Chapter 3: The Crown Princess Plans Her Path Ahead

Ji Shijin was startled at once, a chill of alarm rising in her heart.

If not for the fact that her elder sister was frail and seldom went out, how could she have borrowed her name to win this bond with the heir to Prince Chun’s estate?

Ji Shijin had always understood that in matters of family standing, she was no match for her elder sister, and neither was she when it came to beauty. So before she had firmly secured her footing, she would by no means let the heir see her elder sister, lest he regret his choice and come to resent her. Thus she concealed the truth, even pretending to glance outside before asking in feigned puzzlement.

“I’m afraid the heir has mistaken what he saw. There’s no one there, is there?”

The heir to Prince Chun’s estate lifted the curtain and looked carefully outside. Besides the passing crowd, there truly was no one unusual on the road. His brow eased, and some uncertainty rose in its place. The noble ladies of Western Capital he had largely seen before, but the one he had just glimpsed left no impression at all. Perhaps he truly had been mistaken.

With his frown relaxing, a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. Thinking of the second daughter of the Zhao family, who had thrown herself into his arms earlier today, he could not help feeling his thoughts wander.

Ji Shijin watched coldly as her husband’s heart was stirred, and the bitterness in her own chest was worse than swallowing coptis root.

She had taken the risk of impersonating her elder sister to meet the heir to Prince Chun’s estate precisely because she no longer wished to live that dull, colorless life.

In her previous life, under her paternal uncle’s arrangement, she had married a timid scholar and borne several children of mediocre talent. Though her maiden family offered some support, it was only in money; in the end, her husband still never rose to any great position.

Any special favor she enjoyed was entirely because her elder sister had married into Prince Chun’s estate.

Her elder sister had become the honored heir’s wife of a great and noble household, while she herself had to endure the teasing of servants at the gate even when visiting her own relatives. She never wanted to live like that again. Since waking and finding herself back before marriage, she resolved that in this life, she would live in splendor and dignity.

The wealth of Prince Chun’s estate should be hers to enjoy.

That noble and handsome heir should be hers to marry.

Most importantly, she could bear children.

In her previous life, she had borne three sons and two daughters. If, in this life, she could secure a pregnancy before the secondary wives even entered the household, why would she ever have to worry about good days ahead?

Thinking of this, she no longer found the rumors about snatching her elder sister’s match or being troubled by her mother-in-law to be of any consequence. Since she could rely on no one else, she would have to sit firmly in the position of heir’s wife no matter what.

She slowly smoothed the silk handkerchief in her hand, pinched one corner, and dabbed the powder at the outer corner of her eye. Somehow, the days did not seem quite so hard to endure anymore.

By the fifth month, the weather in Western Capital had already begun to turn hot with relentless force.

The heat rolled on in waves, and not a breath of wind could be felt. If not for the blocks of ice kept in the room, Jiang Shiyuan would surely have fallen ill again.

Every time the heat worsened, she was prone to heart palpitations and her old cough. For that reason, nearly everything she used was made of cooling jade.

Especially in the height of summer, her bed was layered with an ice-silk quilt, and she held a cold jade piece in her hands. Most women dreaded a constitution too cold, but she had no such worry. In fact, whenever her monthly bleeding came, she was wholly unaware of it. If not for her skirts becoming stained, she might still have been greedily eating ice to keep cool.

When the maid Liuhua entered, she saw Jiang Shiyuan reclining by the window couch, a cushion of ice silk beneath her waist. She wore a strapless long dress of washed-moon gauze, embroidered with large blooming peonies, bright enough to catch the eye.

“Miss, the melons have been delivered.”

“Mm, put them down.”

“Yes, miss.”

Because Jiang Shiyuan had an overheated constitution, she could not eat too many cooling fruits at random. Yet her courtyard was always well supplied with them. It was only because she could not bear the scent of incense that fruits and vegetables were used instead as embellishment.

Liuhua set the arranged melon on the small rosewood table carved with intertwining floral patterns, then tidied the books on the table with practiced ease. After that, she took a small white porcelain bottle from the cabinet, shook out a red pill, and handed it over.

This was the fragrant pill Jiang Shiyuan took once every three days.

Using water simmered with golden thread herb, she dissolved the pill and watched it melt quickly. Then she drank it all in one go. The taste was slightly bitter, but after taking it for so many years without interruption, she scarcely minded it anymore.

Liuhua handed over a handkerchief, and Jiang Shiyuan lightly wiped the corner of her mouth.

“Has Father returned?”

“The boy at the second gate has not yet appeared, so most likely the master has not come back. Please do not worry, Miss. The household banquet at the marquis’s residence is only set for the afternoon; there are still two or three hours.”

Her cousin by marriage, Madam Xiang, had already told her that the family was holding a banquet to welcome back the young master of the Pei family, and yesterday word had been sent over about it.

Jiang Shiyuan wanted to go early and keep her grandmother company, and so she was a little anxious.

Just then, a maid lifted the curtain and came in from outside. She had a round face and almond-shaped eyes, as cute as a steamed bun. The maid Luluo hurried up to Jiang Shiyuan and said excitedly, “Miss, the master has come.”

She had already instructed the servants at the second gate in advance, so when her father returned home, they led him straight to her courtyard. Jiang Shiyuan rose to put on her shoes and was just about to go greet him at the door when Jiang Huaishan strode in, his face showing unmistakable urgency.

Now in his forties, he spent his days dealing with others in official life, yet there was not the slightest trace of fawning servility in him. Rather, with age he had gained even more of the proud backbone of a man of letters. At that moment he wore a stone-blue round-collared robe, the collar slightly damp with sweat from hurrying over.

The moment he saw Jiang Shiyuan, Jiang Huaishan’s brows drew together sharply. He walked up at once and asked with concern, “The people at the second gate said you had an urgent matter for me. What is it? Are you unwell? Should I have someone take a calling card to invite an imperial physician to come and examine you?”

His anxious tone made Jiang Shiyuan feel wonderfully warm inside.

She had been away from home for ten years and had once thought that perhaps her father was no longer so familiar with her. Thus, when she first returned, she observed the rules everywhere and spoke with perfect caution, as if she were living in someone else’s house. But it only took a moment. When she saw her father’s temples streaked with white and the redness around his eyes, she understood what it meant for blood ties to run deep.

The bond between father and daughter would never be worn away by time. On the contrary, the guilt and longing brought on by their separation only made it deeper. So Jiang Shiyuan stepped forward, curtsied, and said with a bright smile, “I am fine. I asked someone to wait at the second gate for you because I was thinking that we were to dine at the marquis’s residence today. I have been missing Grandmother a little, but I thought you might worry if I went alone, so I said I would wait for you and then set out together at once.”

Jiang Huaishan looked her over from head to toe. Seeing that, aside from her somewhat pale complexion, she seemed otherwise well, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell away. Then, indulgent yet helpless, he said, “Very well. I’ll go back and change my clothes, and then we’ll set out.”

“Everything is as Father decides.”

After leaving Tingxi Pavilion, Jiang Huaishan returned to his own quarters in Huixin Courtyard.

This was the central courtyard of the Jiang residence, spacious and open. Along the wall by the entrance stood a bamboo grove, and whenever the breeze blew through, the scent of bamboo drifted to the nose, refreshing the spirit beyond measure.

Just as Jiang Huaishan entered the courtyard gate, he saw his concubine Madam Yang waiting there with a food box in hand. She was gentle and refined, carrying the soft grace of a woman from the south.

“This humble one pays respects to the master.”

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not very long. Third Miss has been craving iced milk curds these past two days, so this humble one made some. Knowing that Master also prefers sweet things, I brought a bowl for you to taste.”

As she spoke, the two of them lifted the curtain and entered the room. With ice inside, it was much cooler than outdoors.

Madam Yang set the food box on the octagonal table and immediately stepped forward to help Jiang Huaishan change his clothes. After he had put on a lighter, cooler robe, he took his seat and tasted a few spoonfuls of the iced milk curds.

“Your cooking has always been excellent. But in summer, indulging too much in cool things can upset the stomach. In the future, make less of it for Shuer. If she takes better care of her body, she will suffer less later on.”

“Yes, this humble one understands.”

The Shuer Jiang Huaishan spoke of was naturally the third young lady of the Jiang residence, Jiang Shishu, born to Madam Yang.

With a frail eldest sister and a second sister who was always in the spotlight, this third daughter of the proper order became all the more inconspicuous. When Jiang Shiyuan’s mother, Madam Wang, was still alive, she often brought the sisters along to all sorts of gatherings, never distinguishing between legitimate and concubine-born children in status. For that reason, Madam Yang was deeply grateful to the first lady.

But good days did not last long. The first lady passed away.

The inner residence fell under the old matriarch’s care, and because she listened to the second madam, Madam Zhang, she often looked down on the concubines and their children. Not only did she never think to have someone invite them out to the residence for a look, she did not even consider bringing them to the daily banquets. Thus Madam Yang grew anxious.

As her daughter grew older each year and would be coming of age next year, yet there was not even a single person asking after her marriage, how could she, as a mother, not worry?

She twisted the handkerchief in her hands, but still could not bring herself to say anything complete. Jiang Huaishan had been an official for decades and had some skill in reading faces and moods. Seeing the hesitation in front of him, he roughly guessed what she was thinking.

“What is it? Is something the matter with Shuer?”

Madam Yang gave a bitter smile. Setting aside the faint grievance in her heart, she said with some hurt, “The second young lady in the residence was married off last month. This humble one has only the third young lady as a child, and I also hope she can find a suitable husband. I do not ask for wealth or rank, only for a clean family background and a considerate, earnest character. But I have gone to see the old matriarch several times, and each time I was sent away. There is no mistress in the courtyard who can truly handle matters, so this business has been delayed without a decision. I really do not know whom else to ask, which is why I have come to beg Master for mercy. Third Miss will be coming of age next year; her birth is already somewhat low, and if her marriage is delayed any further, I fear decent families will no longer look upon her favorably.”

As she spoke, the tears in her eyes trembled but would not fall. Seeing this, Jiang Huaishan felt even more guilt in his heart. With a sigh, he said, “It is my fault for being busy with official duties every day and forgetting that Shuer has also reached the age for marriage discussions.”

He was not a lustful man. In all his life, he had only one wife and one concubine.

After his wife passed away, he had given up the thought of remarrying. With the thoughtful Madam Yang serving him in the inner quarters, days simply passed one after another. If she had not come today to plead with tears, he truly would not have remembered this matter.

So he reached out and pulled her closer, motioning for her to sit in front of him. Madam Yang felt it was against propriety and wanted to refuse, but she could not break free of the master’s hand. In the end, she had no choice but to sit half-ways on the round stool, feeling somewhat uneasy.

“Today I am taking A Nian to the marquis’s residence to visit your mistress. If Shuer has nothing else to do, let her come along as well. Since A Nian returned, the two sisters have not spent much time together. It would be good for them to look after each other more.”

“How could that be? Third Miss knows nothing at all. If anyone is to look after anyone, it would be the eldest miss being kind enough to take more care of this younger sister.”

Madam Yang never overstepped. Born to the rank of a good concubine, she would not have entered the household as a wife if her family had not fallen on hard times. Thus, for more than ten years she had never played any tricks or resorted to any schemes in this courtyard. Jiang Huaishan understood this well.

“In a few days, the scholars traveling to the capital for the examinations will gather in Western Capital. I will have someone make proper inquiries and select a few with clean family backgrounds and good temperaments to consider. If one proves capable, Shuer’s future life will be easier.”

Hearing this, Madam Yang almost wanted to kneel and bow to Jiang Huaishan. Tears brimming in her eyes, she said gratefully, “Thank you, Master. This humble one does not ask for a great family background, only that the third young lady not be made to suffer.”

Her demands had never been high, and Jiang Huaishan understood that. So after helping her up, he instructed, “Go back and tell Shuer first. Today is the marquis household’s banquet, and we cannot be delayed.”

“Yes, yes, this humble one will go at once.”

When Madam Yang left, she was so happy that she even forgot the food box. With quick steps she hurried to Third Miss’s Cloud-Shu Pavilion, told her daughter the good news, then efficiently helped her dress and prepare before bringing her to Tingxi Pavilion.

Inside the main room, when Jiang Shiyuan heard that her third younger sister had come, she was slightly taken aback. But the sun was so strong that it would not do to have them wait outside, so she instructed the maid Liuhua, “Please ask Third Younger Sister and Madam Yang to come in and speak.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Madam Yang was somewhat nervous. Since the day the eldest miss returned home, she had only paid respects once and never again dared approach, fearing people outside would say she was clinging to the legitimate daughter. Now that she had brought her daughter to the door, she felt uneasy. Yet at this point, she could only cast aside the least valuable things she had left: her face and pride. She could only hope that this eldest miss would, like the former first lady, be kind-hearted and extend some protection to Third Miss.

Once inside, Madam Yang and Third Miss Jiang Shishu stepped forward to pay their respects.

“This humble one greets the eldest miss.”

“Your younger sister greets Elder Sister.”

Mother and daughter were both exceedingly gentle by nature. This reminded Jiang Shiyuan of things from the past. Back then, she was weak and not good at needlework, and even her wedding dress had been embroidered with the help of Madam Yang and Third Younger Sister.

The stitching had been exquisite, the colors carefully chosen.

For many years afterward, people still said that her wedding dress had been a marvel. She had once wanted to repay them somehow, but then she heard that Third Younger Sister had married far away to Wangzhou, and that Madam Yang had followed her in death. Only then did she let go of the thought.

Now, seeing the two of them appear together, her memories rose once more.

A smile on her lips, she got up to help them both to their feet, and had Liuhua and Luluo bring over chairs for them. In a bright voice, she asked, “What brings Madam and Third Younger Sister here today?”