Chapter 106 Cloud Nine: Plot
Princess Shangrong was upset over the events that’d unfolded in the Imperial Study that day, spending her days holed up in her palace by herself. How could my perfect plan be disrupted by the Anping Duke and the wretched mouth of that woman? The floor was cluttered with the unfortunate aftereffects of the princess’ many tantrums, her attendants and handmaidens cowering in a corner in fear the princess.
That was the sight that greeted Chu Xiaoxiao as she waltzed into the hall. “Leave us!” Chu Xiaoxiao commanded the attendants who quickly complied, glad to be away from the volatile princess. Chu Xiaoxiao sat down on the bed beside Liu Shang.
“Calm down, Shang’er. You’re the favourite daughter of his Majesty; I’m sure there’re dozens of ways for you to destroy that woman.” Chu Xiaoxiao comforted the princess as she quietly went through the plan in her head. Why did elder brother ask that of me? He seems…differently lately. He’s stronger and calmer than he was; he used to be such a klutz!
“Tell me how then!” Liu Shang’s face relaxed somewhat. “I can’t take this sitting down! Why is the Duke of Anping protecting her? Why did Father let her off so easily? I hate that woman!”
“Shang’er, think about your status for a moment. You are the princess, a member of the royal family. That Feng Luodi is nothing but the daughter of a mere official in court. Just as how her Father is but a subject of his Majesty, she is but your subject.”
“I know that,” Liu Shang nodded, “but how am I going to make use of that?”
“You really got your head muddled by that woman, haven’t you?” Chu Xiaoxiao nudged Liu Shang. “The next time we go out, we can bring the palace guards along with us. We’ll ‘meet’ Feng Luodi on the streets and let the guards punish her for not being respectful enough to you. Once we’ve done her good, she’ll know to stay away from you and everything related to you. Even if his Majesty hears of this, he’ll definitely be on your side.”
“Wow, that’s such a good idea, Xiaoxiao! You’re brilliant!”
Seeing Liu Shang’s smile, Chu Xiaoxiao quickly popped the question she’s been waiting for. “Shang’er, are you more interested in the Duke of Anping or my elder brother? He has been gloomy and upset these few days because of what happened that day.”
Liu Shang smiled awkwardly. “Of course I like Elder Brother Huaicai more than the Duke of Anping! Tell him not to mind my actions that day.”
“Of course! I knew you weren’t someone to go back on your word.” Chu Xiaoxiao grinned.
“Anyway, let’s put the plan in action!” Liu Shang got to her feet. “I can’t wait to see the look on Feng Luodi’s face!”
Of course, Feng Luodi did not know anything about the malicious plot the princess had in store for her, just about to leave the Feng household to meet Jianqiu at Manchun Tang.
“Let us go with you today, young miss.” Scarlet pleaded with Feng Luodi. “The First Lady is worried about you.”
“Alright then, let’s go together.” Feng Luodi nodded, not putting up any objections.
“Okay! Let me get the umbrella. The skies are looking rather gloomy.” Scarlet quickly grabbed an umbrella and the two of them exited the Feng household.
Qi Jianqiu poked her head out of the back door of the Qi household with a huge hamper in her arms. She looked around gingerly, before quickly and silently slipping out of the household. “Thank god I thought of this back alley that leads straight to Manchun Tang, or the Heir’s men would already be all over me by now!” She grumbled under her breath. “What’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he have better things to do than bothering a simple young woman like me?” The Heir and his followers have been badgering her for the past few days constantly, asking for her hand in marriage.
The alley was quiet, new houses lining both sides of the street. Suddenly, movement caught Qi Jianqiu’s attention. A lavishly dressed man walked into one of the courtyards, an attendant guiding the way before him. The courtyard was huge, but the unadorned doors bore no clue about the owner of the courtyard, other than his apparent wealth.
“Isn’t that Gan Qingjia? What’s he doing in this part of town?” Qi Jianqiu mumbled to herself, perplexed. She looked at the hamper in her hand. “I’m sorry Luodi, you’ll have to wait for a while. I’ll have to check this out.”
Qi Jianqiu slowly crept up to the courtyard, hugging the hamper close to her chest. Setting the hamper on the ground, she carefully mounted a mound of bricks left over from construction work and painfully wriggled her way to the top of the courtyard’s walls. Looking around, a huge plaque in the middle of the courtyard came into view.
The Villa of Mount Baicha
“The Villa of Mount Baicha?” Qi Jianqiu frowned. “Didn’t the Heir say that he was under his Majesty’s orders to investigate this place?” If I’m not wrong, his Majesty seems to be displeased with the Villa and its owner.
What does Gan Qingjia have to do with the Villa?
“Our branch in Jiangnan needs to expand further to the Northwest. We’ll be able to stay under the radar while reaping more profits at the same time.” Gan Qingjia’s voice sounded from inside the courtyard.
Qi Jianqiu held in her gasp and quickly scurried down from her perch on the wall. Picking up her hamper as silently as she could, she dashed into a side alley.
“Yes, Master. I understand. I will do my best.” This voice was unfamiliar.
“Good. I’m sure you’ll do well. Be careful of your actions in Chang’an; the Heir has been paying attention to our actions for a while.” Gan Qingjia reminded.
“I understand.”
Gan Qingjia nodded as he stepped out of the courtyard. Out of the corner of his eye, a mound of bricks propped up against the wall caught his attention. He frowned, his gaze landing on the entrance to a side alley not far away.
“Is anything the matter, Master?” It was the unfamiliar voice again.
“Nothing. I’ll be leaving now.” Gan Qingjia shook his head and turned to leave.
Qi Jianqiu held her breath as she hid in the side alley. Gan Qingjia is the Master of the Villa? How can he be the owner of the Villa that has most of Jiangnan’s riches in its pockets! Isn’t Gan Qingjia just a useless jerk that wastes his time away with women and music? Qi Jianqiu felt as if her brain was about to explode from the new influx of information.
Is that man really Gan Qingjia? I can’t believe that he’s been hiding this all the while! Has he already chosen a side in court? Whose side is he on!
Meanwhile, Feng Luodi and Scarlet approached Manchun Tang, on time for her supposed meeting with Qi Jianqiu. A rare smile lit up Feng Luodi’s face as she laughed about something with Scarlet. As she looked towards the restaurant, familiar figures caught her attention.
Princess Shangrong and the Commandery Princess of Huaiyang stood by the entrance, surrounded by palace guards. That doesn’t seem good.
“Go to the Grand Tutor’s residence and ask for elder brother to come as quickly as possible.” She whispered to Scarlet. Scarlet knew that there was nothing she could do and nodded as she took off in the opposite direction.
Feng Luodi took a deep breath and decided to try her luck, turning to leave. Before she could take a step, the voice of Princess Shangrong sounded from behind her.
“Feng Luodi. How dare you not greet me?”
Feng Luodi stopped and turned around. Mustering her courage, she squeezed a courteous smile onto her face. She walked towards Princess Shangrong and gave a little curtsy.
“My greetings, your Highness. I wish upon you my blessings.”
“You may rise.” Princess Shangrong looked at her arrogantly. “It is rare for me to have such an occasion to grace these streets. Why don’t you accompany me to lunch? I’m kind enough to grant such an honour upon you.”
“It is my honour indeed.” Feng Luodi did not break a bit as she answered. Following behind the princess and Chu Xiaoxiao, they entered Manchun Tang. The owner of the restaurant quickly approached the group, knowing that they were not to be treated lightly.
“Get us a quiet dining room, and serve your signature dishes immediately.” Chu Xiaoxiao barked at the owner.
“Yes, yes.” The owner nodded profusely. He glanced at Feng Luodi, who nodded lightly.
The group entered a dining room on the third floor, the dishes for lunch served almost immediately. Two guards entered the dining room with them while others stood to guard outside. Princess Shangrong and Chu Xiaoxiao sat down immediately and dug into their food, commenting as they tasted each this.
“So this is the food of the famous Manchun Tang? It tastes so bland, compared to the dishes from the Imperial Kitchen.”
“Of course, Shang’er.” Chu Xiaoxiao quickly joined in. “You’re too used to the delicacies of the palace; it’s only natural that you cannot stomach the food for those lowly commoners.”
Feng Luodi stood by the side of the room, a polite smile etched on her face, refusing to participate in the conversation.
The two girls sat down their chopsticks, barely making a dent in the food they’d ordered.
“What’s wrong, Shang’er? Are you not feeling well?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked.
Liu Shang shook her head. “I’m not used to not having anyone wait on me as I eat.”
Chu Xiaoxiao smiled. “Don’t you worry, we have a handmaiden right here with us!” He turned to Feng Luodi and barked. “Do you not have eyes to see for yourself? Get over here immediately and wait on the princess!”
Feng Luodi looked at the two arrogant girls, a mocking smile forming on her lips.
“What if I refuse? What will you do to me?”