Chapter 3 Prologue: The Third Year of Shengde
Xu Zhiyi received the Emperor Emeritus's order and went straight to the Prince of Jin's residence.
In front of the Jinxiu Pavilion, in a carriage, Sun, the third daughter-in-law of the Minister of Rites, was about to get off when she turned her head and saw Xu Zhiyi hurrying past. She said to the person next to her, "Look, is that little eunuch going to Jiuru Lane?"
Standing next to him was Madam Qian, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Minister of Rites. She glanced in the direction Xu Zhiyi had gone, reached out to support Madam Sun who was about to jump down, and said with a smile, "Be careful. You're married now and you're still so unsteady. Your mother-in-law will definitely scold you if she sees you like this."
Sun was not afraid of her sister-in-law. She stepped forward and affectionately took Qian's arm. As they walked towards Jinxiu Pavilion, she said, "Sister-in-law, do you know that Princess Jin wants to leave the mansion and live separately? Yesterday, Princess Jin and I went to an elegant gathering. She said that once she moves out, she will invite us to her villa in Lingwei Mountain for a banquet and hot springs."
Qian grabbed Sun's arm, glared at her to shut her up, and said to the shop assistant who came up to her, "I heard that your family has acquired a batch of fine leather goods. Bring them over so I can take a look. Also, bring over those new brocade fabrics."
After saying that, she asked the waiter, "Are there any vacant rooms in the back?"
The waiter immediately greeted them with a smile, "Yes, esteemed guests, please come with me to the back to rest and have some fruit and tea." He then led the two men, Qian and Sun, to an empty room, added, "I'll go get the materials for you now," and tactfully left.
Madam Qian instructed the maids around her to stand guard outside before speaking to Madam Sun: "What do you mean by 'living separately from the mansion'? What nonsense did you and the Princess Consort of Jin talk about?"
Seeing that her sister-in-law did not believe her, Madam Sun argued, "I didn't say that; it was Princess Jin herself who said it."
Madam Qian sat down next to Madam Sun and asked in a low voice, "Does the Princess Consort of Jin want to leave the residence herself? Is she moving to another place, or is she giving up her position as Princess Consort?"
After thinking for a moment, Madam Sun said, "I guess I shouldn't be a princess anymore. Prince Jin has been dead for so many years, and Princess Jin is only twenty-five or twenty-six now. She can't stay in that position forever."
Madam Qian frowned and continued to press, "Then what about Lingwei Mountain?"
Mentioning Lingwei Mountain, Madam Sun's tone revealed a hint of excitement and anticipation: "Princess Jin said she would hold a relocation banquet at Lingwei Mountain. I heard that the Lingwei Mountain villa is exquisitely designed, with greenhouses that are blooming with flowers even in winter, and there are also natural hot springs..."
Madam Qian stopped Madam Sun from speaking: "You're not from the capital, so there are some things you don't know. Lingwei Mountain isn't some private estate; it's a royal villa. A few years ago, the Grand Princess Changguang celebrated her 70th birthday at the Lingwei Mountain villa. If she were a princess, she could naturally go to a royal villa, but if she's not a princess anymore, how could she go to Lingwei Mountain whenever she wanted? Does she really think it's her family's private property? And you, you're just following along with nonsense. She dares to say these things, and you dare to believe them?"
Sun looked on with surprise: "Is Lingwei Mountain a royal property? It seems to me that the Princess Consort of Jin is referring to it as private property."
Hearing this, Madam Qian shook her head. "Even if it really becomes private property, it can't be surnamed He. Does she really want to continue living in the Fu family's estate?"
Just then, a maid knocked on the door, saying that the shopkeeper had delivered some fabric.
Madam Qian got up and opened the door. Two young apprentices came in carrying some leather and cloth, placed them on the table, and were about to introduce them when Madam Qian smiled and dismissed them, saying, "We'll look at them ourselves for a while. You two go ahead and do your work." The two apprentices tactfully withdrew.
Madam Qian waved her hand, signaling the maid to continue guarding the area, before returning to Madam Sun's side and saying, "I think the Princess Consort of Jin is rather clueless. You should avoid associating with her in the future. If she wants to remarry, she can just pack her dowry and leave. She must not take anything related to the Prince of Jin, not even a single piece of paper."
Madam Sun was quite puzzled: "What do you mean? Even if a widow from a common family remarries, she is not allowed to take away any of the clothes and dowry that her former husband's family provided. In aristocratic families, the dowry provided by the former husband's family also belongs to the woman after a divorce."
"How can the imperial family be treated the same as the common people? The jade ruyi that our matriarch received is enshrined in the ancestral hall, not kept in her treasury. If it is bestowed upon you today, it is yours; if it is taken back tomorrow, it is no longer yours. It is all just a matter of the emperor's word. Prince Jin enjoyed a fiefdom and held great power in his lifetime, but after his death, he left nothing behind. Even this Prince Jin mansion was bestowed upon him by the palace."
"Besides, the matter of choosing an heir caused a great deal of trouble in those years, and later Prince Jin died under mysterious circumstances. She was, after all, Prince Jin's bedmate. Couldn't she even understand this little thing? If you ask me, she should either obediently live as Prince Jin's wife for the rest of her life, or cut all ties completely and never touch anything related to Prince Jin."
Sun opened her eyes wide with curiosity and tugged at Qian's arm, pleading, "What do you mean by dying mysteriously? Wasn't it because of an earthquake? Good sister-in-law, tell me about it."
Unable to bear Sun's nagging any longer, Qian could only repeatedly warn, "You must not tell anyone after you hear this."
Sun nodded repeatedly, assuring everyone she would never tell anyone. Only then did Qian say, "I heard it from my father. When the Emperor Emeritus was still in the Eastern Palace, he didn't get along with Empress Cao. After the Emperor Emeritus injured his leg, some people in the court proposed deposing the heir apparent and establishing a new one. Empress Cao wanted to establish her own son, the Prince of Jing, as the relationship between the Prince of Jing's faction and the Crown Prince's faction was very tense. However, Emperor Taizu favored the Prince of Jin. I heard that the edict to depose the heir apparent had already been presented to the prime minister, but for some reason it was taken back."
"After that, Prince Jin suddenly got married. A prince's wedding should have taken at least half a year to prepare, but Prince Jin went from choosing his bride to welcoming her in less than two months. The utensils and ceremonial regalia he used were originally prepared for Prince Shu. His wife was from the little-known He family of Jiangning. On the second day after the wedding, Prince Jin took his wife to his post."
"Later, Emperor Taizu's health deteriorated, and the struggle between the Cao family, the Prince of Jing, and the current retired emperor intensified."
At this point, Madam Qian leaned close to Madam Sun's ear and whispered, "There's a saying that the two sides were fighting before, and the Prince of Jin almost got there first. To prevent the old story from repeating itself, he simply..." Madam Qian gestured with her hand on her neck.
Sun gasped in surprise, then quickly covered her mouth, staring anxiously at the doorway. Seeing no reaction from outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a low voice, "Really?"
"Who knows? But at the time, my brother had a close friend in the Imperial Guard. He said that even after Emperor Taizu sent people to level the mountain, they only found the body of Prince Jin. His close attendants and guards, as well as a local magistrate, were not found."
"Emperor Taizu was furious about this. Officials throughout Bingzhou were punished or demoted, and several members of the Imperial Guard were executed. I heard that even the things that Prince Jin used to use in the palace were sealed up and no one was allowed to touch them."
Sun's mouth gaped open involuntarily, her eyes trembling with shock.
She only knew that the Prince of Jin died in an earthquake and the Prince of Jing died in a rebellion, but she never imagined there were so many other details. After a long while, she mouthed to Qian Shi, "Who was it?"
Ms. Qian shook her head and remained silent.
Although Sun was not very knowledgeable about the affairs of the capital, she was born into a prominent local family and had received a proper education. After a little thought, an idea popped into her head.
She tentatively began, "Emperor Su deposed the Empress..."
Qian pressed her index finger to her lips, forcing Sun to swallow the words she hadn't finished saying.
The two sat facing each other in silence for a long time before Sun slowly uttered, "No wonder the Cao family was slaughtered. My father said that this was not the act of a benevolent ruler, but I never expected it to be like this."
Qian patted Sun's hand: "Don't think so much, these are all things that are still undecided. Let's take a look at the material. I think this piece of leather is quite good."
Sun absentmindedly stroked the fur in front of her, then suddenly said, "Won't the palace prevent the princess from remarrying?"
As Madam Qian was examining the fabric, she was taken aback by Madam Sun's question. After realizing what she meant, she chuckled and said, "What nonsense are you thinking? As long as she doesn't interfere in Prince Jin's affairs, the palace won't bother with her."
Looking at her lively and innocent younger sister-in-law, Madam Qian couldn't help but share with Madam Sun the anecdotes she knew about the capital: "Back then, Emperor Taizu didn't take a liking to Madam He. He originally wanted to find a noblewoman for the Prince of Jin, and he even asked my cousin. It was the Prince of Jin who chose Madam He himself."
"Emperor Taizu disliked the He family's lack of prestige, and the eldest son was unhappy. Look at the title Emperor Taizu bestowed upon Princess Yong'an after Prince Jin's death. Only the daughter of the Crown Prince was granted the title of Princess, while the daughter of a prince was always granted the title of County Princess. Emperor Taizu's favoritism towards Prince Jin was extraordinary."
While Qian and Sun were chatting and laughing, Qin An was completely bewildered to hear that Xu Zhiyi had come again.
Princess Jin went to bed early yesterday. This morning, Qin An wanted to talk to her about Qinrenfang, but Qiu You said she hadn't gotten up yet. So Qin An went to feed the hawks and look after the horses first.
After finishing his work, he looked at the sun and thought it was time for Princess Jin to get up. He changed his clothes and was about to go again when Xu Zhiyi beat him to it.
Qin An rushed to Qingyun Pavilion, but was stopped at the door. The maid at the gate said that the princess had a guest and asked Qin An to wait outside.
How could Qin An not know there were guests? He came specifically for the guests.
While Qin An was struggling with the maid, Xu Zhiyi was sitting in the side hall drinking tea.
The princess had indeed not yet risen, so Xu Zhiyi could only wait. It wasn't until a maid came in to refill the tea that the princess finally arrived, albeit late.
Princess Jin was full of doubts. This eunuch had just left last night, so why was he here again today?
She gracefully walked into the hall and sat down, asking curiously, "What brings you here today, Eunuch Xu?"
Xu Zhiyi had never been on such a grueling job before. He had come twice in total, and he had almost figured out the usual tea and food at the Prince of Jin's residence.
Despite his complaints, he couldn't neglect his duties. He took a deep breath and reiterated the Emperor Emeritus's words verbatim: "The Emperor said that Qinrenfang is in disrepair and uninhabitable. He requested that the Princess choose another place to live."
As for the earlier question about the ownership of Qinrenfang, since the Emperor Emeritus didn't explicitly mention it, Xu Zhiyi simply assumed he had forgotten because he had waited too long.
Princess Jin felt she didn't quite understand what he meant. It was true that Qinrenfang had been vacant for many years, but it hadn't been neglected in the past few years. The decay wasn't serious and only required minor repairs. So why was it uninhabitable?
She thought it to herself and then said it aloud.
Having served in the palace and being used to being cunning and calculating, Xu Zhiyi had not encountered someone so thoughtless in a long time. He slowed down his speech and emphasized his tone as he repeated, "Qinrenfang has been in disrepair for many years. If the Princess wishes to leave the residence, please choose another place to live."
Princess Jin looked at Xu Zhiyi, who had no expression on his face, and pondered his words for a few more moments before suddenly realizing something. She said, "During the renovation of Qinrenfang, I can stay temporarily at the Lingweishan Villa. Xu Zhongguan, please thank the Emperor for his concern. There is no need to find me another place to stay."
Xu Zhiyi doubted that he had misheard and had to ask again, "Does the Princess really not intend to choose another place to stay?"
Princess Jin thought Xu Zhiyi was being long-winded, but she didn't show it on her face. She smiled and said, "No need. I'll just stay at the Lingwei Mountain Villa for now."
Xu Zhiyi, carrying a bellyful of questions, floated out of Qingyun Pavilion and saw Qin An standing at the entrance.
Qin An stepped forward to greet him with a smile: "What a coincidence! If we hadn't met, I wouldn't have known that Eunuch Xu was at my residence. I wonder if Eunuch Xu is available today so we can play a few more rounds of chess?"
Xu Zhiyi waved his hand repeatedly: "I have other business to attend to, and I can't afford to delay."
Qin An and Xu Zhiyi walked side by side: "In that case, I will see Xu Zhongguan off."
Upon seeing this, Qiu You, who was following behind, quickly called out, "Qin An, the Princess wants to see you."
If Xu Zhiyi hadn't been there, Qin An would have rolled his eyes at this room full of idiots: "I'll see Xu Zhongguan out of the mansion first, and then I'll come to pay my respects to the Princess."
How could she let Qin An and Xu Zhiyi be alone on the autumn outing? What if Qin An spoke ill of the princess to Xu Zhiyi? Without saying a word, she stepped forward, grabbed Qin An, and dragged him inside while saying, "The princess has urgent business with you and cannot be delayed."
Xu Zhiyi pretended not to know these little tricks and bowed to Qin An, saying, "Since the Princess Consort has something to ask of you, Qin Zhongguan, you should attend to your duties first. I will take my leave."
The autumn outing was originally intended to send Xu Zhiyi out of the mansion, but Qin An rushed to stop Xu Zhiyi without bringing anyone else. Now, the autumn outing is keeping Qin An on his toes, leaving Xu Zhiyi all alone.
Xu Zhiyi could also see that the Princess Consort of Jin was naive and inexperienced, and even dared to talk about managing the household affairs. So he simply walked out along the path he came in. Halfway there, he was stopped by a woman.
Seeing that the woman was dressed as a female official, Xu Zhiyi stopped and greeted her, saying, "Cui Dianbu."
Cui Dianbu quickly sized up Xu Zhiyi, who had a sharp eye for words, and asked, "Xu Zhongguan, have you come for the Princess?"
Xu Zhiyi remained silent and instead asked Cui Dianbu's purpose for coming: "Does Cui Dianbu have something to discuss?"
Cui Dianbu had heard of the relationship between Xu Zhiyi and Xu Asheng and had originally wanted to make some connections with Xu Zhiyi. However, seeing how cautious Xu Zhiyi was, he gave up on that idea and began to explain his true purpose.
"I have been outside the palace for many years, and it is inconvenient to communicate with those in the palace. The late Emperor Taizu ordered me to inspect and take care of the Prince of Jin's old belongings, but he did not mention how to deal with these items."
“Recently, the Princess Consort has been frequently opening the treasury and has even taken items bestowed upon her by the Prince of Jin when he was in the capital. I receive the Emperor’s salary and should be dutiful in my duties, but given the Princess Consort’s noble status, I am filled with anxiety and do not know how to handle this. Xu, the eunuch who serves the Emperor, has a keen eye for the world. Does he have any ideas on how to deal with this?”
Xu Zhiyi was truly impressed by the Prince of Jin's residence. Only two noble ladies lived there, yet the servants were divided into four or five factions. Qin An was wary of the palace, the Princess Consort was wary of Qin An, and now someone from the palace had appeared, trying to use the Princess Consort to demonstrate their loyalty.
Xu Zhiyi really didn't want to be dragged into this mess, so he quickly declined, saying, "Cui Dianbu is a female official in the inner palace. If there are any difficult decisions, she can consult the head of the palace. I have other important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned and left.
After meeting Xu Zhiyi, the princess ordered a table to be set for dinner. She had no intention of actually seeing Qin An. By the time Qin An finally managed to get away from the autumn outing, Xu Zhiyi was almost at the palace gate.
Outside the Taiji Palace, Xu Asheng wondered if he had misheard due to his age: "She said she wanted to stay somewhere temporarily?"
"Lingwei Mountain Villa".
Xu Asheng muttered to himself, "Could I be mistaken? Isn't Lingwei Mountain a royal mountain?" He looked at Xu Zhiyi, then hesitated, "You... never mind, just tell the Emperor Emeritus the truth."
Xu Zhiyi bowed his head and agreed.
It was two days later when Xu Zhiyi went to Baifu Hall to report back.
After finishing her breakfast, the Empress Dowager also came to Baifu Hall. Upon seeing Xu Zhiyi, she smiled and asked about the Prince of Jin's residence.
Xu Zhiyi repeated what he had said to Xu Asheng.
The Emperor Emeritus remained silent after listening, while the Empress Dowager asked curiously, "Isn't Lingwei Mountain a royal villa? Wasn't Aunt Changguang's birthday celebration held there a few years ago?"
"It used to be so." The Emperor Emeritus spoke slowly and coldly. "When Eleventh Son was thirteen, Father held a horsemanship and archery test at Lingwei Mountain, and Eleventh Son came out on top. Father was overjoyed and immediately bestowed Lingwei Mountain upon him."
"When the eleventh prince was in the capital, the imperial relatives and friends continued to visit the mountains as usual. After the eleventh prince left the capital, Lingwei Mountain was no longer used as a royal villa. Aunt Changguang liked the greenhouse on Lingwei Mountain, so she asked my father to write to the eleventh prince to borrow it."
The Emperor Emeritus looked at Yu Chaorong, who was standing to one side: "I remember that when I replied to the letter on the eleventh, I sent back the contract from Lingwei Mountain as well. Is that true?"
Before Yu Chaorong could answer, he continued, "Eleven said that Lingwei Mountain was originally a royal hunting ground, but because he neglected it, he felt uneasy and asked Father to withdraw the reward. Ha, it's only because of Eleven. If anyone else had said such a thing, Father would have been furious."
Neither Yu Chaorong nor Xu Zhiyi dared to speak, and the Empress Dowager was at a loss for words. The Baifu Hall was so quiet that even the air seemed to freeze.
The retired emperor grieved for a while before continuing, "She doesn't have that good fortune. The contract was sent back to Jin by her father, but Eleventh Prince refused to accept it and returned it to the palace. It's probably being held up by some old edict now."
Xu Zhiyi listened from below, increasingly alarmed. Thinking about what he had discovered in the past two days, he secretly cursed the Princess Consort of Jin for really stirring up trouble. He wished he had spoken frankly that day, so that the Princess Consort of Jin wouldn't have said anything that would displease the Emperor.
Just then, a voice drifted into my ear: "What do you think of Qin An?"
Xu Zhiyi was suddenly asked about something unrelated and didn't know whether to praise or scold him, so he could only choose some ambiguous words: "Qin An is cautious and meticulous in his actions."
The Emperor Emeritus was not satisfied with this answer: "To say he is sharp and intelligent is somewhat accurate. But meticulous in his actions? Hmph, with his lazy and impulsive nature, when has he ever been meticulous? He's young but has a big temper. When provoked, he even dares to call Eleventh Brother by his name, simply because Eleventh Brother protects him. If it were anyone else, he would be beaten to death. What did he say to Qin An a few days ago?"
Xu Zhiyi was surprised that the Emperor Emeritus was so familiar with Qin An, and upon hearing Qin An's bold act of addressing the prince by his name, he felt even more confused about his understanding of this young and handsome minister of the Prince of Jin.
I had thought Qin An was one of the few intelligent and steady people in the Prince of Jin's mansion, but now it seems that the word "shrewdness" is hardly associated with the Prince of Jin's mansion.
Xu Zhiyi chuckled at Qin An in his heart, but didn't forget to respond to His Majesty aloud: "We talked about some things from the princess's childhood. Qin An said that the princess really liked to cling to Prince Jin, and every time she saw Prince Jin, she would lie on him and refuse to get down."
"When the princess first learned to use a spoon, she refused to eat properly, but with the Prince of Jin's coaxing, she would eat a few more bites. It is also said that the princess was very bold when she was a child. When she saw Lueying, she would point at her and say 'horse,' and she would ask the Prince of Jin to carry her and ride her."
Xu Zhiyi talked about bits and pieces of trivial matters for almost half an hour while he was thinking.
The retired emperor listened in silence until Xu Zhiyi stopped, at which point he asked, "Anything else?"
Xu Zhiyi thought for a moment, and since he should have remembered everything he had said to Qin An, he replied that there was nothing more.
The Emperor Emeritus scoffed, "You spent a whole day at the Prince of Jin's residence, and only came back to report two or three days later, and that's all?"
The Emperor Emeritus's words sent a chill down Xu Zhiyi's spine. There were some things the Emperor hadn't said, and Xu Zhiyi didn't know whether he should tell the Emperor Emeritus.
Remembering his adoptive father's instructions to "answer whatever is asked," he had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell the whole story: the princess's attitude toward the princess and Qin An, how the people around the princess were wary of Qin An, Cui Dianbu's complaint, and what the Bad People had found.
Xu Zhiyi had barely finished speaking when a voice came from above: "What did the Emperor say?"
Xu Zhiyi swallowed hard before replying, "His Majesty only asked about the princess's recent condition; he did not inquire about anything else."
The retired emperor's tone carried a hint of mockery: "Didn't you ask Qin An?"
Xu Zhiyi hurriedly replied, "No." The Emperor had indeed only asked about the princess's illness; whether his adoptive father had reported other matters to the Emperor was not something he should know.
Xu Zhiyi waited anxiously. After thinking for a long time, the Emperor Emeritus spoke to the Empress Dowager: "There is no rule in the imperial family that forces people to observe mourning. She can go home or remarry as she pleases. But Yong'an is still ill, and she is in a hurry to leave the mansion."
The Emperor Emeritus paused, his tone already showing anger, "After all, she is Yong'an's birth mother. If Yong'an doesn't say anything, I won't bother arguing with her either. But you've heard it yourself, time and time again, she's even taken away and ruined Xiao Shiyi's belongings. What exactly does she take Xiao Shiyi for?"
Seeing that the Emperor Emeritus was getting more and more agitated, the Empress Dowager reached out and gently patted his shoulder, wanting to say a few words of comfort.
The retired emperor waved his hand, indicating to the retired empress dowager that there was no need to say more, and then turned to instruct Yu Chaorong: "Go and draft the edict. Since she wants to leave, I will grant her wish."
Xu Zhiyi respectfully accepted the edict from the Emperor Emeritus and the decree from the Empress Dowager. Just as he was about to leave, the Emperor Emeritus called out to him, "Now that Lueying is here, go and tell the Imperial Stud to select a suitable mare and a foal. Yong'an is old enough to learn to ride a horse."
Just as Xu Zhiyi was about to agree, the retired emperor said again, "Tell the emperor to stop keeping an eye on Qin An; it's unnecessary."
Xu Zhiyi presented the two edicts to the emperor, and with the determination to risk his life today, he managed to relay the last words of the retired emperor, only to find that the emperor did not seem to care.
After reading the two edicts, the emperor picked up his pen and wrote on the paper he had prepared beforehand for a moment. He then tossed the paper to Xu Asheng to have his subordinates draft it. He casually said to Xu Zhiyi, "After the subordinates have discussed it, you go and announce these three edicts. Also, go and tell Gan Yizhang to remove the spies from Jiuru Village and to send that Clerk Cui back to the palace."
"Since Father has said so, if I don't give Qin An some peace and quiet, it would seem that I am unrighteous."
Xu Zhiyi didn't dare to even answer, and could only kowtow and accept the order.
On the day the first snow fell, three imperial edicts were delivered to Jiuru Lane in the cold wind, alarming all the powerful and influential people in the capital.
"The Emperor Emeritus decrees that the daughter of the He family in Jiangning has neither the virtue of the poem 'Guanju' nor the fortune of being careful in self-cultivation. She cannot be entrusted with the care of a young orphan. Therefore, her clan registration is hereby revoked, her ceremonial titles are revoked, her dowry is returned, and she is ordered to return home."
"The Empress Dowager decrees: He Yujing, the daughter of the He family, has disobeyed the imperial edict and shown disrespect to the imperial clan. She is hereby ordered to return home. From now on, she shall not mention the name of the Prince of Jin, nor shall she be related to the Princess. Each shall return to their own path and have no further contact with the other."
"Your Highness, Princess Yong'an, with her silver hairpin and golden hair, possesses the wisdom and grace of a virtuous and gentle woman. She is a blessing from the north and a model of virtue from the south. Although she is still a child, she is already dignified and composed. I cherish her heroic spirit and pity her frail nature, so I grant her an additional fief of three thousand households and change the Prince of Jin's residence to the Princess's residence. All her rites, music, and clothing shall be the same as those of a princess."
A note from the author:
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