Jiang Changyi observed Jiang Zhong’s expression, realizing it was time to change the subject. He moved on to the most crucial matter: “The person leading the charge at court is Yun Xiaozi. Once he bites, it goes to the bone.”
Jiang Zhong’s fist slowly clenched. This Yun Xiaozi, whose real name was Yun Qun, was known not by his given name but as “Filial Son Yun.” He had earned this title after his mother’s death when he bit off one of his fingers to place it in her coffin. He then lived in a hut by her grave for six years, wearing hemp clothing, eating only vegetables, and refusing to speak to anyone. He became famous for his grief, which was said to attract birds that gathered around him when he wept.
It seemed natural for such a person to accuse Jiang Changyang of being unfilial. However, there was a little-known fact: Yun Xiaozi had originally been a commoner, and the person who had recommended him was Madam Du’s late father, Imperial Son-in-Law Du Shilan. Although the emperor needed a famously filial person as a minister for appearances, Yun Xiaozi’s reputation and position as a Remonstrance Official were largely due to Du Shilan’s strong recommendation.
After becoming an official, Yun Xiaozi had been extremely diligent in his duties. To demonstrate his impartiality, he had minimal contact with the Du family. When his benefactor Du Shilan died, he sent only a modest gift, which had displeased Madam Du at the time, though the Du family hadn’t retaliated. While Yun Xiaozi’s reputation soared, Jiang Zhong felt he was overdoing it, bordering on hypocrisy. Moreover, when Jiang Zhong had once gone to witness the miracle of birds being moved by Yun Xiaozi’s weeping, he discovered crumbs of cake hidden nearby, suggesting the miracle was staged. Could such a person truly be genuine? Was his relationship with the Du family as distant as it appeared?
Seeing Jiang Zhong lost in thought with furrowed brows, Jiang Changyi remained silent, standing motionless nearby. Suddenly, Jiang Zhong asked calmly, “When he accuses your brother of being unfilial, is he referring to your grandmother or your brother’s wedding incident?”
Jiang Changyi quickly replied, “It’s about Grandmother’s illness. Strangely, only our family knew about her illness, and you and I only requested leave today. How could he know the details so quickly? Even if he were guessing wildly, how could he gather support and prepare a memorial so quickly? Unless…” He feigned surprise and concern, “Unless someone has a grudge against eldest brother and is watching him, waiting for an opportunity to strike? That would be terrifying, to have someone reach into our family affairs like this.”
Jiang Zhong glared fiercely at Jiang Changyi, who remained oblivious, continuing innocently, “Father, you must help the eldest brother. He’s not really… he just has a bad temper. You don’t know how good he is to me.” He hurriedly untied the jade pendant Jiang Changyang had given him and showed it to Jiang Zhong. “Look, he gave me this when I passed the exam. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Jiang Changyi’s behavior was unusually perceptive today. Jiang Zhong stared at him silently. Finally feeling uneasy, Jiang Changyi nervously fingered the jade pendant, sweat beading on his nose as he stammered, “I showed it to my colleagues, and they all said it was high-quality ancient jade with excellent craftsmanship…”
Jiang Zhong closed his eyes briefly, recognizing the familiar weak Jiang Changyi. He asked softly, “You like your eldest brother?”
Jiang Changyi hesitated, then nodded almost imperceptibly. “Eldest brother treats me very well.”
“Then why did you deliberately wait until now to tell me?” Jiang Zhong suddenly roared.
With a loud clatter, Jiang Changyi’s hand trembled, and the lustrous jade pendant fell to the ground, splitting in two. He quickly crouched down, trying to piece it back together with shaking hands, but a small piece was missing. He searched desperately, stammering, “I… I didn’t mean to. I thought you knew, but I was still worried, so I… I…” Tears welled up in his eyes as he shook his head, unable to speak.
Jiang Zhong looked at Jiang Changyi’s tears with disgust, hating nothing more than a crying man. Knowing his father’s preferences, Jiang Changyi forcefully held back his tears, carefully placing the broken pendant in his pouch and standing silently with his hands at his sides.
If only he could occasionally stand up to me like Jiang Changyang, Jiang Zhong thought. His temperament is exactly like his mother’s. Sighing wearily, he asked, “Who have you been associating with recently?”
Jiang Changyi swallowed and replied, “Some of my fellow graduates, and the eldest son of the Xiao family. He invites me every few days to meet his friends, and occasionally I see Minister Xiao, though he rarely speaks to me. That’s all.”
His newfound perceptiveness likely came from his time at court and the frequent drinking sessions with the Xiao family’s prodigy… Jiang Zhong waved his hand dismissively. “You may go.”
As Jiang Changyi turned to leave, Jiang Zhong added, “It’s quite an achievement for someone so young to enter the Chancellery. Humility and caution are crucial. Associate more with upright individuals. The Xiao family can be devious and arrogant; be careful around them. Your nature may be honest, but you’re too weak. Start practicing martial arts in the mornings, and don’t neglect your horseback riding and archery skills.”
Genuinely pleased by this advice, Jiang Changyi wanted to express his gratitude, but Jiang Zhong, exhausted, simply waved him away. Jiang Changyi pressed his lips together and left silently.
Jiang Zhong sat in his study for a long while before heading to the Old Madam’s room. She was fast asleep, snoring—an unavoidable habit for someone of her age and size. Hong’er, unsure whether to wake the Old Madam, looked troubled by Jiang Zhong’s unexpected visit. He waved her off and entered the inner chamber, sitting by the Old Madam’s bed, watching her quietly.
The Old Madam, sensing eyes upon her, suddenly awoke to find someone staring at her. Startled and breaking into a cold sweat, she stammered, “Who’s there?”
Realizing he had frightened her, Jiang Zhong quickly lifted the bed curtain and said softly, “Mother, it’s me.”
“You scared me to death,” she said. Jiang Zhong helped her sit up, arranging the pillows Hong’er brought and offering her warm tea.
After drinking, the Old Madam sighed deeply. “Why have you come at this hour?”
“I suddenly missed you and wanted to check if you were sleeping well. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Jiang Zhong replied, glancing at Hong’er, who promptly retreated.
The Old Madam looked at him knowingly. “What’s the matter?”
Jiang Zhong spoke quietly, “Did the eldest son and his wife come to see you today?”
The Old Madam replied coldly, “I sent them away. Seeing them makes my chest hurt. Are you here to argue with me about this again?”
“No,” Jiang Zhong paused before continuing, “Do you remember Yun Xiaozi?”
After some thought, the Old Madam recalled, “Ah, that pretentious attention-seeker? What about him? Is he causing you trouble?”
Jiang Zhong shook his head. “Not me. He’s targeting the eldest son. I hear he’s already prepared a memorial accusing him of being unfilial, lacking virtue, and causing you to fall ill from anger.”
Though inwardly shocked, the Old Madam remarked, “He deserves it. Let him learn his lesson. The world’s gone mad if people like him can disregard all propriety and shame.”
Seeing she had missed his point, Jiang Zhong sighed, “Don’t you want the eldest son to come and apologize to you?”
The Old Madam did want that, but she scoffed, “He, apologize to me? This afternoon he claimed to come see me but couldn’t even wait a moment before leaving. If he truly cared, how could he act like that? I tell you, I never want to see him again. Every time I do, I fall ill. He’s the very definition of an ungrateful wretch. Don’t you dare help him—doesn’t he have an adoptive father who’s the Anxi Commander?”
Jiang Zhong sighed again. “Get some rest. I’ll be going now.”
“Take care of yourself, you’re not young anymore…” The Old Madam’s words trailed off as Jiang Zhong walked away.
The night was moonless, with only a few cold stars visible. The garden was eerily quiet, without even the sound of insects. Jiang Zhong could hear only his footsteps echoing and fading. After walking for a while, he stopped at the entrance to Madam Du’s courtyard. He stared at the palace lanterns by her gate, which cast his shadow long and thin.
A’you had preferred large red lanterns, lit at dusk to make their small household feel lively. Back then, returning home at night, the sight of those red lanterns had filled him with warmth and peace. Madam Du preferred elegant palace lanterns, dismissing red lanterns as common and vulgar. He agreed that the palace lanterns were more refined, but their color seemed lonely—even now, he still felt that loneliness.
As Jiang Changyi had suggested, even if Yun Xiaozi was eager to attack Jiang Changyang to prove his integrity, he couldn’t have done so quickly and accurately without help. Jiang Zhong recalled the Lantern Festival and Madam Du’s cryptic comment from the previous day: “I heard that Fang Bohui is particularly close to a Tibetan prince. He also loves to drink all night with Turkic and city-state nobles. He’s quite daring.”
Who had told her this? Although Jiang Zhong had heard rumors of Fang Bohui’s respected status, he was surprised that Madam Du, who rarely left home, knew about his close relationship with a Tibetan prince.
Jiang Zhong knocked on the garden gate. The gatekeeper, seeing him, hurriedly welcomed him in and moved to announce his arrival. Jiang Zhong stopped her and slowly walked toward Madam Du’s brightly lit room.