High-class Spring Joy

In the Buddhist hall, the Empress Dowager sat at the front, with the ladies and young women below her filling the hall.

At this moment, the young ladies began to discuss among themselves:

"What time is it? Why is the princess nowhere to be seen?"

Jiang Qingge waved the round fan in her hand, speaking calmly with a smile on her face: "Her Highness the Princess might have something to do and be delayed, but it seems we're still short one person."

After speaking, Miss Song Wu frowned, her lips moving slightly. She didn't want to speak, but upon hearing Jiang Qingge's words, she could only say with a pale face, "Perhaps Miss Qingyuan just encountered some urgent matter on the road, which is why she was delayed? Why don't we wait?"

After saying that, Jiang Qingge glanced at Miss Song Wu beside her with a smile. Her gaze seemed light and indifferent, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Upon hearing this, Miss Song the Second scoffed, "Fifth Sister, I told you, you shouldn't have come to such an important occasion. If it weren't for Father's permission for you to come with me to Xiangguo Temple to accompany the Empress Dowager in praying for the country, you probably wouldn't even have the right to enter this Buddhist hall. How can you be so ignorant of your place and speak so tactlessly? There are so many ladies and young ladies sitting in the hall, not to mention the Empress Dowager is here. How can you expect to wait like that? You, as a concubine's daughter, can wait a little, which is fine. But how many of these ladies and young ladies are of noble status, from such high-ranking families, with such prestige? And with the Empress Dowager here, look at the status of every lady and young lady in this hall—aren't they a thousand times, a hundred times, higher than you?"

"You're the one who's being kind, aren't you? Don't you even consider Qing Yuan's identity? Is she really worth all the ladies and young women here waiting for? Besides, when she came to serve tea to the Empress Dowager a few days ago, didn't she say she'd get up at midnight? How could she be delayed now? It's best if she was delayed on the way; could it be that she doesn't want to serve tea to us and is deliberately making excuses? Maybe she knows she's gained favor with the Empress Dowager and is acting recklessly. How dare such a lowly servant have such arrogant thoughts?"

Miss Song's words were particularly harsh, but the target of her harshness was Qing Yuan, whom almost all the ladies and young women present disliked and even despised. So, to them, these were very pleasant and agreeable words.

The smiles on the ladies' faces hadn't faded; they simply waved their fans slowly and deliberately, without much reaction, at most giving a dismissive sneer.

They would naturally not lower themselves to make things difficult for Qingyuan, nor would they ruin their own reputation by responding to Miss Song's words. Since someone was willing to be the scapegoat, they could simply watch from the sidelines and achieve their desired goals.

"Alright, alright. I asked you all to accompany me to Xiangguo Temple to worship Buddha and chant sutras, precisely to seek peace of mind and blessings. How can one pray for blessings if the mind is not at peace? If the mind is at peace, can't you even wait this little bit of time?"

The Empress Dowager fiddled with the prayer beads one by one in her hand, her face expressionless, her gaze lightly falling on the group of people in the hall.

Yet, that seemingly casual gaze was filled with majesty, sending chills down one's spine with just a glance. This aura, cultivated over many years, was truly honed in the palace.

Miss Song immediately knelt down in fright: "It was I who misspoke, Your Majesty. Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. I was just worried that Your Majesty had waited so long for that lowly servant, fearing she would take advantage of you. Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

Jiang Qingge spoke up at the right moment, her face full of worry: "Second Sister Song, you should be more careful with your words and actions. This Buddhist hall is a sacred place to worship Buddha and Bodhisattvas, not a place to shout and fight, nor a place to cry loudly. Do not defile the gods and Buddhas in this Buddhist hall with your shouts. If you really delay the Empress Dowager's original intention to pray for the country, and are punished and angered by the gods and Buddhas, then this is a sin that even being torn apart by five horses cannot undo."

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "Look at that! Now that's what a truly sensible person should say. Rise! How can you all be so impetuous and easily angered, truly serving the gods and Buddhas? Offending me and incurring my anger is a small matter, but if you offend all the gods and Buddhas in this Buddhist hall and bring disaster upon the people of my Song Kingdom, then it won't be a mistake that you can undo with a few kowtows. Learn from Jiang Qingge, be more composed. How can anything be accomplished with such impetuousness and agitation?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Miss Song didn't dare to say anything more and quickly got up and sat down, but she was still in shock.

The ladies and young women standing nearby also lost some of their smiles after the Empress Dowager's words.

Many eyes quietly fell on Jiang Qingge, scrutinizing, probing, and showing disdain—each with their own motives, but most were filled with jealousy.

Being praised in public by the Empress Dowager is a golden reputation for Jiang Qingge, more effective than anyone else's words.

If this gets out, Jiang Qingge's reputation for virtue and gentleness will soar throughout Bianjing.

At this moment, the nanny serving the Empress Dowager spoke up: "Your Majesty, there is only one stick of incense left. If we are any later, we may miss the best time to pray to Buddha today. If we are late, we may incur the wrath of the gods and Buddhas."

Upon hearing this, the ladies and young women in the room all had different expressions. Jiang Qingge raised her eyebrows triumphantly, her eyes filled with confident certainty.

A stick of incense.

Oh.

Even if Qingyuan didn't die, she definitely wouldn't be able to gather that much tea within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Gong Zheng has spoken out of turn to the Empress Dowager and failed to fulfill his duties to her. Even if he survives, he will never be as glorious as he was a few days ago.

Just then, a cheerful and loud female voice suddenly came from outside the hall:

"Jing'an greets the Empress Dowager."

When Princess Jing'an appeared, the ladies' expressions changed again, though no particularly obvious emotions were shown yet.

"Get up, come and sit down." The Empress Dowager waved her hand gently.

Princess Jing'an smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am not pleased. My task today is not to sit in the hall and watch, but to have another task. I have come here specifically to apologize to Your Majesty on behalf of Qingyuan."

"Oh? Why apologize? What is she apologizing for? Why didn't she come herself?"

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, showing some interest in Princess Jing'an's words.

"Your Majesty, I was here today. This morning, I happened to meet Qingyuan. She was on her way down the mountain to collect lotus leaf dew for brewing tea. I was touched by her sincerity towards Your Majesty, so I sent a few of my guards to accompany her and help her collect the dew so that she wouldn't be unable to finish it all by herself."

As Princess Jing'an spoke, her eyes reddened, and she held a silk handkerchief in her hand as if to wipe away tears. "But who knew that such a change would occur? Originally, I was supposed to come to pay my respects to Your Majesty on time and accompany you to the Buddhist hall to worship Buddha. But on my way to the Buddhist hall, I encountered the guards who were returning to report that there were men in black hiding by the lotus pond, trying to assassinate Qingyuan. Now Qingyuan is also injured, and I really cannot come to apologize to Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager said coldly, "Are you implying there are assassins at Xiangguo Temple?"

As Princess Jing'an spoke, the expressions of the people below the hall varied. Jiang Qingge raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but smile.

But soon, Jiang Qingge spoke again, looking very worried: "Your Highness, how is Miss Qingyuan now?"

Upon hearing Jiang Qingge speak, Miss Song trembled with fear, her expression hesitant, but she could only ask, "An assassin at Xiangguo Temple?! But why would an assassin want to assassinate a maid like Qingyuan? Is there a mistake? Or perhaps the assassin wasn't trying to assassinate Qingyuan, but the princess, and mistook Qingyuan for the princess?"

The patriarch of the Song family favored his concubines over his wife. Even the eldest daughter of the Song family, as the legitimate eldest daughter, was not favored, unlike the second daughter, who was born to a concubine. As for the fifth daughter, born to a maid, she was even less favored. The second daughter had been arrogant and domineering since childhood in the Song household, and she bullied and humiliated the eldest and fifth daughters at every turn.

What kind of place is Xiangguo Temple? This is right in front of the Empress Dowager!

Miss Song the Second could not tolerate Miss Song the Fifth overstepping her bounds in front of the Empress Dowager, and immediately retorted sarcastically, "Fifth Sister, I told you to shut up. Stupid people should keep quiet. Her Highness the Princess is of such noble birth; how could she possibly be confused with a lowly maid like Qingyuan?! But this assassin is truly strange. If she really wanted to commit suicide for money, how many ladies and noblewomen live in Xiangguo Temple? Why would she choose to assassinate a mere maid? What was she after for Qingyuan? Surely not just her life? What use is a maid's life? Perhaps Qingyuan, that little maid, deliberately tried to deceive Princess Biyu, fabricating a story and getting herself injured to play the victim and gain sympathy. Frankly… she just didn't want us to drink her lotus leaf dew tea?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingge immediately tried to explain, seemingly to defend Qingyuan: "Second Sister Song, you shouldn't make such a hasty decision, nor should you falsely accuse someone like that! To be honest, I've spent some time at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence. It's not the first time I've interacted with Miss Qingyuan. Miss Qingyuan is an extremely sincere and kind-hearted girl. She couldn't possibly harbor any malicious intent, nor could she be so narrow-minded and vicious as to try and save a cup of tea. Perhaps the assassin prevented Miss Qingyuan from making the lotus leaf dew tea, which is why Miss Qingyuan asked Her Highness the Princess to come and plead guilty on her behalf."

As soon as Jiang Qingge finished speaking, Princess Jing'an immediately turned around, her gaze icy as she looked at her: "I didn't say anything. How did Miss Jiang know? Whether it's Miss Song the Second or Miss Song the Fifth, their suspicions are somewhat reasonable; a normal person would probably think the same way. But Miss Jiang's guess seems to have no logic whatsoever, nor any evidence to support it. If it's not just Miss Jiang's wild imagination, then it can only mean that Miss Jiang might know something?"

"Your Highness! I absolutely did not mean that. I simply did not want Qingyuan, such a kind and sincere girl, to be wronged!"

Jiang Qingge immediately knelt down, her eyes reddening instantly, and began kowtowing to the Empress Dowager, begging for mercy.

Princess Jing'an remained unmoved, pacing back and forth in front of Jiang Qingge, a cold smile playing on her lips. "You say you're pleading for Qingyuan, but I've heard you have no connection with her whatsoever. If anything, it's only enmity, isn't it? While Miss Song was a bit timid, one of her remarks truly reminded me. In this vast Xiangguo Temple, if someone is after power, wealth, or influence, there are plenty of people here who can satisfy their desires. Why would someone ignore the high-ranking officials and nobles throughout Xiangguo Temple and instead choose to assassinate a mere maid like Qingyuan? It must be for personal revenge." Of all the people in Xiangguo Temple, it seems only Miss Jiang and Qingyuan have a grudge. Everyone knows that after Miss Jiang broke off her engagement with the third young master of the Marquis's mansion, she became very close to the fifth young master within two months. They often went out hand in hand to compose poems and enjoy pleasure boat rides—a truly perfect couple! Just looking at them, they were so affectionate, praised throughout Bianjing. And coincidentally, Qingyuan was the child bride that the old lady specifically bought for the fifth young master. Given this, if Miss Jiang, wanting to marry the fifth young master, harbors resentment towards Qingyuan, and thus dislikes her in everything, targeting her and making things difficult for her, that would be understandable.”

Jiang Qingge's face paled, and she cried even more pitifully, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please investigate! I don't know why the princess suspects me so much. Qingyuan and I truly have no personal grudge. I beg Your Majesty to investigate. What the princess said is true, but even if I am not the best, I am still the daughter of an upright official family. Although my family is wealthy but my rank is not high, and I am only a minor official in front of the ladies, my father has served as an official for many years, always upholding justice, serving the country and the people, and wholeheartedly loyal to the Emperor. How could I possibly make an enemy of a maid? Wouldn't that be lowering my status? I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

Princess Jing'an was about to speak when the Empress Dowager interrupted her, "Alright, alright! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket so early in the morning? You've turned this Buddhist hall into a complete mess! As for the so-called lotus leaf and dew tea, and the matter of Qingyuan's assassination attempt, we'll discuss that later. Now, there's only half an incense stick's time left before the Buddhist ceremony. All of you, behave yourselves!"

Just then, a maid at the door announced, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Miss Qingyuan requests an audience!"

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, and the nanny beside her announced loudly, "Summon them!"

Qingyuan walked in steadily, carrying a tray with two cups of tea on it.