Chapter 20: All Are Pawns in His Hands


Shen Zaichu immediately sought out the imperial physician to inquire about the injury.

The imperial physician, looking exhausted, said, “I have done my utmost. The lady’s life can be saved, but she will need careful recuperation afterward; otherwise, lingering ailments may persist. With such significant blood loss and extensive wounds, she requires at least half a month of bed rest to replenish blood and strengthen her vitality. Once the stitches are removed, I will return for a follow-up examination.”

“Half a month?” Shen Zaichu’s eyes flickered as he asked, “What if, within that half a month, she does not rest properly but instead repeatedly exerts herself?”

The imperial physician was taken aback for a moment, then looked up at him, a strange expression flashing in his eyes. “If Madam does not rest quietly, the wound may reopen, leading to anemia and dizziness, which will only cause her more suffering. If the Prime Minister truly cherishes Madam, he ought to exercise restraint.”

Lost in thought, Shen Zaizhe didn’t pay much attention to the physician’s subsequent words, simply taking them as medical advice and politely nodding in acknowledgment. “Understood, thank you for your trouble.”

The physician sighed, picked up his medical kit, and turned to leave. He thought to himself that the rumors circulating outside about Prime Minister Shen’s fondness for women must have some basis in truth—after all, despite her being injured to this extent, he was still preoccupied with marital matters. Hearing such words, the Prime Minister didn’t even blush or show any sign of guilt! Young people these days… tsk.

Watching the imperial physician leave, Shen Zaijie flicked his sleeves and headed straight for Linwu Courtyard. Since Jiang Taohua couldn’t move for half a month, he figured it would be enough to leave someone to keep an eye on Zhengchun Pavilion during the day and return in the evening to perform their loving act.

They’ve said that for three days they’ll all be at the Contending Spring Pavilion, so the two women about to lose their favor definitely won’t take it lying down. Lady Gu has already been demoted by him once—just one more push, and a spot for the Lady rank will open up. The attitudes of the two women below will also determine the shifts in their favor.

Every woman in his rear court has deep ties to the court’s power structure, and handling them is far from simple.

The current emperor has four sons, all of whom have already been enfeoffed as princes. Although Prince Jing has historically been the most favored, Prince Yu has recently gained significant momentum. For the moment, it is unclear which of the two holds the upper hand. As for Prince Heng, although his influence is not as great, he is exceptionally talented in literature, well-versed in governance, and ambitious. It is uncertain that his future prospects will necessarily be unfavorable.

Finally, it was the King of the South.

The only one who did not thrust women into the Prime Minister’s residence was the King of the South.

With a slight curl of his lips, Shen Zaiye raised his head to look at the sky of Great Wei. A majestic kingdom, with its emperor in his prime and the nation flourishing in all its industries, truly a fine country…

Like an exceptionally sharp and peerless sword.

Withdrawing his gaze, he whispered the command: “Zhan Lu, have the newly arrived Ferghana horses in our mansion sent to Jingwang’s Manor.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhan Lu acknowledged and turned to carry out the task.

The Prime Minister had already left the Striving Spring Pavilion, so Jinyu quickly and quietly returned to inform Gu Huairou. When the servants went to lunch at noon, Gu Huairou stealthily entered Taohua’s room.

Jiang Taohua was having her meal. Though she had little appetite, she ate whatever was available to speed up her recovery. When Lady Gu entered, she was still struggling with a chicken leg.

“Oh, you’re here.” Turning around to see her, Peach Blossom wiped her mouth and smiled at her: “You don’t look too well. Is it too cold outside?”

Gu Huairou stood before the bed, staring at her with a cold gaze: “Spring has arrived. How could it be cold outside? It’s only the hearts of men that are cold.”

With her expression unchanged, Peach Blossom pointed to the edge of the bed and spoke gently: “Sit down first. It looks tiring to stand.”

“You must be very pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” Her expression darkening slightly, Gu Huairou stared at her with displeasure: “You predicted he would punish me severely, and now you’re delighted, right?”

Such a fiery temper, it seems Shen Zaiye really didn’t hold back?

Composing her expression, Jiang Taohua said earnestly, “I have nothing to be proud of, but I do feel some sympathy for you. If only you had listened to me earlier, you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

“You!” Gu Huairou wanted to lash out, but deep down, she was somewhat afraid. After gritting her teeth for a long time, she could only lower her stance and sit by the bed, saying, “I just don’t understand!”

“You don’t understand why he punished you so severely?”

“Yes!”

Peach Blossom smiled, pointing at herself: “Because the master doesn’t want me to have an easy time, so first, he’ll make life hard for the people in this courtyard, and all the blame will be pinned on me.”

Slightly stunned, Lady Gu frowned: “What do you mean?”

“For example, in this incident, if I hadn’t spoken to you like that yesterday, and if the master were to severely punish you today, would you still come to talk to me?” Peach Blossom pursed her lips: “Given your temperament, you’d probably hold a grudge, and at the first opportunity, you’d try to crush me to death, right?”

Her heart skipped a beat. Lady Gu averted her gaze: “I’m not that kind of person, who… who would be so petty? But the fact remains that you took my favor and got me heavily punished. If you ever make a mistake in the future, I definitely won’t go easy on you.”

That being said, Gu Huairou understood in her heart that what she might do could be even more severe than what Jiang Taohua had mentioned. Perhaps she would even deliberately concoct some things to mess with her, just to vent her pent-up resentment.

Taohua smiled but didn’t argue, only saying, “No matter what, the enmity between you and me has become profound. In the future, as we stand opposed, neither of us will find peace. But in truth, I am innocent—I haven’t done anything, yet I’ve gained you as an enemy for no reason.”

Tilting her head in thought, Lady Gu fell silent.

It seemed like a valid point, but how did things turn out this way?

“The man’s role in this inner courtyard is the most crucial.” With a slight cough, Peach Blossom said, “Who holds grudges against whom, and who is close to whom—it is actually only our lord who can influence such matters. After all, are we not all living under his grace? So, if he wants to make things difficult for me, it is all too simple. He just needs to favor me first, punishing others severely for my sake, stripping away the favor from others and bestowing it upon me. That will provoke everyone’s hatred toward me. Then, one day, if he no longer favors or protects me, I will fall into a nest of vipers, and there will be no more good days for me.”

“Do you understand now, lady?”

Madam Gu was somewhat stunned, staring blankly at her: “Why would our lord want to make things difficult for you?”

The specific reason, Peach Blossom could not possibly reveal to her. She simply lowered her eyes, smoothed her sleeves, and sighed: “Because of the mistaken marriage that day, I offended our lord and brought shame upon him. So…”

“Lord, you have been disgraced?” Madam Gu widened her eyes. “What happened?”

“It is somewhat difficult to speak of.” Peach Blossom pursed her lips, timidly glancing around the room.

Gu Huairou turned back and said to Yuetao, “You and this maid go out together.”

“Yes.” Yuetao curtsied and withdrew with Qingtai, closing the door behind them.

Peach Blossom let out a heavy sigh and looked hesitantly at Gu Huairou, saying, “You’ve been in the mansion longer than I have. Haven’t you noticed anything off about the master?”

Gu Huairou paused, lowered her head in thought, and then her expression turned strange: “Are you talking about… matters in the bedroom?”

Huh? She was originally planning to slander Shen Zaiju for being impotent, but could there really be something wrong? Her eyes lit up, and Peach Blossom immediately perked up, leaning against the headboard and hesitating to speak: “You’ve noticed it too?”

“Yes, it’s not exactly a secret in the mansion. Everyone knows but doesn’t talk about it,” Gu Huairou said. “But that quirk isn’t really a big deal. What did you do to offend him?”

Eccentricity? Peach Blossom was taken aback, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She hadn’t noticed any eccentricities during the night she consummated her marriage with Shen Zaiye. Could it be that he actually has a tendency to be abusive? Or perhaps he has some peculiar preferences?

A shiver ran through her whole body. Peach Blossom pretended to look utterly bewildered and said, “I thought everything was normal, but for some reason, the master flew into a rage, saying I was being presumptuous.”

Gu Huairou was startled. “Don’t tell me you lit a lamp?”

Peach Blossom thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Oh my, no wonder.” Gu Huairou glanced at her, holding a handkerchief in hand as she said, “You’re new, so you might not know this, but when our lord retires for the night, there cannot be a single trace of light in the room, or else he becomes extremely irritable and flies into a rage. Our rooms all have thick curtains by the windows, precisely because of this rule.”

Is there really such a thing? Jiang Taohua was astonished. She remembered that on the night of the Hefeng Dance, the moonlight was so beautiful, illuminating Shen Zaiju’s face in a particularly handsome way, and he didn’t seem bothered at all. How could it be that he couldn’t bear any light?

Setting aside this doubt for the moment, Taohua looked at Gu Huairou and said, “So that’s how it is. I prefer sleeping with the lamp on at night, no wonder the lord was so angry. At the time, I was under the influence of the charm poison and my mind wasn’t clear, so I had a big argument with him. The lord probably hates me deeply, and if it weren’t for my status as a princess, I doubt I’d still be alive.”

“So that’s how it is.” Gu Huairou nodded, thinking it over and feeling somewhat more at ease in her heart. If Lord treated Jiang Taohua like this because he wanted to wait until the end to finish her off, then she wouldn’t have to feel so aggrieved.

“In truth, we are all just pawns in the hands of the master.” Peach Blossom sighed, glancing at her. “If we truly let him manipulate us and become enemies, we’ll only end up hurting each other in the end. Since you’ve come today, Madam, why don’t we think of a mutually beneficial way that works for all of us?”

“What method do you have?” Gu Shi looked at her warily.

Peach Blossom smiled: “Right now, I am favored, and you are not. During this time while you’re out of favor, I can help you, ensuring you won’t be bullied by those opportunistic servants in the mansion who fawn on the powerful and trample the weak. But in return, I hope you’ll stand on my side and not harm me.”

Gu Huairou fell silent, her eyes shifting thoughtfully for a moment before she stood up and said, “I need to go back and consider this carefully.”

“No problem,” Peach Blossom looked up at her. “Given the current situation, it’s not convenient for you to visit my Blossom Vying Pavilion too often. If you agree with my proposal, simply send over a red sachet. If you don’t agree, then from now on, I will no longer interfere with your fortunes, be they good or bad.”

“Alright.” Giving her a few more glances, Gu Huairou nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Yuetao was still waiting outside. Seeing her come out, she followed along out of Zhenchun Pavilion, heading towards Wenqing Pavilion.

“What kind of person do you think Jiang Niangzi is?” Gu Huairou softly asked a question.

Yuetao was taken aback, stepping forward and lowering her voice to say, “This servant thinks she’s a clever person. Just from what this servant heard earlier, she spoke with reason and evidence, which was quite convincing.”

“Then do you think she’s worth me aligning with?” Lady Gu furrowed her brows, “At the moment, although she’s favored, no one knows when the master will settle scores with her. If I really stand on the same boat as her, what should I do if I get implicated then?”