Chapter 162
**Chapter 162: Princess Taihua**
There’s no wall that doesn’t let the wind through. The news of the princess consort seeking support from her family soon reached Shen Wei’s ears.
The morning sun shone brightly, warm but not blinding.
Shen Wei instructed her maid to move the cradle into the courtyard, letting the sunlight bathe the child, giving her a dose of calcium. Li Yao eagerly stood by the cradle, shaking a rattle and giggling as she entertained her little sister.
Shen Wei stepped aside and quietly asked the well-informed Cai Ping, “Are you sure the princess consort plans to return to her family in three days?”
Cai Ping nodded vigorously.
With a wary expression, Cai Ping replied, “My lady, the princess consort’s mother holds a noble title and was a close friend of the late empress. When the current emperor was young, he spent some time in the Dantai family. If that old lady from the Dantai family speaks up, the empress might find herself in a difficult position.”
The authority Shen Wei had just gained as steward might slip through her fingers once more.
Cai Ping was worried for Shen Wei.
Shen Wei lowered her gaze in thought. In fact, it wasn’t a big problem; at least two countermeasures quickly surfaced in her mind.
She could inform the empress about the princess consort’s plan to complain to her family and seek her help. The empress had openly supported Shen Wei’s rise, indicating that she wasn’t afraid of the Dantai family.
For the stability of the Yan Wangfu, the empress would surely side with Shen Wei.
Shen Wei instructed Cai Ping, “The old nurse taking care of Yao’er will return to Kun Ning Palace tomorrow to report. You should have a word with them and let them convey the princess consort’s schemes to the empress.”
The four old nurses sent by the empress to care for the princess consort’s children had to report back to Kun Ning Palace every month.
Cai Ping nodded and replied calmly, “I’ll take care of it right away—but what if the empress, under pressure from the Dantai family, returns the steward authority to the princess consort? What then?”
Shen Wei smiled faintly, her voice carrying a hint of coldness as she wiped her fingers with a handkerchief. “If the Dantai family insists on meddling, I’ll just have to make the princess consort seriously ill and unable to manage affairs.”
She had fought hard to gain the steward authority, and she would never let it go easily. If pushed to her limits, Shen Wei could be quite ruthless.
...
The next morning, just after Shen Wei finished her routine of Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), someone from the palace arrived with news. The empress had summoned Shen Wei and Princess Zhaoyang to the palace in the afternoon, and she wanted Shen Wei to bring along the young Le You.
Shen Wei was taken aback.
Into the palace?
The empress’s sudden summons likely meant she wanted to discuss strategies regarding the “princess consort’s return to her family” face to face.
Without delay, Shen Wei had her maids start preparing. She bathed, changed, and dressed in appropriate attire. In the afternoon, she left the Wangfu with the child and her maids.
This was Shen Wei’s first time entering the palace!
She felt a mix of nerves and anticipation.
At the entrance of the Yan Wangfu, Princess Zhaoyang’s carriage had already arrived. The wet nurse held the child in a separate carriage behind them, while Shen Wei shared the front carriage with Princess Zhaoyang.
The interior of the carriage was lavishly decorated, exuding a subtle, elegant fragrance.
Princess Zhaoyang excitedly told Shen Wei, “The envoys from Nanchu have arrived in Yanjing and are meeting with Father today, bringing along many fresh treasures. Mother must have summoned us to share some good things!”
In recent years, Nanchu’s power had waned, plagued by natural disasters, forcing it to rely on the Da Qing Kingdom.
Every year, Nanchu had to present a batch of precious tributes.
The princess’s carriage drove into the imperial palace of Qing Kingdom. Shen Wei lifted the thin curtain of the carriage and saw the towering, majestic palace walls that seemed to block out the sky. At the palace gate stood rows of fully armed patrolling guards, their expressions stern and fierce.
An overwhelming aura of solemnity washed over her.
It was the absolute pressure of imperial authority, suffocating and demanding submission. The carriage moved slowly along the long palace path. Along the way, uniformed eunuchs and palace maids bustled about in an orderly fashion, like ants in the palace, mechanically offering greetings and going about their tasks.
“Wei Wei, isn’t the palace huge? Much bigger than the Yan Wangfu,” Princess Zhaoyang asked, holding a teacup with a bright smile.
Shen Wei nodded, “It’s very large.”
It seemed almost endless, like a giant golden birdcage.
Shen Wei couldn’t help but feel a twinge of relief that she didn’t have to live in the palace. The Yan Wangfu was spacious with high walls, but at least Shen Wei enjoyed the freedom to come and go. Living in the palace would mean being bound by rules at all times, which would be stifling.
As Shen Wei was lost in thought, the princess’s carriage suddenly came to a halt.
The palace guards politely cupped their hands and reported, “Your Highness, the main road ahead is blocked. Please take the side path.”
Princess Zhaoyang lifted the curtain and curiously asked, “Is Father receiving the envoys from Nanchu?”
The guards nodded, “Indeed.”
With the main road occupied for the reception of the Nanchu envoys, Princess Zhaoyang didn’t seem upset. She instructed the driver to take a detour along a less traveled side path.
As they passed by the side path, the palace walls appeared slightly worn, yet the scenery was lush and green. Under the blue sky and white clouds, Shen Wei suddenly spotted a tall, flourishing silk tree, its green leaves stretching over the walls, with clusters of pink silk flowers blooming like clouds.
Amidst the dilapidated palace walls, that silk tree was vibrant and full of life.
“Beautiful,” Shen Wei exclaimed sincerely.
Princess Zhaoyang leaned in to take a look and cheerfully said, “That’s the silk tree from Qiuliang Palace. It’s over a hundred years old. When I was little, I played hide and seek with Third Brother, and I climbed up that tree. He couldn’t find me and ended up crying.”
Shen Wei couldn’t help but picture Prince Heng in that embarrassing moment of panic.
As the carriage passed the courtyard blooming with silk flowers, Shen Wei noticed the faded characters “Qiuliang Palace” on the gate. This area of the palace was dilapidated and old, yet the entrance to Qiuliang Palace remained tidy and clean, with little overgrowth.
The palace gate was tightly shut, the lock rusty, suggesting it hadn’t been inhabited for some time.
Curious, Shen Wei asked, “Princess, who planted that silk tree?”
There was still quite a distance to the empress’s Kun Ning Palace, and Princess Zhaoyang was happy to answer Shen Wei’s question. “Qiuliang Palace hasn’t housed anyone else for a hundred years. I heard from the old nurses in the palace that a century ago, it was the residence of Princess Taihua.”
For the first time, Shen Wei learned about this legendary princess from a hundred years ago through Princess Zhaoyang.
Princess Taihua, Li Qingxun, was the daughter of a palace maid and the emperor. She was not favored and lived in the remote Qiuliang Palace. At that time, the Qing Kingdom was newly established, and a small southern nation called Yelang frequently invaded. To stabilize the situation, the Qing Emperor sought to marry into Yelang.
The unfavored Princess Taihua, Li Qingxun, was chosen for the marriage alliance. The emperor and the officials never expected that this seemingly obedient princess would accomplish something earth-shattering.
On her way to Yelang for the marriage, the journey was long, and before she even arrived, Princess Taihua unexpectedly became pregnant!
The king of Yelang was furious and refused to accept an unmarried woman with child. If Princess Taihua returned to the Qing Kingdom, it would mean certain death. But she was a determined woman; she led her marriage entourage to conquer a vast territory between Yelang and Qing, declaring herself sovereign and founding Nanchu.
Princess Taihua was skilled in warfare, defeating Yelang and incorporating it into Nanchu’s territory.
She declared herself empress and forcibly married the chancellor who had escorted her.
Nanchu held no hostility towards Qing, and the two nations coexisted peacefully. However, after Princess Taihua’s untimely death, her husband committed suicide in mourning, leading to chaos in the Nanchu court. The nation’s power gradually waned, and Nanchu had no choice but to rely on Qing.
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