Although Xu Lingyi made repeated assurances, he still could not shake the Grand Lady’s resolve. In the end, everyone was quite at a loss, and Xu Lingyi had no choice but to personally submit the court request himself, petitioning for an audience with the Empress Dowager.
Neither the Imperial Household Department nor the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility dared show the slightest negligence. The court request was submitted at noon, and within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Chief Eunuch Lei personally came, accompanied by two inner attendants in sixth-rank court dress, to escort the Grand Lady. Xu Lingyi and Shiyiniang accompanied the Grand Lady into the palace.
Old Marquis Sun suddenly came to call.
“They’ve gone into the palace…” The old gentleman was a little disappointed.
The previous night, the fifth branch of the household had been in an uproar for most of the night. Everyone had already guessed the reason for Old Marquis Sun’s visit.
Bai the Head Steward respectfully invited Old Marquis Sun to the outer study. “…They have already been gone for nearly an hour — they should return quite soon!”
The palace had its own customs: no meal would be held past midday, and in the afternoon each palace made its own small snacks in the side kitchen. Under such circumstances, there was naturally no question of being invited to stay for a meal. Besides, the inner palace gates were locked at dusk — everyone should be out of the palace by the hour of You.
Old Marquis Sun glanced at the sky and let Bai the Head Steward accompany him to the study.
Xu Sijin’s younger cousin Shen Ge’er came rushing over at once.
“Grandfather, I’m so glad you’ve come.” He quickly paid his respects, then said urgently, “I want to go with Sixth Brother to Guizhou… He’s only one year older than me, and yet he’s already a Viscount and a Military Commissioner of Guizhou. I can’t just keep idling away at home like this. Back when we were practicing archery, he used to be worse than me!”
Bai the Head Steward, hearing this, quietly slipped away and pulled the door gently shut behind the grandfather and grandson.
“You are the eldest son — you can eventually benefit from the hereditary privilege. Your father is no comparison to your Fourth Uncle — when the late Emperor was on the throne, he won merit in battle; now, he has won credit for recommending Gong Dongning. What is to become of your younger brother in the future?” Old Marquis Sun asked Shen Ge’er gently.
The grandfather who had always supported him was now siding with his mother. Shen Ge’er looked utterly surprised.
He could not help but lower his head to think.
The room fell into a long silence.
Shen Ge’er’s expression gradually grew despondent.
Old Marquis Sun saw it in his eyes, and in his heart he let out a quiet, private sigh.
This time, he had miscalculated.
He understood the intention behind Xu Lingyi sending Xu Sijin to Guizhou, and he had originally planned to send Shen Ge’er along afterward. But looking at Shen Ge’er’s face, still so full of youthful innocence, and thinking that this was his only daughter, and that his daughter had only two sons, his heart had softened. He thought that perhaps it was better to wait a few more years — until Xu Sijin had found his footing in the military, and until Shen Ge’er was a little older and had improved his martial skills — before sending him.
But who could have anticipated that this one moment of hesitation would lead to such upheaval?
First, the northern tribes swept south. In fewer than two exchanges, Fan Weigang was defeated and Xuantong city was broken. Ouyang Ming was appointed to take command in the crisis, but was routed completely. The Emperor once again changed commanders in the midst of battle, transferring Gong Dongning to take up the commander’s seal. Then, wishing to save Ouyang Ming’s life, the Emperor left him two hundred thousand troops to pursue and suppress the Doyan forces and earn some military merit — only for the Doyan forces to ambush them. Xu Sijin, who had tagged along with Ouyang Ming to add his voice to the chorus, was bold as a newborn calf with no fear of tigers: he summoned three thousand garrison guards from Yulin Garrison to go after the Doyan forces, and the garrison commander was even more remarkable — he simply handed the troops over to Xu Sijin on the spot… The situation had unfolded at a dizzying pace, and before Old Marquis Sun had even had time to make any arrangements, the news arrived that Xu Sijin had captured the Doyan leader alive.
As a result, Xu Sijin was enfeoffed as Viscount of Wujin, while Ouyang Ming — whom the Emperor had bent over backwards to prop up — ended up with his entire family exiled.
If only he had hardened his heart back then and sent Shen Ge’er to Guizhou too!
Shen Ge’er had not thought quite that far. But the same words, coming from his grandfather who had once held high office and shaped policy, carried far more weight than anything his mother said when she merely mollycoddled his younger brother.
If someone had to make a concession, it could only be him, the elder brother.
“Grandfather,” he raised his head, his gaze resolute as he looked at Old Marquis Sun. “I will stay at home — let younger brother go to Guizhou with Sixth Brother.”
Even at a moment like this, he still thought of his younger brother first… Old Marquis Sun gave a slow, approving nod.
From the doorway came the sound of a woman’s quiet, muffled weeping.
The two of them looked toward the sound and saw the Fifth Madam standing there, dabbing at her tears.
“Mother,” Shen Ge’er quickly went over to her and produced a handkerchief. “I was wrong. Please stop crying.”
The Fifth Madam heard this and wept even harder.
Both hands were her own flesh and blood. She had paid more attention to Cheng Ge’er because he was younger, but that did not mean she cared any less for her eldest son. Now, to ask her eldest son to yield his clear and obvious prospects to his younger brother — how could her heart not ache.
“All right, all right, no more tears!” Old Marquis Sun said with a smile. “I’ll handle this personally and speak with the Marquis of Yongping. You just wait for news.”
With her father personally handling the matter, everything would naturally be arranged perfectly.
The Fifth Madam nodded through her sobs.
Bai the Head Steward announced from behind the curtain, “Old Marquis, Fifth Madam, Seventh Young Master — the Grand Lady, the Marquis, and the Fourth Madam have returned!”
The Fifth Madam hurriedly tucked the handkerchief back into her sleeve. “Father, please rest here a moment. Shen Ge’er and I will go to welcome the Grand Lady.”
Old Marquis Sun gave a sound of assent. The Fifth Madam went to the inner gate, and Shen Ge’er headed to the main entrance.
The Second Madam and Jiang Shi and Ying Niang were already waiting at the inner gate.
“I wonder what the Empress Dowager and the Grand Lady discussed?” the Fifth Madam said casually to the Second Madam.
“Every situation has its advantages and disadvantages,” the Second Madam said evenly. “Even if the Emperor does not agree, in two or three years we can use this very request as a reason to have Jin Ge’er recalled to Yanjing — that may not be a bad outcome at all. The Emperor can hardly allow a man’s line to be cut off entirely.” Her manner was composed and unhurried, evidently untroubled by the matter.
The Fifth Madam couldn’t help but smile at her words. “Second Sister-in-law really does see further ahead than the rest of us.” Inwardly, though, she thought: but what if the Emperor won’t allow him to be recalled when the time comes? By all accounts, those Military Commissioners live far more comfortably than the county magistrates and prefects in the south. What if by then Jin Ge’er himself doesn’t want to come back?
These were thoughts she kept to herself. Meanwhile, Jiang Shi, who had been quietly listening, glanced over at the Second Madam with a look of private admiration.
Lost in their own reflections, they were interrupted when the Grand Lady’s carriage pulled up at the inner gate. Shiyiniang stepped down first, then helped the Grand Lady descend from the carriage.
Everyone looked at the Grand Lady — she was smiling so broadly her eyes were nearly shut. The trip to the palace had left her not the least bit tired; on the contrary, she looked bright-eyed and full of vigor. It had clearly been a worthwhile journey.
Everyone broke into smiles and gathered around the Grand Lady as she swept through the inner gate.
“…I truly hadn’t expected it — even Song Taifei was making designs on our Jin Ge’er.” Back in her room, while the Second Madam helped her change out of her formal clothes, the Grand Lady spoke with a rather self-satisfied air to the Fifth Madam, Jiang Shi, and Ying Niang about what had transpired in the palace. “The Empress Dowager was giving her the look to go, but she wouldn’t budge — she sat right there and insisted that Shiyiniang give her a firm answer then and there. If the Empress hadn’t spoken up directly and told her to step back first, we might have been delayed even longer before leaving the palace.”
“Song Taifei!” The Fifth Madam looked toward Shiyiniang for confirmation. The Second Madam, however, spoke up. “She’s the mother of the Eighth Prince, isn’t she? I’ve heard that the Song family were minor clerks from Pengcheng, and that it was only because their daughter was beautiful and entered the palace and won favor that they were enfeoffed as the Commander-General of Pengcheng. They may not be entirely suitable.” As she said this, her gaze also came to rest on Shiyiniang.
Shiyiniang could only smile wryly. “The Empress personally saw us out of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. When we knelt to take our leave, the Empress told me to visit the Zhou family more often when I have the chance. Madam Zhou had recently come to the palace and mentioned the marriages of several of her younger female cousins, and also said that it had been some time since I’d come to pay a visit to the Zhou household.”
Some things could only be understood, not spoken aloud.
Both the Second Madam and the Fifth Madam fell silent in surprise.
The Grand Lady, however, was entirely unperturbed and waved her hand. “There’s no rush. The special decree won’t come down until after the new year. We have plenty of time to find Jin Ge’er a proper match. And then,” the Grand Lady’s face lit up with a dreamy look of anticipation, “we’ll have the Empress Dowager bestow a marriage by imperial grace for Jin Ge’er, and we’ll celebrate his wedding with great fanfare. At this rate, by next new year I might be holding a great-grandchild!”
Not even the outline of this plan had taken shape yet, and she was already talking about great-grandchildren!
Shiyiniang didn’t know whether to laugh or to sigh.
The Grand Lady had already turned to the Second Madam. “What do you think — should I order two fine new outfits? So I’ll be properly dressed when the time comes for Shiyiniang to take me along to evaluate a bride for Jin Ge’er!”
“Of course you should!” the Second Madam said, humoring her. “You’ve crossed more bridges than we’ve walked roads. With you watching over Jin Ge’er’s marriage, it’s sure to be a perfect match.”
“I think so too!” the Grand Lady said, not at all modestly, and gave a firm nod. “I’ve thought it through — Song Taifei is definitely out of the question, and the Zhou family won’t do either. There’s the Empress in the middle, and when a husband and wife live together day in and day out, every little thing comes up — if the Zhou girl uses the Empress’s matchmaking as leverage, our Jin Ge’er would be the one who suffers…” The Grand Lady pressed her temple. “This matter, I need to think through carefully.”
Seeing the Grand Lady looking so troubled, Shiyiniang smiled and said, “In choosing a wife, virtue comes first. As long as the young woman has good character, that is enough. Our Jin Ge’er isn’t without his own flaws…”
“There are no outsiders here — why be polite and modest?” the Grand Lady said, a little displeased. “In my view, our Jin Ge’er is utterly without flaws. He is not only handsome, but also devoted and considerate, even-tempered, courteous to everyone, generous by nature, and never forgets to bring things back for everyone at home, no matter where he goes…”
One’s own children are always the best — and in the Grand Lady, this quality showed with particular vividness.
Shiyiniang could only murmur agreeably and went back to tell Xu Lingyi about it.
Xu Lingyi laughed heartily, then asked, “How about having Zhongren act as matchmaker?”
“Our brother-in-law?” Shiyiniang was taken aback.
“He’ll eventually have to establish his own household. It’s best to find him a daughter from a military family.” Xu Lingyi mused aloud. “I don’t require the bride’s family to be of high rank, but she must be capable and of good character, and come from a family with many brothers.”
As the saying goes, brothers stand together in battle as fathers and sons stand together in war. A bride from a military lineage meant her family members would all be serving in the military. As long as they were not incompetent, Xu Lingyi could help advance a few of them, and with that added support, others would look at Xu Sijin and think twice before crossing him. Besides, having Shao Zhongren do the initial approach meant that if the other family was alerted but the Xu family was not satisfied in the end, they could always say it was the young people’s own idea, thus avoiding any offense…
Shiyiniang gave a small nod. “I only worry that the young lady may turn out to be the sword-brandishing type herself.” She was a little concerned. “Jin Ge’er has a quick temper, and he responds to gentleness but not to force…”
“Then you and Zhen Jie’er can take a good look when the time comes,” Xu Lingyi said, seeing that Shiyiniang had agreed in principle. He smiled. “I’ll write to Zhongren at once and ask him to take the matter to heart.”
Before he had finished speaking, a young servant came running in. “My lord, Madam — Mo Zhu, who serves the Second Young Master, has returned to the capital. He says he is here on the Second Young Master’s orders to pay his respects to you and the Madam, and also to bring the Sixth Young Master some things. He has just arrived, and the steward asked me to come and inform you.”
Because of the military setbacks in the north, the court had worried that the Japanese pirates along Fujian’s coast might seize the moment to strike and had placed a news blackout on the south. By the time Xu Siyu had learned that the Guizhou Regional Military Commission’s forces had been ordered to Xuantong and had written to ask about the details of Jin Ge’er’s situation, Jin Ge’er had already captured the Doyan leader, and only then had news begun flowing freely again.
By rough calculation, Xu Siyu had probably only just heard about the prisoner presentation at the Meridian Gate.
—