Time quickly arrived at the twenty-sixth day of the third month—the day of Princess Qingyang’s wedding to Prince Tan Yang Yuanpu.
What Princess Qingyang was matched to was ultimately a secondary consort position for Prince Tan. At this time, it had only been a few days since the late Emperor’s mourning period ended, so it wasn’t appropriate to conduct grand celebrations. Nevertheless, Yueyang City was decorated with lanterns and colored silk on this day, adding much festive atmosphere after all.
Regardless of whether the Crown Prince, Prince Xin, or Tanzhou accused each other of treason, when the sovereign passed away, the rule of nationwide mourning applied throughout Chu territory without exception—marriages were forbidden for three months.
After the three-month national mourning period passed, the day chosen for Princess Qingyang and Prince Tan Yang Yuanpu’s grand wedding was also an auspicious day. Within the vast Yueyang City, there were quite a few common families marrying off daughters or taking in daughters-in-law as well.
On this bright spring day with warming weather, the sounds of suona horns and silk string instruments were unceasing. Even more people changed into single-layer shirts and thin trousers to go outside the city for spring outings.
At the northern courtyard of the eastern city guesthouse, servant women and maidservants bustled about. Various makeup gifts were boxed up and pasted with red paper strips, filling an entire courtyard, just waiting for Lin Haizheng to lead the Prince’s manor guards to carry them to the inner residence of the Prince’s manor, thereby proclaiming the marriage between Princess Qingyang and Prince Tan.
Zheng Chang’s wife Wang Shi, leading her nephew’s wife—Zheng Hui’s wife Zhou Shi—and other women, had been ordered to come early to accompany the bride in grooming and dressing.
Du Qiniang ran to the front courtyard to find the Prince’s manor Internal Minister Zhang Ping, asking once more about the ceremonial arrangements after entering the Prince’s manor inner residence today, lest there be any oversights. When she returned to the courtyard where Princess Qingyang had been staying these days, she saw Madam Zheng Wang and Zheng Hui’s wife and other women sitting there talking, but didn’t see Princess Qingyang’s figure.
Du Qiniang searched around front and back, and saw Princess Qingyang wearing a bright red wedding robe, sitting in the western courtyard pavilion, leaning on the railing gazing at the brocade carp in the shallow pond. Her makeup had just been neatly arranged, her face stunningly beautiful, but her eyes held a faint melancholy.
“Princess, ah, today I must change how I address you to Princess Consort,” Du Qiniang ran over and asked, “You’ll be boarding the carriage soon—how do you have leisure time to wander around here right now?”
“I heard that Elder Master Han isn’t skilled in poetry and lyrics. Are there others in Xuzhou or around Han Qian who are skilled in poetry and lyrics?” Princess Qingyang asked.
“Ah?” Du Qiniang didn’t understand why Princess Qingyang would inexplicably ask this question today. Slightly startled, she said, “Speaking of poetry, lyrics, and musical composition, Second Young Master Feng is most skilled. Chief Administrator Xi also admires poetry and lyrics, but his compositions are mediocre. Then there’s my eldest brother Du Yijun who also studied lyric writing, but was scolded by the master for only knowing how to pile up words without showing spiritual elegance—besides them, Prince’s Manor Director Xue Ruogu, Han the Administrative Minister’s eldest son-in-law Qiao Weiyan, Administration Ministry of Revenue Director Wang Lin, and Administration Bureau of Military Affairs Secretary Wen Ruilin all seem to have fairly good lyric compositions…”
Although Jinling’s poetry and lyric style wasn’t equal to Shu territory, after thinking about it, Du Qiniang still named a whole string of people.
However, Princess Qingyang had worked hard these days studying Chu’s personnel affairs. The people Du Qiniang mentioned were all quite representative and quite literary officials of the nine Hunan provinces—she knew about all of them. But undoubtedly not one among them could write with the magnificent spirit of “The great river flows east, waves washing away the romantic figures of ages past.”
Of course, Han Daoxun during his lifetime also hadn’t had any lyric compositions passed down. Could it really be that dog thief having a flash of inspiration?
Impossible. That dog thief had sinister and devious thoughts and deep cunning—he could hardly have such magnificent boldness.
At this moment, Zhang Ping came running over with two young eunuchs, urging Princess Qingyang to board the carriage lest they miss the auspicious hour.
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Although geographically Tanzhou was the core of Hunan’s eight provinces, and the Ma family had managed Tanzhou for a hundred years making Tanzhou’s city walls deep and broad with a large population, preparations for battle with Jinling and consideration for controlling Huangzhou and Ezhou all determined that the Provincial Administration should be placed in Yueyang City, which controlled the junction of the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake.
Tanzhou was two hundred fifty to sixty li away. If there were any new developments in Jinling, with the main military forces all concentrated in Tanzhou, their response would ultimately be slower.
After the Provincial Administration officially moved over, Yang Yuanpu formally took the inner city where the former Regional Commander’s mansion was located and, after simple renovations, used it as Prince Tan’s manor.
The inner city was over one hundred fifty zhang wide east to west, over one hundred ninety zhang long north to south, totaling five hundred mu of land. The city walls were twenty-nine chi high, six zhang wide at the base and two zhang wide at the top, with four gates.
Over a hundred courtyards south of the inner city’s south gate served as offices for the Provincial Administration, Bureau of Military Affairs, Censorate, and various ministries conducting official business. The east and west gates had granaries, armories, and places for guard garrisons, while the north gate with the most extensive area had three to four hundred courtyards, which became the inner palace.
Although it wasn’t possible at this time to expend vast resources constructing magnificently ornate pavilions, towers, and palaces, they still followed the style of Jinling’s Chu Palace, dividing the three to four hundred courtyards into architectural complexes named Chengyun Hall, Cunxin Hall, Tiren Hall, as well as Cishou Palace, Changxin Palace, Qingliu Palace, and others.
Imperial Concubine Wang Chan’er naturally resided in Cishou Palace in Yueyang City. Today Cishou Palace was also decorated with lanterns and colored silk.
Wang Chan’er sat by the window. A palace maid was using an antelope horn comb to help smooth her beautiful hair that reached past her waist and was black as a cascading waterfall. The polished bronze mirror reflected her lovely face—still so peerless in beauty, still so voluptuous and gorgeous.
Thinking back, she was fifteen when Emperor Tianyou favored her, sixteen when she gave birth to Pu’er. Eighteen years had passed since then—she was only thirty-four this year. The days when Emperor Tianyou favored her were still vivid in her mind.
That was a period when she could still feel happiness in life. That her body could captivate a regional hegemon—this fact itself intoxicated her.
Wang Chan’er’s mind wandered. Suddenly a face flashed in the bronze mirror, as if that cheap woman Xu Hui was standing behind her, making her shudder. But it was just the palace maid behind her leaning close to check whether the hair temples she had arranged were proper.
Thinking that today was Pu’er’s joyous day, Wang Chan’er suppressed the anger in her heart and merely swept a cold glance at the palace maid.
That palace maid, having been swept by Wang Chan’er’s cold glance, suddenly realized she had startled the Imperial Concubine. Her heart went cold and she hurriedly knelt to admit her fault: “This slave was reckless and startled the Imperial Concubine.”
“Get up. It was I who was too absorbed in thought,” Wang Chan’er waved her hand, pardoning the palace maid’s rashness, and asked, “Today is such a joyous day—where is Pu’er?”
“The Privy Council Commissioner just sent over the memorial for organizing the Five Fang Army. His Highness is in Chengyun Hall reading the memorial,” the palace maid answered carefully as she stood up.
“What kind of day is this? No matter how busy, can’t he rest even today?” Wang Chan’er complained resentfully, “Go summon Secretary Yao and have her go to the front to call Pu’er over—forget it, you all should attend me as I go to Chengyun Hall.”
Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang were also bustling about inside and out today. Seeing several palace attendants following the Imperial Concubine’s phoenix palanquin heading toward Chengyun Hall in front, they walked over to greet her and only then learned the Imperial Concubine wanted to go persuade Yang Yuanpu not to work so hard on government affairs on this joyous day.
They, along with the Zheng family and Han Daoming, had escorted the Imperial Concubine into Yueyang City. To seize central authority and form a pattern in the Hunan Provincial Administration where the Imperial Concubine and Prince Tan stood side by side as mother and son, they inevitably damaged the mother-son relationship between the Imperial Concubine and Prince Tan.
However, they could also perceive that Prince Tan had already grown to adulthood. Especially after being taught by Shen Yang and Han Qian over the past five years and experiencing the Jingxiang and vassal reduction campaigns, his intelligence and calculations were above ordinary people’s, and his will was extremely tenacious. If they excessively competed for power and position, it would only make Prince Tan lean more toward Shen Yang, Han Qian, Li Zhigao and others—they couldn’t even rule out the possibility that those people might secretly conspire to launch another military remonstrance like the one years ago.
Although Zheng Hui initially cooperated with them on matters like establishing the new Bureau of Military Affairs, Censorate, Six Ministries and such, when they truly wanted to adjust commanders and vice commanders at the Left Dragon Sparrow Army battalion level, Zheng Hui’s attitude cooled. He even bypassed them to go before Prince Tan to state reasons why some commanders couldn’t be easily replaced, putting them in quite a passive position.
Regardless of whether Han Qian was secretly causing trouble behind the scenes, regardless of Han Qian having already dispatched Feng Liao to Yueyang City and Prince Tan having Du Qiniang, Lin Haizheng, Feng Xuan and others around him, the Lady and the Imperial Concubine also realized that continuing to remain in a standoff with Prince Tan and Shen Yang would be of no benefit to them. They had to slightly change some strategies and attitudes.
After Han Qian was granted the post of Xuzhou Regional Commander, he remained at Dragon Fang Mountain observing mourning and filial piety. Even if Han Qian continued to influence Prince Tan through people like Feng Liao, having Han Qian stay in Xuzhou was still more advantageous to them than letting such a person with ruthless methods, sinister calculations, who secretly colluded with Li Zhigao, Princess Qingyang and others, return to Prince Tan’s side.
For the present, they should handle many things better and ease relations with Prince Tan, especially easing the mother-son relationship between the Imperial Concubine and Prince Tan, making Han Qian seem less important.
If that were the case, after another year and a half, Han Qian would truly become less important.
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Chengyun Hall was the original Regional Commander’s mansion public reception hall.
According to regulations, a prince’s manor main hall could be built with eleven bays of depth, a commandery prince’s manor main hall could be built with nine bays of depth. An ordinary regional commander’s mansion public hall only had five bays of depth. The eaves were low—even in broad daylight, sitting behind the long desk at the deepest part of the public hall conducting official business still seemed somewhat cold and gloomy.
Hearing someone report that his mother consort was coming from Cishou Palace, Yang Yuanpu couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious.
Although during the ten days since Feng Liao and Cao Gan came to Yueyang, his mother consort hadn’t interfered with his handling of military and political affairs, and even rarely attended when he summoned ministers for discussions, Yang Yuanpu from time to time heard that his mother consort was venting her anger on Cishou Palace’s palace maids. He worried that one day she would lose control and come make a scene before him.
Thinking of this matter, Yang Yuanpu couldn’t help feeling somewhat fearful. He didn’t know what she was coming to do now—was she dissatisfied with some aspect of the wedding ceremony etiquette between him and Qingyang today, coming to scold and complain?
Yang Yuanpu, with a gloomy expression, stepped out of the great hall to receive her, asking: “How is it that mother consort has come to your child’s place at this time?”
Seeing Pu’er’s face full of resistant emotions, Wang Chan’er couldn’t help feeling irritable, and her heart harbored even more hatred toward Shen Yang, Han Qian and the others who had corrupted Pu’er.
“Today is His Highness’s joyous day. The Imperial Concubine learned His Highness was still in Chengyun Hall conducting official business and worried His Highness would exhaust himself, so she specially came to advise His Highness to rest a bit,” Chun Shisanniang saw the situation becoming tense and quickly interjected tactfully.
“Yes, you’re already grown. The bride will be welcomed through the gates soon—you can’t neglect the bride,” Wang Chan’er only then came back to her senses. Her expression softened as she grasped Yang Yuanpu’s hand and gently spoke the words she had just thought up on the way: “Also, today you’re marrying Princess Qingyang. Yao’er is gentle, virtuous and kind—on the surface she won’t show any unhappiness, but in her heart she’ll feel empty. As your mother, I’ve been through this. You should find time to go say a few words to her, let her know you’re thinking of her in your heart. Then she’ll have fewer awkward feelings when getting along with Princess Qingyang in the future—additionally, I’ve prepared various gifts for Princess Qingyang. You should also examine them for your mother to see if anything has been overlooked.”
Yang Yuanpu was somewhat unaccustomed to his mother consort’s attitude at this moment. However, that his mother consort could think this way also put his mind at ease. After a moment of bewilderment, he said: “I’ll set aside what I’m working on in a bit and go talk with Yao’er—the Privy Council Commissioner just submitted the memorial for establishing the Five Fang Army. Would mother consort also like to look at it?”
“Your mother is just a woman of the inner chambers. Ever since receiving your imperial father’s favor, I’ve resided in the deep palace—what insight could I have to point fingers at such military and state affairs?” Wang Chan’er smiled. “Your mother resides in the deep palace, surrounded by dangers, living carefully and cautiously every day. When I first arrived in Yueyang, I was afraid Pu’er you would be deceived and defrauded by treacherous ministers without knowing it, so I was anxious to help Pu’er you handle some matters. Now seeing you and the various ministers and generals handling everything properly and appropriately, why would your mother need to trouble herself with such idle concerns?”
“…” The days of secluded confinement in the palace were branded even deeper in Yang Yuanpu’s heart. Hearing his mother consort mention these matters, his expression also darkened. Then he said resolutely: “Mother may rest assured—Pu’er will never again let mother return to those days of trembling fear.”