Chapter 17

Having finished her grooming, Lady Yuan also entered, carrying freshly prepared ginseng soup. As Jiang Luan sipped the soup, three summons rang out in quick succession from the main hall to the outer courtyard.

Moments later, a figure clad in a scarlet official robe strode through the door first.

The senior palace maids who surrounded Jiang Luan in the main hall recognized the newcomer and were momentarily taken aback.

No one in Lingfeng Hall had ever met Xie Lan personally; he was only known as the legitimate son of the Xie family, the fifth-born, famed for his strikingly handsome and noble appearance. Such flattering descriptions were commonly used for noble families’ offspring, heard ten times a month in the imperial city, so often they became meaningless. Yet, no one expected Xie Lan to truly embody the words “handsome visage, unparalleled nobility” so perfectly.

He appeared just over twenty, tall and slender like a green bamboo shoot, with a cold, dignified aura. The usual scarlet official robe he wore fluttered elegantly as he moved, exuding the refined grace of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Jiang Luan leaned against the imperial consort’s couch, lifting her eyes to appraise him.

Although it was her first meeting with this Xie gentleman, a vague sense of familiarity stirred within her. After pondering, realization dawned.

Xie Lan and the Empress in Jiaofang Hall—perhaps due to their family upbringing—both stood coldly before her, giving a strikingly similar impression, as if two ice sculptures cast from the same mold.

“I, Xie Lan, pay respects to Princess Hanyang,” he said, holding over a dozen scrolls bound by wooden spools, ivory crescent-shaped tags peeking out at the top. He bowed to the hall.

“I have come by order of Commander Pei, bearing twelve selected scrolls from the Ministry of Rites, awaiting Princess Hanyang’s inspection in Lingfeng Hall.”

Jiang Luan cocked her head, eyeing the scrolls in his arms. “These ivory tags on the scrolls look familiar. Could they be the ones brought by Eunuch Xu a few days ago—”

“Precisely,” Xie Lan confirmed.

Those dozens of miniature portraits brought by Eunuch Xu had been sifted through; only twelve remained, which Xie Lan carefully placed one by one on the long table.

“Per the princess’s request, candidates over twenty years old have been excluded. Also, several incomplete portraits from the Ministry of Rites were finished yesterday and presented to the palace; they are here on the table.”

Jiang Luan picked up a scroll absentmindedly, unrolling it to reveal the portrait of a young man of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in scarlet with narrow sleeves trimmed in border, wearing a Hu-style jacket with a small cap, a sword at his waist, standing on rocky ground, his brows radiating aloof pride. The first line of the brief biography read:

“Lu Si Lang, Fourth Son of the Lu Family, Fanyang, Main Branch of Lushan Lane.”

“I’ve heard of Lu Si Lang. He’s known for his arrogant temperament,” Jiang Luan mused, recalling an old tale.

“During the late emperor’s reign, a newly appointed third-ranked scholar from a humble background happened to accompany the palace alongside Lu’s fourth son. On the road, the scholar greeted him politely, but Lu Si Lang immediately flung his outer robe onto the scholar’s face, scolding, ‘Your stench is unbearable.’ Is this the man?”

The story was well known. Xie Lan did not deny it.

“That is indeed Lu Si Lang, an incident from two years ago. That third-ranked scholar has since been assigned as a magistrate elsewhere.”

Jiang Luan rolled the scroll back up and tossed it onto the table.

“I have no intention of selecting anyone now. Xie gentleman, please take the scrolls back.”

Her words clearly hinted at dismissal. Xie Lan understood but remained rooted in place.

“This matter of the princess’s marriage must be handled with utmost care. Please select carefully.”

Under the stern gazes of those present, his expression remained as calm as a deep pool, his voice cold and precise.

“The sovereign has already issued an edict permitting the establishment of Princess Hanyang’s household; according to ancestral rules, no household may be opened without the princess’s own marriage selection.

“If the princess refuses to choose… then the selection of the prince consort will be left to Her Majesty the Empress.”

The threat implicit in his words was clear to all. Lady Yuan’s face instantly darkened.

“Xie gentleman, what do you mean by daring to intimidate the princess?!”

Jiang Luan reclined on the imperial consort’s couch, her soft voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

“You are truly heartless, Xie gentleman. The Empress is my elder sister-in-law. The Jiang and Xie families are formally related by marriage. Last month, when I was seriously ill, you did not even visit to inquire after me; now, on your first visit, you dare to threaten me, your relative by marriage.”

Xie Lan deliberately used respectful terms, avoiding the tangled kinship implied in Jiang Luan’s words.

“I do not threaten the princess. Every word I speak is the truth.”

His slender, jade-like fingers tapped on a scroll on the long table as he leaned forward and pushed it toward Jiang Luan’s seat.

“What I have said reflects not only Her Majesty’s wishes but also those of the sovereign.

“Since Princess Hanyang’s disturbance at the Two Instruments Hall, the sovereign has remained ill to this day. By ancestral decree, during the sovereign’s illness, Her Majesty the Empress may, at her discretion, arrange marriages on the sovereign’s behalf.”

His expression solemn, he leaned over the table, closing the distance between them. His features, like cold jade, parted lips to speak in an icy tone.

“A life’s great matter is no trivial thing. Please, princess, make your choice quickly. If you find excuses to delay, the consequences will be unbearable, and you may regret it deeply later.”

Jiang Luan sat motionless upon the Luohan bed, pondering quietly. Suddenly startled, she turned her head sharply, hiding most of her face behind a round fan. Her long ebony lashes trembled slightly.

Xie Lan watched coldly, awaiting the spoiled noblewoman’s outburst.

Yet after a long moment, the youngest princess of the late emperor remained silent, tears welling mist-like on her lashes, until a single teardrop hung shimmering, teetering on the brink of falling.

This caught him unexpectedly, and he wrinkled his brow in slight concern.

Because Jiang Luan had turned aside, he noticed that her hair was not styled in the high coiffure typical of noble ladies but was simply arranged in double spiral buns, wrapped delicately with golden thread tassels, from which hung two tassels and a small exquisite golden floral hairpin was slanted in. No long hairpins or other ornaments adorned her head.

Double spiral buns were customary for unmarried young girls in the inner chambers, while golden jade pins were reserved for those who had undergone the coming-of-age ceremony. Xie Lan stared at the simply adorned double buns for some time, then suddenly realized...

Could it be that the so-called “spoiled and unruly, laughter that kills” Princess Hanyang had not yet undergone her coming-of-age ceremony? Not yet fifteen?

Hearing his stern words had brought her to tears.

Looking at the faint glimmer of tears on her lashes, a vague regret stirred within him.

He had heard only one side of the story from Jiaofang Hall. Having never met the youngest princess of the late emperor, he had already pictured her as a headstrong noblewoman. Yet coming to Lingfeng Hall, he had neglected to inquire whether the infamous tales of her “spoiled and unruly, laughter that kills” were true or false.

With this regret lingering, he fell silent for a moment before speaking again, his deliberately icy voice softening somewhat.

“Her Majesty the Empress does not intend to mistreat the princess. Among the well-bred young men in the capital, those of suitable age and noble birth fit for royal marriage are mostly represented in the scrolls. The princess is the one who holds the scrolls and makes the choice, not the ones chosen within the scrolls. Why be so distressed?”

Jiang Luan said nothing immediately, raising the round fan slightly. Her soft, melodious voice came from behind it.

“Xie gentleman, there’s no need to feign ignorance. Who in the capital does not know that the four great surnames—Wang, Lu, Cui, and Xie—intermarry among themselves? For new noble families outside the Four Surnames, marrying into them is nearly impossible.”

Her gentle voice echoed softly through the hall.

“The late emperor spent great effort to secure the marriage of the imperial elder brother to the Empress of the Xie family. Though I am a royal princess, not yet of age for coming-of-age rites, the palace is already eager to find me a prince consort. Clearly, the sovereign despises me and wishes to hasten my departure from the palace. To gentlemen of the Four Surnames, I am hardly a suitable bride.”

Her tone grew petulant as she threw the fan onto the floor.

“What use is my choice? Suppose I picked Lu Si Lang just now. Would he agree to be my prince consort? After rumors spread and arguments ensued, everyone would know, and Lu Si Lang would suddenly fall ill—headache, stroke, any sudden ailment—and hide at home, feigning sickness to avoid it. Some might be so resourceful as not to even send their portraits to me, quietly withdrawing from the selection.”

As she spoke, the moisture gathered on her long curled lashes grew heavier, threatening to fall. She glanced at Xie Lan with the tears shimmering in her eyes.

Xie Lan’s fingers twitched inside his robe sleeve, wanting to pull out a plain handkerchief to wipe away the tears, but hesitated, uncertain.

“Princess.”

Spring Zhe appeared, holding a silk handkerchief, which Jiang Luan delicately took, brushing away the bright tear from her lashes.

Xie Lan watched silently as the young princess, her voice soft and plaintive, continued to complain.

“Of the ten portraits actually delivered to me, six are complete misfits, and the remaining four refuse to marry me. How am I to choose?”

Xie Lan knew well the truth in her words.

When he spoke again, his words of comfort sounded dry and formal.

“There will surely be noble and talented sons of noble families with discerning eyes willing to marry you. Princess, you might as well carefully review the candidates once more.”

Jiang Luan rose slowly, opening several scrolls to examine the portraits and biographies one by one. After viewing them silently, she lowered her gaze and rolled the scrolls up, placing them back on the table.

Xie Lan sat nearby, noting her dissatisfied expression mingled with grievance and sorrow, tears threatening to fall again.

Just as he felt this was unbearable, Jiang Luan’s voice, tinged with a nasal tone but still gentle, began to chat casually.

“I take it you’ve already come of age, Xie gentleman? Have you married? Is your wife also from one of the Four Great Surnames? At what age do ladies of your family marry?”

The princess, holding back tears, was even chatting like an ordinary person, clearly harboring no resentment. Xie Lan was surprised and inwardly thought perhaps she was the sort who yields to softness rather than force.

Faced with firmness, she would clash head-on; but with gentleness, she softened. If so, she would be easier to handle.

Though his duties lay in the Secretariat and were unrelated to palace affairs, today Pei Xian suddenly summoned him, saying palace security was being tightened and staff were insufficient. Due to his status as an imperial relative, he was convenient for palace access and temporarily assigned the task of delivering the Ministry of Rites’ scrolls to Lingfeng Hall. This raised his suspicions.

Intending to soften and gain information, he deliberately lowered his voice and answered truthfully.

“I am twenty-two this year and have not yet married, though the family has likely begun looking. My mother handles the arrangements; I am not yet informed.”

Jiang Luan had patiently endured much today, waiting for this very answer.

She casually wiped her eyes, still glistening with tears, and smiled warmly at Xie Lan.

Xie Lan softened his expression and asked her a question.

“May I ask what kind of young man the princess favors? I have some connections in the capital; should a suitable noble youth appear, I can present his portrait to the palace on your behalf.”

“Hmm...” Jiang Luan pondered, her watery eyes scanning his face before drifting to the window.

Just then, a squad of palace guards approached. Jiang Luan fixated on the neat marching soldiers and casually remarked, “Dashing and valiant, lean but strong.”

“A military man?” Xie Lan showed surprise. “A young, handsome general is not hard to find if family background is not a concern.”

Jiang Luan withdrew her gaze from the window and added, “Well-read and refined in demeanor.”

“So you seek a prince consort both scholarly and martial,” Xie Lan nodded appreciatively. “Among the noble families in the capital, such a candidate is less common than a soldier but not impossible to find.”

He rose to take his leave.

“I understand the essentials of selecting a prince consort: talented in both civil and martial arts, close in age to the princess, between fifteen and nineteen. I shall take my leave and faithfully report your wishes to Her Majesty and Commander Pei.”

At this, he inquired, “May I ask if Commander Pei gave any other special instructions for my visit—”

Jiang Luan lowered her fan in a stopping gesture.

“Who said I want young men between fifteen and nineteen?”

Xie Lan paused mid-bow, astonished.

“Last time, Eunuch Xu brought the scrolls and relayed your words: men over twenty are disliked, deemed too old. Even Wang Qi Lang from the Wang family was dismissed for age.”

Jiang Luan picked up her fan again, leisurely fanning herself.

“I have changed my mind.”

Facing Xie Lan’s startled expression, she put down the fan and sat upright, solemnly.

“Thank Commander Pei for arranging to send Xie gentleman to me.

“I once thought men over twenty were too old to be prince consorts. But after meeting Xie Lan, I suddenly feel men over twenty might be suitable. Commander Pei has discerning eyes; the candidates he sends are excellent.”

Xie Lan was speechless.