Thinking it was another concubine from the mansion coming to cry about lost items, Gu Huairou and Jiang Taohua looked up and were stunned.
Imperial Consort Lan was wearing ordinary concubine clothes, her hair in a low bun adorned with a jade flower, and light makeup. She was smiling at them.
“You…” Taohua was shocked. “How are you here?”
After Emperor Mingde’s passing, childless consorts would usually be sent to the mountains to live out their days. Moreover, the emperor had died in Zhilan Palace, so many at the court would likely cause trouble for Lu Zhilan. Taohua had wondered where Lu Zhilan might go, but she never expected this…
“Am I not welcome?” Lu Zhilan smiled and stepped inside, walking up to her. “Didn’t Shen Zaiye tell you? From today on, I’m the new lady of this courtyard.”
Gu Huairou: “…”
Jiang Taohua: “…”
There were historical cases of sons inheriting their fathers’ consorts, but it was scorned by all. They never expected Shen Zaiye to bring the most favored Imperial Consort Lan directly back to the Chancellor’s mansion!
How audacious, how daring, how passionate!
Pressing her lips together, Taohua nodded slightly to her. “My lord hasn’t mentioned this yet, so I was a bit surprised. Have you… I mean, has Lady Lu settled in well?”
“Yes, in Shiwang Pavilion.”
Gu Huairou looked at her in shock, then at Taohua, momentarily at a loss for words.
How could he bring her into the mansion? Being the late emperor’s consort was one thing, but weren’t Lu Zhilan and Shen Zaiye nominally siblings? This went against all principles and ethics. How could he do this?
“Does the First Lady have nothing else to ask me?” Lu Zhilan looked at Jiang Taohua meaningfully.
Anything else? Taohua thought for a moment and asked, “Why has Your Grace come to the Chancellor’s mansion?”
“What else could it be?” Sitting down and glancing at the items on the table, Lu Zhilan chuckled lightly. “Naturally, it’s because I love him.”
There was no need to specify who “him” referred to.
It was unexpected, yet somehow understandable. Taohua nodded, her mind blank, her expression extremely calm.
Lu Zhilan looked up, curiously observing her reaction. “Why doesn’t the First Lady rebuke me or get angry?”
Taohua shrugged. “What position am I in to rebuke or be angry? You knew the Chancellor before me, and the experiences you shared are not something an outsider like me can understand. If you and my lord both think this is right, then so be it.”
“Oh?” Lu Zhilan raised an eyebrow, resting her chin on her hand and looking at her coquettishly. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal his favor?”
Favor? Taohua smiled. “That’s entirely up to my lord’s pleasure. He favors whoever he likes, there’s no point in fighting over it.”
Lu Zhilan’s gaze darkened. She looked Taohua up and down and said softly, “It seems you may not have truly taken him to heart either.”
“What do you mean?”
“As a woman, if you truly take a man to heart, jealousy, and envy are the most basic reactions,” Lu Zhilan said pensively. “Once you let go of these two things, you may not actually like that man very much.”
It seemed to make sense. Taohua nodded. So, did this mean she didn’t like Shen Zaiye that much?
But there was nothing wrong with that. After all, although they often spent time together, who could say how much was truly heartfelt? If one got too deeply into the role and took it seriously, it would only hurt the other. And for both of them to fall into the role simultaneously would be even more difficult. Feelings were too complex, even more challenging than scheming against others, so Jiang Taohua had never bothered to sort them out.
Whatever the feelings between her and Shen Zaiye were, as long as they could benefit each other and continue living well together, that was good enough.
Collecting herself, Taohua looked at Lu Zhilan with a smile. “Lady Lu, you should go pay your respects to my lord first. We’re busy here, but when we’re free, we can have tea together.”
“Alright.” Lu Zhilan stood up and smiled at her. “Then I’ll go find the Chancellor.”
“Mm.” Lowering her eyes to continue looking at the inventory on the table, Taohua appeared as if she had just exchanged greetings with an acquaintance, showing no other emotions.
Gu Huairou watched in shock and couldn’t help saying, “This servant finally understands. Only you are fit to be the mistress of this courtyard. If it were anyone else, how could they not be jealous!”
“What’s the use of jealousy?” Taohua chuckled lightly. “It only hurts oneself.”
“That’s not the point,” Gu Huairou said. “Everyone in our courtyard knows how good my lord is to Imperial Consort Lan. We used to think it was just sibling affection, but now… Don’t you feel your position is threatened?”
What was there to be threatened about? Taohua glanced at her. “Lady Lu’s status will never allow her to become the mistress of the Chancellor’s mansion.”
“That’s not the position I meant,” Gu Huairou stamped her foot lightly. “I meant your position in my lord’s heart!”
In Shen Zaiye’s heart. Jiang Taohua chuckled and shook her head. What woman could occupy a high position in his heart? His heart was filled with the affairs of state and the world, with little room for romance. Xu Yangui had already said that Shen Zaiye felt guilty towards Lu Zhilan. Since he felt guilty, it was only right that he treated her well.
After sorting out the list, Taohua comforted Gu Huairou briefly before walking out.
She had never known what jealousy was. In matters of the heart, at most, she had only tasted the pain of betrayal. When she saw Li Jin and Jiang Suhe together, she only felt disgust and resentment, never jealousy or envy.
Women who are often jealous tend to become ugly, and they still need to follow their master’s instructions to take good care of their appearance!
Just as she was about to enter the main house of Linwu Court, her sleeve was pulled. Taohua came back to her senses and looked at Qing Tai beside her in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“My lady, have you forgotten?” Qing Tai said softly. “You just let Lady Lu go in. She and my lord are both inside now.”
Taohua paused, suddenly realizing. She patted her forehead and muttered quietly, “What was I thinking? My mind isn’t working. Here, you take this. Wait until they come out to give it to them.”
She handed the inventory to Qing Tai and turned to leave.
However, before she could take a step, she heard voices from inside the room.
“What I promised you, I will naturally fulfill,” Shen Zaiye said, looking at her with deep eyes. “You’ve suffered a lot outside. I will make it up to you one by one.”
Lu Zhilan giggled, looking at him with complex emotions. “Making it up to me is simple. Why don’t you cook a table full of dishes for me yourself?”
Taohua paused upon hearing this, thinking that a gentleman would stay away from the kitchen. Someone like Shen Zaiye…
“Alright,” the man inside agreed.
“…” The thoughts in her mind were cut short. Taohua picked up her skirt and walked away, lowering her eyes and smiling slightly.
People with a shared past are different no matter what. Having experienced so much together, others can never insert themselves between them.
She wasn’t belittling herself. She wasn’t inferior to Lu Zhilan in any way. But hearing Shen Zaiye’s “alright,” her heart suddenly twinged, as if someone had pinched it. She didn’t know if something was wrong with her.
Shaking her head, she continued to go out and instruct the servants to clean up the mansion thoroughly. She also sent people to inquire about the whereabouts of the Zhao envoys and finally sat in Zhengchun Pavilion, lost in thought.
Lu Zhilan stood at the kitchen door, looking at the vegetables and meat on the chopping board, and asked with a half-smile, “Do you still remember that dish?”
“Simple stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat,” Shen Zaiye said calmly. “Back then, you brought it from the Lu mansion to the military camp for me. It was cold by the time it arrived. How could I forget?”
A noble lady like Lu Zhilan actually didn’t know how to cook, but at that time, he was in the military camp, and Zhanlu had complained once about the poor food. So she had struggled for a few days in the Lu mansion and finally brought him this dish from afar.
It was when delivering this dish that Lu Zhilan confessed her feelings to him, saying, “I am willing to follow you three thousand miles, hoping only that you will take me with you.”
He hadn’t responded at the time, just put the dish aside and quietly continued eating the camp food. This probably caused her a lot of resentment, which is why she made such a request today.
With a reminiscent look in her eyes, Lu Zhilan watched him start cutting vegetables and cooking, and said softly, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so foolish.”
“It’s not too late to regret now,” Shen Zaiye said, his eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to look at her amidst the rising smoke and oil. “It’s not too late.”
Lu Zhilan laughed coldly. “Do you think I’m that stupid? Having ended up like this, should I let you live freely without seeking repayment?”
She was here to collect a debt. Once she collected it in this life, she wouldn’t think of it in the next!
Shen Zaiye smiled but didn’t say much. Soon, he served the dish and took her back to the main house of Linwu Court.
“I didn’t know you could cook,” Lu Zhilan frowned, looking at the appetizing bamboo shoots and meat in front of her.
She had put in so much effort to make that dish back then.
“After all, I was once in the military,” Shen Zaiye said calmly. “If I couldn’t cook, wouldn’t I have starved when camping in the wilderness?”
Well then. Lu Zhilan pressed her lips together, picked up her chopsticks, and put some bamboo shoots and meat in her mouth. After chewing, her throat moved slightly. She wanted to say something but couldn’t open her mouth, and her eyes gradually reddened.
Shen Zaiye handed her a handkerchief and waited quietly beside her, watching as she ate the entire dish with a red nose and eyes. He then picked up the plate and bowl and took them out.
As he stepped out the door, unsurprisingly, the suppressed sobs of the person in the room could be heard.
Letting go of the past must be a painful thing, right? Shen Zaiye lowered his eyes. But only by letting go can one see clearly and understand what one truly wants in their heart.
“My lord.”
Just as he left Linwu Court, he ran into Jiang Taohua. Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “What is it?”
Taohua laughed dryly, rubbing her handkerchief. “It’s nothing, I just wanted to ask how you plan to deal with the people from Zhao?”
“Yang Wanqing and Li Jin will stay. The rest will be sent back to Zhao first,” Shen Zaiye said. “The two countries will ally, and later Great Wei will also send people to Zhao.”
(End of Chapter)