Chapter 39: Two Chapters Combined

"The guard just now said he needed to fetch something, so I thought I'd wait for him on horseback. I didn't expect Miss Yang to ride past me and suddenly crack her whip, which startled my horse and made it bolt forward. Thank you, my lord, for saving me. Could someone help me dismount?" She Niang recounted the incident truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Li Ju immediately glanced toward a distant figure. Yang Mo seemed to have dismounted and was jogging toward them. He looked at She Niang on the horse, whose eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She couldn't just accept this injustice, she thought. Yang Mo had been riding for over a year, and the field was clearly spacious, yet she deliberately rode close behind She Niang's horse and cracked her whip—it was clearly intentional. Fortunately, the heir had saved her.

This ability to cry on demand was something she had learned in the palace.

Li Ju listened in silence. Luckily, Qiu Shuang ran over at that moment and helped She Niang dismount.

By the time She Niang steadied herself, Yang Mo had also arrived. She quickly said, "Are you alright, Sister Pei? I saw your horse get startled from over there and rushed over immediately."

Originally, Yang Mo had seized the opportunity to startle She Niang's horse, hoping to make her "rest" for a few days. She hadn't expected the heir to return from hunting and rescue Pei She Niang.

She Niang patted her chest and said, "I'm fine now. Sister, you were riding too fast just now, and when you passed by my horse, you gave such a loud crack of the whip. I didn't know how to control a startled horse—it was truly a close call."

Yang Mo hadn't expected She Niang to so boldly try to pin this on her. After all, she was the presumed future wife of the heir, and her grandfather was a high-ranking official like a provincial governor. She Niang's father still needed her grandfather's evaluation.

But She Niang wasn't afraid of any of this. It was simple: if someone was already targeting you, they wouldn't let you go just because you endured humiliation. Instead, if you showed your strength, they might think twice.

Of course, she had also vaguely heard that Yang Mo was likely to become the future heir's consort, which made She Niang realize a harsh truth: living an ordinary life in this cutthroat world was probably very difficult.

She had to rise to the top of the food chain because her personality made it extremely hard for her to grin and bear it.

As she thought this, she heard Yang Mo offer an insincere apology: "I really don't remember doing that. If I did offend you, Sister, please forgive me."

She Niang wiped her tears and said, "I wouldn't dream of blaming you, Sister Yang. Please, let's not talk about it anymore. Since I'm fine, let's just drop the matter."

Listening to their conversation, Li Ju thought to himself that Yang Mo was no match for Pei She Niang. Indeed, in his previous life, everyone thought Pei She Niang had fallen out of favor later on, and her son was closer to Esteemed Consort Guan. Yet she managed to endure until the end, and even the emperor, as if possessed, insisted on making her the Regent's Princess and Empress early on—likely due to her strong tactics.

The matter seemed to be over. She Niang never said a word against Yang Mo in front of the Princess of Qing or the Dowager Consort, but everyone, including the young lady, Lady Ronghe, and the maids, knew the truth.

The young lady was very close to Yang Mo, so she couldn't comfort She Niang by criticizing Yang Mo. Despite such a great injustice, She Niang seemed to have forgotten it and continued to chat and laugh with Yang Mo as usual.

Soon, it was the young lady's birthday. Yang Mo had arranged everything perfectly: she personally cooked fashionable pastries, made wind chimes, and even crafted a riding outfit for the young lady.

In comparison, She Niang's gift of a seal was seen as just a worthless rock. She Niang didn't feel she had done poorly; she just thought some people didn't appreciate quality.

Determined to overcome her embarrassment from riding, she decided to learn properly and asked the Princess of Qing to find her a skilled female riding instructor.

Even though she saw impatience in the Princess of Qing's eyes, she wasn't discouraged. When she wanted to learn something, she never cared about others' opinions.

She Niang kept a daily journal. Today, she wrote: "Choose a horse with ears perked forward. Short-legged Mongolian horses are not good. Must wear gloves."

However, learning too intensively had its downsides. For example, the inner sides of her thighs were chafed, forcing her to apply a thick ointment.

Fu Rong truly admired She Niang. Although She Niang might not be as nimble as Yang Mo, she was plenty tough and treated servants well. Everyone felt indignant on her behalf after the last incident.

"Miss Pei, how long will it take you to learn riding?" she couldn't help but ask.

She Niang thought for a moment and said, "The instructor said at least thirty days. I also have to avoid my monthly courses. Perfect—I’ll ask the instructor to prepare a helmet and barbarian-style clothing for me. I’ve already paid her."

Fu Rong helped She Niang put on her undergarments and skirt, then added, "You should be careful."

"I know. You all shouldn’t say anything on my behalf. I’ll definitely leave someday, and if she makes things difficult for you, it won’t be good," She Niang advised.

This meant that Yang Mo would be the future mistress, and they couldn’t afford to offend her.

Fu Rong, usually a silent girl, said, "If someone like her becomes the heir's consort, it would be a disaster."

"Shh, don’t say that," She Niang glanced at her, disapproving.

Fu Rong looked at She Niang and thought how wonderful it would be if Miss Pei became the heir's consort.

Since she couldn’t go out riding, She Niang copied Buddhist scriptures to practice her handwriting. After finishing, she sent them to the Princess of Qing. At that time, Li Ju was there speaking with his mother. Seeing the scriptures sent by She Niang, the Princess of Qing deliberately tested her son: "I heard this child had a horse scare last time. I wonder how it happened?"

Although Li Ju had seemed neutral at the riding field earlier, he now said, "Miss Pei was sitting alone on horseback as a beginner when Miss Yang rode too close and startled the horse."

"This girl is very determined. She specifically asked me for a female riding instructor, seemingly wanting to clear her name," the Princess of Qing said, observing her son’s expression.

Li Ju didn't commit either way, but the Princess of Qing felt his attitude was off.

Once her legs healed, She Niang resumed riding lessons. After about a month, she made rapid progress, thanks to her generally good health and her proactive approach to understanding riding techniques.

When the young lady went to the riding field again, She Niang could keep up.

"Sister Pei, you’ve learned how to ride now?" the young lady said.

She Niang smiled. "Yes, even young herd-boys can ride oxen. Surely someone as grown as me can learn too. This way, I can accompany you, young lady."

After riding for less than half an hour, they all went to a nearby pavilion for drinks.

Yang Mo was impressed by She Niang. She hadn’t expected her to learn riding so quickly and so well. She heard She Niang had fallen several times but kept going without backing down.

"The Dowager Consort asked me to paint a landscape of the lake and mountains to send to the Empress Dowager in the capital. I’m really worried," the young lady said, propping her chin in her hand.

She Niang thought this was likely the Dowager Consort’s way of trying to get her an imperial match for the Princess Jiangdu to shine before the imperial family. The young lady was probably too naive to understand the deeper meaning and was just worried without taking it seriously.

Then again, the Princess of Qing ran a tight ship, and the young lady was quite innocent.

Seeing this, Yang Mo quickly suggested, "Young lady, why not ask the heir? He often attends court and should know Their Majesties' preferences. Then you can get some pattern books and copy from them."

She Niang understood what Yang Mo meant: find out what the higher-ups liked, have someone else paint it, and then the young lady could copy it.

But the young lady didn’t seem to quite understand and kept worrying. She Niang pretended to sip tea and made small talk.

After parting ways with the young lady, a message arrived from home: Yu Shi sent word that her brother had passed the prefectural examination and would be taking the provincial-level examination tomorrow. If he passed, he would become a scholar.

She Niang was overjoyed. In this life, her mother was still alive, her brother didn’t have to deal with family politics from a young age, and he could study normally—it was a welcome surprise.

Her brother’s marriage might soon be arranged, but what about hers? Would she have to take the old path of becoming the Prince of Jin's concubine? No, she was already over forty, and the Prince of Jin was still going strong.

Besides, she didn’t want to be a concubine. Then who?

Although there was Grandmother Hua on the Prince of Xiang's side, it seemed unlikely. The Imperial Grandson? No, no. Not only would the Imperial Grandson's principal wife surely be of high status, but she would also have to enter as a concubine.

As she walked, she saw Li Ju passing by on the corridor. She stopped short. Actually, the person right in front of her was a possibility. She had been not seeing what was right in front of her.

No, a woman’s marriage was different. Li Ju was even a year younger than her.

Forget it. She would play it by ear.

Even if she married a scholar, what did it matter? If her husband became a high-ranking official, she would have nothing to worry about. If her husband didn’t succeed, couldn’t she teach her son? Even if neither succeeded, she would have to make her own way.

Relying entirely on others was risky—what if your prop fails you?

After much deliberation, she went to the riding arena and rode a few more laps before returning.

Yang Mo, however, felt uneasy. She said to her companion, "This Pei Langhuan is far more clever than I imagined. She has such a strong will and is unmoved by either kindness or pressure. I can’t recruit her because she once saved the Princess, and the Princess trusts her no less than she trusts me."

Her companion replied, "At best, she’s only fated to become a secondary consort. Unless the palace arranges the marriage, she can only become a secondary consort if the Prince reaches twenty-five without having children. If she wants to come, she can only be a concubine, but given her status, even that might be impossible."

"True, it seems I was worrying over nothing," Yang Mo sighed with relief.

But she still feared that She Niang might pose a threat to her. The Dowager Consort and the Princess of Qing seemed to have an understanding with her family, but since the marriage had not been finalized, nothing was certain.

Especially after the Prince saved She Niang last time, it made her feel even more uneasy.

The Prince of Qing’s residence was peaceful. The Prince was the only son, so there were no conflicts with sisters-in-law. The Dowager Consort lived quietly in her corner, usually just listening to operas. The Princess of Qing, aside from being excessively indulgent with the Princess, was generally unproblematic. After all, the Princess would eventually marry out, while her own son would be the next Prince.

She absolutely would not allow any obstacles on this path.

Although her father was the son of a Provincial Governor, he had no hope of advancing in his career and continuously took concubines. If she could secure the position of the Prince’s Consort, it would certainly strengthen her mother’s status.

Just then, Lady Ronghe invited them to a poetry gathering. She Niang persuaded the Princess, "Why don’t we go there to relax? We can discuss the painting later. Perhaps Lady Ronghe will have some good ideas."

The Princess didn’t want to attend the poetry gathering, not because she was lazy, but because she was afraid of embarrassing herself.

If she never participated, she might never be looked down upon.

Sure enough, the Princess said, "You can go if you want. I’ll go accompany the Dowager Consort later."

She Niang didn’t press further. Naturally, if the Princess wasn’t going, they wouldn’t go either. She exchanged a look with Yang Mo, who also understood the Princess’s intention. But given Yang Mo’s higher status, she had to defer to the Princess.

It was Li Ju who persuaded his sister: "Although it’s said that ‘a woman’s virtue is her lack of talent,’ if you keep refusing like this, people will inevitably think you’re incapable. They may not say it to your face, but they’ll look down on you in their hearts."

In her previous life, Bao Ying married the top scholar of Southern Zhili, but the couple was estranged. Even though the Prince of Qing’s residence was prestigious, it was difficult to interfere in marital matters. They couldn’t force the husband to genuinely love and respect the Princess.

Ultimately, it was because the Princess had been overly pampered in her family.

"What are you talking about, brother?" the Princess lowered her head, playing with her hands.

Li Ju glanced at her. "You know what I mean. You should socialize appropriately to uphold your reputation as a Princess."

With Li Ju’s persuasion, the Princess finally decided to go.

She Niang and the others naturally followed. Coral ironed the clothes, while Qiu Shuang and Gui Fang helped She Niang with her makeup.

Meanwhile, Fu Rong whispered, "Lady Ronghe has an older brother who’s seventeen. He’s a bit careless and youthful, but not a bad person."

Since Fu Rong was close to She Niang, she hoped She Niang could marry into the Prince’s residence. Although the Prince was out of reach, the Duke of Fuguo’s estate might be a possibility.

She Niang didn’t know what Fu Rong was thinking, but she hadn’t expected Fu Rong, who originally worked as a hairdressing maid, to dismiss Qiu Shuang and personally style her hair and makeup, making her look naturally radiant and highlighting her best features.

She wore a white lotus-root silk blouse paired with a silver-brocaded green skirt. As she walked, the skirt flowed gracefully, glistening in the light.

As she stepped out, she encountered Nanny Gong, whose eyes lit up with admiration. She Niang didn’t think beauty was everything—it could bring certain advantages, but it wasn’t absolute.

Besides, everyone would grow old, with wrinkled skin and gray hair. Childbirth might even leave stretch marks. One must have substance to truly attract others.

She Niang first went to see the Princess of Qing, where the Prince, Li Ju, was also present. She quickly offered her greetings: "This commoner greets the Prince."

Li Ju raised his hand. "No need for formalities."

He still wasn’t quite used to Empress Dowager Pei paying respects to him. When he had been behind the curtain, they would kneel and speak to him, trembling with fear, not daring to say a wrong word.

She Niang sat across from Yang Mo. Yang Mo was originally a very sweet girl, but the pressure was getting to her, especially with an unexpected rival appearing, making her more talkative than before.

"Your Highness, why are you eating such sweets? At your age, overly sweet food can easily cause headaches."

Yang Mo now acted as if she were very familiar with the Princess of Qing, like family. She Niang frowned inwardly, noticing the Princess of Qing’s cool expression.

The room fell silent, so quiet that one could almost hear breathing. She Niang glanced at Li Ju, who seemed uninterested in defusing the tension.

Yang Mo also realized she had misspoken and felt embarrassed.

It wasn’t until the Princess arrived that the atmosphere eased. The Princess of Qing gave the Princess some instructions, and then they set out. Prince Li Ju rode ahead on horseback, the Princess rode in a large sedan chair, while She Niang and Yang Mo each rode in a smaller, single-person sedan chair.

This was according to protocol. The Princess held a title, while She Niang and Yang Mo, though daughters of officials, were still commoners like her.

She Niang accepted this, but Yang Mo found it increasingly unbearable. She Niang could understand her expression—Yang Mo saw herself as the Prince’s Consort but didn’t receive the treatment of one. She had to humble herself before the Prince’s family, which naturally made her dissatisfied.

But there was no other way. When you lack the power to change things, you must endure.

Clearly, Yang Mo wasn’t such a person, as evidenced by her previous attempt to harm She Niang.

Soon, they arrived at the Duke of Fuguo’s mansion, which was majestic and imposing, fitting for a duke’s estate. Lady Ronghe was already waiting at the inner gate to welcome them, with a young man standing behind her—likely her older brother, Li Qiong. They exchanged greetings.

As they walked past, She Niang glanced up and noticed Li Qiong smiling at her. She averted her eyes.

Lady Ronghe had everything prepared. It was June, and the jade hairpin flowers were in full bloom, some still glistening with dew.

"Since this is our first gathering with everyone here, why don’t we use the jade hairpin flowers as our theme?" Lady Ronghe suggested, pointing to the flowers.

She Niang smiled. "The jade hairpin flower buds resemble hairpins, pure as jade. From afar, they look like cranes—no wonder they’re called ‘white crane flowers’ among the people. You’ve chosen well, Lady Ronghe."

As she spoke, Li Qiong glanced again covertly at her and said, "Third Sister, I’m not very good at poetry. I’ll come back after you’ve finished."

"Since you’re not good at poetry, you can copy out our poems for us. As for me, I still need someone to set the rhyme scheme. Who would like to take on this task?" Lady Ronghe pretended to ponder.

She Niang thought Lady Ronghe was quite clever. She knew the Princess wasn’t skilled at poetry and would likely embarrass herself later. To avoid outright saying she wasn’t good, Lady Ronghe left this role open.

Sure enough, the Princess quickly said, "Third Sister, I’ll do it."

"Please don’t make the rhyme too difficult, Your Highness," She Niang said with a smile.

The Princess pressed her hands down and blinked. "Don’t worry, don’t worry."

They distributed paper and brushes, and Lady Ronghe ordered someone to light an incense stick to keep time. Since entering the Prince’s residence, She Niang had diligently studied poetry. Though not the best, she had put in considerable effort.

She had even set themes for herself based on the Twelve Flower Spirits. The jade hairpin flower represented July, so it was easy to write about. She finished her poem in one go.

A maid collected the poems and brought them to Li Qiong. When he saw it was She Niang’s work, he was already captivated by her beauty. Seeing her elegant handwriting and well-composed poem—though he wasn’t well-versed in poetry, he could tell it was skillfully written—he decided to vote for her as the best.

Li Ju had accompanied his sister. Having studied in the palace, where they wrote poetry daily, he also composed two poems.

Meanwhile, Yang Mo was determined to surpass everyone. She pondered for a long time before starting to write.

...

When the incense burned out, Lady Ronghe reviewed everyone’s poems and glanced at Yang Mo. "I choose Miss Yang’s ‘Ode to the Jade Hairpin Flower’ as the best. The wording is fresh and meaningful."

Yang Mo sighed with relief and said modestly, "You honor me with your praise, Lady Ronghe."

To say that Lady Ronghe was sensible, Yang Mo was very likely to become the Princess Consort of Qing, so it was only natural to suck up to her in advance. Unlike his sister, Li Qiong said, "I think Miss Pei's poem should win first place."

There were three people left. The Princess pretended to read through the poems carefully. Just when She Niang had given up hope, the Princess unexpectedly spoke up: "I think Sister Pei's poem seems even better."

Li Ju took the poems and read them all. He had been thinking that his own work was quite good, so why had no one chosen him? But sensing the atmosphere in the room, he looked more carefully and realized that She Niang's poem was indeed better—refined in wording, elegant phrasing, and quite full of feeling.

In his previous life, everyone had praised Noble Consort Liu as a talented woman, and Emperor Jianchang had even compared her to the gifted Consort Xu Hui. But now, Fifth Miss Pei’s writing was also excellent.

He was an honest person most of the time, so he said, "I think Miss Pei’s is better."

Lady Ronghe had not expected Li Ju to choose Pei Sheniang. Could the information be wrong? It was said that the Dowager Consort and the Princess Consort of Qing had their eyes on Yang Mo. Surely the heir wouldn’t be so disrespectful...

She Niang suddenly felt that staying at the Prince of Qing's estate wasn’t so bad after all. Although she sometimes felt inferior, at critical moments, they came through for her.

Not only had her father been recommended for the position of prefectural governor, but she had actually outperformed the intended Princess Consort.

After losing, Yang Mo couldn’t help but show her disappointment on her face. When Lady Ronghe invited everyone to play pitch-pot, she sat aside for a while before joining in.

She Niang thought she was better than her sister—she could adjust quickly.

As they were playing pitch-pot near the garden, Yang Mo was somewhat distracted. Suddenly, a caterpillar crawled onto her, and she immediately screamed, "Heavens, ah..."

She Niang happened to be standing beside her. She used a handkerchief to pick it up, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it directly. "It’s alright, just a caterpillar. Probably fell from the tree above."

She resolved the situation quickly and deftly. Although Yang Mo was still shaken, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching this, Li Qiong found it amusing and said, "How about we pick a day to go fishing? Staying cooped up at home all the time, I feel like I’m going stir-crazy."

"Princess, weren’t you planning to paint the lake and mountain scenery? Why not go out for a stroll?" She Niang said to the Princess.

Yang Mo immediately objected, "The Princess fell into the water last time. It might not be wise to go out again."

"You’re right, I wasn’t thinking carefully," She Niang said.

But the Princess replied, "A trip like this is much better than staying at home."

Seeing that the Princess agreed, Yang Mo wanted to persuade her further but couldn’t. She Niang glanced at her—she had unintentionally learned that Yang Mo was afraid of water.

The next time they went out to West Lake for fishing, Li Ju didn’t join them. It was said that someone from the Nanjing Ministry of Rites had come to deliver an imperial decree.

She Niang wore gloves and helped the Princess bait the hook with earthworms. She and Yang Mo accompanied the Princess at the bow of the boat. Since they were fishing, they couldn’t take a decorated pleasure boat; they had to use a small boat.

But the small boat was narrow. Apart from the boatwoman, no other servants could come aboard. She Niang, trying to be helpful, said, "I’ll help the Princess with the bait. Sister Yang, would you mind handling your own?"

Yang Mo felt dizzy at the sight of water and nauseous at the sight of earthworms. Just then, she saw a caterpillar on her foot and was so frightened that she fell directly into the water. She Niang snorted to herself, remembering how Yang Mo had once tried to make her break her leg. She got what was coming to her.

"Boatwoman, someone’s fallen in. Go quickly and save her," She Niang said.

Seeing Yang Mo choking on water, She Niang hurriedly asked the boatwoman to rescue her. Unexpectedly, Li Qiong jumped into the water to save her even faster than the boatwoman. After all, he had been the one to suggest the outing, and he was afraid of anything going wrong.

But at the moment when Yang Mo was carried onto the boat in Li Qiong’s arms, she felt her heart sink. Even if she was the intended Princess Consort, being held by a man not her husband in front of everyone would probably ruin her chances.

...

When the news reached him, Li Ju massaged his temples and thought to himself, This Yang Mo—why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? Why provoke the Pei girl? Now look, she tried to scheme and ended up worse off, losing everything in the process.