Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 39

In a quiet room within the Tianxuan Palace, a faint blue smoke wafted from an incense burner. Seated cross-legged on a cushion was a female Taoist priest dressed in a light purple robe, her hair tied up with a jade crown. She was gazing at a golden statue of the Mystic Lady, almost life-sized, seemingly lost in thought.

“Master, it’s been many days, and neither the Xiangxiang Pavilion nor the household registration office has seen any sign of that person. She will surely notice this flaw and likely won’t wait around. These days, the imperial guards have been searching relentlessly, and the only lead we have is the Duke of Yu’s residence. However, even after thoroughly searching the Duke’s main residence and several of his other estates, we haven’t found anyone. Yet, the iron ring was clearly found in one of the Duke’s estates. She must have some connection to the Duke of Yu. The Duke’s family is deeply rooted, holds military power, and has the support of the Imperial Consort Shu. It’s not easy to act against them. If she is indeed hiding within the Duke’s estate, it will be quite troublesome,” Xuanzhen said from the side.

“She may not necessarily be in the Duke’s estate, but she is certainly watching from the shadows. Continue to pressure the Duke’s estate to make her think we’re closing in. Also, investigate the iron ring more carefully to find out who is behind this. There will surely be more moves to come. Keep a close eye on the women in the Imperial Music Bureau and see who is trying to redeem them. Investigate those people,” Xuanzhen’s master, the Jiangxiao Immortal Master of Tianxuan Palace, said softly, her voice cool and detached.

“Master, you may not be aware, but recently, the person who has redeemed the most women from the Imperial Music Bureau is your newly accepted disciple, Wen Zhuojin. She bribed the Imperial Music Bureau officials with incense products and has redeemed over twenty people. Most of them were sold to her at a low price. She has been employing them in her shops as servants, without any attempt to hide it,” Xuanzhen reported.

Jiangxiao paused, as if just remembering that she had indeed taken on a new disciple.

“Is she using the Divine Incense?” Jiangxiao asked.

“Yes, she is. On the first and fifteenth of each month, she joins in the Divine Incense ceremonies and seems quite enthralled by it. She even asked me for more Divine Incense, as she wants to start selling it herself. This noblewoman from the Marquis’s family is more money-driven than any merchant. Master, should we have someone investigate her?” Xuanzhen spoke with a hint of disdain.

“You may give her an extra piece of Divine Incense each month,” Jiangxiao said indifferently, not mentioning any investigation into Wen Zhuojin.

“Master, you are quite generous to her. By the way, Master, Wen Zhuojin has received several marriage proposals. The Duke of Yu’s family, the Prince of Anqing, and the head of the Cui family, a prominent noble clan, have all sought her hand for their eldest sons, each with their own motives. I suspect that if Wen Zhuojin’s marriage is not settled soon, more proposals will come. Recently, she has opened several shops—incense shops, bookstores, and tea shops—and is planning to open a cosmetics shop. Her businesses are now more profitable than official stores. Those who once looked down on her are now eager to get a piece of the pie. The Cui family, however, has not yet embraced the teachings of the Mystic Lady. What do you think, Master?” Xuanzhen added.

“When she comes today, bring her to the quiet room and ask her to make a choice,” Jiangxiao said after a moment of thought.

“Ask her to choose?” Xuanzhen was puzzled.

“Yes. Tell her she must make a decision today. If she cannot, her disciple token will be revoked,” Jiangxiao said, closing her eyes.

“As you command, Master,” Xuanzhen still had doubts, but seeing Jiangxiao with her eyes closed, she dared not ask further and simply complied. Letting Wen Zhuojin choose her future husband herself—wasn’t that too lenient? How hard could it be to choose?

Xuanzhen left the quiet room and headed to the Prayer Hall. The first and fifteenth days of each month were fixed days for registered disciples to offer incense, and today the Prayer Hall was particularly lively. Xuanzhen glanced at the young woman solemnly placing incense into the burner, her initial picky attitude toward her had lessened. After all, not just anyone could run an incense shop as profitably as Wen Zhuojin.

When reviewing the accounts and collecting Tianxuan Palace’s share of the profits, Xuanzhen had seen firsthand how successful Wen Zhuojin was. Perhaps her master truly had an eye for talent.

Someone like Wen Zhuojin, no matter which family she married into, would not only bring prosperity to that family but also bind them to Tianxuan Palace’s cause. She was an excellent pawn.

However, the fact that Jiangxiao allowed Wen Zhuojin to choose for herself was exceptionally special treatment, which stirred some dissatisfaction in Xuanzhen.

After Wen Zhuojin finished her prayers, Xuanzhen had a young acolyte summon her to the quiet room. As Wen Zhuojin left the pungent-smelling Prayer Hall, she calculated her time: after the prayers, she would exchange a few words with Xuanzhen, report the new incense she planned to sell, join the other registered disciples for the “Divine Incense Ceremony,” collect her monthly allotment of Divine Incense, and if her elusive master still didn’t show up, she could leave. On her way back, she would have time to buy some pastries for her beloved elder sister.

However, Wen Zhuojin’s plans were shattered shortly after entering the quiet room.

“Master’s intention is for you to choose a suitable match to avoid complications. You must make your choice today. Given your recent activities, you should be familiar with these families. Each of them is far superior to your former fiancé, Shen Yuque, the heir of the Rongguo Duke. Their families are powerful and deeply entrenched. Once married, you would become the mistress of the household, managing its affairs and holding a prestigious position,” Xuanzhen explained.

Wen Zhuojin was stunned, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Hadn’t she joined Tianxuan Palace precisely to escape her family’s marriage arrangements? How had it come to this so quickly, with people sending marriage proposals to Tianxuan Palace for her hand?

“You’ve done well in business and are skilled at managing people. The noblewomen and young ladies you’ve befriended hold you in high regard and wish to secure you for their male relatives. Consider this carefully,” Xuanzhen continued.

Wen Zhuojin was speechless. She had befriended those noblewomen and young ladies to sell them products from her shops, not to marry into their families!

“Senior Sister, can I not choose?” Wen Zhuojin frowned.

“No. Master said you must choose today. If you cannot decide, your registered disciple token will be revoked, and the shops will be reclaimed by Tianxuan Palace. You know that once you became Master’s registered disciple, your marriage became her decision. Allowing you to choose is already a great favor. These families are all respectable, and you’ve met them before. What’s so difficult about choosing?” Xuanzhen said coldly.

“Senior Sister, I only wish to serve the Mystic Lady like you, with no desire to marry. Senior Sister, I would like to see Master in person and explain this to her. Please, could you help me arrange that?” Wen Zhuojin said, bowing deeply to Xuanzhen. As she straightened up, she discreetly slipped a stack of banknotes into Xuanzhen’s hand, her eyes pleading.

Xuanzhen, holding the banknotes, paused for a moment.

“This is Master’s order. I cannot make exceptions. Since you refuse to choose, I will reclaim your registered disciple token on Master’s behalf!” Xuanzhen was speaking when she heard two soft knocks—tap tap—and her expression froze.

“Senior Sister, I can increase Tianxuan Palace’s share from ten percent to twenty percent! I’ll do anything for Tianxuan Palace, except marry. Senior Sister, please, could you let me see Master?” Wen Zhuojin gritted her teeth and offered, realizing she had no choice but to give up more profit to Tianxuan Palace. She had firsthand experience of how much Tianxuan Palace loved to amass wealth.

“Duke families that have been passed down since the founding of the dynasty, royal relatives, and aristocratic families with centuries of history—none of these appeal to you?” Xuanzhen was waiting for Wen Zhuojin to agree when a cool voice came from behind the screen.

Hearing this voice, Wen Zhuojin realized something and immediately bowed in that direction.

“Registered disciple Wen Zhuojin pays her respects to Master! To answer Master’s question, no matter how noble the other party is, I will not marry!” Wen Zhuojin said with a bow.

“Even if it were entering the palace to participate in the imperial selection, and becoming a consort to the current Emperor?” the voice asked again.

“No!” Wen Zhuojin replied firmly.

“Why? Don’t tell me it’s because you want to serve the Mystic Lady. One can serve the Mystic Lady and still marry. I want to hear a real reason,” the voice pressed.

“Master, your disciple… your disciple actually does not like men. I prefer women,” Wen Zhuojin said after a moment of thought. Continuing to claim she wanted to serve the Mystic Lady for the rest of her life felt too insincere even to her. To prevent future marriage proposals, Wen Zhuojin decided to tell her master the truth. Surely, someone of her master’s stature wouldn’t casually gossip about her secret, right? Wen Zhuojin decided to take the gamble.

The room fell into complete silence.

Xuanzhen looked at Wen Zhuojin with a mix of shock and a hint of hostility in her eyes.

“Very well, we’ll stop here for today. Don’t forget what you just said—Tianxuan Palace’s share will now be twenty percent,” the voice from behind the screen said after a pause.

Wen Zhuojin breathed a slight sigh of relief but then nearly choked. She began to suspect that the whole ordeal of forcing her to choose a suitor might have been a ploy to increase her share. Was it possible that the Princess, seeing how much money she had been making recently, had decided to take advantage of her? How despicable!

If increasing the share by ten percent could guarantee that she wouldn’t be forced into marriage, then it might be worth it. Otherwise, it would be a huge loss. Tianxuan Palace was truly a pit of schemes!