Spring Message in the Snow – CH 036

Chapter 36

So the deal fell through, and the friendship was gone too.

Surou said, “Luckily, I saw through his true colors long ago. It’s better to be disgusted today than to suffer heartache later. Do not worry; Her Highness is such a wise woman; she would never let these people tarnish your reputation.”

Just as she finished speaking, the Princess, controlling her tone, said, “My county princess has high standards; she looks down on even kings and generals. Would she possibly look at you? I know you… What are these poor scholars scheming for? They just want to rely on a powerful family for protection, thinking that if they ruin a girl’s reputation, she might marry them and they would not have to study so hard… But do you not know what kind of family I have? How could you possibly extort me!”

However, Ye Fengshi refused to give up. He was driven to a dead end. If he had not met the county princess, he would not have had such improper thoughts. But meeting her had made him weary, and he had no chance of passing the imperial examinations next year. If he missed the county princess again, he would have to start all over again. Therefore, when his sister-in-law, indignant on his behalf, suggested this desperate measure, he half-heartedly agreed, thinking that even if it was a gamble, if he could force the Princess and her husband into a difficult situation, perhaps a glimmer of hope would appear.

However, he did not want to get involved himself. After all, a man should not make a scene over such a matter; it would be a disgrace to his scholarly reputation. So he remained aloof, observing from a distance. Later, when he saw the Princess about to report him to the authorities, he knew he absolutely could not; he still cared about his official rank. Left with no other choice, he had to show himself. Even if it meant gaining some negative repute before the Princess, it might give the county princess a chance to remember their past relationship and force her to confess to her parents.

However, the Princess’s words were truly humiliating. Her belittling of him was practically an insult to his servants. He held his breath and bowed, saying, “Your Highness, there’s no need to rush to clear your name. I remember the county princess had a small mole on her right wrist. As her mother, Your Highness knows whether I am right or wrong.”

To his surprise, the Princess did not even flinch. She said, “Nonsense! It’s getting more and more absurd. It seems you are here to ruin the county princess’s reputation.” Seeing him about to speak again, she shouted, “Shut your mouth! If you dare say another word, watch your future!”

Ye Fengshi immediately fell silent. He truly dared not risk his future. His resentment today was actually a desperate attempt to secure a chance for advancement. So he could only plead towards the gate, “Princess… Sujie, if you are here, please say a word for me!”

Sujie, inside the flower hall, gritted her teeth, “I wish I could tear him to pieces!”

Perhaps mother and daughter were of one mind, for the Princess immediately gave the order: “Gag these traitors who framed the imperial relative, tie them up, and carry them to the yamen.” She then instructed the chief clerk standing nearby, “You go there yourself and tell Magistrate Qu the whole story. Report back to me after the magistrate has dealt with them.”

The chief clerk responded with a “Yes,” and with a wave of his hand, a group of guards rushed out from inside the gate. The gag and binding were done in one swift motion, and in the blink of an eye, the man was bound like a dumpling, his cheeks tightly bound with strips of cloth. The bound man whimpered and sobbed, but no one paid attention to what he said. Sticks were passed through his limbs, and two men lifted him up like a live pig, carrying him in a grand procession towards the government office.

The sun blazed high in the sky, making the journey arduous for those facing the heavens. The crowd gathered in front of the mansion gate, finding little excitement, and gradually dispersed. However, they gained new fodder for gossip: the daughter of the Princess of Jinxiang was having an affair with a poor scholar. On their way back, they embellished the story, making it sound incredibly detailed.

The Princess, now back inside, trembled with rage. Seeing Sujie hesitantly approaching, she dismissed her attendants and grabbed Sujie’s right hand, confirming her suspicions once more.

Yes, that was right. She knew something was wrong when that scholar mentioned the mole on her hand. She’d rather she’d misremembered, rather the mole on Sujie’s hand had simply disappeared, than face the sight of her beloved daughter so degradingly engaging in illicit relations with such a man.

The Princess raised her hand, ready to strike her across the face, but thankfully, Surou stopped her. When scolding failed, she burst into tears, pointing a finger at Sujie, “You…you shameless thing! Of all people to fall for, you had to fall for such a good-for-nothing criminal!”

Sujie had never seen her mother so angry. Shocked and frightened, she said through tears, “Mother, I know I was wrong. I have nothing to do with him anymore.”

But a girl’s reputation was ruined for life. The Princess stamped her foot in anger and questioned her again, “How far have you gone? Have you…have you done anything you will regret for the rest of your life?”

Sujie blushed and said no, “I’ve been disciplined by my mother since I was little. She taught me self-respect and self-love. I may not be good at judging people, but I am not that foolish.”

Surou, caught in the middle, was actually very embarrassed. She stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Highness, the county princess told me about this. I know the whole story. The reason I didn’t tell Your Highness was that I overestimated that scholar and thought that if she cut off his hopes, he wouldn’t bother her anymore.”

The Princess turned to look at Surou, her face contorted with grief. “Lady Zhang, I entrusted Sujie to you with complete trust, but I never expected you to help her deceive me.”

Surou was filled with shame at these words. Sujie quickly came to her rescue. “Mother, please do not blame my sister. It’s all my fault. Originally… originally he was planning to come and propose marriage, but my sister tricked me into seeing through him. My sister told me she hoped I would tell you frankly, Mother, that it was… I felt ashamed, so I kept it from you.”

“Well, now you’ve made a mess of things!” The Princess glared at her angrily, nearly choking on her own breath. “If this gets out, how will your father face the court? Just you wait; he will come back and curse you to death!”

Sujie covered her face and wept bitterly. She was still terrified of her father and knew that this was a truly terrible matter. Besides hanging herself, her only other option was to become a nun. Was there any way to salvage the situation? Although the Princess felt sorry for her daughter, she was helpless. People could talk, and you could not stop them. This commotion had probably ruined the marriage with the Prince of Hubei’s family; it was truly all fate.

Just as she was about to resign herself to fate, Surou called out, “Your Highness, I have an idea, though absurd, but it might barely solve the current predicament.”

The Princess looked up at her blankly, now at a loss, willing to try anything, no matter what it was.

So she hurriedly pulled Surou’s hand and led her into the main room, earnestly saying, “What is it now? Lady Zhang, please speak freely. As long as this crisis can be resolved, you will be the benefactor of the Duke of Wen’s Mansion from now on.”

Surou said she dared not, “I am just offering a random idea. Your Highness, please listen and see if it’s feasible. Immediately send someone out, in Ye Fengshi’s name, to find some idle men in the market, offer them money, and have them, like the Ye family, make a scene outside the homes of prominent families in the capital with daughters, proposing marriage and causing a ruckus. Although this is somewhat immoral, since every family will encounter the same thing, it will not harm the reputation of the noble ladies. When each family brings these men to the yamen, those idle men will naturally accuse Ye Fengshi of instigating them, and all the blame will fall on Ye Fengshi, making it easier for the magistrate to confirm his crime.”

She finished speaking, letting out a soft sigh, her face showing a calm indifference. “If we only consider his offenses against Your Highness and the County Princess, he’d only deserve twenty strokes of the cane at most. Keeping him in the capital would still be a threat. In my opinion, it’s better to exile him far away. Even if it’s extreme, it’s to protect the County Princess and prevent him from doing something reckless that could endanger her.”

After hearing this, both the Princess and Sujie were somewhat stunned. They probably never imagined that this gentle and refined female tutor could have such a meticulous and decisive mind!

Indeed, this was a last resort, the only way to salvage Sujie’s reputation. The Princess, regaining her composure, quickly agreed and hurriedly summoned her personal maid, instructing her to carry out Surou’s instructions.

“Remember, you absolutely must not let this information leak out. We cannot let anyone know we are behind this scheme, or we will offend every noble family in the capital.”

The old woman acknowledged the order, saying, “Your Highness, rest assured, we would not dare act rashly in something so serious.”

The Princess nodded and waved her hand, saying, “Go quickly, go quickly.” Watching the old woman disappear at the end of the courtyard, she finally let out a long sigh, murmuring, “I hope nothing goes wrong. I pray for Heaven to protect my Sujie!”

Hearing her mother’s words, Sujie’s eyes welled up with tears again. She buried herself in the Princess’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, “Mother, it’s my foolishness that caused this trouble, making everyone around me worry so much.” The Imperial Princess, being a loving mother, gradually calmed down after her initial anger. She embraced Sujie, comforting her, “It’s alright. Everyone makes mistakes when they are young. As long as you realize your mistakes and reflect on them in the future, this lesson will not have been in vain.” She paused, then added, “I will not tell your father the details yet. As long as Lady Zhang’s plan works, things will pass quickly. There’s no need to disturb him.”

Sujie nodded, sobbing, “I promise I will listen to you in everything from now on, Mother, and I will never talk back to you again.”

Therefore, young people must experience these setbacks to temper their impetuousness and understand their shortcomings. This was the price of growing up; after discouragement, hope would be rekindled, and life would become more meaningful.

The Princess gently smoothed Sujie’s hair, then reached out to take Surou’s hand. “Lady Zhang,” she said, “I had no idea you’d done so much for Sujie. The old saying is true: ‘One who stays near vermilion gets stained red.’ Without you, our good girl would have been corrupted by those scoundrels.”

Surou bowed slightly. “Your Highness is too kind. The County Princess is a good girl; her willingness to listen to advice is most important.”

The Princess sighed softly, then continued, “After this, we owe Lady Zhang a debt of gratitude. Sujie has no objection; you two should remain friends for life. As for me, if there’s anything I can do to help, I will certainly do my best to accommodate you.”

Surou smiled and thanked him. She did not really care about anything else; having more connections with royalty would make her future path easier.

What followed was a long wait for news from outside. About an hour later, the gatekeeper announced that the master had returned. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Duke of Wen walked through the courtyard to the corridor, dusting himself off as he said, “The city was in an uproar today! A bunch of scholars who appeared out of nowhere claimed to have connections with the young ladies of various households, clamoring to propose marriage. Even the Prime Minister’s family was not spared.”

Surou and Sujie exchanged a glance, secretly relieved that their efforts were finally showing some results.

The Imperial Princess went out to greet him, tentatively asking, “What did the various households say? Did they blame the young ladies?”

The Duke of Wen replied, “Clearly, those poor scholars who failed the imperial examinations were trying to curry favor. Who would take that seriously! Some chased them away, some beat them up and sent them to the county yamen. I encountered five or six such families on my way back—it’s quite a strange situation!”

The Imperial Princess’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. She patted her chest and said, “That’s good…that’s good…”

The Duke of Wen found it strange. “What’s good about this?”

The Imperial Princess then smiled, “You do not know… Our family encountered something similar before, and I was worried I would not be able to explain myself no matter how hard I tried… Turns out it’s not just us. So, Sujie’s reputation is preserved.”

The Duke of Wen angrily denounced the boy as deserving of death, then said to the Princess, “The imperial examinations are not what they used to be. The Emperor demands strict grading across the country, and those candidates lacking sufficient knowledge inevitably resort to crooked means.” As he spoke, he entered the room and, seeing Sujie and a dignified woman standing there, smiled and said, “This must be the young lady from Minister Zhang’s household?”

The Duke of Wen was a scholar-general; despite his illustrious military achievements, he maintained the demeanor of a refined scholar. Surou composed herself and curtsied, then said to Sujie, “It’s getting late; I should head back. Calm yourself; the weather’s hot, and a calm mind brings coolness.”

Sujie agreed and said to her parents, “I will see you out, sister.”

The Princess acknowledged, though she did not say anything, her eyes filled with gratitude. She said gently, “Thank you for your hard work today, Lady Zhang.”

Surou smiled and, together with Sujie, went to the gate. The carriage was parked against the wall across the street. Sujie escorted her to the carriage, saying tenderly, “Sister, you are my savior.”

Surou chuckled, “I just casually offered a bad idea. Now that the plan is in place, it will pass quickly; do not worry about it.”

Sujie nodded, helped her into the carriage, and after they said their goodbyes, the carriage headed towards the Zhang Mansion.

After washing her face and changing her clothes at home, Surou went to the Grand Madam’s courtyard. Upon entering, she heard Lady Yuan talking to the Grand Madam, who said dejectedly, “I do not know where this scoundrel came from, spouting nonsense. The master was so angry that he had him severely beaten and thrown out of the alley…”

Surou stopped in her tracks, sticking her tongue out at Quelan. Indeed, her brilliant idea had implicated even her own sisters. Fortunately, the outcome was within her calculations; the person who came to cause trouble kept changing their story, sometimes mentioning the Third Mistress, sometimes the Fourth Mistress, making it impossible to clarify, so no one took it seriously. As for herself, because it involved the county princess, she could not tell her family the whole story, and in the end, she just laughed it off and let it go.

Grand Madam Zhang shook her head and sighed, “These people nowadays, they are increasingly unable to be grounded.” She then asked Lady Yuan, “Has the Jin family agreed to come for the betrothal tomorrow?”

Lady Yuan replied cheerfully, “Yes, they have. They sent someone to inform us that the second quarter of the Chen hour ^{(7:45 AM)} is an auspicious time, and they will come then for good luck.”

The Grand Madam Zhang said, “That’s good. The Jin family is too impatient. Fifth Sister’s engagement has bypassed the order of her two older sisters.”

However, this was not a major problem. Betrothal was not so complicated; even in a formal marriage, it was not uncommon for the younger sister to precede the older sister.

Everyone chatted animatedly about the preparations for the next day. Lady Yuan said, “I always felt annoyed thinking about Shangrou’s marriage last night. Now that it’s Jirou’s turn, we must handle it properly. Tomorrow, I ask the old lady to take a good look at that young man. He’s currently a military officer, young enough to hold a military rank; I am quite pleased with him.”

That was settled. The betrothal ceremony would be held at Suihua Garden the next day. The sisters gathered behind the curtain to observe as usual. Seeing the son of the vice minister, with his handsome and dashing appearance, especially his thick, dark eyebrows, Jirou commented that he looked “like Guan Yu.”

It was not a good or bad thing, but he was passable. One could not expect a man to be exceptionally handsome. Finally, as usual, Jirou was asked to go out and meet him. Jirou and Mianmian were always quick to argue, but when she saw a man, she became somewhat intimidated, becoming more refined, lowering her head, and remaining silent.

Mianmian laughed heartily in the inner room, clapping her hands and exclaiming, “Jirou has finally met her match!”

Zhirou rolled her eyes at her. “When the Earl’s family comes to offer betrothal gifts, my cousin probably will not be any better than Fifth Sister.”

Mianmian’s smile froze, but because she was looking forward to this marriage, she did not refute Zhirou, instead showing a hint of shyness.

Surou smiled at her and asked softly, “Grandmother sent a letter to Aunt; has Aunt not replied yet?”

Mianmian lowered her head and calculated, “Even at the fastest speed, it would take half a month for a round trip, so we will have to wait a few more days.”

Surou teased, “Aunt must be very satisfied with this marriage; perhaps she will rush back to the capital after receiving the letter.”

“Whether she returns to the capital or not, I do not know yet. Before I left Jiangling Prefecture, Mother said that if the marriage was suitable, Grandmother should handle the arrangements. Father is busy with business and can only come to the capital after the wedding, but I reckon Mother will not be dissatisfied…” she said, then leaned close to Surou’s ear and whispered, “Second Sister, I saw that Earl’s son yesterday.”

The sisters nearby immediately leaned over and asked, “What does he look like?”

Mianmian smiled. “His build is somewhat like Jiezhi’s. He’s not very tall, but he’s very handsome. I would not say he’s as good-looking as the Heir Apparent, but he’s definitely better looking than Brother-in-law.”

Chen Ang had initially won Shangrou’s favor with just his looks, but now that Earl’s son was even better than Chen Ang, it meant Mianmian had met a good one this time.

Yingrou chimed in, “Cousin, you are so lucky! The young man comes from a good family and is handsome; it’s truly a match made in heaven!”

Mianmian was pleased and turned to Qingrou, asking, “Did Third Uncle inquire about the young master of the Vice Magistrate’s family for you?”

Qingrou smiled calmly. Her father had not really taken her marriage seriously; he’d only asked a couple of questions to acquaintances and came back saying he was good—that was good enough.

“I do not care much about a man’s looks, as long as his nose and eyes are in the right places,” Qingrou said, her eyes lowered and her hands resting neatly on her knees. “He was already engaged, so I suppose his future in-laws must have investigated him thoroughly and only agreed to the marriage if everything was perfect. I’ve already got a ready-made match, so there’s no need for me to investigate further.”