It was nearly dark when Jiang Changyang returned home. Entering the inner courtyard, he saw lanterns neatly arranged along the corridor, everything quiet and still. Even the usual cries of children were absent, let alone any servants in sight. At the entrance to the main room, Shuer stood quietly under the curtain, bowing and greeting him before lifting the curtain.
Xiaoer was directing Little Lizi in setting out the meal. Mudan rose to welcome him, her face serene with a gentle smile: “You’re back?”
Suddenly, Jiang Changyang felt hungry and thirsty. A sense of peace and tenderness rose from his heart, gradually enveloping his entire body. The corners of his eyes, his brows, and his limbs relaxed. He returned Mudan’s smile with equal warmth: “I’m back. Where are the children?”
“They’ve eaten their fill and are asleep. Xian’er had some milk overflow,” Mudan said, casually taking Jiang Changyang’s outer robe as he removed it. She took a casual rice-colored gauze robe from the clothes rack and handed it to him, watching as Shuer helped him wash his hands and face. By the time Jiang Changyang was ready, the meal was set. The couple, in tacit understanding, didn’t mention any troublesome matters and focused on eating.
After the meal, the servants cleared the table and brought tea. Mudan dismissed the servants and asked, “How did it go?”
Jiang Changyang knew she was asking about Jiang Zhong. He rubbed his forehead: “This time it seems genuine. I don’t know what was said at Fuyun Temple, but the servants said they didn’t hear any arguments. When he came out, he was unsteady on his feet, his face pale. He almost fell off his horse, lost in thought… I heard the other one has been ill for some days too. Well, let him be. What news did Yuan Shijiu bring?”
Mudan said, “He’s worried that you’re being restricted and outmaneuvered by Liu Chang, who has recently achieved some merit. He heard from somewhere that His Majesty is taking an elixir said to prolong life, and Prince Jing’s household is desperately seeking the formula.” She thought for a moment, looking up at Jiang Changyang: “Is Master Yuan hinting that you should seize this opportunity? But such a matter seems too risky…”
Jiang Changyang gently pressed her hand, calmly saying, “Don’t worry. Yuan Shijiu’s intention isn’t for me to seize this opportunity, but to warn me against rushing into it. I’ve worked hard to get out of that place. I’d rather stand at the forefront than hide in the shadows again.”
Mudan thought carefully, gradually understanding. She sighed lightly: “But they’ll likely still come to you. It’s a difficult balance to strike.” The risk was high and the effort might be thankless. If done well, it might be considered a great achievement now, but would surely be viewed with suspicion in the future. Jiang Changyang’s former position as head of the internal guards was too sensitive. From a positional perspective, if he could obtain something Prince Jing couldn’t, it might seem he was too capable. From a moral standpoint, the Emperor had shown him favor and trust, yet he would be seen as ungrateful if he schemed against the Emperor. Such a person by one’s side would make anyone uneasy. But if he didn’t do it, or did it poorly, Prince Jing might think he wasn’t trying hard enough or was fence-sitting. Just a little instigation from someone like Liu Chang could cause trouble.
Jiang Changyang fell silent for a moment: “If they want me to do it, I can’t refuse. I’ll have to agree and do it earnestly. Having chosen a side, there’s no turning back. How else can I show loyalty if I don’t put in effort? But this merit isn’t something only one person wants to claim. Many want to achieve it or steal the credit.” As long as he let the person who most wanted the merit take it, his dilemma would be solved. So who was the one most eager for merit, most eager to steal his achievements? Jiang Changyang stroked his chin, thinking of an obvious candidate.
With this in mind, Jiang Changyang became restless. He excused himself to Mudan and quickly went to the outer courtyard, discussing with Wu San and others until late into the night before retiring. The next morning, he came in to see Mudan and the children, ate breakfast with her as usual, and then went to Fashou Temple to persuade Jiang Zhong again.
This continued for several days. Mudan felt it was excessive filial piety, enough to satisfy expectations and leave no room for criticism, yet he showed no signs of stopping, persistently rushing to Fashou Temple. Knowing his character and his relationship with Jiang Zhong, Mudan guessed he was using the pretext of persuading Jiang Zhong to meet people he couldn’t conveniently see otherwise. Otherwise, why not stay at home observing filial piety? Constantly going out, with visitors coming and going, what kind of filial piety was that? If Jiang Changyang could smoothly resolve this matter, it would count as an achievement for Jiang Zhong as well.
Before they knew it, it was the day of the children’s full month. Unlike the third-day celebration, it was very quiet with no outside visitors. Even Lady Bai only sent some gifts without appearing in person. Jiang Changyang left after having breakfast together. Seeing this situation, Lady Cen and others, fearing to trouble Mudan, returned home after breakfast. The afternoon was particularly quiet, with only Jiang Yunqing and Concubine Xue accompanying Mudan, sitting in the courtyard with the two children. But because of Jiang Zhong’s insistence on becoming a monk, no one dared to show happiness, so they dispersed after a short while.
In times of mourning, it was understandable not to hold a feast for the children’s full month, but for the father to be absent for half the day was too much. Mama Lin was very dissatisfied and harbored resentment towards Jiang Zhong, saying she had never seen such a troublesome person. Mudan couldn’t explain, but she felt Jiang Zhong was somewhat wronged this time, and his actions were quite timely – both she and Jiang Changyang needed Jiang Zhong to act this way.
After nearly half a month of trying to dissuade Jiang Zhong from his decision, Jiang Changyang finally gave up and told Mudan: “It’s settled. He’ll take his vows the day after tomorrow at Chongsheng Temple. He’s already moved there today.”
Mudan was extremely surprised: “Chongsheng Temple?” She had thought that since Jiang Zhong had chosen Fashou Temple and lived there for so long, he would naturally stay there after becoming a monk. But then she remembered the Tanhua Tower at Chongsheng Temple and sighed softly: “Was it his own decision?”
Jiang Changyang turned to look out the window: “He said it began there, so it should end there.” Although Jiang Zhong hadn’t explicitly told him, it seemed he and Lady Du had thoroughly discussed many things. At this point, no one had benefited, and harboring more resentment was useless. He wondered how the one in the palace would feel upon learning of Jiang Zhong’s decision. The annual visits to Tanhua Tower – half in memory of a person, more than half in remembrance of those difficult years past. The disgust, hatred, and torment of so many years – rather than being due to that person’s death, it was more because of Jiang Zhong’s betrayal during those hard times that left such a deep impression.
Jin Buyan had been caught in the middle, tossed about by Prince Min and Prince Jing for so long. When the truth finally came out, there was talk of a meeting, but in the end, it never happened. Jin Buyan was given a slightly better reward – no longer having the status of a merchant, but a powerless official position. Beyond that, there was no sign of any other compensation or feelings of guilt towards Jin Buyan. Keeping Jiang Zhong by his side, enjoying Jiang Zhong’s humble fear and sorrow while using him to the fullest, until he grew old and impatient, then stepping down hard, not even giving a clean end. The Emperor was, in fact, the pettiest of all.
“If he can truly let go, it’s a good thing,” Mudan gently embraced Jiang Changyang from behind, resting her head on his back, and said softly, “The children are a full month old now. Let’s take them to see him. And Concubine Xue and Yunqing should be allowed to say goodbye.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Jiang Changyang laughed. “If he’s truly detached from worldly concerns, how could he see them? If his Buddhist heart isn’t firm enough, wouldn’t your disturbance hinder his devotion to Buddha?” Despite his words, the next day he still had the two children brought along with Concubine Xue and Jiang Yunqing to visit Chongsheng Temple.
After Jiang Zhong took his vows, life flowed smoothly like water for a while. As summer faded, the Empress fell ill. Despite careful treatment, she showed no signs of improvement. Then, the elder brother of Ning Wang’s wife Qin Alan’s family got into trouble, with a shocking accusation – tampering with military rations. He was imprisoned, implicating many others, and soon after committed suicide in jail. As this was similar to the death of the Wang family’s eleventh son, it immediately sparked discussions throughout the court and beyond. Under these circumstances, Ning Wang had to request leave from his position as Left Deputy Director of the Department of State Affairs to care for the Empress but received the Emperor’s kind words of comfort and rewards. For a time, everyone was uncertain of the situation.
Soon after, the usually healthy Prince Jing suddenly coughed up blood and fainted at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet. Prince Jing’s household executed a favored concubine and over twenty servants. Thereafter, Prince Jing stayed home recuperating daily, no longer enjoying the usual pleasures. People secretly spread rumors that Prince Jing’s illness was actually due to taking an elixir supposedly for longevity, which had backfired. This caused quite a scare among those who practiced alchemy or took such elixirs.
The Emperor was particularly concerned about Prince Jing’s illness, not only sending his imperial physicians to attend to him but also bestowing many precious medicinal ingredients. With the Emperor taking the lead, more people came to visit Prince Jing, though he was resting and not seeing visitors most of the time.
On the Double Ninth Festival in September, Prince Min committed an offense in the Emperor’s presence, incurring his wrath. He was beaten with the imperial rod, dismissed from his position, and confined to his residence to reflect on his mistakes, forbidden to enter or leave the palace without imperial decree. Overnight, a flurry of memorials denouncing Prince Min for corruption and abuse of power emerged. The next day, another batch of memorials criticizing Prince Ning was submitted.