When she left, Bai Pei Qiu caught sight of Hua Bailin. She seemed to have forgotten that they had met at the market before, and gave him a proper bow in a perfectly natural manner before walking away without a second glance.
“Given her circumstances, I thought she might ask me for help.” Hua Zhi rose, and only sat back down again after the Emperor had taken a seat. “If she had asked, I would not have refused—after all, I did once receive a kindness from Elder Uncle Bai.”
The Emperor rested his chin in his hand and seemed to be turning something over in his mind, not speaking for a moment. Hua Bailin, who was well acquainted with the history, nodded and said, “She’s been made to suffer quite a bit. Her marriage should have been settled long ago, by rights—I reckon it’s dragged on this long only because of the connection between Elder Uncle Bai and Elder Sister. Otherwise…”
“As far as I know, her mother was made ill by the treatment from the Bai Family.”
“What good does being made ill do—as long as the main branch won’t release their hold, she can do nothing.”
So it was. Though Hua Zhi had come with a purpose, she felt genuine sympathy for the girl. Sometimes people were undone by being too accommodating—it was the ones who cried who got the sweets.
The noble families found endless pretexts for gatherings, and Hua Zhi brought the two young men with her as she selectively attended a few. By now, all of the capital knew she was searching for a bride for the eldest grandson of the Hua Family, and attention was fixed entirely on Bailin. No one paid any notice to the Emperor, who was thoroughly unremarkable in his servant’s disguise.
“The Grand Tutor has her eye on the young lady from the Bai Family?” After catching sight of Bai Pei Qiu yet again, the Emperor asked with a smile.
“I have my eye on any young woman with a sense of responsibility.” Hua Zhi’s tone was easy. “A woman like that may not be considered alluring or gentle enough for you men, and may not win your hearts—but in my view, she has the courage to bear hardship and the mind to think things through. Such a woman will leave you without worries to look over your shoulder at. And besides—who says a woman like that cannot be alluring and gentle as well? If you can win her heart, all her softness is yours.”
Just like the Grand Tutor herself? The Emperor swallowed that thought before it reached his lips. A candidate had already taken shape in his mind. Just as the Grand Tutor had said—an Empress with wit and a sense of responsibility was what Daqing needed.
After seeing the Emperor back to the palace, Hua Zhi brought Bailin home with her.
“Have you made up your mind?”
“Yes, Elder Sister.” Hua Bailin’s expression was open and steady. “The eldest daughter of the Xu Family would be a worthy match for the Hua Family.”
Hua Zhi nodded. Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, with a quiet, unobtrusive perceptiveness and the ability to extricate herself cleanly from murky situations—that young woman had made a genuine impression on her as well. The Xu Family presided over the Censorate, and had been, both in the past and at present, part of the Emperor’s inner circle. Their standing was a small step below the Hua Family’s—but marrying slightly beneath one’s rank was precisely as things should be.
Still, “Setting aside all those external considerations, do you have any genuine feeling for the young lady herself?”
“Yes. Miss Xu is a fine person.”
In what particular ways fine, he did not say—and Hua Zhi did not press. Some things were better left unstated. What she needed was this simple sense of “she is fine”—of liking someone. In this era, that alone was already quite out of the ordinary. She could not ask for more. After all, a bond like hers with Yanxi was itself something exceptional—if they had not been who they were, with all they had been through together, they would likely have long since had their reputations in ruins.
The next morning, an imperial edict went directly from the palace to the household of Bai Ming Xia. To be precise—to the household where Bai Ming Xia lived separately from the main branch.
The Emperor, true to form, bypassed every conventional step involved in selecting an Empress and went straight to naming his choice—the eldest daughter of Bai Ming Xia, Bai Pei Qiu. The entire capital was like water poured into a wok of hot oil—it exploded. But the ones who exploded most violently were the main branch of the Bai Family.
The moment she received the news, the matriarch of the Bai main branch came herself. No one could keep her out at the door—but she did not manage to see anyone either. She was received by a concubine, who informed her that the Regent’s Princess Consort had sent people to bring the mother and daughter to the manor, and that even if she had a mind full of schemes, with no one to confront the Bai main branch could do nothing for now.
In the Regent’s Manor, Hua Zhi spared the mother and daughter the formality of bowing and said warmly, “With Elder Uncle Bai away from the capital, that door would be difficult to hold against those with intent. Whether for the Emperor’s sake or out of my regard for Elder Uncle, I could not allow you to be cornered. If there has been any presumption on my part, please forgive me, Madam.”
Bai Madam bowed deeply in return. Her heart was churning so hard that even her voice trembled. “Princess Consort, please do not speak of it so—if not for the Princess Consort’s protection in bringing us here to the manor, by now we might already…”
“They would not have dared do anything too severe. They would simply state facts and press their arguments until you remembered that a single stroke cannot produce two characters written differently—that even a family that has divided should stand as one.”
Bai Madam stared at the Princess Consort, momentarily at a loss. The Princess Consort clearly knew their purpose—and yet still spoke of it so openly. What did this mean?
“A single stroke may not produce two different characters, yet characters can be written light or heavy. Deep feeling between people makes the ink dense and vivid; where feeling is shallow and thin, the brushstroke is light and faint. Would Madam not agree?”
The light in Bai Madam’s mind gradually brightened. Was it not exactly so? The eldest branch had treated them this way, the grandparents had always favored the eldest branch and turned a blind eye—they had even used Pei Qiu’s marriage as a means to pressure her husband into returning to the main family fold, wanting nothing more than to get their hands on the business he had built up over the years. And now that her daughter had been chosen as Empress, how could they resist the great advantages an imperial connection would bring? How could she be reconciled to this? How could she possibly be reconciled!
At that moment Bao Xia came to report, “The Fourth Madam has arrived.”
With that announcement, Wu Shi entered wearing a warm smile. Hua Zhi rose to welcome her.
“Spring days are always full of rain—thankfully it’s not far.” As she spoke, Wu Shi exchanged greetings with Bai Madam. “Sister, your color looks a good deal better.”
The two women had frequent dealings on account of their husbands, and Bai Madam returned the greeting, her smile easing somewhat. “I’ve rested up for some time now—any longer without improvement and it wouldn’t be a small ailment anymore.”
Wu Shi glanced up at the Princess Consort on the seat of honor. “You summoned me here in such a hurry—have I come to keep a guest company?”
“Precisely. Fourth Aunt, consider it one more task for your capable hands.”
“Capable indeed.” Wu Shi stepped forward warmly and took Bai Madam by the arm, steering her toward the door. “Our Grand Tutor and Princess Consort has something to impart in private, so let’s not stand here in the way.”
Bai Madam glanced back at her daughter, steeled herself, and allowed Wu Shi to lead her away. The Princess Consort had gone to this trouble deliberately—today was an opportunity for Pei Qiu. Even one or two things learned here would be better than walking into the imperial palace in total ignorance. After all, when it came to understanding the Emperor, no one in all the world could compare with the Princess Consort.
For a moment the room was quiet. Hua Zhi looked at Bai Pei Qiu, whose head was bowed. “Frightened?”
It was less fright than shock. The fog that had clouded her mind since the edict arrived had only now begun to clear. Bai Pei Qiu tightened her grip on her handkerchief and raised her head. “May I ask, Princess Consort—why me?”
“Since you were chosen, it is naturally because you are suitable. And this was the Emperor’s own decision—made after he had seen you and learned about you, not at my suggestion or anyone else’s.” Hua Zhi’s voice softened slightly as she looked at the girl, whose entire body was taut with tension. “You may also think of it this way: the Emperor accepts you as you are—strong, perceptive, responsible, with the courage to face difficult circumstances. He wants an Empress like that by his side.”
Bai Pei Qiu pressed her lips together. The Emperor… liked her this way?
“Remember—you are Bai Pei Qiu. You may be sensible. You may be strong. But also remember that you are a woman. Gentleness wielded with purpose is the finest weapon a woman possesses.”
Bai Pei Qiu committed each word to memory. The path had been set. What she needed to do now was make that path smoother and easier to walk.
Seeing that her counsel had been received, Hua Zhi continued, “Before Elder Uncle returns to the capital, you and your mother will stay here in the Regent’s Manor. You need not concern yourselves with what happens outside—in a few days, they will know how to conduct themselves.”
“I would ask for nothing better—but Grandmother on that side…”
“Would she dare come to the Regent’s Manor and demand I hand you over? Rest easy and stay.”
Bai Pei Qiu bowed deeply. Under ordinary circumstances she might have wondered about a person’s motives, but this was the Regent’s Princess Consort—the Grand Tutor, the person the Emperor trusted above all others. She needed only to accept this goodwill and hold it firmly in her heart.