The news of the Princess Consort Jin’an listening to sermons under a tree outside the city gate did not attract much attention from the people of the capital. Both commoners and court officials were focused on the upcoming Crown Prince’s grand wedding.
At the end of July, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected the date for the Crown Prince’s wedding. On the day the announcement was made, two elderly ministers, weeping for the Emperor, hurled themselves against the palace gates.
A death remonstrance.
However, this time, whether it was the Empress Dowager or Chen Shao, who was under impeachment, both were unusually resolute. The Empress Dowager even sent two palace eunuchs to the homes of the two old ministers – not to console them, but to berate the officials, who were already bleeding from their self-inflicted injuries. The two ministers, who had failed to die from their impact, nearly perished from rage instead.
An uproar erupted among the people and in the court.
“I just don’t get it – what on earth are they so worked up about?” one porter seated idly at the bridgehead remarked, shaking his head while leaning on his carrying pole.
“What’s the fuss?” another porter asked, holding half a dry pancake and speaking through a mouthful. “Of course they’re upset because they missed the chance – they didn’t marry their daughters off to the Crown Prince, and now they can’t stand that Minister Chen has grabbed the prize.”
His words drew laughter from the porters nearby, but they made a pot-bellied man who had come looking for laborers frown.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” he said. “How is marrying your daughter to a fool anything worth fighting over?”
“Master, that depends on who the fool is,” the porter replied promptly. “He’s the Crown Prince – the future emperor. Marry a man, and you marry for clothing and food. If she marries him, she’ll never want for food or drink, and her whole family will live in luxury for generations – they’ll practically rise to the heavens.”
Annoyed that this poor porter dared to contradict him, the master glared, his face darkening.
“You penniless wretch only know food and drink,” he scoffed.
“Isn’t that what life’s all about?” the porter shot back, glaring as well. “If you weren’t concerned with food and drink, why hire laborers to haul goods? Just toss them in the river instead.”
The master immediately flared up.
“You damned pauper!” he cursed, grabbing the porter’s arm. “Who are you to lecture me?”
“Hey! What are you doing! Having money doesn’t make you better – don’t you dare hit anyone!”
“Calm down! Let’s talk this through!” others chimed in.
Though the porters were poor, when they saw one of their own being bullied, the others quickly gathered around, turning the bridgehead into a noisy, lively scene that drew glances from people nearby.
“What’s all the commotion about?” a customer eating under the thatched shed couldn’t help but ask.
The shop owner, who had craned his neck outside, chuckled and turned back, adding water to the large pot on the stove.
“They’re talking about the Crown Prince’s wedding,” he said, his eyes shifting thoughtfully among the three guests.
These three men looked to be in their thirties, dressed in clothes that were neither new nor old, of modest quality – not too fine but not shabby either. They were eating simple tea soup and roasted meat, yet they sat with the straight-backed posture of someone attending a formal banquet.
They were typical low-ranking officials in the capital, clad in blue robes.
No need to fear them, but not wise to look down on them either.
The owner set down his ladle and walked over, about to continue, when a few more people entered and took their seats.
“…Truly, morals are decaying,” one of them said with a hint of anger. “A dignified minister like Chen Shao would do something so beastly – it’s so obvious…”
The shop owner was startled and shook his head slightly. No one but scholars and literati would dare to criticize court officials and affairs so openly and boldly.
“… Brother Zimo, please watch your words,” another scholar quickly interjected.
“Watch my words?” a third scholar with an even worse temper retorted, slapping the table. “Ministers scheming for personal gain, abandoning all sense of propriety and shame. One Wang Mang was enough, and now we have another Yang Jian! And the Empress Dowager insists on silencing the voices of the people. If things go on like this, the state will no longer be a state!”
The mention of Wang Mang and Yang Jian left the owner so frightened he dared not even step forward to serve their meal.
“We can’t go that far,” the mild-tempered scholar said, shaking his head. “Would Minister Chen not know how his actions will be viewed by the people? In the current situation, having the Crown Princess come from the Chen family is still better than having her from the Gao family.”
“Better? In what way?” the first scholar sneered. “With an emperor like Sima in power, how can we stop ministers from manipulating authority?”
“We should follow what Zhang Jiangzhou advocated – adopting an heir from the imperial clan…” another added.
At this point, the mild-tempered scholar coughed lightly and gestured for the shop owner.
Only then did the owner approach.
As they paused their discussion to order food, the three men at the other table stood up, paid their bill, and left the thatched shed.
“Utterly absurd,” one of the men remarked with a shake of his head once they were outside.
“Indeed,” another nodded in agreement. “They call it a matter of state, but it’s still a family affair at heart. Why should outsiders meddle so anxiously in another family’s business?”
The three exchanged glances and chuckled softly.
“Are you attending the dinner at Minister Liu’s residence tonight?” one asked.
Another shook his head.
“Unfortunately, my mother isn’t feeling well lately, so I won’t be able to leave home for the next few days,” he replied.
The three men chatted until they reached the crossroads, where they bowed and parted ways. The one who had mentioned his mother’s illness headed east, while the remaining two continued west along the road.
They hadn’t taken more than a few steps when one of them turned his head and spat lightly.
“‘My mother isn’t feeling well’ – cursing one’s own parent like that, isn’t he afraid of being struck by lightning?” he muttered under his breath. “Does he think we don’t know he received an invitation from Master Song’s household?”
The other smiled faintly, seeming rather detached.
“It’s no surprise,” he said. “At a time like this, even though everyone remains silent on the surface, each has their own calculations in mind.”
Given how the Empress Dowager had treated those two elderly ministers, the outcome was already clear to see.
“What does it matter if the entire court opposes Prince Pu’s investiture? In the end, didn’t the emperor get his way?”
What is called a state affair is also a family affair. In the end, all the clamoring back and forth is just clamoring. People accuse Chen Shao of seeking fame and fortune – but weren’t the two who hurled themselves against the palace gates doing the same?
So now, while discussions continue openly, people are quietly beginning to take sides. Some of Chen Shao’s old associates may drift away, but new ones will join. And with the rise of the new imperial in-laws, the Chen family, whether the old in-laws, the Gao family, can maintain their influence will lead some to hesitate and reconsider their allegiances.
“What did Zhang Jiangzhou say?”
In the study, Qin An asked.
But Qin Hu, seated before him, seemed lost in thought, gazing out the window.
Frowning, Qin An repeated his question, and Qin Hu finally snapped back to attention.
“He said, ‘If it hasn’t been said before, there’s no point in saying it now. If someone has already acted, then there’s no need to speak. The world will see and judge for itself.’”
Qin An smiled.
“To live as freely and unrestrained as Zhang Jiangzhou – that is truly something,” he remarked.
“Father, if he truly resigns and leaves, it will only please our enemies and grieve those who care for him,” Qin Hu said, pushing a memorial forward. “This memorial was sent by Minister Chen.”
“So, are you saying our Qin family should ally with the Chen family?” Qin An asked.
“Father, you misunderstand,” Qin Hu replied with a smile. “We are going to drive out the Gao family.”
As he spoke, he looked out the window again. The scenery in the courtyard was already tinged with the clear signs of autumn.
Summer had passed into autumn so quickly, as if in the blink of an eye.
The lotus flowers had long since withered, but he had no desire to see them again in this lifetime.
Just a blink.
“Father, what do you think is the greatest punishment for a person?” he suddenly asked.
Qin An glanced at him.
“To desire what one cannot have?” he suggested.
Qin Hu smiled and bowed to his father.
“Your wisdom is profound, Father,” he said.
Qin An frowned.
“Shi’san,” he said, using his son’s childhood name. “A true man must be capable of bearing burdens and letting them go. Don’t act like a lovesick youth.”
Qin Hu nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yes, I wasn’t referring to myself,” he replied with a smile.
If not you, then who? Who else would be tormented by the sight of Lady Cheng marrying someone else and turning against you?
Qin Hu remained silent, gazing out the window. The faint smile on his face was momentarily replaced by a sharp, cold gleam.
Many people should face such a fate – why should he be the only one?
…
No matter how much public discussion swirled, the Crown Prince’s wedding preparations proceeded step by step in accordance with protocol.
“The wedding date is set for half a month from now. The palace is already bustling with activity,” Eunuch Jing reported. “And there’s no shortage of supplies.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“Everything had been prepared back when Prince Huaihui was still with us.”
Duke Jin’an nodded slowly.
“Those details aren’t important,” he said. “What matters is that Liu Ge’er can marry.”
“The Chen family’s Nineteenth Young Lady has always been close with Madam,” Doctor Li remarked. “Anyone who gets along well with the Madam must be a good-hearted child, kind and compassionate. She will surely treat His Highness well.”
Does getting along with the Madam automatically make someone kind-hearted? As if the Madam herself were some paragon of compassion…
Eunuch Jing chuckled inwardly.
At the mention of Cheng Jiao-niang, Duke Jin’an seemed to recall something.
“Where did she go when she went out?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Eunuch Jing replied with a hint of displeasure.
Ever since she went after that Cheng fellow, she had started going out frequently. She had just returned to the Cheng residence the day before yesterday, and today she was out again.
Couldn’t she spend more time with His Highness instead?
Especially now, when going out so often might not be appropriate.
Su Xin watched the gatekeeper, snorted with frustration, and turned back.
“Madam, Minister Chen says he won’t see you,” she whispered to the carriage, speaking through the curtain.
“I wasn’t here to see him,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, lifting the curtain. “I came to see Madam Chen.”
Su Xin couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Not every household allowed its mistress to make decisions independently.
“Minister Chen says he is busy with the wedding arrangements, and there are palace attendants teaching Dan-niang etiquette, so… it isn’t convenient to meet,” she explained softly.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her gaze toward the entrance of the Chen residence.
Just then, someone emerged from inside, surrounded by maids.
“…I’ll go to the palace myself,” Chen Shi’ba-niang was saying as she instructed the women beside her. “Let me review the protocols…”
Her words trailed off abruptly as she caught sight of Cheng Jiao-niang in the carriage at the gate.
Her expression shifted momentarily before she stepped forward.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” she said, curtsying, and the maids behind her followed suit.
Cheng Jiao-niang alighted from the carriage and returned a half-curtsy.
“Was it you who recommended Dan-niang to the Empress Dowager?” she asked.
Chen Shi’ba-niang nodded calmly.
“Yes,” she replied. “I know what you wish to say, but one should recommend the worthy without avoiding familial ties…”
Before she could finish, Cheng Jiao-niang raised her hand and slapped her across the face.
The crisp sound left everyone stunned.
Caught off guard, Chen Shibaniang stumbled from the slap, nearly falling.
“You!”
The searing pain left her dizzy, and she cried out involuntarily.
Before she could utter another word, another slap landed.
Along with the crisp sound came Cheng Jiao-niang’s voice.
“Does it hurt?” she said, turning the back of her hand.
Another sharp slap echoed.
“Does it hurt?” she repeated, withdrawing her hand.
A crisp sound followed.
Two slaps on each side, and Chen Shi’ba-niang collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
All this happened in the blink of an eye.
Screams erupted at the entrance of the Chen residence. Maids surged forward but dared not approach the lady who now stood composedly, her hands at her sides. Amid the chaos of weeping and shouts, they helped Chen Shi’ba-niang up.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked down at Chen Shi’ba-niang, who was nearly unconscious.
“Does it hurt?” she asked once more.
