"You are a daughter of the Ji clan. Though your life has been fraught with hardship and sudden calamity, you still have your aunt," the empress said, growing more satisfied the longer she looked at Ji Wanqing. Feeling that the girl would not be difficult to control, she patted her hand gently, the smile on her face deepening.
"Wanqing thanks Aunt," Ji Wanqing replied.
So it has come at last.
The empress ordered a round stool brought over and had Ji Wanqing sit beside her. Smiling warmly, she said, "You've grown up. It's time for marriage. Your aunt will carefully select a good match for you."
The second shoe finally dropped. Ji Wanqing was jolted.
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Chapter Two
Ji Wanqing was startled, but quickly came to an understanding. Indeed—now that she was a powerless, unbacked orphan, the only things left that could be exploited were her surname and her marriage.
As the princes under Empress Ji's care grew older, her designs on the Eastern Palace had become increasingly obvious. Even a sheltered young woman like Ji Wanqing had heard rumors of it.
If there were schemes, then the consolidation of power was essential, and marriage alliances were an excellent means to that end—quick, efficient, and immediately effective.
There were many young ladies in the Linjiang Marquis' household, several slightly older than those of the Jingbei Marquis' branch. Over the past few years, they had all been married off one after another, and every single in-law family was one the empress sought to bind closely to herself.
Those remaining were still too young to be of use. So now her attention had turned to Ji Wanqing?
Yet this was not false modesty on Ji Wanqing's part. In truth, as a lone orphan, her value in a marriage alliance was not particularly high.
Her thoughts raced, but hesitation appeared on her face as she said, "Aunt's concern for Wanqing moves me deeply. However, when my parents were still alive, they seemed to have already looked into a marriage for me."
Anything she could think of, the empress would surely have investigated long ago. And she could hardly state outright that her own value was limited. Thus, Ji Wanqing retreated a step with an excuse, hoping the empress's interest was only momentary and that she might abandon the idea.
Though the likelihood of that was clearly slim.
"Though my parents have passed on, as their daughter I cannot disregard their wishes," Ji Wanqing said, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes and dabbing lightly.
"You're speaking of the Wang family of the Dongchuan Marquis' household, are you not?" the empress said with a smile, unhurried. "But the two families never finalized the betrothal, did they? As far as I know, Madam Wang began seeking a match for her heir as early as last year."
It was obvious: seeing that Ji Wanqing had become an orphan, the Wang family no longer wished to proceed with the marriage. The matter had already fallen through.
Ji Wanqing understood perfectly well that this was only a pretext. Yet the empress's effortless grasp of the details proved she had thoroughly investigated everything in advance.
This brief probing told Ji Wanqing one thing: her value as a marriage piece was far greater than she herself had realized.
That was deeply illogical. Her sense of danger surged. At the same time, she knew that plans laid over so long a period were not something she could evade.
Having lived fifteen years in this ancient world, Ji Wanqing understood the might of imperial power all too well. An emperor's wrath could leave a million corpses in its wake—this was no exaggeration. Even if the empress was not the Son of Heaven herself, disposing of a solitary orphan would pose no difficulty whatsoever.
At present, there was only one course of action: respond move for move.
As though recalling something painful, her eyes glistened with moisture. She quickly wiped them with her handkerchief. "Aunt, please forgive Wanqing for this lapse in decorum."
"You silly child—remembering your parents is no crime at all."
The empress's smile deepened. Ji Wanqing was even more suitable than she had expected—clever and perceptive, able to recognize her circumstances quickly and make compromises. Such a person would be far easier to coerce and entice in the future.
The empress did not need a fool who could not grasp the point. Compared to merely blocking the Crown Prince's position, what she valued more was placing her eyes and ears deep within the Eastern Palace.
"The Wang family's breach of faith is hardly worth lamenting. But you are a daughter of my Ji clan—how could I not concern myself?" the empress said with feigned pity. She slipped off a gold bracelet inlaid with pearls and wrapped in filigree silk and placed it on Ji Wanqing's wrist, giving it a gentle pat.
"Rest assured. I will keep your marriage in mind."
The gold bracelet gleamed brilliantly, heavy with weight. Yet Ji Wanqing felt only a bone-chilling cold where it touched her skin. Her heart sank as she heard herself murmur, "Wanqing thanks Aunt."
Satisfied, the empress spoke a few more words before smiling and saying, "You may return now. Another day, your aunt will summon you again for a small gathering."
The palace maid in apricot reappeared and led Ji Wanqing out of Kunning Palace. This time, her treatment was noticeably better—she was escorted directly by a senior maid from the empress's side.
Ji Wanqing glanced at the apricot-clad figure ahead and pressed her lips together. This was attention she did not want.
The two walked one behind the other, leaving Kunning Palace and heading toward the palace gates by way of the rear paths. As they passed one side of the Imperial Garden, she encountered someone wholly unexpected.
From behind a rockery emerged a group of people, crossing the garden along a bluestone path. At their head was a man wearing a purple-gold crown binding his hair, dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe.
Only the emperor or the Crown Prince could openly wear such a color. Dragons bore five claws; pythons bore four. In a single glance upward, Ji Wanqing saw the four-clawed python embroidered on the young man's robe.
Judging by his age and attire, he was clearly the Crown Prince of the dynasty.
Ji Wanqing had once heard her late father speak of him—this Crown Prince was said to be "virtuous, capable, and humble, possessed of great talent, and destined to bring peace to the realm."
Her father had always held the Crown Prince in the highest esteem. That was why he had gradually distanced himself from Empress Ji and the Linjiang Marquis' household. Ji Wanqing vaguely understood his hopes: the current Emperor Changping was not wise, and her father wished for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, sweep away corrupt officials, and restore prosperity to the dynasty.
Unfortunately, he had not lived to see that day, having sacrificed his life for the country.
Ji Wanqing's mood sank instantly. In that brief moment of distraction, the Crown Prince's party had already drawn near. The apricot-clad maid ahead knelt to salute, and Ji Wanqing immediately composed herself and knelt as well.
"No need for formalities. Rise," the Crown Prince, Gao Xu, said gently, inclining his head slightly. He glanced at the two before him and recognized at once the senior maid from the empress's side.
It was impossible for him not to know of Empress Ji's designs against the Eastern Palace. Yet Gao Xu's voice remained mild, devoid of any chill. Ji Wanqing stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. Though his bearing was extraordinary, his expression was calm and warm, without the slightest trace of displeasure—indeed worthy of the description "gentle and refined."
Gao Xu's gaze swept briefly over Ji Wanqing. The girl was unfamiliar to him. He paused, then asked, "Are you the daughter of Ji Zongqing, Marquis of Jingbei?"
He was asking despite already knowing the answer. The Eastern Palace had its own channels of information, and Gao Xu had long been aware that Empress Ji had summoned the eldest daughter of the former Marquis of Jingbei shortly after her mourning ended. If the Ji clan's hostility toward the Eastern Palace was something he deeply detested, then among those bearing the surname Ji, there was nonetheless one person for whom he held a measure of regard.