Chapter 47: Coup

Hua Qiyue knew what the Second Madame was up to. She wanted her to marry someone with a bad reputation.

"Second Madame, I know you're joking. How could I marry your nephew when he has such a strong reputation? Grandma, this is about my marriage, so I humbly ask that I be allowed to make the decision!"

Madame Hua wasn't an idiot. When she saw Qiyue's confident smile, she knew that her granddaughter had a plan. Besides, she'd become such a boon to the Hua family in recent weeks.

If Hua Qiyue could provide yet another pleasant surprise, she would be happy to accept.

Madame Hua nodded. "I suppose it depends on what you have in mind, Qiyue."

After departing the main hall, Hua Qiyue spent some time with Tianci. Looking down at his happy, pink face, Hua Qiyue promised herself she'd be a perfect mother in this life.

Later on, Lvxin and Youshui served dinner, joined by Qiuyun, who appeared to be well-rested. The young maid was well-behaved throughout the meal.

Tianci took a sip of Long Red Soup, then offered the bowl to Hua Qiyue.

Hua Qiyue opened her cherry lips and took a sip. She gently stroked Tianci's head. "It's delicious, Tianci. Thank you! But you also have to drink more and become stronger, so that you can protect your mom in the future!"

Tianci immediately began gulping the remains of the soup, and Hua Qiyue smiled.

Hua Qiyue finished her meal. Since her rebirth, she'd done her best to live every day to the fullest, either cultivating or spending time with Tianci. She felt quite fortunate.

The maids cleaned up as Hua Qiyue took Tianci out of the hall. Qiuyun followed them, as if wanting to say something.

"Youshui, Lvxin, go to the library to move out the Eight Horses Racing painting to the hall."

The two maids retreated. When their steps could no longer be heard, Qiuyun knelt in front of Hua Qiyue.

"Lady Qiyue... I... I have something to report!"

She stared at the ground, not daring to look Hua Qiyue in the eye.

"Go on."

"I… I poisoned the soup yesterday, before the tournament."

Tianci gasped and glared at the young maid, but Hua Qiyue's expression did not change.

"And why would you do such a thing?"

Qiuyun shook, as if struggling to make a decision. She took a deep breath and said, "Lady Mengshi asked me to. I've served her since I was a small child, and she put me in your service with instructions to sabotage you as much as possible."

The shaking ceased, as if a great burden had been relieved. " But I will not be cheated and threatened by her any longer... I only hope to serve you, Your Grace! Please, forgive my foolish actions!"

She could feel tears coming, and kept her head on the ground so Hua Qiyue could not see.

Hua Qiyue took a teacup beside her and glanced at the peach blossom inside with a solemn expression before turning her gaze to the girl kneeling before her. "Qiuyun, if you have decided to follow me, I welcome you with open arms. But I must warn you — I will not tolerate another betrayal."

"Lady Qiyue, I have decided. I swear I will not betray you!"

"Very well. Please, stand."

Once Qiuyun was standing in front of her, Hua Qiyue said, "If Lady Mengshi asks you to do something, I want you to immediately report to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lady."

Hua Qiyue smiled. "Good."

Lvxin and Youshui entered carrying the ornate red box containing the Eight Horses Racing painting. It wasn't heavy, but the maids were being exceedingly careful with it.

Hua Qiyue asked Lvxin to open it and have a check. When finding the painting unharmed, she asked them to carry it into her room.

Lvxin and Youshui glanced at each other in confusion. "Your room, my lady? Shouldn't it be in the library, where visitors can see it?"

Hua Qiyue's expression was light. "Such a precious treasure, how could I put it in the library?"

She knew the Second Madame wouldn't have given her such a valuable gift without a plan for getting it back. Having reached the Soaring Cloud level of cultivation, she could detect someone entering the room while she slept, so the painting was much safer there than the unguarded library.

Plus, she knew that if the emperor discovered something had happened to such a rare painting while it was in her care, she could be punished harshly.

Although Hua Qiyue was certain that there were only one or two Qi Artists in the kingdom who could defeat her, and it was unlikely that the emperor would order her death, she wasn't willing to take the risk.

* * * *

Meanwhile, a small family feast was being held in the Qingchun Court of the Imperial Palace.

The queen sat on the high couch with one of her daughters on either side. At the queen's request, the Prince had not been invited.

In the main hall of the court, a band was playing a light, warm tune called Yangchun March. The melodious sound of the guzheng accompanied by the cheerful flute, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

The queen and the two princesses laughed and chatted, and everything seemed harmonious harmonious for the time being.

Princess Huiling blinked her eyes, glancing at Cuilian, the maid beside Princess Huizhen.

Cuilian had entered the palace at 11 years old. Now 15, she had become a delicate and attractive young woman.

"Cuilian, your plum blossom hairpin is beautiful!" Princess Huiling said, smiling sweetly. "It suits you."

Cuilian, overwhelmed by the princess' unexpected favor, lowered her eyebrows and bowed. "Thank you for your praise, my princess." Her face turned pink, and Princess Huizhen glanced distrustfully at her sister.

The queen's expression soured as she looked at Princess Huizhen. "Huizhen, I want to see you and your sister getting along. No more of this fighting."

Princess Huiling wore a naturally sweet smile. Between the queen's two daughters, Huiling had always been the one who knew how to handle people.

Huizhen, on the other hand, was more like a queen with a bad temper. She was always arrogant and didn't understand how to talk to people.

Huizhen lowered her eyes. "Yes, mother."

Feeling the queen's eyes fall on her, Huiling said, "Mother, I apologize for the incident at the restaurant! After so many years in the palace, we got overexcited and acted impulsively. It won't happen again."

Huizhen chimed in, "Yeah, we've learned all the Confucian classics and commandments for women, and are ten times more educated than the rest of the people out there! We'll be fine!"

The queen's voice lowered in volume, but raised in intensity. "Ten times? If your education is times better than everyone else, why were you fighting like common thugs in public? I see no evidence that you are ten times more educated than any of our citizens! Do you realize that the entire city has heard about your little altercation in the restaurant? If it continues going like this, will you ever be able to show your faces outside the palace again?"

Her daughters exchanged a worried glance. They'd thought that their "good deeds" in the capital had been enough to fix their reputations, and that the queen had forgiven them. It appeared they were wrong.

The two quickly kneeled before their mother. "Mother, we know we were wrong. Please, forgive us!"

The queen leaned back on the couch, satisfied that her daughters at least partially understood the extent of the consequences of their actions. She blamed herself for spoiling them for so long. It had only made them selfish and fed their savage tempers.

"Get up. If either of you do anything like this again, I will disown you and put you to work in the sugarcane fields!"

The princesses were visibly shaken. They'd never seen their mother like this before. She had always sheltered them from any harsh punishments.

This time was different. Huiling still wasn't sure why she'd attacked Huizhen at the restaurant. Sure, their relationship had always been rocky, but she hadn't felt the need to assault her until that moment, when all the anger caused by everything Huizhen had ever done came to her mind. She could no longer control herself — it was as though she'd lost her mind.

The two princesses sat down in trepidation, fear and shame plain on their faces. The queen sighed and smiled gently at Princess Huizhen.

"Zhen'er, how is your arm?"

Princess Huizhen smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking. My maids just exaggerated my wounds." Her arm was completely wrapped with far more bandages than necessary.

Pain momentarily flashed across the queen's eyes. "I need you two to understand how serious this is. I will forgive you this time, but if you do anything like it again, the punishment will be… beyond severe."

Princess Huizhen and Princess Huiling each murmured their acknowledgementbefore heaving sighs of relief. The music flowed back over them and, after a short while, the pall hanging over the evening lifted.