Years pass like a shuttle, and in the blink of an eye three hurried years had gone by. Now it was autumn of the sixteenth year of the Qinghua era.
September was anciently called “Sangluo,” and the seventh day of this month was the birthday of the Second Young Master Qi.
This young master was born of the Qi family’s direct lineage and had always held a noble position. Since Minister Zhang Heng, the former Director of the Privy Council, was transferred last year, he had taken Zhang Heng’s place in the position. Now he held the rank of Second Grade, making him the youngest Second Grade official in the history of Great Liang.
And this year, he was merely twenty-four years old.
Though Young Master Qi wielded great power at such a tender age, not a single person in Great Liang’s officialdom had any objections. This was because over the past three years there had been much warfare in the north and south, but since Qi Ying took charge of the Privy Council, Great Liang rarely suffered defeats. Though battles were won and lost on both sides, there had never again been the disastrous situation of years past when the enemy consecutively captured several commanderies. The world thus all praised Young Master Qi for his ability to plan thoroughly before taking action, possessing the capability to achieve victory from a thousand li away. Everyone marveled at this and none refused to submit.
When the current Prime Minister was to celebrate his birthday, the court officials naturally all competed to offer congratulations. Even though the Qi family didn’t want to make a grand affair of it, they couldn’t resist the earnest wishes of all the officials. They had no choice but to open their family mansion’s gates and host a grand banquet, holding a feast on the night of the seventh day of September for Qi Ying’s birthday.
Managing such a banquet should naturally fall to Yao Shi to handle. However, speaking of this Qi family matriarch, her temperament was indeed rather lazy, and she had never shown much enthusiasm for managing household affairs. Now that she was getting older, she was even more inclined to promote her eldest daughter-in-law, gradually transferring the power of managing the household to Han Ruohui. Therefore, this banquet was managed jointly by the two of them, with Han Ruohui taking the lead.
This was Han Ruohui’s first time handling such an affair, so naturally she couldn’t help but be flustered and rushed.
This matter was actually very difficult to handle. After all, there were truly too many officials wanting to curry favor and please Qi Ying, but their family residence was only so large – not everyone could be invited through the door. Whom to invite and whom not to invite became a matter requiring careful consideration. The nobles and officials of Jiankang City numbered in the hundreds. Going through them one by one, family by family, naturally required staying up several late nights.
This night Han Ruohui was staying up late again, bent over her desk counting the number of invitations that had been sent out while also checking the menu for the feast on the seventh day. She was truly unable to manage everything and was completely overwhelmed.
Qi Yun had originally been sitting on the bed reading, but later seeing his wife working so hard, he really couldn’t bear it and got up to try to help.
His wife didn’t appreciate the gesture, waving her hand at her husband without lifting her head, saying: “I’ve been looking at these rosters for several days and still can’t sort them out clearly. If you start now, it’s too late. Never mind, never mind, I’ll look at them myself.”
After dismissing her husband, she saw that Qi Yun was still standing beside her without leaving. When she turned her head and saw his expression of concern for her, the irritation in her heart subsided somewhat. She smiled at Qi Yun and said: “Then husband, help me massage my shoulders. They’ve been aching terribly since the day before yesterday.”
Hearing his wife say this, Qi Yun naturally had no reason not to comply. He immediately stood behind Han Ruohui and gently began rubbing her neck and shoulders.
This was a rare moment of privacy for the couple in recent days. Han Ruohui closed her eyes in comfort, then heard her husband say by her ear: “I’ve seen you staying up late for several days. Have you encountered some difficulty?”
Han Ruohui pursed her lips, shook her head, then said with some complaint: “Nothing too difficult, just that there are too many people coming, making it somewhat troublesome.”
After a pause, she casually flipped through the roster on the desk, glancing at it while speaking to Qi Yun with some ambiguous meaning: “Jingchen’s birthday banquet is so grand, much more impressive than you, his elder brother. When you celebrated your birthday some time ago, you didn’t have such prestige.”
Hearing this, Qi Yun didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
His second brother was now the Director of the Privy Council, holding Second Grade official rank and wielding real power, naturally drawing everyone’s pursuit. Qi Yun wasn’t bad either – he currently served as Left Vice President of the Imperial Secretariat, a position second only to the President, also Second Grade. However, with the current warfare in the north and south, in these chaotic times the Imperial Secretariat naturally wasn’t as crucial as the Privy Council, and the power he held wasn’t as substantial as Qi Ying’s, so in comparison he was indeed at a slight disadvantage.
He remained silent, not knowing what to say, when he heard Han Ruohui continue: “Position should be transmitted to the eldest legitimate son – this is natural principle. A few years ago everyone said father intended to pass the position of Qi family head to you, but now no one mentions it. I’m afraid they all want to curry favor with your brother instead.”
Qi Yun’s hands massaging Han Ruohui’s shoulders paused, and he said: “You’re overthinking, wife…”
His tone was also somewhat uncertain, as if he too was doubtful. Han Ruohui pursed her lips and continued: “Times are different from the past. I know you have a good nature and have always looked after your younger brothers, but if father truly gives the position to Jingchen, would you really have no resentment in your heart?”
Hearing his wife’s question, Qi Yun thought for a moment, but felt no turbulence in his heart and remained quite calm.
He wasn’t unaware of the current situation. His second brother held power and position and also enjoyed their father’s favor. If he were the eldest son, he would naturally and rightfully inherit the position of Qi family head without any other possibility. Qi Yun also always knew his abilities were inferior to his second brother’s, but he was a person of tranquil temperament who had no obsession with these titles and positions, and had never been jealous of Qi Ying.
He regarded him as his own brother, as someone who needed his care. He was the Qi family’s eldest son, the elder brother to his younger brothers. Others might have various criticisms about the relationship between their brothers, but Qi Yun himself had never had any other thoughts.
Compared to the position of family head, he valued the family’s peace and prosperity more. His second brother was a person of great talent. If he took charge of the Qi family, he would certainly be able to ensure the family’s long-lasting prosperity. Since this was the case, why should he struggle bitterly against him? Moreover, Great Liang’s current situation was unpredictable. If he sat in the family head position, he had no complete confidence he could protect the family’s stability. If father ultimately favored Jingchen, he would certainly be willing to become his brother’s right hand without a second word.
He was only worried that Ruohui would be uncomfortable.
She was the Han family’s eldest legitimate daughter. When she originally married him, part of the reason was because the Han family valued his status as the eldest legitimate son. If he didn’t inherit the family headship later, the Han family would probably have many criticisms, and Ruohui… might also be put in a difficult position.
He didn’t care about the family head position; he only cared about whether the people around him were living happily.
Han Ruohui looked at her husband’s expression behind her through the bronze mirror on the desk. Seeing his brow showing complete serenity, with what seemed to be a hint of tender concern for her, she already knew what was in his heart.
The two of them were childhood sweethearts who had been married for many years and long knew each other’s temperament. Qi Yun was just this kind of person – accommodating to his very bones and yielding to his very bones, almost never competing with others. What she had originally loved about him was precisely this character, this detachment.
Han Ruohui sighed, meeting her husband’s gaze in the bronze mirror, her face also showing a smile as she said: “Never mind, never mind. If you have no misgivings in your heart, what am I fussing about? Actually, I’m just getting annoyed from organizing this banquet, so I complained a few words. I didn’t really take it to heart.”
Seeing the bright smile on his wife’s face, Qi Yun knew she truly didn’t mind and immediately felt relieved. He massaged his wife’s shoulders even more attentively, laughing as he said: “Yes, yes, yes, my wife is magnanimous, my wife is magnanimous – after this matter is over, we must have Jingchen come properly thank his sister-in-law, so he too knows of your hard work.”
Han Ruohui pursed her lips, didn’t continue along this line of conversation, changed her sitting position, and pushed her husband away, saying: “Enough, enough, go rest quickly. Don’t bother me here.”
Of course Qi Yun didn’t leave. He moved a chair to sit beside his wife, holding a lamp to provide light for her. The couple stayed up through the night together.
When the seventh day arrived, the Qi family opened their mansion gates wide and held a grand banquet for numerous guests.
The noble guests who came to the door were too numerous to count, almost breaking down the Qi family’s threshold. Distinguished guests came and went in an endless stream, each bringing precious treasures as gifts – partly to respectfully present them to Young Master Qi who was now rising rapidly in the court, and partly to curry favor with Left Prime Minister Qi Zhang.
In the sixteenth year of Qinghua, Qi Zhang was fifty-four years old. Though he still held high position as Prime Minister, he no longer grasped court affairs as tightly as in previous years.
Everyone felt this was perfectly natural. After all, the Prime Minister had produced such excellent sons as Qi Yun and Qi Ying – he could certainly retire early from his position to enjoy his remaining years and family happiness. Considering that his eldest son was steady and reliable in the Imperial Secretariat while his second son held sole power in the Privy Council, the Qi family had already reached the pinnacle of honor and wealth beyond description. What did the Prime Minister have to worry about?
With such family support, the guests felt the Prime Minister’s bearing even more dignified and imposing. This night he sat upright in the main seat of the principal hall. Though he spoke little, his presence made the guests dare not speak loudly, feeling great reverence in their hearts.
However, when the guests shifted their gaze, they also saw the Qi family’s other two young masters present at the feast: Third Young Master Qi Ning and Fourth Young Master Qi Le.
Speaking of these two young masters born of concubines, they were not as accomplished as their two elder brothers. Fourth Young Master Qi Le was seventeen this year and had barely managed to pass the provincial examination last year, obtaining the degree of Provincial Graduate. Third Young Master was even more outrageous – he was already nineteen but still hadn’t even passed the provincial examination, let alone touched the metropolitan examination. This despite the Qi family specifically hiring Master Wang Qing to personally teach the two of them for many years.
Seeing this, everyone felt somewhat balanced, thinking that even such fertile soil as the Qi family could still produce a few rotten scallions. It showed that their own descendants weren’t necessarily that incompetent – they just couldn’t compare to Qi Yun and Qi Ying…
After thinking this way, their hearts finally relaxed. Looking around again, they saw various figures from the Qi family’s collateral branches, but they alone didn’t see the main subject of today’s banquet: Second Young Master Qi had still not appeared for some unknown reason.
This greatly worried the guests who had come today.
They had squeezed their way through crowds to get through the Qi family’s gates today, each spending money and time searching everywhere for precious congratulatory gifts, all to show their faces before this rapidly rising Young Master Qi and gain his support and favor. If the main subject didn’t appear today, wouldn’t all their efforts be wasted?
The guests were greatly anxious and began whispering to each other to inquire. Later they learned that Young Master Qi had been summoned to the palace today and was probably still in His Majesty’s imperial study, temporarily delayed.
Emperor Liang’s health had not been good in recent years. A few years ago he had intended to quit taking the Five Minerals Powder, but somehow in the past two years he had become addicted again and was consuming it even more enthusiastically than before. His body was naturally deteriorating day by day. Though officials publicly proclaimed “Long live His Majesty,” when they returned home behind closed doors they all calculated the day of his demise and felt it wouldn’t be too far off.
This person who was already halfway into the imperial tomb with only his scalp showing outside was still keeping Young Master Qi to discuss court affairs! The nobles of Jiankang were all anxious as ants on a hot pan. Though they maintained smiling facades, they all inconspicuously glanced toward the Qi mansion’s main gate, hoping against hope for Qi Ying to quickly leave the palace and return to the mansion.
Perhaps everyone’s prayers were so sincere as to move Heaven itself. By the middle of the banquet, Qi Ying finally arrived fashionably late.
Everyone first heard the sounds of rolling carriage wheels and jingling bronze bells from the Qi mansion’s entrance, then all craned their necks to look over. Thus they saw that renowned Director of Great Liang’s Privy Council, currently holding Second Grade official rank from the Qi family’s direct lineage, slowly stepping through the gate from outside.
Twenty-four-year-old Qi Jingchen was vastly different from three years ago.
When he had just undergone the capping ceremony and occupied a position in the court, then rose through the ranks to Fourth Grade, though he was certainly brilliantly talented, he still retained some youthful appearance. Now after three years, his bearing had become increasingly steady, the scholarly air about him had faded further, replaced by the profound depth unique to those long in high positions. Those beautiful phoenix eyes appeared even more magnificent, completely concealing all his thoughts and intentions so that outsiders could not glimpse the slightest bit.
Author’s Note: I unilaterally declare that “X years later” is the most comfort-inducing phrase in Chinese for authors worldwide, truly satisfying to write.
PS: I saw some angels asking how many volumes this book has in total. For the long volumes, there are still two remaining (volumes three and four are the main storyline), volume five is the conclusion which is relatively short, and volume six is extras~ The word count definitely won’t exceed a million (immediately setting up a flag), I estimate maybe around 700,000…? [If this flag falls I’ll come back and delete this author’s note]