The female family members of the accompanying officials’ inner quarters were all settled in tents outside the traveling palace. Song Chuyi was pulled back to the tent by the Cui sisters and Xiang Mingzi, nearly frightening Qing Ying and Ziyun to death. Only after removing her clothes did they discover that her elbow had already turned purple and bruised, and her lower leg was covered with scratches large and small—probably from being scraped by thorns on the forest path during the entanglement with the Ninth Princess.
Xiang Mingzi worried on one hand, while on the other couldn’t help but reproach her: “Why couldn’t you tolerate being provoked? They clearly had ill intentions. Whether you lost or won, the outcome would be the same. Why insist on fighting for this point of pride?”
In her eyes, Song Chuyi had never been someone who couldn’t endure momentary anger. She couldn’t understand no matter what why Song Chuyi had to compete with the Ninth Princess to determine victory or defeat. That is, until a flash of inspiration struck her mind. She suddenly recalled what the Eleventh Princess had said to Song Chuyi that day at the Song manor. Her hand movements slowed a beat, her gaze also flickering somewhat—how could she have forgotten? Song Chuyi possessed cunning and wisdom completely inconsistent with her age. Nothing she did would be an impulsive act born of momentary emotion. There must surely be some deeper meaning.
Song Chuyi had just changed her clothes when Princess Duanhui and Madam Yu arrived one after another. They first held her, examining her from head to toe. Only after seeing these were merely superficial injuries did they relax their anxious hearts.
But immediately after, Madam Cui sternly reprimanded her with a stern face: “Simply absurd! The Ninth Princess is arrogant—why must you lower yourself to her level?! Now look what’s happened. The matter of you striking her and causing her to fall from her horse has instantly spread throughout the entire traveling palace. You can now be considered a celebrated figure. Come tomorrow when we return to the capital, the Chongyin Workshop will stage a new play. I’ve even thought of the title for those storytellers—it should be called ‘Striking the Golden Branch.'”
Truly beyond all expectations—Miss Song the Sixth’s fame spreading throughout the capital in a single day was neither due to literary talent nor beauty, but because of that swift, accurate, and ruthless strike with a riding crop.
Madam Yu felt both angry and amused. On one side, she complained to Madam Cui: “Are you praising or criticizing her? It’s all because you usually love to indulge her. Look at this heaven-fearing, earth-fearing temperament of hers—exactly like you in your youth. Today she’s caused such tremendous trouble and still doesn’t know how it will be resolved, yet you know to pick pleasant things to say to her.”
In her youth, Madam Cui had never feared anyone. Wang Jinsi was raised at Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian’s side—everyone gave her some face. But Madam Cui wouldn’t. Every time Wang Jinsi threw a tantrum, Madam Cui could, without changing expression, anger her to tears as she returned to Changning Hall.
After laughing, Madam Yu couldn’t help but feel somewhat worried—this momentary anger had been vented, but how should things be resolved going forward? Striking the Golden Branch was no laughing matter. If the Emperor flew into a rage and imposed punishment, given the Emperor’s degree of love and regard for the Ninth Princess, this was not impossible. Truly worrying.
Outside, Ye Jingchuan also worried for Song Chuyi. Although that strike with the riding crop truly made him wish he could applaud in admiration, he still retained some rationality. The Ninth Princess was, after all, the most favored among the palace’s currently unmarried princesses.
“That Ninth Aunt of yours is no easy lamp to extinguish. If she goes crying to the Emperor to lodge a complaint against Song the Sixth, won’t Song the Sixth suffer the consequences?” He looked worriedly at the calm and composed Zhou Weizhao, unable to help his exasperation: “How can you still maintain that ghostly appearance? At least Song the Sixth is our friend. Can’t you help think of some solution for her?”
The Crown Prince’s health was not very good, so he occupied Moon-Colored River-Sound Island alone. Zhou Weizhao sat on the covered bridge, not moving from his previous position: “She dared to strike even a princess—what rebuke should she fear?”
This little girl was clearly doing this deliberately for others in the Cabinet to see—my temper is bad, I cannot control my emotions well, when I get angry I strike even princesses. You’re arranging this marriage alliance to maintain good relations with friendly nations. If you send this firecracker over, who knows when she’ll blow up the friendly nation? He stroked his chin, thinking—probably there was also an element of venting anger for the Eleventh Princess? After all, he’d heard that last time Song Chuyi entered the palace, the Ninth Princess had coincidentally shown off before her. This time, the Ninth Princess insisted on throwing herself at the gun barrel to serve as Song Chuyi’s megaphone, so she simply went along and fulfilled her wishes.
Ye Jingchuan reached out to slap his fishing rod: “You heartless, cold-hearted creature!”
Zhou Weizhao imperceptibly turned to avoid his claws, sighing as if coaxing a child: “When have you ever seen her lose her composure to this extent? She even endured Han Zhi. Do you think the Ninth Princess has the ability to anger her into losing control? With this effort worrying about her, you’d be better off worrying about yourself. You’re now a Chiliarch of the Prefecture Guard, bearing the responsibility of protection. Instead of performing your duties with peace of mind, you worry about ancient people!”
Ye Jingchuan glared at him unhappily, hanging his head as he returned to the tent to find Prince Zhennan and his own older brother. But upon entering the tent, he heard Prince Zhennan saying to Ye Jingkuan: “Simply outrageous—to cause such trouble at this time…”
His heart skipped a beat. Moving forward, he asked them: “Who caused trouble?”
Ye Jingkuan looked at him with a half-smile, exchanging a knowing glance with his father as they smiled in tacit understanding. Without good humor, he shooed him away: “Go away. At least it’s not about Miss Song the Sixth.”
Song the Sixth had become famous in one battle. By now, the entire traveling palace probably knew of her glorious deeds. Ye Jingchuan scratched his head. Before his father and brother, he couldn’t care about face or dignity: “Then what trouble were you talking about? Who caused trouble?”
Ye Jingkuan had long stopped treating him as a child. Seeing his father had no reaction, he quietly told him: “The Imperial Physician sent to Zhangzhou sent back news. Consort Rui at Prince Duan’s manor, who was pregnant, died—one corpse, two lives. The murderer was actually the Princess Consort.”
The Astronomical Bureau had just calculated that everything would be most auspicious recently, then Prince Duan immediately slapped the Astronomical Bureau’s face. Such a matter occurred at the princely manor—rivalry between wife and concubine actually resulted in deaths. If it were an ordinary concubine who died, that would be one thing. But it happened to be a named and titled secondary consort, and moreover one who was pregnant. This matter had now become major.
The Emperor had kindly bestowed an Imperial Physician—clearly he particularly valued this child of Prince Duan’s that had come with such difficulty. But the Imperial Physician had only been in Zhangzhou for a few days when such a major incident occurred.
Ye Jingchuan vaguely felt this matter wasn’t so simple—on the front foot, Song Chuyi had just struck the Ninth Princess; on the back foot, such a major incident occurred with Prince Duan. Even in books, there weren’t such coincidences.
Good news doesn’t leave the gate; bad news travels a thousand miles. By afternoon, this news was flying everywhere, spreading together with the Ninth Princess’s matter in spectacular fashion throughout the entire traveling palace. For a time, everyone even forgot about Song Chuyi, placing all their attention on Prince Duan.