Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 003

Chapter 3

In the capital city, Ruan Gong’s back was drenched in sweat.

Just three-quarters of an hour ago, he had entered the capital and heard everyone talking about this major event.

“I wonder how many marriages His Majesty intends to arrange this autumn?”

During the late Emperor’s reign, marriages were only bestowed upon members of the imperial family. But since the current Emperor ascended the throne, the betrothal had expanded beyond the imperial family; all high-ranking families in the capital, regardless of whether they were civil or military officials, were eligible.

“Marriages among the high-ranking families in the capital are not arbitrary. Even if it’s said to be a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, most of the time they’ve already arranged it privately, only bringing it before the Emperor to secure his approval.”

Ruan Gong had tea served and overheard someone in the middle say, “In previous years, the betrothed were the same few, nothing special. This year is different.”

Upon hearing this, someone asked, “Could it be that this year, His Majesty is going to bestow a marriage upon someone?”

At the mention of “someone,” everyone around perked up.

A young man newly arrived from outside the capital, confused and scratching his head, asked, “Who…who is that?”

Everyone looked at him with feigned ignorance. “Who else? He’s the most honored guest at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet every year, the Marquis, the one so many yearn for but can never reach.”

The young man blinked. “The Marquis? The…the Marquis of Yongding, Marquis Lu?”

He finally understood. Everyone nodded and shook their heads.

The Yongding Army, named after the Marquis of Yongding’s residence, guarded a crucial border town. With Consort Lu and Prince Hui being the Emperor’s most favored, Lu Shenru, the Marquis of Yongding, wielded power in the court comparable to that of seasoned civil officials who had experienced many ups and downs.

However, he remained unmarried.

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when the Emperor bestowed a marriage, the entire court and the public would speculate whether Marquis Lu would marry into a high-ranking family and take a noblewoman into his household.

Year after year, a Madam Lu never appeared.

Marquis Lu was twenty-five this year.

Someone asked, “Could it be that Madam Lu would appear this year?”

Ruan Gong was also aware of the Marquis of Yongding’s reputation. He listened carefully and then heard someone else ask, “Did the Marquis of Yongding’s family submit their marriage certificates to the Imperial Clan Court?”

Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Imperial Clan Court would submit the list of candidates, and families wishing to be betrothed by the Emperor would personally submit their marriage certificates to the Imperial Clan Court.

The person surrounded waved his hand. “Given the Marquis of Yongding’s prestige before the Emperor, they do not need to submit their certificates to the Imperial Clan Court at all. I said Marquis Lu is here this year, not because of the marriage certificate, but because the Marquis’s family in Jiqing Ward started renovating their residence half a year ago. Judging by the dates, it will be finished this autumn; would that not be perfect for welcoming Madam Lu into the family?”

Everyone exclaimed, “Ah!” There was indeed some truth to that.

“Which family would the marchioness be from? We have not heard of any marriage alliance between the Marquis of Yongding’s family and any other family.”

The crowd guessed several families, but none had any evidence. Someone laughed, “Could it be that the marchioness is stuck outside the capital gates due to the rain and has not even entered yet?”

The whole room burst into laughter.

But this remark inexplicably startled Ruan Gong. His heart skipped a beat, and he strained to hear the man in the middle.

Someone asked the man, “You say this year is different, is that all? No one will believe you without solid evidence.”

Marquis Lu’s marriage was discussed every year, and no matter how convincing the stories were, the final result was always the same: a marchioness never appeared. The crowd did not really believe the guesses, and they clamored for the man in the middle to give a clear answer.

The man in the middle opened his mouth, and everyone looked over, but his mouth was wide open.

“This is a secret of heaven and cannot be revealed.”

Everyone instantly deflated, saying it was pointless, “We do not believe your nonsense.”

Ruan Gong also breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thinking he had overthought things.

The Du family and the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion were completely unrelated. The wife of that Marquis Lu could not possibly be their young lady.

The man in the middle, somewhat embarrassed, raised his voice again. “Then I will tell you someone with solid evidence, guaranteed to be no less explosive than Marquis Lu.”

The Marquis of Yongding was a powerful minister who wielded considerable influence in the court, the younger brother of the Noble Consort, and the maternal uncle of the Prince Hui. Who could be less explosive than him?

The man smugly shook his head. Someone hesitated for a moment. “You are not talking about the third-ranked scholar, are you?”

The third-ranked scholar, Shao Boju.

The Marquis of Yongding was the younger brother of the Noble Consort, while the third-ranked scholar was the nephew of the Worthy Consort; Marquis Lu was the maternal uncle of Prince Hui, and Scholar Shao was the cousin of Prince Yong; Lu Shenru was the meritorious and powerful commander of the Yongding Army, while Shao Boju was a newly appointed third-ranked scholar through the imperial examinations.

One was a military man, the other a scholar; both were favored by the Emperor.

The man in the middle smiled but remained silent, causing an uproar among the surrounding crowd.

“Are you really talking about Shao, the third-ranked scholar? Which prestigious family is he marrying?!”

This time, the man did not reveal the secret, stroking his beard. “To be honest, it’s not a particularly prestigious family.”

The implication was that it was not one of the most renowned families in the capital.

Upon hearing this, the crowd was even more astonished, urging him to stop being mysterious. “Tell us quickly, which family is it?”

The man simply drank his tea, refusing to say.

The onlookers scoffed, “Is this just another fabricated story to deceive people?”

“How is it a lie?” the man in the middle, provoked, straightened up. “I am afraid you will not believe me if I tell you. You’d never guess the family’s background.”

Ruan Gong’s eyelids twitched inexplicably.

He’d already felt a jolt of anxiety earlier, and now his eyelids twitched again. He thought to himself that he’d been too tense today. How could these two high-ranking officials be so coincidentally connected to the young lady’s affairs?

But the man in the middle slowly turned his head and looked towards Chengqing Lane.

“The marriage alliance with the Shao family is taking place right here in Chengqing Lane.”

Everyone stared blankly at Chengqing Lane as the man smiled and said.

“The Du family, the Grand Secretary’s residence in front of Chengqing Lane, is about to have a great celebration.”

…

Ruan Gong took out all his money and invited the man to a private room for tea.

“…When is that joyous occasion you mentioned for the Du family?”

The man repeated himself.

“Within ten days. I am saying within ten days, the Du family will rise to prominence thanks to this great event!”

Ruan Gong’s lips went dry. “So, the Shao family will request an imperial decree for a marriage alliance with the Du family?”

“Of course, given the Shao family’s status, this marriage can only be a decree. Once the second master of the Du family submits his visiting card to the Imperial Clan Court, there will not be any further problems.”

Ruan Gong felt a bitter taste in his mouth. “Then let me ask one more question: which Du family girl does the Shao family favor?”

Even after asking the question, Ruan Gong already knew the answer in his heart.

Sure enough, the man said, “Who else could be worthy of the third-ranking scholar? It’s none other than the only daughter of that former Grand Secretary.”

The deceased Grand Secretary’s only daughter was his eldest young lady, Du Lingjing.

Ruan Gong felt dizzy.

No wonder the second branch of the family kept the wedding a secret, not wanting them to know.

It was not that they disliked the girl’s “inauspicious” birth; rather, this so-called joyous occasion was actually for the girl—

The second master had secretly arranged a marriage for her!

Ruan Gong thanked the man repeatedly and hurriedly left the capital.

But after he left, the man emerged from the teahouse’s private room and went into a secluded hallway.

In the dimly lit corridor, a man leaned against the wall, sword in hand, feigning sleep with his eyes closed. The man approached and said, “Guard An, I’ve said everything you instructed. Steward Ruan left in a hurry.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a heavy bag of reward money fell into his arms.

The man quickly accepted it and thanked him. Seeing the sword-wielding man turn to leave, he was about to see him off when the man turned back.

The guard, Chong-An, asked curiously.

“You know about the renovations to our Marquis’s residence, which were completed this autumn?”

The man chuckled. “In our line of work, being well-informed is crucial. But even more important is knowing what to say and what not to say.”

Chong-An nodded slowly. “Good, you know your limits.”

The man laughed even harder. “Thank you for your appreciation, Guard An,” he said, lowering his voice. “Then could you give me a heads-up? Is our Marquis going to marry his wife this year?”

Chong-An clicked his tongue. “I just said you knew your limits…”

The man quickly shrank back, but Chong-An stopped him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“You will find out in a few days.”

*

Outside Chongwen Gate in the capital, the city was bustling with people and horses, but once inside the city gates, it quieted down considerably. Further into Chengqing Ward, the noise was completely contained by the walls of the mansions surrounding the capital.

In such a location, after Old Master Du passed the imperial examination, he used all his family’s resources to acquire a small two-courtyard house. Only after Eldest Master Du became the top scholar in the imperial examination and rose to the position of Grand Secretary did they gradually expand the two-courtyard house into a large mansion with three courtyards, two wings, and a garden. Given Second Master Du’s seniority as a fourth-rank official, he could never afford to live here.

At this moment, the rain stopped, and Second Master Du, Du Zhiqi, stood in the courtyard, directing his servants.

“Prepare several sets of these bowls and dishes. When we have a wedding, we do not want to appear like a poor family and be laughed at.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the teapot and dishes that had just been bought, and immediately frowned. “Such cheap stuff. Where is the steward? Who arranged for the purchase?”

Before he finished speaking, someone strode over from under the veranda.

The person was a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a honey-colored, gold-embroidered cross-collar shirt and an autumn-colored horse-face skirt. She walked quickly towards them. She first bowed and greeted him as “Father,” then glanced at the bowls and plates, noticing that the glaze was not fine enough, and some edges were even unglazed.

She explained that she had asked them to be purchased, “Father, please do not be offended. My eldest sister’s wedding was rushed, and the accounts were being frequently opened, so I did not notice and bought some less-than-perfect dishes.”

She repeatedly apologized, “I also wanted to give my eldest sister a respectable wedding, but I am inexperienced in this kind of thing, and I was thinking of Father wanting to add some dowry items for her. There are expenses everywhere, so I could not pay attention to the details.”

This was Du Runqing, the second young lady of the Du family. After her mother, Lady Gu, was seriously injured and bedridden, she had taken on all the household chores.

Du Runqing glanced at Du Zhiqi as she spoke.

Her father’s official position was not high, and the family’s income was meager, but expenses were considerable. Her eldest sister already had a dowry; if they did not need to add another, they could save a lot of money and make the wedding more respectable for their father. “Only those in charge know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt.”

Hearing his daughter’s words, Du Zhiqi suddenly realized that there was no such thing as having it all.

He ordered a new batch of decent dishes to be brought in, saying, “Utensils will always come in handy,” but regarding additional dowry for his niece, he gestured to his daughter, “Let it go. Your uncle provided her with plenty before he passed away; she should not lack anything.”

Seeing that her father’s expression remained somewhat somber despite his words, Du Runqing walked towards the corridor with her hands behind her back.

Du Runqing followed him step by step.

“Father, please do not take offense at my words; I understand your thoughts.”

Du Zhiqi stopped, and Du Runqing said softly, “Father feels that this marriage with the Shao family was arranged for her without her knowledge, which makes me feel indebted to her. Therefore, I want to give her more dowry as compensation.”

These words struck a chord with Du Zhiqi, who looked at his daughter with slight surprise. He had never considered this marriage.

His elder brother had arranged a marriage for his niece before his death, but her fiancé had passed away early. His niece stayed in her hometown, managing the library and also taking on the household affairs of the Du family, sending him a considerable sum of money each year. He figured since she wanted to stay, he would let her be.

Unexpectedly, the Shao family suddenly wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Du family.

Previously, the Shao family was not prominent, and the two families had little interaction. Now, with Shao Boju, a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, and the Prince Yong, son of Consort Shao, favored by court officials and potentially becoming the Crown Prince, the Shao family had suddenly become incredibly powerful.

He had returned to the capital at the beginning of the year to await a vacancy but had not found a suitable position. He was fed up with being relegated to some remote and unpopular post, a lowly subordinate official who could not even rise to a minor official position.

Shao Boju was a favorite of the Emperor. With Prince Yong’s favor and the support of the cabinet ministers, not to mention a bright future ahead, just the fact that he married his niece meant he, as her uncle, would almost certainly secure a respectable official position.

He thought the marriage was perfect, but his niece was a quiet yet determined woman. She and Third Young Master Jiang were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. After Jiang Zhuxiu’s death, she secluded herself in a bamboo grove, keeping company with ancient books. Persuading her to remarry was difficult.

Unexpectedly, Young Master Shao proposed that the marriage be granted by the Emperor during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Once the imperial decree was issued, he would not need to persuade his niece; she would have no choice but to marry Young Master Shao.

He immediately agreed to the marriage, but deep down, with his elder brother and sister-in-law deceased, he felt uneasy about arranging the marriage for his niece without her knowledge.

Furthermore, while his niece was marrying for the first time, she would be marrying a second wife.

Shao Boju had a deceased primary wife; this was merely a second marriage.

His daughter’s words had struck a chord, and Du Zhiqi raised a hand to pinch his tightly furrowed brows.

Seeing her father’s expression, Du Runqing spoke directly.

“You should not think like that. How can Father be said to have wronged Eldest Sister?”

She said, “After Brother Jiang’s passing, Eldest Sister was consumed by grief, detached from worldly affairs, and walking alone. For a woman, is this a long-term solution? On the contrary, Father, as her uncle, wholeheartedly cared for her, arranging this prestigious marriage for her; he practically saved her. How can you say you’ve wronged your family?”

These words startled Du Zhiqi.

This marriage was to a favorite of the Emperor, a marriage bestowed by the Emperor himself—something most people would covet. What did he have to feel guilty about?

His daughter’s words stirred something within him, easing his tightly wound emotions.

Just then, someone came to deliver a message: Gu-Jiu, the steward of the Second Madam’s dowry estate, had arrived.

The household was busy with important matters and needed manpower everywhere, so they had borrowed Gu-Jiu from the Gu family to help look after the estate. Why was he not working at the estate instead of trudging through the mud to the capital?

Both father and daughter were puzzled and called Gu-Jiu over. To their surprise, Gu-Jiu hurriedly bowed and said,

“Second Master, Second Young Lady, Eldest Young Lady has arrived from Qingzhou.”

These words startled Du Zhiqi, while Du Runqing thought she had misheard.

“Are you sure? Eldest Sister has come to the capital from Qingzhou?”

Gu-Jiu could not lie. He recounted how Chang-Pu had gone to the Second Madam’s dowry estate. “…I used the excuse of muddy roads to try to keep the Eldest Young Lady at the estate outside the capital. But who knows? What if she suddenly decides to come to the capital?”

Du Zhiqi’s face turned pale. “Why is Jing-niang here at this time?” He immediately asked Gu-Jiu, “What is she doing in the capital without a reason?”

“She said she came to collect books.”

“How can collecting books take you all the way to the capital?” Du Zhiqi found it hard to believe.

He had originally thought that the Shao family would request the Emperor’s blessing for the marriage, and once the imperial decree was issued, his niece would marry him no matter what, without him needing to intervene.

Who would have thought that his niece would arrive before the Mid-Autumn Festival? If she caused a scene, would the marriage not fall through?

Du Zhiqi’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

He had been uneasy all along. Now his niece had suddenly come to the capital—could it be fate?

His thoughts wavered slightly, but then his daughter called out to him.

“Father, there’s no need to worry. I think, firstly, my eldest sister might not know about this in the capital; secondly, if you send her name card to the Imperial Clan Court earlier, even if she knew, could she get it back?”

The deed was done, and Du Zhiqi had completely forgotten about this.

“That makes sense.”

Looking at his daughter, Du Zhiqi’s expression softened.

“My child has truly grown up, always thinking of the family. Your eldest sister is eight or nine years older than you, but she’s probably not as good as you.”

Du Runqing, receiving her father’s praise, felt ashamed and dared not accept it, shaking her head repeatedly.

“After Mother’s injury, I’ve been managing the household for a year, and only now do I truly understand Father’s hardships. I just want to share your burdens.”

Du Zhiqi had been stuck in his official post outside the capital for years, unable to secure a position in the capital. His heart was heavy with unresolved sorrow, compounded by his wife’s carriage accident last year, leaving her bedridden and unable to manage affairs, requiring a constant supply of expensive medicine.

Only the father and daughter truly understood the bitterness in their hearts.

At this point, both father’s and daughter’s eyes welled up with tears.

Du Zhiqi, unusually, stroked his daughter’s hair as he had when she was young, while Du Runqing leaned against her father’s arm, her nose stinging with tears.

This time, the Shao family had come to arrange a marriage alliance with the Du family, wanting to marry Du Lingjing. This was their chance to change their circumstances; how could they let it slip away?

Du Zhiqi straightened up and took a deep breath.

He said he would finish writing the name cards tonight. “Tomorrow morning, I will send them to the Imperial Clan Court to finalize this matter. I will make it happen!”

T/N:
Noble Consort (貴妃; guìfēi)
Worthy Consort (賢妃; xiánfēi)