Chapter 54: The Empress’s Reward

“Young Heir, where did you run off to? You nearly scared us to death!”

As soon as they heard that the young heir had left the Wei Manor, the Marquis of Chengming and Madam Wei immediately sent people out to search for him.

They had heard that the Crown Prince had taken several princes and princesses out of the palace.

It would be fine if they ran into the Crown Prince and his group—but what if they encountered Princess Junhe?

Madam Wei had met Noble Consort Wei before. That woman dared to act arrogantly even in front of the Empress, clearly showing no respect for the legitimate empress. Naturally, her daughter had a notorious reputation for being spoiled and willful.

What’s more, this Princess Junhe had a rather troubling habit—she liked to abduct people into the palace.

Not long ago, the young grandson of Minister Liu had been forcibly brought into the palace by Princess Junhe. No one knew exactly what happened to him there, but when he was finally returned to the Liu family, that fine young boy had a broken leg and was covered in injuries.

So when Madam Wei heard that Wei Yuhui had encountered Princess Junhe, she assumed the worst.

Minister Liu’s grandson had only made it out alive because Minister Liu personally raised a fuss in court and begged the emperor to release the child. After the boy was returned, Minister Liu promptly resigned from office and left the capital with his entire family.

Unfortunately, the Wei family had no such leverage at court. They couldn’t afford to trade office for their child’s safety like Minister Liu had.

Although the Marquis of Chengming knew the emperor would never let his only son suffer the same fate as Minister Liu’s grandson, he still worried about his son running into Princess Junhe.

If they did cross paths and no trouble arose, then fine.

But if something did happen, knowing Xie Yixing’s temperament, it would be the princess who paid the price.

Fortunately, the Marquis’s men safely escorted Xie Yixing and Yaoyao back to the Wei Manor.

But not long after, the teahouse manager personally arrived to apologize. Only then did the Marquis and Madam Wei learn what had transpired.

When he heard that his son had ordered the dark guards to “deal with” the princess, the Marquis of Chengming clutched his chest, suddenly feeling like this New Year was not going to go smoothly.

Madam Wei gripped her handkerchief tightly. “Princess Junhe—what about her?”

The teahouse manager waved his hand. “It’s nothing, nothing. The Young Heir was very gentle. He merely had someone cut off her braid. Not a single scratch on her.”

“What?!”

Now it was Madam Wei’s turn to clutch her chest and look at her husband.

“Do you think… maybe we should go to the palace?”

A child’s mistake is the fault of the parents.

If the emperor decided to hold them accountable, things would get ugly.

Better to go and apologize before someone else used this against them.

The Marquis of Chengming shook his head. “Going now might only escalate things. Let’s wait until the third day of the New Year.”

Still, they couldn’t do nothing. The Marquis ordered a dozen bolts of fine fabric suitable for young girls, along with some gold and silver jewelry, to be taken from the household treasury and delivered to the palace before the gates closed, as a gesture of apology to Princess Junhe.

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In the Imperial Palace

When the Empress heard the Crown Prince’s account, she barely managed to swallow her tea without spitting it out.

But holding back her laughter was difficult—there was no hiding the schadenfreude in her eyes.

She had been contending with Noble Consort Wei for control of the harem for years, and lately, she had constantly been on the losing side.

Noble Consort Wei relied on the emperor’s favor and raised her daughter to be utterly lawless. No matter how many times the Empress advised the emperor that a child should not be raised that way, he ignored her—sometimes even growing more indulgent.

Since the emperor wouldn’t intervene, the Empress simply turned a blind eye. Better to be silent than risk drawing his resentment.

That was until last year, when Princess Junhe injured the Crown Prince with a whip in the imperial garden.

Only then did the Empress truly realize how serious the problem had become. If left unchecked, Junhe would become a malignant force in the harem.

Before the Empress could take action herself, someone else had stepped in to discipline the girl.

She had heard that the young heir of the Marquis of Chengming had a withdrawn and aloof personality, and that the marquis had kept him out of the public eye for years. She never expected the marquis would actually allow the boy out.

This time, it was Junhe and Noble Consort Wei’s misfortune.

Had Junhe provoked some ordinary noble boy, the emperor might have backed her up.

But she had picked a fight with the only heir of the Marquis of Chengming—a family that held military power. No matter how much the emperor doted on Junhe, he would have to hold his tongue.

After all, the marquis commanded the army. The emperor still needed his support.

If the marquis followed Minister Liu’s example and resigned, who would guard the empire’s borders?

The emperor could weigh the pros and cons.

Although the Empress was secretly delighted, she still made a show of sending people to visit Noble Consort Wei’s residence—delivering some worthless trinkets to “comfort” Princess Junhe.

At the same time, she issued a decree: since Princess Junhe was so frightened that she had to remain bedridden, she was excused from attending the family banquet that night. As her mother, Noble Consort Wei would also remain behind to care for her.

With Noble Consort Wei out of the picture, the Empress could finally enjoy a peaceful meal.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the Marquis of Chengming’s family had sent her a perfect New Year’s gift.

Even without mentioning that Noble Consort Wei wouldn’t be able to show off her daughter this year, the sheer embarrassment this incident caused was enough to humble both mother and daughter.

The Empress ordered her trusted matron to bring some beautiful and valuable items from her private collection—along with palace pastries—and send them out as a reward for the Marquis’s family.

But she kept the reward low-key.

After all, Noble Consort Wei was still furious. If she caught wind of this and complained to the emperor, it might cause friction between the Empress and the emperor again.

Back at the Wei Manor, the Marquis and Madam Wei had just finished selecting gifts to apologize to Princess Junhe when the Empress’s matron arrived with new rewards.

Madam Wei saw the magnolia screen carried in by eunuchs. The embedded jade and emeralds were of the highest quality.

The embroidered magnolia flowers were so lifelike, and the threads used were the immensely valuable golden silkworm silk.

Madam Wei, always fond of beautiful décor, gratefully accepted the gift and immediately ordered the screen placed in her room so she could admire it every day.

Then she opened another box from the Empress—only to find porcelain ornaments worth a fortune. She was stunned.

Why would the Empress bestow so many valuable gifts on the marquis’s household out of nowhere?

She hadn’t done anything to curry favor with the Empress recently.

Madam Wei was baffled, but the Marquis saw through it instantly.

“The Empress and Noble Consort Wei have been at odds for years. Today, our Xing’er made Princess Junhe lose face, which in turn humiliated Noble Consort Wei. When she loses face, the Empress gains it. So in a way, our Xing’er inadvertently pleased the Empress.”

Though the Marquis had always warned Madam Wei not to get too involved with either the Empress or Noble Consort Wei, they couldn’t help it now—Noble Consort Wei was surely holding a grudge over the matter with Princess Junhe.

And they couldn’t very well sacrifice their son just to appease her.

Their only path forward was to align themselves with the Empress and Crown Prince.

Madam Wei ordered the valuable items to be stored in the family treasury. She picked out a few child-friendly trinkets and sent them to Yaoyao.

As for the pastries sent by the Empress, she kept none of them and gave them all to Yaoyao.

When the reward-bearers arrived, Yaoyao was playing in the courtyard with the rabbit mask that Xie Yixing had bought her.

Hua Hua was forced to play the role of the rabbit’s favorite food—a carrot.

Xie Yixing played the wolf that eats rabbits.

Caiwei played a tree stump.

Just as Yaoyao caught Hua Hua and turned around, eager to show off to the young boy behind her, Xie Yixing suddenly scooped her up into his arms.

He gently nibbled her chubby little wrist.

When his eyes landed on her round cheeks, they suddenly lit up, and the tips of his ears turned red. The corners of his thin lips lifted into a soft smile as he murmured, entranced:

“Little bunny… tastes so good.”