Chapter 033: The Turn of the Tide

Wu Qingqiong was at a loss, bewildered and confused.

Madam Meng, however, was visibly alarmed and anxious. She hurriedly stood up, her voice trembling with worry. “Mother, I thought about this all night and I still believe it’s inappropriate. You know what kind of temperament Qingqiong has—I fear she will...”

“If her temperament is bad, then teach her properly!” the old lady cut her off with a tone of iron. “A royal marriage—do you think this is a trivial matter, something you can meddle with and manipulate as you please? Bring me her birth characters. Whether she is a suitable match will depend on her own fortune and that of the Wu family. In any case, before taking a consort, His Highness the Crown Prince will select a primary wife. Even if the birth characters match, there is no rush for the marriage to happen.”

As she spoke, her gaze turned full of disdain toward Wu Qingqiong, who stood there, stupefied, and her voice grew even colder. “From today onward, Yunlan Pavilion will close its doors to all visitors. Decline every social engagement that can be declined. I will select an experienced governess to properly instruct her in the rules and decorum!”

Even if Wu Qingqiong were not to enter the palace, her temperament would have to be thoroughly reformed.

“But Mother—” Madam Meng grew even more agitated at these words, her face flushed with anxiety. Disregarding propriety, she rose abruptly, reaching out for the old lady’s hand.

Her reaction was excessive—so much so that even Wu Tan, who was always calculating, and Wu Qinglin, who rarely fretted over matters, both began to sense something amiss.

At first, Wu Qinglin had opposed Wu Tan’s marriage to Xiao Yun because he believed the palace was an inhospitable place, fraught with danger, and he didn’t want his sister to live a precarious life. Besides, Wu Tan’s family background was good, and she had no major faults—there was no fear she wouldn’t marry well. The Marquis’s household was a given, and although her maternal grandfather was retired, he still held considerable influence and reputation. Even just the name of Old Minister Lin would allow her to choose among the finest young men in the capital.

But Wu Qingqiong’s situation was different. Madam Meng’s family had no background, having come to the capital from afar. Moreover, as a concubine elevated to the main wife, there were many noble families who shunned such origins. On top of that, Wu Qingqiong herself was unruly…

Under these circumstances, being granted to Xiao Yun as a result of the Emperor’s desire to court the Wu family was a stroke of fortune for Madam Meng and her daughter—they should be grateful, even proud.

The old lady had already stated her intention to have Wu Qingqiong properly trained before marriage. Why, then, was Madam Meng reacting this way?

Wu Qinglin and Wu Tan exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion in the other’s eyes.

Madam Meng, meanwhile, was truly distraught, wholly unaware of her own impropriety. The old lady, however, wrinkled her nose in distaste, withdrew her hand, leaned back onto her cushion, and closed her eyes, saying, “I’m tired. You may all go.”

Still unwilling to give up, Madam Meng opened her mouth to protest, but the old lady addressed Wu Qinglin instead. “Qinglin, write a letter to your father detailing the gist of this matter. The couriers on the road are not always reliable, so there’s no need to mention trivialities. Just say that Tan’s birth characters do not match the Crown Prince’s, and that Her Majesty the Empress has agreed to consider your third sister instead.”

“Yes, Grandmother, I understand!” Wu Qinglin replied, casting a glance at the anxious Madam Meng before leading Wu Tan, who had been eager to stay and watch the drama, out of the room.

Once they left the main residence, Wu Tan still felt uneasy. She tugged at Wu Qinglin’s sleeve. “Big Brother, don’t you think Second Mother’s reaction was strange?”

Wu Qinglin, sharing her sentiment, frowned slightly. “She seemed almost… frightened.”

But what was Madam Meng afraid of? Even Wu Tan could see that, with their father and the Wu family supporting her, if she were to enter the palace and kept to herself, no one would be able to harm her.

If Madam Meng simply cautioned her daughter to behave, that would be reasonable. But instead…

Wu Tan pressed her lips together. “I almost feel as though she’s actually terrified…”

Madam Meng’s response was just too odd—far, far too odd…

Yet, for all their pondering and familiarity with Madam Meng, the siblings simply could not fathom the reason behind her behavior.

Meanwhile, Madam Meng, seeing the old lady was adamant, could only grit her teeth and drag Wu Qingqiong away.

Wu Qingqiong’s feelings were the complete opposite of her mother’s. She allowed herself to be led along, dazed, a surge of exhilaration rising within her. A voice within her screamed in triumph—

So she wasn’t being used, her efforts not in vain after all! Even if she was being used, so what? She had pulled Wu Tan down and now had the chance to rise above her, using Wu Tan as a stepping stone!

Wu Qingqiong felt as though she was floating, each step lighter than the last, buoyed by a blissful sense of impending ascent.

Until—

Madam Meng dragged her into the room and slammed the door behind them.

Lost in her daydream, Wu Qingqiong was startled awake, but her excitement remained. She immediately grasped her mother’s hand, her eyes shining with anticipation. “Mother! Is what Grandmother said true? Her Majesty the Empress wants to compare my birth characters with the Crown Prince’s?”

She knew her own birth couldn’t compare with Wu Tan’s and suspected she would be only a secondary consort or even lower—a concubine. Still, the Eastern Palace belonged solely to the Crown Prince. Such a unique opportunity was enough to make her giddy with excitement; she cared little for the finer details.

Madam Meng, burning with rage, met her daughter’s jubilant gaze, froze, then abruptly shook off her hand, snapping, “Wake up!”

Wu Qingqiong staggered at the force of it, belatedly realizing something was wrong. “Mother… I might be marrying the Crown Prince. Aren’t you… happy?”

From her expression, the answer was clear.

Unexpectedly, Madam Meng erupted, scolding, “What is there to be happy about? To become someone else’s stand-in…” She broke off abruptly, her eyes flickering with unease. Forcing down her anger, she continued coldly, “The inner palace is a place where people are devoured whole—full of intrigue and peril. If you truly go there, I fear you won’t even know how you die. Don’t let your imagination run wild. I will find a way to resolve this; you just wait.”

What was her mother saying? Was she cursing her own daughter to a miserable end? On top of that, she wanted to ruin the marriage Wu Qingqiong had fought so hard for?

Wu Qingqiong stared in disbelief.

Madam Meng, distressed and distracted, wasn’t even focused on her. She turned and left hastily, pushing the door open.

By the time Wu Qingqiong gathered her wits and chased after her, she caught only a fleeting glimpse of her mother’s back disappearing from the courtyard.

Madam Meng hurried away, looking both anxious and absent-minded. From behind the shrubbery near Yunlan Pavilion, Wu Tan watched the entire scene, still unable to make sense of it—

What, in the end, was this woman so afraid of?