The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 61

“We already have conventional troops deployed on the border of Western Chu. I believe Your Highness does not need to take such actions.”

“Secondly,” he gathered his wide robe together and put his hands behind his back, “sometimes people must believe in fate. What belongs to me is mine, and it cannot escape me.” 

This was in response to Prince Xin’s veiled insinuations.

After hearing these words, Prince Xin’s eyes flickered with a hint of contempt.

The Emperor, unaware of the subtext between the two, tossed the memorial forward and said, “Revise it and present it to me again.”

Prince Xin slowly took the memorial, held it in his hands, and glanced at Wang Shuhuai faintly. “I would like to ask your Excellency, in your opinion, how should we deploy troops on the border of Western Chu?”

The Emperor also looked at Wang Shuhuai.

Wang Shuhuai knew this wasn’t the time to showcase his talents, so he raised his sleeves and bowed again. “I am a civil servant, not a military officer. I would like to ask His Majesty and Your Highness to make the decision on this matter.”

The Emperor, sensing that his son was targeting Wang Shuhuai, said unhappily, “Alright, go back and re-draft.”

The summer rain came and went quickly, and the eaves were shrouded in wet evening mist. Wang Shuhuai’s clothes were damp as he hurried back to his study. When he emerged in a dark blue robe, the guard, Qi Wei, handed him a message:

“News has come from the south that the witness will soon arrive in the capital by boat and beat the drum to file a complaint with the Emperor.”

Wang Shuhuai nodded indifferently, fastened his collar, and sat down at his desk. As soon as Xie Chu left, the proposal to measure the fish scale atlas was raised again. The Emperor was caught between the new and old factions of dignitaries and had not yet made a decision.

Wang Shuhuai, either exhausted or preoccupied, sat at his desk without starting his work. Qi Wei, who had been with Wang Shuhuai for many years, noticed this. He was almost inseparable from him and clearly understood the situation with Prince Xin. 

“Master, do you want me to check on Prince Xin?”

When the Marquis was at the palace gate, he encountered a servant from Prince Xin’s mansion. The servant had been sarcastic and mocking. Qi Wei knew something was amiss between Prince Xin and Xie Yunchu.

His master was in a bad mood and might have wanted to know about the past between the two.

Wang Shuhuai stared at him coldly. “Do you know what you are doing?”

Qi Wei immediately knelt down. “I know I was wrong.”

As long as Xie Yunchu was his wife, he had to trust her. Suspicion was the seed of marital estrangement. Wang Shuhuai did not want to, and was unwilling to, allow that to happen.

She and Prince Xin had known each other before their marriage, and no amount of investigation could change that fact. Instead of focusing on the past, he might as well think about the future…

Wang Shuhuai was busy until late at night again. The clerical skills learned from Western Chu could also be used in Jiangnan, but he needed to make an outline of where to start. He tossed and turned in the library all night, feeling utterly exhausted. He finally sat on the stairs in the corner, looking out at the bright moon.

The moonlight intertwined with the flowers; the wind blew, the branches cast shadows, and he seemed to see a graceful woman walking out from the moonlight—beautiful but not coquettish, gorgeous but not vulgar, dignified and bright… That scene overlapped with the beautiful figure on the bed last night.

Wang Shuhuai knew exactly what he was thinking. He took a deep breath and went to the cushion under the window in the northwest corner of the study. He often meditated there when he was younger. After sitting for a while, he gradually calmed down and returned to the study.

May 20th was the day when the Empress held a flower-viewing banquet at the Lanyue Pavilion in Liangyuan.

There were still two days before the flower-viewing banquet. Xie Yunchu followed the elders’ orders and took the three girls to practice calligraphy and the piano in the flower hall. There were three guqin and guzheng in the hall. The walls on both sides were hung with the girls’ paintings, poems, and songs. Tea, snacks, and preserved fruits were placed on a high table. Everyone prepared in an orderly manner. The graceful branches of flowers and the heavy shadows of bamboo added a cool touch to the flower pavilion.

Xie Yunchu’s advice to everyone was to choose the one they were best at.

The Second Lady, Wang Shuqin, was skilled in guqin, as her name suggested.

“This way, I can deal with my mother.” Wang Shuqin came from a wealthy family and lived a carefree life. Fame and fortune were easily attainable for her, so she was less competitive and played the piano lazily.

Xie Yunchu ignored her and turned to ask Wang Shuya, “What about the Fourth Lady?”

Wang Shuya looked up at Xie Yunchu, then hesitantly lowered her eyes. “I… don’t really want to go…”

“Why?” Xie Yunchu asked casually.

Wang Shuya was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head even further. “Why should I stand on the stage and let those men judge me?”

When these words came out, Xie Yunchu was taken aback. It was hard to imagine that such an inconspicuous girl could express such deep insights.

Xie Yunchu quickly recalled Wang Shuya’s previous life. In her previous life, she had been devoted to managing the family business of the second branch and had little contact with the girls from other branches. She didn’t know Wang Shuya well. Her last impression was that the Fourth Madam had forced Wang Shuya into a marriage she didn’t want. Half a year after the marriage, Wang Shuya swallowed gold and died. That incident deeply affected the Fourth Madam, and both she and her husband were severely reprimanded by the Duke and his wife. From then on, the Eldest Princess became estranged from the Fourth Madam.

It took a lot of courage for a person to swallow gold and die. There must have been some obstacles that she couldn’t overcome.

Xie Yunchu felt a pang of distress as she looked at Wang Shuya’s frail appearance.

“Did you convince your mother?”

Wang Shuya shook her head in despair. Her small face, the size of a palm, was white and delicate, evoking pity from anyone who looked at her. Xie Yunchu was not a Bodhisattva and didn’t have the inclination to meddle in other people’s affairs. She simply patted Wang Shuya’s shoulder in silent comfort.

As for Wang Shuyi, she had a bold idea, “I want to choose everything.” Without any obvious strengths, she decided to win by sheer numbers.

Xie Yunchu picked out a few books for her to study and left her be.

On the twentieth day, all the ladies and young wives of the mansion set out together, with more than a dozen carriages heading toward Lanyue Pavilion.