Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C003

After this incident, the reactions of the other people in the Marquis's mansion were not worth mentioning. But in any case, Mei Wushuang was truly frightened.

She had never considered marrying a prince, and since this matter came to light, the servants in the mansion inevitably gossiped about the third prince, Prince Wei.

It was said that Prince Wei's reputation outside was not good, and he was considered infamous.

It was said that he was naturally violent, and even when he was in the palace as a teenager, there were rumors of him repeatedly abusing and killing palace servants, which angered Emperor Taihe so much that he banished him to the border.

After he went to the border, there were fewer accounts of the prince, but his violent nature seemed to thrive in the frontier, and while he made great contributions to Great Liang by conquering in all directions, his reputation for killing without mercy spread throughout the entire Great Liang.

Wherever he went, there was widespread misery, and he was feared by many small countries surrounding Great Liang, so the name "Butcher" spread.

So, it is understandable that when these rumors reached the ears of Wushuang, who was always timid, they would frighten her terribly.

Especially since Prince Wei had already lost two Princess Consorts, and had a reputation for killing his wives. Earlier, Bailu had been sent by "Wushuang" to inquire about Prince Wei, and unexpectedly, she happened to meet Mei Wuxia.

Looking at Mei Wuxia's reaction, although she was trying her best to speak well of Prince Wei, it was clear that the news Bailu had gathered about "Prince Wei having lost two Princess Consorts" was true.

***

If it were the old Wushuang, she would have been terrified and lost her wits, but the current Wushuang was not the same.

Having experienced the same thing again, how could she not know what Mei Wuxia was up to?

She knew that ever since Prince Wei sent word to the Marquis's mansion that he would soon return to the capital, the things she had heard about him were deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the information was fabricated. If Mei Wushuang had gone out to inquire herself, she would have likely received similar results.

As Mei Wuxia said, Prince Wei's reputation was indeed not good.

But regardless of whether his reputation was good or bad, if Prince Wei was truly worthless, why would Mei Wuxia go to such lengths to frighten her?

She actually had realized this earlier.

It took her so long, and she suffered countless losses and lessons before she realized this. Now, Mei Wushuang was not surprised that her elder sister, whom she had admired for so many years, would treat her this way.

She looked at Mei Wuxia's much younger face, but the image that appeared in her mind was the face of the Empress from her previous life, and the words the Empress had said to her on the day she died.

"…Now that things are like this, don't think too much…Father has always hoped to revitalize the Mei family. If the Mei family can produce a crown prince, Father would be very happy. Father and Mother have raised you for over ten years, treating you as their own…"

***

"Eldest Sister is right. I shouldn't be afraid. Perhaps those things are just rumors." Wushuang said, her eyes half-closed.

The curve of Mei Wuxia's lips stiffened slightly as she looked at Wushuang's face hidden beneath her thick bangs.

The bangs that had once pleased her immensely now suddenly seemed annoying. They obscured Wushuang's face, making her features blurry and preventing her from seeing her expression clearly.

But in a flash, she thought, Wushuang must be afraid. She has always been timid, how could she not be afraid? She was just trying to hide it in front of others.

Thinking this, she took out an invitation from her sleeve.

"Let's not talk about this for now. Yueyi sent me an invitation today. In half a month, the Grand Matriarch of the Marquis Xuanping's mansion will be celebrating her birthday. At that time, not only will people from various mansions come to offer their congratulations, but many noble young ladies from the capital will also be present. Yueyi has been assigned the task of receiving the noble young ladies from various mansions. She has always been close to me, so she asked me to help her take care of things. You should go with me then."

As she spoke, she paused and continued, "The Duke Zhao's mansion is a relative of the Marquis Xuanping's mansion, so they should also send someone there. I'm afraid that Second Young Master Zhao will also be there. I'm sure the noble young ladies of the capital will be smitten again."

Mei Wuxia said the last sentence very softly, with a hint of casual teasing.

Young Master Zhao Jianzhi, the second son of the Duke Zhao's mansion, was a renowned young talent in the capital. Not only was he well-versed in knowledge, but he was also extremely handsome. It was no exaggeration to say that he was as handsome as Pan An*. He was the top choice for the ideal husband of the noble young ladies in the capital.

TN: Also known as Pan Yue (247-300), a prominent Western Jin poet, also famous for his good looks, such that his name became a byword for "extremely handsome man"

Unfortunately, while the flowers had their intentions, the flowing water had no feelings. This Second Young Master Zhao, though seemingly amiable and gentle, always maintained the decorum of a gentleman towards any woman, never overstepping his bounds.

The more he was like this, the more countless noble young ladies secretly harbored affections for him. However, the Duke Zhao's mansion was always vague about his marriage. Zhao Jianzhi was eighteen years old and had not yet been betrothed, nor had there been any news of the Duke Zhao's mansion having any plans for his marriage.

If it were before, Mei Wushuang would have felt flustered and blushed, putting on a feigned air of coyness upon hearing Mei Wuxia's words. But as mentioned earlier, things were different now.

Wushuang felt a surge of complex emotions. Her hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, pressed against the red mark left by Teacher Qin's strike.

It hurt!

She wasn't dreaming; she had truly returned to the past.

It was indeed a chain of events, each link designed to ensnare her from the very beginning.

First, intimidation, then the news of Zhao Jianzhi was released to tug at her heartstrings. With the current 'Mei Wushuang's' knowledge, perspective, and temperament, under such extreme intimidation, she would inevitably develop an escape mentality. At this point, if someone offered to alleviate her worries, she would naturally fall for it.

That's how it was in her previous life. Ji Yang suddenly sent word back, their engagement was expedited, and rumors about how terrifying Ji Yang was spread everywhere. She was terrified, her mind in turmoil, unable to sleep at night.

Later, she met Zhao Jianzhi at the Marquis Xuanping's mansion. This jade-like young master, whom she had secretly admired for so long, inevitably drew her affections, making her resent her own unfortunate fate even more.

Just as she was sinking into despair, Mei Wuxia said there was another way to save her. She clung to it like a drowning person grasping at a straw, never imagining that this would be the very thing that would set her on a path of misfortune for the rest of her life.

***

"Wushuang, Wushuang!"

Seeing Wushuang lost in thought again, Mei Wuxia frowned slightly, "What's wrong with you?"

Besides displeasure, she was also surprised. After hearing the news about the Second Young Master Zhao, Wushuang wasn't overjoyed, but lost in thought?

"Eldest Sister, it's nothing, I'm just a little tired." Wushuang forced a smile.

In truth, she was wondering how cunning Mei Wuxia was, to use such methods to manipulate her, all for the sake of marrying the Prince Wei and becoming his Princess Consort?

Setting aside the matter of the engagement to Prince Wei, didn't Eldest Sister know that with the Changyang Marquis's family background, it was impossible to form a marriage alliance with the Duke Zhao's family? If she wanted to marry Zhao Jianzhi, she would have to resort to underhanded means?

That's how it was in her previous life. She followed her Eldest Sister's instructions and schemed against Zhao Jianzhi. Seeing Zhao Jianzhi's angry face, she was both afraid and guilty, but she was already in too deep. She had still thought that after she married him, she would make amends and be a good wife.

However, things were not that simple. The incident caused a huge scandal, bringing shame to both families.

Especially the Duke Zhao's family, who had always held high hopes for Zhao Jianzhi. To think that he was forced to marry her! It was easy to imagine how the Zhao family would hate her.

And Zhao Jianzhi, he inherently disliked being forced into anything, yet he was compelled to marry her. So, from their wedding night onwards, she lived in a separate room. As for making amends and being a good wife after marriage, those were just empty dreams. Because the foundation of their marriage was rotten, it would naturally not bear good fruit.

It could be said that the hardships she endured in her previous life were all caused by this incident.

Eldest Sister was always so intelligent and insightful, couldn't she have foreseen all this?

Wushuang took another deep look at Mei Wuxia, as if trying to see through her facade and into something deeper, but she found nothing.

"Tired?"

Mei Wuxia smiled understandingly, "You just came back from Master Qin's lesson. Master Qin is strict, but she's doing it for your own good. Once you marry into the royal family, the palace is different from the outside world."

This was the reason why she could receive Master Qin's 'personal instruction'. Sometimes, Wushuang truly wanted to rip open the hearts of these people and see if they were inherently black.

Mei Wuxia stood up.

"Alright, if you're tired, rest for now. We'll talk about these things later."

***

After Mei Wuxia left, Wushuang used the excuse of wanting to sleep for a while to dismiss her maids.

Jianjia and Bailu retreated outside. Bailu still seemed carefree, but Jianjia was lost in thought.

"Don't you think Third Miss was acting a bit strange today?"

"Strange? What's strange?" Bailu said nonchalantly, taking a piece of pastry from a plate as she passed by the pastry counter and began to eat. "I don't see anything strange about Third Miss."

She finished the pastry in three bites, glanced at Jianjia, and said, "Alright, stop overthinking things. The young lady is just tired and wants to rest. There's nothing strange about it. It's a good opportunity for her to rest, and we can relax too."

With that, she left, heading towards the outside.

Jianjia bit her lip, watching Bailu's back. She knew Bailu had already secured her future, so she didn't care about other things, but she was different from Bailu.

With this thought, she turned back and looked at the door of the bedroom, hoping she was overthinking.

***

After leaving Wushuang's residence, Mei Wuxia went to the main courtyard.

When she arrived, the courtyard was quiet. Her mother, Cao shi, was reclining on the kang in the side room, looking at account books.

The small kang table was scattered with account books. Cao shi's face was stern, and the few maidservants nearby were holding their breath, suggesting that Cao shi had just lost her temper.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

Cao shi* wore a half-worn, gold-embroidered, floral-patterned beizi*, her hair styled in a loose bun, and a gold-plated, jade-inlaid headband adorning her head. She looked very much like Mei Wuxia, perhaps an older version of her. Her skin was fair, and her features were kind and delicate, but the fine lines between her brows gave her a slightly resentful air.

TN: used here to denote the original surname of a woman

TN: beizi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beizi

"Your father threw a tantrum at me over a fan that cost two hundred taels of silver. He doesn't even think about it, what kind of broken fan is worth two hundred taels?"

This seemed to open the floodgates for Cao shi. She threw the account book aside and began to complain, "But before I could say anything, he threw a tantrum at me, saying I don't understand the value of literary treasures. He doesn't think about the fact that this mansion doesn't have any extra income. We rely on the output of a few estates and the meager salary from the title every year. With that little money, how can we support hundreds of people in this mansion? It's only because I'm careful with every penny that we can barely make ends meet!"

"Your father makes my life miserable, but the third branch isn't any better. That couple is always scheming, only knowing how to skim off the mansion's resources and line their own pockets. Just now, I found out they were stealing money from the kitchen."

"If it weren't for your grandmother saying that your father's title was a lucky inheritance and shouldn't be flaunted, and that keeping the third branch in the mansion to live with us would silence the mouths of others, I would have kicked them out long ago!"

Cao shi spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Tell me, what in this mansion, inside and out, doesn't require my attention? I work hard day and night to manage this mansion for whom? Isn't it for your father, your brother, and all of you siblings?"

"But your father doesn't understand me. He never thinks about his own future, the mansion's future, or his sons' future. He just spends money recklessly, indulging in his frivolous pursuits with his friends. Our title is only for this generation. Once he's gone, what will happen to Ying'er? What will happen to Cheng'er? What will happen to you and your brother?"