The capital bustled back to life, with fleeing officials returning one by one. After some reorganization, an envoy was sent to the palace to respectfully invite the Emperor to court. Li Huailin emerged from the Palace of Joy and changed into a dragon robe. With a few scrolls in hand, he seated himself on the Dragon Throne.
“Having received the nurturing grace of the late Emperor and the care of the Eldest Princess for many years, I ascended to the throne. Yet, I unwittingly caused great calamity, unsettling the stability of the Northern Wei and troubling the people of the realm. Last night, I dreamt of the late Emperor, who admonished me for being unworthy of the throne. I feel a deep sense of guilt. Therefore, today, I intend to make public the decrees left by the late Emperor.”
Many of those present in the court had their criticisms of the Emperor. Were it not for Lord Ziyang, how could he still be seated there? Moreover, Li Huailin had previously been reckless and surrounded himself with sycophants, causing discontent among many ministers. Yet, upon hearing his words, the crowd was taken aback.
“Now, everyone seems to be quite fond of you, so you can do no wrong,” Jiang Xuanjin said with a slight smirk.
“That wasn’t the case back then; you weren’t so fond of me,” Jiang Xuanjin paused, recalling a distant memory of the Jiang Family Garden. She had sprained her ankle and begged him to carry her, but he had remained aloof and indifferent.
With a gleam in her eye, Huaiyu hooked her arms around his neck and playfully shook her legs. “Back then, you refused to carry me no matter what. Now, you’re eager to carry me. What’s changed?”
Both amused and exasperated, Jiang Xuanjin felt he couldn’t bear it any longer. He simply pulled her closer and hoisted her onto his back.
“Whine all you want,” he said.
Huaiyu, acting like a rogue, clung to him affectionately. “In front of the Lord Ziyang, I’m just a delicate maiden.”
If she, like this, counted as a delicate maiden, were there any scoundrels left in the world? Jiang Xuanjin stopped in his tracks and scrutinized her from head to toe. “A delicate maiden?”
“Why argue with a dignified Lord Ziyang over such trivial matters?” she pouted.
“Continue if you dare.”
“Hehe,” avoiding his gaze with a guilty conscience, Huaiyu continued, “It’s fate, isn’t it? After all the misfortunes, we’ve been blessed with good fortune, which is called ‘fateful fortune’!”
Jiang Xuanjin gave her a side glance. “Yesterday, you argued with me and said meeting me was a misfortune.”
She blinked, then blinked again. Clinging to his arm, Huaiyu sighed, “I was thinking, the old master must be fair. He must be compensating me, so he let me meet you.”
“What were you thinking?” Jiang Xuanjin asked.
Hu Huaiyu looked bewildered, still trying to recover from being kicked out by the old master. “How would you young people understand these customs?” the old master huffed. “Once a child gains a name, they must wear gold locks for safety and auspiciousness… Oh, are you two done talking? If you are, go out for a walk. Don’t keep lingering in my room.”
“Wait!” Huaiyu quickly interjected, gesturing at the plethora of items filling the room. “They’re still young; they don’t need so much stuff. We can arrange everything when they turn one year old.”
Pleased with the praise, the old master became even happier, swinging the two children back and forth by the writing desk. “Sui Sui, Fan Chen, finally, you have decent names. Later, I’ll have Chong fetch a couple of gold locks…”
“Good,” Huaiyu clapped her hands. “Those names sound nice.”
With her mediation, the old master laughed again, pointing to the names written on the paper. “I had someone calculate their fortunes. Big brother’s fortune is heavy, so I wanted to give him a grander name, but I was worried it might be too much. Now, it’s perfect. No matter how big the name is, he can handle it. Let’s add ‘Fan,’ the generational character of the Li family, to ‘Chen’ to make it Fan Chen. How about that?”
“YeAh I approve,” Huaiyu grinned. “Dad, just look at what a nice name the little rascal’s getting. Don’t pay attention to him.”
The old master sighed, “I just say a few words casually; in the end, it’s up to you.”
Luck favors the fortunate; but what if luck doesn’t? Jiang Xuanjin frowned, his chin held high, looking as if there were no room for negotiation.
Huaiyu knew what he was thinking and quickly took his hand, whispering, “No more, no more. Don’t get worked up. I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
“But that won’t do,” he frowned, a hint of hostility in his demeanor.
The old master paused, glancing at him. “It’s not like you’re the one giving birth.”
“No, it won’t,” Jiang Xuanjin’s expression darkened at the remark. “No more births.”
“Don’t worry, there’s still a baby boy surnamed Jiang on the second young master’s side,” the old master reassured her, noticing her bewildered expression. “Although the concubine on the second master’s side is petty and suspicious, unwilling to let me take care of the child, that child bears the Jiang surname and will carry on the family line. If you still feel uneasy, when the time comes, you can have a few more children.”
Jiang Xuanjin remained indifferent, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “I knew it would be like this.” Although the old master loved children, he was very reasonable. As long as he could still hold the children, everything else was negotiable.
Huaiyu was shocked, looking from him to Jiang Xuanjin.
The old master pursed his lips. “Xuanjin said these two children were born at the risk of your life. Our family didn’t take good care of you, nor did we help much. You’re willing to bring the children back, which has made me very happy. Besides, these children are blessed. With the surname Li, they will rule the world in the future. In the grand scheme of things, how could we still care about surnames? After all, they are my grandchildren!”
“Wait a moment,” seeing he was about to launch into a lengthy explanation, Huaiyu quickly interrupted the old master. “Do… do you mind the little rascal having the Li surname?”
Turning to look at Huaiyu, he hugged the little troublemaker tightly. “The girl must have the Jiang surname, alright? I’ve already thought of a name: Sui Sui, ‘A fox dances gracefully over there,’ Sui is a great name! Great! Just listen to me…”
“Ah I know,” the old master waved his hand. “There’s so much commotion outside; I’m not deaf. Do I need you to tell me? It’s fine for the big brother to have the Li surname, but…”
Jiang Xuanjin said, “There’s something I want to discuss with Father.”
On a half-size table, a piece of paper was covered with small characters, all names without surnames.
“Ah you’re here?” The old master happily put down his pen and picked up the paper from the table. “Come and see, which name do you think is better?”
With two cloth pouches hanging around his neck, and one pouch containing a baby, he didn’t feel any discomfort in his neck. With one hand patting the swaddling cloth and the other holding a pen to write on the table.
However, as Huaiyu stepped into the room, she realized she might have been overly hopeful.
Huaiyu widened her eyes. Could she have been so naive? Which in-law family could tolerate a child taking the mother’s surname? Especially a prestigious family like the Jiangs.
With a faint smile, Jiang Xuanjin said, “You’re overthinking.”
“The old master adores the little rascal so much; that he’s even flipping through books to choose names for him. Suddenly telling him the child will have the Li surname will only anger him!” Huaiyu shivered at the thought, “He’s been holding the two little ones for the past few days, never leaving them for a moment!”
Jiang Xuanjin turned to look at her. “What are you afraid of?”
Li Huaiyu could understand their concerns very well. After all, it wasn’t something one could change casually—the Li dynasty. But how would she explain it to the Jiang family’s old master? She furrowed her brows, grabbing onto the hem of Jiang Xuanjin’s clothes. “Walk slower, please.”
But there was a problem: the court officials hoped the child would bear the Li surname.
In the ninth month of the ninth year of Daxing, Emperor Qin issued an edict, abdicating the throne in favor of the son of the Princess of Danyang. The court’s reactions were mixed, sparking a new dispute. However, with the armies of Ziyang and Danyang pressing on the outskirts of the capital, the Grand Marshal of Danyang led troops into the capital to report on the military situation. After the report, the controversy subsided, and a suitable auspicious date was chosen for the enthronement of the princess’s son.
As he spoke, his eyes unexpectedly lit up a bit, as if he had remembered something warm, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “Your Highness, don’t worry,” Li Huailin said. “I have a place to go.”
With the edict already issued by the late Emperor, although there were still disputes within the court, voluntarily abdicating the throne meant he probably couldn’t stay in the Longyan Palace anymore.
He weighed the box in his hand, feeling its weight. Jiang Xuanjin kept it, then asked, “Where are you planning to go?”
After a moment’s pause, he clenched his fist. “If Her Highness doesn’t want it, throwing it away would be fine. It’s not something valuable anyway.”
“I’ve gotten used to it,” he said. “I thought she would die, so it wouldn’t matter if I burned it for her. But she survived, so I’ll just give it to her.”
Didn’t he plan to kill her back then?
Taking the box, Jiang Xuanjin couldn’t understand. “Your Majesty still prepared this?”
“Her Highness’s birthday has passed this year and last year,” he pursed his lips. “You can give it to her for me.”
Li Huailin chuckled lightly, fiddling with his sleeve with his fingers, hesitating for a long time before getting up, walking to the bookshelf, and taking down a box.
“No,” Jiang Xuanjin shook his head. “She cares about it a lot.”
Li Huailin stood in front of him, lowering his eyes. “Does Your Majesty think it’s necessary to ask this now?”
After the morning court session, he stood in the Imperial Study and asked this question.
“Do you feel guilty towards Her Highness?”
Jiang Xuanjin stood below, silently listening to every word he read, his gaze falling on the qilin incense burner in front of the steps, watching the wisps of blue smoke rising from it.
A deep voice echoed through the entire court hall, leaving the officials stunned and bewildered. Li Huailin, however, showed no intention of stopping. Standing straight, he held the old scroll that had yellowed with age, standing on the golden steps.
“In, Huailin is not the blood of this Majesty, the legitimate successor of the Li family lies solely with Her Highness. When Huailin reaches sixteen, he shall yield the throne to the son of Her Highness. Her Highness is wise, virtuous, filial, and humane, possessing all the qualities to govern. Although still a daughter, she can assist in the governance of the country. With the young successor on the throne, the civil and military officials inside and outside the court will cooperate wholeheartedly, ensuring the peace and prosperity of the kingdom. This is the fulfillment of this Majesty’s aspirations…”
“I, in my humility, inherit the grand achievements of my ancestors, having ruled the world for just over a year, wearying myself day and night. Encountering illness at this time, the cycle of life and death is the natural order, in line with the ways of the saints. What is there to lament? The ancestral lineage and the people require a ruler. The young son Huailin is born with kindness and wisdom, filial piety, friendship, and brilliance. This Majesty has long hoped for his greatness, and the court and the people are all joyful. I hope that he ascends to the throne immediately, to receive the mandate of the divine and to govern the countless people.”
Li Huailin’s face was pale. Still a teenager, but there were already strands of white hair at his temples, a few wisps, extending from his ears into his dragon crown. He stood up, took the edict handed to him by the attendant beside him, waved his hand for him to step back, and slowly unfolded it, reading each word aloud:
“The edict left by the late Emperor?”