Cold Blooded Wife

72 Princess Shuchun (2)

"Princess, you're so beautiful! You'll surely
grow up to be the most beautiful woman in the capital." A female attendant complimented when they finished helping the girl put on her clothes.

Princess Shuchun was wearing a dress gifted by her maternal grandmother. It was a dark blue hanfu with red roses embroidered on. Her hair was pinned up with the finest hair clips, making her look more mature rather than a thirteen year old.

The princess didn't reply as she walked out her room into the hallway. The eunuchs greeted her before she walked off into the direction of the hall where the party would be held.

At the same time, many guests were already entering the palace, with guards carrying the gifts into a separate room.

There were decorations everywhere throughout the palace, even the maids and eunuchs were specially dressed for the event.

"I heard Princess Shuchun is favored even more than the Crown Prince!" An official who was entering the hall whispered to his friend.

"That's right. Even the Consorts are not as favored."

"Princess Shuchun is the only child of the Empress after all. The Crown Prince and other princes were consort born."

Although it wasn't known to many, the Crown Prince was adopted by the Empress when he was young, before she had Princess Shuchun.
It was also because he had the Empress backing him that he was able to obtain the Crown Prince title. With the empress still alive, it was hard to topple him down so his other brothers had to secretly gain support using bribery.

The palace was a treacherous place which is why in her past life, Wu Xingxie avoided it like the plague. She merely worked behind the scenes to dig up dirt about the officials as Master Wu asked.

Today, her knowledge would surely be of use.

***
Inside the vast hall, the Emperor sat on the highest seat with the Empress next to him. His consorts sat near them dressed with the finest clothings. As the emperor's women, they all kept their looks so most of them looked young.

"When is Shun'er arriving?" The emperor asked his wife who told him not to worry.

"Shun'er will be here after all the guests have settled."

Sure enough, more people entered the hall and were lead tp their assigned seats. It went by hierarchy so since the Wu family head was a general, they were seated much closer to where the emperor was.

"Eldest Miss look, there are so many people here." Yuyan whispered to the girl who in return nodded. Wu Xingxie scanned the vast room, sneering at the corrupt officials.

They were talking amongst themselves, some whispering to avoid being heard. Everyone acted friendly but in reality, they would turn their back on their own friends if it meant saving their own self.

"Guests!" The Head Eunuch exclaimed, garnering their attention.

"Today, under the order of His Majesty the Emperor, we are here to celebrate Princess Shuchun's birthday. As you know, Princess Shuchun is virtuous and benevolent. This party is to honor the day she was born with entertainment.

Please enjoy the activities we have prepared."

The Head Eunuch retreated after reading the scroll and the large doors opened to reveal a young girl standing with two maids behind her.

With each step she took, it revealed the elegance of the young princess who walked to her parents.

The guests greeted her first before she greeted her parents as proper etiquette. The girl sat down as the emperor ordered for the party to begin.

The first form of activity was a dance. As the musicians began to play the tune, beautiful women entered the hall. The female dancers were professionally trained so each one of their moves were sharp and graceful.

With the complicated formations and turns, it mesmerized many people in the hall.

At her seat, Wu Xingxie pretended to enjoy the performance. At the same time, female attendants carefully distributed the drinks and snacks.

Wu Xingxie thanked the girl before giving Wu Yunxia a glance. He seemed to be glaring at her to which she returned with a mocking smile.

Even with her lips covered, Wu Yunxia clearly saw the ridicule in her eyes and clenched his fists. Only when he realized there were a few young ladies looking at him with adoration did he stop to give them a fake smile.

"Eldest Miss." Yuyan whispered and under her sleeves, she placed a vial on Wu Xingxie's hand without any detection. The fabric of their clothes covered the interaction. After receiving the vial, Wu Xingxie opened it with her thumb, letting the content touch her other fingers.

She returned the vial to Yuyan and both acted like nothing happened.

Wu Xingxie grabbed a piece of dessert with her hand that had contents of the vial. Using her clean hand, she lifted her veil a little to allow herself to eat. Even though she didn't like sweets, she ate everything, even making sure to lick her fingers.

To unsuspecting people, Wu Xingxie just seemed to be eating like everyone else. However the content of the vial that she devoured was the substance that played the most important role in her plans.

*****
What do you think is in the vial?