Chapter 90: Intentional Mischief
Mu Jiang walked over slowly.
She gazed calmly at Huan Qingtang and said, “If you have any words you wish to say to the Lord Duke, I can relay them for you.”
Huan Qingtang looked at her, then after a moment, smiled. “Secondary Wife, why do you bear me such ill will? I have no quarrel with you.”
“You know why yourself!”
Huan Qingtang leaned in closer, almost whispering in her ear: “You have your backing, and I have mine. Besides, the Lord Duke respects me. You’ll gain nothing by trying to provoke me.”
With that, she sidestepped Mu Jiang and walked away.
Mu Jiang stood frozen, still processing, as Huan Qingtang departed.
If she pressed the matter further, it would devolve into a loud argument. On such an occasion, Mu Jiang valued her dignity.
She gritted her teeth and endured.
The Second Madam’s maid was passing by on an errand and happened to witness the scene. She later reported it to the Second Madam, who in turn told Cheng Zhao.
After hearing it, Cheng Zhao thought quietly for a moment and then said, “Do you think the Secondary Wife might stir up trouble?”
“What trouble could she stir? At worst, she’ll cause some mischief—a little scratching or sulking,” the Second Madam said dismissively.
Cheng Zhao replied, “I’ll send Qiubai to check around, just to ensure nothing is overlooked.”
Qiubai was skilled in martial arts but had a delicate, unassuming appearance; she could move about without drawing attention. Being close to Cheng Zhao, she was ideal for acting as Cheng Zhao’s eyes and ears.
Cheng Zhao immediately dispatched her.
Inside Crimson Cloud Courtyard, the atmosphere was lively. The guests conversed merrily, and before they knew it, dusk had fallen. A servant from the banquet hall came to summon them.
That evening’s feast would be held in the main hall for all guests, and the stage for the opera had already been set up.
Lanterns were hung everywhere, interspersed with standing horn-shaped palace lanterns placed a few steps apart, illuminating the entire area brightly.
The horn-shaped palace lanterns came in various forms and painted designs, each one a small spectacle to admire.
As night fell, all seats beneath the head table in the banquet hall were cleared, and the guests moved to lower positions.
Cheng Zhao immediately understood: the Emperor was coming!
He truly intended to attend the Dowager Madame’s birthday celebration in person.
The Zhou family’s power and splendor had just reached another new height tonight.
Soon, armored guards took their positions.
The moment everyone in the hall realized the Emperor was arriving, silence fell. Every person held their breath.
When the Emperor ascended to the head seat, the guests knelt in obeisance.
“Rise, all of you,” the Emperor said.
Dressed in casual robes and accompanied by the Crown Prince, who was not yet ten years old, the Emperor took the seat of honor. He gestured for the Dowager Madame to sit beside him, but she politely declined, engaging in a brief exchange of deferential protest.
Afterward, the Dowager Madame summoned the Zhou family to present themselves before the Emperor.
Cheng Zhao followed behind the Second Madam.
“Which one is the Duchess of Chen?” the Emperor asked.
Cheng Zhao stepped forward: “Your subject’s wife pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor.”
She kowtowed three times, keeping her gaze lowered.
The Emperor did not ask her to raise her head but said, “The Duchess of Chen is gentle and magnanimous—truly the hallmark of a noble household.”
Cheng Zhao: “...”
Many terms existed to describe noblewomen, and the Emperor surely knew them.
Yet he chose two: gentle and magnanimous.
Gentle meant not contending or competing; magnanimous meant being able to tolerate both a pregnant concubine and a widowed sister-in-law serving as a concurrent heir.
He was indeed well-informed about every matter concerning the Zhou family.
Cheng Zhao also recalled her grandfather mentioning that the Emperor had once instructed Zhou Yuanshen and Mu Jiang to conceive a child, promising that the child would one day be named Crown Prince. That was before the heir apparent was established—almost like a mad rambling.
Tonight, however, the Emperor was perfectly lucid.
When he finished speaking, Cheng Zhao had to express her gratitude: “Thank you, Your Majesty. Your subject’s wife is deeply honored.”
The Emperor then dismissed her.
He exchanged a few more words with Zhou Yuanshen before instructing everyone to take their seats.
As she withdrew, Cheng Zhao quickly observed the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
She had visited Kunning Palace several times before, but had only met Empress Guo, never the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince resembled Empress Guo somewhat; and like the Emperor, he was pale, thin, and possessed a sinister look in his young eyes.
Cheng Zhao often felt that her own brother-in-law acted like an adult. Compared to the Crown Prince, her brother-in-law seemed healthy and ruddy-cheeked, still full of childish innocence—truly still a child.
The Zhou family members accompanied the Emperor at the head table, while the other guests sat below.
Cheng Zhao was seated a fair distance from the Emperor and the Crown Prince. With the clang of gongs and drums from the stage, she had to strain to catch their conversation.
The Crown Prince asked, “When will the cranes dance?”
The Dowager Madame chuckled, “They will be prepared shortly.”
“I want to see the cranes dance—it’s an auspicious omen. A blessing for the Dowager Madame’s long life and a blessing for the empire’s prosperity,” the Crown Prince declared.
Those words were surely coached, but the sentiment was auspicious.
The Emperor nodded approvingly.
The Dowager Madame was delighted as well: “Your Highness, first have a sip of light refreshment. The cranes will be ready to dance soon. No need to rush.”
The Crown Prince sat up straight.
Mu Jiang, seated in the farthest corner, seemed to hear those words too.
Her expression shifted. She stood up, intending to leave.
But the Dowager Madame immediately fixed her with a warning look, signaling her to sit down.
Mu Jiang had no choice but to comply, though unease gnawed at her.
She hadn’t expected the Emperor to come, nor had she anticipated the Crown Prince’s speech. All she had wanted was to humiliate Huan Qingtang.
What should she do now?
Mu Jiang’s expression flickered several times. She glanced at Zhou Yuanshen for help, but he was busy talking to the Crown Prince, ignoring her.
The Emperor, however, cast a look her way.
His gaze was benevolent, almost fatherly.
Mu Jiang often saw the Emperor. She had been found by him and entrusted to the Dowager Madame’s care—she was practically half a daughter to him.
She always believed that once she bore the Zhou family’s eldest son, the Emperor would grant her the title of a commandery princess. Then, both Huan Qingtang and Cheng Zhao would be beneath her.
Her son would become the head of the Zhou clan, the future Duke of Chen.
The Duke’s prosperity was tied to Mu Jiang as well, and she didn’t want to cause trouble now, but it seemed too late to salvage things.
No, she needed to find an opportunity to slip away.
Just as she was thinking, she overheard the Dowager Madame saying to the Emperor, “...Lady Huan arranged it all. She’s exceptionally capable.”
Mu Jiang was stunned.
Hadn’t Huan Qingtang just embarrassed herself over the vegetarian meal? Yet here the Dowager Madame was praising her before the Emperor—could it be that she too was seeking an honorary title?
Mu Jiang was the one pregnant, so why did others reap all the benefits?
Would Huan Qingtang truly be married into a concurrent branch?
Mu Jiang wavered, wanting to remedy the situation, but hesitated.
The feast began, and the stage grew lively. Dances followed the opera.
Then, Nanny Sun from Longevity Court quietly approached Huan Qingtang and whispered a few words. Huan Qingtang’s expression shifted dramatically, disbelief spreading across her face.
Mu Jiang noticed and felt a secret satisfaction.
She was pregnant—who could punish her? Even if trouble arose, it would be a minor matter, not a court affair.
She let herself feel at ease.
Huan Qingtang rose and walked to the Dowager Madame’s side.
She murmured something to her.
But the Dowager Madame replied, “You and Lady Cheng go check it out.”
Huan Qingtang acknowledged and summoned Cheng Zhao. The two sisters-in-law left the head table.
“What’s wrong, Sister-in-Law?” Cheng Zhao asked.
“Come with me,” Huan Qingtang said, striding forward.
Cheng Zhao followed, and they headed to a yard beside the banquet hall.
In the yard, someone was weeping.
“I don’t know what happened—I was watching them the whole time. I only went inside for a cup of tea...”
Before the maid could knock, Huan Qingtang pushed open the yard gate herself.
She and Cheng Zhao saw what lay inside and froze.
All the cranes lay dead in their cages.