A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 78

Plum Blossom Banquet

The Unlucky Cousin

By the time the carriage reached the Princess Mansion, she lifted the curtain and saw many carriages already parked outside the gates—a lively, bustling scene.

            

Jiang Chenyu wore a long front-opening jacket in pale pink, embroidered with floral branches along with butterfly and bat motifs, paired with a sapphire-blue horse-face skirt¹ printed with subtle plum blossom patterns. She looked like a touch of spring in the depths of winter—bright and eye-catching without being ostentatious.

Even with a simple bun, she still stood out among the crowd of ladies.

Several young ladies who didn’t know her were whispering among themselves, their voices low but loud enough for Jiang Chenyu to know they were talking about her.

            

She smiled and nodded in their direction, then handed her invitation to the gate servant and entered the Princess Mansion with her two maids.

Inside, many ladies and young misses were already gathered in small groups, chatting. Jiang Chenyu was led to pay her respects to the hostess first.

Princess Shunhe was sitting with several elegant noblewomen, chatting. When she saw Jiang Chenyu approaching, she waved eagerly. “Madam Shen, you’ve arrived! We meet again. I was so rude to mistake you last time.”

            

Jiang Chenyu bowed. “Not at all. To have even a brief acquaintance with Your Highness is this wife’s good fortune.”

“Princess, who is this younger sister?” asked a young madam sitting at one side of the octagonal table. She had a cheerful face, like a grown-up version of a New Year painting doll², and her round, big eyes were full of curiosity.

When had such a beauty arrived in the capital? She had no idea which family she belonged to.

            

Princess Shunhe introduced her to the plump and pleasant Madam Gu. “Madam Gu, this is General Shen’s wife. She just arrived in the capital with her family this year. You probably don’t know her, but you’re about the same age, so you should get along.”

Madam Gu’s face lit up with gossipy excitement. “So you’re the one who stole General Shen away? Miss Jiang? Now that I see you, you really are a stunning beauty. No wonder the general, who even the county princess couldn’t land, ended up marrying you instead.”

Jiang Chenyu lowered her eyes and smiled modestly. “Madam Gu is teasing me. It’s clearly that the county princess looked down on my husband as a rough man, so I was the one who got lucky.”

            

Madam Gu teased, “Madam Shen, you’re wrong there. The general may do rough work, but his looks are one in ten thousand.”

Princess Shunhe, seeing Madam Gu’s eagerness for gossip, explained, “Madam Shen, don’t listen to her nonsense. Jiayuan is broad-minded and plump, and she tends to speak without thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Chenyu smiled toward Madam Gu. “Not at all. I find Madam Gu utterly adorable and very amusing.”

            

Dealing with these official wives was even more exhausting than doing business. Whether Madam Gu meant it or not, speaking so bluntly to someone she’d just met was quite forward.

Princess Shunhe, who seemed fond of Madam Gu, added, “She’s been spoiled by the Left Prime Minister, so she’s become even more unrestrained. You’ll get used to it over time.”

Jiang Chenyu was startled inwardly. So this was the wife of the Left Prime Minister? No wonder she was so free-spirited. With that innocent look, she must be truly favored.

            

Madam Gu dropped another bombshell. “Speaking of which, when General Shen was wronged last time, my husband happened to be out of the capital and couldn’t speak up for him. He’s been sighing about it at home!”

Jiang Chenyu bowed again. “Even if he couldn’t help, I still thank Lord Gu for his trust. On behalf of my husband, I thank Lord Gu and Madam Gu.” In her heart, she was calculating what this woman really meant.

Princess Shunhe said, “Madam Shen, you chat with the ladies here. I’ll go greet the others.” She ordered tea to be served and then swept away.

            

Madam Gu’s chatterbox opened even wider. She pointed to the two other ladies at the table and introduced them to Jiang Chenyu.

At that moment, Jiang Chenyu decided that a chatterbox wasn’t so bad—at least with her at the table, there would be no awkward silences.

She smiled appreciatively and made the acquaintance of the daughter-in-law of the Vice-Minister of Personnel, née Jiang, and the wife of the Chief of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, née Wang. Remembering her own mission, she gradually joined the conversation, blending in while quietly gathering information about each family’s household.

            

Slowly, she found it quite interesting and no longer felt bored. Especially when Madam Gu shared gossip about other families—she realized that everyone enjoyed a good spectacle. And sure enough, she got drawn in too, listening with great relish.

After a short while, the two ladies at the table were called by other ladies and misses to go admire the plum blossoms in the courtyard. Jiang Chenyu followed them out to the plum grove.

Before she even reached the spot, she was stunned by the vast expanse of fiery red plum blossoms. Without the contrast of snow, they bloomed even more beautifully, their fragrance wafting from afar.

            

Madam Gu pointed to another courtyard. “Beautiful, aren’t they? Around that corner, past the wall, there are white plum blossoms too—pure and exquisite, with a charm all their own.”

Jiang Chenyu agreed. “The red plums are vibrant, the white plums are pure—truly a paradise-like scene.”

There was still some time before the banquet began, just enough for everyone to enjoy the plum blossoms and chat.

            

It was already late February, and the pond not far from the plum grove in the Princess Mansion had begun to thaw. As they walked, they soon left the plum grove behind.

Zhang-biaomei³ had thought it over for a long time and still couldn’t bear to give up this good opportunity. So she really did disguise herself as a maid and came to the Princess Mansion with Jiang Chenyu.

Seeing her determination, Jiang Chenyu didn’t stop her. She only warned her not to cause trouble, then brought Cuiwan and Zhang-biaomei to the Princess Mansion.

            

Although Zhang-biaomei went disguised as a maid, she had clear goals and had put some thought into her attire. Fortunately, she usually dressed simply, so even when carefully dressed up, she looked at most like a senior maid—nothing too conspicuous.

While Jiang Chenyu was chatting with the ladies, Zhang-biaomei had quietly wandered around the mansion. But the Princess Mansion was huge, and she soon got lost, unable to find her way back. So she decided to focus on the young ladies nearby.

She wanted to use this opportunity to get to know the notable ladies and misses. So once out of Jiang Chenyu’s sight, she strolled around the courtyard in the guise of an official’s daughter, and indeed she made friends with two young ladies of similar age.

            

After introducing themselves, one was the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank imperial physician, and the other was the second daughter of a sixth-rank secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. Both came from slightly higher-status families than Zhang-biaomei.

But since they were all legitimate daughters, they quickly became friends. The three of them wandered for a while and were about to head back when they stumbled upon a dramatic scene.

“Young Master, I don’t believe you have no feelings for me. You redeemed me, paid for my father’s medical treatment, and even treated me to a feast at Tianxiang Restaurant. Can you really have no feelings for me at all?” A woman of quiet, elegant appearance looked at the young gentleman before her with tear-filled eyes.

            

The young man in white spoke harshly, showing no mercy. “How dare you come here to pester me? Do you know where this is? I redeemed you, paid for your father’s treatment—and now I’m the one in the wrong? Go back before anyone notices. I have no interest in you at all!”

But the woman’s mind was full of memories of their time together. This Young Master Sun had been so considerate, and now he was cutting her off just like that. Unable to believe it, she grabbed his sleeve and refused to let go, staring at him stubbornly.

The three young ladies crouched behind the trees by the pond, too embarrassed to make a sound but too curious to leave, frozen in place.

            

Just as the young man tried to leave, the woman grabbed him to stop him. As they struggled, they moved closer and closer to where Zhang-biaomei was hiding. Just as the three girls were wondering how to escape, the young man, annoyed by the entanglement, shoved the woman aside.

The woman stumbled and fell into the pond. The ice had just begun to thaw, and with a crack, she plunged into the water.

Zhang-biaomei, who was standing nearby, was pulled in by the woman’s arm. Together, they shattered the already thin ice, and the freezing, bone-chilling water instantly engulfed them both.

            

The other two young ladies by the pond panicked, their faces pale with fear. “Ah! What do we do? Qian-jiejie⁴, let’s go get help!”

This pond was for viewing lotus flowers in summer, and it was deep. The two women struggled, only their heads above water.

One of the young ladies ran to call for help, while the other stood by the pond waiting for rescue.

            

The young man in white snapped back to reality when he saw the woman fall in. He thought about jumping in to save her, but then hesitated. Besides, he couldn’t swim. The lotus pond in the Princess Mansion was over a person’s head deep, and he didn’t dare try.

The young lady surnamed Zhao, standing nearby, said reproachfully, “Young Master, can you swim? Hurry and save Miss Zhang!”

“Miss, I can’t swim either! I’ll go get help!” With that, he ran off as well.

            

Miss Zhao was dumbfounded. What kind of man was that?

“Zhang-jiejie, hang in there! Yuhua has gone to call for help.” Then she too began shouting for rescue.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chenyu noticed that Zhang-biaomei was missing and sent Cuiwan to look for her. She had only said that about disguising as a maid in anger that day, never expecting Zhang-biaomei to actually agree.

            

But since she had come, as long as she didn’t cause trouble, Jiang Chenyu didn’t want to restrict her too much.

However, the person she had let loose was like a kite with a broken string⁵—nowhere to be found. So she had to send Cuiwan to retrieve her.

Just then, she heard that someone had fallen into the water. Jiang Chenyu’s heart sank with a bad feeling. She quickly bid farewell to Madam Gu and ran toward the pond.

            

When she arrived at the pond, the two women who had fallen in had already been rescued by the servants. Because the water still contained bits of ice, the two had been soaking for a while, their lips blue, lying on the ground barely breathing.

Fortunately, the daughter of the imperial physician knew some medicine. She pressed on their philtrum points and managed to revive them.

By then, the princess had also been alerted and arrived. When she asked who the two young ladies were, Miss Zhao, the physician’s daughter, truthfully explained Zhang-biaomei’s situation.

            

Upon hearing this, the princess turned her attention to the other woman.

This uninvited young lady—whose lover was she? Surely not her son’s? But then she remembered her son hadn’t been here just now, so she relaxed and began interrogating the woman.

The two young ladies, wrapped in blankets, knelt on the ground to answer.

            

As for Zhang-biaomei, the princess didn’t pay her much attention. There were over twenty young ladies present today, and she couldn’t remember whether she had invited this Miss Zhang or not.

But the other woman, who had ruined her flower-viewing banquet, made the princess slightly angry. What respectable young lady would chase after a man all the way to someone’s home?

Today, her son had invited a few close friends over, somewhat like a matchmaking gathering, but there were only five or six men.

            

No matter which young master this woman had sneaked into the Princess Mansion for, it was extremely disgraceful. Since the princess didn’t tell them to rise, the two had to continue kneeling.

Although this incident had little to do with Zhang-biaomei, she had to kneel alongside the other woman as an accessory. In her heart, she cursed that man and woman thoroughly.

She was so cold her teeth were chattering, her face deathly pale, her lips purple—she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

            

Jiang Chenyu wanted to say something, but the princess was still questioning them, so she couldn’t interrupt. By now, she understood that it really had nothing to do with Zhang-biaomei—at most, she had eavesdropped on their conversation and been unluckily dragged into it.

Just as she was at a loss, she saw Shen Hetang pushing through the crowd from behind. She quickly ran over to her, whispered the situation in her ear, and handed the problem over to her.

Shen Hetang, who had come with Heir Wei, heard the whole story of her biaomei falling into the pond. Looking at her cousin, who was kneeling and swaying unsteadily, she thought it would be best to take them all away quickly.

            

She pushed through the crowd and was about to speak when the princess said slowly, “Take the two young ladies to change their clothes. It’s nothing serious—let’s continue!”

Two unknown young ladies were not as important as her banquet. She couldn’t let everyone be disappointed—the feast hadn’t even been served yet.

The two young ladies didn’t dare say anything more. But after Princess Shunhe left, Zhang Miaoyi looked up and saw Shen Hetang in the crowd. She called out, pitiful and weak, “biaoge⁶…!”

            

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