On the rooftop, Song Qingshu listened to the girl below tenderly recounting her moments with him, feeling a certain soft spot in his heart being touched.
He thought to himself that while the voluptuous and soft b0dy of a married woman was delightful, the pure heart of a young girl was even more precious.
Just as he was moved to tears, he suddenly heard Ah Ke raging, causing him to frown and wonder what had triggered her outburst.
Li Yuanzhi was also taken aback. She had been recounting her experiences with Song Qingshu as requested, not expecting it to provoke Ah Ke’s anger. Being a young lady from a wealthy family, she had never endured such treatment. With a cold snort, she said, “You asked me to speak, and if you don’t want to listen, that’s fine. I cannot serve your temper, Your Highness. This is my room, so please leave.”
“How dare you, lowly maid, speak to the princess like that!” The palace maids outside heard Ah Ke’s call and rushed in, just in time to hear Li Yuanzhi’s words, and they began to scold her angrily.
Li Yuanzhi could barely tolerate Ah Ke, as she had just helped her out of a predicament, but the group of palace maids shouting in front of her ignited her anger.
“What do you think you are?” she exclaimed.
In a flash, she stood before the most vociferous of the palace maids and slapped them several times.
Ah Ke, who had already been holding back a belly full of resentment from Li Yuanzhi’s earlier remarks, became even angrier upon witnessing this. With a delicate huff, she flew over to block Li Yuanzhi, and the two women instantly became embroiled in a fierce struggle.
Although Li Yuanzhi was not particularly skilled, she had trained under Wudang, and the foundation laid by Lu Feiqing was solid. In contrast, Ah Ke had only learned some rudimentary skills from the guards of the King Pingxi’s residence. In a real fight, she was no match for Li Yuanzhi and quickly found herself at a disadvantage.
The group of accompanying palace maids panicked and began to shout loudly.
The guards outside, hearing the commotion, rushed in, and upon seeing the scene inside, they could only silently lament.
Ah Ke, of course, needed no introduction; she was currently the most favored concubine in the palace.
Li Yuanzhi was not someone to be trifled with either. Although she had not been formally conferred as a side consort, the palace had subconsciously regarded her as a royal consort. However, it was unclear why she had suddenly been cast into the cold palace—after all, her loss of virtue was a matter of royal dignity, and the news had been deliberately suppressed, with few people aware of it.
Though she had been relegated to the cold palace, who could say when she might regain favor? Throughout history, such events had occurred frequently. When the time came for reckoning, what would her small group of followers amount to?
“You all came at the right time; seize her and give her a good slap!” Just as the guards were caught in a dilemma, Ah Ke spotted them and immediately issued her command.
The guards exchanged glances, feeling helpless, and could only respond, “Yes!”
Even if Li Yuanzhi were to turn the tables, that was a matter for the future. After all, the favored Wu concubine was currently in power, and if they offended her, they would likely face dire consequences, so they had to make a choice.
Song Qingshu’s expression darkened on the rooftop. He could have remained uninvolved while Li Yuanzhi and Ah Ke fought, as Ah Ke could not harm her. However, now that these palace guards, who were not weak, were involved, and knowing that Li Yuanzhi was likely no match for them, how could he sit idly by and watch her suffer such humiliation?
“Stop it right now!” A woman’s anxious voice came from a distance.
Song Qingshu looked over in confusion. Although the speaker’s tone was urgent, her voice was gentle, carrying a hint of the soft dialect from Suzhou, as if she were born incapable of anger. Even before seeing her, just hearing her voice made one feel weak in the knees.
Soon, a woman appeared at the entrance of the courtyard.
Song Qingshu looked up and saw that she was around forty years old, dressed in a light yellow Daoist robe, with features as beautiful as a painting, exuding an indescribable elegance.
Throughout his life, Song Qingshu had encountered many beautiful women, but he had to admit that, purely in terms of appearance, among the women he knew, only a few like the Purple Robed Dragon King, Xiao Longnu, Huang Rong, and Ge Bi could compare to her.
Others, like Ah Jiu, although also graceful and refined, simply could not match the beauty of the woman before him.
Of course, Song Qingshu had long since moved past the stage of measuring a woman’s charm solely by her looks. Although other women might not be as beautiful as this one, each had her own strengths, and when considered as a whole, their charm was not necessarily inferior.
The woman stood at the door, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the crowd.
Each person who met her eyes felt as if they were immersed in warm, soothing water, an indescribable comfort washing over them.
The previously noisy room fell silent in an instant.
Suddenly, with a clatter, a guard’s blade fell to the ground, followed by two more clangs as other guards dropped their blades.
Song Qingshu couldn’t help but chuckle; indeed, she was worthy of the saying that a man would go to great lengths for a beautiful woman, capable of toppling cities and nations, just like Chen Yuanyuan. At the same time, he wondered why Chen Yuanyuan was also present in this palace.
Tsk tsk, Wu Sangui was truly generous; one stunning daughter was not enough, and to strengthen the alliance with the Southern Song, he had even taken the route of a lady.
Ah Ke, seeing the crowd’s reaction, felt both proud and dissatisfied. With a cold snort, she ran over to support the beautiful woman, saying, “Mother, why did you come here?”
“Greetings, Quiet Scatterer.” Upon hearing Ah Ke’s address, the guards immediately confirmed Chen Yuanyuan’s identity and hurriedly bowed, secretly swallowing their saliva. They had previously heard a rumor that the mother of the Wu concubine practiced in the palace and was even more beautiful than the Wu concubine herself. They were somewhat skeptical, as Chen Yuanyuan rarely showed herself, and most of the guards had seen the Wu concubine in person.
Ah Ke’s beauty had already left them in awe, making it hard to imagine that there could be a woman more beautiful than her. However, upon seeing Chen Yuanyuan in person, they realized how narrow their perspectives had been.
All men lost their senses upon seeing her. Chen Yuanyuan, having encountered many such situations in her life, was unfazed and merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Yet, in the eyes of the guards, her face flushed slightly, and her gaze was enchanting, filling the room with charm.
Song Qingshu secretly clicked his tongue, thinking that Chen Yuanyuan was truly born with a captivating charm. Clearly, she did not deliberately exert her allure, yet her every gesture was filled with a myriad of seduction, making men captivated. If she were to learn the art of seduction, which man in the world could resist her charm?
“What are you all doing?” Chen Yuanyuan’s delicate lips trembled slightly, causing a group of men to turn red with embarrassment.
“Reporting to the Quiet Scatterer, this woman has been disrespectful to the Wu concubine. We were about to capture her and present her to the lady for punishment,” the guards said in unison, seemingly eager to show off in front of Chen Yuanyuan.
Among those present, aside from Song Qingshu, only Li Yuanzhi regained her composure the fastest. Seeing their disgraceful behavior, she couldn’t help but snort coldly, “A toad wants to eat swan meat.”
Her words struck home, causing the guards to blush with shame, and they became furious, shouting insults.
At this moment, Chen Yuanyuan had already learned the details of the situation from her daughter. She looked at Li Yuanzhi with eyes full of compassion, saying, “Miss Li is also a person of misfortune; do not make things difficult for her. Let us go back.”