As dusk fell, the eunuchs delivering the imperial edict filed out of the Chen family residence. Their bright robes and the yellow cloth bundles on their backs signified their status and purpose. They paraded down the street, drawing a flurry of pointing and whispering.
“It’s the Chen family.”
“Is the Emperor going to grant Chen another noble title?”
The people were not surprised to see the Chen family receiving an edict, but they chattered with curiosity nonetheless.
No sooner had the eunuchs returned to the imperial palace than many others emerged from it, racing through the night toward various parts of the capital.
The inner courtyard of the Gao family residence was, as always, ablaze with lights, filled with lively chatter and laughter.
Gao Lingjun loved extravagance and cared little for his reputation among the nobles outside.
“Whether I’m respectful and frugal or not, I’ll never escape their backbiting criticism. I might as well indulge in my pleasures and enjoy life.”
At this very moment, inside the hall, songstresses were singing softly and elegantly. The room was filled to the brim with people, accompanied by laughter and lighthearted banter.
Although the Emperor was still ill and banquets and entertainment outside had been suspended, within these deep, private residences, things had gradually returned to normal.
Someone hurriedly stepped into the courtyard from outside but was stopped under the corridor.
“His Excellency is in high spirits right now – don’t spoil the mood. What is it?” asked a personal attendant standing outside the door.
The newcomer wore an anxious expression.
“It’s been said in the palace that Chancellor Chen refused the imperial edict,” he whispered, lowering his voice.
Hearing this, the attendant smiled.
“Is that so?” he said with a light laugh. “This doesn’t need to be reported.”
The messenger was taken aback.
“If Chancellor Chen had agreed, then it might have been worth reporting,” the attendant added with a smile. He glanced into the hall, listening to the playful laughter inside. A smiling maid happened to pass by, and he stealthily pinched her, eliciting a round of giggles.
“Alright, alright,” he said, patting the messenger on the shoulder. “You might as well go enjoy a cup of wine too. This matter doesn’t require our concern – it’s Chancellor Chen who should be worried.”
At the same time, Eunuch Jing also entered the hall and relayed this news to Duke Jin’an and Cheng Jiao-niang, who were having their meal.
Listening beside them, Ban Qin could not help but heave a sigh of relief, patting her chest. Her lips moved silently as if uttering a Buddhist prayer.
Duke Jin’an and Cheng Jiao-niang remained calm, only pausing their chopsticks while Eunuch Jing spoke.
“Understood,” Duke Jin’an said, then lowered his head and resumed eating.
Across from him, Cheng Jiao-niang also picked up her chopsticks again.
The room fell silent, with only the occasional soft clink of bowls and utensils.
Eunuch Jing bowed his head and withdrew.
Ban Qin followed him out. Seeing Su Xin under the corridor, her eyes and brows lit up with a smile.
“As I said, what parent doesn’t dote on their youngest child?” she whispered.
Su Xin smiled in response.
“That one,” she said.
Ban Qin was taken aback for a moment, then let out a soft laugh of disapproval.
Still, after all, that person was an elder of Cheng Jiao-niang. As servants, they could not speak out of turn.
“…Even if it were the greatest fortune imaginable, still…” Ban Qin continued in a low voice, picking up the earlier topic.
Even so, he is still a fool. What parent would want their child to spend a lifetime taking care of a fool?
Su Xin nodded and agreed, “That’s true.”
The emotions of the day had truly been a rollercoaster. Now feeling relieved, Ban Qin couldn’t help but chatter a bit more.
“…Madam even said that Master Chen would agree. This time, she was wrong,” she whispered with a smile, covering her mouth.
Su Xin’s smile, however, seemed slightly forced.
When had their mistress ever been wrong?
But seeing Ban Qin’s joy, she swallowed her words.
“Are Madam and His Highness alright now?” she asked quietly.
After all, other people’s lives were their own. What they truly cared about was their mistress’s well-being.
Ban Qin set aside her thoughts about the Chen family, furrowed her brow as she glanced toward the hall, and shook her head.
“They seem fine on the surface, but it doesn’t feel right,” she whispered.
Although they had only shared a meal together two or three times, thinking back to the last time when Duke Jin’an’s laughter and chatter had filled the entire room, the current silence felt stifling.
Su Xin couldn’t help but look inside as well. The hall was bathed in soft, bright light, and the two sitting across from each other were quietly focused on their meal.
After the meal, as the maids cleared the table, Duke Jin’an also stood up.
“Will you be using the study?” he asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him.
“I’ll read here,” she said.
Duke Jin’an nodded.
“Then I’ll go to the study to discuss some matters,” he replied.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded without another word, picking up a book from the nearby low table.
A maid lifted the curtain, and Duke Jin’an stepped out of the room. Looking at the courtyard veiled in night, he saw a lantern-bearing eunuch leading several advisors toward him.
He wondered just how many people would be gathering in the study tonight.
He let out a soft sigh and strode toward the study.
…
Another lamp was lit in the room, and the maid carefully placed it before quietly withdrawing.
Under the lamplight, Old Master Chen carefully examined the content of the transcribed imperial edict.
“Thankfully, it’s not a grand edict,” he remarked.
Chen Shao’s expression, however, remained far from relaxed.
“It makes little difference,” he replied.
Whether it was a grand imperial edict or an order from the Empress Dowager, it was still a decree – an announcement, a public proclamation, something known to all. What truly mattered was not the decree’s formality, but the very act of issuing it.
“There’s no need to worry about that either,” Old Master Chen said with a light smile, setting down the paper in his hand. “This is different from other matters. Marriage between children is something to be discussed and negotiated. They can make the request, and we can refuse – it’s not some disgraceful or unreasonable affair.”
Chen Shao’s expression grew even more somber.
In an ordinary family, this would indeed be nothing. Even if it involved a prince of the royal family, it shouldn’t matter – marriage should be based on mutual consent; no one wishes to create a resentful union.
But now, this prince of the royal family was a fool…
“It was the Empress Dowager who took a liking to Dan-niang…” Chen Shao slowly began, his voice somewhat strained.
Before he could finish, Old Master Chen interrupted.
“No,” he stated, his tone firm and decisive. “If it had been the Empress Dowager who favored Dan-niang, the edict would not have been issued so swiftly.”
They had only seen Chen Dan-niang in the morning, yet the edict came that afternoon – such haste was simply not something the Empress Dowager would do.
They knew the Empress Dowager’s temperament all too well: hesitant, wavering, and rarely making her own decisions. Yet, due to her noble status, she was even more stubborn than most women. If she had truly taken a liking to Chen Dan-niang, she would have deliberated repeatedly, never making a decision without even letting the night pass.
“This edict was prepared in advance,” Old Master Chen said. “They were simply waiting for the moment when Dan-niang entered the palace.”
A flicker of anger crossed Chen Shao’s face. He wanted to curse something, but the words caught in his throat, as though he wasn’t sure what to condemn.
“Without a doubt, this is the work of the Gao family.”
Old Master Chen’s voice continued, drawing Chen Shao back to the present.
“As you well understand, their intention is simply to repay in kind.”
Chen Shao had forced the Gao family out of the court on grounds of their role as imperial in-laws and prevented the Empress Dowager from ruling behind the screen. But what if Chen Shao himself were to become an imperial in-law?
“We have no desire to become imperial in-laws,” Old Master Chen said. “So their scheming is nothing but empty noise. Refusing the edict is just that – refusing it. At most, it will only displease the Empress Dowager.”
At this, Old Master Chen smiled faintly again.
“The Empress Dowager was already displeased. Another disappointment won’t make much of a difference.”
His tone carried a hint of amusement. Chen Shao managed a strained smile in return.
“Well, the edict has been rejected, and this matter is behind us,” Old Master Chen concluded. “The most crucial thing now is that the Gao family absolutely cannot remain in the capital.”
Chen Shao nodded solemnly.
“I will take care of it tomorrow,” he said. “We know this was deliberately orchestrated by the Gao family, and others know it too. To dare manipulate the Crown Prince’s marriage and interfere in the Emperor’s household affairs so openly – they cannot be allowed to stay any longer.”
Old Master Chen nodded.
“Exactly,” he said.
“Father, you must have had quite a fright today. Please rest early,” Chen Shao said, bowing respectfully.
Old Master Chen nodded again, then stood and watched as Chen Shao withdrew.
A servant carrying a lantern guided Chen Shao, his figure disappearing into the courtyard. Standing alone in the hall, the smile that had been on Old Master Chen’s face abruptly faded.
Slowly, he turned and gazed at the long bow placed before the screen.
“With long sword in hand, carrying Qin’s bow; even if head and body part, the heart knows no regret,” he murmured to himself.
…
Under the corridor, a young eunuch whispered a few words. Ban Qin’s expression shifted for a moment before she nodded.
“Alright, I understand,” she said, then turned and entered the hall.
Cheng Jiao-niang had already washed and changed into her undergarments. She was sitting in the inner room, having her hair towel-dried by a young maid while reading a book.
Ban Qin approached, head bowed.
“Madam,” she said, “His Highness wishes to go out for a while.”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked up, her brows slightly furrowed.
“Not outside the residence – just out of our courtyard. Someone has arrived, and he needs to meet them,” Ban Qin quickly explained in a low voice. “He asked me to inform you.”
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.
“I understand,” she said.
Ban Qin, however, did not turn to leave. She hesitated briefly.
“Will you permit His Highness to go?” she asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at her and smiled.
“I will,” she replied. “It’s within the residence. There’s no problem.”
Only then did Ban Qin respond with a respectful “Yes” and hurriedly withdraw. Outside the door, the young eunuch was still waiting. After hearing her reply, he thanked her with a smile and returned to the study. Not long after, Duke Jin’an and his entourage were seen walking out, heading elsewhere.
Although there had been many people earlier, the study had not seemed particularly noisy. In fact, without listening carefully, one could hardly hear the conversation at all. Yet once these people had left, Ban Qin felt the courtyard grow much quieter than before – a silence that felt stifling.
Thick night settled over the courtyard. A maid on night duty couldn’t help but yawn. When Su Xin entered, she saw that the last lamp in the inner room had been extinguished, leaving only a dim light burning in the sitting room, as if still waiting for someone.
“Is he not coming back tonight?” she couldn’t help but whisper.
Ban Qin shook her head. Under the lantern light, her eyes seemed to glisten with tears.
“No one… told me anything…” she murmured, voice choked with emotion.
She had asked the maidservants, but they all shook their heads, claiming they didn’t know.
“We were also in the courtyard and didn’t go outside,” they said.
Ban Qin urged them to ask around.
The maids shook their heads again.
“Sister, in this residence, only His Highness gives orders. We servants have no custom of inquiring about such matters,” they replied, lowering their heads.
In this residence, only His Highness gave orders.
This was Duke Jin’an’s residence, not theirs.
Ban Qin’s eyes reddened.
Su Xin shook her head and gave Ban Qin a light push.
“Why are you being so suspicious and scaring yourself for no reason?” she whispered. “Where is there any estrangement between His Highness and Madam? I’ll go ask.”
With that, she turned and left. Ban Qin watched her with a glimmer of hope. Not long after, Su Xin returned.
“How did it go?” Ban Qin hurried forward, asking anxiously.
Su Xin’s expression was somewhat uneasy.
“His Highness is resting in the outer study,” she said.
In other words, he wasn’t coming back – he wouldn’t be sharing the bed with their mistress.
Ban Qin’s face instantly paled.
You see? Just as I thought, everything may seem fine on the surface, but things are really not good at all!
…
In the deep of night, Chen Shao, having washed up, entered the room with a hint of weariness.
Madam Chen handed him a bowl of tea. Under the lamplight, her eyes were still red and swollen, and tear stains remained on her cheeks.
“Dan-niang doesn’t know, does she?” Chen Shao asked.
Madam Chen nodded.
“She doesn’t know. I’ve already instructed everyone in the household not to speak of it,” she said, tears welling up again despite herself. “How could this happen?”
As she spoke, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
“…It’s truly a disaster out of nowhere…”
Before she could finish, Chen Shao flew into a rage.
“What do you mean, ‘a disaster out of nowhere’?” he snapped. “Is discussing a marriage for the Crown Prince such a calamity?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Madam Chen stared at him in shock, and Chen Shao himself was stunned.
“Master…” Madam Chen said in disbelief, but as if realizing something, she abruptly stood up and looked at him. “What do you mean by that?”
