Unfortunately, while Jiang Yuan thought this way, Princess Jingwu did not.
This peace lasted only until lunch was approaching.
Chapter 67 Unfolding Waves
"Empress Dowager." As her name suggests, Awu was charming. Now that the wine had been drunk several times and the atmosphere was lively, she smiled and said, "Today, Awu knew that all the ladies had come, so she specially invited the musicians in the manor to play a piece for them."
As she finished speaking, some people became interested, while others frowned.
Two maids carried a zither stand and placed a gold-threaded cushion inside the hall. The gauze curtain was lifted by their fingers, and the zither player entered the hall under the watchful eyes of the ladies. He wore a moon-white robe trimmed with pine green. He bowed three times to the Empress Dowager, and the moment he raised his head, many ladies couldn't take their eyes off him.
Luo Nuan knelt behind Jiang Yuan and her breath caught in her throat when she saw that figure. Zhu Chuan noticed her shock and quickly looked up at the person.
"It's him," Luo Nuan said silently to Zhu Chuan.
The musician's skill was decent, but not exactly melodious; however, his face added to the praise.
After the song ended, he knelt down to express his gratitude.
Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the people in the hall and smiled, "Awu brought a musician to the palace this morning. Such excellent musical skills, but we only got to hear them at the banquet."
“Awu originally planned to wait for all the ladies to arrive this morning before calling him to play, but who would have thought…” Princess Jingwu’s expression changed drastically, and she smashed the cup in front of him, “that she couldn’t find him even after several attempts.”
Everyone was startled, and then Princess Jingwu angrily said, "How dare you! I brought you into the palace, where there are many women, and you dare to barge in! Tell me! Where have you been!"
It was indeed a trap.
Jiang Yuan looked at Princess Jingwu quietly. She seemed genuinely angry, her phoenix eyes slanted, and the nail polish on her fingertips was a frighteningly red.
"I am innocent! I was just relaxing in the Suyuan Garden." The man knelt in the hall, his forehead touching the ground.
"Hmph, wronged? You've been gone for so long, and when you returned to your room you were covered in perfume and powder, and you still dare to say you're wronged!" Princess Jingwu slammed her hand on the table. "Drag him out!"
They wanted to execute him on the spot!
"Your Highness, I have never lied to you!" The man seemed flustered, his eyes darting around the hall before settling on Jiang Yuan. He pointed at her and said loudly, "I had a conversation with this lady in Suyuan Garden and even picked up her handkerchief." He then pulled out an embroidered handkerchief from his bosom. "Your Highness can testify for me."
For a moment, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Jiang Yuan was an hour late, and Suyuan was always deserted... Zhu Chuan felt as if everything was pitch black. Hearing his words, Princess Jingwu relaxed and stopped pressing him. She used the time while drinking tea to hide a faint smile on her lips.
“Alright, I will bear witness to him.” Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Jiang Yuan did not hesitate. Meeting A Wu’s gaze, she smiled and said, “Before, when the Lady of the Imperial Household Department and I saw that it was still early and we were afraid of disturbing the Empress Dowager, we went to walk along the long corridor behind Ruyu Pavilion. Who would have thought that we would meet this musician in Suyuan.”
Lady Zhan Shi? Princess Jingwu glanced at her, her eyes sharp as a dagger, devoid of any emotion. Lady Zhan Shi's heart trembled slightly. She was about to open her mouth to defend herself when Jiang Yuan quickly interrupted her.
“The handkerchief you picked up isn’t mine,” Jiang Yuan said, pointing with her slender hand. “It belongs to Madam Lin.”
Lady Zhan's mind went blank for a moment. She quickly took out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve. The plain white handkerchief was only embroidered with a wave of water, while her handkerchief had a crabapple flower embroidered at the hem, simply because her name contained the character "棠" (tang).
Lady Zhan suddenly remembered that Jiang Yuan had once slipped on her foot, causing her handkerchief to fall to the ground. Jiang Yuan picked it up and returned it to her, but she hadn't even glanced at it. No wonder Jiang Yuan had her maid follow her afterward; if she hadn't touched the embroidered handkerchief on the way, and it had fallen to the ground and gotten dusty inside the palace, she certainly wouldn't have taken it out in front of the ladies of the various families.
"Since you came with Lady Zhan Shi, why did you arrive so late?" Princess Jingwu put down her teacup and asked.
"I lost my jade pendant halfway through." Jiang Yuan said, taking out the black jade double fish pendant from her bosom and laughing, "But since this was a family heirloom given to me by my husband, I couldn't bear to lose it, so I called a few eunuchs to help me search for it."
She had witnesses, and the physical evidence wasn't hers either. Even if the musician smelled of perfume, no matter how closely someone smelled it, it wasn't hers. As for Lady Zhan Shi, what could she say? Just the fact that she had entered Su Yuan was enough for her to escape. Jiang Yuan knew, of course, that her words wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, and she wanted Lady Zhan Shi to cover for her. However, she was certain that Lady Zhan Shi wouldn't dare to say anything reckless. Rather than getting herself sullied, she decided to play along and agree to what Lady Zhan Shi said.
Lady Zhanshi's mouth gaped slightly. Jiang Yuan's words had too many flaws, and she could find various ways to refute them. But how to explain the handkerchief? She entered the inner palace, while Jiang Yuan chose eunuchs to help her find the jade pendant. Her arrival time at the palace gate overlapped with Jiang Yuan's. Even if many eunuchs saw her on the latter part of the journey, what about before? If Jiang Yuan's timing was problematic, wouldn't hers be problematic too? She came alone; who could testify for her then?
Lady Zhan looked up at Jiang Yuan, whose smile was so gentle. For some reason, she thought of Song Yanji, the man who always made her husband feel fear and trouble. And Jiang Yuan was able to occupy his inner quarters so steadily. How could she be a purely kind person?
Jiang Yuan is trying to drag her down with him! A win-win situation, or they'll both be dragged into this mess. Hearing the words squeezed out of her throat, Lady Zhan forced a stiff smile. "Indeed, I am traveling with the Lady of Anguo Marquis."
The musician listened to Jiang Yuan and Madam Zhan blatantly lying, and lowered his head even further. The evidence did not belong to Jiang Yuan, and Jiang Yuan also dragged Madam Lin into proving that he was indeed in Suyuan, which deprived him of the opportunity and reason to change his story.
“You…” Princess Jingwu’s fingertips dug slightly into her palm. As someone in the know, she was certain there was something wrong. Just as she was about to ask again, she was interrupted by the Empress Dowager.
"When you should be happy, don't let trivial matters spoil your mood." The Empress Dowager's family may not be prominent, but they are still smart. The sudden attack by Princess Jingwu made her break out in a cold sweat. After all, she still needs Song Yanji's help, and she absolutely cannot offend Jiang Yuan too much in this situation. Now that the matter has been resolved on the surface, she should quickly move on.
"Useless lowly servant!" Princess Jingwu couldn't openly contradict the Empress Dowager, so she could only nod in agreement, but the light in her eyes had disappeared.
Jiang Yuan actually managed to break her scheme using her own people in her own territory, and she also calculated that the Empress Dowager wouldn't investigate further. No wonder Xie Jiayan said she was no ordinary person.
“Since it was all a misunderstanding,” someone in the hall said, trying to smooth things over. “I just heard that this musician’s skills are superb. Why don’t we let him play another piece as an apology to the two ladies?”
Jiang Yuan stood in the hall with a smile, about to sit down, when he heard A Wu speak again.
"I've heard that the Lady of the Marquis is also an excellent musician. How about she plays a duet with me, the musician?" Jiang Yuan perfectly portrayed the willful and capricious nature of a spoiled princess. If she agreed, it would be lowering her status; if she didn't, she would be humiliated.
Jiang Yuan knew that even the most willful A-Wu would never act this way unless it was intentional. Now, A-Wu was putting on airs, trying to suppress her in terms of status and embarrass her. The hall was filled with noblewomen; if she tolerated this, not only would she lose face, but the Marquis of Anguo's entire household would also be disgraced.
"What's your idea, Your Highness?" Seeing Jiang Yuan speak, a murmur arose in the hall. She changed the subject and smiled, "However, my musical skills are really not good, but I can recommend someone to Your Highness."
"Who?" Empress Dowager Cixi was surprised that Jiang Yuan answered so readily, and she was also very curious about the person Jiang Yuan was talking about.
“The lady of the Grand Master’s family.” Jiang Yuan’s gaze toward A Wu grew increasingly icy. “I noticed that this musician bears a striking resemblance to Madam Duan.”
Rather than saying she resembles Madam Duan, it's more accurate to say her face resembles that of the Third Son of the Duan family.
Sure enough, many people began to scrutinize the two of them.
"I thought this musician looked familiar. It was only when the Lady of the Marquis mentioned him that I remembered. He looks quite like Young Master Duan."
"That's actually a little bit true."
Madam Duan had been suppressing her anger, but the words were becoming increasingly offensive. She loosened her clenched fingers and said stiffly, "Hmph, a mere servant dares to ask Madam to play a duet with him."
"It was Awu's oversight," Princess Jingwu quickly stood up and said, "Aunt, please don't be offended."
Jiang Yuan looked at A-Wu, whose eyes were frozen, and at Madam Duan, who was struggling to suppress her anger. She raised her hand to support her forehead and twirled the cup in front of her with one hand. She knew all too well what A-Wu's feelings for Duan Sanlang were like; she wished every man around her carried the shadow of Duan Jieran. Madam Duan remained silent, but she still felt somewhat resentful.
"The Lady of the Marquis is quite formidable." As the banquet was about to end, Princess Jingwu left Jiang Yuan alone in the hall. She slowly walked to her side and looked at her with a cold smile.
"Where have I offended Your Highness?"
"After today, Madam has truly offended me." She stroked the tassel at her waist, as if to say how nice the weather was today.
"I was merely responding to your moves; I meant you no harm."
"Are you making a fool of me?"
The golden hairpin on Awu's head gleamed coldly, dazzling Jiang Yuan. "I dare not. I have no grudge against Your Highness, and I hope Your Highness will not press me any further."
That was indeed her fault. The wind blew through the palace gates and into Princess Jingwu's wide sleeves. She stood against the wind and said, "Jiang Yuan, I know you're smart. Stop trying to subtly criticize me. Others may be afraid of you, but I'm not. Let alone you, I'm not afraid of even the Marquis of Anguo!"
Everyone fears Song Yanji, but I, Awu, am not afraid of him. How about the Emperor and Empress join forces with us?
"What can you do?" Jiang Yuan asked calmly. "Without my help in this world, what can you do? What can you do?"
"Hmph." Princess Jingwu brushed past her without glancing at her. "If you don't believe me, Madam, we'll see."
After Princess Jingwu left the main hall with her maids, Zhu Chuan and Bi Fan hurriedly stepped forward and greeted her, "Madam."
"Not a single word of what just happened must be told to the Marquis." Jiang Yuan held his hands in his sleeves, his eyes gleaming. "And there's also the matter of Su Yuan."
"Yes." Seeing that the two had agreed, Jiang Yuan lifted her skirt and walked away. She guessed that Song Yanji would most likely know about her conversation with A Wu.
However, the more she thought about Princess Jingwu, the stranger it seemed. Perhaps... Jiang Yuan had slowed down because he was already on guard.
Or perhaps, Jiang Yuan stopped in her tracks, her lips trembling slightly.
Chapter 68 The Ingenious Chess Game
"From today onwards, Zuo Shuang, you will keep an eye on the Xie residence. Feng Du, you will carefully observe the movements outside the residence. If there is anything unusual, report it to me directly without going through anyone else." Jiang Yuan knew A Wu too well, and she also knew Xie Jiayan too well. Now that the two of them were together, who knows what they might do.
In the imperial court, Song Yanji pressed on relentlessly, mentioning the reduction of the power of the princes, which naturally prompted the Grand Marshal's faction to reconsider.
"What does Grand Tutor Xie think?" The young emperor repeated this same question every day.
Grand Tutor Xie stroked his beard, seemingly deep in thought. When Li Jing asked him a question, he strode into the hall and said, "I believe the Grand Marshal's words are absolutely correct."
The ministers in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, trying to guess Xie Shengping's true intentions. After a moment, someone stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant agrees."
"I agree."
“I think this is inappropriate.” Jiang Zhongsi took two steps forward. Song Yanji raised his eyelids slightly, but quickly regained his composure. These days, Jiang Zhongsi had become frighteningly thin. He coughed incessantly. “Your Majesty is young. If power is truly concentrated in the central government, it is inevitable that you will be willing but unable to do so. It would be better to let the various vassal kings govern for a longer period of time. When Your Majesty is older, it will not be too late to reduce their power.”
If the power of the princes were to be reduced, wouldn't the land rights ultimately end up in the hands of Song Yanji and Xie Shengping? No wonder they were so unanimous in their opinions. The Empress Dowager sat in the inner hall, her lips tightly pressed together. She simply couldn't understand why Minister Jiang, Song Yanji's father-in-law, would repeatedly oppose him, given that he should be on Song Yanji's side. Of course, Jiang Zhongsi's suggestion was undoubtedly the best. Perhaps if they waited until Jing'er was older and more sensible, and then brought up the reduction of the princes' power, things would be completely different.
“Lord Jiang, you are mistaken. The regional princes have been left to their own devices for a long time and are already starting to stir. If we do not reduce their power now, it may be too late,” said Zhang Jijiu, but he kept glancing at Song Yanji out of the corner of his eye. When he saw that Song Yanji had not said anything at the end, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
One hand cannot clap; that's all.
After the court session, Jiang Zhongsi's pace slowed down. Those who had some friendship with him in the past now wished they could avoid him. But since he was Song Yanji's father-in-law, naturally no one dared to argue with him to his face.
Song Yansi looked at the figure walking in front of him. The wide official robe was draped over Jiang Zhongsi, and the light and shadow cast on the ground made him look extremely dejected. With a single movement, the officials around him tactfully withdrew. He walked behind Jiang Zhongsi and asked, "Why is my father-in-law targeting me?"
"Aren't you afraid that His Majesty might develop other ideas when he gets older?" Jiang Zhongsi turned to look at him, his eyes not exactly friendly.
With no one around, Song Yansi, having come this far, was no longer afraid to confront him directly: "Whether I can grow up is another matter."
"You!" Jiang Zhongsi's eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly widened. "You are a subject, and he is the emperor!"
"Perhaps my father-in-law has forgotten." Song Yanji said with a smile, just like when he first met him in the palace, his smile as warm as a spring breeze. "Right and wrong, success and failure are not predetermined, are kings and generals born with their titles?"
"My son-in-law wants far too much!"
“A-Yuan is my first wife, and Cheng-Yu is my legitimate son. What I acquire in the future will all belong to them.” Song Yan-Si suddenly stepped forward, his smile vanishing, and said emotionlessly, “What exactly is Father-in-law afraid of?”
Jiang Zhongsi's hand trembled incessantly in his sleeve. He secretly pressed it down with his other hand, but his face remained calm. "I'm afraid my son-in-law won't be able to go that far."
Song Yansi straightened up, laughing heartily. Sunlight fell on his official robe, turning it from deep purple to black. His tone was intriguing: "We'll wait and see."
"Then I shall take my leave." Jiang Zhongsi cupped his hands, then quickly turned away and covered his mouth, suppressing his cough.
"Take care, Lord Jiang." Song Yansi watched his slightly hesitant steps, his gaze fixed on his figure as he walked further and further away, without ever turning his head back.
"Really?" Xie Jiayan asked with a hint of doubt upon hearing the news. "Could it be that those two foxes, one big and one small, are putting on an act?"
"There is absolutely no mistake." Princess Jingwu picked up a candied fruit and put it in her mouth.
"That's strange. Logically speaking, Jiang Zhongsi should be fully supporting him now that he has such a son-in-law. Why would he embarrass him like this in court?" Xie Jiayan was still puzzled. "Has Your Highness found out anything?"
"I haven't had a chance to get started yet." Princess Jingwu dampened her handkerchief with water and gently wiped her fingers. As if she had thought of something, she smiled and said, "I suddenly have a good idea. Would Sister Xie like to hear it?"
As she spoke, she reached out and pulled Xie Jiayan's arm, whispering in her ear.
"Isn't this going a bit too far?" Xie Jiayan hesitated for a moment after hearing Princess Jingwu's suggestion.
Why is she being so indecisive? A-Wu didn't show it on her face, but she frowned a little in her heart. For some reason, she thought of Jiang Yuan. If it were her, she might have agreed immediately. Unfortunately, she and Jiang Yuan were not on the same path. "In a game between two sides, one of them will be injured. We should strike first. What do you have to be afraid of?"
Xie Jiayan pondered for a while, then nodded in agreement, "However, I don't know much about this."