***
Throughout the palace, lanterns and colored decorations had been hung in every direction. The Empress Dowager and the imperial couple sat in the seats of honor and watched the masked Nuo dance performed by the various ceremonial companies, with everyone celebrating the passing of the old year and welcoming in the new to the sound of pipes, strings, and woodwinds.
The Empress occasionally glanced at His Majesty. In recent times His Majesty’s spirits had been declining day by day, which filled her with worry. Today was different from the past few days — he had drunk several cups of wine and sat smiling as he watched the consorts and ladies composing verses and dancing. Even now he showed no sign of fatigue. Only the flush across his cheekbones and his somewhat rounded, sagging frame — jowls hanging loosely — made him look, in a way, like the Jade Emperor from a New Year’s print.
Then came a bout of wrestling — two strongmen in exaggerated postures pushing and straining against each other. At the most thrilling moments, the ladies tossed copper coins that rained down like a shower. His Majesty had been smiling throughout, but gradually, it seemed as though the smile required some effort. The Empress noticed it, and so did the Empress Dowager.
But on such a fine occasion, it would not do to dampen everyone’s spirits. The Empress Dowager said: “There are also many fine small performances arranged in the Hall of Longevity. Let us all move there and drink!” She stood as she spoke and pressed her hand lightly on His Majesty’s shoulder. “His Majesty has only just recovered — he must not exert himself too much. Have the Empress attend to him and retire early for a rest. Tomorrow morning you still must receive the congratulations of all the officials at court.”
His Majesty was truly no longer able to keep up, and complied readily. He stood with a smile and said: “Then I shall take my leave.” He looked toward Noble Consort Wang: “I ask Wang and the other ladies to stay and keep company with Her Highness for the vigil on my behalf.”
Noble Consort Wang received the command, and she and the assembled ladies paid their respects to His Majesty before sweeping away with the Empress Dowager toward the Hall of Longevity. His Majesty, at that point, sank back into his seat, as though his strength had finally given way. He seemed to find even himself beyond help, and said with a touch of sadness: “I am genuinely too tired today.”
The Empress stepped forward with her attendants to support him and help him into the Hall of Heavenly Blessing behind, and once everything was settled, she dismissed all the attendants.
His Majesty lay on the couch, one hand covering his brow, as though the candle flames in the hall were too bright for his eyes.
The Empress brought a warm cloth to wipe his face, and said: “Today is a festival — Your Majesty is free to relax. I have noticed lately that you have been keeping your nerves drawn too tight, and that is not good for your health.”
His Majesty shook his head. “The situation is very tense right now. Every man has his own intentions. I cannot let myself relax for even a moment. Delaying until now without establishing an heir has left many people dissatisfied — the Chief Minister and others advised me five years ago. I did not listen to them, and do you think they have no grievances? But how can I establish an heir now? These nephews of mine are all in the prime of strength and vigor. The moment the imperial decree is issued, the realm will be thrown into upheaval immediately. Those who seek to curry favor, those who cannot accept it — they will all take the stage, one after another. I fear it could create two rival courts, one inside the palace and one outside. How could I not be afraid?”
Every person views matters from the vantage of their own position. To His Majesty’s eyes, the empire was not nearly so rock-solid as it seemed from the outside. Especially without a son of his own, with too many restless and eager parties — he had to protect this entire family of people. After all, if something happened to himself, everyone would suffer along with him. No egg survives an overturned nest. Sometimes, internal strife could be more terrible than an invasion from outside.
Perhaps it was simply that he had grown older and was no longer as aggressive as in his youth. He thought more often now about how to maintain balance within the realm — how to avoid unnecessary dangers, to protect himself and whoever he had decided should succeed him, as best he could.
To sink into the vortex of the struggle for power was to drown in it eventually. A temporary retreat, on the contrary, was the wisest course.
The Empress folded back the brocade quilt and pulled it over him, saying warmly: “I know that Your Majesty has devoted every effort to the realm and its people. But your health is not well now — it would be best to take care of yourself above all. Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. One can shelter them for a time, but not for a lifetime. Now that things have reached this point, we can only take each step as it comes. Whatever may happen, your sacred person comes first.”
His Majesty gazed at the palace lanterns hanging from the ceiling and let out a long sigh. “I have calculated every move and played the villain more than enough — I am afraid I will not even get a word of thanks for it. This recent business with the Court of Judicial Review’s summons, for instance — I was truly compelled, driven to it by my ministers without any other recourse.”
The Empress said he was wrong to think so. “The Fourth Master is a perceptive man. Even if he doesn’t understand now, in time he will come to see Your Majesty’s intentions.”
His Majesty turned to look at the Empress. “Do you think so? That day, on the strength of a single ‘edict’ character, I had him confined — in private, he may well be cursing me for a muddle-headed ruler. I had no other choice. I want to protect him, but those two elder brothers of his are like wolves and tigers. If I issue the decree naming him Crown Prince now, he will immediately become the target of everyone. I am afraid he could not survive it.” He sighed again with some bitterness. “He is good in every way — the one thing that weighs on me is that his constitution is somewhat frail. If not for that stray arrow, who among the three brothers could stand against him? He has the art of civil governance and the art of military strategy — he is the stuff of a true sovereign. It is a pity that a flaw mars an otherwise flawless jade. To this day, I honestly have my doubts about my own decision.”
The Empress understood what he meant. She sat beside him and said quietly: “From the very beginning, we set our eyes on the Fourth Master. That is why we chose this particular woman to be his wife. First, we considered her lineage — she carries the bloodline of the Grand Princess, which has weight and foundation. Second, her maternal family is weak. Jiang Heng is a muddled sort; in future he will not cause any trouble of empresses’ clans interfering in politics. When her character was examined beforehand, the fact that she was able to shelter herself at the Duke of Shuguo’s residence safely during the earthquake in Youzhou showed she was a woman who keeps her head in a crisis. Her Highness’s view was that this young woman was steady and composed — a very fitting match for the Fourth Master. After they married, Her Highness hinted in her words from time to time that she should encourage her husband and keep an eye on the other two Dukes. With such a hint given, anyone else would have leapt to act — yet she has not once reported on anyone. And now she has willingly chosen to remain with the Fourth Master through his confinement. On the matter of examining the inner household alone, Duke Weiguo has already passed. However… has Your Majesty looked again at the other two? After all, the Fourth Master’s health being weak is an unavoidable fact.”
His Majesty said: “The First Master has an upright character, but he is brave without strategy. Over the years it has been the Fourth Master who has been devising plans for him — it is only because of that that he has survived to today. Otherwise, any number of matters great and small, if pressed, would have unseated him long ago. The Third Master is shrewd and ruthless, bold, yet small-minded. A man like that, put in charge of governing the realm, would surely bring the nation to disaster. And that principal wife of his is equally brash — the two of them together are a pair of muddleheaded fools. I absolutely could not place the empire in their hands.” He sighed again with sorrow. “Our Li clan has truly been hard-pressed for heirs. Six brothers in our generation, and in the end only three have descendants. I myself have no son — I can only choose among a few nephews, with none entirely to my heart’s desire. Could it be that the dragon vein has been damaged, and the dynastic fortune is drawing near its end?”
Of late his health had been very poor, and his outlook had turned grim. Sometimes when he spoke, he could not help letting his despair show through. The Empress continued to console him in a steady stream. “Your Majesty must not say such things — there is still the Fourth Master to lean on. His ill health was not something he was born with, and it need not hinder his descendants. Only — he is perhaps too cautious. Half a year of marriage and still no good news, and he has not added many women to his household either…”
But His Majesty waved his hand broadly. “That is his problem to resolve — leave him to figure it out himself. As for me, I need only wait to close my eyes. What do I care anymore what happens to any of them after that.”
His Majesty had been born of the principal empress and had thus assumed the throne through the natural order. He had never, as his imperial nephews had, trained with the military, and had always carried the manner of a scholar-official, ruling the realm through benevolence and filial virtue to this day. Now, finally in his twilight years, power struggles erupted around him with increasing frequency, right before his eyes. He was fully aware of it all, had deliberated at great length, yet had no forceful means to suppress it. The only thing he could do was keep the one he had chosen far from the turmoil — or wait until the others had exhausted each other, and let him emerge at the end to claim the throne. That would be the most secure course.
“I have already made my arrangements. In the second month of next year, I will reorganize the forces inside and outside the capital — restructure the Palace Command and the Iron Cavalry further, until the power of the First and Third Masters has been completely dismantled. As long as they hold military authority, they will always be a mortal threat to the Fourth Master. Once their wings have been thoroughly clipped, the man can be released from the Side Gate.”
It was precisely because His Majesty had long had this plan in place that when Princess Consort Liang and Yun Pan had entered the palace to plead their case, it had not served any purpose. Would Li Chenjian really resort to such crude means to rebel and frame his own brothers? The answer was perfectly obvious. But at the time, neither the Empress Dowager nor the Empress could say so — they could not reveal His Majesty’s intentions. They feared the walls had ears, and they worried about shifting loyalties. And so they had kept it tightly concealed, until now.
His Majesty looked out toward the black expanse of night beyond the hall. The most intense burst of firecrackers in the city had already passed. What sounded now occasionally were the isolated pops of those who had missed the main moment or had no wish to compete with the crowd for the new year’s fortune. Lone firecrackers shot into the sky, cracking open at the waist with a dull boom — and in that, too, was a kind of solitary, desolate beauty.
It was nearly the Hour of Zi. A palace maid carried in glutinous rice balls on a tray. The Empress tried to help him sit up to eat two of them. He shook his head and declined.
“These sticky things have become harder and harder to digest lately. Tomorrow morning there are still rice ball dumplings to eat — let me save my appetite to get through those.” With this, His Majesty turned onto his side, his slightly portly form now carrying the stooped look of old age.
The Empress suppressed a quiet sigh. She still had the Empress Dowager and the assembled consorts to attend to, so she instructed the palace maids to draw down the bed curtains, and withdrew from the Hall of Heavenly Blessing toward the Hall of Longevity.
***
The next day was the first day of the New Year. The previous evening’s family reunion dinner, missing two people, had been eaten without much pleasure. In other years, on the first day of the first month, the women of the household would begin making rounds to pay their New Year’s respects, but this year the family was in no position for it. The Princess Consort had no heart to go out. Those relatives and friends who had in previous years kept up the closest ties were also very different now — they did no more than send a servant with some cakes and fruit, and considered the visit made.
The Grand Dowager Lady’s illness had improved somewhat. Taking advantage of the fine sunlight, she came out of her room. Even along the covered walkway one could catch the sun’s warmth, so she had the maidservants bring out a round-backed chair and sat along the walkway. The household was quiet and somewhat desolate. The Princess Consort and Hui Cun sat with the Grand Dowager Lady, making occasional small talk, but none of their hearts were truly in good cheer — everyone looked low in spirit.
The Grand Dowager Lady looked up at the vast sky and let out a long breath. “Everyone knows to seek fortune and avoid misfortune. Those people steering clear of our gate today — it is just as well. At least we need not put on smiling faces to receive those who don’t mean us well.”
The Princess Consort agreed, and turned to look at Hui Cun. “But things cannot go on like this — I am afraid it will delay our Hui’s prospects. She will be seventeen by the New Year, and in an ordinary household, even if not yet married, she would at least have been promised.”
Hui Cun was not very willing to discuss her own marriage prospects. She instinctively drew the comparison to the Geng family. “If the Geng family match had gone through, that kind of opportunistic wretch would certainly not have let me come back home. Then there would have been only the two of you, Grandmother and Mother, spending the New Year alone — even bleaker than this.”
The Grand Dowager Lady said it was best to forget that. “I would rather Hui stay with us her whole life than see the child married into that family of beasts.”
Just as they were speaking, a matron from the gatehouse came to report that the Duchess of Shuguo, her young lady, and the maternal aunt, the Marchioness, had arrived.
The Princess Consort quickly stood and led Hui Cun out to receive them. Once everyone was welcomed into the flower hall, seated, and tea served, she sighed: “The ones who come now are all true kinsmen close to the heart. Those who were forever full of fine-sounding words — not a single one keeps in touch anymore. Perhaps that is also a good thing, since time reveals people’s hearts. If Ji Fu should ever recover his position in future, I imagine there would be no need to associate with them again.”
Jin Shengyu offered a ready reply: “If they don’t come, so much the better — saves them from coming to gawk at us.” Then she asked: “And Duke Chengguo’s household? Have they made any gesture?”
The Princess Consort said: “Yesterday afternoon, the Duchess of Chengguo personally came to bring New Year’s gifts. She is a very thoughtful woman — pregnant as she is, she traveled between two households in this bitter cold. I thanked her warmly and told her to stay home and take care of herself, not to worry about us. These past few days there has been no news from the palace, and nothing to report from the Side Gate either. I cannot tell whether that is good or bad.”
Madam Ming said: “Presumably the court has everything suspended for the New Year. Our Duke sent people to work the channels at the Court of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, but no definite news has come back from either side — which is strange in itself. Still, I believe nothing serious should come of it. If they truly intended to press charges, with those stacks of case files, how could the people below not know? What is singular about Ji Fu’s case is that the summons and written depositions have gone directly into the palace, and outsiders are completely in the dark.”
“His Majesty attending to it personally — Mother, that may not be a bad thing,” Hui Cun said quietly from where she sat nearby. “Only His Majesty knows what is good or bad. Whatever he has in mind, for now let us set that aside — but the fact that several days have passed without another incident suggests it is no longer pressing.”
Madam Ming listened to her speak in those gentle, warm tones with the Princess Consort, and knowing that Hui Cun had also been shouldering the household’s affairs throughout this time, she felt a new regard for this commandery princess.
“The Commandery Princess is right.” Madam Ming glanced at her, then turned to the Princess Consort with a smile. “Today is the first day of the New Year — let us think on the bright side. Things will naturally go more and more smoothly from here. But the household has been so busy of late, and the Grand Dowager Lady and Your Highness were both unwell these past few days — it has really been too much for the Commandery Princess, running back and forth on her brother’s behalf. Xiang Xu mentioned it all to me when he came home.”
The Princess Consort smiled and said yes, then smoothed Hui Cun’s hair. “We raise children for a thousand days and call upon them in times of need. Our Hui Cun has grown up.”
Hui Cun smiled with a slightly embarrassed flush and said to Madam Ming: “I am very grateful to Big Brother as well. That time we went to the Side Gate to deliver things — if not for him, I doubt I could even have gotten the food basket through.”
Madam Ming made a good-natured exclamation. “You are a girl of the inner chambers — how could you be expected to deal with rough men like that? Xiang Xu has nothing pressing these days. If there is anything you need, just send word to our residence.”
There seemed to be some implication layered within those words, but neither party gave voice to it. They simply continued chatting politely over tea and refreshments.
Jin Shengyu turned to ask Mei Fen: “Miss Mei’s wedding is coming up very soon now, isn’t it?”
Mei Fen gave a bashful yes.
It was Madam Ming who answered for her: “It was originally set for the twenty-second day of the twelfth month — the day of the Beginning of Spring. But since Ji Fu and Si Si are both away from home, she has been in a daze about everything. Young Master Zhao saw this and said that it was Ji Fu who had gotten him transferred back to the capital, and so he pushed the date back.”
The Princess Consort was surprised. “This is too much to ask — delaying Miss Mei’s wedding on account of our family’s matters. What a great wrong to do her.”
Mei Fen smiled and said: “My bond with Si Si — we may be called cousins by courtesy, but we are closer than blood sisters. With her and the Duke locked up in the Side Gate, for me to go ahead with my wedding without a care — where would be the slightest trace of human feeling in that?”
At this, Jin Shengyu sighed. “All girls are the same, and yet — Miss Mei values friendship so deeply. Our own second young lady and Si Si are proper blood sisters, and you would think she might give a thought to her elder sister. Instead, she is finding herself a husband, and seems to be enjoying it.”
Madam Ming was taken aback. “Finding her own husband? Has the verdict in Liu Shi’s case come down?”
Jin Shengyu shook her head. “Not yet. The Bureau of Investigations dug deeper and found another maidservant who had previously served Si Si. That maidservant — the one called Chen Xiang — had waited on her for a time and apparently gave some additional testimony, saying she had worked together with two brothers to sell salt illegally, and had even been involved in human trafficking. Truly, you would never have guessed it — quite the extraordinary person she turned out to be! I sent people to press twice, and the Bureau told us the case involved too many tangled matters to be decided quickly — they expect the trial to continue for another two or three months. As for the second young lady — you know I arranged for an inner court attendant to come and teach the girls proper manners and deportment? She, in the course of things, developed some interest in the attendant’s nephew. The attendant is of quite good family — her people include a third-rank Grand Academician of the Privy Council, and her son currently holds the post of Emissary of Ceremony. The second young lady had her eye on the family’s standing. Afraid I would not find her a worthy match, she started arranging things herself.”
Everyone present was astonished. A girl whose mother was under detainment, and yet she still had the heart to pursue romance — that was truly remarkable.
“One could say she is heartless, but she is actually anything but — I can see she has quite a calculating mind.” Madam Ming clicked her tongue disapprovingly, then asked: “And the other family? Did they simply go along with it?”
Jin Shengyu’s face showed a trace of embarrassment. She dabbed at her nose. “Do not even mention it — it was terribly mortifying. They are a great household seeking a principal wife for their son. Birth and legitimacy aside, they need someone with a clean family background. The moment they inquired and found Liu Shi was currently being held in the Bureau, they were so startled it nearly frightened them witless. They immediately said to me that I needed to keep my daughter better disciplined. I swallowed the humiliation and said nothing. Now I have put her under house arrest — she cannot set foot outside, a single step. One can confine the body, but I doubt one can confine the heart.”
In truth, if things had been as they were before — with an elder sister who was a Duchess — that would have added some luster to Xue Pan’s prospects. But now the Duke’s household was in trouble of its own, and Jiang Heng’s title as a founding Marquis carried very little weight. Weighing the two sides, people were too busy keeping their distance to consider such a match.
As for Jin Shengyu, however, there was nothing particularly unpleasant in it. She had long seen through Xue Pan’s character — if Xue Pan ever came into power one day, the way she would conduct herself when visiting her natal family would be like a Empress returning in triumph. An unworthy girl: find her a passable marriage and be done with it. With Liu Shi’s reputation, aiming high was out of the question. If she still refused what was low, then she could just remain unmarried. That was that.
The Princess Consort turned to ask: “What does Marquis Jiang say?”
Jin Shengyu replied: “He is angry, of course — he beat her soundly with a board and said the family had brought disgrace upon itself with such a disgraceful creature.”
At which Xue Pan had apparently seen red. After he spoke, she lifted her chin and fought back, her sharp voice nearly piercing eardrums, crying out at the top of her lungs: “I am exactly like my concubine-mother! Father himself was drawn to her for being capable — otherwise, why would he have brought me into the world when there was already a perfectly good wife who was a county princess?”
This sent Jiang Heng reeling — he nearly choked on his own breath, and sat alone in his study weeping for a good while, mumbling to himself like a man half out of his senses: “What a disgrace… what a reckoning…”
Jin Shengyu did not comfort him. She withdrew with a heart full of satisfaction. He thoroughly deserved to see, at last, what this thing he had cherished and indulged for so long truly was.
Xue Pan’s affairs were certainly not worth worrying about. But looking at the Princess Consort and Madam Ming, there seemed to be a very clear inclination toward a match between the two families. And so Jin Shengyu smiled and asked: “Why did the eldest young master not come today?”
Madam Ming replied: “Some colleagues invited him to join a poetry gathering. He had said he didn’t want to go, but couldn’t bring himself to decline their kindness.”
Jin Shengyu’s meaning was pointed as she smiled and said: “If he hadn’t gone — wouldn’t that have been just perfect? We are all family here — spending a little more time together talking would surely be better than sitting out there composing couplets! I also have some things I have been meaning to send along. I have been wondering how to pass them along — when the young master and the Commandery Princess have a moment, perhaps they could help me deliver them!”