Xie Zhengming intentionally teased him, watching Zhou Ji become flustered and red in the face as he laughed:
“What are you thinking? Who asked you to propose to a princess? I meant that after we enter the palace in a moment.”
The two of them rode their horses to the palace gate. Upon seeing Xie Zhengming, the guards immediately saluted and offered greetings:
“Greetings, Your Highness Prince Ding.”
Xie Zhengming produced the command token from the C’an Palace, handed his horse over to the guards, and walked together with Zhou Ji toward the C’an Palace.
Palace attendants were already waiting at the C’an Palace to receive them. Once Xie Zhengming arrived, he was escorted to the Pavilion of Jasper in the C’an Palace. This was the opera stage of the C’an Palace. The Empress Dowager had already arrived, but there was no sign of Princess Anhui. Xie Zhengming felt a slight sense of tension in his heart.
If Princess Anhui had been present, the Empress Dowager might not have spoken too bluntly out of consideration for the young, thin-skinned princess. However, it now appeared that the Empress Dowager had summoned him specifically for this, clearly intending to give him a stern reprimand.
“Your subject Xie Zhengming pays his respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live a thousand years.”
“Oh, Prince Ding has arrived. Take a seat.”
Zhou Ji stood at Xie Zhengming’s side. Now serving as Xie Zhengming’s personal retainer, he followed Xie Zhengming everywhere except during military campaigns undertaken without an imperial decree.
Seeing Xie Zhengming about to sit, Zhou Ji hurriedly picked up a soft cushion from the empty chair nearby and whispered:
“Your Highness, add another layer of this.”
Xie Zhengming played along, his expression showing slight difficulty as he lifted his body to place the soft cushion under his buttocks.
The palace attendants nearby were left wide-eyed with shock, and the Empress Dowager also furrowed her brows slightly. Just as she was about to ask if Prince Ding was feeling unwell, she was gently pulled aside by a palace lady beside her. This was an experienced female official who had seen much in the harem of the previous dynasty, and coupled with the rumors of Prince Ding taking a sworn brother as a partner years ago, she immediately understood what was happening.
Catching a glimpse of the Empress Dowager’s reaction from the corner of his eye, Xie Zhengming amused himself inwardly and spoke first:
“The Empress Dowager truly has an elegant spirit today. But why not summon a few more people to make it livelier?”
The Empress Dowager smiled and said:
“Usually, Anhui keeps me company to relieve my boredom. But yesterday, after the child returned from the temple fair at Guang’an Temple, she fell ill. Sigh, among the younger generation, the two of you are the ones most to my heart, which is why I summoned you today.”
Xie Zhengming’s expression remained gentle and respectful:
“I am honored by the Empress Dowager’s favor; I am flattered.”
An attendant presented a list of plays. The Empress Dowager and Xie Zhengming each chose one, and after that, the Empress Dowager went straight to the point:
“Prince Ding has followed His Majesty on the battlefield for these past few years, rendering great service. Now that the imperial court is stabilized and you are assisting His Majesty in handling state affairs, laboring day and night, it is no wonder you haven’t married at your age. How can I not be touched? And how can I not be anxious about your marriage?”
Xie Zhengming glanced slightly at Zhou Ji beside him, then smiled:
“What merit do I possess to warrant the Empress Dowager’s concern for my marriage? However, perhaps the Empress Dowager is unaware: although I haven’t formally taken a wife, I have long had someone by my side, it is Qin Duan, my sworn brother who has shared thick and thin with me all these years. My heart has long since been pledged to him, and I have made a vow that I will surely marry him as my official spouse and welcome him into my home.”
The more the Empress Dowager listened, the uglier her expression became, her face growing long and stern. Yet, she had to maintain her royal dignity, so she waved her broad sleeves and said coldly:
“Is Prince Ding joking? A man, and you wish to marry him as your official spouse?”
The muscles in Xie Zhengming’s cheeks twitched instinctively. Withstanding the Empress Dowager’s ridicule, he replied neither servile nor overbearing:
“Yes. When I was in dire straits, I received his care; without him, there would be no Xie Zhengming today. Being able to marry Qin Duan as my spouse is my greatest fortune.”
The Empress Dowager said in a deep voice:
“Prince Ding, say no more. I know that in your hometown, sworn brotherhood is nothing strange, but from ancient times until now, I have never heard of a man refusing to properly marry a wife and have children, choosing instead to remain with another man for a lifetime. You are young now and intoxicated by momentary passion, thinking nothing of it, but when you are older and in your twilight years, with no children to call your own, you will regret this.”
On stage, the opera singers sang with melodic trills, but no one in the audience was listening. Seeing that the Empress Dowager was about to force him to marry Princess Anhui, Xie Zhengming quickly took advantage of drinking tea to give a signal to Zhou Ji beside him.
Xie Zhengming set down his teacup and said with a bright smile to the Empress Dowager:
“Empress Dowager, is that a martial performer on stage? The skill is truly impressive, excellent!”
Xie Zhengming feigned applause, but with a large movement, the expression on his face froze, and he immediately frowned as if he were suffering from an injury.
The Empress Dowager could no longer turn a blind eye, so she hurriedly asked with concern:
“What is the matter, Prince Ding? Are you feeling unwell?”
Xie Zhengming appeared extremely embarrassed, while Zhou Ji, acting as if he were being outspoken and nervous, said:
“Your Highness, should you add another cushion? Last night, you and Brother Qin… Sigh, you really didn’t look after your body.”
Having said this, he hurriedly covered his mouth, looking at the Empress Dowager with fear and trepidation. He looked exactly like someone who had let something slip by mistake.
Xie Zhengming rebuked him:
“Less nonsense in front of the Empress Dowager! Go back and accept twenty strokes of the military cane!”
With him punishing his subordinate with such a stern face, the Empress Dowager could no longer hold him accountable. She could only twist her body, face darkening as she said coldly:
“Since Prince Ding is unwell today, do not force yourself to stay with me. Return home and rest quickly.”
Supported by Zhou Ji, Xie Zhengming stood up, offered his bows, and requested to withdraw.
As they reached the palace gate of the Pavilion of Jasper, Xie Zhengming swept a glance toward the figure hiding behind a pillar in the corridor beside the stage, curved his lips, and stepped out.
That person was a palace maid serving Princess Anhui. He knew that for an occasion like today, even if Princess Anhui did not appear in person, she would certainly have left a pair of ears behind.
In high spirits, Xie Zhengming left the palace with Zhou Ji, while back there, Princess Anhui was weeping with swollen eyes. Her Prince Ding, whom she obsessed over, so handsome, heroic, and dashing, actually loved his sworn brother so much that he wanted to take him back to the estate as his legal wife!
That might have been fine; she could have asked the Empress Dowager to exert pressure. But, based on the description from the maid who heard everything, coupled with the hints dropped by the Empress Dowager’s attendant, Aunt Sun, she never dreamed that not only did the heroic Prince Ding like men, but he was actually the one on the bottom!
Princess Anhui felt as if the sky had collapsed. Her young, romantic heart shattered into pieces, and she never mentioned marrying Prince Ding ever again.
Qin Duan, meanwhile, remained unaware that Xie Zhengming had sacrificed his own reputation to block a marriage proposal. After being provoked by Xie Zhengming earlier that morning, he found himself utterly unable to focus on his books. Thus, he had Yun’er bring his guqin and headed to the pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond at the estate.
When Qin Duan was a child, he was picked up and brought home by his grandfather, and he began learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Qin Duan often wondered why a man of his grandfather’s peerless talent, a master scholar who understood both the ancient and the modern, would refuse to seek official fame or enter the court, content instead to remain a simple teacher in a remote rural school. He even made him swear that he would never walk the path of the officialdom and never enter the court to serve as an official.