Xia Qu’s tactful refusal made Yu Xingchen stand up abruptly, tears still welling in her eyes.
She waved her hand, dismissing everyone, then simply stood there looking at Xia Qu with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
Xia Qu remained unmoved. “What is it? Is the lamb too spicy, or is the wine too strong? It’s made you cry.”
“No!” Yu Xingchen retorted. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t.”
Xia Qu calmly took a bite of lamb. It was actually quite delicious.
Seeing her nonchalant attitude, a surge of anger rose in Yu Xingchen’s heart. She wanted to turn and leave, but she sat back down.
The greatest hardship she had ever endured in her life was during her first few days in the capital, when she was enveloped by the fear of death every day until she began cooperating with Her Majesty.
She was only fourteen or fifteen at the time, yet she made the most correct choice of her life. After that, she never suffered any real hardship again.
If she had to name something, it would be the time she spent training under Xia Qu. But that was, at most, physical hardship; her heart had been filled with sweetness. Though she had become accomplished in her studies, she had never truly suffered or endured great torment. And at home, she had a doting mother.
Yu Xingchen had not been spoiled. On the contrary, she studied diligently and excelled in all her subjects, especially military command and martial arts. At first, she hadn’t dared to show her talent. As a member of the imperial clan, she was supposed to stay far away from military power.
Later, Sister Chi Wan noticed her situation and had a talk with her, saying, “Her Majesty will be no ordinary enlightened ruler; she will be an emperor for the ages. High merit? Imperial clan? As long as someone is capable, Her Majesty will never be stingy with her trust.”
“A qualified sovereign is never afraid of a subject whose achievements might outshine their own, and no one’s merits will ever surpass hers.”
As an emperor, Yu Jiuzhou’s accomplishments in just a few short years had already surpassed those of ninety percent of past rulers. They were still young, and the officials of Great Zhou would also become progressively younger. With a healthy court environment, the future generations would only get better and better.
Together, they would create a golden age for Great Zhou. They never believed that a talented person should be afraid to display their abilities; rather, they believed a talented person should showcase their skills without hesitation.
It was normal for Yu Xingchen, as a member of the imperial clan, to be afraid of showing her talent, but it was unnecessary in the Zhengtong era.
After that, she stopped hiding her abilities and truly achieved results, proving her worth as Yu Xingchen, not just as the Prince of Shunchéng.
It could be said that she had been earnest and successful in everything she did in her life, and had never tasted failure.
But Xia Qu, without saying a word, had shattered her pride with just a leg of lamb. She knew Xia Qu was telling her that they were not suitable for each other.
It wasn’t a direct rejection; she hadn’t even been given a chance to speak.
Yu Xingchen took a deep breath and finally said the words. Otherwise, she would never be at peace. “You know I like you, don’t you?”
She was certain, stating it as a fact rather than a question.
Xia Qu’s hand, holding the lamb leg, paused. She set it down and washed her hands in the basin of water beside her. She even took the time to lather them with soap, carefully scrubbing away the grease.
Only after she had finished did she walk over to Yu Xingchen. By now, Yu Xingchen had calmed down and was staring intently into her eyes, waiting for an answer.
Xia Qu smiled. “I know.”
“Then you…”
Just as Yu Xingchen was about to speak, Xia Qu raised a hand to stop her. “Many people like me. Many people want to marry me to gain my support. So what?”
Indeed, so what?
Xia Qu was a countess and the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard. She held a hereditary title and was a high-ranking official close to the throne. Countless people wanted to marry her.
Her title was inheritable; any child she had in the future could inherit it.
By any calculation, the benefits of marrying Xia Qu were immense. Some families would even be willing to have a secondary Qian Yuan son marry into her household. Who could say what the future held?
Just as Xia Qu said, many people wanted to marry her.
Like? Plenty of people liked her. Was she supposed to respond to every single one of them?
Yu Xingchen lowered her head in sorrow. Just as Xia Qu thought she had given up, she heard her pleading voice, “Can you give me a chance?”
She just wanted a chance, a chance to pursue her openly, instead of silently following her, having no opportunity at all, forever confined to the role of a friend.
Before, she might have thought that if she made things clear, they couldn’t even be friends. She also thought that the four attendants—Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying—might never marry, that they would stay by Her Majesty’s side forever. But Chun Gui’s wedding had shown her that they could marry. If that was the case, why shouldn’t she make a move?
Even if it came to nothing, at least Xia Qu would know her feelings. She didn’t want to let it go like this, without even trying, and then miss her chance. She would regret it for the rest of her life.
No matter what, she had to try. Just one chance.
Xia Qu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Does the Old Princess Consort know what you’re saying?”
Yu Xingchen was confused. “What does this have to do with my mother?”
“Of course it has to do with her. The Old Princess Consort often goes to see Her Majesty, hoping Her Majesty will arrange a marriage for you. She wants to find you someone gentle, virtuous, and capable of managing the inner residence of your estate, so you won’t have to worry about such matters. Do you think I fit that description?”
She was a general, the kind who could be sent to the battlefield at a moment’s notice. She spent her days training troops; she would never be confined to the inner residence.
She had trained Yu Xingchen herself and knew her well. The girl was talented, a promising seedling. In the Anbei campaign, she had earned great merit, more than many other generals, and had established a firm foothold in the army.
From what she understood of Her Majesty’s and Her Highness’s intentions, with Yu Xingchen’s merits and her status as a prince, it would be no problem for her to become a regional commander in the Anbei border towns in the future. They had only held back from suggesting it out of consideration for the Old Princess Consort.
During the Shengyuan era, when Yu Xingchen was summoned to the capital alone, the Old Princess Consort had spent her days and nights sleepless with worry, eventually falling gravely ill. Her health had been frail ever since, and she would fall sick with minor ailments every few days.
However, although the Old Princess Consort was often ill, the imperial physicians had diagnosed that as long as she slept more and worried less, she could live a long life.
Conversely, if she slept little and worried much, her life would be shortened.
In an age where people were betrothed at fifteen or sixteen and married by eighteen, being twenty-six or twenty-seven was considered quite old. For the Old Princess Consort, her greatest dream in life was for her daughter to find a partner.
But Yu Xingchen remained unmarried and had even gone to the battlefield, which nearly scared the Old Princess Consort to death. After she returned, her mother began arranging marriage prospects for her. She didn’t force the issue, so Yu Xingchen would escape whenever she could. When she couldn’t, she would obediently kneel and admit her fault, promising to cooperate.
So Xia Qu had a point. The person she loved was the invincible Xia Qu on the battlefield, the high-spirited Xia Qu on the training grounds, the independent Xia Qu.
Was she supposed to marry Xia Qu only to make her the mistress of the inner residence?
She herself had no problem with it, but what about her mother?
Seeing Yu Xingchen’s silence, Xia Qu smiled. “See? We’re not suitable.”
She would never give up her career for love.
Xia Qu waved a hand, calling a cook over. “Help me pack up these dishes. I’m taking them with me.”
Then she smiled at Yu Xingchen again. “I’ll treat Her Highness to a meal another day, along with Chun Gui and the others.”
With so much good food, the children were in for a treat.
The children at the Great Zhou orphan camp ate reasonably well, but they didn’t get to eat meat often, especially lamb from Anbei. The children had never tried it before.
She also took the lamb leg she had been gnawing on, wrapping it in oil paper. She ate as she walked, and by the time she finished the lamb and the wine at her waist, she was swaying as she arrived at the orphan camp.
Seeing her, the children all crowded around. “Sister Xia Qu!”
“Sister Xia Qu is here!”
“What’s that? It smells so good!”
Xia Qu smiled and pinched the cheek of a little girl beside her. “You have the sharpest nose. It’s lamb. Go ask Auntie to help you slice it up and put it in some steamed buns.”
The head matron of the camp came out. “You, the children have already had dinner.”
“They can have it as a late-night snack.”
Xia Qu chuckled, setting down the packed food. She swayed as she walked.
The matron’s eyes widened. “Why did you drink so much?”
Given Xia Qu’s tolerance, how much must she have drunk to get into this state?
The matron quickly supported her. “Come on, I’ll help you to your room to rest.”
Xia Qu obediently followed the matron. When they reached the room, the matron pushed her down onto the bed.
“Sleep. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow.”
Xia Qu was drunk, but her mind was still relatively clear, so she obediently did as she was told.
Meanwhile, Yu Xingchen returned to her residence, utterly dejected. As soon as she entered, someone approached her. “Your Highness, the Princess Consort is waiting for you.”
She nodded and walked toward the Old Princess Consort’s quarters.
Seeing her, the Old Princess Consort’s face lit up with joy, but it quickly turned grim. “Xingchen, why are you back so late? I had someone ask at the yamen, and they said you weren’t on duty today.”
Yu Xingchen bowed. “Is there something important, Mother?”
“Of course there is. The daughter of the Wang family from south of the capital. She’s eighteen this year, a very beautiful child. Gentle, virtuous, and from a good family. She’s perfect to be the main wife, your Princess of Shunchéng.”
As the Old Princess Consort spoke, there was little joy in her tone, just a slight raising of her voice. Over the years, how many marriage prospects had she found for her daughter, and what had come of them?
But today, she would absolutely not let her daughter escape again. She had to get married.
Hearing the words “gentle and virtuous, suitable to be the main wife,” Yu Xingchen couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“Mother! I’m almost ten years older than her.”
“I know, but those your age are either already married or widowed. There are also some divorced Kun Ze, but how could they be worthy of you?”
Yu Xingchen looked at her mother, feeling increasingly powerless. Then, remembering Xia Qu’s words, she immediately straightened her back. “I don’t like people younger than me.”
Resisting was useless. It was better to take the initiative and slowly reveal her ideal type to her mother.
The Old Princess Consort was speechless. “?”
“Older than you and unmarried… where am I supposed to find someone like that? Do you want a widow?”
Yu Xingchen was unmoved. “No.”
The Old Princess Consort understood. Her daughter liked someone older, unmarried, and not a widow.
“You’re just making excuses to avoid getting married, aren’t you?”
Over the years, she had arranged so many meetings for her daughter to get married. She had even sent many maids to her daughter’s room, only for them to be sent back. Her daughter had even run away, eventually going to fight in Anbei. Otherwise, she would have hired a matchmaker, proposed, and had the person married into the family.
With the command of a parent and the word of a matchmaker, if she agreed and the wedding was held, her daughter would be ruining a life if she drove the person away.
But her daughter was strong-willed. If she could run off to war, what else was she not capable of?
Therefore, when her daughter said she wanted to marry someone older, she wasn’t particularly angry. As long as she wanted to get married, it was a good thing. They could discuss who she would marry later.
Yu Xingchen looked up. “Didn’t you want me to get married, Mother? If so, why aren’t you willing to find someone I like?”
It was a valid point. For a moment, the Old Princess Consort didn’t know what to say. But she still felt that this was just her daughter creating difficulties for her to avoid marriage.
“Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll go and inquire which of the great noble houses has an older, unmarried daughter. If you refuse again then, I’ll go propose to them directly. Don’t blame me for not telling you in advance.”
The Old Princess Consort waved her hand. “Your mother passed away early. In this vast residence, there’s only the two of us. Isn’t it lonely? If you don’t marry soon, when I die, I’ll have no face to see your mother in the afterlife.”
Yu Xingchen was silent.
“If Mother finds the residence too empty, I’ll have more people hired in a couple of days. However, according to the regulations for a prince, the number of servants in the residence is limited.”
The new laws of Great Zhou had redefined the regulations for nobles and officials. For example, a minor seventh-rank official could only have five servants in their household. Not having to support too many people was also a way to prevent corruption as much as possible.
After all, many people liked to compete. Among officials of the same rank, some might have dozens of servants while others had only a few. People would mock the latter for being poor. What could they do if they didn’t have money? Not everyone was born into a wealthy family, so the only option was to become corrupt.
Clothes, shoes, sedan chairs, the tea they drank, their houses, and the servants who attended them—all required money.
After the regulations were changed, the number of people in the Prince of Shunchéng’s Residence was reduced to a few hundred, far fewer than the thousands before. The residence felt much quieter, but it was enough as long as there were sufficient people. The Prince of Shunchéng’s Residence wasn’t particularly large. The grand mansions in the capital, like those of the three former princes, had been converted into government offices. With so many new departments being established, they needed the space.
The Prince of Shunchéng’s Residence was neither large nor small, but a few hundred people were enough.
When Yu Xingchen said this, the Old Princess Consort felt she had given birth to an unlucky child. Why was she so difficult to manage?
“The imperial physician said that if I don’t get angry, I can live a few more years. But with you, this is no good, that is no good… Hmph, sooner or later, you’ll be the death of me.”
The Old Princess Consort’s words were met with only silence.
Yu Xingchen didn’t quite understand. Was marriage really that important? So important that it could anger someone to death?
But if she told her mother who she wanted to marry, her mother would surely disagree.
For a fleeting moment, she had the impulse to say that the person she wanted to marry was Xia Qu. But even if her mother temporarily agreed, and even if she could marry Xia Qu, she feared they would never be able to get along in the future.
Xia Qu was right. If she couldn’t marry according to her mother’s wishes, even if she did get married, the residence would likely know no peace.
No matter who she wanted to marry, she had to get past her mother first.
This time, she didn’t make an excuse to slip away. Instead, she said seriously, “I will state my requirements. If Mother finds someone who meets them, I will marry.”
The Old Princess Consort was taken aback. She put away her sorrowful expression. “Speak.”
“I like someone older than me, who is good-looking. Not the frail type who looks like they might fall over after three steps. Preferably someone reasonable, who doesn’t cry all the time, like Mother…”
The Old Princess Consort grew furious. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Xingchen cut her off. “Her family background shouldn’t be too good. It would be best if she is an official herself. Now that Great Zhou encourages Kun Ze to step out of the inner residence, I hope my future wife won’t be like the Kun Ze of the past, trapped in the inner quarters. I don’t like that type.”
Having said this, Yu Xingchen nearly slapped herself. In order to make her description less obvious, she was saying all sorts of things.
Her mother liked an obedient and capable mistress for the inner residence, a virtuous main wife. Before she could say Xia Qu’s name, she had to get her mother to accept her ideal type first.
As expected, the Old Princess Consort was furious. “Get out.”
Yu Xingchen left without hesitation. She had said what needed to be said. If her mother didn’t agree, then they would remain at a stalemate.
A few days later, the Old Princess Consort finally realized something was amiss. She turned to her confidante and asked, “Tell me, do you think Xingchen already has someone she likes? Is that why she spoke to me like that?”
In the past few days, she had searched according to Yu Xingchen’s requirements. Older and unmarried Kun Ze usually had a reason for being unmarried. Besides, finding someone who met every single condition was simply impossible.
She felt that either her daughter had deliberately said those things to shut her up, or there was indeed such a person whom her daughter deeply admired.
Whatever the case, she would not allow Yu Xingchen to continue like this.
So, she had Yu Xingchen summoned and asked directly, “Tell me who you like. If you tell me, as long as she is suitable, I will go and propose marriage for you.”
Yu Xingchen almost blurted out Xia Qu’s name, but then she thought, Wait, it’s only been a few days. How could Mother know?
Let alone her mother, probably very few people knew she liked Xia Qu. If her mother knew, she would have said the name directly.
If she didn’t know, then she was just guessing who it might be. This was a test.
Yu Xingchen lowered her eyes. “Didn’t I make it clear to you last time, Mother? As long as you find a suitable person, I will certainly marry.”
The Old Princess Consort looked her up and down, feeling that something was not right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Another month passed, and the Old Princess Consort finally compiled a list of candidates who met the requirements.
She turned to her confidante. “Listen to this. Do these people fit?”
“Lin Qianduo, Chen Jin, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, Dong Ying, Zheng Yi, Dong Zhilan…”
Something wasn’t right. They were all close officials to Her Majesty. If her daughter liked one of them, which one was it? Or had she spent so much time with them that she had developed a certain type?
“Lin Qianduo, from a merchant family. She stinks of money. Unacceptable.”
“Chen Jin, she’s currently posted outside the capital, and her background is common.”
“Xia Qu, a martial general. Even though she has a title, can it compare to our princely residence? Wielding swords and spears all day, not ladylike at all. No, absolutely not.”
“Qiu Lai is alright. She’s a physician. Although physicians are of a lower class, she’s much better than the ones above.”
“Dong Ying… forget it.”
“Zheng Yi comes from a family of imperial physicians, but I hear she’s been unconventional since she was a child. Also unacceptable.”
“Dong Zhilan’s background is good, but she’s the only one left in the Dong family. Her father was a traitor. It was Her Majesty’s mercy to spare her. Our Prince of Shunchéng’s Residence absolutely cannot get involved.”
The Old Princess Consort muttered over the names on the list. They fit her daughter’s preferences, but she disliked all of them.
The confidante beside her hesitated for a long time before saying, “Your Ladyship, these are all high-ranking officials. This servant is afraid it’s not proper to speak of them this way.”
“What’s there to be afraid of? This is our own residence.”
“Does being in our own residence give us the right to gossip about others like this?”
Yu Xingchen strode in. “I heard everything you just said, Mother. Many of those officials are my friends. They have done so much for the country and its people, yet now they are being picked over and judged. It’s truly laughable.”
She began to regret it. She had said those things thinking she was trying to win her mother’s approval, but hearing her mother pick apart these people, she suddenly felt she had been terribly wrong.
They were all outstanding Kun Ze, outstanding officials. On what grounds could her mother say this one was no good and that one was unacceptable?
“Mother, you say their backgrounds are not good enough, but they themselves are high officials. Your daughter only has her position because of the Yu surname. In terms of official rank, every single one of them is higher than me. If anything, it is your daughter who is not worthy of them, not the other way around.”
Yu Xingchen was furious. It was so difficult to change a person’s mindset. Take Xia Qu, for example. She already held a title, yet in her mother’s mouth, she was still not good enough. It was unacceptable.
Yu Xingchen knelt down directly. “Mother, your daughter is unfilial. Tomorrow, I will request Her Majesty to send me to the Anbei border to guard the frontier. It may be for five years, it may be for ten. I will no longer marry.”
She knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times, so hard that her forehead broke and bled.
The Old Princess Consort was so angry she clutched her heart, pointing at her, unable to speak for a long time, clearly overcome with rage.
She knew it wasn’t right to speak about people behind their backs, but she was in her own home, so what did it matter? Who knew her daughter would hear and rush in to say such things.
It was the old maidservant who shouted, “Quickly, summon the imperial physician!”
Yu Xingchen quickly stood up, took the Old Princess Consort’s wrist to check her pulse. She knew some basic medicine and could at least see what was wrong with her mother.
Then, she remembered something. “The silver needle! Bring it quickly!”
Sister Chi Wan’s medical books stated that if a patient experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms similar to a heart attack, one could use a silver needle to prick a finger. Which finger was it again?
Yu Xingchen simply used the silver needle to prick all ten of the Old Princess Consort’s fingers. As the blood flowed out, her mother’s complexion improved significantly.
When the imperial physician arrived and saw so much blood, with even the Prince of Shunchéng splattered with it, his heart nearly skipped a beat in fright.
Fortunately, he saw it was just blood from her fingers and felt relieved. But when he saw that all ten of the Old Princess Consort’s fingers had been pricked, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch a couple of times.
After the imperial physician’s diagnosis, it was determined that the Old Princess Consort was fine; she had just been overcome by a fit of anger.
Yu Xingchen sat beside her, watching her mother turn her back, unwilling to acknowledge her. A sharp pain shot through her heart.
Xia Qu had been right about everything. The chance she had wanted was a joke. If Xia Qu had really given her a chance, who knows what she would have had to endure.
Now that the conflict was confined to just her and her mother, it was best to let the matter drop. Why did she have to drag Xia Qu into this muddy water? That wasn’t loving her; it was harming her.
Yu Xingchen sat silently in the chair. She said nothing, not knowing what to say. She had originally thought her mother was open-minded and had never considered that she would disagree.
If that was the case, then she would remain alone for the rest of her life. In the future, after seeing her mother off, she would travel to the distant border and become a soldier guarding the land. Perhaps that would be a good thing too.
She and Xia Qu were fated to meet but not to be together. She could only wish her happiness and fulfillment.
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