Chapter 92 |
Xie Jingshan sighed, "Ah, I know what you mean, but whenever I think about marrying my daughter off to that place, where her food, clothing, and living conditions might not even be as good as at home, my heart just..."
Zhiyi said helplessly, "But we still need Sister Yuan's agreement."
Qu Dubian chimed in, "Sister Yuan, would you like to observe the Tong family's Second Young Master? Just say the word, and I'll handle it for you, make sure everything goes smoothly."
Yuan Jie'er glanced at her parents before biting her lip and nodding.
"Naturally, I would like to."
Qu Dubian immediately sought out Xia Fuyang, a social butterfly, to make contact with the Tong family's Second Young Master.
Xia Fuyang took the matter very much to heart.
His mindset now was quite different from when he was checking out the Xiang family's young master some time ago. Back then, he was just in it for a bit of fun, but now...
Yuan Jie'er was Concubine Xuan's niece, and Qu Dubian was Concubine Xuan's adopted son, so by extension, they were practically cousins.
Finding a virtuous and promising husband for his own cousin might very well become a future asset for Little Seven and a colleague for himself.
Two days before the New Year festivities, Xia Fuyang took the Tong family's Second Young Master to visit a temple. At the same time, Zhiyi set out from the Xie residence with Madame Feng, guards, and Yuan Jie'er.
Zhiyi had special permission from Emperor Chongzhao to stay outside the palace.
Qu Dubian originally wanted to go too, but he was ordered by Emperor Chongzhao to remain in the palace, being told that a prince acting as a matchmaker was most improper.
Deprived of a front-row seat to the drama, he didn't get to go. Instead, he toiled away miserably, sweeping the Hall of Ancestral Worship along with the Old Geezer, the imperial concubines, and his elder brothers.
Qu Dubian leaned on his broom and slipped outside, brazenly slacking off, though no one said anything to him.
He sat on the steps outside the Hall of Ancestral Worship, chin in hand, lost in thought.
He was partly thinking about how the meeting between the Tong young master and Yuan Jie'er at the temple was going, and partly marveling at how fast time had flown.
The first time he came here to work, he was still chasing ostriches in his little dog cart.
The Sixth Prince also sneaked over, sighing and complaining, "This is torture. Can't we just do a symbolic sweep or two? Using a cloth to wipe dust in the middle of winter, my hands are going to freeze into pig's trotters."
"Little Seven, I envy you so much. Father doesn't even make you touch cold water."
Qu Dubian shot him a sidelong glance. "But I have to jump up to wipe and sweep the dust off the beams."
Usually, only Concubine Xuan could jump up to wipe the beams. Now, with him added to the mix, their Shunning Palace had become the professional beam-wiping high-jump team.
He patted the Sixth Prince's shoulder. "You need to practice more. Fifth Brother has already started focusing on training. Don't end up being the weakest one."
Sixth Prince: "Martial training is so tiring. Besides, I'm healthy, unlike you... Ow!"
His head was suddenly whacked hard. He turned to see the Fourth Prince holding a feather duster, looking down at him.
Sixth Prince: "What was that for!"
The Fourth Prince turned his head and lazily called out, "Father, Sixth Brother is slacking off."
Emperor Chongzhao looked over, wiped the sweat from his brow, and flew into a rage. "Little Six! All of you, get over here and work!"
The Sixth Prince glared at the Fourth Prince and stomped off angrily.
The Fourth Prince leaned close to Qu Dubian's ear and whispered, "Don't listen to Little Six's nonsense. Fourth Brother thinks your martial training is useful. You look very dashing when you fly up to the beams. Keep at it; it's definitely good for your health."
Little Six's emotional intelligence was sometimes frighteningly low. Saying such things in front of Little Seven was just poking at his heart. What kind of elder brother was that?
Qu Dubian was both amused and exasperated. "It's alright, Fourth Brother. I know Sixth Brother is a bit tactless."
He and the Fourth Prince slacked off together for a while longer before slowly sauntering back into the hall.
-
The next day.
The Officials' New Year Banquet.
Emperor Chongzhao feasted his ministers and, of course, this year also included Prince Yu Ruo of Nanning.
The formal attire for the banquet had been delivered by palace servants yesterday after they finished cleaning the Hall of Ancestral Worship.
Zhiyi had stayed overnight at the Xie residence with Yuan Jie'er, sharing many girls' secrets, and only returned in the afternoon today.
Qu Dubian learned the follow-up about Yuan Jie'er and the Tong young master from Zhiyi—the two had taken a liking to each other.
Qu Dubian couldn't help but be curious. "How long did they even see each other to take a liking so quickly?"
Zhiyi said with a smile, "That Tong family's Second Young Master is quite handsome, just a bit too shy when he speaks and blushes very easily."
"The temple had a poetry-matching activity. Sister Yuan wrote a couplet of a poem and hung it up, then went to wait in a pavilion nearby while we waited for Xia Fuyang to lead the Tong young master under the tree. We even arranged a little scene with two local ruffians bullying a young beggar to see how the Tong young master would react."
Qu Dubian thought the plot was a bit cliché. "And then? Did the Tong young master chase them off?"
"Xia Fuyang pretended to step in and scare them off. The Tong family's Second Young Master did step forward, but he tripped over his own shoe and ended up kneeling right in front of the beggar child's broken bowl. He scared the poor kid so much the child almost pulled out some money to give him as New Year's lucky money," Zhiyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
What a klutz.
Qu Dubian listened with great interest. "Then how did they still take a liking to each other?"
Zhiyi: "He is a bit silly, but quite talented. He looked around the tree where the poems were hung and actually matched the couplet Sister Yuan left. I saw it; the match was excellent."
"I pulled Sister Yuan out of the pavilion, pretending it was a chance encounter, and we walked together for a bit. Sister Yuan and the Tong young master spoke haltingly, clearly discussing the poetry. I saw it plainly; both their ears were red."
She affirmed, "There's definitely potential."
Qu Dubian: "That's good. The most important thing is that Sister Yuan likes him herself."
Zhiyi: "Auntie is quite satisfied too, but she still needs to convince Uncle." She rested her chin in her hands. "Little Brother, do you think I'll meet someone I like in the future?"
Qu Dubian: "Sister, you're not even thirteen yet. There's no hurry. Even if you do meet someone, if they don't pass my inspection, then it's not happening either."
Zhiyi had just been asking casually and quickly put the question aside. "Alright, let's hurry and change our clothes. We have the banquet soon."
Qu Dubian picked up his formal robes. "Right away, right away."
-
On the way to Wolin Hall, Qu Dubian and Zhiyi parted ways.
She had to enter early with the Empress and the Second Princess, Sihe. Qu Dubian had to wait in front of the main hall and enter with his brothers.
The steps to Wolin Hall were also very high.
When Qu Dubian arrived, the First Prince and the Third Prince were already there.
The First Prince was standing with his consort, Shu Wenxin.
Qu Dubian greeted them, "Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Third Brother."
Shu Wenxin said with a smile, "Seventh Prince, I'm usually busy managing affairs at the residence, so I haven't seen you. Come visit your eldest brother sometime. I'll personally cook a meal for you."
First Prince: "Yes, your sister-in-law's cooking is excellent. It's just that she dislikes the heavy smell of cooking oil and smoke, so I always have to plead with her repeatedly before she's willing to cook. Come visit my residence more often so I can benefit from your visits too."
Qu Dubian smiled. "Certainly."
The Third Prince glanced at the First Prince, slung his arm around Qu Dubian's shoulder, and said, "Little Seven, you can't favor one over the other. Big Brother has a beauty by his side, but your Third Brother here is all alone and lonely. When you go to Big Brother's place, you mustn't forget about Third Brother."
Qu Dubian: "Don't worry, don't worry."
Officials passed by on both sides continuously—some paid their respects and left immediately, others stopped to exchange pleasantries, primarily with the First and Third Princes.
Shu Wenxin checked the time and whispered to the First Prince, "I'll go in first. Her Highness Consort and Her Majesty the Empress should be in the rear hall by now."
First Prince: "Alright."
Shu Wenxin bowed and left.
Not long after, the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes also arrived.
The Fifth and Sixth Princes came together, with the Sixth Prince leaning his elbow on the Fifth Prince's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. The Fifth Prince occasionally responded with a word or two, making the Fourth Prince, who walked up alone beside them, seem somewhat isolated.
Seeing the Fourth Prince, Qu Dubian felt as if a weight had been lifted and quickly waved him over. "Fourth Brother, come quickly!"
Big Brother and Third Brother were at each other's throats, using him as the rag being tugged back and forth in the middle. He really couldn't maintain his polite, professional smile any longer.
The Fourth Prince quickened his pace. "You came quite early."
Qu Dubian: "Of course you're slower coming from the Princes' Quarters. I live closer." He leaned in and whispered, "Did you have a fight with Sixth Brother?"
The Fourth Prince made no attempt to hide it: "Can't stand the sight of him. Won't indulge him. Can't be bothered."
The Sixth Prince, with sharp ears, instantly turned his head. "Who are you chirping about!"
The Fifth Prince began to mediate.
Qu Dubian: "..."
He found this scene dreadfully familiar.
Wasn't this exactly how it was with Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother before? Two arguing and pulling each other's hair, one mediating.
So they'd all paired off in threes, leaving him the only single one?
Qu Dubian: "You're all here, but where's Second Brother?"
Third Prince: "I saw his carriage when I entered the palace. It headed towards the back street of the Princes' Residence. Not sure who he's coming with."
"Oh..."
Then only Second Brother was missing.
Qu Dubian waited with them, utterly bored. He stood between Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother to prevent them from starting up again.
After about three to five minutes, the gentle, apologetic voice of the Second Prince finally came from behind. "Royal Elder Brother, younger brothers, I am slightly late."
Qu Dubian turned around and sighed deeply. "Second Brother, you're finally—"
His voice cut off.
His gaze involuntarily fell on the youth beside the Second Prince.
He appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen, with a pair of particularly distinctive light gray eyes.
[Name: Yu Ruo
Favorability: 3]
It was actually Yu Ruo, the prince of Nanning?
Second Prince: "Prince Yu Ruo is new to the capital and surely unfamiliar with palace etiquette. I took a slight detour to accompany him, hence the delay."
The First Prince curled his lip, rather impolitely remarking, "A defeated dog from Nanning. Why bother?"
Yu Ruo replied calmly, "Where in this world is there an undefeated general?"
"Alright, alright," the Second Prince smoothed things over, introducing everyone to Yu Ruo one by one. When it came to Qu Dubian, the Second Prince's smile deepened. "This is my youngest brother, the Seventh Prince."
Yu Ruo's gaze lingered on Qu Dubian.
So it was him.
The prince who thwarted his scheme.
The gathered information said the Seventh Prince was chronically ill and weak, but from what he saw now, this prince had a healthy, rosy complexion and bright eyes—not the pale, sickly type who'd topple over in a breeze.
He smiled at Qu Dubian. "Greetings, Seventh Prince."
Qu Dubian: "Passable. Just average."
After being tricked by him, this person's favorability could still be positive? Was the simulator being a bit absurd? Given their inherently opposing positions, how was he supposed to raise Yu Ruo's favorability?
The Fourth Prince yawned. "Alright, everyone's here. Shall we go?"
"Let's go, let's go."
Qu Dubian and the Fourth Prince stood on the far left. To their right were the Fifth and Sixth Princes, then the First and Third Princes, with the Second Prince and Yu Ruo on the far right.
Seven Princes of Great Zhou, one hostage prince from Nanning.
Almost all the contenders for the throne in this generation were gathered here. Together, they walked towards the main hall of Wolin Palace, stepping into the very heart of Great Zhou's vortex of power.
The hall was already brightly lit.
Palace attendants entered with bowed heads, silent as ghosts, serving dishes and pouring wine.
A eunuch's sharp cry pierced the air: "His Majesty arrives—!"
The hem of dark imperial robes slowly passed before their eyes.
Qu Dubian, along with his brothers and all the civil and military officials, rose and cupped their hands in salute to welcome Emperor Chongzhao.
He heard his own voice merge into the deep, rumbling chorus of salutation:
"We greet Your Majesty!"