Jia Zheng fell silent. It was not that he felt no heartache for his daughter, but to him, Jia Yuanchun was far less important than his own reputation. Therefore, he once again rejected Lady Jia’s proposal. “Mother, this matter is absolutely out of the question.”
Lady Jia let out a sigh and said, “I know your concerns, but why won’t you think more broadly? Although Feng-jie currently handles things through your wife in the household, the true head of this estate remains your eldest brother. While I am still alive and we have not yet split the household, the day I pass away, given your relationship with your eldest brother, you might well be driven out the very next day. By then, you would merely be a minor official of the fifth rank. Who would look upon you with respect when you step outside? Rather than that, while His Majesty is still alive and still holds a measure of affection for us, why not push hard to send Yuanjie into the palace and plot to secure a place in an imperial prince’s estate? That way, even if I am gone, your family will still have something to rely upon.”
Thinking of the grim picture painted by Lady Jia, Lady Wang felt an even deeper wave of sorrow and wept softly. “Mother is entirely right. She is merely a concubine; these years our estate has not treated her poorly, and even when she gave birth to an ill-omened star back then, we did not drive her away. Now, we merely wish for her to replace the little prince in cultivating and praying before the Buddha. This can also be counted as a meritorious deed, and surely, for the sake of that child, Concubine Zhou will agree.” As she spoke, she raised her eyes to look at Jia Zheng, and seeing his expression soften, she continued, “Why doesn’t my lord first go ask Concubine Zhou? If she is willing, it cannot be said that we forced her. Then there will be a proper explanation, which will also prevent outsiders from misunderstanding my lord. If the sons and grandsons in our family were not so utterly useless, why would we force Yuanjie to plot and scheme for this family?”
Hearing Lady Wang’s mournful sobs, Jia Zheng could not help sighing as well. In truth, his heart had already been stirred; he had merely suppressed the idea out of concern for outsiders’ opinions. Now, listening to the persuasion of Lady Jia and Lady Wang, the suppressed notion began to sprout and stir once more. Yet he still did not agree outright, saying only, “Mother, why not go ask Zhou-shi first?”
Lady Jia nodded slightly. “You are still the thoughtful one. Let it be as you say.”
Jia Zheng and Lady Wang took their leave of Lady Jia, exiting Rongxi Hall together. When they reached the front courtyard, Jia Zheng said, “You go back first. I will go check on Zhou-shi.”
Lady Wang watched Jia Zheng walk toward Concubine Zhou’s courtyard, her eyes flashing slightly. Mother Zhou supported her hand and whispered, “I imagine the lord will agree. Once the Eldest Miss enters such a place of wealth and nobility, by then perhaps she will be…” She left the rest unsaid, but it was enough to lift Lady Wang’s spirits, though she showed nothing on her face and mildly scolded, “Do not speak nonsense. What wealth or nobility? I only hope my Yuanjie will no longer waste her youth in vain.”
“She will.” Mother Zhou supported Lady Wang as she walked slowly back to her courtyard. “The Eldest Miss is someone destined for fortune…” The remaining words dissipated into the wind.
When Jia Zheng arrived at Concubine Zhou’s courtyard, she was in the midst of tailoring a set of monk robes for Gu Zhaoyan. She did not rise upon seeing Jia Zheng enter, continuing with her work unbothered. Jia Zheng frowned at this, but said nothing. “What are you making? The candlelight is dim, and needlework is handled by the servants anyway. Why put yourself through this?”
Concubine Zhou acted as if she heard nothing, snipping the thread and threading her needle once more. “Why has the lord honored me with a visit?”
Jia Zheng sat down opposite Concubine Zhou, and after Luoyue served tea, she was waved away by Jia Zheng. Luoyue glanced at Concubine Zhou before lowering her eyes and retreating outside. The candlelight was faint, casting its dim glow across Concubine Zhou’s gaunt and haggard face, prompting Jia Zheng to let out a sigh. If not for Zhou-shi’s incompetence in giving birth to a cursed obstacle back then, he would not have hardened his heart to send the child away, leading Zhou-shi to harbor a grievance against him to this day. After so many years, he was growing displeased with her stubborn unresponsiveness and self-pity. “After all these years, it is a blessing for that child to have the fortune to serve the Buddha; it will surely wash away the sins upon him.”
Hearing his words, Concubine Zhou shook with rage, her anger driving her to a cold, mocking laugh. “The lord speaks such preposterous nonsense! An’er had barely been born, what sins could he possibly have had? If there were sins, they came straight from the womb! And there is no telling whose sins they really were!” Living alone now, what did she have left to fear? If she were driven out, all the better; it would save her An’er from scheming and plotting with members of the imperial family on her account.
“Audacious!” This time, it was Jia Zheng whose fury was ignited, his arm shaking as he pointed at Concubine Zhou. “What kind of talk is that? What do you mean by saying whose sins they were?”
Concubine Zhou remained silent, lowering her head to stitch the cuff. Right now, this set of monk robes was nearly finished; she had no time to waste engaging in a verbal sparring match with Jia Zheng! “Does the lord have business here?” Otherwise, he would never have come to her quarters.
Jia Zheng drew a deep breath, and after calming his emotions, he said slowly, “A rumor spread out of Prince Jing’s estate over the past couple of days. Prince Jing intends to find someone whose birth characters match the little prince’s to replace him in cultivating and praying before the Buddha. When I saw those characters, they matched yours precisely. Therefore, I wanted to come and ask your thoughts. If you are unwilling, we will treat as though I never mentioned it.”
Though she had long known of Jia Zheng’s callousness, hearing him speak those words still sent a chill of sorrow through Concubine Zhou’s heart. Sold into the Rongguo Estate as a concubine in her youth, she was now to be discarded by Jia Zheng—her own man—to curry favor with Prince Jing. For a moment, an intense chill gripped her chest. Though she cared nothing for Jia Zheng, her hands trembled so violently she could barely steady her needlework.
Seeing her remain silent, Jia Zheng stood up and said, “Think this over carefully. I will head back first and come see you tomorrow.”
Seeing Jia Zheng depart, Luoyue hurried back into the room. “Concubine, are you alright?”
With her usual calm composure, Concubine Zhou took the final stitch and replied, “What could happen to me? Come take a look. I wonder if An’er will like this set of monk robes.” She stood up, shook out the folds of the robes, and smiled.
Seeing Concubine Zhou smiling, Luoyue said no more and followed her lead, touching the fabric of the robes as she smiled. “Concubine’s stitches are truly fine. If the Young Master comes tonight, he will be able to wear them right away.”
Concubine Zhou carefully folded the monk robes and set them aside to begin the next task. “Practice makes perfect, and with your help, it goes much faster.”
Smiling, Luoyue helped place the folded robes onto the bed and went to fetch their meal. After finishing their food, the two of them lit the lamp and burned the midnight oil to continue sewing.
“Concubine, you should rest a while. If the Young Master sees this, won’t his heart ache with self-reproach?” Luoyue advised.
Before Concubine Zhou could reply, a knock sounded at the chamber door. Luoyue smiled. “That must be the Young Master. This maid will go open the door.” Opening it, she found it was indeed Gu Zhaoyan. Luoyue consciously seated herself near the door to keep watch, leaving the mother and son to speak privately.
“Mother made a set of monk robes for you; try it on to see if it fits.” Concubine Zhou walked over to the bed, retrieved the robes, and brought them over.
Gu Zhaoyan took off his outer monk robe and smiled. “Whatever Mother makes will certainly fit.”
“You just know how to make Mother happy.” Concubine Zhou beamed from ear to ear, meticulously smoothing out the robes on Gu Zhaoyan and nodding in satisfaction when she saw they were a perfect fit. Raising her eyes to look at Gu Zhaoyan, she asked, “Was the rumor concerning Prince Jing’s estate your doing?”