Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 008

Chapter 8

Two quarters of an hour earlier.

Shao Boju had just left Zhenyue Tower when his cousin, Shao Wuxing, led his men to surround the west side of Jishui Pool. Not only the western woods, but also the surrounding houses were secretly searched.

Luckily, Chang-Pu was quick on his feet; before Shao’s men could spot him, he darted away like a cat.

At this moment, he went to Zhenyue Tower and told Du Lingjing everything. “Miss,” he said, “that Shao Wuxing looked very tense, like he’d dig three feet into the ground to find something.”

Du Lingjing shook her head.

There was nothing there. She had already told the Shao brothers there was nothing there.

But just how persistent was the Shao family?

She didn’t know what had happened to the Hu siblings, but Ruan Gong reminded her.

“Miss, there’s only one day left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the imperial decree for the marriage would be issued.

Du Lingjing nodded. Ruan Gong didn’t quite understand what his young lady meant.

But the people in Zhenyue Tower became increasingly excited as they discussed it.

“The Shao family is arranging a marriage with the Grand Secretary’s only daughter, so the Marquis of Yongding’s family will definitely marry the daughter of a noble family. I wonder if the Du family is more helpful to the Shao family, or if the noble daughter will give Marquis Lu wings!”

“So, which noble family’s daughter will the Marquis ultimately marry?”

“That depends on which family is willing to fully assist the Marquis,” the speaker’s voice lowered slightly, “and can keep the Shao and Du families in check.”

That was all the information the crowd knew; they couldn’t come up with any other concrete details. Someone suggested, “How about we head to Qianxing District, gamble a bit, and place some bets?”

Upon hearing this suggestion, everyone reached for their money pouches.

“How do we bet to win?”

“Gambling, of course, involves winning and losing,” one of the more knowledgeable people explained to the crowd.

“If you want a sure thing, just bet on the marriage between the Shao and Du families without hesitation.”

He said many people were betting on this. “I heard it was Old Lady Wan from the Gu family who acted as matchmaker. You know Old Lady Wan, right? Two years ago, the Emperor bestowed a marriage upon the powerful Liu family of Lingnan and the Zhang family, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. These two families are completely unrelated, but it’s said that Old Lady Wan was the one who arranged it. The Zhang family is high-ranking but comes from a poor background and has no one to rely on; the Liu family of Lingnan is powerful in their region but has no connections in the capital. Old Lady Wan managed to bring these two families together and even got an imperial decree for the marriage. In the past two years, Old Lady Wan has truly been the matchmaker between high-ranking families.”

He said the Shao and Du families were also arranged by this old lady. “Think about it yourselves; how could it not work?”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s pockets started bulging with money, but some said that if everyone bet on the same thing, they wouldn’t win any money.

“That’s absolutely right,” he said. “So if you don’t want to play it safe and want some excitement, bet on Marquis Lu.” “Bet on whether he’ll marry this year,” he continued. “Or, bet directly on which noble lady he’ll marry. If you win, you’ll make a fortune.”

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, countless people bet on Marquis Lu, but the Marchioness has never appeared. This year, there was still no news, so it was hard to say.

The only thing that happened was that one person suddenly bet five hundred taels on the Marquis marrying this year, causing another stir among the crowd.

However, someone still asked, “Besides the Marquis marrying, is there anything more exciting?”

“Yes,” everyone looked at the person, who said, “It’s still the Shao family and the Du family. Don’t bet on a marriage alliance directly; bet on the opposite!”

Conversely, betting that the two families won’t marry.

This remark caused a burst of laughter.

Chang-Pu, however, was eager to try. He pulled several pieces of loose silver from the toe of his shoe, gathered them up, and presented them to Du Lingjing’s face.

Du Lingjing quickly stopped him, telling him not to come any closer.

“Let’s talk right there,” she said.

Chang-Pu clenched his fist. “All my savings are here! I want to bet some too!”

Ruan Gong kicked him. “You dare gamble? In front of the young lady?”

Chang-Pu quickly covered his backside. “I’m just trying to boost the young lady’s morale! I’m betting everything! I bet against it! I bet that the Shao family won’t marry you!”

After he finished speaking, he added, “To avoid embarrassing the young lady, I’ll accept losing this little bit of money!”

Ruan Gong kicked him again, almost knocking him over.

“You’re talking nonsense again, aren’t you?”

But before Ruan Gong could finish speaking, they heard the young lady call Chang-Pu’s name.

“Help me place a bet too.”

“Miss?” Ruan Gong thought he had misheard.

Chang-Pu jumped up. “How much are you betting, Miss?”

Du Lingjing thought for a moment. “Is the maximum five hundred taels?”

Chang-Pu nodded vigorously. Du Lingjing said, “Then I’ll bet five hundred taels, against the trend.”

Five hundred taels! Ruan Gong was speechless.

His young lady was a proper scholar; when had she ever touched such nonsense? And now she’d bet five hundred taels!

Chang-Pu, however, ignored Ruan Gong’s gaze, excitedly wanting to run to Qianxing District immediately.

“Miss is gambling with me too!”

His voice was a little loud.

Du Lingjing coughed; the words did sound rather unpleasant. He corrected himself.

“It’s gambling.”

Chang-Pu’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes! You’re so refined, Miss! I’ll go gamble for you right away!”

Du Lingjing smiled, pursing her lips.

Ruan Gong gritted his teeth. This boy had corrupted the young lady!

*

From the Lantern Market to the entire Chongwen Gate Inner Street, the lights were dazzling, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively. Especially in the southeast corner, south of Mingshi District, the Paozi River rippled with the lights, the tiny sparkles like fish scales, and the banks were crowded with people.

Du Runqing, unusually, also went out to the street with her maid. She usually stayed home, taking care of her mother, and had no free time.

As they walked towards the Paozi River, everyone was talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival marriage arrangement. Not only in Qianxing District, but even the small gambling dens beside the Paozi River had opened for betting on the marriage of a noble family.

Du Runqing listened for a moment and immediately heard someone bet five hundred taels of silver on the Marquis of Yongding’s marriage this year.

“Really?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Her maid, Rui-Xue, said it was impossible. “Every year, someone bets on the Marquis’s marriage, but it’s all just speculation. Don’t believe it, Miss.”

That was true. Besides the matter of the Marquis Lu, Rui-Xue added, “On the contrary, there are more bets on the eldest young lady and Shao, the third-ranked scholar. Anyone with eyes can see this is bound to happen.”

Since her eldest sister’s sudden arrival in the capital, the family had been in chaos for just a few days.

But hearing that even the people on the street were so certain, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She called Rui-Xue and walked a few steps towards the Paozi River. A vendor immediately came forward.

“Young Lady, are you here to make a wish? We had a master consecrate our river lanterns this year, and wishes made with our lanterns are the most effective. If it’s for your sweetheart, just be sincere and silently recite their name, and this red thread in your hand will surely reach them. It’s guaranteed!”

The young vendor enthusiastically hawked his lanterns, while Rui-Xue rolled her eyes.

“No matter how well you explain, the Paozi River doesn’t connect to the Milky Way in the heavens. Won’t it all just be used by children to play with?”

The lantern vendor, speechless, turned to leave.

Du Runqing called out to Rui-Xue, “Here’s the money. I’ll buy a lantern.”

Rui-Xue froze, the vendor’s grin spreading from ear to ear. He quickly picked out the most exquisite lantern and handed it to Du Runqing.

“Miss, just silently recite it in your heart, and the red thread will naturally be delivered to your beloved!”

Du Runqing took the lantern, her face slightly flushed in the light of the river lantern. She gently bit her lip, walked to the riverbank, closed her eyes, and, after a moment, lightly pushed the lantern with her fingertips, letting it float into the small river that resembled a celestial river.

On the way back, Rui-Xue, seeing her young mistress’s still-blushing face, chuckled softly, “Miss, you really believe that peddler’s words.”

Du Runqing’s face turned even redder. Just as she was about to say something, her mother’s servant came looking for her.

“What is it?”

The servant whispered, “Second Young Lady, I just followed Eldest Miss and saw them go to Zhenyue Tower to see Third-Scholar Shao.”

Du Runqing was startled.

Eldest Sister really didn’t want to marry Shao Boju, so why did she go to see him? Could something be wrong?

She quickly called the servant.

“Go tell Father—no,” she suddenly changed her mind. “Go to the Gu family and tell my maternal grandmother!”

*

The Gu Mansion in Huanghua Lane was separated from the Du Mansion in Chengqing District by only one street, Chongwen Gate Lane.

When the servant arrived, Rongyu Hall of the Gu Mansion was filled with laughter and conversation. Lady Liang, who had just returned from a long trip on the orders of the Old Madam, brought good news.

“…The Huang family of Jinan and the Shen family of Shunde have both sent gifts to Mother. They both say that their daughters don’t know proper etiquette and won’t marry well in the future. They want to send them to our residence to broaden their horizons. As for their expenses, we don’t need to worry about them.”

Old Lady Wan shook her head repeatedly, but the corners of her eyes crinkled with laughter.

“Indeed, since last year, people have wanted to send their daughters to my garden, but I was too busy to respond. This year, there are even more.”

Lady Liang stepped forward and respectfully massaged her mother-in-law’s shoulders. “How could they possibly raise good daughters? When it comes to training daughters of marriageable age, it has to be you, Mother.”

Old Lady Wan shook her head even more. “I certainly deserve more thanks than they do, but aren’t they just trying to use me to marry their daughters into high-ranking families?”

Lady Liang repeatedly agreed, then asked, “Should we bring these girls to the capital?”

Old Lady Wan slowly nodded. “Of course we will, but we’ll have to wait.”

“When, Mother?”

Old Lady Wan let her massage her shoulders, closing her eyes.

“After the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the Emperor issues the decree of marriage between the Shao and Du families.”

Lady Liang immediately understood.

With the marriage between these two families settled by imperial decree, even more families would want to send daughters to the Gu family, and they would have to carefully consider what they could bring to the Gu family and to the Old Madam.

Arrangements between high-ranking families were never truly between good matchmakers.

As they were speaking, the servant sent by Du Runqing hurriedly stepped forward and relayed the message.

Compared to his haste, Old Lady Wan merely nodded, seemingly unconcerned.

The servant looked bewildered, so Old Lady Wan finally spoke.

“Go back and tell Qing’er, even if she sees Shao Boju, what can she do? The Shao family wants to marry her; it’s not something she can decide by saying a few words to Shao Boju. The arrow is on the bowstring; it’s bound to be released. This marriage will happen whether it comes to fruition or not; it’s not something she can stop.”

The servant noted these words down and went to the Du family.

Old Lady Wan, served a sip of tea by her daughter-in-law, shook her head again.

“The worst thing for a woman is to read too many books. These books are all written by men, and for men. Women who read them will only think they can make their own decisions, not realizing that this is what harms them, making them think they are omnipotent.”

Lady Liang quickly bowed, listening to her mother-in-law’s admonition.

Old Lady Wan didn’t call her out but simply looked at the few books beside her and said,

“Starting tomorrow, the schoolwork for the girls in the family will be cut in half. Those who remain will only read Instructions for Women and Admonitions for Women, letting them manage household affairs and learn to share the burdens of their fathers, brothers, and husbands. This is far better than any academic work.”

Lady Liang dared not say anything more, bowing even more deeply. “Mother is right.”

However, she then asked, “Should we keep a close eye on the eldest young lady of the Du family?”

Old Lady Wan waved her hand.

“No need. This is the capital; she can’t cause any trouble.”

…

Old Lady Wan, being served by her daughter-in-law, went to bed early.

However, a strong wind rose in the capital in the middle of the night, rattling the windowpanes. Being a light sleeper, Lady Liang quickly called for servants to find things to shutter the windows from both inside and out. After more than an hour of this, when all was quiet, Old Lady Wan finally fell asleep.

She slept late the next morning.

Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Lady Liang had already prepared the meal. Old Lady Wan took a few sips of tea and had just sat down at the table when Nanny Guan suddenly rushed in.

“Why are you in such a hurry? Could it be that the Emperor has already issued a decree for the marriage today, even though it’s only the Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow?”

It wasn’t impossible.

But Nanny Guan’s face was extremely grim.

“Madam, overnight, everyone’s been saying that the Shao family has killed someone!”

Old Lady Wan raised an eyebrow. “Where did this nonsense come from?”

The old nanny, Guan, couldn’t pinpoint the source either but said it started happening overnight. “The Hu siblings seem to have been missing for over a month. The eldest Hu brother is a Jinshi, and yet almost no one in the capital knew he was missing for over a month. Now everyone’s saying it’s the Shao family’s doing, and someone in the Hu family has probably already been murdered! And it’s the Shao family who did it.”

Old Lady Wan’s eyebrows furrowed even higher.

Nanny Guan couldn’t pinpoint the source, but Lady Liang asked in a low voice, “Mother, could it be that young lady from the Du family who spread the rumors?”

She was the one who least wanted the marriage to be finalized.

Old Lady Wan paused, then suddenly chuckled.

“She’s just a young lady; does she really think she can control the capital? It’s just rumors. She’s taking herself far too seriously.”

*

At the Du Mansion in Chengqing Ward.

Qiu-Lin sent her maid, Ai-Ye, out to inquire, and she returned.

“Miss, rumors are spreading everywhere.”

She said, “Someone saw the Shao family surrounding the west side of Jishui Pool yesterday, digging for something. Some say it was filth, some say it was evidence, and some even say it was… a corpse! The rumors are getting stranger and stranger. Your move is truly brilliant, Miss. We can’t produce physical evidence, but we can directly cause Shao Boju to fall out of favor with the Emperor and be removed from office—isn’t that the same thing?”

Qiu-Lin couldn’t help but be excited, but Ruan Gong, always cautious, looked at the young lady.

“But even if the rumors spread, without evidence, what can they really do to the Shao family?”

The Hu siblings had been missing for over a month, yet the Shao family managed to remain unnoticed in the capital and court. How could a few rumors possibly shake Shao Boju’s favor as a close confidant?

Ruan Gong asked, and Du Lingjing nodded in agreement.

“I truly lack the ability to bring down that third-ranked scholar.”

What kind of place was the capital? It was where even her father suffered a crushing defeat. She naturally didn’t possess such power.

She only wanted to extricate herself; she only wanted to wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival so she could safely set off and return to Qingzhou as soon as possible.

“However, there are naturally many people in the capital who want to see Shao Boju fall.” Du Lingjing paused slightly, the image of the man standing tall and imposing before the railing of the high-rise Zhenyue Tower yesterday flashing before her eyes.

“All I can do is light a small flame for these powerful officials and nobles.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the wind outside the window rattled open the half-closed carved window.

*

In Jiqing Ward, at the Marquis of Yongding’s Residence.

The Marquis’s staff crowded the front courtyard council hall, excitedly discussing the rumors that had suddenly surfaced the previous night. At their most animated, their voices nearly lifted the eaves of the council hall.

Suddenly, a voice announced from outside, “The Marquis has arrived.”

Everyone quickly fell silent and looked towards the council hall. A man in a dark green brocade robe strode in from the morning light outside, stepping into the hall.

The advisors all bowed in unison. He said, “No need for formalities. I have just heard about the matters you gentlemen discussed.”

His brief remark only aroused renewed excitement among the crowd.

One of the advisors, surnamed Yu, stepped forward.

“My Lord, regardless of the truth of this matter, this is our opportunity.”

“In recent years, the Shao family has been cultivating connections and befriending court officials for Prince Yong. With Grand Secretary Dou’s backing, even local officials are now leaning towards Prince Yong’s faction. Moreover, the Emperor admires the Shao family’s talent and has shown them considerable favor. Right now, they are using the excuse of no legitimate heir to repeatedly petition the Emperor to appoint a secondary heir, claiming that Prince Yong is virtuous and the Shao family are upright and honest officials, making the position of heir apparent suitable. The Emperor is bound to waver.”

“But if the matter of the Hu siblings is confirmed, Shao Boju’s own fall from favor is a minor matter; the real issue is the damage done to the reputation of the entire Shao family and even Prince Yong’s faction. The Emperor cherishes talent above all else; how can he allow an esteemed scholar to be murdered like this?”

As he spoke, a hint of hesitation crossed his face. “But we don’t know who spread the rumors, or what their intentions are. Should we… investigate?”

Everyone shared this concern, but the Marquis shook his head.

“Don’t investigate.”

Then he added something ambiguous, his already low voice deepening.

“Let her have some peace.”

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of the Marquis’s meaning.

The advisor asked again.

“Marquis, what should we do then? Should we comply with that person’s wishes?”

Silence reigned in the hall. Standing in the center of the crowd, the Marquis slowly uttered a few words.

“We will do our utmost to help.”