Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 047

Chapter 47

The palace banquet before the new year was scheduled for the western part of the imperial city, in the West Garden by Taiye Lake.

The Marquis of Yongding’s residence was located in Jiqing Ward, separated from the imperial city by a moat, just outside the Xi’an Gate on the west side.

Other families might have to travel halfway around the city to get there, but Du Lingjing, following the Marquis, left her own gate and arrived at the palace gate.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry. He told her that Taiye Lake was frozen over, and going there early would only mean getting winded on the ice.

“You’ve just been sick; you will suffer if you get cold again. Let’s wait until they all arrive.”

He truly meant what he said. He sent someone to inquire, and only after hearing that the elderly matriarch of the Dou family, in her eighties, had arrived, trembling, did he have Qiu-Lin wrap her in a thick cloak and take her to the palace.

Du Lingjing had been there before, when she was just a young girl, accompanying her father to a banquet. Because she was a young girl, only girls of similar age paid her any attention.

But this time was different. As soon as she and the Marquis arrived outside the banquet hall by Taiye Lake, all eyes scattered along the lake turned to them.

This was the first banquet Marchioness Lu had attended since marrying Marquis Lu.

Various families had sent invitations to Marchioness Lu, but it was customary for her to attend a banquet, such as a New Year’s feast, for her first banquet.

However, because she had not attended any of these banquets, many people in the capital had never seen this Marchioness Lu, who had suddenly arrived from Qingzhou and inexplicably married the most powerful and influential official in the capital, Marquis Lu, by imperial decree.

Everyone was now focused on her. She wore an amber-colored cloak trimmed with snow fox fur, and a light pink stand-up collar jacket with a dark pattern that appeared to be embroidered with gold thread. It seemed ordinary, but in the sunlight, the dark floral patterns shimmered with a faint golden light, like the ripples on the ice of Taiye Lake reflecting the sun.

Beneath the jacket, she wore a tea-colored light yellow skirt, which added a touch of elegance and composure.

Her long, slender eyebrows were delicate and beautiful, her lashes gently veiling her serene, watery eyes. Her demeanor was poised and measured, her every movement exuding a refined scholarly air.

She was the most illustrious woman in the capital, Marchioness Lu, the only daughter of Grand Secretary Du, who had been a key figure in the late Emperor’s court. She was deeply respected by scholars, a status unmatched by many noble ladies of distinguished families.

Everyone watched her every move with bated breath. She remained composed, noticing the women gathered in the West Garden, separating them from the men. Just then, someone approached to greet and exchange pleasantries with the Marquis. He gave him a brief reply, and she turned to walk westward.

Unexpectedly, she had barely taken a step when the Marquis turned back.

The Marquis asked the person who had come to exchange pleasantries to wait a moment, then turned to his wife and spoke a few words.

Someone heard Marquis Lu’s voice. His voice was as low and husky as ever, but unlike other men instructing their newlywed wives on what to do, he first pointed to the lake, telling his wife not to go onto the ice. He then said the wind was too strong under the willows along the riverbank, and she should not go there either, but could instead wander into the plum grove on the other side.

The wife nodded repeatedly, but the Marquis was reluctant to let her leave. He said he was on the other side and gently instructed her, “If you have any doubts, send someone to find me.”

“Understood,” she had no choice but to reply.

The man then called to her maid, “Qiu-Lin, take good care of the lady.”

“Yes.”

Only then was she able to turn around. The Marquis watched her leave and walk away before returning to his pleasantries.

Those who had observed Marquis Lu’s and his wife’s every move were all secretly pondering.

Du Lingjing had not gone far when the wife of the Marquis of Jing’an’s heir, accompanied by several young ladies and maids, approached her to speak.

The Marquis of Jing’an was the late Marquis Lu’s family, a lifelong friend with whom he had bickered throughout their lives. Despite their squabbles, the two families had always been close and supportive of each other.

Du Lingjing heard about the Marquis of Jing’an’s household every month at the meeting regarding important family matters. However, even this wife of the heir was of her aunt’s generation, while the young ladies and maids were about her age.

The people from the Marquis of Jing’an’s household were the first to greet her, followed by other ladies from various families on good terms with the Marquis of Yongding’s household, who also came forward to pay their respects to the Marquis’s wife.

Before Du Lingjing could react, Qiu-Lin was already on high alert.

So many ladies, wives, and maids, from this family and that household—she was sweating profusely trying to remember them all, fearing she might make a mistake.

After the crowd that had finally managed to get to the front dispersed, Du Lingjing, having navigated through the plum grove, was escorted to the banquet hall. Qiu-Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Madam, I probably only remember about five to six out of ten.”

With so many people, remembering even five to six out of ten was quite good.

Du Lingjing reassured her, “I remember everything.”

Qiu-Lin breathed a huge sigh of relief, only then realizing that her madam had read countless books and could remember everything; what were these people in the garden compared to that?

Seated in the banquet hall were the elderly matriarchs and ladies of various families.

Although Du Lingjing was not very old, and her seniority was not particularly high, the Marquis’s status was far too extraordinary. Upon entering the banquet hall, she was led by palace servants to the head of the table, almost at the very front, below the imperial family, directly opposite the matriarch of the Dou family.

Now, even Du Lingjing could not help but feel a little warm under everyone’s gaze. Just then, someone strode into the banquet hall from the east side.

He stepped into the hall and looked down at her, his gaze sweeping over half the people in the hall to find her. He smiled slightly at her.

For some reason, Du Lingjing felt a strange sense of unease, as if he had discovered her. A slight sweat broke out on her brow.

Was he laughing at her?

Du Lingjing glanced at him silently. Seeing him smile even more and be led upwards by others, she turned her head away, ignoring him.

It was getting late, and everyone gradually entered the banquet hall and took their seats, awaiting the arrival of the Emperor, Empress, and Noble Consort.

A few days ago, Old Lady Wan had been worried at home that the Emperor would no longer allow her to attend the palace banquet before the New Year. However, the Emperor ultimately allowed her to come out of consideration for her deceased sister, Consort Wan.

Old Lady Wan felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders and had been quite relieved for several days. But today, sitting in an inconspicuous spot, few people approached to speak with her. Then she saw the Du family girl enter the hall and, quite by step, sit opposite Old Madam Dou.

For a moment, Old Lady Wan realized that this was no longer the orphan girl from the Du family but the wife of Marquis Lu of Yongding.

A myriad of emotions welled up within her, but she dared not say much, only watching the back of this Marquis Lu’s wife in silence for a long time.

There was also one person who almost could not attend this palace banquet.

A murder case had occurred involving the Earl of Rongchang’s residence, and Yang Jinyu’s mother, the Earl of Rongchang’s wife, was naturally not among the invited guests. Fortunately, her married daughter was not implicated. Although her mother-in-law did not want to bring her, she was, after all, the wife of the heir of the Duke of Wei’s mansion, and she still had to consider appearances.

The Duke of Wei’s mansion and the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion were not particularly close. In fact, the once-powerful Duke’s mansion had been declining since the first Duke, and was now overshadowed by the Marquis of Yongding.

However, the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion was powerful, and the sons of the Duke of Wei’s mansion could only gain promotions through the Marquis of Yongding’s connections if they wanted to make a name for themselves in the army.

Initially, the Duke of Wei’s mansion had wanted to marry Lu Huairu, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, to their heir.

However, Lu Huairu was said to be destined to be the Empress by more than one monk and Taoist priest. Several of the late Emperor’s young princes had also sought her hand in marriage, so the Duke of Wei’s mansion could not win her hand and had to settle for marrying her instead.

They married her because they believed that the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion and the Lu family of the Marquis of Yongding’s mansion had a long-standing friendship, and that this would gain them favor with the Lu family.

But unexpectedly, after her two younger brothers got into trouble, the Lu family turned their backs on them.

These past few days, her in-laws’ attitude towards her had completely changed; even the heir had not visited her courtyard for half a month…

Yang Jinyu felt a tightness in her chest at the thought.

She also silently watched Marchioness Lu, who had taken her seat at the head of the table.

However, Du Lingjing felt the gazes more often, and she gradually became accustomed to them. Not long after, the Emperor, accompanied by the Empress, the Noble Consort, and the other concubines, entered the banquet hall.

Du Lingjing noticed that the Noble Consort was still the same as she had been months ago, with no significant change.

However, the Emperor, it was said, had indeed fallen ill due to the influence of the court officials; he had been slightly ill for several days and seemed not to have fully recovered, his face pale and his spirits low.

As for the Empress, this was the first time Du Lingjing had seen her. She had heard that she was devastated by the death of the Crown Prince, nearly following him in death, and her health never recovered. She rarely appeared in public, maybe three times a year at most, but this year she only showed up twice: at the Empress’s birthday celebration and this palace banquet.

Her relationship with the Noble Consort was clearly poor. The Noble Consort was attentive to etiquette, but the Empress did not even glance at her.

Du Lingjing thought to herself, “I am afraid that Consort Lu and Prince Hui’s entourage are all waiting for the Empress’s passing. Only with the Empress’s death can the Noble Consort enter the Jiaofang Palace, making Prince Hui the undisputed legitimate son of the Emperor and the sole candidate for Crown Prince.”

However, the Emperor seemed to still harbor some affection for the Empress, having been married since childhood. He had been ordering the imperial physicians to carefully attend to her ailing health, and now even he himself was listless and ill, having a charcoal brazier placed under the Empress’s feet.

But the Empress showed little emotion. Halfway through the banquet, after receiving New Year’s greetings from everyone, she excused herself, citing illness, and left.

The Emperor sighed.

As the Noble Consort’s sister-in-law, Du Lingjing kept her eyes down, carefully observing her words and actions.

Every now and then, after the Emperor offered words of New Year’s joy and mutual encouragement between ruler and subject, he also quickly left his seat.

With the person at the head of the table gone, the atmosphere below gradually warmed up.

The Noble Consort exchanged a few words with her and then left. Others came to greet her, and Du Lingjing, having chatted for a while, felt a little tired.

Just as she took a small sip of tea and exhaled, she felt a familiar gaze upon her.

She looked up, and their eyes met.

He seemed to speak to her from afar, “Tired? Go change your clothes and rest for a while.”

His voice could not reach her, but Du Lingjing could always understand his lip movements.

“Alright,” she replied.

His eyes softened, and he gestured with his chin, indicating that she should go and rest.

Since no one else was approaching, she turned and headed towards the guest quarters where guests could change.

Other women, already acquainted with each other, were gradually making their way to the side rooms of these courtyards for conversation. If Du Lingjing could find a quiet, secluded room in a courtyard, she could even take a nap and rest before returning to the banquet hall to continue the feast.

However, she had not gone far from the banquet hall when someone blocked her way on the path.

It was the wife of the Duke of Wei’s heir, Lady Yang Jinyu.

Du Lingjing saw her but only nodded without speaking, clearly indicating she did not want to talk to Lady Yang. But Lady Yang did not back down; instead, she stepped forward.

“Madam, please wait. Jinyu has something to say to you.”

Her posture was surprisingly humble, a complete contrast to the annoyance and displeasure she had shown when they met on the street that day.

Even Qiu-Lin noticed her drastic change in attitude and secretly tugged at Du Lingjing’s sleeve.

Du Lingjing understood the situation and knew that the Marquis did not want her to listen to Lady Yang, so she said, “Today is a palace banquet. Whatever the young mistress needs to say, we can discuss it later.”

“Later” was an understatement.

Yang Jinyu, seeing that Du Lingjing did not want to talk to her, was secretly annoyed. Seeing that Du Lingjing was about to pass her and the maid behind her to the other side, she stepped aside, completely blocking Du Lingjing’s path.

“Madam, this matter is urgent and cannot wait.”

She refused to let Du Lingjing go no matter what, and Du Lingjing sighed inwardly.

“Then, young mistress, please speak.”

Seeing her calm expression and the lack of impatience or anger despite her forceful blocking, Yang Jinyu felt a little uneasy.

But she still said, “Madam should know why I’ve come. I’ve heard that the Marquis is currently strongly supporting the remnants of the ‘Flicking Faction’ behind Madam, hoping to reinstate them to official positions. We know the Marquis is working hard to arrange this for Prince Hui, but since the Marquis has already taken in Madam’s ‘Flicking Faction,’ should he not also consider us old acquaintances? Save my two younger brothers?”

Although she said she wanted to save her brothers, her implication was that Lu Shenru was solely focused on winning over the ‘Flicking Faction,’ even at the expense of his former allies, to seize the opportunity to bring them under his control.

Du Lingjing knew about his efforts to bring the ‘Flicking Faction’ back to court. If he needed people, why would he leave the ‘Flicking Faction’ officials unused? Did Lady Yang think she would stop the Marquis from using people?

She looked at Yang Jinyu. “Regarding your brothers’ matter, I am afraid I cannot speak on it. Perhaps the Duke Heir’s wife should seek another wiser opinion.”

But Yang Jinyu retorted, “How could the Madam not have a say? The Marquis values ​​you so much; he went to the Emperor to request a decree for your marriage, and only then were you brought home. How could he not value you?”

The path through the plum grove was deserted, save for the wind blowing across the Taiye Lake, rustling the budding blossoms.

Qiu-Lin, listening nearby, was startled.

Was Lady Yang saying that the Emperor’s bestowal of marriage upon the Marquis and his wife was not accidental, nor was it the Emperor’s intention, but rather something the Marquis specifically requested?!

But that was not what the Marquis told his wife.

She tensed, glancing furtively at her mistress.

Du Lingjing remained silent, simply observing Lady Yang.

Yang Jinyu’s heart pounded with unease. She did not know the true origins of this marriage; she could not very well ask the Emperor or the Prince of Yan.

But if this Marchioness Lu believed the Marquis intended to marry her, that would be a different story. Was she not still hung up on the Jiang family’s top scholar and not truly interested in marrying him?

She took a deep breath and looked into Du Lingjing’s eyes.

“I do not know if Madam knows about this. But the Marquis has remained unmarried for many years and has never shown any interest in any woman. This year, there was no word of him planning to marry in the capital, yet he suddenly married Madam.”

“Naturally, Madam is intelligent and talented, but more importantly, Madam is the daughter of Grand Secretary Du. Even after his passing, those former officials still hold the Du family in high regard…”

Yang Jinyu disregarded the fact that they were in the palace, by the Taiye Lake, and needed to be extremely careful with her words; she spoke directly.

“The Marquis wants to win over the scholars, but they do not trust him. After the Shao Boju incident, the Marquis immediately realized this was a golden opportunity. If he could marry you and then use your status as the son-in-law of the Du family to save the Flicking Faction members, they would surely be loyal.”

Yang Jinyu quickly said, “Please do not be offended, Madam; I did not mean that the Marquis specifically asked the Emperor for your hand in marriage to win over the Flicking Faction members. What I meant was that you are crucial to the Marquis. If you do not help my brothers in their case, they will both die. And the only one who can speak to the Marquis is you!”

She was about to perform a deep bow. “Please, Madam, speak well of me to the Marquis!”

Du Lingjing quickly helped her up, and Qiu-Lin also rushed forward to pull her up.

Lady Yang really went through the proper etiquette of asking for a good word, having her maid bring a box. The box was opened, and it was full of pearls.

“Please accept this, Madam.”

Du Lingjing naturally refused. She had just said the Duke Heir’s wife was too kind when several more people approached. Unfortunately, it was Old Madam Dou and a group of officials’ wives.

The Old Madam was currently fixated on the Earl of Rongchang’s family; it would be even more inappropriate for them to overhear.

Du Lingjing immediately pushed the box of pearls back. Yang Jinyu did not dare say anything more in front of the Dou family women, and having said her piece, she did not stop Du Lingjing from leaving.

The two parted ways.

Yang Jinyu and her attendant, the nanny, walked until they reached a secluded spot before stopping.

The nanny’s hands were sweaty with nervousness. She whispered, “Madam, if you tell the Marchioness about the Marquis’s request for a forced marriage to his wife to appease the Faction, will the Marchioness believe you?”

Yang Jinyu did not know either. She had pondered this matter for several days. At the time, the Marchioness did not want to marry, and everyone in the capital knew this. If she found out that the Marquis was forcing her into marriage to win over the Flicking Faction, she would surely cause a scene with him.

However, her preparations were rushed, and she had not had time to produce any dubious “evidence.”

“She probably does not believe me, but I will make her suspicious first, and then I will gather some evidence to support my claim. She should believe me then.”

But this process would take some time. The Emperor might consider delaying the decision during the first month of the lunar calendar, but after that, things would be uncertain. Yang Jinyu was anxious and uneasy, her gaze fixed on the face of the Marchioness not far away.

The wind on Taiye Lake swept all the icy air from the lake surface into the pavilions and towers along its banks. The wind was rather strong, and a few leafless yellow willows by the lake swayed forlornly in the wind.

Qiu-Lin’s heart was still pounding when she heard Lady Yang suddenly mention that the Marquis had requested an imperial decree to forcibly marry her mistress.

“Does Madam think this is true?”

Lady Yang’s words were baseless, without any evidence. While they sounded astonishing, upon closer inspection, they seemed unbelievable.

Before Qiu-Lin could ask further, she heard her mistress say, “I think the Marquis’s request for an imperial decree to grant the marriage is probably true.”

Qiu-Lin gasped but saw that the young lady’s expression was calm. The wind on the icy surface ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, and she lowered her eyes slightly.

Du Lingjing said calmly, “This explains a lot.”

It explained why, after Shao Boju was suspected of murder, the Emperor clearly did not want to bestow a marriage upon him anymore. She was originally insignificant, but suddenly an imperial decree was issued, ordering her to marry that Marquis. It also explained why he set the wedding date for the following month; he was so eager to marry her and have a relationship with her both in name and in reality.

It explained why he held a grand opening ceremony at Guilin Tower to collect books for her, a large-scale event that everyone knew about. It also explained why she originally did not want to put him in a difficult position, so she took her own people to Baoding, but he followed immediately, even getting angry about it. Afterwards, he single-handedly rescued everyone and escorted them back to the capital, preparing to give them an important position.

Shao Boju’s case was no longer important; his ultimate goal was to make all the officials of the Flicking Faction work for him. For this purpose, he went to the Emperor to ask for her hand in marriage. Whether she agreed or not was irrelevant; his most important task was to marry her and use her as a bridge to establish a relationship between him and the Flicking Faction.

Many things that had been unclear suddenly seemed to make sense.

Du Lingjing lowered her eyes and smiled gently, “It’s just that it’s difficult for him to be so lenient with me time and time again…”

He even took the initiative to offer sacrifices to Third Young Master with her.

“The Marquis is truly very patient.”

Her voice was very soft, and Qiu-Lin’s heart skipped a beat.

She subconsciously felt that the Marquis might not be as the Madam described, but she did not know where to begin.

*

Yang Jinyu moved to a spot not far from the willows by the river. She stared intently at Du Lingjing’s face, then heard the maidservant beside her say,

“Madam, this old servant thinks the Marchioness’s expression is a little off.”

Indeed, something was wrong; Yang Jinyu noticed it too.

She saw the bare willow branches twitching against Marchioness Lu’s sleeves. The wind was so strong that it seemed that when she arrived, Marquis Lu had told her not to go near the willows by the river in the wind, but now she stood there, head half-lowered, looking dejected.

Yang Jinyu was taken aback, then overjoyed. “She believes it?”

The maidservant thought the same. “It seems the Marchioness believes it! Madam, will she cause a scene with the Marquis at the palace banquet?”

Yang Jinyu’s heart pounded. She thought causing a scene at the palace banquet was a bit of an exaggeration, but if Lady Du really did cause a scene, the Marquis would surely lose heart towards her and the Flicking Faction and would only remember the old friendships with the nobles and military generals.

Just then, a group of people descended from the high platform. Leading them was none other than the Marquis of Yongding, Lu Shenru.

Yang Jinyu spotted him immediately and then saw Marchioness Lu, not far from him, also seeing her husband, the Marquis, by the river. Lady Yang felt her heart pounding.

Would Lady Du go and cause a scene?

She stared intently at Du Lingjing.

By the river, Du Lingjing also turned and saw the man walking by. Many people surrounded him and talked to him, but he did not see her.

Qiu-Lin’s heart tightened. Would her mistress immediately seek answers from the Marquis?

She also looked intently at her mistress, only to see her mistress glance at the Marquis silently before turning away, without uttering a word about going to question him.

Meanwhile, Lady Yang, who was also observing secretly, was stunned.

“Did she not believe it? Why is she not reacting at all?”

She thought that if the Marquis’s wife would make a scene, that would be best; if not, she should at least had some other reaction. But looking at the people by the river, she saw that the woman’s expression was extremely calm, with a faint smile playing on her lips.

After the Marquis passed by, she silently followed him back into the banquet hall.

Lady Yang felt a headache coming on.

This… why was it that every reaction of this Marquis’s wife was so unexpected?

*

Du Lingjing sat back down in the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was not crowded. She quietly poured herself a cup of floral wine.

Not far away, Marquis Lu was also exchanging toasts with others.

She silently watched his tall figure, exceptionally outstanding in the crowd, like a crane among chickens or a towering peak rising from the ground.

She poured herself another cup of wine.

It was not that she readily believed Lady Yang; it was that if this could not be explained, how could it be? She could not understand this matter.

Aside from the books at Mian Tower, he clearly had no use for her. That meant she was the only connection her father had left.

If he did not marry her because of these connections, if someone told her that long before the Mid-Autumn Festival imperial decree, long before she was still in Qingzhou, he had already decided to marry her.

Then, step by step, he led her to the capital, sought an imperial decree for the marriage, used Shao Boju’s proposal as a pretext, said he was truly helpless, and after the marriage, he revealed nothing, making himself a perfect husband until now.

That was truly terrifying. After all, she had nothing, while he schemed meticulously, revealing nothing. What immense benefit could he be seeking?

Compared to that terrifyingly unpredictable situation, Lady Yang’s explanation seemed more plausible.

She picked up her wine cup and looked again at the imposing and powerful minister, Marquis Lu, in the crowd.

He was only twenty-five, yet he held the vast Yongding Army firmly in his grasp. He had established himself, dared to support the young prince, shouldered the burden of the Yongding Army on one shoulder, and also supported his sister and nephew in the court on the other. He had to appease the factions gathered around him while simultaneously dealing with and resisting veteran ministers like Grand Secretary Dou.

She had witnessed firsthand how busy he was.

She was merely a bridge for him to gather his supporters, yet he managed to do so flawlessly, always patiently trying to appease her. He did it so well that even she, for a fleeting moment, thought that even if it was not love at first sight as he claimed, perhaps he truly cared for her.

But clearly, she was mistaken.

How could a noble and powerful official like Marquis Lu, who held a high position in the court, be preoccupied with personal feelings?

The hall was sparsely populated and somewhat cold.

She drank another small cup of wine.

Perhaps seeing her drinking a few cups by herself, a palace servant brought her another pot, poured it into a cup, and offered it to her.

As soon as the wine was handed to her, Du Lingjing smelled the strong aroma of green bamboo leaves.

Bamboo leaves?

She carefully inhaled the familiar fragrance of bamboo leaves in the wine; the bamboo scent filled her nostrils. She tilted her head back and drank the bamboo wine in one gulp.

Her gaze, involuntarily, fell again on the man to the east.

That’s more like it.

A powerful minister should be like this: decisive in killing and making the best use of everyone.

As for the rest…

In this world, besides Third Young Master, who else could possibly be so genuinely devoted to her?