{"id":3376,"date":"2026-05-15T04:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/peach-blossom-overturning-the-country-the-princesss-gambit-18\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T04:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:49:38","slug":"peach-blossom-overturning-the-country-the-princesss-gambit-18","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/chapter\/peach-blossom-overturning-the-country-the-princesss-gambit-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Peach Blossom Overturning the Country (The Princess\u2018s Gambit) 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 18: Shen Zaijie\u2019s Turn


\u201cYes.\u201d Zhanlu replied, following his master as they headed out together.

This backyard had always been calm and steady. Previously, Shen Zaive didn\u2019t have extra energy to deal with women, so he set up a set of rules. Everything followed these rules, and no matter how many schemes anyone harbored, they couldn\u2019t stir up any waves.

However, the current situation was different. Most of the court officials were now loyal to him, and the important matters were already firmly in his grasp. It was time to stir up this calm pond to seize even better opportunities.

Originally, Jiang Taohua should have died at the hands of Prince Jing. That way, he could have gradually stirred up conflicts between the emperor and Prince Jing, making the prince rely on and trust him, and eventually become his pawn.

But unfortunately, he had misjudged her. Jiang Taohua surprised him, not only surviving but even managing to use the Southern Prince for her own protection! His plans had been disrupted by her, and she would have to pay the corresponding price.

If she\u2019s alive, she should still serve a purpose.

With deep, inscrutable eyes, Shen Zaiye saw the wide-open courtyard gate of Spring Contention Pavilion and stepped through it.

The courtyard was a scene of peace. Taohua lay in deep slumber in the main room, with the maids beside her looking as calm as if nothing had happened at all.

Shen Zaijie felt a bit strange. Since Lady Gu had come to cause trouble, according to common sense, shouldn\u2019t Jiang Taohua\u2019s maidservant come to lodge a complaint when she saw him? What did it mean to just stand there without saying a word?

\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you sleeping in bed?\u201d Glancing at the person on the couch, he lifted his robe and sat down by the bed, reaching out to pinch Taohua\u2019s wrist. \u201cWith such heavy injuries, why do you still insist on moving around?\u201d

Qingtai lowered her head and replied, \u201cMy lady feels that sleeping in bed is uncomfortable.\u201d

\u201cUncomfortable?\u201d Shen Zaijie raised his head, his gaze deep and dark as he looked at Qingtai. \u201cDo you think that reason holds water?\u201d

The mossy stone remained silent, lowering its eyes and acting as a pillar.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew a bit strange.

Zhan Lu stood to the side, quite puzzled. Lady Jiang was odd, and even her maidservant was odd. Why weren\u2019t they seizing the opportunity to accuse Lady Gu in front of the Chancellor? What were they waiting for? If she remained silent, how would his master find a reason to condemn Lady Gu?

This was the perfect moment for Lady Jiang to shine. Whatever she did, the Chancellor would surely protect her and bestow her with boundless favor. If it were any other woman, she would be overjoyed, perhaps even flaunting her favor slightly and stepping on others for trivial matters. Yet now, even with Lady Gu causing a scene at the door, Lady Jiang showed no response. Could it be that a noble princess was nothing but a soft, spineless bun?

\u201cSomeone must have come by just now,\u201d Shen Zaiye suddenly spoke, his tone calm.

Qingtai looked up at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. \u201cHow did you know, sir?\u201d

\u201cHer clothes have been changed.\u201d He reached out and lightly pinched the tip of Taohua\u2019s hair. \u201cHer hair is still a bit damp. Most likely some clueless person splashed water on their mistress. The bed is probably still wet, so they had her move elsewhere.\u201d

A slight shock ran through Qingtai\u2019s heart, and she glanced uneasily at her mistress.

This person is quite formidable. She thought she would be fine if she didn\u2019t speak, but she never expected he could actually figure it out. Now that her mistress is unconscious, there\u2019s no one to tell her what to do next.

\u201cYou, as a servant, have quite the nerve, don\u2019t you?\u201d Zhan Lu frowned. \u201cSplashing water on your master\u2014by the rules, you should receive ten strokes of the cane!\u201d

Qing Tai was taken aback, instinctively shaking her head. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me who splashed it.\u201d

\u201cIf not you, then who?\u201d Shen Zaiye said. \u201cIf you point out the person, they will be the one punished. But if you can\u2019t name anyone, then you\u2019ll have to go to the backyard and receive the ten strokes.\u201d

\u201cThis\u2026\u201d

Qingtai felt a bit flustered. Simple-minded by nature, she knew only how to follow her mistress\u2019s orders and was no match for Shen Zaijiao\u2019s crafty schemes. After all, her mistress had only told her not to say anything extra, but she hadn\u2019t said she couldn\u2019t tell the truth\u2026 So perhaps it wouldn\u2019t hurt to speak up?

Faced with the choice between protecting her own bottom and someone else\u2019s, Qingtai decisively chose her own.

\u201cLady Gu came by earlier,\u201d she took a deep breath and spoke honestly. \u201cShe wanted to help care for the mistress, but she lost her grip and accidentally spilled water on her. When the mistress woke up, she didn\u2019t make a fuss about it, so I didn\u2019t report it to you, Lord Prime Minister.\u201d

Hiding in the closet of the inner room, the maidservant gave a slight nod upon hearing these words, thinking to herself that Lady Jiang and her servants were quite decent after all\u2014they truly hadn\u2019t ratted out Lady Gu and had even helped to downplay the whole incident.

But who could have known that, as Qing Tai\u2019s voice faded, Shen Zai Ye suddenly slammed a hand onto the bed, the force causing even Tao Hua to frown in her dreams.

\u201cPreposterous! With Jiang suffering from severe injuries, how could she go and stir up trouble at their door?\u201d

Qingtai was thoroughly shaken. Despite her mistress\u2019s earlier words preparing her, she was still taken aback by Shen Za\u01d0y\u011b\u2019s exaggerated reaction.

She had always believed the prime minister to be a gentle and refined scholar, tall and graceful, elegant in demeanor. She never imagined he could be so frightening when angered. His sharp brows were furrowed coldly, his eyes seeming to freeze over with frost; his entire face instantly turned as if swept by the iciest winter wind, causing anyone who saw it to shiver uncontrollably.

However, looking at him now, his face truly was striking, its contours like an ice sculpture\u2014each line carved with divine skill, breathtakingly intricate\u2026

She pinched herself, and Qingtai gave a start, quickly snapping back to attention as she knelt down and said, \u201cLord, please calm your anger. My mistress said she wouldn\u2019t hold it against her, and Lady Gu meant well too.\u201d

\u201cWhat is Madam Gu\u2019s temperament\u2014could you possibly know it better than I?\u201d Shen Zaoye sneered, \u201cI don\u2019t know when she will ever grow up. If it were anyone else, fine, but even to Peach Blossom she acts this way. It seems it\u2019s time to set some rules for her.\u201d

Qingtai pressed her lips together, kneeling in silence. She thought her mistress\u2019s predictions were truly accurate. This time, Lady Gu was bound to be made an example of\u2014the rooster killed to warn the monkeys\u2014to show everyone in the courtyard.

Shen Zaiye gently tucked in the peach blossom quilt, then stood up and said to Qing Tai in a low voice, \u201cTake good care of your mistress. If anyone else comes to disturb her rest, tell them it is my order\u2014they may leave their gifts outside, but they are not allowed to enter the main room.\u201d

\u201cYes.\u201d

\u201cZhanlu, let\u2019s go.\u201d

Bowing and nodding, Zhanlu followed her master out of the Spring-Contending Pavilion without even needing to ask, heading straight toward the Tranquil Waters Pavilion.

Gu Huairou sat on the soft couch in a daze, her mind repeatedly pondering Jiang Taohua\u2019s words.

Her visit to the Spring-Contending Pavilion wasn\u2019t just about settling old scores from the previous incident at the Linwu Courtyard; there was also a reason concerning Lady Liu.

Lady Liu had said, \u201cLady Jiang is skilled in the art of seduction, similar to you, yet surpassing you. With a pearl, who would still value a fish eye? Sister, you should plan for yourself sooner rather than later. Don\u2019t wait until all the favor is snatched away before you remember to struggle.\u201d

Recalling the incident where the Prime Minister did not favor her that night, Madam Gu couldn\u2019t help but feel a sense of discomfort. Seeing that His Lordship had sent someone to the palace at dusk to request a royal physician for Lady Jiang, her anger flared up. In a fit of impulsiveness, she went to stir up trouble in the other\u2019s courtyard.

Upon calming down and reflecting on it, Jiang Taohua\u2019s words made some sense. In this courtyard, there were many who hid their true intentions and harbored envy. Why was it that only she had rushed out?

Although she didn\u2019t believe the Prime Minister would severely punish her over such a trivial matter, still\u2026 could it be that she was being used?

It couldn\u2019t be, could it? Lady Liu was her confidante, a friend of many years\u2014how could she possibly harm her?

Just as she was in a state of indecision, a sudden loud noise erupted at the courtyard gate, as if someone had kicked the door open.

Startled, Lady Gu stood up and frowned as she called out, \u201cYue Tao, what are you doing?\u201d

Yue Tao hurried in with quick steps, but before she could exchange any meaningful glances, Shen Zaiju from behind her strode past and stood directly in front of her.

\u201c\u2026Master?\u201d Alarmed by the look on his face, Lady Gu stumbled and fell back onto the soft couch, staring at him in confusion. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Why are you so furious?\u201d

\u201cWhat happened to me, aren\u2019t you well aware?\u201d Shen Zaichui lowered his gaze, glancing at her disdainfully: \u201cWhat good deed have you done?\u201d

Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively blurted out: \u201cDid Lady Jiang really go and tattle on me?\u201d

Shen Zaichui did not answer, his face filled with unconcealed anger. He reached out and hurled the teacup, shards and tea splattering everywhere, startling all the maids into kneeling, and Gu Huairou nearly lost her balance.

\u201cLady Jiang came from the distant state of Zhao to marry here, and you act so recklessly\u2014you truly have no sense of propriety!\u201d he scolded in a low voice. Shen Zaichui glared coldly: \u201cIf her injury worsens because of you, then you will be held accountable! If everyone in the courtyard learns to be as malicious as you, there will be no peace! If you are not punished today, there will be no order left in this household!\u201d

\u201cMy lord!\u201d Gu Huairou was both angry and aggrieved: \u201cThis concubine hasn\u2019t done anything excessive!\u201d

\u201cSplashing cold water all over Jiang Shi, is that not excessive?\u201d Shen Zaijie sneered: \u201cDoes it only count as excessive if someone is killed? She sustained severe injuries and nearly lost her life, and only just managed to recover her breath. If that basin of water were to cause her to catch a chill and worsen her condition, what then?\u201d

\u201cThis concubine\u2026\u201d

\u201cIn the past, you\u2019ve done many small tricks in this courtyard, but thinking you weren\u2019t inherently bad, I never took them to heart. Now it seems you are truly selfish, willful, and malicious in heart!\u201d Waving his hand to cut her off, Shen Zaoye said, \u201cThere\u2019s no need for you to say more. Without rules, this household falls into chaos. Though you hold the same status as Madame Jiang, you have bullied the weak, violating the virtues of tolerance and dignity expected of a woman. Your monthly allowance is to be withheld for three months, and your name will be removed from the rotation for attending to the master for half a year.\u201d

Taking a sharp breath of cold air, Gu Huairou\u2019s eyes widened to the extreme, filled with disbelief, thinking she had misheard.

She entered the prime minister\u2019s residence at a very young age and held the position of a consort. She had always been favored by the prime minister, so how could she\u2026 how could she be barred from serving him in bed for half a year over such a minor matter?

\u201cDoes this seem a bit heavy?\u201d Zhanlu asked softly.

Shen Zaiye shook his head, his gaze darkening as he said, \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Taohua saying she didn\u2019t want to make a fuss, there would have been consequences far heavier than this.\u201d

A tightness gripped her throat, and it took Gu Huairou a long moment to find her voice again. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, \u201cMy lord, I have served by your side for so long. In your heart, am I truly that much inferior to Lady Jiang?\u201d

Shen Zaiye lifted his chin slightly, his expression inscrutable and shadowed. He looked at her for a moment, but offered no reply, turning instead to walk straight out.

His demeanor hurt Gu Huairou even more than if he had answered outright, making it plain that not only was she considered inferior, but he couldn\u2019t even be bothered to offer an explanation.

Slipping down from the soft couch, Gu Huairou watched Shen Zaiye\u2019s retreating back disappear outside the door and finally couldn\u2019t hold back from bursting into loud sobs.



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