"What, is your aunt's tea not to your taste?" The Princess Royal raised an eyebrow.
Xue Lin said, "No."
To show his sincerity, Xue Lin took a sip of tea, then set down the cup without a change in expression.
The Princess Royal burst out laughing. "Alin, isn't it bitter? I specifically had them bring you the bitterest tea, just to see your expression change. What a pity."
Xue Lin said helplessly, "Aunt, stop teasing me."
"Tease you? You would have to be willing to smile first."
This nephew of hers was good in every way, except that he never liked to smile.
Xue Lin said nothing.
"Your Highness, the banquet is ready."
Xue Shang, who had been reclining sideways on a chaise longue, sat upright. She waved a hand, and the two male favorites feeding her grapes at her side and massaging her legs at her feet both stopped.
The favorite behind her slipped a jeweled hairpin into her hair, while the one before her held out his hand. Xue Shang rested hers on it.
She casually adjusted her hair and asked, "Alin, are you coming out?"
Xue Lin said, "I'll stay here."
He had not come to attend the banquet in the first place.
Xue Shang had expected as much. As she passed Xue Lin, she added, "You're like a block of wood all day long. A young man ought to act like one."
Xue Lin said nothing, watching Xue Shang walk farther and farther away, the three male favorites following her with utmost deference.
He called, "Sichen."
"What is it, Young Lord?" Sichen studied his young lord, rubbing his chin. "Have you changed your mind and decided to attend the banquet?"
Xue Lin toyed with his teacup. "Don't you think there's something wrong with Aunt's male favorites?"
"Nothing wrong with them. The Princess Royal requires them to be strong, handsome, obedient, compliant, and able to please her. They have all of that."
Tong Aning thought so too.
[The Princess Royal's four male favorites really are strapping fellows.]
Xue Shang paused and glanced toward Tong Aning in the crowd. Her imperial brother had been right.
Still, hearing it from her imperial brother and experiencing it herself were rather different things.
"Ladies and young ladies, please make yourselves comfortable and take your seats."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Xue Shang looked at the wine before her and tapped the tabletop with a crimson-painted fingertip. A male favorite promptly lifted the cup and brought it to her lips.
Xue Shang smiled, lowered her head, and took the wine into her mouth.
The wine was fiery, but nowhere near as fiery as the four male favorites beside her.
The guests below watched her every move, utterly shocked.
They had long known that the Princess Royal was wantonly dissolute.
As though kicking out her prince consort five years ago had not been enough, she now kept four male favorites by her side.
"Not just four."
Someone in the know lowered her voice. "The male favorites around the Princess Royal are replaced with a fresh batch every year."
"Does His Majesty do nothing about it?"
"Even if His Majesty wanted to interfere, what could he do? The Princess Royal is his only full sister."
"I heard His Majesty has even granted her quite a few special privileges."
Su Zhouyue listened in as well.
She knew about the privileges the Princess Royal held. The emperor had deliberately put her in charge of the imperial family's shops. Those businesses were flourishing now, and the Princess Royal's household was probably raking in gold by the day.
Su Zhouyue came back to herself and saw Tong Aning staring fixedly at the four male favorites.
Su Zhouyue: "..."
Although she had long known her daughter came from another world, where she was already in her twenties and a grown woman, still!
Su Zhouyue could not accept it.
She tugged Tong Aning's sleeve and whispered, "Aning, you mustn't..."
[These four male favorites are fine and all, but unfortunately, the Third Prince planted every one of them in the Princess Royal's household to spy on her.]
Huh?
Su Zhouyue froze.
Tong Aning asked sweetly, "Mustn't what, Mother?"
Goodness, her dear Aning had just exposed another secret.
Su Zhouyue patted Tong Aning's head. "Nothing. I was telling you not to be picky and to eat more."
Su Zhouyue put food on Tong Aning's plate, all things Tong Aning disliked.
Tong Aning: "."
Her whole face nearly scrunched together.
Su Zhouyue had not paid attention to what she had put on Tong Aning's plate. She was secretly observing the Princess Royal.
Xue Shang examined the four male favorites beside her.
She had selected them through ever more exacting standards.
And they had all turned out to be spies!
Beyond the anger of being deceived, Xue Shang also felt heartache. But... three-legged toads might be hard to find, but was there any shortage of two-legged men?
Xue Shang drank a cup of wine and set it down heavily. The sound made all four male favorites' hearts jump.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
One of the male favorites asked.
What was wrong, indeed?
Xue Shang pulled him over and whispered in his ear, "Your identity as a spy has been exposed."
The favorite shuddered and was about to fall to his knees to beg Xue Shang's forgiveness.
Xue Shang stopped him. "Don't go weak in the knees. I don't like men with weak knees."
The favorite forced himself to remain standing.
After the meal, Xue Shang told everyone to enjoy themselves in the peony garden, while she turned and entered the hall, intending to purge her household.
Xue Lin had already left, leaving her a note saying there might be something wrong with these male favorites.
There certainly was.
The Princess Royal crumpled the note into a ball and turned, her gaze unreadable.
"Mother, ordinary peonies haven't bloomed yet at this time of year, but the ones at the Princess Royal's residence are blooming so early."
Tong Aning found it fascinating.
"Of course."
Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue looked toward the newcomer. It was the Princess Royal's only daughter, Commandery Princess Mingyue.
The eighteen-year-old commandery princess wore splendid silks and finery, with precious pearls and jade adorning her hair, making her all the more radiant, like a bright pearl.
"Your Ladyship."
[The commandery princess is so beautiful.]
Su Zhouyue smiled. It seemed their Aning liked beauties.
Mingyue paused. What was that voice?
But wherever the voice had come from, it had excellent taste to call her beautiful.
Mingyue stepped forward, brushing her hand over the petals of the nearest pot of peonies. She said proudly, "My mother loves peonies most of all. Every year, the peonies at the Princess Royal's residence bloom first. My mother even hired gardeners specifically to cultivate them. Not only do they bloom early and beautifully, but there are many varieties too."
Tong Aning nodded.
Seeing how attentively she listened, Mingyue offered, "If you like them, I can have a pot sent to your residence later."
Tong Aning said delightedly, "Really?"
Seeing her reaction, Mingyue was overjoyed.
She knew that because of her mother, everyone flattered her and exhausted every means to please her.
But no one had ever listened seriously to what she said. They were all racking their brains to work out what her words meant.
Tong Aning was different.
She did not care about her status as a commandery princess. She listened carefully to what she said, then responded accordingly.
Tong Aning was such a wonderful person!
"Of course." Commandery Princess Mingyue patted Tong Aning's shoulder. "I like you."
Hearing that, Tong Aning's eyes curved into crescents. "I like you too, Your Ladyship."
[The commandery princess is not only beautiful, but kindhearted too.]
Commandery Princess Mingyue's lips curled. It was the truth, of course, but she still felt embarrassed occasionally.
"Your Ladyship, someone is causing trouble outside our gates. Please come and see."
"Who dares cause trouble at the princess's residence?"
Mingyue hurried over, and Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue followed.
Elsewhere.
The doors of the hall opened.
Xue Shang took the handkerchief a maid offered and wiped her hands nonchalantly.
"Your Highness, someone is causing trouble at the gates. It seems they've come because of Her Ladyship."
Fine, fine, fine.
They had planted spies beside her, and now they wanted to go after her daughter. They must all be tired of living.
A vicious look surfaced in Xue Shang's eyes. "Let's go."
"Bullshit! You were the one who said you liked me and would definitely marry me. Now you're pulling this stunt. What are you trying to do?"
Mingyue kicked the frail scholar kneeling there in the chest.
The scholar swayed precariously and actually spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Your Ladyship, I don't want this either. I beg you to spare my entire family, young and old. My wife and I are deeply devoted to each other. I truly cannot abandon her and give myself to Your Ladyship."
Mingyue was nearly mad with rage. "You even have a wife? You never told me!"
"Your Ladyship, I made it clear long ago that I already had a family. It was Your Ladyship who..."
The meaningful pause successfully sparked the anger of the commoners watching.
"Could the commandery princess have used her power to force him..."
"Even a commandery princess can't be this lawless."
[System, is there something wrong with this man?]
[Yes, host. He had people inquire about the commandery princess's preferences and deliberately catered to them. Once she fell for him, he set out to ruin her.]
Tong Aning: ...
[Isn't this a pig-butchering scam?]
Xue Shang arrived just then. She and Mingyue both looked bewildered. What was a pig-butchering scam?