The soft sedan chair of the palace had indeed belonged to His Majesty alone in the past, but after Gu Shaoshi rose to power, His Majesty, mindful of his old leg ailment, had specially granted a favor and allowed him to use it going to and from court.
But how would our treacherous official Gu let go of such a good chance to build his image?
So although this favor had been granted two years ago when Gu Shaoshi was promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat, in these two years no one had ever seen him actually use it, and unexpectedly today he had put it out for Chu Yue’an.
A thousand thoughts turned in his mind, but fortunately years of acting experience had welded a cold, indifferent mask onto his face. So however huge the waves in his heart, to outsiders it was only the Chu residence’s Third Miss pausing slightly on the spot, then returning a faint smile to Prime Minister Gu, parting her red lips slightly, and answering him in the same gentle voice:
“I am grateful for the Prime Minister’s kindness, but with the state banquet ahead of us, this humble daughter naturally cannot act on her own authority. Why not have the Prime Minister walk together with me, so that we can look after each other?”
Heard one way, these words were Chu Yue’an restraining himself and observing propriety in a tactful refusal while also giving the Prime Minister a step down so as not to offend his face. But falling into Gu Shaoshi’s ears, they were a veiled sneer that he was domineering and blocking people’s way. Although this was true, and Gu Shaoshi knew well that he had been jabbed in the back more than once or twice, these two sentences were neither painful nor itchy, yet he couldn’t help being secretly surprised, and looked at Chu Yue’an a couple more times:
He had not expected the General’s Residence’s only daughter to have such a character, gentle with thorns in it.
But… whatever her character was, it made no difference to what he was going to do.
“Of course, Miss Chu’s wishes come first,” Gu Shaoshi nodded, took a few steps forward, and took the initiative to reach out a hand, wishing to help him down from the carriage.
Chu Yue’an reached out to take it, but only lightly supported the side of his wrist, then immediately pulled back, and the next moment his feet had landed on the ground.
Gu Shaoshi was slightly stunned.
When Chu Yue’an stood on the carriage, Gu Shaoshi hadn’t noticed, but now that Chu Yue’an had come down to the ground, he found he was only half a head shorter than himself. It should be known that the noble women of the capital mostly reached only to his shoulder, and so among the people there were many jokes that Prime Minister Gu was wasted as a civil official and should wear armor and be a general.
This thought lasted only a moment before Chu Yue’an’s cold voice came from the other side:
“Then I trouble the Prime Minister to lead the way.”
Gu Shaoshi put his hand back into his sleeve, and when he raised his head, the same mild smile was still on his face:
“Miss Chu, please.”
The seating arrangement tonight was of course extremely proper. His Majesty was absent. On the right of the upper seat was the Crown Prince, who likewise could not attend the banquet because he was attending to the Empress Dowager’s illness at her bedside; on the left were the seats of the civil officials headed by the Prime Minister, and the line on the right was the military officers and their family members headed by Chu Muhe, Commander of the Palace Guard.
“I feel as if we have known each other for a long time at first meeting. May I ask the young lady to move to my side?” There had been no words on the way. The two walked to the door and stopped, and Gu Shaoshi suddenly turned his head and said to him.
Chu Yue’an had prepared for this. He raised his head and glanced at him, and refused in a soft voice:
“…The seats are all arranged, and I’m afraid it would not accord with the rites. My brother is still waiting for Yue’an, so please excuse me from keeping you company.” Having said this, he gave a graceful bow and walked to his own seat.
Hm? Gu Shaoshi actually didn’t stop him? Chu Yue’an was secretly glad.
But he soon understood why.
Because Gu Shaoshi directly had people remove the empty table of the Crown Prince, then added a new seat, and forcibly squeezed in next to him.
Chu Yue’an: …
He thought to himself that he had really misjudged. He only knew that Gu Shaoshi held all the power in political affairs and what he said was final, but had not expected that he could calculate this much even over a seat.
Seeing that Gu Shaoshi had finally “got his wish” and sat down beside him, Chu Yue’an could only nod indifferently:
“Prime Minister Gu.”
Gu Shaoshi: “The young lady doesn’t seem very welcoming of this Prime Minister?”
So it’s only your legs that aren’t good, and your eyes aren’t blind.
Chu Yue’an blinked, half true and half false: “How could that be? As long as the Prime Minister wants, what seat in this hall can’t he sit in?”
Gu Shaoshi’s smile faded a little, and he looked at Chu Yue’an with a deep meaning. After a long moment, he said in a low voice: “Young lady, be careful with your words.”
Chu Yue’an smiled at him and did not take up the topic again.
As he was eating his food with head bowed, he suddenly saw a piece of crystal-clear, white fish meat reach into his bowl. He looked up and saw Gu Shaoshi leaning slightly toward him, saying:
“Why doesn’t the young lady try this dish of wine-roasted mandarin fish? This is the fattest back meat of the mandarin fish, chosen by the imperial chefs of the palace, roasted with wine and lemongrass until the skin is slightly charred and the inside is lustrous. The wine fragrance seeps into the flesh without overpowering the freshness, the taste is clean without being greasy, and it is a rare delicacy.”
Chu Yue’an’s chopsticks paused. Without changing expression he moved his body to the side to stay farther away, and only then raised his head to look at him, his voice cool and tactful:
“This humble daughter is unwell and should not take wine. I appreciate the kind thought, and this wine-roasted mandarin fish should be left for the Prime Minister to enjoy alone.”
Having finished, he reached out, picked up the same small dish of fish meat on the table, and placed it directly on Gu Shaoshi’s table, then took up his chopsticks, picked the fish out of his own bowl, and put it back into Gu Shaoshi’s bowl.
He absolutely will not eat fish! And Gu Shaoshi, are you and I that familiar?
Gu Shaoshi was not annoyed at being refused, but only blinked, followed the suggestion, took the fish in the bowl with his chopsticks and ate it, and after finishing did not forget to pick up the napkin on the table and clean the corner of his mouth. Then he lifted a jade-green teapot that had been prepared on his table at some point, raised his wrist lightly, and the clear green tea slowly filled the teacup.
“It was my fault. Since that is so, I would like to apologize to the young lady with this tea.” Having said this, he held the cup in both hands. Although he didn’t stand up, he fully observed the etiquette, and the long sleeves joined at his wrists were carefully rolled up, revealing two lean, fair wrists beneath, and the white jade and green tea held upon them seemed to leave one no way to refuse.
…Changed the routine, did he?
Chu Yue’an looked at him and still shook his head, with just the right amount of troubled apology on his face:
“Please forgive me, Prime Minister. It’s not that this humble daughter is unwilling, but that the physician of our residence has repeatedly instructed that I must not take tea or wine with the prescription I am on now, or the medicine’s effect will be completely lost and be of no use.”
Seeing Gu Shaoshi’s expression harden a little, Chu Yue’an struck while the iron was hot, folded his hands at his waist, made a half bow to him while seated, and said:
“This humble daughter feels guilty in her heart, but is helpless, and here apologizes to the Prime Minister.”
Although Chu Yue’an was helpless, he thought of others seeing the two of them bowing to each other back and forth here and found it a bit inexplicably funny.
Gu Shaoshi hurriedly lifted his hand to support him in the air, with an expression even more apologetic than his:
“It is not the young lady’s fault. It is that I did not learn in advance, flattered you twice, and offended the young lady. By rights, it should be this Prime Minister who apologizes to the young lady.”
Having said that, he truly said no more, filled his own cup himself, tipped back his head and drained it, sat back in his place, and no longer spoke with Chu Yue’an.
Chu Yue’an breathed a sigh of relief.
How shrewd Gu Shaoshi was; how could he not see that he was deliberately being given the cold shoulder? But after being refused twice, Gu Shaoshi showed no temper at all, and even after the banquet livened up, several times people came to greet Chu Yue’an, not a few of them people who deliberately pressed wine on him, and many of them were people Chu Yue’an had done homework on earlier, yet all were driven back by Gu Shaoshi beside him with smooth words. For a while Chu Yue’an could not guess his intention, and so grew more and more wary.
This was the sixth cup of wine Gu Shaoshi had drunk for him.
Chu Yue’an treated him gently on the surface and thanked him frequently. In his heart, however, he had already cursed Gu Shaoshi until his head was drenched in dog’s blood.
No need, really no need, right? Leaving a perfectly good Prime Ministership alone, why insist on wading into this muddy water? Could the General’s Residence’s military power really be this tempting, that even the Prime Minister can’t rise above the common run?
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a faint, inconspicuous flush already creeping up the side of Gu Shaoshi’s face, knew he had drunk a bit much, and was about to rise and take his leave, when he suddenly heard the sharp voice of the eunuch in charge outside the seats ring out:
“His Majesty has arrived—”
Chu Yue’an went along and bowed down.
Gu Shaoshi had declared the banquet open two cups of tea ago. The crowd had waited a long time without seeing him and so assumed that His Majesty would not come to tonight’s palace banquet after all, and had been drinking happily while talking back and forth. Now, three rounds of wine in, they never expected His Majesty to suddenly arrive.
Gu Shaoshi led the ministers in kneeling and paying respects, and took the opportunity to return to his original seat, diagonally across from Chu Yue’an.
Chu Yue’an kept his head lowered and watched a pair of bright yellow boots pass in front of his eyes over the ochre-red carpet, the steps slow and staggering. The hem of the dragon robe also had some dark water stains, and nearby hung a thick, lingering smell of liquor. He frowned without showing it and lowered his head even further.
It seemed a long time, or perhaps only a moment, before a hoarse voice came from the upper seat:
“All my beloved ministers, rise.”
Then came a round of stale Mid-Autumn greetings. Gu Shaoshi stood first in line, and he didn’t listen closely, but judging by His Majesty’s rewards afterward, they should not have been poor. After all, Gu Shaoshi had been the top-ranked scholar in his day. Only he did not know how much of the cheering below the hall was real appreciation and how much was fear of his power. Chu Yue’an thought over countermeasures in his heart and was a little absent-minded.
After Gu Shaoshi came Chu Muhe. Chu Yue’an rose along with him. He did not need to speak, only raise his cup in a distant toast. But just as he was about to return to his seat, His Majesty suddenly spoke:
“The one next to Muhe is the Third Miss of the General’s Residence, I take it?”
For a moment, the sound of conversation in the seats grew a little quieter.
Chu Yue’an came back to himself, adjusted his robes and bowed, and answered with head lowered:
“This subject’s daughter Chu Yue’an pays respects to Your Majesty.”
His Majesty laughed a couple of times, his voice much fuller than before:
“No need, no need, quickly be excused.”
Chu Yue’an stood up with hands in his sleeves.
His Majesty was sizing him up, but besides that there was another gaze. This gaze was different from His Majesty’s look at a “daughter-in-law,” and was more like examining a commodity, to see whether this commodity matched the benefits he wanted.
Chu Yue’an’s fingertips moved in his sleeve, and he suddenly very much wanted to reach out and slap Gu Shaoshi across from him.
And he had just thought Gu Shaoshi was drunk and worried that his mind was unclear and his words and actions would slip. Wasn’t he very clear-headed? And he dared to look at him with that kind of gaze, afraid he wouldn’t notice!
After a moment, His Majesty finally finished looking and said to him in a loud voice:
“I have lived in Yongdu for a long time and have not visited Wuzhou to offer comfort for a long while, and my heart is uneasy. I heard you have been in poor health since childhood. Now that you have come to the capital, do you feel any discomfort?”
Chu Yue’an lowered his eyes: “This subject’s daughter is entirely well, and troubles Your Majesty with worry.”
“That’s good, that’s good!” His Majesty clapped his hands and laughed, and just when everyone thought His Majesty would let him sit down, he turned the conversation:
“I heard that Yue’an has passed the hairpin age this year?”
Chu Yue’an’s heart tightened.
“Yes, this subject’s daughter had her hairpin ceremony two months ago.”
His Majesty: “Is there anyone among the young men in the capital that Yue’an has taken a liking to? You may tell me, and I will decide for you.”
…As expected, here it comes.
Not bringing it up with Chu Muhe but asking him instead, did they think he was easy to bully?
Delay as long as possible. Chu Yue’an naturally had no intention of fulfilling the old emperor’s wishes, so he merely stepped forward according to etiquette and bowed slightly:
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s concern, but this subject’s daughter has only just reached the hairpin age. As for marriage, the Great Yan has always gone from eldest to youngest, and my elder brother has not yet married, so how could this subject’s daughter overstep? This subject’s daughter thanks Your Majesty for the kind regard.”
Having spoken, he bowed again and raised his cup above his head to express gratitude.
Using Chu Muhe as a shield was the result of the two brothers’ careful deliberation.
For no other reason: in all the years Chu Muhe had been in the capital, was it that His Majesty and the Prime Minister did not want to move against him? It wasn’t that they hadn’t moved, it was that they couldn’t, because Chu Muhe already had an engagement. And that engagement was a childhood betrothal that Chu Weiting had arranged for him more than ten years ago.
Chu Yue’an lightly glanced at the little girl sitting to his right rear, who at this moment was timidly raising her head to look in his direction.
That’s right. Chu Muhe’s childhood betrothed was the daughter of the Marquis of Pingnan, six years younger than him, Lu Youning.
It had originally been a verbal engagement made in jest by Chu Weiting, seeing that the two got along rather harmoniously. But that year there was a rumor in the capital that someone wanted to take away sons of the noble families, and in urgency Chu Weiting really went to the Lu family and made a signed and sealed pledge with them. To this day the marriage contract still bore the fingerprints of both Chu Muhe and Lu Youning.
The Great Yan valued the rites above all and it was absolutely improper to go back on a promise without cause. So over these years, whenever Chu Muhe’s marriage was mentioned, he had put it off with this excuse. In any case, he himself had no thought of taking a wife, and had always regarded Lu Youning as a younger sister. What’s more, when they were small Lu Youning had not been close to him, and after Lu Youning also came to the capital, the two had little chance to meet and had never said more than a few words.
He had thought this would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, just as Chu Yue’an put down the wine cup, he saw Gu Shaoshi opposite suddenly stand up and say:
“Miss Chu’s words are mistaken.”
Chu Yue’an’s heart sank.
With a blank face, he kept up the courtesies and asked:
“I wonder what wise opinion the Prime Minister has?”
Gu Shaoshi changed the gentle tone with which he had been speaking to him earlier, and his tone abruptly became sharp:
“What the young lady says is the filial piety and fraternal duty the Great Yan has always used to restrain men. The noble families have always had the principle ‘if the elder brother is unmarried, the younger does not marry first,’ but the women of a household need not abide by it.”
“If it were truly as the young lady says, how many suitable women of the capital would have to wait until their elder brothers are white-haired and their fame turned to dust before daring to mention marriage?”
Without waiting for Chu Yue’an to answer, Gu Shaoshi went on bluntly:
“What’s more, how long does a woman’s blooming season last in life? If, because of an elder brother’s delay, she has to miss her own good time, this is not the rites, but harshness.”
“I imagine that Chongshu, who looks after Sister Yue’an so, would surely not want his own marriage to block Miss Chu’s prospects.”
Chongshu was Chu Muhe’s courtesy name. Gu Shaoshi was one year older than Chu Muhe, and in their youth he and Chu Muhe and the Crown Prince had been in a relationship of both teacher and friend, half classmates. Now he lowered his own status to address him as an elder brother, sneering that Chu Muhe was obstructing Chu Yue’an for the sake of his own marriage, and it was surely not going to end well.
Chu Muhe could not respond to these words and could not not respond either. But knowing Chu Yue’an’s abilities, he simply set the wine cup in his hand down heavily on the table in front of him and said not a word.
Seeing that he had stopped and was not going to press further, Chu Yue’an made up his mind, and promptly, as if timid, pressed his lips together, knit his pretty brows, his face a little pale, and asked in a low voice:
“If so, what does Prime Minister Gu think? Should he, right now, find this subject’s daughter a stranger she has never met and never known, and then, with an imperial edict, make a perfect match?” He lowered his head slightly, seeming extremely sorrowful. “If it were really so, not to mention Yue’an, I’m afraid the whole General’s Residence would not agree either.”
This was bringing out the General’s Residence to press on someone. Gu Shaoshi understood, tightened his knuckles in his sleeve, and suddenly said:
“Miss Yue’an.”
Chu Yue’an felt a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, the next moment he looked up and saw Gu Shaoshi lift the hem of his robe and drop to his knees at the foot of the hall, facing the imperial seat, his every word clear and ringing through the room:
“This subject boldly begs for Your Majesty’s grace, wishing to form an eternal Qin-Jin union with Miss Chu Yue’an of the Jingyuan General’s Residence, and from now on to treat his wife sincerely, with mutual respect and support.”
“This subject Gu Shaoshi kowtows and bows again, and begs Your Majesty’s approval!” Having said that, he immediately bent forward.
For a moment, the ministers were in an uproar.