Shen Zaiye left the room and immediately sought out the imperial physician to inquire about Jiang Taohua’s condition.
The exhausted physician replied, “This official has done his best. The lady’s life can be saved, but she needs careful recuperation to avoid lasting health issues. Due to excessive blood loss and the extensive wound, she must rest for at least half a month to replenish blood and energy. I’ll return to check on her after the stitches are removed.”
“Half a month?” Shen Zaiye’s eyes flickered slightly. “What if she doesn’t rest during this time and exerts herself repeatedly?”
The physician was taken aback. He looked up at Shen Zaiye, his expression suddenly turning strange. “Without proper rest, the wound could reopen, causing anemia and dizziness. The lady herself would suffer. If the Chancellor truly cares for her, he should exercise some restraint.”
Lost in thought, Shen Zaiye didn’t pay attention to the latter part of the physician’s words, taking them as mere medical advice. He nodded politely, “Understood. Thank you for your efforts.”
The physician sighed as he turned to leave with his medicine chest, thinking to himself that the rumors about Chancellor Shen’s fondness for women weren’t unfounded. Even with such a severe injury, he was still thinking about bedroom activities, and he didn’t even blush while asking! Young people these days… sigh.
After seeing the physician off, Shen Zaiye headed towards Linwu Court. Since Jiang Taohua couldn’t move for half a month, he could just leave someone to watch over Zhengchun Pavilion during the day and come back at night to put on a show of affection.
He had said he would stay at Zhengchun Pavilion for three days, so the two women who were about to lose favor would surely not take it lying down. Lady Gu had already been demoted, and with one more push, the position of principal wife would be vacant. The attitudes of the other two women would determine the changes in their favor.
In his rear court, every woman was connected to political forces in the court, and these connections ran deep. Handling them wasn’t a simple matter.
The current emperor had four princes, all of whom had been granted titles. Although Prince Jing had always been the most favored, Prince Yu’s influence had been rising rapidly recently, and it wasn’t clear which of them held the upper hand. Prince Heng, though less powerful, was known for his literary talent and understanding of statecraft. He also had ambitions, and his prospects were uncertain.
And then there was the Prince Nan.
The only one who hadn’t placed a woman in the Chancellor’s household was the Prince Nan.
Shen Zaiye’s lips curled slightly as he looked up at the sky of the Great Wei. A majestic country with an emperor in his prime, strong national power, and thriving industries – truly a great nation…
It was like a sharp, peerless sword.
Lowering his gaze, he instructed softly, “Zhan Lu, take the newly acquired blood-sweating horse to Prince Jing’s mansion.”
“Yes, sir!” Zhan Lu complied and left to carry out the order.
Once the Chancellor had left Zhengchun Pavilion, Jin Yu hurried back to inform Gu Huairou. When the servants went for lunch at noon, Gu Huairou quietly entered Taohua’s room.
Jiang Taohua was eating, though she had little appetite. For the sake of her recovery, she was forcing herself to eat whatever was put in front of her. When Lady Gu entered, she was still struggling with a chicken leg.
“Ah, you’re here,” Taohua turned to see her visitor, wiped her mouth, and smiled. “You don’t look well. Is it too cold outside?”
Gu Huairou stood by the bed, her eyes cold. “Spring has arrived. How could it be cold outside? Only people’s hearts are cold.”
Taohua’s expression remained unchanged as she gestured to the bedside. “Sit down first. It’s tiring to stand.”
“Are you very pleased with yourself?” Gu Huairou’s face darkened as she glared at Taohua. “You predicted the master would punish me severely. Are you happy now?”
Such anger, Taohua thought. It seems Shen Zaiye didn’t hold back.
Composing herself, Jiang Taohua said seriously, “I have nothing to be pleased about. Rather, I feel some sympathy for you. If you had listened to me earlier, things wouldn’t have come to this.”
“You!” Gu Huairou wanted to lash out, but fear held her back. After gritting her teeth for a while, she could only lower herself and sit by the bed. “I don’t understand!”
“You don’t understand why the master punished you so severely?”
“Yes!”
Taohua smiled and pointed at herself. “Because the master doesn’t want me to have an easy time. So first, he’ll make life difficult for everyone in this courtyard, and put all the blame on me.”
Gu Huairou frowned, slightly taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“For instance, in this situation, if I hadn’t said those things to you yesterday, would you have come to talk to me today after the master punished you severely?” Taohua pressed her lips together. “Given your temperament, you’d likely harbor resentment. At the first opportunity, you’d try to destroy me, wouldn’t you?”
Gu Huairou’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked away. “I’m not that kind of person. Who… who would be so petty? It’s just a fact that you stole my favor and caused me to be severely punished. In the future, when you make mistakes, I certainly won’t let you off easily.”
Though she said this, Gu Huairou knew in her heart that she might have done even worse than what Jiang Taohua suggested. She might have deliberately done things to harm her, to satisfy her resentment.
Taohua smiled without contradicting her. “Whatever the case, a great rift has formed between us. From now on, we’ll be at odds, and neither of us will have peace. But in reality, I’m innocent. I didn’t do anything, yet I’ve gained you as an enemy for no reason.”
Gu Huairou tilted her head, pondering in silence.
It seemed to make sense, but how could it be this way?
“The role of men in this rear court is the most significant,” Taohua coughed lightly. “Who hates whom, who is close to whom only the master can influence these things, because aren’t we all living for him? So if he wants to make life difficult for me, it’s really simple. He just needs to favor me first, punish others severely for my sake, and transfer their favor to me. This will cause everyone to resent me. Then, when the day comes that he no longer favors or protects me, I’ll be like someone who’s fallen into a pit of snakes, with no good days ahead.”
“Do you understand now, my lady?”
Gu Huairou was a bit dumbfounded, staring at her blankly. “Why would the master want to make life difficult for you?”
Jiang Taohua couldn’t possibly tell her the specific reason. She lowered her eyes, smoothed her sleeves, and sighed, “Because of the mistaken marriage that day, I offended the master and caused him embarrassment, so…”
“Caused the master embarrassment?” Gu Huairou’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“It’s somewhat difficult to speak of.” Taohua pressed her lips together, looking around the room with a timid expression.
Gu Huairou turned her head and said to Yue Tao, “You and this maid go outside together.”
“Yes, my lady.” Yue Tao curtsied and left with Qing Tai, closing the door behind them.
Taohua heaved a heavy sigh and looked at Gu Huairou hesitantly. “You’ve been in the mansion longer than I have. Haven’t you noticed anything… unusual about the master?”
Gu Huairou paused, lowered her head in thought, and her expression also turned strange. “Do you mean… in the bedchamber?”
Oh? She had intended to slander Shen Zaiye as impotent, but was there something wrong? Her eyes brightened, and Taohua immediately perked up, leaning against the headboard, seeming to want to speak but holding back. “You’ve noticed it too?”
“Yes, it’s not a secret in the mansion. We all know but don’t speak of it openly,” Gu Huairou said. “But that quirk isn’t a big deal. What did you do to offend him?”
Quirk? Taohua was stunned, her heart starting to race. She hadn’t noticed any quirks on the night she and Shen Zaiye consummated their marriage. Could it be that this man tended cruelty? Or did he have some special preferences?
A shiver ran through her body, but Taohua feigned a look of confusion. “I thought everything was normal, but for some reason, the master became very angry and said I was presumptuous.”
Gu Huairou was shocked. “Did you light a lamp?”
Taohua thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Oh heavens, no wonder,” Gu Huairou glanced at her, fiddling with her handkerchief. “You’re new, so you might not know. The master cannot have any light in the room when he retires for the night. Otherwise, he becomes very agitated and flies into a rage. All our rooms have thick curtains by the windows, prepared especially for the master.”
Is that so? Jiang Taohua was surprised. She remembered that on the night with He Fengwu, the moonlight was beautiful, illuminating Shen Zaiye’s face quite nicely. He didn’t seem to have any problem with it. How could he be someone who can’t stand light?
Setting aside this confusion for now, Taohua looked at Gu Huairou and said, “So that’s how it is. I like to sleep with a lamp on, no wonder the master was so angry. I was under the influence of an aphrodisiac at the time, and my mind wasn’t clear. I even had a big argument with him. The master must hate me very much. If it weren’t for my status as a princess, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be alive now.”
“So that’s what happened.” Gu Huairou nodded, feeling somewhat better after thinking it through. If the master was treating Jiang Taohua this way because he ultimately wanted to get rid of her, then she didn’t feel as wrong.
“In truth, we are all just pieces on the master’s chessboard,” Taohua sighed, glancing at her. “If we truly allow him to manipulate us and make us resent each other, in the end, we’ll both lose. Since you’ve come here today, why don’t we think of a way to benefit each other? It would be good for everyone, don’t you think?”
“What do you have in mind?” Gu Huairou looked at her warily.
Taohua smiled. “Right now, I’m in favor, and you’ve lost favor. During this time when you’re out of favor, I can help support you, ensuring that you’re not bullied by those servants who only respect the powerful. But in return, I hope you’ll be on my side and not harm me.”
Gu Huairou fell silent, her eyes darting around. She stood up and said, “I need to think this over carefully.”
“Of course,” Taohua looked up at her. “In the current situation, it’s not convenient for you to come to my Zhengchun Pavilion frequently. If you agree with my idea, just send a red sachet. If you don’t agree, then I won’t interfere with your future honor or disgrace.”
“Alright.” Gu Huairou gave her a long look, nodded slightly, and left.
Yue Tao was still waiting outside. Seeing her mistress emerge, she followed her out of Zhengchun Pavilion towards Wenqing Pavilion.
“What kind of person do you think this Lady Jiang is?” Gu Huairou asked softly.
Yue Tao was startled. She stepped forward and whispered, “This servant thinks she’s a clever person. From what I overheard just now, she speaks with reason and is convincing.”
“Do you think she’s worth aligning myself with?” Gu Huairou frowned. “She may be in favor now, but who knows when the master will settle accounts with her? If I truly side with her, what if I’m implicated when that time comes?”
(End of Chapter)