Tong Huaqiong’s clash with Prince Yu Mansion caused an uproar throughout Shengjing.
What surprised everyone even more was that she actually won, forcing Princess Ming Yue to apologize in public.
The fame of Taohua Dessert and Jufu Supermarket skyrocketed instantly under Tong Huaqiong’s banner.
After this battle, Taohua Dessert and Jufu Supermarket were firmly established in Shengjing.
People started to inquire about Tong Huaqiong’s background, wondering how she could be so bold as to not even consider Prince Yu Mansion.
Upon learning that Tong Huaqiong was the adoptive mother of the Grand Prince from the populace, people began to speculate on the Old Emperor’s attitude toward the Grand Prince. Even the usually favored Prince Yu Mansion was almost labeled as treasonous, showing how much the Old Emperor favored the Grand Prince.
Prince Yu had always been close to Prince Ning, leading some to interpret this as the Old Emperor indirectly expressing dissatisfaction with Prince Ning.
Prince Ning became so angry at being branded with losing the Emperor’s favor that he almost spat blood, and he hurried to the palace to show his loyalty to the Old Emperor.
In contrast, Prince Yu Mansion fell deeper into the scandal of losing the Emperor’s favor.
There were even doubts whether Prince Yu Mansion’s years of loyalty were just a facade, with rumours suggesting they might secretly plan to rebel.
Upon hearing such gossip, Prince Yu hid at home, shutting himself in and not venturing out, falling ill with a high fever to the point of delirium, prompting the Emperor to send an Imperial Physician.
Princess Ming Yue, after dealing with her maid, was initially meant to be sent directly to Longhua Temple by Prince Yu, but through Princess Consort Yu’s tearful pleas, she managed to negotiate attending the Grand Prince’s welcome banquet before departing for Longhua Temple.
As a royal temple, Longhua Temple would naturally not mistreat Princess Ming Yue.
However, raised in luxury, leaving Prince Yu Mansion meant hardship. Princess Consort Yu couldn’t bear to see her daughter suffer, hurriedly preparing Princess Ming Yue’s luggage and arranging an entourage for Longhua Temple.
Princess Ming Yue was ordered by Prince Yu to stay quietly in the mansion and not to leave until she went to Longhua Temple.
Princess Ming Yue, restless in the mansion, suddenly remembered the handsome young man she encountered on the street.
The more she thought about his face, the clearer it became, and the more she wanted to see him.
Seizing the opportunity while Prince Yu was feverish, Princess Ming Yue sneaked out of the mansion, heading straight to the Imperial College.
Gu Jingzhe entered the Imperial College with the first rays of morning light.
Since arriving in Shengjing, he was the most diligent scholar at the Imperial College.
Princess Ming Yue’s troublemaking at Taohua Dessert further solidified his resolve to achieve fame as a pillar for his family, making him study even harder these days.
He left early and returned late every day.
From afar, Princess Ming Yue saw the unforgettable face, but before she could catch up, she saw Gu Jingzhe entering the Imperial College.
A fleeting glance.
Princess Ming Yue was stunned in place.
Originally, Princess Ming Yue wanted to personally go to the Imperial College to find him, but considering her family’s recent reputation and Prince Yu’s repeated warnings to keep a low profile, she dismissed the idea of personally seeking him at the Imperial College.
After regaining her composure, she sent a maid to inquire about the owner of that stunning face.
The maid quickly returned, wearing a dismissive expression; this young man was just from Ningcheng Village and had absurdly good luck to catch her ladyship’s eye.
"Reporting to the Commandery Princess, I’ve found out," the maid said, drawing back the carriage curtain and putting away the disdain on her face, relaying what she’d discovered about the young man to Princess Ming Yue.
"His name is Gu Jingzhe. He only came to Shengjing from Ningcheng this summer. It’s said he’s the junior fellow of Lu Zhaoyang from the Ministry of Revenue and got into the Imperial College through Lu Zhaoyang’s connections."
Since Gu Jingzhe had always kept a low profile at the Imperial College, and the Grand Prince and Tong Huaqiong had just arrived at Qinghe Bay, few knew he was the son of the owner of Taohua Dessert.
Princess Ming Yue listened to the maid with an amused expression.
So that’s why she never saw that face in Shengjing; he came from Ningcheng Village.
If that’s the case, encountering her was sheer luck.
Since he relied on Lu Zhaoyang to get into the Imperial College, it was as if he had no background.
For a handsome young scholar from the countryside, entering the Imperial College meant immense ambition.
Every year, ambitious scholars flocked to Shengjing like a school of fish, but without the right background or connections, rising to prominence to achieve their ambitions was extremely difficult, even if one became a Champion Scholar, it required enduring hardship.
The fastest way to realize those ambitions was to find someone with a strong background to rely on.
Just like Su Shihang, Lord Su, who cozied up to the Mighty General and caught the Emperor’s eye, now serving as the Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Personnel, while other contemporaries of the same year as Champion Scholars still endure hardship in lesser posts.
Being noticed by her, a Commandery Princess, was like a blessing accumulated over eight generations for this countryside scholar.
Princess Ming Yue was very confident she could win over Gu Jingzhe.
"My Lady, if Prince Yu were to find out about a countryside scholar, he would be furious," the maid Cai Ming reminded, seeing how deeply Princess Ming Yue was enamored with the scholar.
Serving beside the Commandery Princess came with big risks; if something went wrong, they would take the fall. The trauma from yesterday’s debacle at Taohua Dessert where Cai Yun had her tongue removed lingered, and Cai Ming couldn’t help worrying that she’d be next.
The Commandery Princess was of noble birth; how could Prince Yu ever marry her to a countryside scholar?
"Remember your place; this Commandery Princess will decide her own matters," said Princess Ming Yue, ignoring the dissuasion.
She knew what the maid worried about.
Although she was a Commandery Princess, marriage was in the hands of the Emperor.
When Mo Bei sent peace offerings this year, some even suggested she be sent to Mo Bei for a marriage alliance to build better relations between the two nations, thankfully the Emperor refused.
Should the Emperor suddenly decide to ally with some noble family or minor country by marrying her off, far away from Shengjing or abroad, her life would be over.
In that case, she’d rather choose a husband she loved.
This countryside Gu Jingzhe met the criteria.
With no background, he could only rely on Prince Yu Mansion, making him easier to control.
Moreover, her marrying a scholar with no background would ease the Emperor’s vigilance against Prince Yu Mansion.
Princess Ming Yue thought more and more that she and Gu Jingzhe were a perfect match.
"Junior fellow, the maids from Prince Yu Mansion are inquiring about you," a senior fellow from Wanliu Academy kindly warned Gu Jingzhe.
This senior fellow had already heard about yesterday’s conflict between Taohua Dessert and Prince Yu Mansion, and when the maid came inquiring about Gu Jingzhe, he deliberately found out the maid’s identity.
Since they both came from Wanliu Academy, he knew they needed to support each other for their future official careers, and Gu Jingzhe was the most outstanding scholar of this cohort.
The senior fellow worried that Prince Yu Mansion, bitter over their loss, might seek revenge on Gu Jingzhe, and suggested that he discuss the matter with Lu Zhaoyang.
"Thanks for the warning, Senior fellow," Gu Jingzhe responded with a calm demeanor.
The Gu Family had already deeply offended Prince Yu Mansion.
He didn’t know why Prince Yu Mansion was interested in him, but he was certain that they wouldn’t target him given the current scenario.
With suspicions of treason not yet cleared, any intelligent person from Prince Yu Mansion should lie low within their mansion rather than stir up more trouble.
But in any case, as his mother Tong Huaqiong often said, "When the soldiers come, use general tactics, when the water comes, use earth to cover it."
With that, Gu Jingzhe continued to immerse himself in his studies.
Meanwhile, unseen by him, a rotten Taohua from a past life was flaunting itself.