The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 40

When they arrived at Changchun Hall where the Eldest Princess was, it was already bright.

There were already palace maids waiting outside, leading everyone into the hall. Xie Yunchu followed closely behind Jiang. The main hall was grand and spacious. In the north stood a coiled dragon incense burner with sandalwood burning in it. Above it hung a picture of the late Emperor and the late Empress riding horses on the western hills. On the left and right were couplets written by the current Emperor himself. On the long golden nan table were displayed all kinds of fresh fruits, incense, candles, etc., showing that sacrifices were often made there.

Turning to the right, they entered a corridor with carved windows. The floor was covered with a bright red brocade carpet, and the group walked on it silently. Going north, they entered through a round moon-carved door and arrived at the Changchun Hall where the Princess lived.

Through a jade bead curtain, one could vaguely see a person lying on their side on a rosewood dragon-patterned couch, with female officials serving on each side. On the couch was a soft pillow with bright red flowers and a square backrest made of spun silk. As the Princess was afraid of the cold, she did not use the cool jade cushion, so the palace servants laid a whole piece of delicate ivory cushion instead, which was just right, neither too cold nor too hot.

After a while, she heard footsteps below. The pearl curtain was opened by a palace maid, and the figure on the couch gradually stood up. Before she raised her eyes, all of the Wang family knelt down at the same time.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Get up.”

The voice was cold and low, with a hint of nonchalance. Everyone stood up quickly, stood on either side, and held their breath.

Xie Yunchu was standing below Jiang and glanced upward quietly. The Eldest Princess was wearing a stone-blue brocade plain jacket and was sitting there upright. Her hair was tied into a peony bun with a white jade hairpin, and she was wearing no ornaments at all. Even so, she looked noble in the slightest.

The Eldest Princess was over sixty years old. Her cold, pale face was crisscrossed with fine lines. Her long eyebrows were thin and tough with sharp sheaths. Her narrow, almond-shaped eyes drooped, and two deep nasolabial folds spread out on both sides. She was gently sipping the blood and ginseng soup handed to her by the palace maid.

After drinking, the palace maid handed her the string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads that she had been playing with the other day. She twisted it and placed it in the palm of her other hand, then raised her eyes and looked at the people below.

Her eyes were as calm as water, showing no emotion, yet they gave people an invisible pressure.

She spoke slowly in silence, “I haven’t been home for a long time. Is everything going well at home?”

The Duke Mansion was run by the Third Madam, Zhou. She bowed and replied, “Thanks to Mother and Father, there is nothing wrong with the family.”

The Eldest Princess raised her hand slightly when she heard this.

When Li, the Fourth Madam, saw that her mother-in-law was about to get up, she quickly took a step forward and supported her with a smile.

“Mother, be careful.” 

The Fourth Madam’s voice was soft and delicate. On the other side, the Eldest Madam Qian, who was closest to the Princess , also silently and forcefully supported the Princess .

The Second Madam, Jiang, acted as if she were blind, and the Third Madam, Zhou, remained motionless.

The Eldest Princess walked down the stairs and stood in the hall, her eyes first falling on Xie Yunchu.

“Your third aunt said that everything is fine at home. What about you, Huai’s wife? Are you okay?”

There was a reason why the people in the palace feared the Princess . Every word the Princess said had a deep meaning. If one replied with the wrong word, the consequences would be unpredictable. Hearing that, Jiang glanced at the Princess in fear, and her hands under her sleeves were shaking slightly.

Fortunately, Xie Yunchu had the experience of her previous life and figured out her grandmother-in-law’s thoughts. She was used to being complimented, so the truth became precious. Xie Yunchu knelt down and said truthfully, “In reply to Grandmother, this granddaughter-in-law is a little worried about my husband.”

The Elder Princess was not surprised, and even asked her kindly, “Do you blame me?”

The uneasiness in Xie Yunchu’s eyes had not faded, but her expression was extremely firm, “No.” There was no use in blaming her.

The Eldest Princess pursed her lips and said nothing.

Xie Yunchu continued, “If the people from Western Chu had asked around, they would have known the truth. Shu Huai is Grandfather’s legitimate grandson, so it is his responsibility to fight. If they implicated my elder brother-in-law for no reason, it would have put Shu Huai in an unjust position and made him look cowardly.”

“Even if one cannot achieve great things, one must still act with integrity. I think my husband also thinks so.”

Presumably, that was also the reason why the Duke did not stop the Princess . The old man had lived an honorable life and would not ask others to replace his grandson to die. The path was the common choice of the Princess , the Duke, and Wang Shuhuai. They each had something they wanted.

The Eldest Princess nodded with satisfaction, saying, “I’m glad you understand.” She liked women with insight.

Who said women were inferior to men? Women could also achieve success in their careers.

It was late, and the first and fourth madams helped the Princess go inside to change her clothes. The Third Madam led Xie Yunchu and others to pay respects to the Empress. When everyone left Changchun, they all had cold sweats on their backs. Xu Shiwei quietly pulled Xie Yunchu’s sleeve.

“When the Princess asked you a question just now, I was really scared. I was afraid that my sister-in-law would be punished. My sister-in-law is really amazing.”

Xu Shiwei had complained about Xie Yunchu before, but now that Xie Yunchu was doing well, she wanted to get closer to her.

Xie Yunchu looked straight ahead and didn’t respond.

At the exact time of Si (9-11 am), Chongguang Hall was crowded with people, and Wang Shuhuai’s coming-of-age ceremony was held there. The Emperor sat at the top, the Empress on the left, the Eldest Princess on the right, and all the civil and military officials in the court watched the ceremony. Except for Duke Wang Guo and Wang Shuhui’s parents, the rest of the female members of the family retreated to the back hall.

The coming-of-age ceremony was just a formality, lively but not festive. The real eye-catching event was the competition in the afternoon.

The afternoon sun was hot, and the horse farm in Shanglinyuan was covered with flags. The Imperial Tent in the north and the guardhouses on the left and right were all crowded. The Wang family guardhouse was the first one on the right. Because this competition was related to Wang Shuhuai’s future and even life, Xiao Youran, Shen Yi, Jiang Fan, and other close friends gathered around Xie Yunchu to support her.

Seeing her cousin twisting her handkerchief, Xiao Youran comforted her, “Don’t worry, when has your husband ever failed? He will definitely get through it safely.”

Shen Yi understood Xie Yunchu’s concerns. She fanned herself and continued, “Your husband is a civil official. If he does get into trouble, it will just be a bruise. But it’s different for a military officer. Whenever my man goes to war, I worry about him day and night. I don’t ask for fame or fortune, but I hope he can stay alive and not come back with a disability.”

Wang Shuhuai was fighting against a fierce general from Western Chu. Even if he didn’t lose, he might be seriously injured.