"How is it that the imperial court has issued a marriage decree all of a sudden? Didn't we go to express gratitude for the imperial favor?" Madam Ji personally served a cup of tea to her husband Zheng Fang. When her husband had escorted Grand Dowager Xu and her grandson to the capital, none of this had been mentioned—surely this must have been decided while in the capital.Zheng Fang took a sip of the hot tea before speaking. "What else could be done? The eldest girl said the Crown Prince personally dove into the water to save her, and the Empress herself said she was very fond of her. But the eldest girl originally spoke of becoming the Crown Princess. I just made inquiries with the palace attendants—the Crown Prince's primary consort is Chancellor Lyu's daughter. We've missed out on that."Madam Ji thought to herself that the Crown Prince had saved the eldest girl first, then saved her own second girl. Now that the eldest girl was already a Crown Prince's Consort, there was no need to bring up her own daughter's matter again—after all, only the two maidservants by Huiyin's side knew of it at the time."The Crown Prince is of noble imperial blood. If he accomplishes great things, the eldest girl will be at least a consort in the future. That's quite good." Madam Ji did not wish to say more—the eldest girl was not her own flesh and blood after all.The couple had barely exchanged a few words when a servant arrived from Grand Dowager Xu, saying: "The old lady says the second young lady has just recovered from a serious illness and needs to warm her body. She requests that you accompany the second young lady to the hot springs at Xuelang Manor for a few days."Xuelang Manor was originally a gift Zheng Fang had specially presented to Grand Dowager Xu when he conquered Jizhou. In previous years, Grand Dowager Xu had only ever brought the eldest young lady there. Yet today she had sent someone over specifically to mention it.Madam Ji smiled and said, "Please convey my thanks to the old lady for her kindness."She did not think the old lady's intentions were kind at all. They were both old foxes who had seen it all—this move was clearly meant to send her and her daughter away. Madam Ji was unwilling.But she agreed verbally for now. Madam Ji had been worn down by such schemes over the years.Zheng Fang did not understand the underlying meaning and simply asked Madam Ji, "Is Huiyin feeling better? I'll go see her in a moment.""She just woke up, and then went out into the cold wind—how could she be better? I think she still has a bit of fever. She needs to recuperate."Madam Ji was originally the daughter of a military family from Pingyang Commandery; her father was a General of the Pacification Army. She had first married Pei Ye of Hedong Commandery and borne him Pei Shuo. Later, when Pei Shuo rode out of the city to face the enemy, someone launched a surprise attack from the rear. A pregnant Madam Ji rode out with several squads of troops to protect the Pei army and even rescued her husband Pei Ye. But she miscarried the child in her womb, and the physician said she could never bear children again. At the time, her relationship with Pei Ye was very close, and she naturally felt she had given much, so she made Pei Ye promise never to take concubines—after all, she had a son, Pei Shuo. But unexpectedly, Pei Ye took in five or six concubines outside. In a fit of rage, Madam Ji took her dowry and her son, divorced her husband, and left.Later, after marrying Zheng Fang, she had continued to believe she could not conceive. To her surprise, she became pregnant a few months later and gave birth to Huiyin—she felt it was practically a medical miracle.Having originally been ostracized within the Zheng household, she had only gained a firm footing after successively giving birth to Huiyin and her younger brother.Outsiders naturally could not appreciate the hardship involved, which was why she was especially devoted to her daughter.Although Zheng Fang also had favored concubines, his marital relationship with Madam Ji was quite close. Though they were a second-marriage couple, they had been together for over a decade now. What mattered most at present was their daughter's marriage prospects, so she said tactfully, "They say that when misfortune reaches its extreme, fortune follows. Now that the eldest girl has been chosen by someone of noble rank, I wonder what will become of our Hui-niang?""Don't worry. I will carefully select an excellent son-in-law for her." Zheng Fang smiled.To say that Zheng Fang came from a humble background—he was originally a captain under Lu Ji, the governor of Gannan. After repeatedly distinguishing himself in battle, he earned Lu Ji's trust and was given important posts. Later, when Lu Ji went to the capital to stir up political turmoil, Zheng Fang was won over by Lu Wei and killed Lu Ji. His rise in rank was entirely due to his own ability; he had no connections whatsoever. Even Grand Dowager Xu, who claimed to be from the Xu clan of the Eastern Sea, was merely someone he attached himself to for support.Grand Dowager Xu, however, did not see it that way. She had someone bring a bowl of almond milk to Deyin and said, "This milk is most nourishing. Your uncle will be coming from Jiangnan to Jizhou in a few days—how could you meet him looking unwell?""Uncle is coming?" Zheng Deyin was delighted.Grand Dowager Xu smiled. "His letter arrived last month. I've been counting the days, and I expect he'll be here any day now.""That's wonderful! My mother will be overjoyed to hear it too. Grandmother, please have my mother brought back that day." Zheng Deyin's birth mother, Madam Xu, was practicing Buddhism in a nunnery not far from Jizhou, keeping her hair as a lay devotee. Usually, Deyin went to visit her, but since her uncle was coming from Huainan this time, she wanted to bring her mother home.Nanny Luo, who stood beside Grand Dowager Xu, laughed and said, "Young miss, the Grand Dowager has already sent word for Madam Ji and her daughter to go to Xuelang Manor—it's precisely for this matter.""Grandmother…" Zheng Deyin was deeply moved.Grand Dowager Xu said, "It's not entirely for that. You're grown now, and I must speak with you. In my heart, you are my only granddaughter. Madam Ji is devious in her intentions, and I have no wish to involve myself with her daughter. Your uncle has said that Prince Wei intends to propose on behalf of his nephew, Prince Huaiyin, to your father for your hand in marriage. That match was originally yours, but since you are now betrothed to the Eastern Palace, you naturally cannot marry Prince Huaiyin. I'm afraid that if Madam Ji learns of this—seeing that it's Prince Huaiyin making the proposal—she might resort to some underhanded scheme, and our family would be shamed."So that was it. Zheng Deyin thought to herself that Hui-niang had a mother from a marquis household and full brothers of her own—she had everything. In her previous life, she had been fortunate, rising all the way to become Empress Dowager, a model of motherhood for the realm. In this life, it would be better if she simply married within Jizhou, staying close to home, finding an ordinary husband to raise children with, living a plain and peaceful life—something countless people would envy. Besides, Prince Huaiyin had never gotten along with her in her previous life; the couple had nearly become enemies. It was actually a good thing that her sister wouldn't marry him.With this thought, Deyin felt somewhat relieved.**"Keep pretending to be ill for the next few days, do you hear me?" Madam Ji tucked the blanket around Hui-niang.Huiyin smiled. "Mother, I didn't want to go out anyway. Who in the middle of recovering would want to venture out in such windy, cold weather? Grandmother is trying to send us away, I suspect. I'd wager it's definitely something good."Madam Ji tapped her daughter's nose. "You little clever one—you know it already. Your grandmother has been keeping it tightly under wraps, but your father gave me a hint last night. Prince Huaiyin wants to take a daughter of the Zheng family as his consort. She married off in such a hurry, so wouldn't this match fall right into your lap?"Prince Huaiyin? Huiyin remembered that he too had died young, and it was said that he and her elder sister had not gotten along well. She seemed to recall Madam Ji once mentioning that Prince Huaiyin had someone he loved.She only said, "Mother, Prince Huaiyin may not be such a good match after all. Don't jump to conclusions at the slightest rumor."Madam Ji disagreed: "My dear child, your father rose from a humble background through the civil service. He is skilled in martial arts and an excellent commander, but he lacks strategic cunning. He and Lu Wei have long been at odds beneath a surface of civility. Yet we are not like those aristocratic families who maintain their own private armies—once trouble arises, those people scatter like startled birds. Prince Huaiyin is a descendant of Prince Wu, and Prince Wu is the emperor's own younger brother. That Li Heng is nothing but a puppet crown prince. Since ancient times, when a brother dies, the younger brother succeeds; when a father dies, the son succeeds. Who knows—it might well fall to Prince Huaiyin…""Mother, isn't Prince Wei also the emperor's younger brother?" Huiyin smiled and shook her head.Though in her previous life Prince Wei had also seemed to die young, after her rebirth, everything was a new understanding.But Prince Huaiyin did indeed seem like a good choice—otherwise, Prince Wei was already married, and his son was only a few years old. She couldn't very well marry Prince Wei himself, could she?What Madam Ji said was exactly what Huiyin had been thinking: "Prince Wei is already wed. Unless you went as a secondary wife—but how could my daughter be anyone's concubine? Even I wouldn't accept that.""Mother, if Prince Wei wants a marriage alliance with our family, it certainly won't be what Grandmother wishes." Huiyin had originally considered the Wei family of Bozhou, but she recalled from her previous life that the Wei family had a fondness for married women.Madam Ji thought the same. The mother and daughter both simply claimed that it was too cold outside and that Huiyin's health had not yet fully recovered. Grand Dowager Xu hadn't expected this pair to be so cunning, but she thought it didn't matter—if Uncle Xu learned that the eldest young lady was already betrothed, he certainly wouldn't push the matter forward. After all, Madam Xu being forced into the position of a cast-off wife was entirely Madam Ji's doing. How could Uncle Xu bear to see his enemy's daughter marry into a high position?But she had miscalculated. When Uncle Xu heard that the eldest young lady had already been matched with the crown prince, he immediately said to Zheng Fang at the welcome banquet: "Prince Wei has long admired the General's valor and martial prowess. He wishes to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis, seeking the hand of your second daughter in marriage, so that our two families may serve the court together in the future."Zheng Fang thought to himself that Prince Wei had recently taken control of Yangzhou—this was truly an excellent match—and agreed on the spot.When Grand Dowager Xu learned of this, she could not help but say to Uncle Xu: "I already told you that your niece is betrothed to the crown prince. Why must you insist on seeking Madam Ji's daughter?"But Uncle Xu replied: "Prince Wei told me that Zheng's eldest daughter, being the senior daughter, would be ideal to marry for strengthening our kinship ties. But if the second daughter would do as well, then as long as the marriage is arranged, forming an alliance with the Zheng family would suffice."Frankly speaking, as long as he could form a marriage alliance with the Zheng family, what did it matter which daughter it was?Grand Dowager Xu was so furious she nearly fell over backward. Zheng Deyin was at her grandmother's side attending to her. She had been delighted to learn that Hui-niang wouldn't have to marry Prince Huaiyin—at least she could live a peaceful, ordinary life. But she never expected fate to play such tricks. The withered, hollow existence she herself had lived in her previous life—it seemed Hui-niang would have to experience it in this one.Little did she know, Huiyin said to herself: even marrying Prince Huaiyin didn't mean she couldn't one day become mother of the realm.She had never believed in the saying "marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog"—that one's fate was sealed by whom one married. A good fate was something you carved out for yourself. And she was determined to carve out her own path to the clouds.
Chapter 3
Rebirth of the Empress