Cefei's Rise to Prominence Record - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Just as a few days before the eighth day of the eighth lunar month approached, a piece of news shook the entire city of Chang’an.

His Highness Prince An was galloping on horseback along Hongxiang Street, but accidentally fell and broke his leg.

No one knew who started spreading the news, but the more it spread, the more outrageous it became. By the time it reached Zhou Yun’s ears, it had turned into Prince An having injured that place as well.

At that time, Zhou Yun was discussing the dowry with Madam Zhou. Upon hearing this, a flicker passed through her eyes as she recalled the letter Jiang Hechen had sent her the day before.

Only then did Zhou Yun truly let out a sigh of relief.

After all, since ancient times, no cripple had ever ascended the throne.

With the news of Prince An’s injury, the eighth day of the eighth lunar month finally arrived.

The black hair that used to flow freely down the back of a young girl was now all tied up. Zhou Yun looked at the person in the bronze mirror as she carefully shaped her brows, adding a touch of womanly charm—willow brows and flirtatious eyes, her porcelain-white face tinged with rouge, stunningly beautiful.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the pink wedding robe on her body. She gently touched her cheek and suddenly lowered her eyes with a faint smile.

Even if she was merely a concubine, she still intended to live well.

Amidst a burst of liveliness, mixed with Madam Zhou’s repressed sobs of reluctance, Zhou Yan’an carried her on his back out of the mansion.

Lying on Zhou Yan’an’s back, she softly called, “Brother.”

A bit of confusion and reluctance mingled together. From now on, when others mentioned her, they would no longer say she was the daughter of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Zhou, but rather the Cefei of the Prince of Xian’s Mansion.

Zhou Yan’an paused in his steps. Zhou Yun couldn’t see his expression, but she could hear his voice as steady as ever,

“Cefei need not worry, the Zhou Mansion will always be here.”

When one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer.

Zhou Yun said no more. Her eyes gradually turned red, and silent tears slipped down into Zhou Yan’an’s neck, burning hot.

If there was any difference between the rites of a principal wife and a secondary consort, it was that the prince must personally receive the principal wife, but not the secondary consort.

The bridal sedan traveled smoothly all the way to the Prince of Xian’s Mansion. Fu Yun had already been waiting there early on.

It was within the rules that he did not come out to receive her. If he did come out, it would signify his regard for Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun was lost in random thoughts the entire way. By the time the sedan chair came to a stop, she suddenly felt as though she hadn’t thought of anything at all—her mind was completely blank.

Even through the bridal veil, Zhou Yun could sense the bustle outside.

She suddenly wondered—had the Prince of Xian come out to greet her?

The bead curtain was lifted by someone. Zhou Yun couldn’t see anything, but a faint scent of sandalwood wafted in, and she instantly let out a breath of relief. After a moment’s hesitation, she still asked,

“Is it Your Highness?”

Fu Yun was somewhat surprised.

He had seen her a few times before, but had never heard her speak in such a tone—soft and gentle, as if tinged with unease. Just that one line, and it was clear she was being coy with him.

The coldness in Fu Yun’s brows and eyes faded slightly. He took her hand and gave a low “Mm.”

Just that single sound caused all the faint hope that had just bloomed in Zhou Yun’s eyes to vanish completely.

Her red lips pressed into a straight line. Hidden behind the bridal veil where no one could see, she subtly pouted.

She didn’t really like people with such dull temperaments.

They made her feel a little bored.

It wasn’t until she was escorted into the room that she snapped out of this mood. The surroundings were completely quiet, stirring a bit of curiosity and unease in her.

She had just been distracted and didn’t even know—what stage of the ceremony were they at now?

Shi Qiu and Shi Chun had entered the prince’s residence with her. Seeing the fingers on Zhou Yun’s lap move slightly, Shi Qiu guessed what she might be thinking and quickly said in a low voice,

“Cefei, His Highness went to the front hall.”

At that moment, an older mama in the room respectfully spoke:

“His Highness instructed that if Cefei is hungry, she may have something to eat first.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a door opening followed. Zhou Yun couldn’t see, but Shi Qiu could clearly tell—it was a maid bringing in food.

A bowl of glutinous rice balls in soy milk, just the sight of them made one’s mouth water.

Shi Qiu was also worried that her mistress would go hungry, but still hesitated and tried to stop her. “But this veil…”

Zhou Yun didn’t move at all. Let alone whether the prince had truly given that order, she had just entered the residence and didn’t even know who the people in the inner courtyard were. How could she eat something of unknown origin?

“No need. This consort is not hungry yet.”

Once she boarded the jade carriage, she became the Cefei of the Prince of Xian’s Mansion. This title, ‘ben fei‘ she was entitled to call herself, and she did so with remarkable composure.

That cool and quiet sentence, tinged with a hint of impatience, made the mama who was about to persuade her instantly swallow her words.

With just that one line, everyone in the room could tell, this Cefei was likely not someone with a gentle or easy temperament. At once, the heads of all the maids in the room lowered a little more.

Up to now, Zhou Yun was the master with the highest status in the residence.
Outsiders might not know, but how could the servants here not?

This Jinhe Courtyard had been specially prepared under the close supervision of Zhang Chong from the front residence. The prince’s attitude had already made clear how much he valued this Cefei.

Just as the maid was about to carry away the bowl of glutinous rice balls, Zhou Yun heard the movement and suddenly said,

“Leave it for now. This consort will eat it later.”

The mama who had spoken earlier hesitated slightly. “But, where should we place it?”

The table in front of the bed was already full of longan and red dates. In the center sat a silver tray holding wine cups. If the rice balls were placed there, it would seem quite out of place.

Beneath the veil, Zhou Yun’s face turned cold. She said nothing.

If she had to come up with a solution for everything herself, then what use were these servants?

Shi Qiu, however, guessed her intent. She subtly glanced around at everyone in the room and said, “Just place it on the table for now.”

Half an hour later, the bustle in the mansion gradually quieted down.

Sensing something, Zhou Yun immediately straightened her back. In the next moment, the door to the room was pushed open from the outside.

A deep voice ordered, “Leave us.”

Shi Qiu turned back to glance at her mistress before bowing and retreating with the others.

Zhou Yun heard the sound of the door closing. Immediately after, footsteps approached her, growing closer and closer. A thread of nervousness shot through her chest, and she stiffened.

Suddenly, the light returned before her eyes. Zhou Yun instinctively closed her eyes. After adjusting, she slowly opened them—and the first thing she saw was Fu Yun, dressed in his red wedding robes.

The red hue softened the cold air that usually surrounded him, making his handsome appearance stand out even more. He had drunk some wine; his normally sharp, penetrating gaze now carried a hint of intoxication, and the usual chilling air about him was gone.

Fu Yun had originally intended to wait for her to adjust, but then he saw that the light in the woman’s eyes gradually brightened, her gaze curving faintly—as if hiding a trace of delight.

In the past, Zhou Yun only knew that the Prince of Xian was good-looking, but she hadn’t realized he could be this handsome. A wave of heat crept up from the roots of her ears, all the way to her cheeks. Realizing the identities they now bore, she lowered her eyes with a touch of shyness and softly called out:

“Your Highness…”

That naturally softened voice made Fu Yun lift a hand to pinch the space between his brows, forcing himself to stay clear-headed.

He lowered his head and asked her, “Are you hungry?”

It would’ve been a lie to say she wasn’t. Zhou Yun immediately banished her earlier, fanciful thoughts and nodded.

Fu Yun glanced at the untouched bowl of glutinous rice balls on the table. He said nothing, just turned and went out to order the servants to prepare a light bowl of porridge for her.

Behind him, Zhou Yun furrowed her brows ever so slightly. Since the prince hadn’t said anything else, it seemed she had overthought things.

So, asking her to eat something first was indeed the prince’s order.

However, Zhou Yun didn’t dwell on it—being cautious was never wrong.

A quarter of an hour later, a maid came in carrying the porridge. Along with her, servants also brought in hot water. Zhou Yun had just picked up the spoon when her ears flushed again, and she nearly choked.

Fu Yun didn’t say a word and disappeared behind the screen.

The sound of flowing water trickled faintly through. Zhou Yun’s hand, which held the spoon, trembled slightly. The bowl of porridge was quickly emptied, but she hadn’t drunk it comfortably.

Her hands were tightly clasped together. Even without facing the bronze mirror, she could imagine that her cheeks were surely flushed red by now.

Zhou Yun poured herself a cup of water, sipped it lightly, and unconsciously furrowed her brow.

This wasn’t like what her mother had told her at all.

Her mother had said that after the veil was lifted, she should shyly lower her head—and then things would happen just like in that little booklet: she should endure as much as possible.

But… no one had said she’d be eating porridge first. Or that she’d be eating porridge while His Highness was bathing.

So now, in this situation… what was she supposed to do?

Just then, a sound came from behind the screen, and Zhou Yun tensed all over. She didn’t know what she might see if she turned around; her back stiffened.

The footsteps behind her drew closer and closer, when suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder. Fu Yun had somehow come to stand behind her, and after glancing at the empty bowl in front of her, he asked in a low voice:

“Still hungry?”

For some unknown reason, Zhou Yun suddenly thought of that day in the palace—he had used the same tone when he asked her, “Can you still walk?”

And now, with him so close to her, there seemed to be a trace of suppressed emotion in his voice.

Zhou Yun didn’t fully understand it, but her ears flushed slightly, vaguely realizing something. In the glow of the red candles, she gently shook her head.

She didn’t know when she ended up on the bed. Her clothes were gradually removed, and what followed after… Zhou Yun couldn’t quite recall clearly.

She could only place one hand over her eyes, covering the involuntary redness in them. As springtime stirred to life, her other hand weakly clutched the man’s shoulder. Biting her lip with a sob, she swallowed many broken sounds.

Only when her consciousness sank into darkness did she finally understand why her mother had said those words to her—

Wasn’t it just about enduring as much as you can?

That night, water wasn’t called for in Jinhe Courtyard until late into the night, and many other courtyards didn’t extinguish their lights until then.

The next day, Zhou Yun was awakened by Shi Qiu. The bed curtains were drawn open, and sunlight streamed in through the paneled window. Zhou Yun furrowed her brows uncomfortably, struggled to open her eyes, and stared blankly for a while before she remembered what had happened the previous night.

Her cheeks instantly flushed red.

Shi Qiu held back her smile and embarrassment, and whispered, “Cefei, it’s time to get up. Xu Liangdi and the others are waiting outside.”

Zhou Yun was startled. “Why have they come?”

“Cefei only entered the residence yesterday. It’s proper for them to come pay their respects.”

Zhou Yun hadn’t become the principal wife, and she had no patience for dealing with them, but as Shi Qiu said—she had just entered the mansion, and it was proper to meet the household’s people.

Suppressing her fatigue, she sat up. To her surprise, though her body was sore, she still felt rather clean and refreshed.

Zhou Yun dared not dwell on it and had Shi Qiu help her get up.

Once everything was tidied up, she suddenly remembered and turned her head to ask in confusion, “Where is His Highness?”

While helping arrange her robes, Shi Qiu spared a bit of attention to answer:

“He’s likely still in court.”

Zhou Yun’s hand, which was smoothing her brows, paused slightly.

The titles of Zheng Fei and Cefei might appear to differ by just one word, but in reality, they were worlds apart. At the very least, the three-day marital retreat that the prince would observe with the principal wife was something she did not have now.

At that moment, some noise from the outer room drifted in. Irritation rose in Zhou Yun’s eyes and brows. She closed her eyes and spat out a few words,

“Truly noisy.”