Free Web NovelChapter 1071: Chapter 1061: Four Steps (1)
"Fourth Master." Tiancheng called out from behind the curtain, and Fourth Master Xiao acknowledged to Xiqiu, "I’ll go take a look." Xiqiu agreed as Fourth Master Xiao put on his clothes and went outside.
Xiqiu sat up, took a sip of the tea from the stool, and called Chunliu in, "What’s Ying and Gong doing?"
"Just finished bathing. Ying is playing with Ms. Song, and Gong..." Chunliu started laughing uncontrollably; since birth, Gong has been sleeping constantly, and when he’s awake, he looks half-asleep, dozing off. "He’s sleeping."
Initially, Xiqiu was worried he was ill, and had someone carry the sedan chair to the Qin Mansion to invite Ruan Jingliu over to take a look. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, she was relieved, as she had never seen a child sleep so much.
"Go check out the situation, and tell Ms. Song not to play with Ying for too long. They should rest early." Xiqiu said softly. Chunliu acknowledged and went out.
Fourth Master Xiao entered the room with a peculiar expression and poured himself a cup of tea at the table. Xiqiu looked at him and asked, "What’s going on?"
"Hmm." Fourth Master Xiao put the cup down, lay next to Xiqiu, embraced her, and replied, "Count Dingyuan took Miss Chen to Hongyan Building." After a pause, he added, "Several cabinet ministers are hosting Marquis Taiping at Hongyan Building tonight."
Xiqiu was utterly surprised and sat up straight, looking at Fourth Master Xiao to confirm, "He took Miss Chen to Hongyan Building?" Miss Chen resembles the Princess Consort Ying, yet is more delicate, with quite a remarkable beauty.
Fourth Master Xiao slightly nodded, and Xiqiu immediately displayed a bemused expression. Could he be imitating the tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, staging a romantic encounter between Miss Chen and Marquis Taiping?
"This matter can be serious or trivial," Xiqiu commented to Fourth Master Xiao, "Should we notify Marquis Taiping?" Count Dingyuan had made excellent calculations, allowing Miss Chen and Marquis Taiping to meet accidentally. If it works out, and Miss Chen marries into Count Dingyuan’s house, it is impossible for her to be a concubine. Perhaps a plea to the Emperor could grant her the title of a concubine. Though uncommon in Great Zhou, there are precedents.
In the previous dynasty, a scholar named Yuan from Songjiang married a virtuous wife, and the couple had a deep affection for each other. Later, the scholar went to the Capital to take an exam but was disappointed with a failure. His family was not wealthy, and the travel expenses to return home were exhausted, so he wrote to his wife at home, informing her that he would stay in the Capital and try the exam again in three years!
Unexpectedly, during the three years Songjiang was struck by a rare centuries-old plague, Madam Yuan’s whereabouts and life status became unknown. The scholar sought information from various sources, but learned that his wife and child had succumbed to the illness. Devastated, he studied hard and topped the examination the following year, continued to succeed in the Advanced Scholar exams, and was appointed as a scholar. Known for his upright character and understanding of officialdom, he rapidly advanced in his career and gained favor with his superiors, who married their legitimate daughter to him, but unexpectedly, a month after the wedding, Madam Chen, the original wife, found him after enduring hardships.
Suddenly, no one knew how to deal with this. On one hand, the scholar did not want to divorce nor could he divorce his first wife of humble origins, and on the other hand, the legitimate daughter was married according to proper channels. Caught in this dilemma, his father-in-law requested the Empress Dowager to grant the original wife, Madam Chen, the title of concubine, becoming a much-discussed story.
This opened the precedent for concubinage.
Historically, the main wife managed the household, but because the concubine and the official wife’s status and rights were equivalent, it created an inability to distinguish between master and secondary roles, leading to domestic unrest due to the wife’s and concubine’s rivalry. Hence, after Great Zhou, few people followed this tradition!
There are precedents, and with Miss Chen’s status, seeking the title of a concubine is quite possible.
Presumably, Count Dingyuan considered this, otherwise, how could he carry out such an extraordinary move?
However, if it really happens, Count Dingyuan will gain a winning chip!
"No need," Fourth Master Xiao tucked her in, "Don’t catch a cold." He pulled Xiqiu to lie down, gently saying, "The outcome will be known tomorrow, so sleep early." He appeared indifferent.
It seems he has considerable confidence in Marquis Taiping.
Xiqiu shifted positions, thought about it, and agreed, snuggling in Fourth Master Xiao’s embrace. She asked again, "Marquis Taiping and several cabinet ministers are dining at Hongyan Building?" Wasn’t he supposed not to see guests?
"The Emperor is paying." Fourth Master Xiao paused and then explained, "Ordered the cabinet ministers to accompany."
Isn’t the First Master there too?
It seems the Emperor highly values Marquis Taiping, as he ordered six cabinet ministers to keep him company.
After discussing other matters, Xiqiu inquired about Min, "What has he been doing these past two days?" Fourth Master Xiao rested his head on his hand, glanced sideways at Xiqiu, and replied, "With the Second Prince guarding the Imperial Mausoleum, and the Third Prince’s health not fully recovered, the Emperor had the classroom moved to the rear hall of the Imperial Study Room. Min listens to the lectures there during daytime and accompanies the Emperor to review various reports at night."
"Accompanying the Emperor to review reports?" Xiqiu wondered about the Emperor’s intentions.
Fourth Master Xiao slightly nodded, his gaze calm. Xiqiu couldn’t help but think about the Second Prince at the Imperial Mausoleum. After his arm injury incident was glossed over due to the Empress’s death, he went to the mausoleum, and during this time, everything remained calm as the Emperor hadn’t reprimanded or interrogated him about it, even once. The problem lies right here—his son’s arm was injured, yet as a father, the Emperor’s reaction was overly calm, calm enough to make one overthink.
Initially, she worried that they overestimated the Emperor’s concern about the matter, but now it seems the Emperor wasn’t unangered but rather harbored silent, unexpressed anger.
Early the next day, Fourth Master Xiao woke up early, and Xiqiu, still groggy, asked, "Aren’t you supposed to skip court sessions, why are you up so early?" Fourth Master Xiao stood by the bed, watching her pouting amusingly while sleep. His tone lightened up, "Taking Zhi to practice swordsmanship."
"Oh." Xiqiu mumbled, suddenly startled awake to look at him, "Fourth Master, starting today?" She paused and added, "Zhi is with his mother."
Fourth Master Xiao couldn’t help but lean over and give her a peck, nodding with a smile, "I asked Tiancheng to pick him up." He fastened the last button, "You should sleep a bit more."
She had known about Fourth Master Xiao’s plan for a while, so she hadn’t hired another martial arts teacher for Zhi, thinking he would wait for the Emperor’s approval. It was a surprise to see him start today.
She wondered how Zhi would react, knowing his father would personally teach him martial arts.
Xiqiu chuckled and was no longer sleepy. She sat up against the bed, "Fourth Master, help me call Chunliu and Bihuai in."
Fourth Master Xiao watched her, shook his head, and went out. Shortly afterward, Chunliu and Bihuai entered, and one of them hung the curtains on both sides, while Bihuai brought some red date tea, asking, "Madam, are you getting up today?"
"Mm." She had been lying down for several days, "My body feels sore and achy, I’ll walk around in the room."
Bihuai responded with a smile, and Chunliu added, "Should I bring Ying and Gong over to accompany you?" While saying this, she helped Xiqiu put on her coat.
"Go and check. If they’re awake, bring them over; if not, let them sleep a bit more." Xiqiu got out of bed and went to the washroom, while Bihuai went in to assist her and Chunliu went next door.
The two children woke up early in the morning. Xiqiu played with them for a while before they fell asleep again.
