The Cheng Princess Consort’s return to the Cheng Manor was a major event for the entire household.
When news came that her carriage had arrived at the gates, the Cheng Prince, who had been attending to the ailing matriarch, leapt to his feet with joy. On the bed, the old princess dowager, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened her eyes, her breath coming in wheezes. Yet, the Cheng Prince, lost in his happiness, didn’t notice.
“I knew it—Yue-niang couldn’t bear to leave me.”
His voice brimmed with delight as he strode toward the door, intending to greet her personally. But as he reached the entrance, he remembered the imperial decree forbidding him from leaving the manor.
He couldn’t take a single step outside the gates. Frustrated, he stopped and began barking orders to the servants around him.
“Quickly! Go welcome the princess consort inside!”
“The heir has already gone, Your Highness. Please don’t worry,” replied the old steward, who had served the household for decades. These days, he had been deeply anxious, watching the prince struggle under house arrest and the manor’s declining fortunes.
When the prince’s and heir’s letters to the princess consort, sent to Jiyun Alley, received no reply, he had feared that she was resolute in her decision to leave the Cheng Manor for good. Now that she was finally returning, the steward could hardly contain his relief.
“The princess consort’s return surely means she is willing to forgive Your Highness. The matter with the Song family has passed, and Your Highness acted out of concern for the royal clan and our household. If you explain yourself properly, the princess consort, with her kind heart, will surely understand your intentions.”
The Cheng Prince scowled at the mention of the Song family. “I know. As long as Song Hong keeps his mouth shut, why should I care about the Song family’s troubles…”
If he hadn’t feared that the Song family’s downfall might implicate him, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to cover up their mess.
Luckily, Song Hong hadn’t been foolish enough to reveal everything, even under torture. For the sake of his released son, Song Hong had gritted his teeth and kept silent.
Thinking of the Song family darkened the Cheng Prince’s mood. “Is Song Tangning coming too?”
The steward shook his head. “No, only the princess consort and Momo Jiang have returned.”
The relief on the Cheng Prince’s face was palpable. “That troublesome girl—I hope she never sets foot here again!”
His hatred for the girl he had watched grow up was intense. Once, he had been fond of her, seeing her as a clever and well-behaved child and the future daughter-in-law of the prominent Lu family. But the once-tamed sparrow had grown claws.
She had not only brought down the Song Duke’s household but also left the Lu family battered and bruised, dragging him into chaos as well.
The steward, noting the prince’s fury, quickly advised in a low voice, “Your Highness, I know you dislike Song Tangning, but she is the only surviving child of Lady Rong. The princess consort cares deeply for her. Even if you don’t like her, please don’t bring it up in front of the princess consort.”
“Do you think I’m that foolish? I’ll go along with Yue-niang’s wishes.”
As long as he could win back her favor, what did Song Tangning matter? She was just a girl. Once Yue-niang was back on his side and his house arrest lifted, there would be plenty of time to deal with her.
Satisfied that the prince understood the situation, the steward reminded him, “Your Highness, perhaps you should change into fresh robes. Your attire is wrinkled...”
The past few days of attending to the old princess dowager had left the Cheng Prince looking unkempt.
He initially intended to change into more presentable clothes to greet Yue-niang, knowing that she had always admired his ageless, handsome appearance. But then he remembered the manor’s current dire state and his own bouts of drinking to dull the stress. With a bitter smile, he abandoned the thought.
Straightening his robes and brushing a hand over the stubble that had grown over two days, he let his fatigue show and walked toward the outer courtyard.
“Let Yue-niang see me like this. She’ll feel sorry for me.”
Inside the room, the old princess dowager struggled to sit up, grasping the edge of the bed for support. A maid hurried to her side, asking, “Do you need something, Dowager?”
The dowager didn’t reply, her eyes fixed on the window and the departing figure of the Cheng Prince. Her gaze was murky, her breaths shallow and labored.
“Fool... Why come back…”
She muttered faintly, her voice fragmented and barely audible even to those nearby.
Still gripping the edge of the bed, her fingers trembled as she rasped, “Coming back... to die? That foolish woman…”
The maid, panicked, tried to assist her. “Dowager? What’s wrong?”
The dowager’s lips were pale, and her breathing grew more ragged. Though she tried to speak, her words came out broken and incoherent.
Finally, she clenched the bedframe with all her strength, forcing out in a hoarse voice, “Bring... the princess consort... to see me.”
The maid hesitated. “But your health—”
“I said... bring her!”
The dowager rarely involved herself in the manor’s affairs and was seldom seen by others, but the household feared her deeply. Her sunken cheeks and sharp, protruding cheekbones lent her an almost menacing air as she issued her command.
Terrified, the maid nodded hurriedly. “I’ll go at once!”
After helping the dowager lie back down, she rushed out of the room.
Left alone, the dowager turned her head to look at the brilliant red coral ornament across the room.
It was a gift from the Cheng Princess Consort in her first year of marriage—a rare treasure from the South Seas, vibrant and unblemished. At the time, the consort had brought it to the dowager with great enthusiasm as a birthday present, only to be met with cold disdain.
“Useless trinket,” she had said, dismissing the young girl for not understanding frugality. The consort, still a newlywed with a youthful face full of hope, had been left speechless and crestfallen.
The room was filled with such tokens from the princess consort. Even after being treated with indifference, she had continued to send gifts for every festival and birthday, each one rarer and more exquisite than the last.
The dowager tightened her grip on the bedframe, her gasping breaths echoing through the quiet room. The years of accumulated guilt pressed heavily on her chest, threatening to crush her.
“How... foolish...” she muttered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Why return... only to die?
================You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
Ok I no longer suspect the dowager planned the accidents, just was aware of them…
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