“There’s no need to rush,” Old Madam Wei disagreed with her son’s approach. She still believed that marriages should be arranged by parents and matchmakers. Even if the palace banquet incident forced Yining to make a decision, everything should still be handled carefully. She advised her son, “Be patient. I’ll consult with Old Madam Fu and your Aunt Yuan. We’ll see if there are any suitable young men of appropriate age. If so, we’ll send a matchmaker to discuss it. Yining is a young lady after all—marriage matters can’t be taken lightly. She’s fourteen now, which is the right age for matchmaking. Why don’t we take this opportunity to arrange her marriage?”
Wei Ling took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment.
Old Madam Wei did have a point. He might not care, but would Yining? What would others say? He couldn’t let her suffer any grievances.
As for the claim of an existing engagement, who would know if they didn’t say anything? They could coordinate with the other family to agree on a story. The Emperor wouldn’t inquire too deeply.
“I’m just worried it won’t be easy to find someone suitable,” Wei Ling sighed. “Our family has a noble lineage, and Yining’s dowry will certainly be substantial. Even if her future husband doesn’t have an official position… I’m willing to help him advance. But to collude with us would be tantamount to deceiving the Emperor. How many would dare? I fear even good families might not want to get involved now.”
At this point, he became distracted. His daughter had only been back home for a year, barely enough time to warm his heart. The thought of her marrying now was truly difficult for him to accept.
“It would be best if we could find someone nearby, so Yining could visit often,” he said hesitantly. “She’s still young. I worry that if she marries into an unkind family, they might mistreat her…”
Old Madam Wei understood her son’s reluctance to part with his only daughter. She gazed at the three-legged qilin incense burner in the room, its sandalwood scent calming her mind.
She continued, “There are a few suitable candidates. The fourth legitimate son of the Marquis of Chang in Nine Fragrance Alley next door is fifteen. The Marquis and his wife are good-natured, though we’re not close. Years ago, there was a dispute between your father and the old Marquis over adjacent farmland. Then there’s the second young master of the He family in our alley. I recall he just passed the provincial exam, showing promise. He’s two years older than Yining. Old Madam He and I have always been on good terms, and she’s fond of Yining. She would surely agree.”
Wei Ling felt these options might be unfair to Yining. The former was merely a fourth son; even if his family had resources, little would reach him. Moreover, the Marquis of Chang’s household had five branches, making it politically complex. As for the He family, they were only average among Beijing’s elite families. While the second young master had passed the provincial exam, Wei Ling wasn’t impressed by mere provincial graduates.
Wei Ling shared his thoughts with Old Madam Wei, who sighed, “It’s not easy to find many suitable matches on such short notice! And what’s wrong with the He family’s second son? He’s humble and surely won’t mistreat Yining. Several matchmakers have approached him, but he hasn’t agreed to any. Given our family’s status, the He family would treat Yining like a treasure.”
Wei Ling sighed, “Let me think about it some more. You can discuss it with Old Madam Fu and my aunt tomorrow.”
He stood up, straightened his robes, and left the inner chamber. As soon as he came out, he saw Yining leaning against a small table, eating dates and piling the pits on a small plate. She had been staring blankly out the window but stood up when she saw Wei Ling, bowing to him: “Father, Yining has something to say.”
This was an undeserved calamity for her. To those in power, a girl like her was merely a pawn, an insignificant being to be manipulated at will.
But she wanted to decide on her marriage. Even if she had to marry, she wanted to choose a decent and harmonious family. What did it matter if they weren’t extremely wealthy? After all, she had the Marquis of Ying’s household behind her; no one would dare mistreat her. She had no grand expectations for her future husband. What kind of man could she marry? She only hoped for a peaceful and stable life.
In the study, Wei Ling listened to her words in silence, stroking her head. His voice cracked as he said, “Your father is still useless.”
“Who says you’re useless? I’d be the first to disagree!” Yining said firmly, then joked while holding his hand, “I heard you talking with Grandmother about finding a son-in-law for me?”
Wei Ling smiled bitterly, letting his daughter hold his hand: “That’s what I said, but how many outstanding men would be willing to marry into our family?”
Any man with talent and backbone wouldn’t agree to be a live-in son-in-law.
Yining, of course, knew that marrying into a wife’s family wasn’t ideal. In her previous life, her fourth uncle only had three daughters, and her fourth aunt couldn’t bear a son. Eventually, with no other choice, the eldest daughter took in a husband. This son-in-law was meek and could barely speak when guests came, leaving all decisions to his father-in-law. Her cousin had to manage household affairs even while pregnant.
Looking at the sinking orange-red sun through the window, Yining lost her joking mood. She wasn’t in a rush; having died once, what was there to fear? She only worried about implicating the Marquis of Ying’s household and Wei Ling.
In the brightly lit Qianqing Palace, the Emperor was still meeting with Lu Jiaxue.
“…The Oirat tribe’s collusion with court officials is something I cannot tolerate,” the Emperor said, standing behind a long table. After a moment’s thought, he continued, “Lord Lu, this matter can only be entrusted to you for my peace of mind. Wei Ling’s memorial mentioned problems in Datong, so the traitor must be there. I’m granting you the title of Xuanda Superintendent to inspect Datong. What do you think?”
“Your subject is duty-bound to accept,” Lu Jiaxue knelt and replied. The Xuanda Superintendent oversaw military affairs and provisions in Xuanda, Shanxi, and other areas, wielding immense power. It was a position few could handle easily. Even for Lu Jiaxue, the Emperor had to carefully consider before appointing him.
The Emperor called for the Chief Eunuch to draft an imperial edict while he began drawing by candlelight. Suddenly, he asked, “Why haven’t I heard of the Marquis of Ying’s daughter Yining before?”
“She was lost outside the family and only recently found,” Lu Jiaxue replied.
The Emperor fell silent upon hearing this. After a while, he waved his hand, dismissing Lu Jiaxue.
As Lu Jiaxue left Qianqing Palace, the sky had darkened. Stars dotted the night sky as palace servants used bamboo poles to light the candles in lotus-shaped lanterns. The candlelight from these lanterns flowed down the cold steps like a river in the night. A subordinate draped a grey squirrel fur cloak over his shoulders and whispered, “My Lord, why did you speak up for the Marquis at the banquet today?”
“It was both to help him and to repay a favor to the Empress,” Lu Jiaxue said coolly as he descended the steps. “The Emperor seems to be letting desire cloud his judgment. He was more patient than a prince. Now he’s worse than before.”
As he walked on, he brushed past someone.
Lu Jiaxue continued without stopping, but the other person paused, bowing to him: “What luck to encounter the Superintendent. Luo is fortunate indeed.”
Lu Jiaxue stopped and turned back to see a tall young man in official robes standing beneath the lotus lanterns, accompanied by two attendants. He recognized him as Luo Shenyuan, who had recently gained favor with the Emperor. Although Luo was an official in the Court of Judicial Review, he had proposed a solution to flood problems in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, saving tens of thousands of lives. Xu Wei was keen to promote him to the position of Vice Minister of Works.
“So it’s Lord Luo. Entering the palace late at night—is it about the flood issue?” Lu Jiaxue smiled at him. To reach such a position in just a year, this man was certainly extraordinary. Lu Jiaxue knew some things about Luo Shenyuan, including his bizarre and cruel interrogation methods when solving cases in the Court of Judicial Review. The man had many connections and was indeed cold-hearted. In the world of officialdom, to reach high positions, two things were most important: intelligence and ruthlessness.
Luo Shenyuan excelled in both.
If he weren’t Xu Wei’s protégé, Lu Jiaxue might have even admired him.
“It’s a secret summons from the Emperor; this lowly official doesn’t know the details. But I heard the Superintendent was also summoned to the palace,” Luo Shenyuan said. “The Superintendent must have been appointed as Xuanda Superintendent. This lowly official should offer congratulations.”
The man’s insight was indeed sharp. Lu Jiaxue merely said, “Lord Luo must be on his way to see the Emperor.”
“I’ve disturbed the Superintendent’s peace. I’ll take my leave,” Luo Shenyuan, possibly sensing Lu Jiaxue’s displeasure, said no more. He smiled faintly and bowed before departing.
Lu Jiaxue’s subordinate was puzzled: “My Lord, how dare this Luo Shenyuan speak to you on the road, and so cryptically at that?”
“He merely wanted to know what the Emperor discussed with me,” Lu Jiaxue said. In terms of cunning, Lu Jiaxue had once been a formidable player himself, but in recent years, his overwhelming power had rendered such games unnecessary. Lu Jiaxue smirked, “He is indeed bold.”
Lu Jiaxue maintained a wait-and-see attitude toward these people; he didn’t consider Luo Shenyuan a threat yet. He pulled his cloak tighter and continued walking into the cold night wind.
The path ahead no longer had lotus lanterns. Palace servants held up lanterns to guide Superintendent Lu to his sedan chair waiting by the imperial road.
In the East Warm Chamber of Kunning Palace, Xie Yun placed a tray of freshly picked camellias on a golden silk nanmu table, comforting the Empress: “Don’t overthink it. The Emperor often has favored palace maids, but haven’t you dealt with them all? The Emperor is busy with state affairs; he’ll forget about this in a few days.”
The Empress reclined on a noble couch, sighing, “I fear he won’t forget.” But Xie Yun’s words did comfort her somewhat. She sat up straighter and continued, “The Marquis of Ying’s excuse was evasive. He’s quite bold; a slight misstep could be seen as deceiving the Emperor. Fortunately, he just achieved military merit, so the Emperor won’t hold it against him.”
“It’s a pity for that young girl though. Now she’ll have to marry, and in such haste, she’s unlikely to find a good match,” the Empress sighed. It was indeed a case of small fish suffering when big fish fight.
Xie Yun sat down beside the Empress: “After such an incident, good families will likely keep their distance… She can only marry into average official families now.”
Choosing from young men who had just passed the provincial or county-level exams. If they later passed the imperial exam and became officials, it wouldn’t be too bad.
Xie Yun took a rose-scented hand cream from a palace maid and began applying it to the Empress’s hands. She said, “I see you worrying about the Third Prince’s marriage, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on his studies? I heard Grandfather say that the Crown Prince recently received praise from his tutor, but the Third Prince is still obsessed with woodworking. The Emperor surely won’t like that.”
“How can I persuade him!” The Empress shook her head, then suddenly took Xie Yun’s hand and asked with a smile, “Yun’er, I’ve watched you grow up and love you like my own child. But you’re so stubborn, rejecting all the young masters from good families I’ve mentioned. Is there someone you like? Tell your aunt, and I’ll make arrangements for you.”
Xie Yun blushed at the Empress’s question and said, “Please don’t arrange anything for me. I want to ask him myself! He’s such a strange person; if you get involved, he might just resent it…”
The Empress grew even more curious. After much probing, she finally got a name from Xie Yun. The Empress nodded: “So you’ve taken a liking to him! Our Yun’er has the best taste. Not only is he the youngest Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, but I can tell you something else—the Emperor plans to appoint him as Vice Minister of Works…”
Xie Yun was shocked to hear this, a mix of pride and joy welling up: “Is what you’re saying true? But he’s only been an official for a few years; his seniority isn’t enough.”
“I heard the Emperor say he did well in managing the floods. The position of Vice Minister of Works is vacant, and with Minister Xu’s strong recommendation, after much consideration, they decided to promote him to Vice Minister of Works,” the Empress said, stroking Xie Yun’s hand with a smile. “Look how happy you are. It’s not like you’re the one being promoted…”
Xie Yun felt even more embarrassed by her aunt’s teasing. She bit her lip, saying nothing, which only confirmed her feelings. Then she heard her aunt whisper in her ear, “I heard the Emperor summoned him to the palace today.”
Xie Yun’s face reddened further: “Why are you telling me this? I’m not going to see him now!”
Despite her words, Xie Yun still had a palace maid bring a lantern and accompany her to the outskirts of Qianqing Palace.
Luo Shenyuan came out just in time to encounter Xie Yun.
He knew at a glance that she was waiting for him intentionally, but he pretended not to notice and walked straight down the imperial road.
Xie Yun then took a few steps forward, biting her lip and smiling, “I didn’t expect to meet Lord Luo here!”
Luo Shenyuan turned to look. He had originally appreciated Xie Yun’s talent to some extent, but for him, usefulness was far more important than talent or beauty. Since he had no intention of using her, and she was somewhat troublesome, he remained indifferent towards Xie Yun: “Miss Xie, it’s late. Even in the palace, it’s not good for you to be out at night. Moreover, if I don’t leave now, the palace gates will be locked.”
Xie Yun knew he was always cold, but she couldn’t help but care. She had her pride. Everyone else pursued and flattered her, but only Luo Shenyuan ignored her.
Her tone lowered: “Lord Luo, am I so unworthy in your eyes?”
“Miss Xie misunderstands. You are talented, from a good family, and beautiful. Surely, whether you’re worthy or not doesn’t depend on my opinion alone,” Luo Shenyuan didn’t want to engage further and continued walking.
Xie Yun watched his tall, handsome figure retreat and suddenly said, “At today’s palace banquet, my aunt wanted to arrange a marriage between the Third Prince and your sister, but the Emperor wanted to grant her a noble title.”
These words finally made Luo Shenyuan stop. Seeing this, Xie Yun continued, “The Marquis of Ying immediately claimed your sister had a childhood betrothal to deflect the issue. I see that arranging your sister’s marriage will be very difficult now. Don’t you want to help her somehow… I usually don’t get involved in such matters, but I paid attention for your sake.”
Luo Shenyuan was silent for a long time, his face expressionless.
But his hand slowly clenched tightly inside his sleeve. Then he softly said “Thank you” before pulling his cloak tighter and walking towards the palace gates.
Xie Yun felt his aura suddenly become sharp, though she couldn’t explain why.
Seeing that he had left, she slowly made her way back to Kunning Palace. Having heard a word of thanks from him, her heart felt a little more at ease than before.