Chapter 30.1: Prince She Zheng

When evening descended, Pei-Shi finally brought her two daughters home.

This was the first time her younger daughter had attended a social event in the capital. Pei-Shi, as her mother, was quite concerned. After the mother and daughters got into the horse-drawn carriage, Pei-Shi asked with consideration, “How was today?”

Before Zhen Ting Yun could respond, Zhen Yi Yun quickly replied, “The others were amicable, it’s just that Second Sister seems to be a little shy and didn’t speak much.”

Perhaps learning from Zhen Yi Yun’s previous saga, Pei-Shi did not take her eldest daughter’s word for it. Instead, she turned to look at Zhen Ting Yun and enquired gently, “Ting’er?”

Zhen Ting Yun thought through it carefully and felt that it was better to keep it brief. She summarized, “It went quite well. Everyone was also very nice and easy to get along with. Oh, and I told a couple of jokes today as well.”

It was just that those young ladies always liked to talk about clothes, jewelry, and topics regarding the Prince Regent. These subjects were boring and a waste of time. Especially since Zhen Ting Yun was busy preparing for the women’s academy entrance examinations which would be held in the sixth month. Naturally, she found such socializing useless as it wasted time.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhen Ting Yun found herself speaking a few earnest words to her mother, “Mother, the women’s academy entrance examinations are coming up soon in the sixth month of this year which means it’s only a few short months away now. As I have a weak foundation, I need to focus more on my studies. As for other matters, we can discuss them after the women’s academy entrance examinations are over.”

Pei-Shi‘s expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

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Hbld Mkdt Zwd dseele cwv eke dsv alprsde, pllxkdt vs cl dsv ryukdt yvvldvksd.

Vlk-Fbk nswze dsv blzr cwv qllz xsal ekpyrrskdvle, vbkdjkdt vbyv bla uswdtla eywtbvla oyp vawzu scvwpl yde qlzz pkzldv.

Nkvvzl eke Vlk-Fbk jdso, Hbld Mkdt Zwd’p vbswtbvp sd vbkp xyvvla oyp vbyv vbkp oyp, yqvla yzz, Hbld Zk Zwd’p psnkyz nkanzl. Rv oswze cl ekqqknwzv qsa psxlsdl zkjl bla, obs oyp dlo vs piwllgl kd yde xkdtzl okvb vblx. Rv oyp clvvla vs qsnwp sd ralryakdt qsa vbl lmyxkdyvksd qkapv. Xdnl pbl ldvlale vbl osxld’p ynyelxu, pbl oswze pwalzu xllv svbla ytl-yrrasrakyvl nzyppxyvlp vs clqaklde. Mbl pvyvwp sq vbspl nzyppxyvlp kd vbl osxld’p ynyelxu oswze nlavykdzu dsv cl kdqlaksa. Gv vbyv vkxl, pbl nswze cwkze bla sod psnkyz nkanzl. Mblal oyp ds dlle vs pbyxlzlppzu nzkdt vs Hbld Zk Zwd’p taswr…&dcpr;

Vlk-Fbk zspv vbl xsse qsa nsdhlapyvksd, yde y bkdv sq lxsvksd yrrlyale sd bla qynl, yzclkv qykdvzu.

Zhen Yi Yun naturally sensed Pei-Shi‘s displeasure, but she was delighted by this realization. She quickly reached out to hold Pei-Shi’s hand, and coquettishly said, “Mother, please rest assured. After all, I’m here to overlook things…” 

As she spoke, she cheerfully mentioned her plans with her cousins to join in on the excitement and watch the Prince Regent’s arrival to the imperial city.

Pei-Shi, who just learned about this, was surprised. She asked a few more questions, and once she understood the situation, she felt gratified. She reached out and stroked her eldest daughter’s head and said in a soft voice, “The Commandery Princess is, after all, a member of the royal family. She must have known about these matters earlier on.”

She was glad that her daughter could get along well with the young commandery princess and other noble misses. Social interactions with them would bring about valuable connections and privileges.

But of course, Pei-Shi was not an ignorant woman. After hearing the news about the Prince Regent’s arrival, she needed to consider the impact this matter would have on her family. She felt that it might not be entirely disadvantageous for her family. After all, Old Master Pei was removed from his position because he opposed the marriage alliance between Princess Ningguo and the northern barbarian.

It was said that later after Princess Ningguo married the northern barbarian, she lived a melancholic life and passed away not long after. Noble Consort Wu also died prematurely, and Emperor Xiaozong could not help but feel regret in his heart. However, being an emperor, once he made a decision, Emperor Xiaozong could not admit to having made a mistake. Thus, he stubbornly vented his anger on Old Master Pei and insisted on never using him again.

It was not until the end when Emperor Xiaozong, for some reason, remembered Old Master Pei. He sighed and said to his son, “He is indeed a loyal minister. My son, you should consider using him.” 

Emperor Xiaozong, who had been stubborn all his life, finally lowered his head as he approached his end, subtly expressing the regret in his heart. The late emperor had also heeded his father’s words, which was why he placed great importance on Old Master Pei.

In Pei-Shi‘s opinion; within the current cabinet, Prime Minister Sun was an experienced minister of three dynasties with many disciples and considerable power. Minister Zheng, has the backing of having the Empress Dowager as his daughter and oversaw the Ministry of Personnel, with influence almost rivaling that of the Prime Minister Sun. As for Old Master Pei, he held the position of the Minister of Revenue, and had always maintained a neutral stance. Furthermore, Old Master Pei had opposed the marriage between Princess Ningguo and the northern barbarian. With this reputation of being loyal to the country, neutral, and not partisan, it was likely that Old Master Pei would be treated kindly by the Prince Regent.

****

In just a few days, news of the Prince Regent’s entering the Imperial City spread, and it was said that the Emperor would lead high-ranking officials to personally welcome him back. The whole capital was abuzz with excitement. Thanks to the information they received from the little commandery princess, Zhen Yi Yun, and the others were able to reserve a good spot at the restaurant in advance.

On the day of the Prince Regent’s arrival to the Imperial City, Zhen Yi Yun bade Pei-Shi goodbye and took Zhen Ting Yun with her. They boarded the carriage prepared by their family and headed to the restaurant to meet up with the other distinguished young ladies.

Zhen Ting Yun did not have the bandwidth to deal with such boring events. What’s so fascinating about the Prince Regent? He, like everyone else, had a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth, no? Moreover, with so many people on the streets today, standing in the building and looking down, she was more likely to see a street full of heads before even catching a glimpse of the Prince Regent’s face!

If she had so much time to spare, it was better to stay at home and read a few more books. 

Therefore, once she realized that the carriage had reached the main street, Zhen Ting Yun simply said to Zhen Yi Yun, “Elder Sister, why don’t you go ahead first? I’ve only recently arrived in the capital, and I’d like to explore the city.”

It was such a rare opportunity for her to leave the residence, so she needed to take this opportunity to visit Yuan Hui at Xi Shan Manor. She happened to have some questions she wanted to ask him.

Zhen Yi Yun was naturally happy to leave Zhen Ting Yun behind. Although the young commandery princess was attending the palace banquet hosted by Empress Dowager Zheng today and would not be joining, most of the young ladies present were from prominent families. Zhen Yi Yun was pleased to see her younger sister keeping her distance from these people.

Therefore, upon hearing this, Zhen Yi Yun was not upset. She pretended to be troubled and sighed, “But, everyone had agreed to meet today beforehand. If Second Sister doesn’t go, it wouldn’t look good.”

Zhen Ting Yun casually remarked, “It’s no big deal. After all, I’m not familiar with them. They only invited me because of Elder Sister. As long as Elder Sister is there, whether I turned up or not, wouldn’t matter.”

Since this was the case, Zhen Yi Yun could only ‘reluctantly’ accept her younger sister’s decision. She even left the family carriage for her, saying, “You can take the carriage. If it gets too late and you can’t make it back here in time, there’s no need to come back to pick me up. After all, Third Cousin and the others are here. They could give me a lift in their carriages too.” 

She was eager for Zhen Ting Yun to go as far away as possible and preferably not return as well.

Zhen Ting Yun had no intention of being polite with Zhen Yi Yun. She nodded in acknowledgment and immediately instructed the carriage to head towards Xi Shan Manor.

However, halfway through the journey, it suddenly crossed her mind that it would not be appropriate for a student to visit her teacher’s place without any preparation or gifts. So, she had someone go to a pastry shop to buy a catty of osmanthus cake and jujube cake. She had tried these pasties last time at Old Madame Zhen’s courtyard, and they tasted really good. Yuan Hui would probably like them too.

And so, with the newly bought pastries in her arms, Zhen Ting Yun, accompanied by her maidservants, Ping Lan and Qiu Si, rode in the carriage heading towards Yuan Hui’s manor in Xi Shan.

As a result, full of enthusiasm, Zhen Ting Yun arrived at Xi Shan Manor. However, at the entrance, she only saw two guards with swords hanging around their waists. Yuan Hui, that scoundrel, was nowhere to be seen!

Zhen Ting Yun, “!!!”

Ping Lan and Qiu Si were both taught by the Pei-Shi and knew that having a manor in Xi Shan usually indicated wealth and influence, especially those with guards guarding the entrance. Throughout the trip over to Xi Shan, they had been feeling uneasy and upon spotting the two guards, they could not help but whisper to Zhen Ting Yun, “Miss, did we perhaps go the wrong way?”

Zhen Ting Yun had just arrived from the countryside, and since entering to her family’s residence, she had not had the chance to venture out much. How could she possibly recognize that those who resided in manors in Xi Shan would have noble statuses?

Zhen Ting Yun almost began to doubt herself but quickly reassured herself after looking around, confirming once again that she had not gone the wrong way. This was indeed the place!

Fortunately, Zhen Ting Yun still had the purple jade pendant that Yuan Hui gave her. She remembered Yuan Hui’s words, ‘In the event you go to the manor to look for me but I’m not around, just show this to the people guarding the place, they’ll know what to do from there.’ 

She boldly took out the jade pendant from her pocket and handed it to the guard at the entrance.

The two guards recognized the jade pendant instantly, and their vigilance eased. They respectfully greeted Zhen Ting Yun, “Miss, please come in…” 

After a pause, one of them added, “We will send word to Master at once.”

Seeing that the jade pendant had worked, she knew that she was in the right place. Zhen Ting Yun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Yuan Hui would probably return soon. She nodded and said reservedly, “Then please quickly let my Teacher know. I’ve come out discreetly, so it’s not appropriate for me to stay outside for too long.”

The guards quickly agreed. One of them escorted Zhen Ting Yun inside to wait, while the other called a hidden guard to deliver the message to Prince She Zheng.

Zhen Ting Yun did not pay much attention to the guard’s movements as she was taken aback as soon as she entered the courtyard.

After all, her memories of this courtyard were based on that evening. The entire yard was untended, overgrown, and eerily quiet, indicating a long period of neglect. However, now the very same courtyard had been revitalized. Lush and neatly arranged flowers and plants filled the space. There was even a small newly erected flower stand. Upon entering the inner hall, the furnishings were simple yet charming.

Zhen Ting Yun might be oblivious, but Ping Lan and Qiu Si, who followed behind her, were both dumbfounded in awe. They felt that the person whom their Second Miss knew must have a remarkable identity.

The quick-witted guard quickly had hot tea brought in and asked Zhen Ting Yun to have a seat and wait in the hall.

Zhen Ting Yun was not one to sit idle. However, she knew better than to rummage through someone else’s belongings without permission. So, she inquired, “Are there any literature books? Sitting here doing nothing is boring, and reading a book would help pass the time.”

The guard thought for a moment and he recalled his master’s instructions. He quickly instructed a servant to bring over several books.

Zhen Ting Yun did not mind and chose a book to read while sipping tea. She also helped herself to the pastries that she originally bought for Yuan Hui. Since Yuan Hui was not around, she decided to enjoy them herself.