Cefei's Rise to Prominence Record - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It had been three months since the imperial edict for the selection of selected maidens was issued, and the palace selection was finally over.

Zhou Yun was escorted out of the Forbidden City by the palace momo. It wasn’t until Shi Qiu and Shi Chun supported her under an oil-paper umbrella that she seemed to snap out of her daze.

This palace selection coincided with the imperial examinations, and the Emperor was very busy. He had entrusted the Empress with handling the selection process. However, today, close to the final selection, the Noble Consort somehow managed to appear in the Taihe Hall alongside the Emperor.

As a result, Zhou Yun’s final selection process went very smoothly. None of the difficulties she had anticipated from the Empress or the other ladies occurred.

Compared to the open and covert struggles among the ladies before the final selection, the actual selection process was surprisingly quiet and smooth, almost unreal.

The sound of carriage wheels brought her back to reality. Zhou Yun looked up and saw that the carriage had turned a corner, so she couldn’t see it clearly.

Shi Qiu supported her and guessed what she was looking at. She lowered her voice and said, “It’s the carriage from the Princess’s mansion.”

Zhou Yun’s brow furrowed slightly, and she moved closer to the umbrella. “Let’s go back to the mansion first,” she said hurriedly.

She hadn’t been back to the mansion for half a month, and she missed her family. She didn’t have much time to think about why the Princess’s carriage was appearing in front of the palace at this time. She just asked, “How are Father and Mother these days?”

“Everything is fine in the mansion, Miss. Don’t worry,” Shi Qiu replied.

On their way back to the Zhou mansion, they passed by the Duke’s mansion. As Zhou Yun lifted the bead curtain, she saw a delicate carriage coming from the Red Lane Street and stopping in front of the Duke’s mansion.

The carriage looked very familiar – it was the one Gu Yan usually rode in. Zhou Yun’s eyes lit up, and she was about to ask the coachman to stop when she caught a glimpse of Shi Chun and Shi Qiu’s hesitant expressions.

She realized something and frowned. “Tell me,” she said sternly.

Shi Qiu hesitated for a moment before speaking reluctantly, “There’s something I forgot to tell you, Miss.”

Zhou Yun had a bad feeling about this.

“I heard that Miss Gu… she… she returned to Guo City.”

Shi Qiu used the word “returned” because Gu Yan’s maternal grandmother’s family was based in Guo City, and Gu Yan had met Zhou Yun there when they were young.

Just then, the person from that carriage got out. It was Gu Jiao, the second daughter of the Gu family and the daughter of the current Duke’s mansion’s heir.

In an instant, Shi Qiu felt that her Miss’s breathing became heavier. She looked up and saw that her Miss had turned her head away with red eyes.

Shi Chun and Shi Qiu looked at each other but didn’t dare to say anything.

The carriage stopped in front of the Zhou mansion half an hour later.

In front of the Zhou mansion, Zhou Yun’s two elder brothers and several younger sisters were waiting at the door. As soon as the carriage stopped, someone placed a wooden step.

Zhou Yun was helped out of the carriage and heard the sound of firecrackers. She was startled, and the pain in her ankle suddenly intensified. Her face turned pale, and she almost cried.

The grievances she suffered in the palace and the guilt she felt upon hearing Gu Yan’s news combined, making her nose feel sour.

Zhou Yanxiao walked forward with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. “Little sister, you’ve become more delicate after half a month in the palace.”

Before he finished speaking, he noticed that her complexion didn’t look right. He stopped talking and frowned. “Did you get bullied in the palace?”

As soon as he asked, Zhou Yun nodded vigorously.

Zhou Yan’an’s expression changed slightly as he thought of something. He sent away the younger sisters who were about to approach and told Shi Qiu to support her. As they walked inside, he said in a low voice, “Regarding Prince An’s matter, the Noble Consort has already sent a message. Don’t worry, since he dared to treat you like that, it’s clear he doesn’t take our Zhou family seriously. Father and the Noble Consort won’t let it slide.”

Unlike Zhou Yun, Zhou Yan’an always referred to the Noble Consort as “Noble Consort” out of propriety, not because he was less close to her. As the eldest legitimate son of the Zhou family, he had a heavier burden on his shoulders and couldn’t be as willful.

Zhou Yun knew he had misunderstood, but she didn’t explain. She just walked inside with him.

She had something on her mind and went to her room after seeing her mother.

Shi Qiu glanced at her complexion and hesitated before speaking, “The kitchen has prepared some bean milk that Miss likes. Would you like to try some?”

Zhou Yun didn’t have the mood for that. Her brother’s words had reminded her of something she still needed to do.

She frowned and threw out all the things Prince An had given her. She instructed Shi Chun, “Get rid of all these.”

The things Prince An dared to give her were undoubtedly precious, but Zhou Yun didn’t even glance at them before telling someone to dispose of them.

Zhou Yun was upset, and Gu Yan’s matter was weighing on her mind, making her feel irritable and helpless.

Shi Qiu saw the situation and tried to distract her. “Miss, our cousin has returned to the capital recently. He sent some gifts to the mansion a few days ago. Would you like to take a look?”

The cousin Shi Qiu mentioned was named Jiang Hechen, the youngest son of the Jiang family, which was related to Zhou Yun’s mother. He was the youngest in the family, and he had always been fond of Zhou Yun.

However, Jiang Hechen was spoiled by the family and had some characteristics of a prodigal son.

As soon as Shi Qiu finished speaking, Zhou Yun paused, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Has Cousin returned to the capital?”

Shi Qiu didn’t understand why, but she nodded honestly.

Zhou Yun relaxed her body and suddenly smiled. “Send someone to the Jiang mansion to pass on a message. Tell them I haven’t seen Cousin in a long time and would like him to visit the mansion.”

The results of the palace selection wouldn’t be out for another two or three days.

Jiang Hechen arrived at the Zhou mansion the next day. He was handsome, and he usually didn’t follow the rules. Today, however, he stopped at a distance from Zhou Yun.

He looked at her with a sidelong glance and smiled lightly. “Cousin sister, you’ve been looking for me since you left the palace. What do you need my help with?”

Today, Zhou Yun wore a simple pleated skirt and didn’t wear much makeup. Her features were delicate and plain, and her eyes were red, which made people feel sorry for her.

Jiang Hechen took a deep breath, and his back teeth ached. “Stop crying, I’m not going to abandon you.”

He knew his cousin better than Zhou Yun’s two elder brothers. She was both delicate and proud, and her mind wasn’t deep, but she was poisonous in her own way.

That’s why he did feel sorry for her, but he couldn’t muster up any romantic feelings.

Zhou Yun glared at him and beckoned him over. She whispered a few words in his ear.

The smile on Jiang Hechen’s face disappeared without him noticing. When Zhou Yun finished speaking, he glanced at her sidelong and felt that she was terrifying when she was determined.

He sighed and said, “You’re going to get me killed.”

Despite his words, he nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yun glanced at him furtively, pursed her lips, and lowered her head. “Thank you, Cousin.”

After hearing her words, Jiang Hechen chuckled and patted her head. He reminded her, “Since you’re about to get married, you’d better keep some thoughts to yourself.”

He didn’t tell her to restrain herself but to hide her thoughts.

The people she would deal with in her future husband’s household weren’t easy to handle. Without some scheming, she might not survive for long.

Jiang Hechen was often criticized for his lack of seriousness, but he knew better than anyone that the friendship they had since childhood was what made him help her now. But what about the future? In the long run, the only person she could rely on was herself.

Jiang Hechen didn’t stay for long, just about 15 minutes, before he left the Zhou mansion.

On June 16th, the imperial edict from the palace finally arrived.

The eldest legitimate daughter of the Zhou family would enter the mansion of Prince Xian as a Cefei on August 8th.

When she first heard the news, Zhou Yun was stunned, standing still. She had thought about the possibility of entering Prince Xian’s mansion, given the limited number of princes.

However, when the edict truly arrived, she was still taken aback.

The eunuch who delivered the edict intentionally did her a favor by telling her about the others who would enter Prince Xian’s mansion alongside her.

Apart from her position as a Cefei, Zhou Yun most wanted to know who the principal consort of Prince Xian would be.

When the eunuch mentioned Zhuang Yisui, Zhou Yun almost couldn’t maintain her smile.

With so many noble ladies participating in the selection, how could it be that she and Zhuang Yisui ended up in the same mansion?

As soon as the eunuch left, Zhou Yun frowned in frustration.

Zhou Yan’an shook his head. “If it weren’t for… little sister wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Although she was referred to as a Cefei, it was essentially a concubine position, just a more pleasant way of putting it.

He didn’t elaborate, but the unspoken words were clear.

Madam Zhou had already tears in her eyes. After entering the room, she didn’t care about etiquette or rules anymore. She cursed Prince An angrily and grabbed Zhou Yun’s hand. “My child has been wronged.”

Zhou Yun saw her mother’s appearance and felt a pang in her heart. She comforted her mother in a low voice, “Mother, don’t say such things in the future. It’s still better than entering Prince An’s mansion.”

It wasn’t that the title of Cefei of Prince Xian was beneath her, but once she became a concubine, the distinction between the legitimate wife and concubines would be more than just words.

There wasn’t much time for the Zhou family to adjust to the news. With less than two months left until August 8th, they had to make changes to the dowry that had been prepared for Zhou Yun. The gifts couldn’t surpass those of the principal consort, and these were things that the family had been preparing for Zhou Yun since she was young.

Madam Zhou didn’t want Zhou Yun to be wronged, so she decided to replace the dowry with silver notes and secretly kept them for Zhou Yun. They also added two more shops to the ones that had been previously arranged.

When the Zhou family finished dealing with these matters, the time had already entered August.

As a Cefei, Zhou Yun would also have to be recorded in the royal genealogy, and the etiquette would be almost the same as that of the principal consort. However, she couldn’t wear the bright red wedding dress.

Zhou Yun hadn’t felt anything different until the Ministry of Rites sent the wedding clothes to the Zhou mansion. For the first time, she felt a sense of disparity and melancholy.

She realized that from now on, she wouldn’t be able to wear her favorite red clothes.

Zhou Yun looked at the pink wedding dress and sat quietly for a whole day.

When the news reached Fu Yun’s ears, he paused, slowly put down his pen, and called Zhang Chong in. “Is the Jinhe Courtyard ready?”

Zhang Chong bowed and replied, “Don’t worry, Prince. It’s been prepared long ago.”

The Jinhe Courtyard was the best courtyard in the mansion apart from the main courtyard. Although it wasn’t as prosperous and grand as the main courtyard, it was more exquisite and valuable. The most important thing was that the Jinhe Courtyard was very close to the front courtyard.

Fu Yun thought for a moment and instructed, “Put that colored glaze lamp in there too.”

Zhang Chong was surprised.

The Colored glaze lamp was a special gift from the Emperor when Fu Yun was promoted to Prince. It had always been kept in the Prince’s private treasury. Fu Yun hadn’t expected it to be moved to the Jinhe Courtyard now.

Fu Yun saw that Zhang Chong hadn’t moved and raised his head, looking at him impatiently. “What are you still doing here?”

Zhang Chong smiled awkwardly. “Yes, I’ll go take care of it right away.”