Chapter 23: A Royal Banquet and an Opportunity for Mo Shuihan
When the Ninth Princess awoke, she found herself lying in bed, but Mo Shuihan was nowhere in sight. She sat up, about to go look for him, when she heard his voice from behind her. âYouâre awake?â
The princess turned to see Mo Shuihan, fully dressed, sitting at the desk by the window, reading a book. She hugged the quilt to her chest and asked, âAre you not going to the Hanlin Academy today?â
Mo Shuihan set down his book, stood, and poured a cup of tea. He walked to the bedside and handed it to her. âSomeone from the palace came just now. Weâve been summoned for a banquet.â
The princess took the cup and glanced at him shyly. âAre you⌠alright?â
Mo Shuihan smiled and nodded. âThank you for taking care of me last night.â
The princess waved it off nonchalantly, then glanced at the hourglass on the side table and leaped out of bed in shock. âHow is it so late already? Hurry, hurry! Itâs a royal family banquet today, weâre going to be late!â
After a flurry of activity, they arrived at the palace to find the Empress Dowager and the others already waiting. The Ninth Princess walked over sheepishly and shook the Empress Dowagerâs arm. âGrandmother, Iâm late!â
The Empress Dowager smiled and tapped her forehead affectionately. âYouâre only this well-behaved when youâve done something wrong.â She then waved for Mo Shuihan, who was bowing formally, to rise.
Mo Shuihan discreetly glanced at the Fifth Princess, who had come to the banquet alone. She looked desolate and miserable. It seems the Fifth Prince Consort and his mistress have gotten even closer lately, he thought.
The Ninth Princess grabbed Mo Shuihanâs arm and smiled as she made the introductions. âWhen we were married, the Fourth Prince Consort and my fourth sister were out of town. Today, everyone is finally here, so you should get to know them.â
The Fourth Princess stood up with a smile. âLittle Jiu is right. The Ninth Prince Consort is new to the capital, and now youâre one of the family. You should all get closer in the future.â She turned and instructed the other Prince Consorts, âYou as well. The Ninth Prince Consort is a newcomer, but he is family. You must look after him.â
The Prince Consorts all smiled and nodded. Mo Shuihan had only met the other princesses on his wedding day, and because he had been deliberately avoiding them, this was only his second time seeing them. Fearing he had forgotten, the Ninth Princess went through the introductions one by one. During the great turmoil in the palace years ago, not only had several princes lost their lives, but many princesses had as well. Now, only the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth Princesses remained. For this family banquet, the other Prince Consorts, whatever their private feelings, at least maintained a facade of harmony with their wives. Only the Fifth Prince Consort, it seemed, was determined to disrespect the Emperor!
The Third Princess teased, âNow that our Little Jiu is a wife, sheâs become much more considerate.â
The Ninth Princess playfully argued with her. The Fourth Princess noticed the Fifth Princessâs deepening gloom and her face turned cold. âThat Fifth Prince Consort is getting more and more out of line!â
The Emperor sighed. The Fifth Princess forced a smile. âMy consort⌠he probably had something to attend to!â
âBang!â The Fourth Princess slammed her hand on the table. âI think he just doesnât have any respect for the royal family!â
The Fourth Princess had always been heroic and outspoken, and the Fifth Prince Consortâs actions had clearly crossed a line for her. Beside her, the Fourth Prince Consortâs expression also grew cold. He and the Fourth Princess were deeply in love, and his loyalty to the royal family was strong. Furthermore, his own family also wielded significant power, so he had no reason to fear the Marquis of Qing’anâs family. âIf a horse is disobedient, you just have to break it in a few times until itâs tame!â
The Emperor raised a hand. âThat may be true, but the Marquis of Qing’anâs family controls the military power in Jingzhou. Their influence there is deeply rooted. The reason we married the fifth girl to his family was to keep them in check. Who knew it would turn out like this?â
The Third Prince Consort came from a declining noble family, so the Third Princess couldnât weigh in on the matter. The Eighth Princess, however, stood up angrily. âThen make him hand over his military power! Does his family intend to rebel?â
The Eighth Prince Consort tugged at her sleeve, but she angrily shook him off. âEveryone knows youâve always been close with the Fifth Prince Consort. That mistress of his, are you telling me you really knew nothing about her?â
The Eighth Prince Consort fell silent. Nearby, the Fifth Princessâs mother, Consort Ying, began to cry into her handkerchief, and a pall fell over the banquet. The Fifth Princess, feeling both guilty and wronged, also took out a handkerchief, her eyes turning red. âItâs all because Iâm useless, and my womb is useless. I heard that mistress is with child. This time, my consortâs mind is made up!â
The Ninth Princess noticed her movements were stiff. She walked over and pulled up her sleeve, revealing a swath of blue and purple bruises for all to see. Everyone gasped. Is the Marquis of Qing’anâs family truly tired of living?
The Emperorâs eyes turned crimson, and he was seized by a violent coughing fit. âMarquis Qing’an⌠has gone too far⌠I⌠IâŚâ
Seeing the Emperor struggling to breathe, the princesses rushed to his side in a panic, patting his back. âFather, please calm your anger!â
Of the four Prince Consorts present, the Third was a weak and rigid scholar; the Eighth was a friend of the Fifth Prince Consort and kept out of it. Only the Fourth Prince Consort was anxious. âFather, donât be angry. Leave this matter to me.â
It took a long while for the Emperor to recover. The Fifth Princess said through her tears, âItâs all my fault for making Father so angry.â
The Empress Dowager also cried as she embraced her. âMy poor child, what does this have to do with you? It is we who have failed you, marrying you to a beast. You have suffered so much, why didnât you say anything?â
The Fifth Princess covered her sleeve. âThe Marquis of Qing’anâs family has had a stranglehold on Jingzhou for a long time. In recent years, with the Fifth Prince still being young, the court officials have been restless. If we lost the support of the Marquisâs family, Fatherâs position would be even more difficult.â
The Emperor closed his eyes in pain. âIt is I who have failed you.â
The Ninth Princess ran over and tugged on Mo Shuihanâs sleeve. âPrince Consort, think of something.â
Mo Shuihan glanced at the Eighth Prince Consort and pulled her back. âCalm down first.â
The Ninth Princess was not one to misread the room, so she said no more. Everyone ate the rest of the meal absentmindedly. The Empress Dowager, worried about Mo Shuihanâs âillness,â had the two of them stay behind. The Fourth Princess and her husband had matters to discuss with the Emperor, so the other princesses took their leave.
Once only the Empress Dowager and the Empress remained, the Empress Dowager asked, âNinth Prince Consort, how is your condition?â
The Ninth Princess tensed. She looked up and answered with righteous confidence, âItâs much better. Grandmother, you donât need to worry about it anymore.â
The Empress Dowager glared at her, then turned to Mo Shuihan. âI hear that you and a certain courtesan have been causing quite a scene lately?â
Before Mo Shuihan could answer, the Ninth Princess cut in, âI was the one who found her to treat my consortâs illness.â
The Empress Dowager looked at her as if she were a lost cause. âYou, you⌠have you forgotten the lesson of your fifth sister?â
The Ninth Princess looked at Mo Shuihan with confidence. âIt wonât happen. My Prince Consort is not a beast like the Fifth Prince Consort. He would never treat me that way.â
Mo Shuihan stared at her in surprise. The princess gave him a trusting smile. âDidnât you tell me I should have more faith in you? I believe you wonât fail me.â
Mo Shuihan lowered his head and clenched his fists, feeling both shaken and guilty. For a moment, he truly wanted to tell her the truth, to stop her from wasting her efforts on him. But then he thought of the thousand wronged souls, and his courage failed him. His life was not his own; it belonged to the thousand souls who had been left exposed in the wild, with no one to remember or mourn them. If he were to disregard their suffering for his own selfish reasons, how could he ever face them?
The Empress Dowager could see the depth of the princessâs feelings for Mo Shuihan. Combined with the shock of the Fifth Princessâs situation, she had no more energy to argue. She simply waved her hand and dismissed them.
The Ninth Princess had always been close with the Fourth Princess, and since they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, she pulled Mo Shuihan to the Imperial Study to find them. When they arrived, they overheard them discussing the Fifth Princessâs plight. Mo Shuihan stood to the side and listened for a while. The time to deal with the Minister of Personnel has come, he thought. If this goes smoothly, I might be able to take down the Marquis of Qing’an as well. That would be like cutting off one of Xiao Yushouâs arms, and it would buy me more time.
He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see the Ninth Princess looking up at him. âPrince Consort, what are you thinking about? Hurry and help my fifth sister think of a plan. That animal⌠I will cut him down one day!â
Mo Shuihan pondered for a moment. According to his original plan, he wanted to use the Ninth Princess to discreetly leak the information to the Emperor. Now⌠perhaps this was also an opportunity?
âYour Majesty,â he began, âI was just thinking, I heard something a few days ago that might be of help to the Fifth Princess.â
Everyone turned to look at him. Mo Shuihan continued, âI heard that the Fifth Prince Consortâs mistress is a niece of the Minister of Personnel. The Fifth Prince Consort met her at a banquet hosted by the Minister. Since the Fifth Prince Consort is so stubborn, perhaps we could ask the Minister of Personnel to have a word with him. He might listen, and he and the Fifth Princess could reconcile.â
âYouâre saying that mistress was given to him by the Minister of Personnel? Is this true?â The Emperorâs eyes widened in disbelief.
Mo Shuihanâs expression was frank. âThis⌠is common knowledge among the young nobles of the capital.â
âWhat a fine Minister of Personnel! Publicly mending the road while secretly building a hidden path. Pledging his loyalty to my face, while committing such treason behind my back!â The Fourth Princess shot to her feet, so angry she looked ready to kill him on the spot.
The Emperor sighed. âAll these years, and Iâve been favoring a wolf!â
Mo Shuihan lowered his eyes and said no more, as if he had only offered a suggestion. To say more would be to arouse suspicion.
The Emperor, his mind racing, asked, âNinth Prince Consort, you have become acquainted with many of the young nobles in the capital recently. Have you heard anything else?â
Mo Shuihan hesitated for a moment. âI only overheard it once. The Minister of Personnel is currently vying for a cabinet position, so the two families are keeping their connection quiet.â
A conspiracy theory bloomed in the Emperorâs mind: The court officials have been growing more restless lately. Could the Marquis of Qing’an and the Minister of Personnel have formed a secret alliance, also plotting treason?
The Emperor looked up and studied Mo Shuihan, weighing his value. The other Prince Consorts each had their own agendas. The only loyal one, the Fourth Prince Consort, had been in the military for years and had little contact with the capitalâs nobility. Mo Shuihan, on the other hand, was good friends with Feng Jingchen, the son of the Marquis of Chang’en, and even the Left Ministerâs eldest son saw him in a different light. Through them, Mo Shuihan had gotten on well with the sons of many noble families. If he had him keep a watch in private, would the movements of the noble families escape his notice?
He glanced at the Ninth Princess. If he were to truly make use of Mo Shuihan, he couldn’t let Jiuâer divorce him. Only by tying him firmly to the royal familyâs boat would he serve them wholeheartedly. Besides, the Ninth Prince Consort had no family to rely on, which made the Emperor more comfortable using him. After a long moment of deliberation, the Emperor looked at the Ninth Princess with a hint of guilt. Once the court is stable, I will make it up to this daughter of mine.
âI hear you and Little Jiu have been getting along well lately?â The Emperor suddenly changed the subject.
Mo Shuihan secretly wondered at the meaning behind his words. The Emperor continued, âIt is normal for young couples to bicker. You must treat each other well in the future. The Fifth Princessâs ordeal has been heartbreaking enough for me. You must treat Jiuâer well.â
Mo Shuihan understood: his words had taken effect. The Emperor was planning to use him.
As a wave of secret delight washed over him, he felt an even deeper sense of guilt. He and the Ninth Princess, it seemed, could not be separated after all. And in the future, he would have to use her.
Only the Ninth Princess understood nothing. She was just beaming happily, shooting Mo Shuihan meaningful looks. Mo Shuihan looked at her guiltily and reached out to stroke her hair, his touch filled with a mix of pity and sorrow.
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