“My apologies. As a man of the military, I have a heavy hand. I shall certainly compensate you for the crystal cup, Princess.”
“Forget it. At best, it is just a cup. If I truly made you repay me, who knows what rumors would spread about our relationship? A man’s reputation should remain untarnished, the better to be worthy of his future wife.”
While she didn’t explicitly state who that wife might be, Jiang Shiyuan noticed the Princess intentionally casting a meaningful glance her way. She was momentarily stunned.
Was the Princess actually trying to play matchmaker for the two of them?
But Jiang Shiyuan had only heard about the marriage proposal from her cousin’s mouth yesterday. Even if Princess Qinghuan possessed god-like intuition, she surely couldn’t have received word so quickly. Shiyuan immediately steadied her nerves, her gaze becoming composed as if she were a mere bystander to the conversation.
Princess Qinghuan stifled a secret smile. There was a reason Jiang Shiyuan was someone she held in such high regard.
The Pei family was an absolute pillar of the Great Sui Dynasty in Hanzhou. If the future Young Mistress of the Pei family hailed from the capital of Xijing, it would provide several extra layers of security for the imperial family. Having overheard rumors near her father, the Emperor, about a potential imperial marriage decree for Pei Zisu, the Princess had decided to pick a lady from the capital’s nobility who was truly worthy of this young hero. Today, looking at “Anian,” she felt the match was perfect. That was why she had decided to pull the strings.
“Young General Pei, how long do you intend to stay this time?”
“To answer the Princess: once my aunt’s birthday celebration ends next month, I shall return to Hanzhou.”
“In such a hurry?”
“For a man in the military, a two-month leave is already a rare luxury. I dare not delay further.”
“I see. If you were to bring a wife back with you, I wonder what the Great General and his lady would think?”
Princess Qinghuan was a direct person; she preferred asking a straight question to playing games of suspicion. Perhaps the martial-born Pei Zisu would even reveal some genuine emotion.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Pei Zisu’s originally calm expression grew serious. His marriage was not something even his own family could decide without him, let alone the imperial family using their power to pressure him. He stood up, cupped his hands in a formal salute, and spoke.
“I thank the Princess for her kindness. However, my heart already belongs to someone. Until I receive the nod of approval from that lady, I have no intention of marrying anyone else. I ask for the Princess’s understanding.”
“Your heart belongs to someone? A daughter of a noble family in Hanzhou?” the Princess probed.
“It is not.”
“Then where is she from?”
Pei Zisu glanced at Jiang Shiyuan, who was sitting across from him, and said calmly, “Xuzhou.“
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyuan nearly dropped her wine cup. A wave of irritation rose within her. She clearly disapproved of Pei Zisu’s tactic of placing her on a pedestal without her consent. It was one thing to say those things within the Marquis of Wenyuan’s estate—they were family and wouldn’t spread rumors.
But this was the Princess’s Manor.
If word leaked out even slightly, her reputation would likely suffer again. While she didn’t care for idle gossip, she saw no reason to let her “white” reputation be painted “black.” Consequently, her gaze grew frosty; when she looked at Pei Zisu now, she was no longer as polite or kind as before.
“A noble family from Xuzhou? I recall only the Cui and Xie families, yet it seems they have no daughters of marriageable age. Could it be a branch of their clans that the Young General has set his eyes on?”
Faced with the Princess’s questioning and Jiang Shiyuan’s indignant glare, Pei Zisu chose to remain silent. He didn’t want to leave a poor impression on his cousin Anian, so he spoke up.
“I ask the Princess not to guess further. If I am fortunate enough to achieve this union, I will personally explain everything to His Majesty and yourself. But as there is no definitive result yet, speaking her name would damage the lady’s honor. That is not the behavior of a gentleman.”
His words were music to the Princess’s ears. If all men in the world were as straightforward yet prudent as him, the teahouse gossip in Xijing would probably drop by sixty percent.
“Very well, I shall await the Young General’s good news. However, I must advise you: longing for the distant hills is not as good as cherishing the person before your eyes.“
When she said “the person before your eyes,” her eyes lingered pointedly on Jiang Shiyuan.
Pei Zisu, ever sharp, immediately understood her meaning. In a moment of realization, he realized he had misunderstood her earlier intent. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “The Princess speaks truly. I shall not disappoint your expectations.”
Expectations? Whose expectations?
Jiang Shiyuan could not agree with her cousin’s sudden confidence. However, with the Princess present, she couldn’t speak plainly. She could only treat the wine in front of her like tea; before she knew it, the crystal wine pot was empty.
By the time Princess Qinghuan noticed, Jiang Shiyuan’s cheeks were flushed crimson. Their eyes seemed misted with water, looking at everyone with a hint of tender affection.
“I forgot to mention—this wine has a powerful kick. Last time I drank alone, I was drunk for three days. With Anian downing a whole pot, she likely won’t wake for several hours. Nanny Shen, go prepare the side room and let Anian rest for a while.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“As for you, Young General Pei, did you not have urgent matters to discuss today? Shall we go to the study?”
“As you command, Princess.”
Jiang Shiyuan, feeling dizzy and heavy-headed, was supported away by her maids, Liuhua and Lvluo. Watching her retreating figure, Pei Zisu’s eyes betrayed a flicker of worry. However, the matter he came to discuss today concerned the very foundation of the nation and could not be delayed. He could only turn and follow the Princess.
In the Side Room:
Nanny Shen sent for sobering soup and warm towels. After instructing two maids to stay and wait for orders, she left. Lvluo said worriedly, “Our lady is so drunk; how are we supposed to return to the Marquis’s estate later?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Liuhua replied. “If it really doesn’t work, we’ll have to stay the night at the Princess’s Manor. It’s happened before. We’ll just send word back to the Old Lady.”
Lvluo nodded helplessly; there really was no other way. She wrung out a towel until it was damp and wiped her mistress’s forehead. Seeing her body burning with the heat of the alcohol as she drifted into sleep, Lvluo sighed and continued her work without a word of complaint.
Outside, the weather was beautiful, but inside the study, Princess Qinghuan’s face turned grim as she listened to Pei Zisu.
“Luzhou is one of your fiefs, Princess. I have heard that you sympathize with the people and have even waived their taxes. It is clear you possess a heart of mercy. Therefore, I assumed you were unaware of the Iron Ingot Case, which is why I have come to report it. Had I not stumbled upon this by chance, I fear those iron ingots would have been melted down and stuffed into the Huai River embankments for ‘reinforcement.’ If that were to happen, the people downstream would have no chance of survival. I ask the Princess to find a way to dispose of those iron ingots as soon as possible.”
Princess Qinghuan was permitted to participate in government affairs by the old Emperor’s personal decree.
Consequently, the eastern lands, including Luzhou, were under her jurisdiction. For years, there had been no major disasters, and the annual taxes from those regions accounted for nearly thirty percent of the national treasury. While rumors of her private life were rampant, no one ever questioned her administrative ability.
Now that there was such a flaw in the Luzhou iron ingots intended for the Huai River, how could she not investigate it thoroughly?
However, she was no fool. She set aside the question of whether Pei Zisu’s “accidental discovery” was entirely true for now, but her eyes flashed with a hint of ferocity as she looked at him.