Chen Shoulan had married three wives, fathering five sons and three daughters, all born to his first wife, Chen Yunpei. His eldest daughter, Chen Yunpei, was born to his first wife, Kang. Kang and Chen Shoulan were childhood sweethearts, betrothed since birth. She was beautiful and gentle, skilled in poetry and music, and incredibly interesting. Chen Shoulan adored her. However, despite all her virtues, Kang struggled to conceive. Pressured by the Chen family, Kang consulted numerous renowned doctors in Southern Liang, finally becoming pregnant at nearly thirty. Tragically, she died of postpartum hemorrhage. Had it not been for his infant daughter, Chen Shoulan would likely have followed his wife in death.
From then on, Chen Yunpei was cherished by him like the apple of his eye, and he even married a concubine's daughter from the Kang family to take care of her. As for the cause of death of his second wife, it was because Chen Yunpei had contracted a strange case of smallpox when she was young. She recovered, but his second wife passed away.
Wen Tianyu was the man Chen Yunpei had chosen. He was honest and gentle, and even though his family background wasn't particularly illustrious, Chen Shoulan agreed to it. Everyone said that the eldest daughter of the Chen family married down, while the second and youngest daughters married into prominent families, which was the work of the third wife. But Jiang Yuan understood that only someone who truly loved their daughter would be unwilling to exchange her for wealth and status, and would only want her to be happy. In Chen Shoulan's heart, there was probably nothing more important than this daughter.
Now that Wen Tianyu is in her father's hands, Jiang Yuan is deliberately putting him in situations where he is prone to making mistakes. Wen Tianyu is not exactly clever, and if things continue like this, he will inevitably fall into trouble sooner or later.
Nowadays, most men focus on the court and neglect their domestic affairs. Her success in getting Chen Shoulan is also thanks to her good fortune in her past life.
Jiang Yuan had met Chen Yunpei through A Wu back then. She was gentle and kind, someone who only wanted a long and peaceful life with her husband. Because Jiang Yuan and A Wu got along quite well, it was A Wu who told her the secret.
However, she couldn't go into too much detail with Song Yansi, so she just picked out the important points and told him, "Although it's not obvious on the surface, Chen Shoulan loves his eldest daughter to the bone and would never tolerate anyone ruining her happiness in the second half of her life. As long as the requests you make to him aren't too unreasonable, he's capable of helping you out when it matters."
"And what about Wentian jade?" Song Yansi gently stroked Jiang Yuan's skin outside the brocade quilt.
“Naturally, he’ll be under my father’s command. Just having him handle paperwork and such is fine.” Jiang Yuan turned and nestled into Song Yanji’s arms, her eyes darting around as she drew circles on his chest with her fingers. She whispered, “With my father watching over things for you, you can rest assured.”
“Since that’s the case.” Song Yansi’s eyes darkened slightly, but then he suddenly understood. He smiled and leaned over Jiang Yuan, meeting her slightly confused gaze. “After hearing what you just said, I realize that I really need a daughter.”
"Song Yansi." Jiang Yuan immediately understood what he meant, clutching her clothes tightly, her face flushed with embarrassment. "What are you doing!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Jiang Yuan wanted to bite off his own tongue. What else could he do?!
Sure enough, he chuckled and reached under the covers to gently press her soft belly. "Now that our daughter is not yet due, let's take off our battle robes."
"Give me back my battle robe?! Have you no shame?!" Jiang Yuan was being kissed so hard by him that she was dizzy and disoriented. Her mind raced, trying to answer for Song Yansi: "No!"
Chapter 63 No Past Injustices
Song Yanji and Grand Tutor Xie were well aware of Li Sheng's death. Li Sheng didn't have many confidants, and now that the late emperor was gone, they all kept a low profile. They didn't mention his death, and naturally, no one else would either.
Song Yanji usually maintained a serious and upright demeanor. When he needed something, he only needed to give a slight indication, and someone would submit a memorial according to his wishes. He would then feign a firm refusal, thus deceiving the Empress Dowager and concealing his ambitions from the common people. In order to continue to win popular support, Song Yanji suggested to the emperor that the princes and descendants of meritorious officials should be lavishly rewarded, some officials in the court should be rewarded, ancestral temple ceremonies and music should be increased, and benevolent policies should be implemented for the common people, thereby regaining the favor of both the people and the court.
He promoted those who remained unmoved but instead attached themselves to him. This was the method of Grand Tutor Xie in his previous life, but now Song Yanji has learned it all.
"His actions are utterly disrespectful to our father!" Xie Jiali exclaimed angrily. "If..."
Da da da—
Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock at the door. "My lord, young master, I have important matters to report."
Xie Jiali only got up to open the door after his father nodded. The man whispered in his ear for a moment, and only after he nodded did he bow and take his leave. Xie Jiali turned around and quickly went to Grand Tutor Xie's side. "Princess Jingwu is returning to Lin'an!"
“She should be back soon.” Grand Tutor Xie stood up. “She’s too extravagant. She’ll never get used to the austere life in Feng’an.”
Song Yansi frowned as he looked at the letter in front of him. Xu An stood quietly to one side. Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly, and he said, "Master, Madam and Young Master have arrived."
The letter in front of him was quickly shoved into the hidden compartment of the carved rosewood cabinet. Just as Song Yansi finished, he heard Cheng Yu's clear, drawn-out giggles coming from inside the courtyard, "Father—"
"Slow down," Jiang Yuan's voice rang out, "Don't disturb your father while he's doing his business."
Before they even reached the door, it was opened, and Song Yansi, dressed in a plain blue robe with thunder and cloud patterns, leaned against the door frame with a smile on his lips, beckoning, "Yu'er, come here."
Upon hearing Song Yansi call him, the little dumpling, whose pace had slowed down with difficulty, quickly resumed its rapid strides, squinting its eyes as it toddled towards Song Yansi's side.
When he arrived at his side and looked up at him, Song Yansi squatted down, patted Chengyu's head, and looked him in the eye. "What do you want with your father?"
"Look, Daddy." Chengyu shook his chubby little hand, holding several thick sheets of Xuan paper, and asked him for credit. "Yu'er has memorized Mr. Pei Kang's 'Awakening to Knowledge and Understanding'."
"He's been sitting in the house since early this morning, waiting for you to praise him." Jiang Yuan stepped up the stairs, flicked Cheng Yu's forehead with her index finger, and then smiled at Song Yansi. "Who would have thought you'd come to the study as soon as you got back to the manor? I couldn't refuse, so I dragged him here to find you. Did I disturb you two?"
"Come wherever you like." Song Yansi reached out and led her inside. "These are all the same."
Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, glancing at the neatly arranged display cabinet out of the corner of her eye, but ultimately remained silent.
Song Yansi was painting at his desk, while Jiang Yuan casually picked up a travelogue of Laoshan from his bookshelf. She sat sideways on the low couch, the book on the table, flipping through it with one hand and supporting her forehead with the other, reading with great interest.
Cheng Yu couldn't sit still for long beside Jiang Yuan, so he shuffled over to find Song Yanji. Jiang Yuan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and then ignored him. He was so short that he couldn't even reach the height of the desk, so he had to stand on tiptoe and lean on the desk to look up.
Song Yansi let him jump around beside him until the painting was finished. Then he picked Chengyu up with one hand. Before his eyes was a vast sky and mountains, with a lone goose flying. The sky was high and the land was wide. Chengyu stared with his big round eyes and his mouth slightly open, and exclaimed sincerely, "Daddy is so amazing!" Then he stretched out his little chubby hand and asked, "What is this painting called?"
"A panoramic view of rivers and mountains." Song Yansi thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Does Yu'er like it?"
"I like it." Cheng Yu turned to look at him, her eyes glistening like two inlaid obsidian gems.
Song Yansi stroked the dried ink with one hand and said softly, "Since Yu'er likes this vast land, Father will give it to you."
Jiang Yuan paused slightly as she turned the pages, her gaze remaining calmly fixed on the pages, seemingly captivated by the content, before finally turning the page after a moment.
Princess Jingwu's return to Lin'an was indeed put on the agenda. Her husband had recently died of illness, and the princess was so saddened that she fell seriously ill. Now that she wanted to leave Feng'an, this place of sorrow, and return to Lin'an, it was indeed difficult to refuse.
"Your Majesty," Song Yansi stepped into the hall from the left and bowed to the bewildered Li Jing, "I believe this is unacceptable."
Grand Tutor Xie raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by this. Song Yanji's argument was simply that the princess was already married and still had a fiefdom, so there was absolutely no reason for her to return to Lin'an. His statement was almost entirely untenable, but since he had spoken, the Grand Marshal's faction naturally echoed his opinion, offering various reasons why Princess Jingwu was not suitable to return to the capital.
The significance of preventing the princess from returning to the capital can be multifaceted. On a smaller scale, his flawed explanation is unlikely to convince the public. On a larger scale, it is an attempt to sever Li Jing's connection with the imperial lineage, suggesting that his achievements are too great and that he is undermining the emperor's authority.
Grand Tutor Xie shifted his feet slightly, but before he could speak, Jiang Zhongsi's voice came from behind him, "I believe that Lord Sima's actions are biased."
Sure enough, no matter how well Jiang Zhongsi usually concealed his true feelings, he still panicked when Song Yanji actually reached out to the imperial power. Grand Tutor Xie then subtly straightened his posture, squinted his eyes, and listened to their conversation.
"Isn't this Minister of the Imperial Secretariat the Grand Marshal's father-in-law? Why are they opposing him?" a minister behind whispered to the person next to him.
"Don't say anything more." The person next to him nudged his arm and shook his head, signaling him to be quiet.
"What does the Grand Tutor think?" Li Jing asked timidly after they had all finished speaking.
This was what his mother taught him: if it was Grand Tutor Xie's decision, he should listen to what the Grand Marshal had to say; if it was the Grand Marshal's suggestion, he should ask Grand Tutor Xie what he thought, then leave the court and make a decision in a few days.
Although he couldn't understand anything they said every day, he thought his mother, who was sitting behind him, must understand. Li Jing felt much more at ease knowing that his mother was right behind him, just a wall away.
“Princess Jingwu is His Majesty’s own sister. Even if you were the emperor, there would be no reason for an ordinary family not to allow their relatives to return home.” Grand Tutor Xie stroked his slightly white beard, shook his head and glanced at Song Yanji, then smiled and said, “This is His Majesty’s family matter. Whatever decision is made, we will not say anything.”
When the imperial decree to enter Lin'an was received, Princess Jingwu's carriage was already on its way, and she had already heard some of what had happened in the court.
"I have no past grudges or recent conflicts with that man surnamed Song, yet he's targeting me." Princess Jingwu casually tossed the imperial edict aside, and two maids, one in front and one behind, massaged her shoulders and legs.
"Could it be that you still hold a grudge against His Highness for suggesting to the late Emperor that he marry a princess?" Linglong knelt down beside him, setting out a tea tray.
“It wasn’t me who took a liking to him. Fifth Sister was interested, and I was just going with the flow. At the time, I just didn’t understand why he would rather risk his life and gain merit than enter the princess’s residence. Now it seems he’s quite audacious.” Princess Jingwu waved her hand, and the maid behind her stopped what she was doing. She turned the belt around her waist slightly and said, “Bring me a pen.”
"What is Your Highness doing?" Linglong, quick-witted, hurriedly opened the book box and presented a rare white jade wolf hair brush with a phoenix pattern.
“If I return to Lin’an, I will be a dead consort and unable to stay in the palace permanently. So I will naturally make friends with the ladies of various families.” Princess Jingwu dipped her brush in ink, held it in her fair hand, and covered her mouth with a smile as she wrote. “That’s good too. I’ve heard that there are many handsome men in Lin’an. I couldn’t see them in the palace in my younger days, but now it’s much more convenient to have my own residence outside the palace.”
"But the prince consort just left..."
"Haven't I kept him alive for so many years enough?" Princess Jingwu said with a cold laugh, and the surrounding voices immediately fell silent. After finishing writing one invitation, Linglong looked up and saw the four large characters "Anguo Marquis's Residence" in her eyes. "This first one will be for Song Yanji's wife."
Finally, after a moment's thought, Princess Jingwu wrote down two characters: Awu.
The news of Princess Jingwu's return to Lin'an was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in circles.
Li Qingping also received the news and came to the Marquis of Anguo's residence to talk to Jiang Yuan. Ever since Li Sheng suddenly fell ill and died, Jiang Yuan had keenly noticed that Qingping had been coming more often than before, and even the number of times the Princess's residence sent people to summon her had decreased. Qingping didn't like to put her mind to this, and Jiang Yuan felt that this was most likely because Princess Yijia had tacitly approved of it.
The imperial family is the most ruthless place, and Jiang Yuan didn't believe that such an intelligent woman like her couldn't see through the trickery. Princess Yijia had simply chosen a better path, deliberately maintaining a good relationship with Song Yanji.
"You're about to get married, why aren't you at home embroidering pillows and quilts, and why are you always running over here?" Jiang Yuan looked at the sulking Qingping and opened the snack box.
Li Qingping's eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had thought of something, then gradually dimmed again.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuan was a little surprised that he wasn't even eating snacks.
"Do you know that A-Wu is going back to Lin'an?" Qingping had just opened her mouth when she realized that Jiang Yuan didn't know who A-Wu was, so she added, "She is Princess Jingwu, my emperor's uncle... uh... the seventh daughter of the late emperor."
"I've heard a little about her." Jiang Yuan had no chance to meet her in this life, but in her previous life, she and A Wu were truly close friends.
"Ughhhhh!" Qingping became increasingly irritated, angrily pouting as she pushed away the snack box in front of her. "That jerk, he's like a persistent ghost!"
"You jerk? Who? Ah Wu?" Jiang Yuan reached out and patted Qingping's arm as if to comfort her. Her expression remained unchanged, and she asked innocently, "Qingping doesn't like her?"
"She stole my white jade wolf-hair brush!" Surprisingly, it wasn't food. Li Qingping, finding a rare outlet for her frustration, grabbed Jiang Yuan's sleeve and began to whine, recounting their entire experience at the poetry gathering in Moze. One piece in particular stood out: a white jade wolf-hair brush, carved with a phoenix and emitting a unique fragrance, which she adored. At the time, A-Wu also wanted a jade-inlaid silver mirror, so she sought out Qingping. The two of them had thus conspired to scheme against Princess Shunjiang and win first place. Qingping openly and vividly recounted this disgraceful affair, growing increasingly indignant as she spoke, her face puffing up like a steamed bun. "I never expected that annoying brat to turn around and blame me in the end!"
Not only did she get scolded by Li Sheng and Princess Yijia, but she also developed a rift with Princess Shunjiang. And that annoying girl, having received both the silver mirror and the white jade wolf hair brush, even hypocritically comforted Shunjiang, trying to improve their sisterly relationship. Only she was left feeling caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.
Awu is clever, she is foolish; Awu is likable, she is annoying; and because her rank is lower than Awu's, whenever Awu makes a mistake, she will blame it all on her, and she can't even argue with Awu.
"Sister Jiang, you must be careful when you see her in the future." Li Qingping held Jiang Yuan's hand and pretended to be earnest, expressing her grief by putting herself in Jiang Yuan's shoes. "Sister, you are kind and good-hearted. That nasty girl just likes to bully honest people like us."
Kind-hearted and pure-hearted.
Jiang Yuan patted Qingping's hand absentmindedly, then pinched a piece of pastry and handed it to her, saying, "Don't worry."
Chapter 64 Choosing a Tree to Perch On
"My lord, if you don't want Princess Jingwu to return to Lin'an, you don't need to go to such great lengths." Xu An brought the message that Princess Jingwu's carriage had entered Pingrang and would arrive in Lin'an within three days.
“No, she must come to the capital.” Song Yansi threw the letter into the incense burner in front of him, watching the white smoke rise. Li Wu not only had to come, but she had to come safely.
"Then why..." Xu An pondered for a long time, still not understanding why he had said those words in court a few days ago.
“I can’t say for sure right now, let’s wait and see.” Song Yansi leaned back in his chair after seeing that the note had turned to ashes. He slightly clenched his index finger and tapped the table lightly. After a while, he stood up. “Send someone to keep an eye on Princess Jingwu’s movements. Don’t let our people get too close.”
"Yes." Seeing that he was about to leave, Xu An quickly followed.
"Go ahead." Song Yansi held up an oil fan and put on a black patterned outer robe. "I'll go see A-Yuan."
A fine drizzle was falling outside. As soon as the door was opened, a cold wind mixed with the drizzle rushed in. Song Yanji tightened his robe. This spring was frighteningly cold.
"Master." Zhu Chuan was doing needlework in the outer room. When she saw Song Yansi come in, she quickly put down what she was doing and went to greet him. While tucking in her outer robe, she said, "Madam is teaching the young master to read."
The thick cotton curtain was lifted, and Song Yansi looked up to see the two of them leaning on the table, one on each side. Jiang Yuan was pointing at the plain paper in front of Cheng Yu and saying something, while Cheng Yu was resting his head on his hand. Song Yansi couldn't help but laugh. "With A Yuan here, I don't think we need to hire a teacher in the manor."
"Father! Father is right!" Cheng Yu nodded quickly upon hearing that they didn't need to hire a tutor. He had seen tutors before; in Chaisang, Cheng Jun's family had one, and the old tutor was very strict. Because Cheng Jun hadn't finished his homework while catching mudfish with them, his palms were swollen like buns from being beaten by the tutor. Cheng Yu then looked at Jiang Yuan. How good his mother was! She smelled so good, was so gentle, and never hit him.
"Nonsense." Jiang Yuan pinched Cheng Yu's face before pulling Song Yansi to sit down, scolding, "He's still young, so it's fine for me to teach him. But when he gets older, I'm afraid I won't have the knowledge to teach him anymore."
Jiang Yuan, having lived two lives, clearly understands that those with a broad vision will achieve great things, while those with a narrow vision will accomplish little. After all, she is a woman confined to the inner quarters of the house. No matter how talented she is, her thoughts and perceptions cannot escape this limited world. Compared to the great scholars who are well-versed in ancient and modern times and have written extensively on various topics, she is far from being a match for them.
"Let's invite the tutor into the mansion when the weather gets warmer," Song Yansi nodded, holding her hand.
"Do you have a suitable candidate?" Jiang Yuan pondered carefully. "I've heard from others that Sun Xiuchen, the great master of the Sun family, seems quite good."
“Your scholarship is excellent, but…” Song Yansi shook his head and smiled, “You are not suitable to teach Yu’er.”
Seeing Jiang Yuan blinking and waiting for him to speak, Song Yansi didn't keep him in suspense any longer, "I have someone suitable."
"who?"
"Wei Zhao."