Yudai Bridge, Cheng Residence.
In the study, Chen Shi’ba-niang set down her brush and stared blankly at the desk for a moment before turning her head. On the other side, a lady, always dressed in plain attire, was writing slowly and steadily.
She hesitated for a moment but, in the end, did not pick up her brush again.
Pretending to read the words before her, she sat in a daze until Cheng Jiao-niang finished writing and put down her brush.
On a spring day, they opened the doors to the courtyard, sipping tea and water as they took in the scenery. The two ladies chatted—more precisely, Chen Shi’ba-niang spoke, and Cheng Jiao-niang responded.
“The weather is getting better, and more flowers are blooming. The poetry gatherings in the capital have begun as well. I wonder if you’d be interested in going together for some fun?” Chen Shi’ba-niang asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“I neither compose poetry nor appreciate it, and I don’t enjoy talking,” she replied.
Chen Shi’ba-niang set down her teacup.
“Then there’s no need to go. It’s not all that interesting anyway,” she said. “They call it poetry and literary appreciation, but in the end, it’s just about comparing outfits, discussing food, and gossiping.”
Especially now—she could already imagine the ladies at the recent gatherings laughing and talking about her.
Being inexplicably shot at with an arrow, yet not startled in the least—only to lift the carriage curtain and end up scaring the archer instead.
Who knows what unpleasant jokes they might be making about her by now?
Seeing Chen Shi’ba-niang nearly wringing her sash to shreds, the maid couldn’t help but lean slightly toward Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Shi’ba-niang seems to have something on her mind,” she whispered.
“Who doesn’t?” Cheng Jiao-niang also leaned slightly and replied in a low voice.
The maid stifled a laugh.
“And you, my lady? Do you?” she asked softly.
Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t answer.
The maid felt a bit uneasy—had she overstepped? Perhaps she shouldn’t have joked like that with her mistress…
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang finally turned slightly and replied seriously.
The maid wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or not.
“Because,” Cheng Jiao-niang continued, “I don’t have a heart yet.”
The maid was momentarily stunned, while on the other side, Ban Qin, who had been tidying the desk, paused and looked toward Cheng Jiao-niang.
The lady sat upright, her expression blank, eyes fixed on the doorway—gazing at something, or perhaps at nothing at all.
No heart.
Over a decade of muddled ignorance, and the past had left no trace upon her heart.
She did not know who she was, nor could she distinguish between those she recognized and those she didn’t. Joy and sorrow alike had failed to leave a mark. Until not long ago, everything before her eyes had simply passed by, fleeting and ephemeral.
There was no room for burdens of the heart.
Lowering her head, Ban Qin raised her sleeve under the guise of wiping sweat, secretly dabbing away her tears.
Chen Shi’ba-niang snapped out of her thoughts, feeling a bit uneasy at her momentary lapse. She glanced over and saw that Cheng Jiao-niang and her maid remained quietly seated. Cheng Jiao-niang had even picked up a book and was flipping through its pages. When they noticed her return to awareness, they merely looked over without a trace of prying curiosity.
“I should be going,” Chen Shi’ba-niang hurriedly forced a smile. “I’ll come again tomorrow.”
Cheng Jiao-niang returned her gesture of farewell.
“If you have things to attend to, there’s no need to force yourself to come,” she said.
Chen Shi’ba-niang looked at her, an uncertain expression in her eyes.
“When something’s on your mind, it’s just that—something on your mind. There’s no need to pretend everything is the same as always.” Cheng Jiao-niang rose and walked toward the door.
Chen Shi’ba-niang hesitated for a moment before following.
“There is already enough turmoil outside,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, pausing under the corridor to glance back at her. “Why force yourself any further?”
A gentle spring breeze swept through. In the courtyard before the corridor, a cherry tree was in full bloom, its petals drifting down like rain, scattering beneath the eaves.
Chen Shi’ba-niang couldn’t help but press her lips into a small smile and stepped forward.
Here, guests followed the host’s customs. Both ladies wore only socks inside the residence. One after the other, they walked through the falling petals, white-clad feet treading softly over the blossoms.
“People always say one should remain unfazed by favor or disgrace,” Chen Shi’ba-niang said with a sigh. “But I feel awful inside, and yet, I’m more afraid of others seeing it. So I force myself to act as if nothing is wrong, just so they won’t notice.”
Cheng Jiao-niang responded with a simple “Mm” and stopped at the steps without saying more.
Chen Shi’ba-niang didn’t need her to reply—just that small acknowledgment had already loosened the frustration she had been holding in.
“You have no idea, yesterday nearly drove me to death with anger,” she said.
The maid had already retreated on her own, giving the two space for their conversation.
Chen Shi’ba-niang then recounted the events of the previous day in one breath.
“Tell me, what kind of nonsense is this? What should I do?” she asked, fuming.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her head to look at her, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.
“I’m unwell,” she said.
Chen Shi’ba-niang was taken aback.
“I can’t laugh out loud—so you do it for me,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Laugh? Chen Shi’ba-niang wasn’t quite sure what she meant.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Ha-ha,” Cheng Jiao-niang said to her.
Chen Shi’ba-niang couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ha-ha,” she echoed, and then, unable to hold it back, burst into laughter.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.
“You see? That’s all there is to it,” she said.
Chen Shi’ba-niang was momentarily stunned.
“It’s not so much that others dwell on it,” Cheng Jiao-niang continued, “but rather that you’re the one holding onto it. If you just laugh it off, then that’s all there is to it.”
With that, she turned away.
“This matter—it’s nothing more than that.”
Chen Shi’ba-niang stood still for a moment, silent. Then, a smile crept onto her face, growing wider and wider.
“Now that I think about it, it really is ridiculous! Where did that reckless fool even come from?” she laughed, raising a sleeve to cover her face. And then, she simply burst into hearty laughter.
Duke of Jin’an leaped up from the ground.
“Who’s here?” he asked.
“Chen Shao, Minister Chen,” the eunuch replied.
“Your Majesty, I just remembered—I have some matters to attend to! I almost forgot! I must take my leave now, I’ll visit another day,” Duke of Jin’an said hastily. As he spoke, he bowed and turned to leave in a hurry.
The Empress Dowager didn’t even have time to say a word. She was momentarily taken aback before breaking into a laugh.
“Look at how frightened he is,” she said to the palace maid. “If he weren’t guilty, he wouldn’t be so flustered. That child—he wouldn’t even make a good thief.”
The palace maid laughed as well.
“His Highness is playful as always. Is Minister Chen here to hold him accountable?” she asked.
The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together in amusement, then turned to the eunuch and extended her hand.
“Summon him,” she said.
In the grand hall, Chen Shao knelt in a formal sitting posture, his expression barely concealing his anger.
A eunuch carefully carried an arrow and knelt a few steps away from the Empress Dowager.
No official was allowed to bring weapons into the palace, let alone into the inner court. This arrow had been handed over to the palace guards outside the gates, then passed through multiple levels of inspection before being brought inside.
Even so, the eunuch dared not get too close to the Empress Dowager.
“I used to play touhu with these when I was young,” the Empress Dowager said with a smile as she looked at the arrow.
“Your Majesty!” Chen Shao interrupted, his voice sharp. “This is a palace arrow, yet it was shot into my family’s carriage.”
The Empress Dowager maintained her gentle smile.
“Enough, Minister Chen. I offer you my apologies—he’s just a mischievous child. Don’t take it to heart,” she said.
“Your Majesty, Duke of Jin’an is already an adult. Once a royal prince comes of age, he is to leave the palace—how much more so for a mere duke? Why is he still living here?” Chen Shao said sternly.
The Empress Dowager’s expression immediately hardened.
The eunuchs and palace maids around them lowered their heads, not daring to speak further.
The matter of the Duke of Jin’an being moved out of the palace was not the first time it had been raised. Several years ago, a censor had submitted a memorial, which displeased the Empress Dowager. She insisted on punishment, but in the end, under the Emperor’s mediation, the matter was left unresolved.
In the past two years, no one had brought it up, but recently, rumors and discussions had started to resurface.
“This is a family matter of mine; outsiders should not speak of it,” the Empress Dowager said coldly.
“The royal family has no ‘family matters.’ Everything concerns the public,” Chen Shao responded, his expression stern.
The Duke of Jin’an sat in the hall, tossing a pearl in his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
“So, what happened next?” he asked.
“The Empress Dowager was furious, but Minister Chen wasn’t done yet. He reprimanded Her Majesty for speaking delusional words,” a eunuch said, lowering his head.
“That’s a bit too harsh,” the Duke of Jin’an laughed heartily, sitting cross-legged. “Then what happened?”
“Minister Chen stormed off in anger,” the eunuch replied. “The Empress Dowager was also upset and had someone call for the Emperor.”
“Minister Chen, too. I just made a small mistake, and yet he was so angry. Does he have to go so far as to force me out?” The Duke of Jin’an chuckled.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“The Emperor is coming, I dare not listen any longer,” the eunuch whispered.
“You did well. Listen to what you should, and don’t listen to what you shouldn’t. Not listening is just to listen,” the Duke of Jin’an laughed, waving his hand.
The eunuch bowed and retreated.
Then, another eunuch hurried forward.
“Your Highness, you deliberately let the Empress Dowager know about this. Minister Chen was so furious. To protect the dignity of Minister Chen’s daughter, what if the Empress Dowager decides to arrange a marriage for you?” he said, his voice laced with some unease.
The Duke Jin’an paused, and the pearl he had been tossing clattered to the ground.
“She… won’t,” he said slowly, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. The smile grew wider and wider, and finally, he tilted his head back, grabbing the scattered pearls and tossing them up.
“Won’t bear it! How could they bear it!”
In the Empress Dowager’s palace, upon hearing the Emperor’s words, the Empress Dowager resolutely shook her head.
“That won’t do,” she said.
“I think, Wei-lang is not young anymore, and Minister Chen’s family is suitable. Why not…” the Emperor said.
The Emperor, around fifty years old, was thin and appeared somewhat frail, but fortunately, his spirits remained good.
“Si-lang,” the Empress Dowager hesitated, then finally spoke, “This young man’s body is a good omen. If it is broken, that would be troublesome.”
The Emperor was taken aback, then immediately understood the Empress Dowager’s words, his expression becoming a little complicated.
“But,” he hesitated for a moment, then forced a bitter smile, “We can’t let him remain single forever, can we?”
“I am not so heartless,” the Empress Dowager said, “but… just let him stay a few more years. Wait until the First Prince marries and has children…”
The Emperor was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
“How many more years would that take?” he asked.
“Just five or six years,” the Empress Dowager replied unhappily. “Our family’s men are mostly late in marrying. Didn’t the Duke of Lu only marry at thirty, yet still had many children? What’s the problem with that?”
The Duke of Lu had delayed marriage due to illness, so this couldn’t be compared.
The Emperor forced a bitter smile. As a direct beneficiary of this arrangement, and for the sake of the country and the throne, he had no choice but to believe in the absurdity of this plan.
“Well, when the time comes, choose a good family for Wei-lang,” he finally said.
The Empress Dowager smiled.
“Of course. He was raised by me personally, after all,” she said with a smile. But then, her expression turned serious, “But that Chen Shao is truly detestable!”
Regarding state affairs, although the Emperor was filial, he had not yet reached the point of completely listening to the inner palace. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled.
“Wei-lang is mischievous too,” he said. “No wonder Minister Chen is angry. When it’s over, Mother, please arrange a good marriage for the Chen family’s daughter as compensation.”
The Empress Dowager snorted.
“These self-righteous officials, when they’re displeased, have the audacity to point fingers at me and scold. Then, everyone sings their praises. I won’t entertain them. Let them take advantage of me to boost their reputation,” she said. “As for his daughter, she’s free to marry whoever she wants, but marrying into our family? That’s out of the question.”
They probably wouldn’t want to marry either.
The Emperor silently chuckled to himself.
These high-ranking ministers and noble families were so proud and pretentious, as though marrying into the royal family would ruin their futures. They were all so aggrieved, as if there weren’t many people who wanted to form alliances with the royal family. He didn’t go out of his way to pick these families who only wanted to be respected ministers, to avoid embarrassing himself.
