With her grand performance concluded Ming Tan could only wait for news.
Meanwhile, as Ming Tingyan stormed out, Lady Pei hurriedly followed, managing to calm him down before he could rush to Duke Ling’s residence. Remembering that the letter mentioned the two brothers had been brought back to the capital for questioning, Lady Pei arranged for gifts and a carriage, intending to accompany Ming Tingyan to Duke Chang’s residence.
This visit served two purposes: firstly, to meet the brothers and understand the situation firsthand; secondly, to discuss the matter of breaking off the engagement with Duke Chang Bai Jingyuan, Ming Tan’s maternal uncle, as a gesture of respect given that his late sister had arranged the match.
While Jingan Marquis’s household was planning to break off the engagement, Duke Ling’s family remained unaware. However, upon hearing of the Marquis’s return, Duchess Li knew that walls have ears, and if they wanted to salvage this marriage, they couldn’t delay any longer.
Early that morning, without warning, she had servants prepare luggage and a carriage, intending to send someone out of the capital.
“Things have come to this, Zhu’er,” Duchess Li said, looking at the young woman sobbing on her floor. “It’s not that I don’t care for you. Your cousin and I have tried many solutions, but…” She sighed. “Take Minwu to Lizhou for a while. Once the Ming girl is married in and the couple has developed feelings, we can discuss your situation with her. Surely then, there will be room for negotiation.”
“But once they’ve developed feelings, how could she agree to a concubine?” The woman called Zhu’er wept. “With a beloved wife by his side, how could my cousin remember me?”
“How could he forget?” Liang Zixuan quickly stood up.
Duchess Li glanced at him, signaling him to be quiet. She turned back to Zhu’er and said gently, “Minwu is your cousin’s firstborn son, and you’re his mother. How could he forget? This arrangement is for your cousin’s future, which is also Minwu’s future. Don’t you understand this simple logic?”
Hearing this, Zhu’er’s tears subsided, and she looked at Duchess Li with a glimmer in her eyes.
“Everything has been arranged in Lizhou. Stay there peacefully, and when the time is right, your cousin will bring you both back to the capital with honor.”
Zhu’er wanted to argue further, but Duchess Li lowered her gaze and picked up her teacup, clearly indicating the conversation was over.
The waiting-maid, seeing this, stepped forward and grasped Zhu’er, half-dragging her out of the room.
“Cousin! Cousin…” Zhu’er called out to Liang Zixuan longingly as she was led away.
Liang Zixuan felt a pang of guilt. After all, they had shared intimate moments. Once Zhu’er left the courtyard, he couldn’t help but plead, “Mother, is there no other way? My cousin…”
“This is all because of your misdeeds!” Duchess Li slammed down her teacup and snapped, “Go back and reflect on your actions. Don’t stand here annoying me!”
Though Liang Zixuan was a refined young gentleman in public, he didn’t dare defy his mother at home. With just a few harsh words, he was frightened into a hasty bow and quick departure.
Watching him leave, Duchess Li closed her eyes, feeling an intense headache.
Among the women of the inner court, she was known for her decisiveness and efficiency.
On the day of the palace banquet, she had been contemplating how to successfully bring Ming Tan into their family. As they left the palace, she noticed Ming Tan didn’t board the Jingan Marquis’s carriage but instead left with Bai Minmin. This observation quickly sparked a plan in her mind.
She had someone follow them discreetly. Upon returning home, she explained to Liang Zixuan in detail the importance of this marriage and their current precarious situation.
When informed that Ming Tan and Bai Minmin had left Tingyu Tower for South Yuhe Street, she made a swift decision, devising the water incident rescue plan.
If everything had gone according to her scheme, it would have been a perfect solution – preserving the marriage while also providing leverage to keep Zhu’er and her son. However, her son proved more capable of ruining plans than executing them, failing to complete the act smoothly and even taking responsibility for the incident.
With this plan failing and the Jingan Marquis returning so quickly, what else could she do? Her only option was this last resort – to make Zhu’er and her son disappear!
By lunchtime, feeling frustrated, a servant reported, “Madam, Miss Zhu, and the young master have left the city.”
Duchess Li felt a weight lift from her chest. Exhausted, she waved her hand, dismissing the servant, wanting some peace.
The journey from the capital to Lizhou was neither particularly long nor short. A fast horse could make it in two days, while a carriage would take about a week.
As they traveled further from the capital’s bustle and grandeur, enduring the bumpy, tiring journey, Zhu’er noticed the servants’ increasingly cold treatment since leaving the city. Her feelings of resentment grew stronger.
“Miss, let’s rest here for the night. The road ahead is rough, and we’re unlikely to find an inn before dark if we continue,” a servant said.
Zhu’er peeked out of the carriage, frowning at the dilapidated surroundings. “How can we possibly stay in such a rundown place?”
Tired from a day’s journey, the servant had no patience left for this cousin who, despite bearing a child, would never be officially recognized. He replied irritably, “If you don’t want to rest here, you can continue on your own.”
“You…!”
The servant stretched his back, ignoring her completely, and entered the inn. The wet nurse also alighted from another carriage, carrying the sleeping child inside.
Left with no choice, Zhu’er got out of the carriage.
Following them into the inn, she tried to approach her child, but the wet nurse moved away, saying, “Miss, the Duchess repeatedly instructed me to take good care of the young master. There’s no need for you to worry. Please rest early.”
Zhu’er protested, “Minwu is my child! What do you mean?”
Like the servant earlier, the wet nurse ignored her and took the child into a room to rest.
Zhu’er sensed something ominous, her heart instantly turning cold.
She sat down heavily at a table, lost in thought for a long while. The steam from the food had almost dissipated when she finally picked up her chopsticks.
Suddenly, a strange man’s voice behind her warned, “It’s drugged. Don’t eat it.”
Zhu’er froze, instinctively about to turn around.
The man added, “Don’t look back. Someone’s watching.”
Hearing about drugs and being watched, Zhu’er panicked, her mind in chaos, unsure whether to trust this stranger’s words.
Just then, she noticed a stray cat prowling under the table. Seizing the opportunity, she pretended to fumble with her chopsticks, dropping some food on the floor.
The cat meowed, lazily approaching to lick at the fallen food before nibbling on it. After a while, the cat showed no unusual reaction.
“Are you lying to me?” Zhu’er’s voice trembled with uncertainty.
The man explained, “It’s just a muscle relaxant. It will make you weak and unable to escape, but it’s not lethal.”
Zhu’er watched the cat intently for a while. It curled up in place, slowly swishing its tail, but cats often behave this way, proving nothing.
Suddenly alert, she asked, “Wait… what do you mean by ‘escape’? Why would I need to escape?”
“Once you reach Lizhou, you’re to be married off as a second wife to an estate manager. Wouldn’t you want to escape that fate, Miss? Or do you still believe you’ll return to the capital in glory one day?”
Zhu’er was thunderstruck by his words.
The change in her companions’ attitudes since leaving the capital had indeed given Zhu’er an ominous feeling, but marrying an estate manager as a second wife? No, that couldn’t be possible! Besides, she had Minwu, her cousin’s firstborn son. Her aunt and cousin couldn’t possibly do this to her!
The man behind her continued, “Duchess Li has a dowry estate in the western suburbs of Lizhou. The estate manager, over forty, lost his wife to illness years ago and hasn’t remarried. He has four concubines and five sons. These days, his household is decorated for a wedding. You’ll be married as soon as you arrive.”
“As for the young master, blood ties can’t be severed. He may have a chance to be recognized by his ancestral family in the future, but he’ll have no connection to you. This journey means permanent separation from your son.”
These words sounded absurd, yet her instincts told her they were true, all of it.
The sound of a teacup being set down came from behind her. The man said gravely, “Miss if you wish to return to the capital and forge your path, I can help you.”
As night fell, darkness enveloped the outskirts of the capital, while the city itself glowed with lanterns and bustled with activity. Changyu Street, entirely occupied by the Northern King’s mansion, was one of the few solemn and quiet areas in the city.
Jiang Xu and Shu Jingran were playing Go by candlelight in the study’s front room. As the candle flickered, a shadow slipped in with the wind, bowing to report, “Your Highness, the young lady from the Liang family and the child have been brought back to the capital and settled.”
Jiang Xu grunted in acknowledgment and waved his hand. The shadow, understanding, silently retreated.
Shu Jingran captured three black stones, saying casually, “I’ve been wondering why you intervened that night. Letting Young Master Liang save the Ming family’s daughter would have cemented their marriage, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Now… I finally understand.”
The Great Xian dynasty had ruled for centuries, with noble families deeply entrenched in power. The Emperor had long intended to curb their influence.
Recently, the Emperor had made an example of the most arrogant and unrestrained Cheng’en Marquis, who dared to meddle with salt mines. It seemed that before long, the Duke Ling’s family and the Jingan Marquis’s family would face a similar fate.
If these two families were to marry, it would be easier to deal with them together. The Emperor seemed to have this in mind. “But you don’t seem to want the Ming and Liang families to unite. Why?”
“Didn’t you say you understood?” Jiang Xu placed a stone, slowly raising his gaze.
“…”
“I only understood that you intervened to save her that day because you didn’t want the Ming and Liang families to unite. That’s all.”
“I thought that much was obvious.”
Jiang Xu lowered his eyes, chuckling softly. He might as well have directly questioned whether Shu Jingran’s intellect lived up to the expectations of the young ladies eagerly awaiting his success in the spring imperial examinations.
Shu Jingran coughed, slightly embarrassed.
Having not yet entered court politics, many things remained unclear to him. Jiang Xu didn’t press further, instead looking at the board and saying, “Haste makes waste. Besides, pruning noble families isn’t my intention.”
The room fell silent, with only the faint sound of flickering candles.
Shu Jingran pondered Jiang Xu’s words, grasping some of their meaning.
The first part was easy to understand. Dealing with two families at once might be too hasty. In recent years, the Empress Dowager had been content with her Buddhist practices, but her faction remained deeply rooted and had been a significant threat since the Emperor’s ascension. Moving too aggressively might allow them to rally support. Dividing and conquering would be more prudent.
But the latter part of Jiang Xu’s statement gave Shu Jingran pause.
He could never quite fathom Jiang Xu’s relationship with the current Emperor.
Over the years, the Emperor had been exceedingly generous to Jiang Xu. In contrast, Jiang Xu had always been rather cold towards the Emperor. Often, his attitude made people wonder if he truly stood on the Emperor’s side.
This phrase “not my intention” left Shu Jingran unsure whether it meant “not my intention, but I’ll still help” or “not my intention, so I’ll oppose you.”
Jiang Xu seemed to know what he was thinking. “Ming Tingyan’s military prowess is rare. We should keep him around for now.”
Then, placing his final black stone, he added, “You’ve lost.”
Shu Jingran snapped back to reality. Somehow, his initially advantageous white stones had been cornered by black, with no way out.
But he wasn’t interested in the game tonight. Pushing aside the stone container, he pressed on, “If you want to keep Ming Tingyan around, but ruin his daughter’s marriage, what match do you have in mind for her? Ming Tingyan controls the Yangxi route, not to be underestimated. Once the engagement is broken, many won’t be able to resist the temptation.”
Jiang Xu didn’t answer, just silently watching him.
“…?”
It took Shu Jingran a while to realize what was off.
He had always been known for his consistent gentleness and composure, handling situations with grace. But now, perhaps finding the idea preposterous, he laughed in disbelief after a long pause: “Jiang Zhiqi, what do you mean? You want me to marry her?”
“The Empress has already arranged Zhang Huaiyu’s marriage. As for Lu Ting, he’s too sentimental.”
“So am I the heartless one?” Shu Jingran still found it amusing.
Jiang Xu stared at him intently: “If you don’t marry her, should I?”
Shu Jingran: “That might not be a bad idea.”
Jiang Xu, not wishing to discuss further, dismissed him without even lifting his eyelids.