Capital city.
A low-key carriage stopped at the rear gate of Prince Rongyang's residence. A plump, dignified old woman stepped down, travel-worn and weary-faced, yet carrying a faint, suppressed joy beneath her exhaustion.
She pressed down on the hair bun atop her head, straightened her appearance, and stepped forward to knock on the door. A delighted voice came from within as the gatekeeper opened it, "Nanny Rong is back!"
Nanny Rong responded as she hurriedly entered the estate.
In the main room of the rear courtyard, by the window, on a noblewoman's daybed, the white-haired and gracefully dignified Princess Rongyang was dozing, a trace of light sorrow knitted between her brows. Two maidservants, Chuntao and Bizhu, were gently massaging her legs.
"Chuntao, how long has Nanny Rong been gone?" Princess Rongyang asked with closed eyes, her voice low.
Chuntao replied softly, "Your Highness, it's been nearly two months. She should be returning soon."
Just as she spoke, a young maidservant hurried in from the outer courtyard.
The maidservant at the door, quick-witted, went over to inquire about the matter, a hint of joy spreading across her face. She turned back into the room, curtsied to the mistress on the daybed, and said in a very soft voice, "Your Highness, Nanny Rong is back! She's hurrying toward the courtyard now!"
Princess Rongyang's eyes snapped open, a glimmer of expectation within them. She raised her arm, "Help me up!"
As Chuntao and Bizhu assisted her to rise, they said to the young maidservant, "Have Nanny Rong come straight in to report. Her Highness has been waiting for news!"
Before long, Nanny Rong entered the courtyard, her earlier fatigue replaced by a face full of delight. After stepping inside, she stood still, performed a formal bow, and only then spoke steadily, "This servant has not failed Your Highness's trust. This trip to Xunyang brought news."
Princess Rongyang sat in the carved armchair, forcing down the excitement in her heart, "Go on."
"That old woman Wang's hometown suffered a disaster back then, so she took the young young master to seek refuge with relatives in Xunyang. Over the years, she was devoted and diligent, raising the child to adulthood. He even passed the imperial examinations, and they say he placed third in the palace examination—a tanhua. Now he serves as a county magistrate in Ancheng."
"Tanhua?!"
Princess Rongyang was so stirred that she rose from her chair, tears welling in her eyes, lips trembling. Beyond disbelief, she could utter no other words.
"Is it true? Is this really true? My son is alive? And he placed as tanhua and became an official?!"
"It's true!" Nanny Rong wiped her eyes as well and pulled an object from her bosom, "Your Highness, please look—I obtained this too!"
"The Ruyi Double Knot!"
"Back then, Your Highness gave the child no token, fearing any mishap, and only personally wove this Ruyi Double Knot, tying it to the child's swaddling clothes. I found Old Woman Wang's relatives, located the swaddling clothes, and recognized it at a glance. Throughout the Great Xuan realm, I fear only Your Highness possesses this unique craftsmanship."
Princess Rongyang stroked the Ruyi Double Knot, tears quickly misting her eyes, "Yes, this Ruyi Double Knot—I wove it for him. He was so small, just this tiny, and had to leave me… Over all these years, who knows how much hardship he endured!"
Recalling the past, Princess Rongyang wept freely, teardrops falling one by one onto the Ruyi Double Knot in her hands, "Thank heavens my son was fortunate… He is now—where did you say he serves as an official?"
"In Ancheng, not far from the capital, about four or five days' journey."
"Ancheng… Though not a poor place, it is hardly the capital."
"Fortunately, it's not too remote—it can be considered near the capital region. I heard the young lord requested the post himself, saying he wanted to gain experience."
"He's a thoughtful one. If that's the case, he should be the third-place graduate of the forty-second year of Xuanping? I remember that year's third-place graduate and the top graduate were both exceptionally handsome…" The Princess of Rongyang recalled the scene from that year, but in her memory she could not piece together the slightest likeness of her son.
"Your Highness is correct. The young lord was indeed that year's third-place graduate. His name is Xia Shimei."
"I also verified it with that old woman Wang's relative. The young lord does indeed have a red mole at the center of his foot. Even that old woman Wang didn't know about this—it was secretly marked by the Prince back then, precisely so he could be recognized in the future."
"If so, then there's no mistake. The sole heir of our Rongyang Prince's household has not been left without descendants after all! In a moment I must burn a stick of incense for the Prince and tell him his little son has been found! By the way, did that old woman Wang say why there was no news for so many years?" After her initial excitement, the Princess of Rongyang was eager to know more and pressed with question after question.
"That old woman Wang passed away several years ago. Her relative said that during the flight from hardship back then, he suffered a head injury that left him with a chronic ailment—he would become muddled from time to time, and his health was poor. He endured until the young lord passed the imperial examination, and then he was gone. It's just… alas! The young lord has suffered much…"
The Princess of Rongyang sighed softly. "Old woman Wang was a good one! My son has suffered too!"
Nanny Rong continued, "Your Highness is right. The young lord has endured some hardship, but now his bitter days have come to an end. Also, I heard the young lord married a daughter of the Lin family of Xunyang, and with his father-in-law's assistance, he was able to display his talents in the capital."
"The Lin family?"
"They're said to be a declining prominent family of Xunyang City. This marriage was sought by the young lord himself. The Lin daughter also bore him a daughter. As for other news, I haven't been able to find out yet."
"So then, I already have a granddaughter! No matter—pack up, we'll go to Ancheng ourselves to see my son, and my granddaughter as well." Now that she had news of her son, the Princess of Rongyang could no longer sit still.
"Your Highness, don't be hasty. By my reckoning, the young lord's official post should be due for reassignment soon. Why don't we inquire first? If his reassignment has been decided and he's to return to the capital for a post, then Your Highness won't need to make the trip personally."
The Princess of Rongyang pondered for a while. What Nanny Rong said made sense—she had waited over twenty years; a little more time made no difference. Now that she had news, if he was to be recognized and return to the clan, she needed to make careful plans for him. "Very well, I'll do as you say. Send someone to inquire. If he's to be reassigned to the capital, then we won't spread the word yet—we'll wait until he returns."
Nanny Rong assented and went off to handle the matter, dabbing at her eyes as she walked.
The Rongyang Prince's household would finally have a new master.
Thinking back, the Prince had no sons and was implicated in a criminal case. Only the Princess, fighting desperately, had preserved the household and the married commandery princess. Fortunately, it was later discovered that she was with child—a young lord. For the sake of this single thread of bloodline, the Princess had endured a separation from her own son for over twenty years, at one point losing all news of him and grieving to the point of despair. Now at last her suffering had come to an end! The grand Rongyang Prince's household in the capital had been mocked as having no heir, ridiculed for years. Now the past was finally behind them—they need only wait for the young lord to return, and the Princess could hold her head high again.
After Nanny Rong left, Princess Consort Rongyang dismissed all the servants and went alone to the ancestral hall in the manor. She wiped Prince Rongyang's memorial tablet over and over, murmuring to herself. Unlike her previous listlessness, a longing for life had arisen in the depths of her heart.
Before her son returned to the manor, she had to pull herself together. There was still so much to be done.