,” Taohua looked at her deeply, smirking. “But didn’t you always have Qin Jieyu do your bidding? Framing Lady Gu, dragging me and Lady Meng down with her – killing three birds with one stone. After Qin Jieyu was gone, you involved Lady Duan. All these young women, driven by self-interest, became pawns in your hands and victims of your schemes. How can you now blame all of this on me?”
Mei Zhaoxue was shocked, not expecting that Taohua had known all along. After a moment, she lowered her gaze. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“It’s alright if you don’t understand. You’ll probably dream about it tonight,” Taohua stood up. “You come from a noble background and were once the principal wife. It’s a pity your narrow-mindedness couldn’t tolerate others. So now you’ve lost your position and are confined here. It’s all your own doing, you can’t blame others.”
“You…” Mei Zhaoxue said hatefully, “All of this is related to you. You even sent Qin Jieyu to prison. Don’t you feel any guilt at all?”
Taohua rose, elegantly smoothing her dress. She looked up at Mei Zhaoxue and said, “Only those who have done wrong need to feel guilty. Why should I feel guilty for others’ mistakes? I sent Qin Jieyu to prison, but she deserved it. Should I feel sorry because bad people suffer? I can’t accept your way of thinking.”
Gu Qingying and Nangong Qin had retreated to the side, heads lowered in thought. Qin Huaiyu, who had been watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but interject, “The Lady makes a good point.”
Mei Zhaoxue was stunned, taking a moment to realize that “Lady” referred to Jiang Taohua. She began to tremble slightly. “If you hadn’t come here to vie for favor and disrupt the household rules, none of us would have ended up like this. Don’t you bear any responsibility?”
“I never intended to harm anyone. Every step I took was for self-preservation. I don’t offend those who don’t offend me. What wrong have I done?” Taohua raised an eyebrow, smiling charmingly. “Should I have just stood still and done nothing, letting you harm me at will?”
Taohua couldn’t accept the current definition of a good woman – one who forgives those who harmed her because they made her stronger, who unconditionally forgives wrongdoers because they’ve realized their mistakes, and who constantly reflects on whether she’s been too harsh when others suffer.
To hell with that, she thought. If she became capable and strong, she should thank herself for being so competent, for surviving encounters with so many shameless beasts and thriving. Let the rules deal with wrongdoers; forgiveness after acknowledging mistakes was what the law was for. If others suffered, as long as she didn’t actively frame them, what did it have to do with her?
Should a tall tree apologize to the grass in its shade for growing too high? People should bear the consequences of their actions. If she had extra sympathy, she’d rather give it to beggars.
Mei Zhaoxue fell silent, seemingly calming down. Taohua had no more energy to chat with her. She turned and said, “The doctor will treat you well. Lady Mei, please rest assured and recover.”
The other ladies filed out behind her. Taohua shook out her crimson robe, walking majestically into the sunlight.
(End of Chapter)