Chapter Twenty-Nine: Calculations

"I can tell, Consort Yu is a straightforward person herself, or else she wouldn’t have raised such an open-minded daughter like you," Wei Baofu remarked, her insight as keen as ever. Had she not known that mother and daughter were on good terms, she wouldn’t have taken the initiative to approach.

The palace was certainly not lacking in beautiful women, but these two sisters were both strikingly attractive. Though still a bit youthful, they were truly a feast for the eyes when standing together. Just then, the other consorts emerged as well. Upon seeing the sisters approach, they greeted them with utmost courtesy.

Consort Yu, her cheeks glowing and a smile brightening her face, was clearly in high spirits. When she saw her own daughter coming closer, she said with a laugh, "I thought you two would be talking for quite a while and were preparing to return to your own quarters. Would the Lady Prefect like to come sit in my palace for a while?"

Wei Baofu curtsied and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your gracious invitation, Your Highness, but as you know, I’ve only just moved in and still have many things to organize in my rooms. Once I’ve settled, I shall certainly come by to pay my respects."

Consort Yu was quite fond of her poised and forthright manner. Laughing, she said, "Very well, very well. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. I am the most easy-going person in the palace, as you will see. We mother and daughter shall take our leave for now."

After bidding farewell to Wei Baozhen, she watched the mother and daughter walk away, arm in arm. She did not know how long she stood there, gazing after them, until the sunlight began to sting her eyes and tears welled up uncontrollably. "If your mother were still here, your bond would certainly be even deeper than theirs," she thought.

Suddenly, the gentle voice of Consort Shu sounded behind her. Today, Consort Shu was dressed in a pink palace gown that made her complexion appear even more luminous. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked at Wei Baofu, who was startled, tears tracing her cheeks.

Wei Baofu brushed them away with a casual gesture, a bit embarrassed. "Forgive me, Your Highness, the sun is a bit dazzling," she said, not knowing how to face her. Her aunt could have had such a promising future, had she not been drawn into these palace intrigues.

"Aunt, was it worth it? Did you never wish to live your own life?" Unable to restrain herself, Wei Baofu voiced the question. Fortunately, no one else was nearby, and she had said nothing improper.

Consort Shu smiled unconcernedly. "You are clever, but still too young. You haven’t seen enough of the world. In many matters, it is not about whether it’s worth it; it’s all about how you view things. In my heart, there is someone I care for above all else. Her wishes are mine. The things she cannot accomplish, I must do for her. That is only right."

"Don’t let Consort Shu confuse you, Baofu. Did I not warn you to keep away from my Baofu? She has nothing to do with you," came the Empress Dowager’s voice from behind them. She had only meant to take a stroll, but unexpectedly saw Consort Shu conversing with Wei Baofu.

The sight seemed to pierce the Empress Dowager’s heart. She could not restrain herself, barely holding back the urge to slap Consort Shu. Wei Baofu quickly moved to her grandmother’s side, speaking softly, "Grandmother, please don’t be angry. I only happened to run into Consort Shu and greeted her."

But the Empress Dowager would hear no explanation. Consort Shu’s expression shifted to a soft, masked smile as she replied gently, "Your Majesty, do not be anxious. I only came to deliver a message—the Dowager Marchioness of the Marquis Yongyi’s household wishes to see the Lady Prefect and hopes she can visit when convenient."

Consort Shu had not wanted to deliver this message, knowing well her own mother’s intentions. The Empress Dowager sneered, "The Dowager Marchioness certainly thinks highly of herself. I return to the palace and she doesn’t even come to pay her respects, yet she dares ask my granddaughter to go to her? How bold. Tell her, if she wishes an audience, she can submit her visiting card and wait for my summons."

With that, she pulled Wei Baofu inside without looking back, as though Consort Shu were some fearsome beast. Wei Baofu glanced back with an apologetic smile, unable to disregard her grandmother’s feelings. Now was not the time to reveal the truth—for if her grandmother learned that the Fourth Prince might be her father’s posthumous child, she might not hesitate to kill the Emperor himself.

Consort Shu was unbothered by the Empress Dowager’s treatment, turning away with grace and a lingering smile. After all, people need something to hold on to—be it resentment or hatred, they need something to sustain them.

While Wei Baofu was left to comfort the Empress Dowager, the masters of the Marquis Yongyi’s household were growing restless over recent news about Wei Baofu. Although there were no courtiers present at the family banquet, the Emperor had not kept the matter under wraps.

With so many people in the palace, news spread quickly. The more influential families soon learned of the Lady Prefect’s impressive conduct. In their minds, a young woman of her background ought to be easy to manipulate.

They had never expected she would confront the Crown Prince so directly, leaving him embarrassed and herself unscathed. This made those families with designs on her reconsider.

The Dowager Marchioness of the Marquis Yongyi, though competitive in her youth, was by no means foolish.

As soon as the Marquis returned from court, she summoned him to her quarters. Blessed with two sons and two daughters—her eldest son inheriting the title, the second posted elsewhere, her eldest daughter a princess consort, her second daughter a consort—she seemed a woman of great fortune in the eyes of others. But her inner worries had never lessened.

She was fingering her prayer beads as she looked up at her eldest son, Zhao Jingshen. "You have traveled with the Lady Prefect. You must know something of her character. Is she as formidable as the rumors claim?"

Recalling Wei Baofu’s many displays, Zhao Jingshen felt a mix of emotions. "Grandmother, since you hadn’t asked before, I refrained from speaking. The Lady Prefect is no ordinary girl. Whether in temperament or intelligence, she is far above her peers."

The Dowager Marchioness’s eyes brightened with surprise. "Can it be, then, that the Empress Dowager truly raised a fine girl? Perhaps I underestimated her."

The Marquis smiled wryly. "Mother, we are speaking of Lady Kangping. Don’t let your thoughts wander. At your age, you should let go of your old rivalry with aunt."

The Dowager Marchioness bristled. "What’s wrong with that? No matter one’s age, who can’t be competitive? I’d like to meet that girl."

"Grandmother, I fear she won’t want much to do with us. She’s been quite distant, as though wanting no entanglements," Zhao Jingshen said truthfully.

The Dowager Marchioness was unconcerned. "If she’s as clever as you say, she must know that our keeping our distance these years was for her sake. The Emperor is notoriously petty, and with Consort Shu’s position, what else could we do?"

The Marquis weighed his words. "That may be so, but it’s only natural for her to feel resentful. I was once unsure if she could be our family’s matriarch, but now I think she’s the most suitable—capable, well-born, wealthy, and watched over by Consort Shu in the palace. There’s nothing to object to."

The Dowager Marchioness shot him a sidelong glance. "I expect your wife won’t be so pleased. She’s still hoping her own niece will marry in. Besides, I doubt the Empress Dowager would approve on the Lady Prefect’s side. What’s most important now is mending relations. Even if she keeps her distance for now, she’ll have to come eventually—there’s much she still doesn’t know."

Back then, when the Emperor developed such thoughts for his sister-in-law, their daughter was possessed of a sense of shame and would rather die than submit. The Marquis Yongyi’s family had no intention of yielding either, but lacked the power to resist. Forced to bide their time, the tragedy left Zhao Yunyan so traumatized that she died in despair. The Zhao family has hated the Emperor ever since.

"Jingshen, you’re not young anymore, and as the heir to our marquisate, have you made a decision about your marriage?" The Dowager Marchioness, though sometimes overbearing, was not one to disregard her children’s wishes.

Zhao Jingshen cleared his throat awkwardly. Only now did he realize his own feelings for the Lady Prefect. If he could marry her, nothing would please him more. "Grandmother, for now I have no preference. I shall leave it to you and my father."

Both the Dowager Marchioness and the Marquis hoped the Lady Prefect would join their family. The Marchioness’s niece was a delicate soul, quick to tears and not to the Dowager Marchioness’s taste. Both publicly and privately, she preferred her own granddaughter.

"But what about your mother? Do you have a plan? Though her niece is not particularly suitable, she is your cousin. If you so openly dismiss her, your mother will make a fuss, and then the Lady Prefect will surely be troubled by it. You won’t escape being caught in the middle."

Zhao Jingshen sighed. "Grandmother, the Lady Prefect is not a girl to be ordered about. Even if I am willing, it remains my own wish. Besides, she holds a deep grudge against our family. I fear she will not be willing to associate with us any time soon."

The Marquis sighed as well. Though head of the household, he was not unfeeling. He glanced at the Dowager Marchioness and gently advised, "Mother, if you’re willing, perhaps you should enter the palace and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager. All these years, our family is indebted to her."

The Dowager Marchioness flung her prayer beads at the Marquis in frustration. "Indebted? Had she not raised such a fine son, would my Yunyan have died so young? Would my Nuannuan have to force a smile every day? And my poor granddaughter—are all these not the fault of that old woman? She is the one in our debt, not I! Why should I bow my head to her?"

When she first married into the family, the Dowager Marchioness had hoped to befriend her sister-in-law, but the latter had been spoiled by her family and never tolerated the slightest grievance. She endured it, thinking her sister-in-law would eventually marry out.

Who could have foreseen that, after marrying the late Emperor and remaining childless for years, she would be given the present Emperor to raise? At first, with no children of her own, she did right by the Emperor, but after having her own son, she neglected him, sowing seeds of resentment that led to disaster.

The Dowager Marchioness had once tried to reason with the Empress Dowager, but they parted on bad terms. In her mind, it was all karmic retribution, but none of it should have fallen upon her daughter.