“Madam.” Qin Shaoyuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Qian Jiaoniang.
Qian Jiaoniang glanced toward the front hall. “Mr. Qin, no need for such formality. Did the Marquis ask you to come find me?”
Qin Shaoyuan said, “This student only came to take a look on behalf of the Marquis.”
Qian Jiaoniang smiled faintly. “But it seems sir still has something to say?”
Qin Shaoyuan paused, then bowed low. “Madam is wise indeed.”
Qian Jiaoniang let out a light laugh and waved back her attendants. “If sir has something to say, please speak plainly.”
Qin Shaoyuan saluted once more, invited Qian Jiaoniang to sit on the stone chair, then stood beside her and asked, “Madam, do you know the current state of the court?”
Qian Jiaoniang said, “I know a little.” She gestured for Qin Shaoyuan to sit.
Qin Shaoyuan knew well this Marchioness was no ordinary woman of the inner residence. The Marquis loved and respected her deeply, so it was not strange that she understood political matters. He sat respectfully opposite her and said: “Since Madam has some understanding, then this student will be frank. It is often said, ‘A new emperor, a new court.’ Now that the new emperor has ascended, the court is unsettled. Even Prime Minister Hang has been set aside. The new emperor is intent on elevating the Duke Xu’s household, intending to let the maternal relatives dominate. Moreover, the new emperor cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye. In just a few months, he found pretexts to confine the Second Prince. The other princes are all still young. The new emperor believes himself secure upon the throne, and the next he will deal with may well be the Marquisate of Dingxi. Though the Marquis is blameless, ‘If one wishes to condemn, what crime cannot be found?’ When the Marquis traveled to Yongan for the mourning of the late emperor, we were already uneasy. Now the situation is urgent—Dingxi Marquisate has already been set upon the fire.”
Qian Jiaoniang nodded silently.
Qin Shaoyuan continued: “Today the Marquis took in the Shizi. Should the new emperor discover it, that would be a crime of collective implication. Yet the Second Prince still has some power in the palace. Rather than allowing him to be crushed piece by piece, it would be better to unite with his household, and in the future, it could provide a rightful banner under which to act…” As for what kind of banner, Qin Shaoyuan did not say outright.
Qian Jiaoniang said, “All this I understand. If sir has words to speak, best speak them directly.”
Seeing her so straightforward, Qin Shaoyuan instead felt at a loss for how to say it. For what he was about to speak of was somewhat awkward for him. But the matter was urgent. As one of the aides who had the most dealings with the Marchioness, he could only come forward under his colleagues’ expectations to persuade her.
“Madam, this student knows that every stitch of the Marquis’s clothing is sewn by your hand, proof of your deep affection. And the Marquis respects you in equal measure—whether household or estate, you govern together, advancing and retreating as one. This is unique among the great families of Great Xie. Even if I do not know much of the inner residence, I can see clearly the Marquis’s profound devotion. Since the Marquis is so deep in feeling, why should Madam not take a step back?”
Qian Jiaoniang asked, “What does Mr. Qin mean by this?”
Qin Shaoyuan said: “Madam, you are favored by the Marquis, but the current situation is dangerous. That Miss Zhao is stubborn and obsessed with the Marquis. Why not, Madam, endure some grievance and allow the Marquis to take her into the household? If we could obtain her treasure map, what fear need we have of the new emperor’s schemes? And even if Miss Zhao enters, she would be only a concubine. Madam is the principal wife, with the Marquis’s eldest son in your hands—your position will never be shaken. And if Madam remains displeased, once the other half of the treasure map surfaces, other plans can be made.”
Qian Jiaoniang said coolly, “And what plan would that be? When Miss Zhao has already entered as the Marquis’s concubine, am I to drive her away, destroy the bridge after crossing the river, and consign her to death?”
Qin Shaoyuan was choked into silence.
“Was it the Marquis who sent you, sir?”
Qin Shaoyuan quickly straightened and said, “It was this student who took the liberty to come. The Marquis does not know. The Marquis himself is unwilling to take Miss Zhao as concubine. It is we who wish to beg Madam, for the sake of the greater picture, to persuade the Marquis.”
Hearing it was not Xing Muzheng’s own idea, Qian Jiaoniang’s expression eased somewhat, though her heart was still heavy. She had only just reconciled with him and found peace for a short while, and now such a vexing matter arose! It was clear his aides believed that if Xing Muzheng could obtain that treasure, he could recruit troops more easily and free himself from reliance on others. Therefore, they were pressing hard for him to take Zhao Yaoqian as concubine.
To be honest, if she were not Xing Muzheng’s wife, if by accepting a concubine one could gain such a vast fortune, she too might have agreed.
But she happened to be his wife. And she could not bring herself to share him with another woman.
A bitterness welled in her throat. To outsiders, she must already look like an unreasonable jealous woman, willing to ignore matters of life and death for the sake of petty affection.
Heaven knew she only wanted a quiet, ordinary life!
Qian Jiaoniang grew angry. Her face hardened as she said coldly, “This is a matter between me and the Marquis. It is one thing for sir to offer strategies in the outer hall, but to meddle in the inner residence as well? I refuse to believe that without Zhao Yaoqian the Marquis cannot survive this trial! I also refuse to believe that all of you gentlemen’s wisdom hangs upon this one tree alone!”
Qin Shaoyuan had always been treated with courtesy by Qian Jiaoniang, and being thus rebuked, his face alternated between pale and livid. Yet all her words were reasonable. With his expression iron-dark, he rose and said only, “I hope Madam will give this deep thought,” saluted, and withdrew.
Qian Jiaoniang sat cold-faced on the stone chair for a long while. Hongjuan and the maids watched from a distance, worried she might catch a chill, and were about to approach to console her when she suddenly stood up, her expression already returned to calm. Hongjuan hurried forward with a hand warmer and offered it. Qian Jiaoniang accepted absentmindedly. “Go tell Ah Da, I want to see the secret reports concerning Miss Zhao.”
After giving her instructions, she returned to the banquet hall, once more smiling and chatting with the madams as if nothing had happened.
When the final fish dish was served, Xing Muzheng as usual had the fish eyes sent over. Qian Jiaoniang had never been fond of them, but each time she shared them with Xing Muzheng, she tasted sweetness. Only, with a pair of fish eyes, how could a third person share in them?
Yet if they were not shared, perhaps she would not even be able to eat half of one. What was to be done?
The inner residence banquet dispersed earlier than the front hall. The madams had drunk only some fruit wine, eaten lightly, and the gathering ended before midnight. The front hall, however, was still lively with drinking. Xing Muzheng retained his military habits—generals drank until no man was left standing. Even the civil officials like Xie Zhang had no choice but to risk their lives to keep up, spouting drunken “therefores and wherefores” before they were finally allowed to go home.
