Princess Huiling tried to suppress the contempt in her eyes. She couldn't treat Hua Qiyue poorly with so many people watching.
"Miss Hua! Please, join us."
Hua Qiyue wore a slight smile and sat down with Tianci. The meal before them was quite simple – a couple of basic dishes and a bowl of soup.
"My son was hungry, and I'd heard this restaurant was quite good, so we stopped in to get a quick bite. I never imagined you'd be here, princess. I am honored."
Princess Huiling said with a smile, "You should be."
"Princess Huiling... last night..."
Huiling clenched her fists beneath the table. How dare she bring up last night in public!
"…Princess Huizhen really over-reached," Hua Qiyue finished.
Princess Huiling snorted, but unclenched her fists.
"Princess Huizhen has secretly been with Mr. Zhou for a long time. I've heard that before his wife passed away, they..."
Hua Qiyue paused and looked away, blushing.
Princess Huiling blinked. "Are you saying they slept together?"
Hua Qiyue blushed harder. "It's just what I heard."
Princess Huiling smiled hugely.
Huizhen must have been seeing Zhou Zhicheng while his wife was still alive. After she died, Huizhen had gone to see the Zhou family every day. The Emperor had been furious, and she'd eventually been forced to restrain herself.
Princess Huiling's eyes shone with gleeful malice. "A princess falling in love with a married peasant. How ridiculous."
"A married man..." Hua Qiyue said, "But if his wife died, he'd be able to marry another woman as his legal wife!"
Princess Huiling wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Yes, everyone knows that."
The two Qi Artists, infinitely smarter than the princess they guarded, gave Hua Qiyue cold stares. They knew what she was implying, even if Huiling didn't.
"Princess," said Hua Quiye, "the human heart is sinister. We must take care." Hua Qiyue quickly said her goodbyes and took Tianci to another table.
Princess Huiling twisted her eyebrows and her pretty little face twisted in thought.
Huizhen loved Zhou Zhicheng, but couldn't marry him, because he was already married. So…
After a while, she finally put two and two together.
Huiling's eyes lit up. Princess Huizhen killed Zhou Zhicheng's wife!
How could she not have seen it sooner? Huizhen used to take her maidservant to visit Zhou Zhicheng after his wife died. And the rumors about Zhicheng's son being abused… that must also be due to Huizhen.
Huiling knew what Huizhen was capable of. She'd seen her personally poison one of her maidservants.
But a princess killing a someone's wife so she could marry him would be earth-shattering news. The Emperor would be furious. He might even disown her!
This cheered Princess Huiling to no end.
She even ate all the food on the table, which gratified the owner, who asked if the princess would be willing to formally endorse their establishment.
Huiling was in such a good mood that, not only did she agree to endorse their restaurant, she even gave them a silver coin.
The owner bowed obsequiously. "Thank you, Your Grace. You are most generous!"
The princess left with her maids, leaving two guards to arrange accommodations for the orphans. Princess Huiling had never been more popular. Between that and the dirt on Huizhen, this was turning into her best day ever!
* * * *
When Hua Qiyue returned home, Butler Wang hurried to greet her, sounding entirely out of breath. "Lady Qiyue... Lady... Qiyue…"
This rang alarm bells in Hua Qiyue's head. Butler Wang was an exceedingly calm person, so it would take something rather extreme to get him out of breath.
"Lady Qiyue, please come quickly and greet Eunuch Li. The Emperor himself has decided to reward you!"
Lvxin and Youshui cast each other surprised glances as Hua Qiyue rushed to meet the Emperor's messenger. Eunuch Li was waiting for her in the front hall, talking with Madame Hua and drinking tea.
The hall echoed with laughter as the two chatted like old friends. Indeed, Madame Hua and Eunuch Li had known each other for many years.
The Second and Third Madams were also there, both looking pleased.
Hua Qiyue and her maids bowed to Eunuch Li, who smiled in return. "Greetings, Eunuch Li. I am Yue'er. I hope I find you well."
The eunuch was a round-faced, amicable looking man.
"Your Grace, I appreciate the formality, but I assure you, there is no need. Please, come."
He passed a wad of silver paper to Hua Qiyue. "It seems the Emperor decided to bet on your match, in his own way. This is a reward for your bravery in entering the match, and for your skill in winning."
Hua Qiyue lowed her head and accepted the money gratefully. "Thank you, Eunuch Li, for your kind words. And please convey my gratitude to the Emperor."
Eunuch Li smiled. "Of course!"
Hua Qiyue stood up, took a silver note out of the wad, and passed it to Eunuch Li. "You've had a long day, Eunuch Li. Please, accept this for your trouble."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly…"
But Hua Qiyue insisted, and the eunuch eventually accepted the gift.
"Would you do us the honor of staying for dinner, Eunuch Li?"
"I appreciate the offer, Lady Qiyue, but I know you are busy, so I'm afraid I must take my leave."
After the eunuch had been escorted from the mansion, Hua Qiyue took the silver notes to Madame Hua in the main hall, who gushed over her granddaughter's accomplishments.
"Yue'er, I'm so proud. I'll admit I was afraid that you would lose and sustain great injury to yourself, but you proved me wrong. You have won glory for the Hua Mansion!"
Beside Madame Hua, Nanny Luo nodded her head. "Yes, Lady Qiyue is really a lucky girl!"
Hua Qiyue smiled, handing the remaining money to Butler Wang. "Butler Wang, our family's treasury is full. Please accept this as a gift for your family."
Astonished, Butler Wang looked to Madame Hua, who nodded. "That is a very generous gift, Yue'er, and I approve."
She continued, "When Yue'er gets married, I will prepare her an abundant dowry."
Hua Qiyue was embarrassed, and her face turned pink. "Grandma, why are we talking about this?"
Madame Hua laughed. "Yue'er, you are turning 16 years old soon. Why shouldn't I mention this matter? If there is anyone from another family you've had your eye on, just let me know and I'll make arrangements."
The Second Madame agreed. "Yes, Qiyue, you're of marriageable age. We should talk about this. How about I find a few good match for you?"
The Third Madame also moved forward and said, "Old Madame, I can also find some suitable men for Qiyue. After all, I know a lot of dignitaries!"
"Grandmother, I beg you for one thing... the right to make my own decision about my marriage."
Madame Hua nodded. It was a reasonable request. Besides, after so long with such a bad reputation, it may take time to bring the other families in the city around to the idea marrying their sons to Hua Qiyue.
The Second Madame and the Third Madame looked at each other and smiled slyly.
The Third Madame said, "Madame Hua, Qiyue has been seen about the city with the Medicine Saint. We've heard that his sister likes her, as well. Qiyue's reputation is improving."
The Second Madame took a sip of tea did her best to look sincere. "I have a nephew who is 20 and unmarried. Though he is an illegitimate son, he runs a silk shop. The business is decent."
Hua Qiyue gagged inwardly. The Second Madame's nephew was named Cheng Jin, and the old Hua Qiyue had met him before. He ran Chunxiu Silk Shop and was an utter fop. He also had a reputation for getting his butler to constantly bring him new women to have fun with.
As far as Qiyue could tell, he wasn't a bad man, but definitely not marriage material.