Chapter 8: The Birthday Banquet Invitation

Gu Anyu was in the courtyard gathering dried medicinal herbs when he saw He Xuan looking sullen. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Are you troubled by something?"

He Xuan shook his head and sat silently on a nearby stone stool.

Gu Anyu glanced at him, then turned back to continue collecting the herbs, saying slowly, "My eldest brother brought a little girl home today. He got scolded, and he didn't dare to retort a single word."

He Xuan’s interest was piqued. "That’s strange. Is there actually someone whom Brother Gu fears?"

Gu Anyu sighed. "There has always been someone. I used to fear that person, and now, another has been added to the list."

"Oh? Is there a story there?"

***

For the past few days, Cheng Xueyang had remained inside the Princess's Manor, keeping a close watch on both Yun Huaian’s studies and Xuanxuan’s whereabouts.

Xuanxuan could run and jump around the manor as she pleased, but leaving? Absolutely not.

Several times, Xuanxuan and Yun Huaian had snuck toward the perimeter wall, only to be hauled back by the expressionless Shadow Three.

Yun Huaian was the one being dragged, but Xuanxuan simply climbed onto his shoulders, hugging his head and laughing happily, showing not a hint of annoyance at being caught.

Yun Huaian wailed, "I shouldn't have taken you out to play."

Xuanxuan rubbed his face. "I am your precious daughter. If you don't take me out to play, who will? Gu Mo?"

Yun Huaian immediately puffed out his chest. "What’s so fun about that iceberg? Daddy will take you to play somewhere much more fun another day."

Xuanxuan pouted. "Then why another day?"

Yun Huaian, caught between laughter and tears, looked at Shadow Three—who was currently hoisting him up—and then at his own feet dangling in the air. He silently complimented, *This guy has great arm strength.*

He then tried to save face, saying, "By the beginning of next month, Daddy has to take the imperial examination. I need to study hard and come back as a top scholar to make your mother happy."

Cheng Xueyang, who was in the pavilion, was left speechless by his words. If he were truly that obedient, he wouldn't have been dragged back by Shadow Three.

"Lock him up. He is not to step a single foot out of that courtyard until the spring examinations."

Shadow Three bowed in acknowledgment.

Yun Huaian’s face fell. "My dear Princess, if you lock me up for a month, I’ll go mad."

Cheng Xueyang waved her hand. "If you don't survive until the spring examinations, I’ll go mad too."

Defeated, Yun Huaian was hauled away by Shadow Three.

Xuanxuan hopped down from Yun Huaian’s shoulders, skipped into the pavilion, and asked, "Mother, will Daddy die?"

***

Yun Huaian had not yet gone far. Watching his retreating back, Cheng Xueyang replied, "Yes, I will kill that loudmouth."

Yun Huaian’s back immediately stiffened as he shouted, "I love studying, and studying loves me!"

Xuanxuan didn't believe for a second that her mother would actually kill her father. She was just trying to scare people.

Aunt Suxin had said that the outside was not safe and that many people were watching the Princess’s Manor, so staying inside was the safest option. But staying in the manor for too long was stifling.

"Oh, what is this?"

On the stone table lay a gold-embossed invitation. Xuanxuan picked it up and flipped through it, but soon lost interest; she couldn't understand what was written on it. However, the pink oleander flower tucked into the invitation caught her eye.

Xuanxuan reached for it, but Cheng Xueyang took the invitation away before she could touch the flower, which carried a hint of malice.

Cheng Xueyang instructed Suxin, who was by her side, "Suxin, take Xuanxuan to the garden. The flowers there are much prettier."

Suxin bowed and led Xuanxuan out of the pavilion.

Today was the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month—the birthday of the Princess Consort of Shou. Every year, it was a grand affair with many guests invited.

Prince Shou was the Emperor’s own brother. The Empress Dowager could not bear to see them separated by sending him to a distant fief, so the Emperor had granted him the special favor of residing in the capital.

Prince Shou was a carefree man who took no part in party politics; he spent his days gardening and tending to his birds, and he had a vast field of flowers in his estate.

The Princess Consort of Shou always tucked a symbolic flower into her invitations to show goodwill.

However, the invitation that arrived on her birthday was adorned with a poisonous oleander. The one in Cheng Xueyang’s hand was the only one of its kind.

This imperial uncle was mediocre and kind to his juniors; when Cheng Xueyang was in the capital in previous years, he had often looked after her.

It was the Princess Consort of Shou who disliked her.

She shouldn't have been on the invitation list. She didn't know what had happened today that led to an invitation being sent at the last minute.

The cold wind blew. Cheng Xueyang tightened her cloak, stood up, and walked out of the pavilion, followed closely by her attendants.

Cheng Xueyang went to the storehouse. It didn't look much different than when she had left; the weapons and armor gifted by the General’s Manor were still there, save for some unassuming-looking jewelry boxes that held valuables.

"Go fetch Steward Zhao and Nanny Li."

One attendant turned pale and went to call them, while the other immediately knelt.

It couldn't be hidden anymore.

***

Steward Zhao was responsible for the outer courtyard, while Nanny Li managed the inner quarters. With the mistress away, there should have been fewer social obligations and expenses than when she was present, and the money and jewelry she left behind should have been enough to cover the budget for the next ten years.

Now, less than a tenth remained.

On the day she returned to the capital, the two had reported to her that the manor was running as usual. Trusting them, she hadn't checked the ledgers or the storehouse.

Steward Zhao and Nanny Li arrived quickly. They knelt and confessed immediately before telling the truth.

In the first year after Cheng Xueyang left, Princess Yunxiang, Cheng Liuyi, had forcefully broken into the manor with her people and raided the storehouse, "borrowing" a large quantity of gold, silver, and valuables.

Nanny Li wept, "This old servant couldn't stop Princess Yunxiang. I am guilty; please punish me, Your Highness."

Steward Zhao bowed his head low, burying his face in the dirt, and remained silent.

Cheng Xueyang sat on a chair that had been cleared. The storehouse was poorly lit, casting a somber, oppressive air over her, and her features looked sharper and colder.

Her gaze lingered on Steward Zhao for a moment before shifting to Nanny Li. She said slowly, "When I returned, why didn't you speak up?"

Nanny Li replied, "Princess Yunxiang is used to being overbearing. This old servant was afraid that Your Highness would suffer at her hands again, so I didn't dare to make a scene. I thought that once she saw you were back, she might return some of it."

It was true. Princess Yunxiang’s style was tyrannical; people avoided her at all costs. Trying to reclaim what she had "borrowed" would almost certainly fail and would only further offend her, making a bad situation worse.

Cheng Xueyang had lost her power and was expected to lie low and avoid the limelight. With the monthly stipend from the Imperial Household Department, she wouldn't starve.

A smarter person would have swallowed the bitter pill. They had assumed that was how she thought as well.

Cheng Xueyang rubbed her temples, patient. "Is there anything else you want to add?"

Nanny Li was about to say something else when Steward Zhao pulled her and shook his head.

Nanny Li’s pupils constricted. She burst into tears, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. "Your Highness, we were wrong!"

Steward Zhao kowtowed heavily. "Your Highness, while Princess Yunxiang did indeed steal half of the gold and jewelry, the other half... I stole it myself."

"No, it was me!" Nanny Li wailed. "I was the one who stole it. It was my own greed. It’s all my fault."

Cheng Xueyang hated the sound of weeping. She waved her hand. "Stop arguing. It’s noisy."

The two dared not make another sound.