Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Seventh Young Master Has Come to Fetch You

Ji Ru Zhen stormed in with a crowd to catch an affair. Before Madam Wang even saw who lay on the bed, she shouted that it had to be Chun Zhi. Ji Ru Zhen yanked the person off the mattress, and to everyone’s shock, it was the Wang Clan’s sixth daughter, Wang Yi Yue.

Madam Wang felt as if the sky had fallen, while Ji Ru Zhen went wild and tore into the Wang mother and daughter.

As the Princess Royal of Anyang asked what on earth had happened, Chun Zhi came in with Yu Zhu. She looked at Wang Yi Yue and asked in front of everyone: “Wang Sixth Miss, how does it feel to reap what you sowed?”

“You… you did this to me!” Wang Yi Yue’s face was swollen from Ji Ru Zhen’s beating, and scratch marks striped her like a cat. She hurt and burned with shame, tears flowing nonstop. When she saw Chun Zhi, she ground her teeth and shouted: “Song Chun Zhi, you trapped me!”

Chun Zhi answered calmly: “Why say that? Wasn’t this your own trap? I only let you taste it yourself.”

The watching ladies and misses pricked up their ears at once. There was clearly more to the story.

The Princess Royal of Anyang raised her hand and had the onlookers dismissed. The show was over; the details did not need to be public. And yet, the less clear a scandal is, the faster it spreads. The ladies left with many backward glances, reluctant to go.

The Princess had water brought and splashed it over Lu Jing Yun, who had been unconscious on the bed.

He woke groggily to a room full of people. Before he could speak, a weeping Ji Ru Zhen, her makeup ruined, slapped him hard and snapped: “This mess is all your fault!”

Lu Jing Yun stood there, stunned.

“Enough. If you want to quarrel, do it at home,” said the Princess Royal of Anyang. “Madam Wang, take your daughter and go.”

At the Princess’s word, everyone was sent off to their own homes.

Madam Wang hurried away with the utterly humiliated Wang Yi Yue. Even as they left, Wang Yi Yue kept saying Chun Zhi had harmed her. The Princess Royal of Anyang’s face cooled as she warned: “You carried on like this in my residence. I spared you only for Grand Preceptor Wang’s sake. Keep talking nonsense, and I will not be lenient.”

“We wouldn’t dare,” said Madam Wang as she dragged Wang Yi Yue out.

Ji Ru Zhen was still not satisfied after slapping Lu Jing Yun and nearly started a fight with him. Court Lady Cao had people pull them apart and scolded them: “Whatever it is, settle it back at your own manor. This is the Princess Royal Anyang Manor. You cannot misbehave here!”

Only then did Ji Ru Zhen leave, still crying, with Lu Jing Yun. As he walked out, he kept looking back at Chun Zhi. He had no idea what had happened. Moments before, he had been talking with Chun Zhi. Then his vision went black. When he woke, he was on a bed with a crowd around him.

Chun Zhi did not look his way. [If Lu Jing Yun hadn’t insisted on coming to find me, this wouldn’t have happened. Counting it up, he is not exactly wronged.]

When the farce finally ended and the hall emptied, the Princess Royal of Anyang spoke: “Now tell me what truly happened.”

Chun Zhi said: “I followed a maid to change my clothes. After I changed, Lu Jing Yun turned up somehow. He was drunk and talked nonsense. I slapped him out cold, laid him on the bed, and was about to leave when I noticed someone outside blowing knockout smoke into the room through a bamboo tube. I blew the smoke back out through the tube and knocked them out instead. When I opened the window, I saw Wang Yi Yue. I chased her and knocked her unconscious.”

She told the Princess everything, except for one part: it had actually been Yu Zhu who knocked Wang Yi Yue out with a flowerpot, and Chun Zhi took the blame. Yu Zhu worked at the Princess Royal Manor. If the masters learned she had struck a guest, she would be punished.

“I didn’t expect Seventh Young Master to find a princess consort with such skill,” said Huo Qiong Hua with a laugh.

Chun Zhi asked softly: “Aunt, you don’t blame me?”

“What would I blame you for?” Huo Qiong Hua said as she led Chun Zhi out into the garden. “In my house someone nearly trapped you. Good thing you were quick and clever. You stepped over the pit and buried Wang Sixth Miss in it. I’m relieved, not angry.”

[Chun Zhi let out a breath, feeling the tightness in her chest ease.] She asked: “Aunt is relieved?”

“If the person in that bed with Lu Jing Yun had been you, Seventh Young Master would be furious with me,” Huo Qiong Hua said frankly.

Chun Zhi lowered her eyes, a little embarrassed, and said: “I caused you trouble.”

“What trouble is that?” Huo Qiong Hua asked. “But tell me, with so many people present earlier, were you really going to say everything?”

Chun Zhi answered: “I knew I couldn’t hide it from Aunt. Of course I would tell the truth.” There had been plenty of smart ladies there. Even if she cleared herself, some would still know she had acted. Chun Zhi had done what was right and did not fear talk. Wang Yi Yue meant to push her and Lu Jing Yun onto one bed. Chun Zhi putting Wang Yi Yue onto Lu Jing Yun’s bed was only fair.

Huo Qiong Hua said: “One doesn’t need to be so honest all the time.” She had noticed at once that Chun Zhi was different from those worldly noble daughters, so she had sent everyone away early. [In gossipers’ mouths, a true story can warp into something ugly after a few retellings.] Huo Qiong Hua never cared about her own reputation, but she would not let the future Princess Consort of Chang’an collect rumors in her house.

Walking the grounds with Chun Zhi, she added: “You handled it well today. But what you do does not always need to be said out loud. It is enough that you know.”

Chun Zhi nodded: “Thank you for teaching me, Aunt.”

Huo Qiong Hua, pleased by Chun Zhi’s serious thanks, found herself smiling again. She grew even fonder of this uncommon niece-in-law and personally showed her around the garden.

Song Wan’er had drunk herself into a deep sleep and still hadn’t woken. Huo Qiong Hua ordered that Chun Zhi stay for dinner.

Just as Chun Zhi was about to reply, a maid reported: “Your Highness, Prince Chang’an is here.”

Huo Qiong Hua said with a smile: “Seventh Young Master has come to fetch you.”

Chun Zhi looked toward the walkway and saw Huo Zheng in a dark brocade robe coming through the flowers. His gaze went straight to Chun Zhi. Seeing her safe, he bowed to the Princess Royal of Anyang and said: “Greetings, Aunt.”

“All right, all right,” Huo Qiong Hua said. “I’m returning your Chun Zhi safe and sound. Take her home.”

Huo Zheng stepped forward and took Chun Zhi’s hand. The two spoke in unison to their aunt: “We take our leave.”

Standing together, they were so well matched that even Huo Qiong Hua sighed to herself that they were truly a perfect pair.

Jin Yi and Luo Shang helped the still-asleep Song Wan’er into the Song Manor carriage. Chun Zhi and Huo Zheng boarded the Prince of Chang’an Manor carriage and sat together in the coach.

On his way over, Huo Zheng had already heard that a dramatic scene had played out at the Princess Royal Anyang Manor. He asked with a teasing look: “Was the flower-viewing banquet fun?”