Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 68

Su Rong pondered over the fact that Teacher Zhao was coming tomorrow. Should she probe for some answers? She had never known that Jiangning had a senior maid who had once served the Empress. Who knew? The “old acquaintance” she mentioned might even be her mother. 

The next day, before Teacher Zhao arrived, Su Rong received a message from Lan Niang. The man who had secretly investigated her had gone to see Teacher Zhao the day before. 

Su Rong immediately understood, there was no need to ask anything now. If she did, she would only alert them. Clearly, the person investigating her was from the palace. 

So, when Teacher Zhao arrived and, just like the day before, began teaching her court etiquette while subtly leading the conversation toward her mother, Su Rong pretended not to notice. Instead, she picked out a few trivial matters to discuss. 

At the end of the day, Teacher Zhao suddenly asked, “I heard that your engagement with Young Lord Zhou was arranged by your mother’s family? So your mother had ties with the Duke Protector’s household?” 

Su Rong shook her head. “Perhaps. I only learned about the engagement when my mother was on her deathbed. I was surprised as well. I asked my father, but he didn’t know. Later, when Zhou Gu arrived, I asked him, but he didn’t know either. He only said that the old Duke Protector never explained, just mentioned that my mother had done him a great favor.” 

She had no qualms about being honest. Since Teacher Zhao was asking so directly, she might as well give her something in return. 

Teacher Zhao, having spent a lifetime in the palace, knew that her question must have aroused Su Rong’s suspicion. Seeing Su Rong’s gaze on her, she smiled and said, “Miss Su, please don’t take offense. It’s not that I’m nosy, but you know, I served the Empress for half my life and have had many dealings with the Duke Protector’s family. That’s why I was curious. I left the palace four years ago, but before that, I had never heard of this engagement between Young Master Zhou and yourself.” 

“Curiosity is only natural,” Su Rong replied. 

Teacher Zhao shook her head. “Those who have lived in the palace understand one thing best; curiosity can get you killed. But now, I’m curious because I once knew someone the Empress never stopped thinking about, even on her deathbed. That person bears some resemblance to you, Miss Su. She left years ago, and even though the Empress sent people to search for her, she was never found. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have remembered her at all, it has been fifteen or sixteen years now.” 

Su Rong did the math. She was fifteen years old this year. If the timeline started when her mother was pregnant with her, then the timing matched perfectly. 

Teacher Zhao continued, “Yesterday, I started wondering if your mother was the person I once knew, the one the Empress never forgot. If it weren’t for your engagement with the Duke Protector’s family, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But no matter how I look at it, your engagement with Young Master Zhou invites speculation. If your mother is indeed the person I speak of, then it wouldn’t be so surprising.” 

“That’s exactly what has puzzled me,” Su Rong nodded. “If my mother was merely a concubine in the Lord’s residence, what great favor could she have done to warrant my engagement to the Duke Protector’s family?” 

She hadn’t expected Teacher Zhao to be so frank. Since that was the case, she had no reason to hold back either. She asked directly, “Teacher, may I ask, who exactly is this person you speak of? If the Empress Dowager kept her in her thoughts, she must not have been an ordinary person.” 

Teacher Zhao nodded. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. That person was the daughter of Prince Mingrui, her given name was Ruzhen. She was granted the title of Zhenmin Princess by Emperor Taizong himself.” 

Su Rong froze. “Prince Mingrui?” 

She knew of Prince Mingrui. He had been the crown prince during the previous emperor’s reign but had died young. She had heard Xie Yuan mention that if Prince Mingrui had lived a full life, the internal and external crises during the late emperor’s reign might never have happened. 

Prince Mingrui had been known for his wisdom and virtue, but he had been sickly from birth. No matter how talented he was, fate had not granted him longevity. 

Teacher Zhao watched Su Rong and nodded. “Yes, the late emperor’s elder brother, Prince Mingrui. He had been frail since childhood and passed away at the age of twenty-two. At that time, his only child, Princess Zhenmin, was only three years old. Prince Mingrui and his wife were deeply devoted to each other. After his death, his princess consort drank poison and followed him to the grave. They were buried together in the imperial tombs, leaving behind the three-year-old princess. Emperor Taizong, who was still on the throne, entrusted her care to her uncle, the future emperor, who was then known as Prince Ping. He and his newlywed consort, the future Empress Dowager, raised her as their own.” 

Su Rong nodded in understanding. 

“When Princess Zhenmin turned seventeen, the empire was in turmoil. Emperor Taizong was aging, and the struggle for succession among his sons grew increasingly intense. Though he appointed Prince Ping as the crown prince, he could not stabilize the situation. The ambitious princes vied for power, and amidst this chaos, the Great Wei kingdom seized the opportunity to wage war against Great Liang. This led to a dire crisis, both internal and external. 

“Nan Chu had been a vassal state of Great Liang, but its king had second thoughts and refused to send troops to aid us, worsening our situation. Three border cities fell, and many from the Duke Protector’s family perished in battle. The old Duke Protector, despite being unfit for combat, had no choice but to take up arms once more. With the nation on the brink of disaster, Princess Zhenmin wrote a letter to the Crown Prince of Nan Chu, offering herself for a marriage. 

“The Crown Prince of Nan Chu had long admired Princess Zhenmin. Upon receiving her letter, he persuaded his father to send troops, turning the tide in Great Liang’s favor.” 

Teacher Zhao sighed. “But Nan Chu was a small country. Even with their help, we were only able to achieve a temporary stalemate. The war had drained our treasury, and Emperor Taizong was bedridden. Thus, Great Liang sought peace with Great Wei. 

“Great Wei readily agreed but made one condition: Princess Zhenmin had to marry into their royal family. 

“This created an impossible dilemma. She had already promised herself to the Crown Prince of Nan Chu. If the engagement were broken, Nan Chu would turn against us. If it was upheld, Great Liang would continue its war with Great Wei.” 

Su Rong frowned. “Great Wei did that on purpose, didn’t they?” 

“Of course they did,” Teacher Zhao nodded. “They never wanted peace. They wanted to watch Great Liang destroy itself from within. Emperor Taizong was so enraged that he coughed up bl00d. In his fury, he declared war, stating that Princess Zhenmin would never marry into Great Wei. 

“After that, he summoned his sons and took an unprecedented step, he arrested the three most ambitious princes, stripped them of their power, and immediately issued an edict to abdicate, passing the throne to Prince Ping. 

“With this decisive action, Prince Ping ascended the throne. One month later, Emperor Taizong passed away, and before his death, he ordered the permanent confinement of the three princes within the imperial mausoleum.” 

Teacher Zhao sighed deeply. “Emperor Taizong had cleared the internal threats for the new emperor, hoping that, under his rule, Great Liang could stand against Great Wei. No matter what, he would not let Princess Zhenmin be sent away as a political pawn.”