Chapter 87: Hello Chang’an
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**Chapter 87: She is the Unlucky One, Li Shang**
According to the customs of the Da Sheng Dynasty, the ritual for the Day of the Dead is conducted in the evening. However, due to the need for preparations, and given that the Duan shi places great importance on it, they had arrived early at the residence of Princess Chongyue.
After stepping down from the carriage with the Duan shi, Chang Suining looked up at the residence before her.
Those familiar with the palace knew that Princess Chongyue had suffered a serious illness when she was around eight or nine years old. Although she miraculously survived, she was left with many aftereffects that became chronic and difficult to treat.
When the late Crown Prince was twelve, he volunteered to serve in the military. Before his departure, he requested permission from the late Emperor, asking to allow his sister to leave the palace for recuperation—
The Emperor granted the request, making an exception for Princess Chongyue, who was only twelve, to have a residence outside the palace, with medical officers accompanying her, allowing her to focus on her health away from the palace’s noise.
Later, after the late Emperor passed away and Li Bing ascended the throne, the residence became known as the residence of Princess Chongyue.
But whether as a princess or a grand princess, it was not an easy role to play—
Recalling her somewhat brief life, Chang Suining felt that the six characters "Residence of Princess Chongyue" on the plaque should be replaced with "A Life of Misfortune."
And she was that unfortunate one, Grand Princess Li Shang.
“Come, let’s go inside,” Duan shi said, her voice breaking through Chang Suining's thoughts as she withdrew her gaze from the plaque.
The gates of the Princess’s residence were always tightly shut to outsiders, only opening for the Emperor's visits.
Now, accompanied by Duan shi, they entered through the side door.
The leading maid was a young stranger. As Chang Suining followed Duan shi, she noticed that the furnishings inside were preserved much like those in the Xuanzhe Manor, showing only signs of maintenance without major changes.
There was, however, one newly built place, and it was there that the maid led them—the altar.
The altar was quiet and clean, filled with the scent of incense, displaying the spirit tablet of Princess Chongyue along with various offerings and a portrait.
The woman in the portrait was beautiful, with cold brows and eyes, exuding a quiet elegance.
She looked very much like Chang Suining but was also completely different—while the appearance was similar, Chang Suining had likely never possessed such tranquility and grace.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never been composed or serene.
Growing up among many princes and princesses, her lowly status meant that a quiet demeanor would only lead to being bullied, and even after being bullied, she had to swallow her grievances.
She did not want to be a foolish, pitiful person who couldn't even fight back after being bullied. Moreover, her younger brother Ah Xiao was weak, and as the elder sister, she absolutely could not be weak—this thought had been etched in her mind since she could remember.
As time passed, she had even less room to be weak or calm.
Returning to this old place inevitably brought back memories, and Chang Suining quietly assisted Duan shi in arranging the offerings without speaking.
Seeing that she was a young lady with a calm demeanor despite being unfamiliar, the maid from the Princess’s residence relaxed—Madam Zheng’s visit for the ritual was permitted by the holy Emperor, and having a young lady accompany her was reasonable; after all, in previous years, there had been precedents of the Wei family’s young men and women coming along. As long as the worship was sincere and not noisy, they would not comment further.
Once everything was prepared, darkness fell.
The white candles in the altar were lit, and Duan shi lit incense, placing it carefully in the incense burner, her actions revealing a weighty sense of longing.
Then, Duan shi and Chang Suining knelt on the cushions and bowed to the spirit tablet.
After the bowing, Chang Suining sat back on the cushion, gazing at the spirit tablet, her feelings quite complex—how many people in the world prepared offerings for themselves and worshipped their own spirit?
Was the favor of King Yan bestowed solely upon her, or did other unfortunate souls share in it too?
The joss paper began to burn in the fire pit.
Duan shi, who had been quiet, had red-rimmed eyes by this time.
Seeing her thus made Chang Suining feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After a moment, she noticed that tears had silently fallen from Duan shi’s downcast eyes.
Chang Suining felt increasingly uneasy, slightly turning her head away, only to see the maid beside her also wiping her tears—yet she had never seen this young maid before. Why would she cry for a master she had never met?
Perhaps this was just a reflection of their professionalism in doing their duties…
Over there, Duan shi tossed a handful of joss paper into the fire pit, her tear-filled eyes reflecting the flames like a pitiful little dog.
Seeing this, Chang Suining felt an inexplicable sense of guilt and could only softly comfort her: “Madam, please accept my condolences…”
Duan shi wiped her tears, letting out a long sigh, and looked at the spirit tablet, her voice hoarse as she murmured, “The princess once said that I looked the funniest when I cried… If she saw me like this now, she would definitely make fun of me.”
Chang Suining sighed regretfully within.
She saw her.
But unfortunately, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh at her.
Watching Duan shi struggle to suppress her tears yet not wanting to lose control in front of her junior, Chang Suining timely asked, “Does Madam want to speak to the princess alone?”
Duan shi nodded lightly. Then considering that Chang Suining had been busy with her for half the day, she said, “You may go and have some tea and snacks first.”
Chang Suining agreed and stood to leave.
Since her coming with Duan shi was an exception, and the ritual demanded solemnity and quiet, she had only asked Xi’er to wait outside the carriage.
Without a maid beside her, a maid from the Grand Princess's residence guided her to a side hall not far from the altar.
After Chang Suining sat down, the maid went to prepare tea and snacks.
Although the furnishings in the Princess's residence hadn’t changed, with no master present, the servants were sparse. After the maid temporarily left, only Chang Suining remained in the hall.
Seizing the opportunity, Chang Suining left the side hall.
Though she had never lived in this residence for a long time, she would return every so often during peacetime, so she was still quite familiar with her home environment.
Reaching an open area, Chang Suining carefully surveyed her surroundings.
The residence had been without a master for many years, and even though it was now evening, there weren’t many well-lit places—besides the altar and the servants' quarters, there was only one exception—
Chang Suining quickly identified that it was in the direction of the Western Garden.
After a moment’s thought, she chose a deserted path and hurried toward that direction.
As she got closer, she heard a chaotic conversation coming from the courtyard, so she stopped and hid behind a nearby rockery.
Among the disorderly voices, one tone was particularly serious and seemed to carry a hint of anger.
“Today is the princess's birthday, yet you are completely unprepared. I clearly instructed you beforehand—how could you handle things like this?”
“This is such laziness and negligence… The Princess’s residence cannot tolerate such treachery!”
“I’m going to report this to the princess!”
As the words were spoken, the courtyard door swung open, and the speaker hurriedly exited.
Thanks to the lantern hanging outside the courtyard door, Chang Suining could clearly see the person's face.
Though he had changed from her twenties to his thirties, she was still easily recognizable.
It was her former personal maid, Yu Xue—
As she walked, her demeanor was impeccable, exuding the authority of a top maid.
Yet it was obvious that her expression was one of someone not in their right mind.
Soon, two maids carrying lanterns rushed out after her.
One of them stepped forward to block Yu Xue's path, her tone complicated and hesitant: “... Yu Xue, the princess is not in the residence right now.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xue abruptly stopped, her expression frozen for a moment before her pupils constricted, and she began to tremble, as if recalling something painfully dreadful and unbearable.
At that moment, Chang Suining was hiding behind the rockery, just two steps away, taking in every change in her expression.
“The princess is gone; she was harmed by someone in Beidi…” Yu Xue mumbled, “It’s all my fault; it’s all my fault for not protecting the princess; I’m the one who deserves to die…”
After saying this, lost in the painful memories, she unexpectedly pushed the maid blocking her way aside and ran into the night.
“Yu Xue!”
Two female attendants hurriedly followed.
Seeing that their direction was toward the sacrificial hall, Chang Suining did not rush to follow. Instead, she bent down to pick up a stone from the ground, walked to the wall of the courtyard, and quickly drew a seemingly simple pattern in the corner with the stone.
This place was not the main courtyard, and the wall was already somewhat mottled. The pattern was not conspicuous on it; even if seen, it would not attract much attention.
However, in the eyes of someone who was observant, it would definitely be prominent enough.
She came today only to see Yu Xue once and scout the way.
From what she had just seen, it was clear that there were at least two female attendants guarding Yu Xue. In such a situation, no matter how capable she was, she could do nothing to Yu Xue without arousing suspicion.
Moreover, this was the Princess Chongyue’s residence, and she was no longer Li Shang. Causing trouble here would be of no advantage.
Thus, she needed to let Yu Xue come to find her actively. Other matters could be set aside for now; securing the initiative was the priority.
And whether the other party was truly foolish or pretending to be foolish, as long as they were still alive, there was no way to hide the truth.
...
“Where is Miss Chang going?”
As soon as Chang Suining returned to the front hall, she saw the female attendant who had gone to make tea quickly approaching her, clearly having looked for her for a while.
“I just had a bit of a stomachache, so I went to find a restroom,” Chang Suining replied, seeming a bit uneasy as she made up an excuse.
The female attendant glanced in the direction she returned from, where there indeed was a restroom, so she did not think much of it. She frowned slightly and reminded her, “The Princess Chang’s residence is not like others; it’s better for Miss Chang not to walk around alone.”
Chang Suining’s attitude was very proper: “Sister, don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
The girl’s expression was not obsequious or flattering; her fair and beautiful face only showed a serious and reflective look. When she called her “sister,” it took the attendant by surprise.
After a moment, her expression unconsciously softened.
—After all, she hadn’t caused any trouble. What was wrong with a young girl with a stomachache seeking a restroom nearby? It was indeed inappropriate for her to be so serious just now.
“The evening breeze is chilly; Miss Chang should go into the hall and have some hot tea and snacks.”
Chang Suining nodded in thanks and went into the hall to sit down as advised.
After having a cup of hot tea and sitting quietly for a quarter of an hour, estimating the time was about right, Chang Suining finally mentioned going to look for the wife of Marquis Zheng.
The female attendant nodded and took her back to the sacrificial hall.
As soon as they approached the outside of the sacrificial hall, they heard uncontrollable crying.
But it was not from the Duan shi—
Although Duan shi had also let herself cry out a little after Chang Suining left, halfway through her cries, there suddenly came a more sorrowful and intense crying sound. Duan shi turned around to see Yu Xue rushing in madly, kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly.
This situation startled Duan shi, and she lost her urge to cry, quickly stepping aside.
The two pursuing female attendants wanted to take her back, but the more they pulled Yu Xue, the more she struggled, and in her struggles, she bumped into the incense table, hurting her head.
After such a scene of crying and commotion for a while, when Chang Suining arrived, she soon saw that Yu Xue had collapsed from exhaustion.
Only then did things quiet down.
Seeing Yu Xue being helped away, Duan shi let out a long sigh, unsure of what to say. In the end, she only said, “Let’s go back.”
Chang Suining nodded and did not ask anything further.
Upon returning to the Chang family, after bathing, Chang Suining sat at her vanity while Xi'er twisted her hair with a snow-white towel.
As the shadows of the lamp flickered, the young girl’s face in the mirror became blurry, seeming both real and illusory.
Today could be considered a fruitful trip; next, she just had to wait for news from Yu Xue’s side.
However, even though she needed to wait, she could not just sit idly by; there were many other things she needed to do.
Early the next morning, Chang Suining got up as usual and went to the training ground.
At noon, Chang Kuo returned home from the morning court session.
Chang Sui'an had gone out to meet friends as invited, so only the father and daughter were present during lunch.
Chang Suining was the kind of person who acted on her thoughts, so during the meal, she mentioned her desire to apprentice: “Father, I want to ask Third Father to be my teacher and teach me to read.”
Chang Kuo paused in his eating, swallowed the food in his mouth, and looked at his daughter with a mix of concern and anticipation: “Is Suining not interested in martial arts anymore?”
“How could that be? But the time spent on martial arts is at most half a day, and the remaining time would be wasted; it’s better spent on studying.”
This statement acted like a reassurance pill, bringing a smile of relief to Chang Kuo’s face: “It seems our Suining wants to be well-rounded… With your ambition, I naturally support you. But why must you ask Third Uncle to be your teacher? He is busy with affairs at the National Academy and can hardly find time; he probably won't be able to visit even once in ten days or half a month.”
Chang Suining replied, “If Third Father cannot come, I’ll go find him at the National Academy.”
Chang Kuo was taken aback: “But the students at the National Academy are all male—”
“I just want to know what the boys are learning,” Chang Suining’s eyes sparkled with a fittingly innocent hope: “But I can’t enter the National Academy, and after thinking it over, the only way is to ask Third Father to be my teacher so I can have the opportunity to learn a bit.”
Chang Kuo felt a pang in his heart.
This feeling of being a father yet unable to fulfill such a small wish of his daughter was truly painful for a general who was invincible on the battlefield.
Amidst the pain and self-blame, he couldn't help but feel it was unfair.
How could it be that his exceptionally talented daughter couldn’t openly attend the National Academy as a student?
There was nothing to be said for a place that could not accept his daughter!
Turning sorrow into strength, Chang Kuo quickly shoveled his food, urging his daughter: “Let’s eat quickly; after we finish, I’ll take you to find your Third Father!”
Chang Suining couldn’t help but ask, “But shouldn’t it be more proper to visit early in the morning to ask for apprenticeship?”
Chang Kuo didn’t even raise his head and said, “It’s family asking for apprenticeship; why bother with timing?”
This sentence, coupled with his aura at the moment, made Chang Suining feel more like—“You hit me, and you still want to choose the day?”
After all, it was Old Chang; aside from military rules, he completely disregarded other customs.
Chang Suining chose to temporarily be filial and follow her father’s arrangement.
Looking at the general and young lady who seemed to almost bury their heads in their rice bowls, the servants looked numb.
After the meal, the father and daughter of the Chang family went to the National Academy to find Qiao Jizhou.
At this moment, Qiao Jizhou was receiving guests.
The guest had a somewhat special identity, and Qiao Jizhou was willing to refer to him as the most popular and influential figure in the court recently.
Good night, everyone~
(This chapter ends)
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