Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 024

Chapter 24

Before Du Lingjing could recover her senses, the man had already strode through the crowd and walked straight towards her.

She was surprised and was about to rise to greet him, but before she could stand up, he pressed her hand down and sat down beside her.

“Why has My Lord come?” she asked.

His eyes were pleased. “Nothing much; I will sit with you for a while.”

Du Lingjing was a little confused. Seeing that he was just sitting there, neither asking her nor the steward anything, she could only continue sitting with him.

Lu Shenru, however, took her hand in his own. Her hand was initially slightly stiff but gradually relaxed and softened.

He rarely visited this administration hall of the Marquis’s Mansion, and even the Chief Steward rarely came unless it was for important matters.

Looking at the person beside him, he could not help but chuckle, thinking of her sitting upright, her gaze fixed on the begonias in the courtyard.

She could actually work for him? And she did it quite well…

But since she was already here, if he simply took her away, the servants might suspect that the Lady lacked the authority to manage the household, damaging her reputation as the Marquis’s wife.

Sure enough, the stewards and servants all secretly glanced up at him.

They saw the Marquis with a pleased expression, holding the Lady’s hand in his. The Lady remained seated, but the Marquis, noticing their pause, said,

“The Lady is listening. Please continue.”

The crowd quickly withdrew their furtive glances. However, while the lady might be willing to listen to the trivial daily matters discussed earlier, they dared not waste the Marquis’s time with such trivialities.

The stewards exchanged glances and instructed the servants to only speak on the important points.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the matter that had been discussed for so long was finally concluded.

As the servants prepared to leave the administration hall, Du Lingjing was still in a daze.

So fast?

She blinked, and seeing that everyone in the hall had left, she could not help but turn to look at the Marquis beside her.

The man smiled at her. “Are you tired of sitting? Let’s go for a walk.”

Du Lingjing nodded and followed him outside.

He held her hand tightly, and she could only let him. But when they reached the begonia tree in the courtyard, he stopped and suddenly asked her softly.

“This begonia is blooming beautifully. Would you like to move it to our courtyard?”

Du Lingjing was taken aback, wondering why he suddenly suggested this. She felt a little embarrassed, remembering that she had seemingly been listening but was actually lost in thought while admiring the flower.

“Uh…no need.”

To her surprise, he laughed and tightened his grip on her hand slightly.

“It’s alright, as long as you like it.”

He then called to his attendant, who moved the flower shortly after.

Du Lingjing had a strange feeling. She wondered if he knew she had been secretly admiring the flower.

But she was admiring the flowers, unnoticed even by the stewards and servants below; how could he possibly know?

She could not understand, and he said nothing more, simply leading her by the hand towards the back garden.

Jiqing Ward, where the Marquis of Yongding’s residence was located, encircled the northwest corner of the imperial city. Adjacent to the imperial city, Taiping Granary, and Huguo Temple, it was inhabited entirely by high-ranking officials and nobles. Even so, the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion alone occupied a significant portion of the streets and alleys south of Taiping Granary in Jiqing Ward.

The Marquis of Yongding’s mansion had once been prosperous, as evidenced by its numerous gates and courtyards.

However, since the war in the fourteenth year of the Hongqi era, the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion had been severely weakened. Not only the main branch of the marquis’s household, but also more than half of the collateral branches had perished.

As for the main branch, Du Lingjing looked at the vast mansion and saw that only Lu Shenru remained.

He led her further in.

Passing two large, locked mansions, he murmured, “These are the courtyards of my second and third uncles.”

The houses were deserted.

On the first day of their wedding, he took her to the ancestral hall. Du Lingjing saw that beneath the memorial tablet of his grandfather, the old Marquis of Yongding, were the tablets of his three sons. Next to Lu Shenru’s father’s tablet was his mother’s tablet, who had passed away many years ago. His two aunts, though still alive, had not remained in the capital, presumably living as widows in their rural hometown.

The once grand Marquis’s Mansion had collapsed more than halfway, leaving him alone to guard the gates of the Marquis’s estate and also to guard the northwestern border of the dynasty.

The Marquis’s Mansion was nearly empty, but behind him stood two hundred thousand Yongding soldiers, all relying on him alone.

Now, pointing to a small courtyard ahead with its doors newly renovated, he spoke to her.

“No one lives here, but this is the Noble Consort’s courtyard, and it’s renovated every year.”

Du Lingjing looked over and saw that the courtyard was not large, but inside stood a small building typical of Jiangnan, indeed renovated and exquisitely decorated. However, being uninhabited, a sense of desolation was still unavoidable.

Du Lingjing could not help but glance silently at the man.

He was responsible for the 200,000 Yongding soldiers, and he also had to support the Noble Consort and Prince Hui in the deep palace…

He turned around, and Du Lingjing saw that his expression of joy lingered, and he spoke softly to her.

“The Marquis’s garden was built under the supervision of the Ministry of Works, modeled after the palace gardens. It’s quite charming. Shall we go take a look?”

However, before Du Lingjing could respond, Chong-Ping approached from behind.

“My Lord, several advisors request an audience.”

The man paused. Du Lingjing noticed a slight fading of his pleased expression. He did not immediately respond to Chong-Ping but instead asked her.

“Why not go for a stroll in the garden? I will be right back, alright?”

Du Lingjing was not particularly interested in the Marquis’s Mansion and garden, but since he asked now, she nodded inexplicably.

“Alright.”

His dark eyes gleamed in the sunlight, his gaze lingering on her face for a few moments. Du Lingjing felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze before he reluctantly released her hand and turned to leave.

He went with Chong-Ping, leaving Chong-An to guide her into the garden.

Qiu-Lin followed, first wiping her hand that had been held. Du Lingjing glanced at her and muttered something under her breath.

“The Marquis is really clingy.”

“…” Du Lingjing was a little embarrassed.

She gestured for Qiu-Lin to stop talking nonsense and followed Chong-An inside.

Unexpectedly, they had not gone far when several white geese suddenly emerged from the bushes.

Du Lingjing looked closely and saw they were Taihu geese from Huzhou, with long necks, pure white bodies, and elegant postures. However, their eyes were quite sharp.

Du Lingjing was thinking that she had read in a travelogue that these geese were no less than dogs and could drive away thieves at night. Her thoughts drifted to this when several large geese suddenly pounced on them.

Qiu-Lin gasped and quickly protected Du Lingjing, retreating to the side.

Chong-An had not expected these geese to be so bold.

The Marquis’s precious treasure, whom he cherished dearly, dared to be attacked by these ignorant geese.

He quickly grabbed his scabbard and charged, but the garden was rarely visited, and the flock of geese acted as if they were masters, their leader actually fighting with Chong-An.

Chong-An could not actually draw his sword in front of his mistress, so he could only fight the geese with his scabbard, feathers flying everywhere, a back-and-forth exchange for a time.

Qiu-Lin could not help but laugh.

Du Lingjing also could not help but chuckle.

But Qiu-Lin, still fearing for his mistress’s safety, protected Du Lingjing and led her away to another side.

After walking a few steps, they saw several small courtyards nestled among the trees, not far from the main courtyard.

Qiu-Lin blinked and could not help but ask.

“I have not heard of the Marquis having any concubines, but could he have other unofficial concubines?”

Du Lingjing had only been married into the household for a few days, and she had not seen the Marquis order any women to serve her tea.

She said she did not know, but Qiu-Lin glanced at the courtyards perfectly suited for housing concubines and whispered.

“Does Madam still remember the rumors outside?” she blinked. “The Tatar singer from Bingzhu Pavilion has not been seen for years. People say she’s entered the Marquis’s harem.”

Du Lingjing remembered the rumor. The Tatar woman in the rumor was in his harem, whom he doted on. She had borne him three sons and two daughters… Thinking of this, Du Lingjing could not help but recall the chaotic dream she had the day she first heard the rumor.

In the dream, he did indeed dote on the Tatar woman, but in a dizzying moment, she had become her.

Du Lingjing paused, then heard Chong-An approaching, having chased away the geese, and chuckled.

Qiu-Lin felt her voice was already soft enough, but Chong-An still heard her, which was quite embarrassing. However, she simply asked.

“Guard An, is the rumor true? If the Marquis has concubines, or if a Hu woman has indeed borne him children, should you not tell the Madam?”

This question made Chong-An want to laugh even more, but when he looked up, he saw the Marquis had returned.

Chong-An dared not laugh openly, but seeing the Marquis close his eyes, clearly having heard Qiu-Lin’s words, he wanted to laugh even more but dared not, forced to suppress his laughter.

Qiu-Lin, seeing the Marquis approach, also quickly tightened her lips.

Du Lingjing also felt awkward, as if she were the one asking the question.

But he looked directly at her.

He did not speak for a moment, only watching her intently as she walked towards him.

Chong-An gestured for Qiu-Lin to step aside, leaving only the two of them.

The wind rippled the autumn waters of the small pond, carrying the dampness onto their fluttering robes.

Du Lingjing awkwardly lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. He walked up to her, so close that their toes almost touched, their breaths mingling.

He tilted his head slightly, seemingly helpless, and whispered in her ear.

“Quan Quan,” he called, “I have no concubines, no maids.”

He sighed softly, “And no Tatar princess or courtesan has ever borne me a child.”

“…”

Du Lingjing was too embarrassed to answer.

It was truly Qiu-Lin’s excessive curiosity.

She could only whisper, “I know.”

But he said, “I only have you.”

Du Lingjing suddenly remembered their wedding day, when they had not consummated their marriage.

And he seemed to see right through her thoughts, he simply said softly.

“I will wait for you.”

A gentle breeze lingered, unable to dispel the dampness clinging to the water between them.

Du Lingjing’s heart skipped a beat, and she stood there, stunned.

The man, however, seemed to have cast aside the awkwardness and helplessness caused by the earlier rumors. He took her hand again, smiling, and pointed to the artificial hill made of Taihu stones behind the pond.

“Let’s walk up there. From there, we can see a corner of the palace city and the moat outside the city. The view is beautiful.”

She was still somewhat dazed, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. Although she was stunned, she did not appear tense or strained.

The man watched quietly, then led her by the hand to the hexagonal pavilion at the highest point of the artificial hill.

The wind rustled from the edge of the imperial city.

He turned to look at the person beside him and the entire Marquis’s Mansion, his lips curving into a wider smile.

There was only him and her there; no one else was present.

*

While autumn had clearly arrived in the capital, the Marquis of Yongding’s residence in Jiqing Ward was bathed in the warmth of spring.

Since his marriage, Marquis Lu had been riding high, a fact evident throughout the capital.

Several months ago, someone had impeached the Shaanxi Military Command in front of the Emperor.

The Shaanxi Military Command was entirely composed of Yongding Army soldiers, Marquis Lu’s own men. The impeachment accused the Shaanxi Military Command of wantonly expanding military farmland, forcibly seizing farmland from the people, and appropriating it for the private use of generals, arguing that the court should investigate and punish them severely.

Upon this incident, members of Prince Yong’s faction successively submitted memorials demanding a thorough investigation, also implicating the entire Yongding Army, openly and covertly attacking the Marquis of Yongding’s residence for allowing its troops to oppress the people, and arguing that Marquis Lu Shenru’s military power was excessive and should be severely reduced.

The Emperor ignored the concerns about the Marquis, but this spring’s drought and grain shortages across the land forced the Emperor to order a thorough investigation into the Shaanxi military farm issue.

Several months later, the results were indeed found.

It was confirmed that some people in the Shaanxi area were oppressing the people, hoarding land, and evading grain taxes.

It was not the Shaanxi Military Commander, nor the Yongding Army, nor even that Marquis Lu, but several princes and relatives whose fiefs were in Shaanxi.

Now, not only were the people who made the accusations embarrassed, but everyone involved was on edge.

They had not managed to find any fault with the Lu family; instead, their slander had directly handed Marquis Lu leverage.

Under normal circumstances, the Marquis would have seized the opportunity to eradicate all those who had smeared him, punishing them severely, at best by dismissal and exile from the capital, at worst by confiscation of their property and exile.

But this time, the beaming Marquis Lu, upon hearing this, merely smiled in court and soon issued his statement.

He said, “Teach with leniency and gentleness. Do not retaliate against the wicked. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life.”

He simply let it go with a flick of his wrist, and a bloody storm dissipated in those three sentences.

His leniency left the civil officials bewildered for several days.

The court was peaceful for several days as a result.

The Emperor bestowed many gold and silver items upon the Marquis of Yongding’s residence, needless to say.

Du Lingjing gradually returned to her own affairs.

The Marquis told her she no longer needed to go to the administration hall but instead instructed the steward to report to her every half month on important matters within the household, such as personnel exchanges with other households.

Du Lingjing thought to herself that this indeed saved her a lot of trouble. She had no interest in the household’s management, but the steward’s concise reporting would help her quickly sort out the relationships in the capital and even the entire court, giving her a clear understanding.

She agreed.

But Ruan Gong came to tell her something.

She had previously remembered that she had been led to the capital’s gates by eight ancient Song Dynasty books, so she asked Ruan Gong to inquire with Master Zhang, an old friend of her father who ran a bookstore in the outer city, about whether there was anything strange about it.

She might have been led to the capital.

But Ruan Gong reported that Master Zhang had gone out a few days ago, “and has not returned yet; the bookstore is closed.”

Du Lingjing raised an eyebrow.

She inexplicably thought of how, after the Hu siblings disappeared, her younger brother Zhanming said other people had also gone missing, such as Master Liao Xu.

Both the Hu siblings and Master Liao Xu knew her, and Shao Boju had previously tried to force a marriage between her and her uncle through Old Lady Wan…

Thinking of this, Du Lingjing instructed Ruan Gong to inquire about Master Zhang’s whereabouts and then mentioned several other people—all old friends or students of her father—”Was the journey peaceful?”

Chang-Pu replied that it was peaceful but pointed to Steward Zhao, “Yesterday, the steward insisted on seeing the Marquis’s tall building outside the city, which is why he took a detour and was delayed for half a day.”

Steward Zhao, a round-faced merchant, initially looked around the Marquis’s Mansion, but after bowing to Du Lingjing, he said repeatedly, “I never expected that after your trip, Miss, you would marry into the Marquis of Yongding’s family. The grandeur of a Marquis’s household is indeed extraordinary; I have certainly witnessed it.”

As he spoke, he pulled a box containing a piece of mutton-fat jade from his sleeve—a wedding gift for the young lady.

Qiu-Lin remained silent but still accepted the gift on Du Lingjing’s behalf. Then, Steward Zhao spoke again.

“Miss, are you sending me to the capital to establish another Mian Tower there?”

His eyes lit up as he spoke. “I went to see the Marquis’s Mansion’s tall building yesterday, and I heard it was actually the Marquis’s betrothal gift to you. Wow, with our Mian Tower and the Du Publishing House, will it not become the premier library in the North?!”

Qiu-Lin rolled her eyes at his shallow expression.

Du Lingjing was not angry but simply said to Steward Zhao, “That’s the Marquis’s Mansion’s building after all; it’s inconvenient for me to use it. I am sending you to the capital only so you can open another Du Publishing House there. There’s no need to buy a building; do not even think about anything else.”

Steward Zhao’s back slumped upon hearing this.

“The Marquis values ​​you so much, gifting you such a valuable building; are you really not going to accept it?”

Before Du Lingjing could speak, Qiu-Lin finally could not hold back any longer. “Did Third Young Master treat you badly before? You always talk about the powerful and wealthy.”

Steward Zhao frowned and lowered his head at her question.

Du Lingjing paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something and asked Steward Zhao and Chang-Pu.

“Did you pass through Baoding on your way here?”

Chang-Pu nodded, saying he stayed overnight in Baoding. Du Lingjing asked about the search in Baoding, and Chang-Pu said she had not heard of any success.

Du Lingjing could only nod, then asked, “Did you see Sixth Young Master?”

Steward Zhao said he did. “The Jiang family asked me to deliver some supplies to Sixth Young Master Jiang, so I met with him.”

Du Lingjing gestured for him to repeat himself, and he said Jiang Fengchuan was indeed helping to search for someone in Baoding.

“Sixth Young Master said that the missing students from the academy all happened to know Third Young Master, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.”

Du Lingjing paused.

“They all knew Third Young Master?”

Steward Zhao said yes.

“As you know, Sixth Young Master always cares deeply about Third Young Master. Even after Third Young Master’s passing, Sixth Young Master said he would still search for them and inform Third Young Master when they are found so Third Young Master would not worry in heaven.”

He repeated Sixth Young Master Jiang’s words, but Du Lingjing fell silent, her gaze drifting to the Song Dynasty edition book on the desk.

Sixth Young Master was an abandoned son of the clan. His biological father had broken ties with his parents and clan and left, and his biological mother’s whereabouts were unknown. He grew up in the countryside, relying on the kindness of others.

One day, when Third Young Master returned home, he saw Sixth Young Master being chased away for stealing villagers’ pancakes. In the dead of winter, he was dressed in tattered clothes and had no shoes, so Third Young Master took him in.

Third Young Master’s mother was also frail and ill. The couple only had Third Young Master as their child, so they took in this abandoned boy and adopted him.

Sixth Young Master was two years younger than Third Young Master, but because he had suffered from hunger and cold since childhood, he looked four or five years younger.

He stayed by Third Young Master’s side every day. Third Young Master gave him a name, built him a courtyard, and personally taught him to study.

The year Third Young Master turned sixteen and achieved the highest rank in the provincial examination, before Jiang’s family could even celebrate, Sixth Young Master ran throughout the city shouting, “My brother! My brother topped the list in the autumn examination! My brother is the top scholar!”

He shouted so loudly that he wanted the whole city to know that his brother had become the top scholar, which amused and exasperated Third Young Master.

That year’s top score in the provincial examination had drained Third Young Master’s energy, preventing him from participating in the following year’s spring examination. He intended to recover and take it slow, but his health would not improve. He could only wait until the spring examination, gazing at the boundless spring light to the north, sitting alone in his quiet study.

Sixth Young Master knew his thoughts and devoted himself to the provincial examination.

He said that if he passed, the following spring, “I will carry my brother to the capital, even if I have to, so we can look after each other in the examination hall.”

He kept his word, and in the seventh year of Yinyou, he indeed passed.

Although he ranked near the bottom, he was as happy as if Third Young Master were already in the examination hall.

His mentor kept him in Jinan, and he wrote five letters to Third Young Master, urging him to prepare his luggage so that they could set off for the capital before the new year.

Third Young Master was overjoyed. He only wrote seven or eight letters to his old friends and classmates, hoping they would help his younger brother in the future, out of consideration for their past friendship.

But that year, he only had time to reply to Sixth Young Master with a brief letter, telling him to stay in Jinan and study in peace, before passing away.

When Sixth Young Master heard the news of his death and rushed back, even his hair was disheveled.

The entire Jiang family was grieving; everyone wept before the mourning hall. He stood outside, asking, word by word, “Why did my brother die?”

Third Young Master’s illness had lasted for many years; everyone had expected him to die young.

But he stood in the strong wind before the mourning hall and asked, “Why did my brother die?”

He said that the brothers had promised to go to the capital together for the imperial examinations. He had finally passed; he was just a few months away from success. Just those few months! He said he would carry his brother to the capital, even if it meant carrying him on his back and into the examination hall.

“So why did my brother die?!”

At that moment, Du Lingjing emerged from the mourning hall. Seeing her, he asked in a hoarse voice.

“Sister-in-law, why?”

Du Lingjing could not recall how many tears she had shed that day, nor did she know how to comfort Sixth Young Master.

Sixth Young Master silently changed into mourning clothes and said, “I will observe three years of mourning for my brother.”

There was no precedent for a younger brother observing deep mourning for his elder brother. The clan told him not to be foolish; three months would suffice.

He only scoffed, “Three months? My brother is only worth three months?”

The clan forbade it, but they could not stop him. With the imperial examinations approaching, people from Jinan repeatedly urged him to go to the capital, but he simply ignored them, locking himself in his home and truly observing mourning for his third brother for a whole year.

It was not until the following year, when rumors circulated about the succession marriage of the Jiang and Du families, that Jiang’s parents finally forced him out of the house.

He did not want to leave, only to hear his parents say, “If you have the will, you should finish the path your third brother could not walk.”

That day, he agreed.

Du Lingjing met him in front of Mian Tower.

From afar, she saw someone emerging from the morning mist.

He wore the bamboo-green robe that Third Young Master often wore and led the white Western horse he rode when she first met him.

The moment he emerged from the morning mist, she stood before Mian Tower and could not help but softly call out.

“Third Young Master…”

Only when he drew near did she see him clearly, silently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

He then bid her farewell, saying he was going to travel and study.

She prepared extra travel money for him, but he refused it, only asking her one question. “I will go to the capital to take the imperial examination in place of my third brother and then return. Sister-in-law, will you wait for him to pass the examination?”

“Yes.”

Definitely.

But the wind blew in from the grand mansions of the capital, and before her eyes was no longer Qingzhou and Mian Tower but the residence of the Marquis of Yongding.

Du Lingjing was momentarily dazed.

“Sixth Young Master…how is he?”

Steward Zhao said that Sixth Young Master Jiang was well. “He’s just been exhausted from searching for people and has lost some weight, now resembling Third Young Master somewhat.”

At this point, remembering they were at the Marquis’s Mansion, he quickly stopped speaking.

Du Lingjing asked again.

“Did he say anything else?”

Steward Zhao looked up at her.

“Sixth Young Master did say something.”

Du Lingjing was not surprised.

Steward Zhao said, “Sixth Young Master said he would personally come to the capital to visit Madam.”

Du Lingjing was silent for a moment; the wind made the doors and windows creak.

“I understand.”

As she spoke, she heard an announcement from outside. Looking up, she saw the Marquis, dressed in a full black robe, returning from outside. He smiled as soon as he saw her.

“I brought you a packet of ‘Liaohua Candy.'”

Du Lingjing paused slightly, and the others in the hall also reacted somewhat hesitantly.

The atmosphere, once warm and spring-like, was now tinged with a slight autumn chill.

The man, who had recently been said to be radiant with happiness, now raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. His expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on his newlywed wife.

It did not seem like anything had happened.

Then, was someone coming?