Chapter Ninety-Five: The Lushan Retreat Palace

The Wen Marquis’s residence was draped in white mourning for the night. By the next day, there were countless people coming to pay their respects, yet the madam refused to see a single one of them. She sat like a wooden figure before the mourning hall, burning paper offerings for her child.

Her tears had long since run dry; it was as though even her soul had been torn away. The old nurse watched helplessly as the Madam, who had once been radiant just the day before, seemed to age by many years in an instant.

Consort Wen came back in person to offer condolences. What an extraordinary honor that was. When her imperial carriage was almost at the gate, the Marquis went into the inner hall and urged his wife to come out and receive the consort.

“Stop all this at once. Hurry and go out to welcome Her Ladyship in.”

The madam seemed not to hear him at all, continuing to mechanically tear the paper money in her hands.

“Did you hear what I said? The consort is about to arrive...”

“She has come. Why should I be the one to receive her? If the Marquis cares for her so much, he may as well lead the whole household to kneel and welcome her.”

“What kind of words are those? You are the mistress of the entire household...”

“Then let the Marquis divorce me.”

The Marquis stared at her for a long moment. “I know you are now grieving the loss of your son and have lost your wits. I will not argue with you. If you do not wish to go out, then do not.”

He led the family to receive the imperial carriage. Consort Wen had no special ties with Second Master Wen or the young master of the Wen family. That she had come back at all was only after repeated persuasion from Nurse Wen. Yet her attendance was far from sincere; even the ruby earrings dangling from her ears spoke of careless splendor. Once inside the mourning hall, she complained that the air was stifling, dawdled for a long while, perfunctorily burned a stick of incense, and then left.

The maidservants below could not help feeling resentful.

“What is the consort doing? If she didn’t want to come back, then she could have stayed away. Instead, she puts on such airs. Isn’t she still from the Wen family? If not for the Wen family’s support, could she have enjoyed such favor for so many years? The young master is barely cold in his coffin, yet as his elder sister she cannot even be bothered to burn a stick of incense. How can people not feel chilled to the bone?”

“Your skin’s itching, is it? How dare you speak ill of your mistress? Get back to work.” Then, turning to the madam, she said, “The little girls below are ignorant, Madam. I’ll deal with them later.”

The madam did not speak. She clenched the paper money in her hand until her knuckles went white.

Ever since she stepped into the Marquis’s residence, she had been “instructed” to obey the consort and never sully her noble bearing. In the past, she had endured so much. Yet she had never imagined it would come to this. Her son had not even grown up, not even married or had children. What crime had he committed? It was nothing more than that this family had committed too many vile acts and now met its reckoning.

But it did not matter. Since she had already fallen into the abyss, then let them all go to hell together.

When the Wen family’s mourning rites were finally concluded, the governor of Dingu Province sent word that the bandits had been captured and asked how the emperor wished them punished. At the morning audience, the Marquis was pale and haggard, with dark shadows under his eyes from several sleepless nights. The emperor had someone hand the memorial to him.

“Since misfortune has befallen the Marquis’s household, naturally it is for the Marquis to decide what to do with these men. Tell me, Marquis, how should they be dealt with?”

“Court law already provides the verdict. This subject dares not speak further.”

“Then let it be handled according to the law. Marquis, you should also ease your heart. You know, in life, eight or nine out of ten things do not go as one wishes. After all, life is still long.”

The Marquis nearly cursed aloud in the court. The emperor’s conduct made it plain that he no longer placed him in his eyes. He had nothing left to fear either. Since it had come to this, why not fight to the death?

At the morning audience, ruler and minister stood opposed, both having suppressed themselves for too long. A single spark would have been enough to set off a raging blaze.

Gan Sui stood in the hall, his eyes lowered in silence. When enmity has reached its end, blood is always what must be used to wash it away.

Three days later, the emperor and his retinue relocated to the Lushan Summer Palace. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, a wash of cool air greeted them. The two little children peered out through the carriage curtains.

“Mother, look, there are little birds.”

Within the woods, the green trees stood lush and dense, and from time to time little birds would fly past, the two children staring in wonder with their mouths open. Now and then they spotted wildflowers by the roadside, and when the breeze passed by, it carried a faint fragrance of blossoms. It truly felt like a place made for escaping the summer heat.

Bai Xia and the others were assigned quarters in the southeastern part of the palace. Bai Xia had someone put their belongings in order, and then An Zi came running over.

“There’s a stretch of grassland outside. Sister, do you want to go ride together later?”

Bai Xia could ride, but ever since returning to the capital, she had not had many chances. Hearing him say that, she felt a little itchy to go. The two of them agreed to go to the riding grounds that afternoon. It was shaded and cool there, and they could even take the children to see the animals.

Gan Sui had no time to spare. After a brief settling-in upon arriving at the palace, the emperor had Eunuch Wan summon him, saying there was important business to discuss.

Because they had only just arrived and were not yet familiar with the place, An Zi had people send fresh meat and vegetables over, and only then did the kitchen begin preparing the meal.

“Why didn’t your father let you come along to the discussion this time?” Bai Xia asked.

Over the past half year, the emperor had increasingly made An Zi attend to training. Many major matters were discussed with him present, and there was even much private talk that the emperor already intended to name an heir apparent, only delaying the decree.

“Father said that now that we’ve come to the palace, I should be allowed to relax a little. He gave me a day to play. Sister, shall we have barbecue tonight?”

In weather like this, sitting on the ground with a grill set up in this lively, rustic place would indeed be fitting.

“Sure. I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”

“I’ll have people send some things over later. Barbecue tastes best with a proper mix of meat and vegetables, don’t you think, little Luminous?”

Luminous was holding a small peach in her hands, her face smeared with peach juice from nibbling it. Hearing her uncle call her, she looked at An Zi with a smile, flashing little white teeth.

“Our little Luminous is so pretty.”

An Zi kissed her on the cheek.

“You really mustn’t praise her as pretty so much anymore. She has become more and more concerned with looking beautiful lately. When we were leaving, she insisted on taking so many little dresses that she could wear three outfits a day and still not be satisfied.”

“There’s a lot of new brocade in from Shu Province. I can’t possibly wear it all. I’ll have people send it over later and make all of it into clothes for our little Luminous. A little girl should have lots and lots of beautiful dresses.”

“Oh, no, no. Just look at the chest she already has. We’re nearly out of room even if we build another room for it. Besides, she’s still growing. Even if you make her new clothes, she won’t be able to wear them for long. It would be such a waste of fine cloth.”

“Fine cloth only has value if it can be worn. Sister, don’t argue with me. I’m giving it to Luminous, and Luminous wants it, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Luminous laughed happily.

“You little scamp...”

An Zi quickly carried little Luminous into the courtyard.

Over on the emperor’s side, he was discussing with his trusted ministers.

“At this year’s autumn ancestral rites, I intend to formally establish the Crown Prince and announce it to the realm, making it known before our ancestors.”

The Chief Minister said nothing, and the other ministers remained silent for a moment. Then the emperor said, “Since none of you object, let us discuss the ritual procedures and all related arrangements.”

There were always precedents to follow for such procedures, but this time the emperor was unusually meticulous, confirming even the smallest details repeatedly. By the time Gan Sui returned, the others had been waiting a long while for him to come back for lunch.

“We were just thinking that if you still didn’t come back, we’d start without you. We still have to go out and have fun this afternoon.”

Bai Xia said it with unmistakable pride. They had finally come to a place to escape the summer heat, yet endless government affairs still awaited.

“So you’re happy, and you don’t care whether your husband lives or dies. No, you’re not allowed to go.”

Gan Sui made a pretended gesture of holding her back.

“No, no!”

The two of them began fooling around at the table, and the two children clapped their hands in delight.

When Bai Xia was about to leave in the afternoon, Gan Sui still had to go back to the discussion. Before she left, he reminded her, “You haven’t ridden for a long time, so be careful. Choose a gentler horse, and don’t go too fast. If anything feels wrong, stop at once. Just ride around the grassland. The children are still small; they must not play with the horses...”

“Father, you really are so nagging. I know, I know, I know all that. I promise I’ll be careful.”

Bai Xia made a vow-like gesture. She was really very obedient, all right? Why was he so uneasy?

Gan Sui could only helplessly pinch her cheek. He did not know why, but today he had a bad feeling that would not go away. If not for the emperor urging him urgently, he would truly have wanted to accompany his wife and children out to play.

“All of you take good care of the madam. If anything goes wrong, you know what will happen.”

“Rest assured, sir.”

The wet nurses and maids behind them answered together.

“Now can you finally be at ease? Hurry and go. Don’t keep the emperor waiting.”

Bai Xia urged him on.

There were not only horses to feed on the grassland, but also cattle, sheep, and little rabbits. Yu Huai and Luminous each pulled on their nursemaid’s hand, wanting to go see the rabbits, while Bai Xia and An Zi went together into the riding grounds to look at the horses.

An Zi personally fed one of the horses some fodder.

“Sister, this is my horse. His name is Chasing the Wind. I picked him out when he was still a foal. He’s amazing, really fast, and he can even understand what I say.”

As he spoke, he affectionately patted the horse, and the horse leaned against him obediently.

“Sister, do you want to ride Chasing the Wind today? He’s very steady when he runs.”

“It would be rude to take what you love. I’ll choose another one.”

“No need. Anything I have, Sister can use. I’ll go pick one too, and then we can have a race.”

Bai Xia could not decline any further, so she agreed. Gan Sui also went to choose a white horse.

Bai Xia had not ridden for a long time, and she was somewhat frightened in her heart. But Chasing the Wind truly was as An Zi had said: he ran very steadily and was extremely intelligent. After a few laps, Bai Xia began to get the feel of it and unconsciously quickened her pace. She rode out and back again, feeling the wind howling past her ears, and an exhilarating thrill rose up from within her.

“An Zi, let’s have a race. The loser can’t eat meat tonight.”

“If that’s the rule, then I won’t be able to go easy on you.”

“You brat, you’re awfully good at boasting. Let’s see who’s better.”

The two of them had the groom serve as referee and agreed to race to the foot of the back hill beyond the riding grounds and then return.

“Ready, go!”

Meanwhile, inside the palace, as the discussions were underway, the imperial guards suddenly asked for an audience.

Qi Nanxing let them in.

“Your Majesty, while we were patrolling the palace defenses, we saw this man acting suspiciously, so we captured him. On his person we found this drug, and after inspection by the imperial physician, it was determined to be a sedative that can cause horses to lose control...”

“What did you say?”

“Grand Tutor, what is it?”

“My wife agreed with the First Prince to go riding on the grassland this afternoon... Your Majesty, allow this subject to take his leave.”

“Go with Grand Tutor. Keep this man under strict guard. He must be made to give a statement...”

Gan Sui could no longer hear a single word of what was being said. There was only one thought in his heart: Bai Xia must not be harmed.