“You’ve grown up now.” Elder Madam Fan took a few steps forward, staring at him directly without the slightest concealment. “You should know what words can be spoken and what words cannot be spoken. I am your mother. If my virtue is lacking, the first person affected isn’t myself—it’s you.”
Zhou Weiqi bit his teeth as he looked at her, not saying a word.
Elder Madam Fan sat down by the south window. Her pale white hands unhurriedly picked up the scattered chess pieces from the board one by one. After a moment of silence, she said softly, “No matter what, everything I do is always for your sake.”
Zhou Weiqi braced his hands on the table, looking at his mother with choked emotion, his eyes containing both despair and bewilderment. “But you’ve ruined me. Everything you’ve done—every single thing—will make Father detest me.”
Elder Madam Fan’s hands didn’t stop their movements. “So we need to think of a solution. What use is there in complaining about heaven and resenting people when something has already happened? Will blaming me now change anything?”
Zhou Weiqi couldn’t think of anything worth saying now that things had reached this point. Even if what Elder Madam Fan said was true, even if young Madam Fan had indeed mixed truth with lies, so what? She had resolutely burned herself to death in a fire. With the dead unable to testify, no one would disbelieve the words of a dead person.
Elder Madam Fan quietly returned the chess pieces to the chess basket, slowly stood up and walked to Zhou Weiqi’s side, telling him softly, “I’ve already written a letter home to your maternal grandmother. What this madwoman has done is truly disgusting. What she said was ambiguous—I can’t even defend myself. But similarly, can a single ownerless golden hairpin carved with my childhood nickname prove that I did something shameful? Are matters in this world really so simple?”
Zhou Weiqi raised his head to look at her, frowning with some confusion. “You mean…”
“I mean that my flower hairpin has actually always been with Mother. The one in her possession was deliberately forged to frame me.” Elder Madam Fan lowered her eyelids, concealing the icy coldness in her eyes. “When the time comes, Mother will produce an identical flower hairpin.”
Zhou Weiqi asked her in a hoarse voice, “What about ‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters’?” He laughed once, looking at his own mother. “Can you play it?”
Elder Madam Fan smiled, touching the ancient zither beside the chess board by the south window and looking back at him. “So many years have passed. Your father most enjoys hearing me play the zither. What do you think—can I play it or not?”
Aside from this flower hairpin, she had never let any real evidence fall into young Madam Fan’s hands. This time, she had indeed spent all day hunting geese only to have a goose peck out her eye. But it didn’t matter. Even in death, that fool had no way to drag her down.
Having finished these useless words and seeing that Zhou Weiqi had calmed down considerably, Elder Madam Fan rose gracefully, looking at Zhou Weiqi with utmost composure. “The matters we originally decided cannot be neglected. The year-end is approaching. The account books from Xibei along with the dividends should be arriving about now. When the time comes, take these things to your father. Combined with your maternal grandmother’s efforts at mediation, your father will forgive you.”
After so many years of constant companionship, she truly understood him even better than the Crown Prince understood himself. She knew completely how to grasp his vital points.
At the mention of the Xibei account books, Zhou Weiqi naturally thought of Han Zhengqing. That thorn in his heart stabbed viciously into his flesh. He fell silent for a long while but ultimately didn’t ask anything more.
Even though young Madam Fan was already dead, Elder Madam Fan was still so certain that Han Zhengqing would act according to plan and follow the usual customs of previous years. He didn’t know where Elder Madam Fan’s confidence came from, nor did he want to think about it.
“Over such a small matter you’ve become this dejected. If there are even greater storms in the future, what do you plan to do?” Having finished speaking, Elder Madam Fan began scolding him. “That one over there is only one year older than you, yet how much more composed is he? Since he returned from Longhu Mountain, have you calculated how many dangers he experienced on the road? Yet he returned safely without saying a single extra word. Think about it yourself—these past few years, hasn’t your father gradually started paying attention to that mother and son, moving from complete indifference?”
Zhou Weiqi’s heart rose up. That was right—if he hadn’t successfully handled the Yangzhou corruption case and the two major matters in Xibei for his father, Father’s heart would probably have been completely won over by Zhou Weizhao long ago.
Counting it all up, his taking desperate risks to move against the Prince of Duan and strike at Yangzhou was because Zhou Weizhao had caused too much of a commotion last time—the incident of the Tatar troops rioting in Tongzhou. He had practically established extraordinary merit. Overnight, the people of the capital and Tongzhou held this young and exceptional Grand Prince who had returned from Longhu Mountain in the highest esteem.
Zhou Weiqi said nothing, but Elder Madam Fan knew he had taken it to heart. Knowing he felt uncomfortable inside, she didn’t wait for him to speak. She finished saying everything herself first. “The days ahead are still long. The things you two will compete over are still many. He occupies the title of Longhu Mountain’s heavenly mandate—it’s impressive enough to intimidate people when spoken of. But the Great Zhou doesn’t only have many Daoist believers. There are also many who follow Buddhism.”
Zhou Weiqi’s heart stirred. His lips moved, and in the end, he still asked aloud, “Mother means Master Yuanhui?”
Master Yuanhui had originally been Prince Duan’s man. Later, for unknown reasons, he had repeatedly expressed his affinity toward him. Last time at the Huangjue Temple, Master Yuanhui had even made a special trip to recommend himself.
Elder Madam Fan nodded and glanced at him. “Master Yuanhui is also a famous eminent monk. If he’s willing to guide you once or twice, you’ll benefit endlessly.”
“Next year is the spring examinations. You should also put your heart into it. Find out early who next year’s chief examiner will be, prepare to win over next year’s successful scholars, and leave a good reputation in scholarly circles. It can only benefit you, not harm you.” Elder Madam Fan immediately reminded him further, “And there’s your marriage. Your Imperial Grandfather has already twice inquired about that lady at Master Zhang Tianshi’s side. Since he’s asked about him, he naturally won’t overlook the princes and grandsons of suitable age. In your current situation, you really should gain a powerful marriage alliance.”
The Chen family was two-faced, hoping to sit on the fence and grasp at grass on both sides—evasively dealing with this side while hesitating because of the favorable situation on the Grand Prince’s side. Elder Madam Fan harbored resentment toward them in her heart and simply threw this difficult problem to Master Yuanhui.
Zhou Weiqi looked quietly at Elder Madam Fan. He felt that Mother seemed to think things were too simple. Even though Father had no evidence, even though the Fan clan’s people could wash her completely clean of all suspicion, men’s psychology was very peculiar. Once someone planted a thorn of doubt in their hearts, that thorn could never be pulled out again. She would never again be able to make Father obey her every word as she had before. Yet she herself seemed not to have realized this point yet.