“This matter is entirely my fault for being careless, failing to see through Xiuzhu’s intentions, thus giving her an opportunity to take advantage.” As she spoke, she glanced at Yunyi standing beside her and said, “Your Highness has traveled dusty roads and must be quite tired. Please go and rest. I have my sister and Wenlan here to take care of me.”
Before Li Shimin’s return, she and Yunyi had deliberated many times, ultimately deciding that regarding Jirong’s involvement in this matter, they would temporarily not tell Li Shimin, including Ding Yang’s identity. First, in the previous great battle, although Li Shimin had not been defeated, Xue Ju remained undefeated, and Gaocheng had also fallen—surely before long, there would be another battle. Since Li Jiancheng and the others had returned in great defeat, if there were to be another battle, the one to lead the troops would most likely be Li Shimin, and they did not want to cause him distraction at this time. Second, involving Jirong meant involving the Eastern Palace, but whether this matter was actually related to Li Jiancheng remained unknown. Li Shimin had always respected and trusted the Crown Prince, so speaking of such things before clarifying the truth would be quite inappropriate.
Li Shimin had previously expended much mental energy on rescuing Li Jiancheng, and afterward, fearing pursuit by Xue Ju, had rushed all the way back. He was indeed somewhat tired. After speaking a few more words with Zhangsun Shi, he returned to his quarters to rest.
When he awoke, the sun was already setting in the west. The light in the room was just suitable when he heard a soft, melodious voice by his ear: “Your Highness is awake?”
Following the sound, he saw Yunyi looking at him with a smile. Though the sky was dim at this time and no lamps were lit in the room, that smile was enough to dispel all darkness, making one feel as if placed in the most brilliant and beautiful spring light.
Li Shimin propped himself up and said, “When did you arrive?”
Yunyi tucked two goose-down soft pillows behind him. “I’ve been here for a while. Seeing Your Highness sleeping, I didn’t disturb you. The dark circles under Your Highness’s eyes have lessened considerably—this sleep must have been quite good.”
Li Shimin unconsciously touched the area under his eyes. “Was it that obvious?”
“Extremely obvious. Otherwise, how would the Princess Consort have urged Your Highness to return and rest?” Yunyi said while taking tea from Ruyi for Li Shimin to drink and refresh himself.
Li Shimin was indeed somewhat thirsty and drank the slightly hot tea in one gulp, saying, “This expedition was indeed more troublesome than any previous one.”
“Prince Qi was reckless, and the Crown Prince indulged his foolishness. No wonder they met with such a crushing defeat. Now that Xue Ju has occupied Gaocheng, trying to retake Gaocheng and pacify Xue Ju will be difficult indeed.”
Li Shimin rubbed his forehead. “No matter how difficult, it must be done. Gaocheng cannot be left for Xue Ju to occupy, and the Great Tang cannot allow this threat to remain at the border, eyeing us menacingly and threatening the people of our Great Tang.”
Yunyi smiled slightly. “Your Highness’s words—are you preparing to personally lead troops to pacify Xue Ju?”
“I naturally wish to avenge this defeat for my elder brother and Yuanji, but everything depends on Father Emperor’s intentions. Moreover…” Li Shimin frowned slightly and said to Chuyi, who stood with hands at his sides, “Go invite General Zhangsun, Adjutant Du, and Master Liu to discuss strategies for dealing with Xue Ju.”
Hearing this, Yunyi quickly said, “For His Majesty to deploy troops requires time and cannot be accomplished overnight. Why must Your Highness be so urgent? It would be fine to discuss this in a few days. It’s almost time for the evening meal now.”
“It’s always good to think of strategies earlier, so Father Emperor will have a clear mind when deploying troops.” Seeing Li Shimin’s insistence, Yunyi had no choice but to let him go to the study, then had Ruyi instruct the kitchen to send enough evening meal for four people to the study and keep tea ready for use at any time.
After arranging all this and preparing to return to Qiluo Pavilion, she unexpectedly encountered Du Ruhui arriving with a lamp. The latter cupped his hands and said, “It’s been a long time. Is Imperial Consort Yang well?”
Yunyi returned the courtesy and said with a smile, “Thank you for your concern, Master Du. I am well in all respects. Have you seen Xianyue? During the days you were campaigning, I occasionally saw her, and in her words, she inevitably mentioned you, fearing something might happen to you. Now that you’ve returned safely, she can finally be at ease.” After Du Ruhui settled in Chang’an, he soon had someone bring Du Mother and Wang Xianyue from Taiyuan, reuniting the family.
“Your Ladyship is thoughtful. I have already seen her.” When saying this, though Du Ruhui still smiled, his eyes clearly dimmed.
Noticing this, Yunyi asked with concern, “Has something happened?”
Du Ruhui looked at the curtain of evening in the sky and sighed softly, “Indeed, something quite troublesome has occurred.” After a pause, he said something that greatly surprised Yunyi: “Mother wants me to take a concubine!”
“Take a concubine?” Meeting Yunyi’s surprised gaze, Du Ruhui slowly said, “As soon as I returned to the residence today, Mother handed me a booklet filled with portraits of young ladies from various households in the city, saying whichever one caught my eye, she would send someone to arrange the marriage and set a good date for the wedding.”
Yunyi asked puzzledly, “Why would Madam Du suddenly want to arrange a concubine for you? What about Xianyue? Does she know?”
“Actually, Mother mentioned this to me before the New Year, but I suppressed the matter. I didn’t expect she hadn’t given up and had secretly contacted matchmakers to compile this booklet. Xianyue was present at the time and, hearing about this matter, was naturally unhappy. She spoke a few words—nothing too harsh, but…”
Seeing his hesitation, Yunyi understood and continued, “But in Madam Du’s ears, it was wrong, wasn’t it?”
Du Ruhui nodded helplessly. “Yes. Mother said that Xianyue has been married into the Du family for two years without producing an heir, already failing our ancestral lineage. Now she’s even preventing me from taking a concubine, greatly violating wifely duties, and she wanted to…” Thinking the following words unseemly, he didn’t continue but changed the subject: “In any case, the entire afternoon was quite unpleasant because of this matter.”
Though Du Ruhui hadn’t spoken it aloud, based on her understanding of Du Mother, Yunyi could guess somewhat. She looked at him and asked, “What are your own thoughts? Are you tired of Xianyue and wish to take a concubine?”
Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui quickly said, “Of course not. Since I married Xianyue as my wife, I will treat her wholeheartedly. How could I be unfaithful? I will find a way to refuse Mother’s proposal.” He sighed and frowned, “It’s also strange—previously Mother and Xianyue got along very well, never having conflicts, but since coming to Chang’an, problems have suddenly multiplied, with constant friction, leaving no peace.”
Yunyi said with a knowing smile, “It’s not that problems have suddenly multiplied, but that the situation has changed.”
Du Ruhui asked uncomprehendingly, “The situation has changed? What does Your Ladyship mean?”
“When you two married, you were merely a minor court official, while Xianyue was a daughter of the Wang family, one of the Seven Clans and Five Families, with distinguished status. Naturally, Madam Du treated her with utmost courtesy. Even if she truly found something displeasing, she would never speak a word against Xianyue. But now, the Sui dynasty has fallen, the Wang family has declined, while you have become a trusted aide under His Highness, deeply valued by him, and even His Majesty regards you highly. Tell me, under such circumstances, why would she need to curry favor with Xianyue anymore?”