The Double-Chapter 598 - 174: Faces_2

Princess Yongning nearly bit through her lips in anger.

Prince Cheng had left behind silver, Mei Xiang found a carriage, and sitting in that carriage, Princess Yongning and Mei Xiang arrived at the Shen residence.

The Shen residence appeared as usual, except for the fourth character on the plaque "Imperial Examination First Place," which, perhaps due to the recent drastic changes that had befallen the Shen family, seemed to be neglected by the servants—its golden luster now dulled by a layer of dust. Viewing it evoked a sense of decline. When Princess Yongning’s carriage stopped at the entrance of the Shen residence, passerby cast their glances in its direction. It seemed that recently the Shen family had also become the center of public gossip. Naturally, there was curiosity when someone paid a visit.

In a rush, Princess Yongning alighted from the carriage and urged Mei Xiang to knock on the door quickly. The porter, who had recognized Princess Yongning in the past, used to greet her with utmost respect and eagerly pleased Mei Xiang. Today, upon seeing the two of them, he first showed surprise, then hesitated, and did not immediately open the door.

"How dare you!" Mei Xiang hissed, "Open the door for your mistress at once!"

The servant seemed to snap back to reality and, as though he wanted to resist but seeing Mei Xiang’s stern manner, reluctantly opened the door.

Princess Yongning witnessed every move of the servant and felt extreme indignation. This mere gatekeeper had learned to curry favour with the mighty and scorn the lowly, showing such blatant disrespect to her. She made up her mind that once she met Shen Yurong, she would have her find a reason to sell off this insolent servant!

The servants at the Shen residence were still the same as before, but the atmosphere was much more gloomy than in the past. As soon as Princess Yongning entered the Shen residence, she took off her bamboo hat. Here, she did not need to conceal her identity, but not a single servant came forward to greet her when they saw her, all keeping their heads lowered as if they hadn’t seen her. Once Princess Yongning had passed by, they measured her with inexplicable looks from behind.

Princess Yongning was seething with rage, but she had not yet seen Shen Yurong. Moreover, with every servant of the Shen residence behaving this way, she couldn’t possibly replace them all immediately. If it had been before, it would have been a simple flick of her finger for Princess Yongning, but now she had been reduced to a commoner. At least until Prince Cheng succeeded, she would have to live like a common lowborn.

Princess Yongning knew her way around the Shen residence very well, intending to head to the front hall first and to find a maid to call Shen Yurong to see her. Who could have expected that when she reached the front hall, she would run into Mother Shen first.

Mother Shen was sitting in a rattan chair in the front hall, scolding a young maid. The maid trembled with fear, unable to raise her head, seemingly caught up in rebuke for spilling a little tea while serving Mother Shen, who erupted in thunderous fury. Yet anyone observant could tell that Mother Shen was merely venting her frustration over some minor issue that didn’t warrant such a harsh tongue-lashing.

It was, after all, because of the pent-up frustration in her heart.

Princess Yongning walked in, and Mei Xiang called out, "Madam Shen."

Mother Shen turned around in surprise, and upon seeing the two of them, she immediately rose to her feet and put on a familiar smile, saying, "Your Highness, the Princess."

"Madam Shen," seeing that Mother Shen’s attitude towards her was still as warm as before, Princess Yongning felt somewhat relieved. She said, "I am here to see Mr. Shen."

Perhaps it was her use of "I" instead of "this palace" that caused Mother Shen to pause for a moment, and then she remembered the affair of Princess Yongning being demoted to a commoner. Mother Shen’s smile faded somewhat. First, she instructed a servant to call for Shen Yurong, who was in the study. Once the servant had left, Mother Shen asked, "Your Highness, what exactly does the Emperor’s decree mean? Are you... truly demoted?"

Princess Yongning forced a smile and said, "It’s only temporary."

What she thought, naturally, was that after Prince Cheng’s action, Emperor Hongxiao’s decree would surely become irrelevant. However, she could not speak too plainly, as Mother Shen, a mere woman of the household, couldn’t understand such complex matters. Hearing Princess Yongning’s evasive response, Mother Shen took it as her fobbing her off with false reassurances and immediately said, "Then that means, you can’t speak for Yurong before the Emperor to plead his case, can you?"

"Not for now," Princess Yongning furrowed her brow. Mother Shen’s increasingly loud voice was grating to her ears.

Mother Shen’s disappointment immediately became evident on her face. Although she had previously heard the news of Princess Yongning’s demotion to a commoner, she had always harbored a sliver of hope. Princess Yongning was Empress Dowager Liu’s most favored daughter, and her elder brother was Prince Cheng. As long as Empress Dowager Liu spoke a few good words before the Emperor, perhaps he would withdraw his decree. She was unaware of the subtle relationship between Prince Cheng and the Emperor. Being a woman confined to the inner quarters and illiterate before Shen Yurong succeeded in the examinations, how could Mother Shen know much about these matters?