After resting and secluding herself for three days at home, Ming Dan finally got down to business.
She had people distribute the gifts she’d brought back, personally wrote short notes, and ordered them delivered to various households in the capital. She also sent someone to the Marquis of Changguo’s mansion and the Zhou residence, inviting Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan to the prince’s mansion for a visit.
In the late autumn capital, noon was the best time to appreciate flowers. The sky was clear and bright, with a cool breeze.
The three sat in a pavilion in the prince’s garden. A young maid brought a brazier and teapot, fanning the coals to brew tea nearby.
“How was your trip south for these past months? Was it fun?” Bai Minmin, always thinking about enjoyment, curiously bombarded Ming Dan with questions.
Zhou Jingwan, however, carefully observed her and asked with gentle concern, “You seem to have lost weight. Were these months tiring?”
“Of course it was tiring! Don’t even mention it. I stayed in leaky houses, abandoned temples, and even camped in forests. In Quanzhou, I went three days without bathing!”
Ming Dan had so much to tell them that once she started, she chattered on for nearly two hours.
Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan had expected Ming Dan to complain, but they hadn’t anticipated that after her litany of woes, she’d suddenly change tack and speak of her various insights from the journey. After listening, the two exchanged glances, their expressions mirroring that of Lü’e.
“What’s with those reactions?” Ming Dan asked.
Zhou Jingwan, always tactful, didn’t mention Ming Dan’s long discourse. Instead, she asked if Ming Dan had suffered any grievances during her months away, encouraging her to speak up rather than bottling things up.
Bai Minmin swallowed and quickly agreed, “That’s right. If you’ve been wronged, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell us so we can figure it out together. You’re scaring us like this…”
Ming Dan understood – they too thought she’d been traumatized!
Speechless, she picked up her teacup and drank half of it without even skimming off the foam.
Zhou Jingwan hurried to reassure her, “Atan, we didn’t mean anything by it. I think the prince is right. Having a kind heart and understanding frugality is good, but you needn’t suddenly become overly harsh on yourself. All things in moderation.”
“But I’m not being harsh on myself,” she replied, resting her forehead on her hand dejectedly.
After her husband had spoken to her, she’d thought it through carefully. She certainly couldn’t live a life of hardship for the rest of her days. She still needed to eat and dress properly, just in moderation. She shouldn’t knowingly waste things she didn’t need.
She planned to sort through her unused belongings once she finished with these social obligations. She’d sell them and use the money to provide winter supplies for the poor in destitute areas, doing her part to help.
With this in mind, she began persuading Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan.
After listening, they both agreed it was a good idea. They promised to sort through their unused valuables and donate them once they received word from the Empress.
Satisfied, Ming Dan took a sip of tea. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Oh right, enough about me. How have you two been lately?”
“What do you mean, how have we been? It’s the same old things every day – appreciating flowers, drinking tea, watching polo, learning needlework…” Bai Minmin listed off boredly. “Oh, and the Marquis of Pingguo’s household held another birthday banquet last month. Why are they so—” She paused, then rephrased, “Why are they always causing trouble? There was another scandal involving men and women at the birthday banquet. Though it was covered up publicly, people gossiped about it for ages. I heard the Marchioness was so angry she forbade Hanmiao from hosting any more banquets. Poor Hanmiao, it wasn’t even her fault.”
“Wait, wait, wait. You know that’s not what I’m asking about,” Ming Dan interrupted.
When she’d left the capital, her aunt had been looking for potential matches for Bai Minmin, and the Zhou family seemed to be interested in General Lu. After these months apart, surely there must have been some progress in their marriage arrangements. Both Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan weren’t getting any younger.
Bai Minmin and Zhou Jingwan exchanged another glance, both seeming inexplicably uncomfortable. Zhou Jingwan, in particular, had two spots of red appear on her cheeks.
In the end, it was the quick-tongued Bai Minmin who spoke up: “General Lu and Jingwan are already engaged. The wedding is set for early next spring.”
Zhou Jingwan shot her a light glare, embarrassed enough to cover her face with a handkerchief. After a moment, she said, “Don’t talk about me.” She looked at Ming Dan, hurriedly changing the subject. “What Minmin mentioned earlier isn’t entirely trivial.”
Ming Dan listened as she elaborated.
“At the Marquis of Pingguo’s birthday banquet, while everyone was dining, a scandal broke out near the rear lake garden. It was discovered by the Marquis’s young cousin.
“The cousin is only seven, still a child who doesn’t understand these things. She returned to the banquet and asked about the scandal in front of everyone. The Marchioness’s face turned quite sour—”
“It was more than just sour!” Bai Minmin interjected. “I felt terrible for the Marchioness. What a mess!”
Zhou Jingwan continued, “Do you know who was involved in the scandal? It was Grand Tutor Zhang’s granddaughter and the Bu family’s third son.”
The Bu family’s third son? Wasn’t he that notorious rake in the capital, the kind who’d be turned away at the door if he came to propose? It wasn’t surprising he’d cause a scandal in someone else’s home.
But… wait, Grand Tutor Zhang’s granddaughter?
Ming Dan snapped back to attention, shocked.
She remembered her husband telling her on the way south that the Empress had personally arranged a match for the Marquis of Pingguo’s heir, Zhanghuaiyu, with Grand Tutor Zhang’s only granddaughter, whom he cherished greatly.
Seeing Ming Dan’s expression, it was clear she already knew about the engagement between the Marquis of Pingguo’s heir and Grand Tutor Zhang’s granddaughter. Zhou Jingwan wasn’t surprised, given Prince Ding Bei’s friendship with Zhanghuaiyu.
She continued, “I heard that when the Empress learned of this, she was furious. Grand Tutor Zhang, at his advanced age, had already been living in retirement in the capital, just waiting to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after his death.
“But because of this incident, he went to the palace for his granddaughter’s sake. He removed his hat and donned plain clothes, weeping bitterly outside Qinzheng Hall, confessing his guilt to the Emperor. He even claimed he had failed to maintain strict family discipline and requested that His Majesty rescind the honor of enshrining him in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.”
Ming Dan considered this. “Grand Tutor Zhang is a veteran of three reigns, known for his integrity and recorded in the histories. The Emperor surely won’t rescind his enshrinement over this incident.”
Zhou Jingwan nodded. “Indeed. I heard His Majesty even consoled Grand Tutor Zhang and sent imperial physicians to accompany him home and check his health. However, given what happened, His Majesty couldn’t disregard the faces of the Empress and the Marquis of Pingguo’s family.”
Unsurprisingly, the Bu family bore the brunt of it.
“Lord Bu lost his position. The Bu family’s third son, being carefree as always, still had the mood to drink at a brothel. But when he woke up, he found he’d been castrated.”
Zhou Jingwan felt this matter was rather unsavory and covered her mouth as she spoke.
“The Zhang family personally went to the Marquis of Pingguo’s mansion to apologize. Out of respect for Grand Tutor Zhang, the Marquis’s family suppressed their anger and didn’t make a big fuss. Of course, the engagement was certainly off.”
Having spoken at length, Zhou Jingwan took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.
“The Marquis of Pingguo’s heir isn’t young anymore. With this match chosen by the Empress falling through, she’s become even more particular about other families. Some days ago, during a polo match in the capital, everyone bet on the Prince of Yu to win. Only Minmin bet on the Marquis of Pingguo’s heir. Guess what happened?”
“Did the Marquis of Pingguo’s heir win?” Ming Dan guessed while nibbling on fresh fruit.
“How could he? The Prince of Yu is one of the best polo players. Of course, he won.”
“…”
Ming Dan gave her a look that said, “Then why are you building suspense?”
“But when the Empress heard about this, she thought Minmin had good judgment. This month, she’s summoned the Marchioness of Changguo to the palace twice.” Zhou Jingwan teased, glancing at Bai Minmin. “It seems the Empress is likely considering Minmin as a sister-in-law.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Bai Minmin exclaimed, embarrassed and annoyed. “I wanted to bet on the Prince of Yu too! If Zhanghuaiyu hadn’t privately asked me to bet on him to save face, promising to pay me back tenfold, who would have bet on him? With his polo skills, dreaming of beating the Prince of Yu is truly absurd!”
Zhou Jingwan pressed, “Then why did he seek you out specifically, and not someone else?”
“You! Don’t you have enough to worry about with your General Lu? Stop imagining things!”
“Hiccup~” Ming Dan, watching them bicker back and forth, suddenly let out an unladylike hiccup from eating too much fruit.
Seeing them both look at her, Ming Dan quickly gestured for them to continue and took a small sip of tea, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
Good, she thought. As expected of her close friends – they were all keeping busy, just like her.
–
That evening, Jiang Xu returned home. During dinner, Ming Dan told him about Zhou Jingwan and Bai Minmin’s marriage prospects.
Zhou Jingwan’s engagement was mostly settled before Ming Dan left the capital, so hearing it was official wasn’t particularly surprising.
As for Bai Minmin and the Marquis of Pingguo’s heir, she truly hadn’t imagined those two could be matched.
Jiang Xu was already aware of this. As he picked up some food, he said calmly, “The Marquis of Pingguo’s family and the Marquis of Changguo’s family are of equal status, so an engagement between them is normal. However, your cousin’s lively personality isn’t the Empress’s ideal choice. But the Empress only has this one brother, Zhanghuaiyu, so she always prioritizes his preferences.”
He paused here, glancing at Ming Dan. “It was Zhanghuaiyu who told the Empress he favored your cousin.”
Ming Dan: “…?”
“The Emperor also advised her. Since her carefully chosen granddaughter of Grand Tutor Zhang turned out to be of such poor character, why not fulfill Zhanghuaiyu’s wishes? The Empress found this reasoning sound, which is why she’s been frequently summoning your aunt to the palace lately.”
Ming Dan: “…”
She also found this reasoning quite sound.