Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Noble Consort Sun remained silent, and Lady Sun, who was standing beside her, could only force a smile and say, "The Princess Consort is too kind. This is all just our duty as part of the household."

Princess Consort of Ying knew when to back off and had no intention of truly clashing with Noble Consort Sun. She smiled, glanced at Qin Shun beside Noble Consort Sun, her gaze shifting, and then asked, "Didn't Prince Zhao come with you today, Noble Consort?"

At Princess Consort of Ying's words, all eyes turned to her. Pei Yun also looked over curiously, seeing Noble Consort Sun smile and say, "He came. He ran into the Heir Apparent of Prince Rong up ahead and stopped to exchange a few words."

Qin Shun could hardly keep the smile off her face—her cousin was here.

Princess Consort of Ying nodded and said no more, as if she'd already gotten the picture. Pei Yun had originally planned to exchange a few pleasantries with the ladies and then head home, but with so many people there today who got on her nerves, she didn't feel like sticking around the banquet. Fortunately, her mother had shown up to have her back, so Pei Yun excused herself from the table on the pretext of taking Qin Yu and Qin Yue out for a walk.

She had intended to bring Qin Pan along as well, but as it happened, her mother seemed to really like Qin Pan and kept her there to talk.

Her brother also strolled out behind her at a leisurely pace.

Qin Yue adored this uncle of hers and clamored for him to carry her. Pei Yuanzhao, always easygoing, scooped up his niece and watched as Pei Yun led Qin Yu by the hand toward the polo field.

"You're not planning to ride in that outfit, are you?" he asked with a raised brow.

Pei Yun gave him a dirty look. "Yu Ge'er wants to play. I can see this match is almost over, so I'm letting him go try it out."

Qin Yu said nothing, but his gaze was indeed fixed on the field.

Pei Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yu Ge'er, at your age, you dare to get on a horse?"

"Look at the players on that field—they're all much older than you."

A seven or eight-year-old knowing how to ride wasn't unusual, but joining a polo match with boys of fifteen or sixteen was pretty rare to see.

Qin Yu nodded, dead serious. "This is just casual play, not swords and spears on a battlefield. Nothing to be afraid of."

Seeing that the polo match had ended, Pei Yun smiled and patted Qin Yu on the shoulder. "Alright, go play. Mom will watch you from here."

Qin Yu gave a little "mm" and ran off.

Seeing her brother go off to play, Qin Yue also clamored to get down and go play pitch-pot. Pei Yuanzhao set her down and watched her scamper away.

Pei Yuanzhao looked in Qin Yu's direction and remarked with admiration, "This child has such insight at such a young age. He's got a limitless future ahead of him."

With natural talent, being born into a duke's household, and having a father like Qin Chu, it'd be harder for him to fail than to succeed.

Pei Yun figured her brother had a good eye—Qin Yu would indeed rise to a position above all others, second only to the emperor. For a subject, that's about as high as you can go.

"The last time you came home, I was in a rush and had to leave quickly. I never got to ask you properly—how are things at the Duke Su residence?" After his sentimental remark, Pei Yuanzhao got serious and asked his sister how she was doing in the Qin family.

Pei Yun burst out laughing.

"Brother, in all my years as your sister, this is the first time I've seen you care about me this much," Pei Yun teased. "Didn't you say when I got married that a married daughter is like water spilled?"

Pei Yuanzhao flicked her forehead with his finger, just like when they were kids messing around. Watching Pei Yun clutch her forehead and glare at him, all huffy, he finally smiled and said, "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"You're my only sister. Apart from our parents, we're the closest family each other's got in this world. How could I not care?"

Though Pei Yun and Pei Yuanzhao had grown up bickering—pulling each other's hair and calling each other names were commonplace—both knew deep down that they were the most important person to each other. So even though they didn't look as lovey-dovey as typical brother-sister pairs, they actually told each other everything and held nothing back.

But this was also the first time Pei Yun had heard such direct words from her brother, straight up.

It seemed that her marrying and moving out of the house had indeed changed things—even her brother's habit of never saying what he felt had been cured.

"I'm doing wonderfully. This marriage was arranged by His Majesty—what can the Duke Su household do to me?" Pei Yun said with a smile. "As for Qin Chu, he treats me well too. You've seen Yue Jie'er and Yu Ge'er—they're both really good kids."

Pei Yuanzhao looked at his sister, who, though now wearing a married woman's hairstyle, still had the same radiant beauty as before her wedding, and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair.

"Your marriage wasn't something our family could decide. Father and Mother have always felt they've shortchanged you, and I feel the same."

"But aside from that, if you ever have any problems in the Duke Su household, remember to come home right away. Your brother's got your back."

Pei Yun nodded with a smile. "I know. I wouldn't be shy about asking you."

"Alright, enough about me." Pei Yun said cheerfully. "Mother told me earlier that she also came this time to see if there's a good match for me to marry. So, you got your eye on anyone?"

By now, most of the attendees of the Polo Club had arrived, especially the young masters and misses from various households. Some sat chatting in the stands, while others had already taken to the field in fine form—in short, it was a lively scene.

"You don't need to worry about my affairs," Pei Yuanzhao said with a slight curl of his lips. "Let Mother do the picking. Though I imagine she'll have quite a task ahead of her."

The reason was what Pei Yun had discussed with Princess Consort of Ying before—Pei Yuanzhao, as the Heir Apparent of Prince Ying and the only son of the Deposed Crown Prince, had marriage prospects that were rather awkward—too high for some, too low for others. Whoever was chosen would need to satisfy not only his parents and himself but also His Majesty.

"The feeling of being constrained at every turn truly is unpleasant," Pei Yun muttered under her breath.

She could only say such things in front of her family.

Pei Yuanzhao replied with an air of indifference, "That's always how it is—the victor reigns, the vanquished falls."

If His Majesty hadn't wanted to cultivate a reputation for benevolence, who knew what would have become of their family.

Pei Yun nodded. That was true. This wasn't like ordinary families fighting over inheritance. If the tables were turned today, her father would undoubtedly do the same—crushing their fifth uncle's family completely.

So for now, they could only tread carefully, maintaining the facade of a leisurely, honored prince with close ties to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. That was good enough.

But even that facade required their family's constant effort to maintain.

"At least we still have Grandmother. If you truly set your heart on some young lady, having Grandmother issue a marriage decree on your behalf is also an option."

Pei Yun mustered another smile, but seeing that her brother seemed to have no particular interest in any of the young ladies present, she brought up the Empress Dowager again and said, "Brother, did you know His Majesty has tasked Grandmother with handling the selection of Prince Zhao's principal consort?"

"I heard it from Mother, though I haven't heard of Grandmother summoning any young lady to the palace. Likely it's just a formality," Pei Yuanzhao said casually. "With the Empress having no son and Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao riding high, why would Grandmother invite trouble? Let the mother and son sort it out themselves. Grandmother can just nod her approval when the time comes."

Pei Yun thought the same. She remarked, "When I went to the palace that day, I happened to run into His Majesty. Grandmother said it seems Noble Consort Sun has very high standards—nothing she looks at satisfies her. That's why His Majesty grew annoyed and tossed the matter to Grandmother to handle—"

Pei Yun suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Seeing her slightly startled expression, Pei Yuanzhao raised a brow and smiled. "What is it? Remembered something?"

"That's not right, brother."

Only now did Pei Yun piece together what had always struck her as odd.

"If Noble Consort Sun truly favored her own niece, where would all this pickiness come from?" Pei Yun said, somewhat baffled. "She could simply petition His Majesty for a marriage decree directly."

She had been too busy and muddled lately—how had she only now noticed such an obvious oversight?

Pei Yuanzhao leaned back against the railing with his arms crossed, smiling. "Exactly. The rumor that Noble Consort Sun wants her niece as her daughter-in-law has been swirling all over the capital, and here she is being so affectionate today."

Following his gaze, Pei Yun looked toward Noble Consort Sun, who was warmly holding Qin Shun's hand and chatting amiably with the ladies of various households.

"Could it be that it's all a smokescreen?" Pei Yun mused. "Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao never actually wanted this marriage alliance with the Duke Su household?"

Seeing that his sister had finally caught on, Pei Yuanzhao raised a brow and said, "If I were Prince Zhao, I wouldn't want to marry my own cousin either."

"Forget the fact that Duke Su's title isn't even settled yet," Pei Yuanzhao said. "Even if it were, it's just a fancy title that sounds good but only comes with a court stipend. What good would that actually do? Although the Empress has no biological son, she does have an adopted one—Prince Qi is already eleven this year."

The Empress only had a legitimate princess and no sons, but after Emperor Qing'an ascended the throne, she adopted the Fourth Prince, Prince Qi, whose mother had passed away early and had no standing in the palace, so they supported each other.

After hearing Pei Yuanzhao out, Pei Yun understood that from the perspective of court politics and the struggle for the throne, Prince Zhao's marriage to Qin Shun didn't do them any good beyond just strengthening family ties.

Although Qin Ruili was still alive, his job as Vice Minister of Rites didn't amount to much, and Qin Shun's siblings were even more useless. Even if the Western Manor truly inherited the title of Duke Su, as Pei Yuanzhao said, it would just be a fancy title—all show, no substance—nowhere near as useful as marrying into a family that actually has power and can get things done.

Noble Consort Sun and Mrs. Sun hailed from the Sun family of Guangning, a family of scholars for generations. Their father had once served as Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall but had already retired. Due to the political turmoil in recent years, the deck had been reshuffled for many great families. Although the Sun family had some promising young men, they hadn't made a name for themselves yet, and upon closer inspection, their birth families couldn't really help them out much right now.

"Then why not just tell her sister outright?" Pei Yun was still puzzled. "They rise and fall together now—if Prince Zhao ever becomes emperor, that trumps everything."

From her understanding of Mrs. Sun, she wasn't some clueless, hot-tempered woman; if these matters were explained to her carefully, at least they could talk it through.

"My dear little sister, don't forget, it's not just my marriage that requires the Emperor's approval—Prince Zhao's marriage does too." Pei Yuanzhao spread his hands. "The Emperor has just ascended the throne and is in his prime, with the heir not even decided yet. Prince Zhao has no shortage of supporters in court. You think the Emperor's gonna be okay with him using marriage to cozy up to court officials?"

Pei Yun suddenly realized.

"So Noble Consort Sun pushing Qin Shun on Prince Zhao is really just for show for the Emperor?"

Pei Yuanzhao nodded, pleased. "So you're not completely hopeless."

"Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao put on a show for the Emperor, but they can't actually marry their own niece into the family—that'd be a raw deal, wouldn't it?" Pei Yuanzhao continued to guide her. "So they cooked up a scheme to dump this marriage business on the Grand Empress Dowager."

"Think about it—if the Grand Empress Dowager makes the decision, who's in the best spot to sway her?"

Pei Yun: "...Me?"

Pei Yuanzhao patted his sister's shoulder, his flirtatious eyes full of pity. "My silly sister, you almost got played for a fool by Noble Consort Sun and her son."

"..."

Pei Yun felt dizzy.

"Give me a moment."

She sat aside, frowning in deep thought, piecing together recent events.

"So Prince Zhao arranged the matter with Princess Qinghe and Yue Jie'er with two layers of meaning. On the surface, he was helping his aunt's family stir up trouble between the main branch and the Western Manor to seize the title, but in reality, it was a show for me—to make me clash with the Western Manor and thus sabotage the marriage between Prince Zhao and Qin Shun."

And as for how to sabotage it, Prince Zhao and Noble Consort Sun had already handed her the method.

That was to go to the Grand Empress Dowager, who had always favored their family, making it not too difficult.

"So in the end, it would appear that Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao wanted to strengthen family ties by choosing a less prominent match, but I ruined it, forcing them to give up. Then, to compensate them, the Grand Empress Dowager would likely choose another suitable match."

Pei Yun continued to ponder. "And in the eyes of the Western Manor, Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao still care about them, but I interfered, so their sisterly bond wouldn't be damaged."

So, having decided to put on this act, Noble Consort Sun simply kept Mrs. Sun in the dark as well.

After working it all out, Pei Yun gasped—she had almost fallen into the trap set by Prince Zhao and Noble Consort Sun!

Just then, she remembered Qin Chu's meaningful words to her that day, saying that Prince Zhao was not a simple man.

Could he have known something in advance?

Author's note:

None.