Nanny Song stepped in to smooth things over, mediate, and persuade the women to go home, unwilling to let the Grand Princess bear the infamy of having helped them all divorce. In the end, it all came down to one thing—this matter held nothing but harm and no benefit for the Grand Princess. Why should Her Highness help them?

And Ye Lingbo had stepped forward and made clear exactly where the Grand Princess’s interest lay in this matter.

The women of Yanglin City were lacking in many respects, but their strength lay in their unity, and also in their wealth. Every one of them held a title—if they could also win the land estates and family property that came with their rewards, they would become a formidable force among the ladies of the capital.

Given the Grand Princess’s great kindness, women as forthright as these would never forget a debt of gratitude. After this, the Grand Princess’s standing in their hearts would rank only slightly below Madam Wei’s.

And Ye Lingbo, with such ruthless precision, had directly pointed out that Madam Wei’s health was poor. Even if she lived long, she would be capable of little.

Which meant this force of women could, in truth, only be wielded by the Grand Princess.

All this time, the Grand Princess’s so-called stewardship of the Flower Letter Banquet had felt more like being a lofty idol placed on high—an idol, however honored, that no one dared offend, yet remained an idol nonetheless. Meanwhile the ladies of the capital, burning incense and reciting scripture right beneath the Bodhisattva’s watchful eyes, had never stopped scheming for power and profit, killing or selling off servants as they pleased.

The Grand Princess Zhao Weihua, who had once fought in the succession struggle and yielded to no man, how could she be content to remain merely a carved idol of wood and clay? All the more so now, with the Central Palace having instigated the Prince Consort of Pingjun’s wife to have the Chen family provoke matters first, disregarding her rules.

Qinglan’s remonstrance had moved with emotion and enlightened with reason. The Yanglin City women’s accusations came from raw courage, from the passion and righteous indignation in their hearts. Both were moving, but Lingbo believed in neither.

She believed only in interest, and moved people only through interest.

Whatever grand righteousness, whatever benevolent principles—she had long since seen through all of it. Words could be spun from either side; just as upholding justice for the women of Yanglin City sounded right, Nanny Song’s argument that it was better to tear down ten temples than destroy one marriage sounded equally reasonable. As long as one had power, someone would always come to paper over the truth for you.

Only interest never changed. The women of Yanglin City held power within themselves, and the Grand Princess needed that power—it was as simple as that.

Lingbo believed only in this, because only this could bring absolute safety to herself and her family. Of course, such things still had to be phrased delicately—just as she had framed it as the women depending on the Grand Princess, rather than Her Highness needing the women.

The women of Yanglin City didn’t understand this, but they vaguely sensed the shift in atmosphere, sensed that Ye Lingbo’s words had somehow worked some subtle effect. Even Wei Shanhu grew less agitated.

And it was at this moment that Qinglan spoke.

“Forgive us, Your Highness—my younger sister’s words were truly presumptuous. She’s simply straightforward by nature, so anxious on the ladies’ behalf that she forgot to consider Your Highness’s position. This is a matter of great consequence, with many layers of doubt still unresolved—not something to be decided rashly…”

Wei Shanhu, predictably, couldn’t bear to hear this.

“What doubts remain?” she immediately said: “Are we the sort who go back on our word? Who would do something so two-faced? If there were such a person among us, Yanglin City wouldn’t tolerate her either. Let’s swear an oath here today…”

Qinglan didn’t let her continue, instead smiling faintly: “Setting others aside for now—General Luo never secretly took a concubine, so Madam Luo isn’t even an aggrieved party here, is she? So why would you be the one leading the charge for divorce?”

Wei Shanhu, predictably, took the bait.

“Elder Sister Ye, I know you mean to help us today, but you needn’t try to talk me out of it. I’ve never liked being called ‘Madam Luo’ in the capital—how did I marry a man and lose my own surname along with it? I am Wei Shanhu, only Wei Shanhu. Yes, Luo Yong never sought a concubine, and even came back to tell us so himself. I’m not here to divorce. But since Madam Wei’s health is poor, I’m the one who leads this flock. When everyone else is wronged, I must bear the responsibility, must lead them here to seek justice.”

She glanced around at the female officials and Nannys, then knelt toward the Grand Princess: “Your Highness, I know the rules of the capital run deep, and I’m still learning them, though I haven’t learned them well. If Your Highness wishes to punish me for it, I accept that too. But I still must ask—inviting the wolf into the house was indeed our fault, we women of Yanglin City. But we associated with Young Madam Chen because we believed she was a lady of the Flower Letter Banquet, a sister to us. We trusted in Your Highness’s repeated proclamations, and it was only because of that trust that we felt safe befriending the ladies of the Flower Letter Banquet—only to end up inviting the wolf in, setting fire to our own homes. I am the leader of this flock, and I bear the leader’s responsibility. Your Highness, as the one who presides over the Flower Letter Banquet, should you not also bear the responsibility of a presiding authority?”

With these words spoken, what more could the Grand Princess say?

Naturally, Female Official Qin said, “How dare you—do you mean to interrogate Her Highness?”

But the Grand Princess stopped her, saying evenly, “Your words are extreme, but not without some reason. I did indeed proclaim repeatedly that I would not allow disgraceful matters at the Flower Letter Banquet. Since you’re determined to seek justice, I ought to give you justice.”

With just these few words, the women were overcome with gratitude, several of the more emotional ones bursting into tears on the spot. Even Wei Shanhu, who had held herself taut as a fully drawn bow all day, spine rigid as she knelt on the ground, finally relaxed, collapsing as if all her strength had left her, uncertain whether to laugh or cry, tears streaming down her face before she even realized it.

The Grand Princess raised her hand, and Female Official Su stepped forward. Female Official Qin handled matters of law; naturally Female Official Su handled the documentation—no government office was ever without these two roles. The Grand Princess then dictated her verbal decree, and Female Official Su took it down in writing.

“It’s late today—all of you go back and discuss among yourselves how many wish to divorce, how it should be carried out, how the property should be divided. Once you’ve reached an agreement, come see me together tomorrow.”

The women’s hearts immediately sank again, assuming the Grand Princess meant to postpone the matter indefinitely. But then the Grand Princess glanced toward Nanny Song, who immediately stepped forward, smiling: “Foolish ladies, Her Highness’s word is as good as gold—having said she’ll give you justice, she certainly will. It’s only that there are over thirty of you, and among you there may be some like Madam Luo who don’t need a divorce, or some who can’t bear to leave their children, or some with hidden difficulties—you may all discuss this privately, no need to force a divorce upon everyone. As for dividing the property, that too requires careful thought. Rest assured, Her Highness’s word is never idle talk—worst comes to worst, this old servant will accompany you back, treat it as a personal pledge on your behalf, and have a word with Madam Wei too, to give her a proper account.”

In truth, it had nothing to do with giving Madam Wei an accounting—it was simply that she would go back and help them divide up the estates and property, so they wouldn’t be shortchanged, which in turn meant the Grand Princess wouldn’t be shortchanged either. The one who handled documentation was naturally good at documentation; the one who handled law carried sufficient authority; and Nanny Song, who handled matters of interest, naturally wouldn’t yield a single thread of profit.

But the women had no idea of any of this, and were overcome with gratitude once again. They took hold of Nanny Song’s hands and said, “Thank you, Nanny. With you accompanying us, we can rest easy.”

Nanny Song merely smiled faintly and tilted her chin toward the Grand Princess. The women, having learned at least a little etiquette during their time in the capital, understood at once. They rose again, straightened their appearance and clothing, and led by Wei Shanhu, bowed together toward the Grand Princess, chanting their thanks in unison: “We thank Your Highness for upholding justice. We, your humble subjects, shall repay this debt even in death.”

Such uniformity—some thirty titled ladies, bowing in perfect obedience—even the most indifferent observer could feel the weight of such immense power, stirring something in the heart. But it was, in the end, a bit too blunt, and Female Official Su quickly stepped in with a smile: “How could Her Highness expect repayment from you? What she seeks is justice—this time, who knows how many enemies she may have made on your behalf.”

The women grew even more grateful at this, tears falling freely as they kowtowed: “Her Highness’s great kindness and virtue, we shall never forget even in death. In our next life, we will serve as beasts of burden to repay this debt.”

Only then did the Grand Princess smile and say, “Alright, alright, you’ve all been kneeling the whole day—aren’t you tired? Jingrong, arrange carriages to send them home. And send the two Ye sisters home as well.”

Qinglan and Lingbo then came forward to offer their thanks. Female Official Qin remained as indifferent as ever, but Su Jingrong could not hold back, hurrying forward to help both of them up.

The women of Yanglin City were sincere and grateful through and through—though they knew to thank the Ye sisters, even someone as proud as Wei Shanhu had begun calling her “Elder Sister Ye.” But they had no idea how much the two Ye sisters had truly done to bring this matter to such a satisfactory conclusion.

What they could understand was only Ye Qinglan’s righteous, impassioned remonstrance from before—the part that moved with emotion and enlightened with reason. But what came after, Lingbo’s words, represented one of the very finest arts of a minister’s craft, called “persuading through interest.” And Qinglan’s final two passages, which drew Wei Shanhu into speaking out with righteous conviction, represented the other half of that same supreme skill, called “persuading through principle.”

Lingbo had laid bare for the Grand Princess exactly what interest lay in upholding justice for the women of Yanglin City—sharp and precise, yet ultimately far too realistic, too calculating. In this world, though everyone acted out of self-interest, such things could never be spoken aloud. Beyond mere interest, there always needed to be a covering skin—just as even the finest opera, in the end, needed a noble, righteous theme, a beautiful quilt to conceal what lay beneath.

Qinglan was that quilt. She had steered the conversation back, letting Wei Shanhu herself speak those righteous, high-minded words, pleading with the Grand Princess to uphold justice. In this way, the Grand Princess’s involvement in this matter was no longer about power, no longer about political maneuvering—it became instead the fulfillment of her duty in presiding over the Flower Letter Banquet, a solemn and righteous path.

The Ye sisters were truly a match made by heaven. The one who sought out interest was sharp as a blade, performing the butcher’s art of carving the ox, slipping the thin edge through every gap, breaking down every advantage and disadvantage like cuts of meat, piece by piece, and drawing out the most precious cut to present before the Grand Princess.

And the elder sister, who had read every classic text through and through, always had the most righteous, most luminous justification ready, draping this choice cut in gorgeous silk so that the Grand Princess could accept it in perfect accordance with propriety. Even brought before the imperial court for the censors to examine, not a single flaw could be found.

Only sisters such as these could have carved a bloody path out from within the Ye family’s flesh-eating inner household—where a father openly favored a concubine over his wife, turned a blind eye under noble pretenses, and a stepmother schemed for wealth and even attempted murder.

The women of Yanglin City didn’t understand any of this, but under the Grand Princess, were there any fools? Neither Female Official Qin nor Female Official Su were pushovers. The moment Nanny Song had seen the women off, Female Official Su, while helping the Grand Princess rise, murmured a complaint: “This is the second time now. Your Highness has let her go so lightly again.”

“If I don’t let her go, am I to reward her with a title instead? Who told her not to marry—a twenty-four-year-old spinster, how would I even reward that?” Female Official Qin said flatly: “It’s her younger sister who’s the interesting one, though—quite the remarkable creature.”

“Remarkable creature, is it? More like scheming and cunning.” Female Official Su strongly disagreed, complaining: “Your Highness is too harsh on Ye Qinglan, if you ask me. I’ve heard of men keeping mistresses on the side, but never of keeping a strategist on the side.”

The Grand Princess had, in truth, had a tiring day herself—though in good health, she showed some fatigue. Su Jingrong was, after all, young enough to be her daughter. Hearing this, the Grand Princess smiled and flicked Female Official Su’s forehead. “Jingrong, your tongue is too sharp.”

Su Jingrong didn’t mind at all, and just then noticed a maid at the door, hesitating as if wanting to speak. “What is it?”

“Reporting to milady,” the maid said, stepping forward with a bow, “Marquis Cui has brought several Northern Garrison generals, bearing calling cards, to receive the ladies home.”

“Just look at that—they’ve surely come to make trouble,” Female Official Qin said with a frown. “These men, always treating their women like personal property. I only hope the women of Yanglin City are truly as tough as they claimed. Wouldn’t it be a waste of all this effort if they went home and every one of them changed her mind, decided not to divorce after all?”

As she finished speaking, everyone present laughed—the Grand Princess and the Nannys laughing was one thing, but even Su Jingrong laughed along.

Female Official Qin had requested to remain unmarried and stay in the palace; though worldly in all things, she had cut herself off entirely from matters of love. Su Jingrong, however, still had a betrothal awaiting her, and the Grand Princess and the Nannys, having lived through such things themselves, understood well enough.

“Chief Female Official Qin is being naive—they’re hardly here to make trouble,” one of the Nannys said with a smile. “With Her Highness here, what faithless man would dare show his face? Those who’ve come to fetch their women back are men with a sense of responsibility.”

“Responsibility, perhaps not so certain,” Female Official Qin said. “Cui Jingyu was jilted by Ye Qinglan, and now that he’s been granted the title of Marquis, how could he not want to hold his head high? If he truly cared, he would have proposed again long ago. The atmosphere in the Northern Garrison Army isn’t good either. If Her Highness has taken a liking to Ye Qinglan, it would be only proper to bring her into the palace early and make her a female official.”