Chapter Fifty-Five
It was an old custom not to discuss marriages during the first month of the lunar calendar. After the Dragon Boat Festival, Qi Xiao personally brought Bai Ren to the Princess's residence to discuss the wedding arrangements with Princess Dunsu and He Zichen's mother.
When Qi Xiao and Bai Ren arrived, Princess Dunsu and Lady He were sitting on the kang inside, playing bone divination cards. Upon seeing Qi Xiao, Princess Dunsu immediately smiled and called him to her side, saying: "This is Zichen's mother—you met her when you were young, do you remember?"
Qi Xiao smiled and nodded. "Good day, Lady He." Lady He quickly put down her cards and bowed her head. "Good day, Your Highness."
Bai Ren greeted Lady He in the same manner as Qi Xiao. After the formal introductions, they took their seats in order. While ordering the servants to clear the kang table, Princess Dunsu had tea and pastries brought in, smiling: "We'll all be family soon, no need to stand on ceremony. Today we won't discuss anything too pressing—merely settling on a date. Bring me the birth horoscopes from both families, and I'll have them sent to a master for comparison. If there are no issues, we can discuss the details below."
In front of all these people, Lady He naturally had nothing to say, deferring to Princess Dunsu in all matters. Seeing that Lady He had no opinions either, Princess Dunsu smiled and said: "Then I'll take the liberty... In my opinion, April or May would be suitable. First, the residence there is nearly finished renovating—once the furniture is moved in, it will be ready to live in. Second, Zichen is no longer young. You may not be in a hurry, but we old folks are very eager to hold grandchildren."
Lady He smiled hastily. "Yes, yes..."
Everyone looked at Bai Ren. Bai Ren pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, then smiled: "I'm afraid we cannot rush this... Roujia's dowry hasn't been fully prepared yet. These things take time to organize, so it may delay things."
Bai Ren glanced at Qi Xiao, who understood immediately. He set down his teacup and smiled: "What's there to worry about? Just tell me what's lacking. If your family can't manage it, I'll help take care of it."
Bai Ren was from the bride's side, so naturally he had to make a show of declining out of propriety. But truthfully, both Bai Ren and Qi Xiao hoped the wedding could be held sooner rather than later. After all, there were still two scheming wolves lurking in the Lingnan Prince's mansion. Only by seeing Roujia safely married off could Bai Ren truly relax and focus on dealing with those two.
Princess Dunsu nodded and smiled: "Exactly. If you ask me, April is most suitable. Any later... the weather will be getting hot, and Roujia would suffer during the grand wedding. Better to do it in spring—the weather is neither cold nor hot, and the omens are better. I know you must be reluctant to part with your sister..." Princess Dunsu turned to Lady He, shaking her head with a smile: "Don't take offense, young master. Roujia is truly a wonderful girl. She stayed here for a few days, and everyone in the household adored her. So gentle and kind, so noble in bearing, yet without a shred of airs. She treats everyone warmly. My two daughters adore her. A few days ago when young master came to fetch her, they refused to let her leave no matter what..."
Taking advantage of Roujia's stay at the Princess's residence, Lady He had already met with Roujia several times. Before they met, both had been secretly nervous. Lady He was always worried she wouldn't be able to win over this noble princess daughter-in-law. Roujia, having heard too many stories about strict mothers-in-law, feared she wouldn't be able to please her future mother-in-law. It wasn't until they actually met that all worries vanished. Both had gentle dispositions and got along well. Roujia felt relieved, and Lady He was thoroughly pleased.
"A young lady as exceptional as the Princess—not wanting to let her go is only natural." Speaking of Roujia, Lady He's smile deepened several degrees. She looked at Bai Ren: "After the marriage, whenever young master misses the Princess, feel free to visit anytime. My son also admires young master's character and virtue greatly. Moreover, that residence isn't far from the Lingnan Prince's mansion. If young master doesn't mind, occasionally staying over would be perfectly fine."
Seeing Lady He so kind and benevolent put Bai Ren's heart at ease. He smiled hastily: "I wouldn't dare. Since both Your Highness, His Highness, and Lady have spoken thus... I have nothing to object to."
Princess Dunsu smiled and nodded: "My sister-in-law is the kindest soul. She treats your sister like her own daughter. You can rest easy. Since everyone agrees, let's first set the date for the minor betrothal ceremony. I sent someone to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau yesterday, and they provided two dates—please have a look..."
The Princess's trusted maid brought out two large red double-happiness notes. She first presented them to Bai Ren. Qi Xiao leaned over to glance at them and said: "February sixteenth—this is excellent."
Lady He had already seen them earlier and smiled too: "Yes. Although March sixth is also a good date, it's a bit late. After the minor betrothal there are still many preparations to make. Rushing would be improper."
Bai Ren deferred to Qi Xiao's judgment and nodded. Princess Dunsu picked up the note and smiled: "Then it's settled."
It was already the hour of the Dog when they left the Princess's residence. Qi Xiao lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the sky. "It's getting late. Let's go to my place."
Roujia was still at the Princess's residence. Only Wen Yu and Kang Tai were at the Lingnan Prince's mansion, so Bai Ren had no desire to return. He nodded with a smile: "Mm."
Qi Xiao chuckled lightly, pulling Bai Ren down to rest his head on his lap. "Should I be thanking them? Before, I always had to ask you three or four times before you'd come over. Now that they're here, my place has become a safe haven."
Bai Ren gave a bitter smile. "If you really want to thank them, Wen Yu will probably be delighted. He's been wanting to get on your good side for ages. Now... he curries favor with everyone. People of our status can't freely befriend powerful nobles in the capital. The Emperor hasn't said anything, so Wen Yu has become emboldened, thinking there's no problem. But he doesn't realize he could face consequences someday."
Qi Xiao asked: "What about Kang Tai?"
Bai Ren shook his head. "She's been fine, actually. Since you taught her that lesson last time, she's been much quieter. Every day she does needlework in her courtyard. When Roujia went back to stay for a few days, she did visit Roujia's courtyard frequently. I was uneasy and kept watch, but she didn't do anything wrong—just asked about this family and that family in the capital. She's a young lady who never goes out. Since coming here, no one has introduced her to anyone, so she can't visit anywhere. I really don't understand why she came all this way."
Qi Xiao sneered. "What else could it be? She's not young anymore. People grow ambitious with age—she's probably trying to scheme for her future."
Bai Ren frowned. "That seems unlikely. She never steps outside the gate, never goes anywhere. Even if she had such thoughts, what could she possibly do?"
Qi Xiao smiled faintly. "We'll see... Enough, let's not talk about these troublesome people. What would you like for dinner?"
Bai Ren pressed his lips together. "Eight-treasure duck, white jade tofu. What would His Highness like to eat?" Qi Xiao laughed softly: "I want to eat you..."
"Wait... you mean to say the young master and the second young master of their residence aren't on good terms?" A flash of something crossed Empress Feng's heart. She gripped her silk handkerchief tightly, hesitating: "What did the Emperor say? Wen Yu is so openly befriending officials... Did the Emperor not say anything about this?"
Empress Feng's trusted palace maid shook her head, lowering her voice: "This servant is certain His Majesty knows. But throughout, His Majesty hasn't uttered a single word. Every time the second young master comes to the palace to pay respects, His Majesty still bestows gifts upon him and jokes with him. It appears... not the slightest bit of displeasure."
Empress Feng's heart stirred. She hesitated, then asked: "What about Princess Kang Tai? Now that Roujia is preparing for her wedding, how is she?"
The trusted maid was puzzled. "What else? She just stays in the residence. Occasionally when some noble lady invites the Lingnan Prince's Princess to view flowers or taste tea, she tags along. That's about it."
Empress Feng's mind began to work. Since the incident on New Year's Eve, she had completely lost the Emperor's favor and had yet to recover. In the past, with her grandfather interceding for her before the Emperor, He might have overlooked some displeasure for the Feng family's sake. But now, because she had brought shame upon her own family, the Emperor had grown suspicious of the entire Feng clan. Her father now made mistakes with every word he spoke—one misstep had cost her support in both the inner and outer courts.
With herself out of favor and her family losing influence,祁 Hua had not a shred of hope left. Empress Feng had schemed for her son for many years—how could she resign herself to this? For the past month, she had been anxious, desperate to find a solution. But she had never been good at scheming. After days of anxious deliberation, only today had she begun to form some ideas.
"Tell me..." Empress Feng unconsciously lowered her voice, speaking slowly: "Could it be that the Emperor has long been dissatisfied with how close Bai Ren and the Crown Prince have become, and therefore specially favored Wen Yu? In the Lingnan Prince's mansion, there are only these two adult sons. If one side grows too powerful, that's not what the Emperor wants to see. So... he's deliberately condoning Wen Yu."
The trusted maid frowned, lowering her voice: "But... this doesn't add up. The young master was already at a disadvantage, sent here as a hostage. And the Lingnan Prince has never favored him. There's really no need for the Emperor to go out of his way to suppress him..."
Empress Feng had finally found a chance to regain her footing. How could she listen to such objections? She impatiently waved her hand: "You don't understand... Roujia has攀上 the He family, and Bai Ren benefits from it. This must be the Emperor's intention... Yes, I'm not wrong this time. As long as I follow the Emperor's will and make use of their connections, my son and I can naturally turn our fortunes around..."
The trusted maid tried to advise further, but Empress Feng waved her off: "There's no need for more words. I have my own judgment in my heart. Go... send an invitation to the Lingnan Prince's mansion. Tell them the spring flowers in my palace are blooming, and invite the two Princesses to come view them. If Roujia is busy with wedding preparations and cannot come... it's also acceptable to invite Princess Kang Tai alone."
Ever since the incident, Empress Feng's temperament had worsened considerably. She flew into rages at the slightest provocation. The maids around her had been beaten and scolded so often that they no longer dared speak what should be spoken or advise what should be advised. All she could do was comply and leave.