Chapter 16 (Slightly Revised)
After a whole night of fiddling with the fine iron slingshot, Pei Xian finally secured it.
“This slingshot is a relic from the late emperor. Princess, rest assured, I will find a safe place to keep it. When the princess leaves the palace to establish her household, it will be returned in its original form.”
The distant sound of patrol drums echoed into the deep night.
In the brightly lit main hall, Jiang Luan yawned and wiped away the sleepy tears at the corner of her eye. “Two days in a row, the lectures lasted until the middle of the night. I’m still growing, and if I don’t get enough sleep, how am I supposed to grow taller?”
Pei Xian leaned back, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the wooden chair, smiling softly. “My days are filled with complicated affairs, so I wouldn’t trouble the princess unnecessarily. Because of the commotion at Linfeng Hall, I could only visit at night. Please forgive me for that. It’s late, so I’ll be brief.”
He shifted the topic. “I just met Her Majesty the Empress Dowager at the Liangyi Hall. Regarding the princess, she emphasized two matters.”
“The first is that as long as Princess Hanyang remains in the palace, she must spend each day praying and copying sutras to cultivate the saint’s virtue. The second is that this year the princess will establish her household and be formally married off.”
The first matter was not unusual, but the phrase “formally married off this year” startled everyone present. Even Jiang Luan, who was covering a yawn, became instantly alert.
Lady Yuan, gathering her courage, spoke up, “As those who attend the princess, we will naturally do our best to supervise her prayers and sutra copying. As for the marriage this year... the princess has not even undergone her coming-of-age ceremony, and the groom has not been chosen. Setting the marriage for this year is far too soon. We dare not trouble Her Majesty with such concerns.”
Pei Xian tapped the long desk calmly and said, “This is the first time.”
“As a servant woman, it is beyond your place to speak for your mistress. If you were in the army, your head would have long hung outside the camp gate. For the princess’s sake, I will overlook it this once. Let there not be a second time.”
Lady Yuan was startled and looked up abruptly, meeting Pei Xian’s calm yet indifferent gaze. A single life was nothing he would mention twice. Her mind trembled as she recalled the rumors she had overheard these past days.
Pei Xian had ordered the tightening of palace security. Those found guilty were executed on the spot within the imperial city.
Among the eight grand eunuchs who once enjoyed favor in the inner court, one was killed by the palace road two days ago, another in the inner courtyard yesterday, and no one knew who would be next.
Lady Yuan staggered, and the attendants Bailu and Chunzhe quickly steadied her.
Jiang Luan was annoyed, snapping her fan shut and dropping it on the floor. “Enough. Handle your punishments among your own soldiers. Don’t frighten my people in this hall.”
“It’s just the truth,” Pei Xian replied calmly, sitting where he was. “I’m afraid there will be many occasions interacting with the princess at Linfeng Hall. I have my own rules, and I prefer to lay out unpleasant words now, so that no one later blames me for punishing without warning.”
Bailu picked up the fan and handed it back to Jiang Luan, who lazily took it and placed it aside, settling into a relaxed posture on the wooden couch.
“This is my Linfeng Hall, and these decisions are mine. Please, Commander Pei, stop bringing the military’s harsh discipline here. If there’s an issue, I will speak to you directly.”
She paused thoughtfully. “I’ve always been carefree and dislike constraints. Although the matter today caused a stir, it’s not really serious. It was just that the Empress Dowager’s three spies were driven out of Linfeng Hall. She’s using my marriage as leverage against me?”
“Yesterday, Eunuch Xu brought many portraits of noble gentlemen from the capital’s prominent families. I wanted to discuss it with you face to face...”
At that moment, Xia Zhi arrived with a small stove carrying freshly brewed tea. Jiang Luan, lost in thought, took a sip from the celadon tea bowl. The scalding liquid made her stick out her tongue and gasp before finishing her sentence.
“...Last month’s rebellion delayed my coming-of-age ceremony. I still haven’t undergone the rite. Without it, it’s improper to discuss marriage. Hiss... Commander, could you please pass a word to the Empress Dowager to arrange for the ceremony to be held soon?”
Pei Xian lifted the fresh tea bowl, about to drink, but seeing Jiang Luan’s tongue reddened from the heat, he quietly set it down again.
“I am aware the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony was delayed. Originally, it was improper to raise the matter of marriage so soon.”
“But the Empress Dowager invoked ancestral rules. To open a princess’s household, a groom must be chosen first. Both parties complete their rituals, and only on the eve of the marriage is the household officially granted.”
“Now, they want to open the household early, reversing the order completely. Although the saint reluctantly agreed to bestow the household, Her Majesty holds firmly to ‘breaking ancestral rules.’ So the household must be opened this year, the groom chosen quickly, and the marriage arranged.”
“This means there won’t be enough time to choose a groom carefully. The selection will be rushed and mostly left to chance.”
Pei Xian blew off the tea foam, seeing the tea had cooled, and slowly took a sip before concluding,
“It’s already early April. There are at most eight months left this year. In these eight months, the household must be opened, the groom chosen, the marriage discussed and rituals performed, and the coming-of-age ceremony completed first. When it comes to rituals for noble daughters of the royal clan, Her Majesty’s side will not let anything slide. If the princess wants everything to go smoothly, making peace with the Jiaofang Palace is the proper path. Why engage in rivalry with the Empress Dowager?”
Jiang Luan raised her fan, shielding her face. Her thick lashes lowered, showing a blend of weariness and annoyance.
“Commander, you have it backwards. It’s not that I can’t get along with the Empress Dowager, but that she can’t get along with me. Ultimately, it all traces back to the two arrows the saint struck under the city walls.”
Her pale fingers toyed with a few cherries beside a colorful glass cup.
“The choice of groom is secondary. The urgent matter is getting out of the palace. If I stay here, how am I supposed to face the saint? Should I, like my second brother, bash my head against the pillar of Liangyi Hall?”
Pei Xian said nothing and drank half a bowl of tea in silence.
Jiang Luan remained quiet, leaning against the couch, fanning herself rhythmically. Suddenly, Linfeng Hall fell silent.
With a crisp sound, Pei Xian set the tea bowl on a black lacquered low table.
“Princess, you should first handle what you can. Show Jiaofang Palace your sincerity. I will speak on your behalf about the coming-of-age ceremony. What do you think?”
Jiang Luan pondered before answering, “Very well. The Empress Dowager’s main concern is the princess’s prayers and cultivation. Although the three ladies of Jiaofang Palace are not here, don’t we still have General Wen and General Xue guarding Linfeng Hall?”
She brightened and clapped her hands. “The two generals guard Linfeng Hall daily while I copy the sutras. Whether I copy them personally or with devotion, the two generals will see everything and report back to the Empress Dowager’s side as her eyes and ears.”
“Excellent.” Pei Xian smiled faintly, caressing the tea bowl. “Princess, your strategy of ‘driving the tiger to swallow the wolf’ grows more skillful. If something goes wrong — if you make mistakes in copying, the handwriting is untidy, or the sincerity is lacking — then my two generals will become scapegoats, caught between blame from both sides.”
“That could never happen,” Jiang Luan replied seriously. “What I want is simply to leave the palace and open my household as soon as possible. Sacrificing your two loyal generals would do me no good. Fine, if you’re really worried, I can swear an oath to the heavens.”
“No need for oaths. I don’t believe in such spirits. Just remember today’s words and avoid futile actions.” Pei Xian put down the tea bowl and stood.
“Please have the jade Buddha and incense altar set in the open courtyard. Before you start copying the sutras, inform Generals Wen and Xue to watch carefully.”
He smiled lightly. “These two are truly risking their lives for their futures. Each sword and spear stroke earned them their posts as imperial army colonels through years of hard-won merit. Please understand and don’t let their promising futures be wasted here in the capital.”
Jiang Luan waved her fan a few times. “Your words are polite but... somehow they sound threatening. Commander Pei, are you trying to intimidate me?”
Pei Xian seemed not to hear, taking a half step back and politely taking his leave. “Princess jokes. I take my leave.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t harm your generals.” Jiang Luan called after his tall figure as he stepped outside. “Using the best gold ink, copying the Surangama Sutra in small script morning and night — that shows enough sincerity, right? When will I be able to leave the palace and open my household, Commander? Give me a rough date.”
Pei Xian walked slowly into the night garden without looking back, replying deeply, “I will press for the household’s approval, but court affairs are numerous and piled up. Even at fastest, it will take two months.”
“Two months at fastest?” Jiang Luan frowned and, without slippers, jumped down in her silk socks, standing at the half-open window to shout into the courtyard, “That’s too long. The longer it takes, the more likely things will change.”
“No need to worry so much. Since I agreed to the household matter, I will ensure the princess’s safety in the palace during these two months.”
“And after those two months, once I’ve left the palace?”
Pei Xian walked steadily in the night, “After opening your household, it will depend on your own ability.”
“Humph.” Jiang Luan turned and left.
Sitting back on the couch, she discussed with Lady Yuan, “Two months is still too long.”
Lady Yuan fretted and jumped up. “The princess’s illness hasn’t fully healed. The winds are strong at night; you could catch a cold. Put on your shoes quickly! Close the window!”
Jiang Luan grumbled, “I want it open.”
The night was silent, the window left ajar, and their voices carried on the draft through the hall. Pei Xian heard it and smiled faintly without a sound.
The late emperor was gentle in character, and the princess’s mother was said to be cautious and meticulous. Whose nature had she truly inherited?
In the courtyard’s shadow where the light could not reach, a man’s footsteps halted. His steady voice drifted on the night breeze.
“The princess caused a scene with the golden pill. Jiaofang Palace lost face and will no longer send palace maids.”
“The Empress Dowager has a full brother named Xie Lan, newly appointed to the Secretariat this year. Tomorrow, I’ll find an excuse to have him come to Linfeng Hall. If I seize the opportunity, using Xie Lan’s mediation, perhaps I can mend the stalemate between Linfeng and Jiaofang Palaces.”
Jiang Luan heard this for the first time. “Xie Lan? The Empress Dowager’s full brother? He’s a Xie family member; why would he speak up for me?”
“As I said, it depends on your own ability. That’s all I have to say. Think carefully about tomorrow’s encounter.” With that, he continued forward, disappearing into the courtyard’s depths surrounded by armored guards.
---
Xia Zhi was about to leave with the tea set but stopped in surprise. “Xie Lan, the new appointee to the Secretariat this year...”
Xia Zhi was lively and well-informed within the palace.
“I’ve heard he’s a direct descendant of the Xie clan. So he’s actually the Empress Dowager’s brother? No wonder the saint summoned him for the post.”
Jiang Luan sat on the couch, gently swinging her legs, her expression thoughtful beyond her years.
The Empress Dowager’s full brother...
“I must meet him,” she muttered to herself.
She closed the window and headed to the inner hall. “Time to sleep. I must be well-rested to face Xie Lan tomorrow.”
---
April 3rd, the rain had cleared, and orchid buds bloomed in the courtyard.
It was a rare fine day.
Around noon, Xue Duo led his men to wait outside the hall, calling loudly at the closed door.
“Has the princess risen? The Secretariat’s Xie Lan requests an audience.”
“The princess is changing clothes. Please wait a moment.”
Several trusted senior maids stood by the dressing table, assisting with hairpins and clothing while whispering.
“Xie Lan was recently promoted by the saint and has served at court for half a month—just as the princess was ill for half a month. Though he is a relative by marriage, he hasn’t even sent a polite inquiry about her health. Now that Commander Pei has given the order, he’s come. A weasel paying the chicken a New Year’s visit, with ill intent.”
Bailu skillfully combed Jiang Luan’s hair as she looked into the bronze mirror.
Her figure had yet to mature, slender and delicate, looking even more fragile after recovering from illness—a gentle flower needing careful tending in the eyes of her attendants.
Thinking this, she smiled faintly.
“The Empress Dowager’s brother is many degrees removed from me, hardly a proper relative. Xie Lan is a scholarly official; perhaps he considers himself an outsider and avoids contact to prevent suspicion.”
Xia Zhi counted on her fingers. “The Xie family is royal in-law relatives, and the Empress Dowager is the princess’s eldest sister-in-law. How could that not be proper kin? But the Xie clan has always been arrogant, reluctant even to marry into the royal family, let alone acknowledge relatives. That’s why they keep their distance from the princess.”
Bailu, still combing, discontentedly added, “The Xie family ranks last among the four great surnames yet holds the highest airs. The late emperor had to insist many times before they agreed to the Empress Dowager’s marriage into the royal family. Compared to Commander Pei — fierce as he is — being a close relative of the Empress Dowager, he comes in person to discuss matters openly, bearing the burdens. That’s a true loyal royal in-law.”
Nearby, Chunzhe hesitated, “Commander Pei may bear the burdens, but he really is intimidating. Last night, when he told Lady Yuan ‘your head would hang outside the camp gate,’ even I was frightened...”
Among the maids, the calmest, Qiushuang, came over and ushered them aside. “Speak less of this before the princess. Xie Lan is about to enter.”
Jiang Luan, troubled by restless dreams and poor sleep, stifled a yawn. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes shimmered with a misty glaze.
“Enough. The Xie family is one of the four great surnames of the capital, so naturally proud. The Pei family comes from military nobility, so naturally fierce. It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. Stop picking sides.”
The women fell silent.
Seeing Bailu finish, Qiushuang whispered, “Xie Lan is already outside the hall. Does the princess wish to see him?”
“To see, of course.” Jiang Luan leaned against the imperial couch, hiding the lower half of her face behind a spring butterfly fan, revealing only her bright, clear autumn eyes.
“Commander Pei said it depends on my ability. Let Xie Lan mediate for me. Today, I’ll meet Xie Lan and see just what kind of man the Empress Dowager’s brother is, and how best to use him.”