Yunyi’s heart sank. She and Lü’e had failed to properly care for the Princess Consort yesterday. Punishment was warranted, but Lü’e, who had accompanied the Princess Consort for years, was directly beheaded. What would become of her?
With these thoughts, she set down the osmanthus sugar cake and quietly left the main room.
“Concubine Yun,” someone suddenly called out in the corridor.
Yunyi turned, “Miss Suxin.”
Suxin smiled warmly and offered the snack in her hand, “Would you like some? I just brought back this hot pastry from the kitchen.”
“No, thank you.” Yunyi had no appetite, believing her death was imminent.
Suxin, recalling Yunyi’s fondness for these treats during her visits to Qi’an Hall, didn’t insist. “Very well. I’ll take this to Lü’e then.”
“Wait, Lü’e?”
“Yes, what’s the matter? Her beating was more severe than the Princess Consort’s. Yesterday, Her Highness had the imperial physician examine her. She needs to rest for a few days and is still in her room.”
Not dead? Yunyi paused, then suddenly asked, “Miss Suxin, does Lü’e’s name have any significance?”
Though puzzled by the question, Suxin patiently replied, “Not particularly. The Princess Consort loved plum blossoms in her youth, so when Lü’e and I were assigned to her, we were given plum blossom-related names. The Princess Consort’s former courtyard in the Marquis’s mansion was called ‘Reflecting Water Courtyard,’ also named after plum blossoms.”
Yunyi seemed to grasp something. She nodded and walked on. After a few steps, she suddenly returned, took a small portion of the pastry, and said earnestly, “Lü’e can’t finish all this alone. I’ll help her with some.”
“…?” Suxin watched Yunyi’s retreating figure, slightly perplexed.
—
Today, Jiang Xu was to enter the palace. After breakfast, Ming Tan accompanied him to the second gate, her heart filled with worry.
Although her husband was deeply trusted by the Emperor and had often acted unconventionally, killing a marquis in public was no small matter.
However, unfamiliar with court politics and seeing her husband’s apparent unconcern, she only ventured a couple of questions, not daring to inquire further.
Emperor Chengkang, having concluded the morning court session, waited in the Imperial Study for Jiang Xu. It wasn’t until midday that his expected guest finally arrived.
The Emperor laughed in exasperation, “You’re in fine spirits. You didn’t come yesterday. What, did you sleep in at home, practice some martial arts this morning, have breakfast, and only then remember to set out?”
“How did Your Majesty know?”
Emperor Chengkang was speechless. If he were to suddenly pass away, it would likely be from the aggravation caused by this fellow.
Not wanting to waste words, he simply pointed at two large stacks of memorials on the table. “Read through these yourself.”
The public execution of the Marquis of Jiangyang at the Ping Guogong Mansion, regardless of the reason, would inevitably lead to censure from court officials. This morning, the entire court had been abuzz with yesterday’s events. After the session, memorials had poured onto the Emperor’s desk like snowflakes.
Of course, Jiang Xu wasn’t the only one criticized. The Ping Guogong Mansion received numerous complaints, even implicating Empress Zhang. The deceased Marquis of Jiangyang and the Yi Wang Mansion were censured even more severely.
What truly troubled Emperor Chengkang was not the death of the Marquis of Jiangyang, but how to deal with Feng Zhao.
Feng Zhao’s actions were intended as a desperate, final move. She had acted brazenly, with no expectation of escaping unscathed. As for the catastrophe brought upon the Yi Wang Mansion, she saw it as just comeuppance for her parents’ favoritism towards her elder brother.
After being taken into custody by the Imperial Clan Court, Feng Zhao confessed without reservation, even voluntarily detailing her scheme. This implicated some private matters within the Ping Guogong Mansion.
Her ability to act freely within the mansion was partly due to the assistance of an insider.
The complex intermarriages among noble families meant that the third master of the Ping Guogong Mansion had a secondary wife who was the Yi Wang Princess Consort’s younger half-sister—Feng Zhao’s aunt.
Feng Zhao had long known some crucial secrets about this aunt, who was known to be at odds with the third madam and often caused her trouble. With the addition of material enticements, Feng Zhao had been able to act as she pleased during the gathering.
Her thorough confession, coupled with a rare intercession from the Empress Dowager on behalf of Qu Nianci, left everyone expecting a resolution. It was now impossible not to severely punish Feng Zhao.
But if Feng Zhao were punished, what would become of the marriage alliance with Nanlü?
Nanlü was a small southern country bordering Yuncheng, with a high, easily defensible terrain. Da Xian, due to tensions with the northern regions, had ceased horse trading for many years. Fortunately, Nanlü also bred excellent horses, maintaining friendly tea-horse trade relations between the two countries.
With the new king’s ascension in Nanlü, they wished to maintain friendly relations with Da Xian and intended to send envoys to seek a princess in marriage.
This news had been relayed by spies a month ago, during the change of government.
Emperor Chengkang had no reason to refuse the minor matter of marrying a royal woman for diplomacy.
He had briefly discussed it with Jiang Xu earlier, feeling that Princess Feng Zhao of the Yi Wang Mansion would be the ideal candidate for this marriage alliance.
Firstly, Feng Zhao was of marriageable age. Secondly, the Yi Wang Mansion had no particular ties or concerns. Thirdly, the Yi Wang family had returned to the capital from Yuncheng, making them somewhat familiar with Nanlü. She seemed more suitable than other royal women in every aspect.
But he had been too dismissive of the Yi Wang Mansion, never mentioning this to anyone. The Yi Wang couple, completely unaware, had secretly planned to marry Feng Zhao to the Marquis of Jiangyang, leading to Feng Zhao’s despair and dissatisfaction, which sparked all these troubles.
Now, even if the court officials and various families could pretend nothing had happened and agree to Feng Zhao’s marriage alliance, Nanlü wasn’t foolish. Giving them a woman of such notorious reputation would be seen as an insult. Would this result in friendship or enmity?
With the envoys due to arrive in a few days, no more suitable candidate could be found.
There weren’t many royal women of appropriate age, and Nanlü, being a small border country with an established queen, made the prospect less appealing than marrying a rising star in Da Xian.
“What do you suggest we do now?” Emperor Chengkang asked.
“Feng Zhao’s character is unsuitable for a marriage alliance. We should choose another,” Jiang Xu replied.
“You make it sound so simple. You try selecting someone for me,” the Emperor challenged.
Jiang Xu calmly stated, “County Princess Yongle.”
“Yongle won’t do, how could…” Emperor Chengkang instinctively began to reject the idea, but suddenly paused, seemingly struck by a thought.
Although Yongle had been found in a compromising situation with the Marquis of Jiangyang in public, she had been framed and her character remained untarnished.
Moreover, the chastity valued by Da Xian was of little consequence in Nanlü. With their open customs and a twice-married queen, they surely wouldn’t mind this incident.
Additionally, Yongle was the beloved granddaughter of the current Empress Dowager. Marrying her off would further demonstrate Da Xian’s sincerity in this alliance. As for the Empress Dowager, who would never have agreed before, she would now likely see the practicality of the match, given Yongle’s diminished prospects in Da Xian.
Viewed this way… Yongle truly was the perfect choice!
Emperor Chengkang’s face lit up with joy. He exclaimed “Excellent!” three times before immediately setting off for Shoukang Palace.
The Emperor had expected that, given the Empress Dowager Su’s typically frustrating nature, even if she agreed, she would deliberately ponder for a couple of days. To his surprise, after a moment’s contemplation, she directly consented. This seemed to be the first time in many years that they had reached an agreement so swiftly.
That night, when Qu Nianci received this news at her residence, she was thunderstruck!
She and the Marquis of Jiangyang had not been intimate; she was pure. Her future husband would surely know this. If not in the capital, couldn’t she find a good match back in the North?
Yet from the Empress Dowager down to her parents, all seemed to think that becoming a consort in the small barbarian country of Nanlü was now her best option. No one cared about her wishes!
She wanted to see the Empress Dowager but was told that Her Majesty was indisposed and not receiving visitors. When she caused a scene at home, her mother initially tried to console her gently, mindful of her emotions, but later simply confined her to her room to reflect and calm down.
How was she any different from Feng Zhao?
She recalled mocking Feng Zhao about her marriage prospects at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Now, those taunting words had come back to haunt her. The Empress Dowager’s so-called doting turned out to be so worthless!
Qu Nianci felt a chill run through her.
—
Two days later, the matter of the Ping Guogong Mansion was finally resolved.
Emperor Chengkang decreed: that Princess Feng Zhao, having plotted against the Princess Consort of Ding Bei and County Princess Yongle, demonstrated extremely vicious behavior beyond redemption. She was to be stripped of her title, demoted to commoner status, and confined to the Imperial Clan Court for life.
The Yi Wang, having failed in raising his daughter and lacking in virtue, was stripped of his Prince title, demoted to Marquis of Yi, and ordered to return to Yuncheng.
Although the Marquis of Jiangyang had already perished, his defilement of a County Princess and moral depravity warranted his posthumous punishment. His title was revoked, his property confiscated, and he was demoted to commoner status. His descendants were barred from official positions for three generations.
At the very end of the lengthy edict spanning over 800 characters, the Emperor briefly mentioned that the Prince of Ding Bei had acted rashly and that Ping Guogong had been lax in managing his household. Both were to have their salaries reduced by half for six months as punishment.
While Ming Tan found the other decrees quite reasonable, the last sentence about her husband seemed… inadequate.
However, the entire court found it unsurprising. Many considered the Emperor’s use of the phrase “acted rashly” and the six-month salary reduction to be uncommonly severe.
With this decree, the Ping Guogong Mansion affair reached a satisfactory conclusion. Overall, Ming Tan was pleased.
She did feel a twinge of annoyance that Qu Nianci, who had also been involved in framing her, now emerged as a complete victim. Unable to find a good match in the capital, she could still thrive in the North under the Empress Dowager’s protection.
But her irritation quickly faded.
Three days later, envoys from Nanlü arrived in the capital, seeking to marry a Da Xian princess. The Emperor gladly agreed, decreeing that Princess Yongle would marry into Nanlü to foster goodwill between the two countries.
This Princess Yongle was none other than the former County Princess Qu Nianci.
For a princess of a great nation to be married off had never been a good thing for the princess herself. Leaving one’s homeland to become a consort, throughout history, few princesses in diplomatic marriages met happy ends. Moreover, she was merely given the imperial surname of Jiang, without even bothering to change her title—a clear sign of indifference.
While Ming Tan didn’t feel angry, she also didn’t take pleasure in Qu Nianci’s misfortune. A woman’s fate was often as precarious as duckweed, largely beyond her control. Perhaps this was the bitter fruit of Qu Nianci’s unjust actions.
—
Along with seeking a princess in marriage, Nanlü’s envoys presented Da Xian with many rare treasures and fine horses.
When the horses were brought to the palace, Emperor Chengkang specially invited Jiang Xu to accompany him to the stables for selection. Jiang Xu, already owning many famous steeds, showed little interest. However, upon seeing a small, pure white horse, his gaze lingered and his steps halted. “A Zhaoye Yushizi,” he remarked.
The horse trainer from the Imperial Stables respectfully responded, “The Prince has a keen eye. The Zhaoye Yushizi originates from the Western Regions, yet Nanlü has presented one. It’s still young and will need time to mature.”
Jiang Xu observed for a moment, then said, “The young horse is fine.”
Emperor Chengkang gave him an odd look. “What do you want with a young horse?”
Jiang Xu didn’t answer but claimed the horse.
Just then, an attendant approached Emperor Chengkang to report that the rare treasures from Nanlü had been cataloged and stored.
“Good. Give suitable items to the Empress for distribution among the harem. Oh, and,” he remembered something, “there should be a pair of carved orchid ruyi scepters. Send those directly to Concubine Lan’s palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He then casually asked Jiang Xu, “Would you like to choose some items to take back?”
The Emperor’s question was merely polite. The Ding Bei Prince’s mansion was vast and wealthy, never lacking such trinkets. Moreover, Jiang Qizhi was known for his simplicity, wearing the same two sets of clothes for three months. Unless directly bestowed by the Emperor, he usually dismissed such offers with a simple “No need.”
But whether the Ding Bei Prince’s mansion had suffered some calamity or for whatever reason, not only did he accept the horse, but he also nodded at the Emperor’s suggestion, specifying, “One box each of silks and jewelry will suffice.”