Whether or not they would be blessed with a child was not something that could be forced. Of course there were those whose fortune was exceedingly good — but having none was also no cause for despair. According to Li Chenjian’s thinking, the Emperor was not yet at the point of immediately selecting an heir. If the Duke of Chenguo could regain a legitimate son first, and then there was movement on his own side, that would give any future child an extra measure of security.

The topic of children was set aside. The couple had long reached a mutual understanding on this matter. They each put away their charm, and fell into a casual exchange about recent affairs at court.

Li Chenjian said, “The Duke of Chuguo returned to the capital today. The Emperor has placed the cavalry troops around the capital under his command, and additionally given him the honorary title of Commander of the Fengzhou Garrison. In this way, the three of us are of equivalent military rank — it is impossible to say any one of us is clearly superior.”

Yun Pan thought about it and said, “I do not understand political affairs, but it seems to me that if the three of us are evenly matched, we can keep each other in check — that might actually be a good thing.”

Li Chenjian nodded. “That is exactly right. For now, none of us can do anything to the others, and so we can coexist in a kind of peace… Tomorrow evening, the eldest brother is hosting a banquet in the Liang family’s garden to welcome the third brother’s return. I may be home a little late.”

Yun Pan gave a sound of acknowledgement. “Bring a few bodyguards with good fighting ability.”

He knew what she was worried about, and only said, “He has only just returned to the capital — he won’t make any move yet. Otherwise, the suspicion would immediately fall on him, and he is no fool.”

He paused a moment and looked at her. “Did you know that Xiang Xu has been appointed Attendant of the Fushun Pavilion? Today at court he made quite an impression during the audience — even the Emperor praised him as an exceptionally gifted young man who would surely accomplish great things in the future.”

Yun Pan nodded. “I heard about it from Cousin Mei Fen last time. I didn’t expect him to advance so smoothly in his official career — to be granted a rank of from the fourth just like that. When I was briefly staying at Aunt’s home before, I only knew that he liked to study and was always at the Imperial Academy. He didn’t pay much attention to household affairs.”

“While at the Imperial Academy, he helped the Hanlin Academicians restore many ancient texts. He had made himself known before the Emperor, who praised him and his father as civil and military pillars of the state.” Li Chenjian replied with mild indifference, his gaze drifting across her face. Then he said, “I heard from Uncle today — Xiang Xu and the daughter of Vice Minister Yu — the marriage has fallen through.”

Yun Pan gave a blank sound of surprise. “It has been such a long time since I visited Aunt. I never imagined something like this could have happened. Why? Weren’t things going well? The two families even had a connection through their family tie.”

Li Chenjian shook his head. “Uncle only said that Xiang Xu is headstrong. It is not clear what passed between him and the Yu family’s daughter — the exchange of betrothal gifts had been set for the eighteenth day of the eighth month, and was pushed to the year’s end. Yesterday the Yu family politely declined the match. Uncle asked Xiang Xu about it, and he still seemed rather indifferent — suggesting he had no interest in the marriage from the beginning.”

Yun Pan felt a pang of melancholy, murmuring, “What a shame. Nian Zi has such a fine temperament — she and elder brother are perfectly matched. I was so happy for them when I heard Aunt say the two families were going to be betrothed…”

But Li Chenjian said nothing at this point, only giving a faint smile and lowering his head to take a sip of his drink.

These years spent in such an environment had long accustomed him to keeping control over everything — including, for instance, the time Xiang Xu had accompanied Yun Pan around the market, eating honey-glazed pastries from a street vendor. He knew about it. He had originally thought it was just the affection between cousins — a brother keeping an eye on a sister, nothing remarkable. But that day after the three-day return visit, Xiang Xu had chatted idly with him, and a concern for Yun Pan had slipped through the words almost imperceptibly — enough for Li Chenjian to take quiet note of it.

He looked at her now. She remained as composed as ever — apart from feeling sorry on someone else’s behalf, she seemed to have no other feelings about it. He only knew that Xiang Xu must have had feelings for her, but he had no idea what she felt toward Xiang Xu.

If not for the Empress Dowager’s impulsive pairing of couples, perhaps she and Xiang Xu might have ended up together. He could see that Xiang Xu was a man who felt things deeply. But scholars tended to have reserved emotions and were not skilled at expressing them. The affection between cousins had concealed a deeper and more quietly intense feeling — yet the more silent it was, the more lasting it became.

He felt uneasy in his heart — though he could not quite say what the unease was about. It was simply that hearing Xiang Xu’s marriage had fallen apart, he suddenly felt a strange sense of threat. He disliked this feeling very much. It was nothing like the overt and covert struggles of political life — this kind of threat unsettled him in a way that was quite different. He knew full well there was no real need for it, but he still wanted to watch every furrow of her brow, every trace of her smile. He was afraid that at the mention of Xiang Xu, her expression might change… and if it truly did, he would not know what to do.

He exhaled quietly and kept his composure on his face. “Sometimes fate simply cannot be forced. In today’s world, a betrothal being called off is nothing out of the ordinary.”

Yun Pan did not notice anything unusual about him. She murmured, “When I have the chance, I should go and see Aunt. Elder Brother’s marriage is on hold, but Cousin Mei Fen and Officer Zhao are going along very smoothly — I heard they are holding the wedding next spring.”

He gave a vague acknowledgement, keeping his inner discomfort well concealed. That night, lying in bed, he couldn’t help but turn things over in his mind — he wondered whether Xiang Xu had ever expressed his admiration to her. He was very much concerned about this now, and yet he couldn’t simply ask, for fear that if he raised it out of the blue, she would laugh at him.

Yun Pan, thinking only that he was still troubled about court affairs, drowsily reached out and patted him. “You still have to sleep even if you worry.”

He did not respond to this. He simply leaned toward her and called out softly, “My Lady…”

Yun Pan, eyes still closed, made a sound of acknowledgement.

Still not satisfied, he called again, “Bai Bai…”

She said, “What is it?” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Duke, you are not yourself today. Has something happened?”

He felt he had perhaps been a little out of character, and only said no. After a moment, he couldn’t stop himself from asking her, “Married to me this long — have you ever regretted it?”

Yun Pan startled, and her drowsiness was frightened clean away. “Why do you ask? Have you regretted it?”

He said never. “But I worry that following me has brought you hardship in your heart.”

In truth he had not said the whole of it. What he meant by hardship was the worry that the imperial decree of marriage had left her with no choice, that it had gone against her own heart’s wishes. What Yun Pan understood, however, was that the greatest hardship would be having to share him with others.

There were things she dared not say. If she were to speak from her truest heart, she did not even wish for him to be part of this struggle at all. Losing was a matter of life and death, and even winning by chance would mean a Son of Heaven with three thousand consorts in the harem as a matter of course. What then? A phoenix crown on her head, boundless desolation in her heart. Whether won or lost, neither was the best choice for her.

“Living in this world, there is no one who does not suffer hardship.” She said this evenly, then added, “As for whether being married to the Duke has caused me hardship — not at all. As for how many things I might encounter in the future, and whether they will bring hardship — leave that question for the future when you ask me again, all right?”

She was truly a considerate and good young woman. Hearing her words, the weight he had been carrying was set down. He also realised he had perhaps been worrying over nothing. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself quietly, pulled her bedcover up for her, and said to sleep.

The Liang family’s garden was the venue of choice for gatherings of the capital’s distinguished figures.

Though the three Dukes were in a state of open and covert rivalry, and everyone understood this, the surface courtesies of brothers being amiable and deferential to one another were never dispensed with. The Duke of Chenguo was the host, holding a banquet to welcome the Duke of Chuguo back. This also sent a message outward — that the three fraternal cousins were as one harmonious whole. Even if word of it reached the Emperor’s ears, there was nothing to fault. Brothers at odds was never a good thing; fraternal affection was always what elders wished to see.

By now the days had grown considerably shorter. Where in summer the sun had still been in the sky at dusk, after the start of winter it was pitch black at the same hour. The market street was at its most lively at this time — lanterns blazed along the road in a splendour of light. Beneath a thin mist, beautifully dressed women moved past with trailing sashes, and waves of powder and rouge wafted against one’s face.

The Duke of Chenguo and Li Chenjian had arrived first and were standing at the entrance waiting for the Duke of Chuguo. Carriage after carriage went by, and each time they looked, it was not the right one.

As the evening air grew chilly, Li Chenjian had already put on a cloak lined with leopard fur. Even dressed as warmly as this, when he breathed in cold air, he still couldn’t help but cough.

The Duke of Chenguo knew of his condition and said, “I can receive him on my own. You go inside first — it’s warmer in there.”

Li Chenjian said no need. “Third Brother has just returned — if I seem neglectful, I will have trouble explaining myself later.”

The Duke of Chenguo let out a laugh and looked away toward the restaurant across the street. He said with no small degree of sarcasm, “We are all brothers — what is there to be so particular about?”

But everyone knew full well that Li Yujian truly would be particular. Having been brothers for decades, they knew each other’s characters clearly. Originally there had been four of them as fraternal cousins — the second one, Li Shunji, had been the son of Prince Han, and that one was truly an upright gentleman. Sadly heaven was not kind, and he died of illness at eighteen. Leaving the three of them behind, each one with his own nature. Though the blood of the Li family ran in all of them, their temperaments seemed to bear not the slightest resemblance to one another.

The mist grew denser by degrees. The fine droplets of water around the lanterns churned and roiled, and the movement of the air currents could be seen in the shifting of the mist. At last, a carriage bearing a “Chu” character wind lantern came rolling slowly forward. When it reached them, the curtain was lifted, and the Duke of Chuguo in a dark round-collared robe stepped down from the carriage, cupping his hands in greeting as he smiled. “I encountered an old subordinate on the way and was delayed. To have kept Elder Brother and Fourth Brother waiting — that was truly remiss of me.”

The Duke of Chuguo had a handsome, spirited face. Years of hardening in military service had given his gaze a keenness sharper than most, carrying an aggressive quality that was impossible to ignore. He had long brows that swept into his temples, but a sword, no respecter of such things, had left a scar across his left brow, cutting the arch cleanly in two — making that face yet more fierce and severe, so that even when he smiled, one could feel no warmth or closeness from him.

It was precisely this face that had once prompted rumours throughout the capital that he bore the countenance of an emperor. When the imperial palace later ordered a thorough investigation into those spreading such malicious speculation, the matter was gradually suppressed.

The Duke of Chenguo smiled. “You have only just returned to the capital — there are many people and things to attend to. I was afraid you might not be able to get away.”

“Elder Brother, what are you saying — when Elder Brother hosts, would I have reason not to come? I should be the one hosting. We brothers should drink until we fall tonight.” The Duke of Chuguo said this while turning his head to look at Li Chenjian, and gave him a clap on the shoulder. “How is Fourth Brother’s health these days — is it any better?”

Li Chenjian, in the presence of his elder brothers, always suppressed his own brilliance and kept his smile precisely measured as he dipped his head and said, “This year has been much improved.”

As they spoke, he noticed a squad of Imperial Guards making their way along the covered walkway of the restaurant across the way. Li Chenjian’s mind noted this with curiosity — he did not know which garrison they had been sent from. But it was not convenient to make inquiries at this moment, and besides, the Duke of Chuguo had already slung a familiar arm around him, so he had no choice but to follow them both inside the private room.

Inside the private room, their colleagues were all waiting. When they saw the Duke of Chuguo enter, they rose one by one to pay their respects.

In men’s official social engagements, fine wine and beautiful company were indispensable. As cups were exchanged and songs sung softly by the entertainers, people spoke and laughed together. After all, it had been many years since a proper gathering like this had been possible — greetings were exchanged, family matters caught up on. The Duke of Chuguo said to Li Chenjian, “I was not able to come back to offer congratulations when you took your wife. In two days I will host a banquet at my home — I hope your wife and my sister-in-law will honour me with their presence.”

Li Chenjian said of course. “She has been speaking of Third Sister-in-law and little nephew these past two days. She only met Xuan Si once, but she came back and wouldn’t stop telling me how clever and capable the young boy was.”

The Duke of Chuguo naturally swelled with pride at the mention of his son. “That little fellow is at just the right age to be played with now. If you spend five minutes with him, he’ll have you laughing to death.”

As they talked, he reached over to clink cups, and then said, “I heard that your wife has opened a shop in the South Bridge market — something called the Sunny Window Studio?”

As they were speaking, someone beside them cut in, “The wife of Marquis Wei is quite something. There is not a household in the capital that doesn’t know her name now. For Marquis Wei to have married such a wife — that is three lifetimes of good fortune.”

There was a distinct edge in those words. After all, a woman openly setting up a shop and conducting business was something many old-fashioned men could not countenance. In their view, a woman should look like a woman — being compliant and submissive, raising children and supporting her husband was their proper calling. Once a woman appeared in public and ran a business, no matter how high her station, she had demeaned herself.

Li Chenjian had been smiling up to this moment. Hearing these words, the smile on his face slowly faded away. He turned his head gradually to look at the speaker and gave a soft sound of acknowledgement. “I was wondering who it was — so it is General Xu. General Xu said my wife has made herself known throughout the capital, and that is not untrue. But it is not because she opened a shop — it is because she married me. My wife is a woman of talent and ability, and confining her to the inner courtyard and the rear quarters would bury her gifts. I am very glad to let her do what she enjoys. Does General Xu find this improper?”

General Xu felt instantly awkward and laughed with some embarrassment. “The Duke has misunderstood — that was not my meaning.”

Li Chenjian smiled. “I would expect General Xu did not mean it so. The affairs of another man’s household — who would casually pass judgment like a gossipy woman? I also have a word of advice for General Xu: a woman can do more than wash her hands to cook and serve. We as husbands should not bind their hands and feet. Since they are wealthy and idle, let them find some amusement — burning incense, preparing tea, hanging paintings, arranging flowers. If they are good at it, their achievements may well be on par with yours and mine.”

A Duke who was willing to speak of his wife as standing shoulder to shoulder with himself — those officials far beneath him in rank had even less face to look down on women after hearing this.

General Xu’s face flushed scarlet, and he could only say yes. The Duke of Chuguo listening at the side burst into laughter. “It seems Fourth Brother is truly devoted to his wife.”

Li Chenjian raised an eyebrow. “My wife at home is this wonderful — to find another like her even with a lantern would be impossible. If anyone has any misunderstanding of her, naturally I must speak up and clarify things on her behalf.” He raised his cup toward the Duke of Chuguo. “Third Brother, I drink to you.”

The Duke of Chuguo extended his cup and clinked it, just as he was about to drain it, when the latticed door was suddenly pulled open.

A loud sound — and not a small one. Everyone turned to look: a troop of guards wearing swords had barged in, and with perfectly measured composure they cupped their hands upward toward those present. “We apologise for the intrusion upon the honoured guests. We are under orders to make a thorough investigation of those guilty of treasonous conduct. We ask for the understanding of the honoured guests.”

The Duke of Chenguo stood up. Seeing that the arrivals were the Director of the Judicial Review Court, he and Li Chenjian exchanged a glance.

The Judicial Review Court was an office established directly by the palace — it was neither under the Palace Guard Command nor under the Imperial Guard Command. It was a disciplinary institution directly answerable to the Emperor, whose authority even surpassed that of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Ministry of Justice. It had jurisdiction over matters of imprisonment and litigation, and its officials had the power to interrogate and adjudicate. Such people suddenly barging into a wine establishment in the market street — no one knew what had happened, or who exactly were the so-called persons guilty of treasonous conduct.

But since these men answered directly to the Emperor’s command, they had no need to show deference even to princes and nobles. The Director cupped his hands again toward those present. “The palace has received a tip that in recent days the White Cloud Abbey has been openly conducting rites and distributing charms — and that someone harbours treasonous intent and has used these means to curse the Emperor. The Emperor, upon learning of this, is furious and has ordered us to conduct a thorough investigation. All those present are distinguished figures of good repute. To have our rough soldiers search your persons would be beneath your dignity — any who carry charms on their persons, please produce them voluntarily so we may examine them and report back to our superiors.”

Everyone looked at one another in bewilderment. Every year on the holy birthday of the Eastern Emperor the Great, the White Cloud Abbey opened its altar for rites, and the whole capital would go to pay respects and seek blessings. The charms obtained by the aristocracy were all written out fresh on the spot — and if someone wanted to find fault, they need only pick out a word or two, and even with mouths all over one’s body, there would be no way to explain it.

As for Li Chenjian — in his heart he already understood. This upheaval was very likely aimed not at anyone else, but directly at him.

When the Princess Wang sought charms, it was never simply to ask for peace and safety. As a mother, her private wishes would inevitably include a hope for rising ranks and growing honours. When placed against an ordinary person, such a wish was merely to pray for good fortune in official life. But when placed against him, it carried a meaning whose implications ran very deep — no one would believe he would be content to remain merely a Grand Prince or a Prince. Naturally he was seen as someone striving to stand higher and see further.

He had thought that on this occasion only he had a charm on him. But to his surprise, almost every single person present could fish one of these little objects out of their pockets.

The Director ordered the accompanying officials to receive them one by one, open them one by one, and examine them. The wishes written on those yellow-papered, red-cinnabar charms were, in all truth, as varied as could be — some for wealth, some for fortune, some for household peace, and one for something that could be called perpetual male vigour.

The official looked at General Xu, then back at the charm. His small eyes radiated an expression of surprise. He clicked his tongue softly. “General, do take care of your health.”

General Xu nodded, took the charm back, folded it neatly, and put it back into his breast.

That tiny yellow charm was a portrait of the innermost desires of all those present — ordinarily something that could not be spoken of with outsiders, yet now it was being reviewed by strangers. If things went smoothly, well and good. If they did not go smoothly, it could mean sky-toppling disaster.

The Director walked up to stand before the Duke of Chuguo, and with a smile, said, “May I ask, Duke, whether you have any charm on your person?”

The Duke of Chuguo looked thoroughly contemptuous and said coldly, “I have never believed in such things.”

Even so, this was not enough to exempt him from being searched. The Director said, with all due apologies, and indicated for an official to step forward and examine his sleeve pouches. After a thorough pat-down, there was indeed nothing to be found, and the official stepped back, shaking his head.

The Duke of Chenguo was famously loyal and virtuous — his charm expressed nothing beyond a wish for the realm to be at peace and the people prosperous. After being opened and verified without issue, it was returned to him.

When they came before Li Chenjian, the Director’s expression lost all traces of a smile, and he said rather stiffly, “Duke of Weiguo — may I venture to ask whether the Duke has a charm on his person?”

Li Chenjian hesitated for a moment, then could only draw a triangular yellow charm from his sleeve pouch and hand it over to the Director.