CH 21

Filial piety was very strongly emphasised in the Yu Dynasty. It was particularly important for the aristocratic families to show that they executed their filial duties well, as they were under the Emperor’s constant scrutiny. When the patriarch of a family passed away, his sons were supposed to mourn him for three full years. During the mourning period, they didn’t have to live like monks and eat vegetarian food, and husbands and wives could still sleep in the same room, but it was certainly not acceptable to get your wife pregnant during this period.

Doing so was considered extremely unfilial. In the more traditional clans, the couple would be very severely punished for becoming pregnant during the mourning period. The child could not be kept even if it was the principal wife who was pregnant – it absolutely had to be aborted. This was because the child was a living symbol of the entire clan’s disgrace once he or she was known to the outside world to have been conceived during the mourning period.

“My father has never… he has never seen me as family,” Lou Jing said. He unclenched his fist slowly, laughing sardonically at his own unhappiness. He knew this. He had known this long ago. It shouldn’t hurt any more.

If his father had told him about this situation straight to his face, Lou Jing would have been angry, but he would have been willing to make sure that word of this never got out,  on account of the Lou family’s reputation and his continued relationship with his father. Perhaps, in his father’s eyes, he was someone vicious enough to force his stepmother to abort her child. 

Xiao Chengjun frowned slightly as he looked at Lou Jing. He strode forward and gathered Lou Jing into his arms in a clumsy, inexperienced manner. He tried to comfort Lou Jing the way he had done for him before, stroking his back awkwardly. After a moment, he spoke up in a quiet voice. “You’re already married to me. I’m your family,” he said.

“Haha…” Lou Jing couldn’t help laughing a little – real laughter this time, as he pressed his nose into the Crown Prince’s shoulder. He reached out to wrap his hands around the Crown Prince’s narrow, toned waist. “Yes, we’re family,” he said.

Zhao Xi, who had changed out of his female garb, ran toward the couple excitedly. As he approached, he saw the couple in this intimate position, and he immediately covered his eyes. “See no evil! See no evil!” he groaned.

“Ninth Young Miss, why have you snuck out of the house?” Lou Jing asked, resting his chin comfortably on the Crown Prince’s shoulder, not in the least bit flustered by his sudden appearance.

Zhao Xi opened his fingers just a fraction and peeked out. When he saw that the two were still wrapped around each other, he hurriedly closed his fingers again. “I’m here to give you Ningxin’s written statement. If you don’t want it, so be it,” he said.

Xiao Chengjun released his Consort when he saw that Zhao Xi had joined them. He adjusted his clothes, then stood up straight.

Lou Jing pursed his lips, not too happy that his Crown Prince had stopped hugging him. He went up to Zhao Xi and hauled him over by the collar to where the Crown Prince was standing.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince,” Zhao Xi said. He didn’t forget to clasp his hands together respectfully even though he was dangling from his collar.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony,” Xiao Chengjun said, looking amused. He had originally wanted to ask Zhao Xi how he’d managed to change clothes so quickly, but then felt that that question was rather inappropriate, so decided against it.

“Why didn’t you go back with Zhao furen? A pampered young miss dressing up as a boy to run amok – you will be the disgrace of your family!” Lou Jing teased. He snatched Ningxin’s statement from Zhao Xi.

“Pei! I…” Zhao Xi was intending to curse at him as usual, but then realised that the Crown Prince was right by their side. He had no choice but to swallow his words and glare at Lou Jing. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going. My Second Uncle still wants to test me on my homework later tonight.”

Xiao Chengjun watched the two silently. As Zhao Xi was about to leave, he spoke up. “Since you’re going back to the Minister of the Left’s residence, could you take a letter to him for me?” he asked.

Zhao Xi’s smile faded when he heard this. He looked at the thick letter in the Crown Prince’s hand and slowly reached out to take it. “If Dianxia asks me to do so, I have no reason to refuse,” he said.

From Zhao Xi’s standpoint, this letter was a hot potato regardless of what its contents were. Giving this to his Second Uncle was equivalent to telling him that he, the highly valued genius of the Zhao family, had political entanglements with the Crown Prince. It could be a threat, or just an attempt to pull him into his camp. However, the Crown Prince had already made the request – who was he to refuse?

Zhao Xi gave Lou Jing a pointed “you’ve really done it this time” look, then bowed to them and left. He was originally going to have some fun at the festival stalls, but now his mood was completely ruined. He left the little forest that the Crown Prince and his Consort was in, then called his servant to send him back to his residence.

Lou Jing frowned slightly. These two days, the Crown Prince looked to be leading a leisurely life with him, but news from the Capital had actually been pouring in nonstop. Also, Prince Jing’s words that day about “courting danger” still rang in his mind. If he looked at Xiao Chengjun’s actions today…

Xiao Chengjun saw that his Consort’s eyes were lowered, and that he wasn’t saying a word. He subconsciously clenched the hands folded behind his back into fists. “Zhao Duan and I already have an agreement. Zhao Xi… he won’t be in trouble when he gets home,” he said.

“Huh?” Lou Jing raised his head and looked blankly at the expressionless Crown Prince for a moment before realising what the Crown Prince meant. Xiao Chengjun was worried that he would misunderstand – he didn’t want Lou Jing to think that he was using Lou Jing’s friendship with Zhao Xi to get a hold on the Minister of the Left.

Xiao Chengjun was standing with his hands folded behind his back. His face was stoic, and his demeanour dignified, but his dark eyes betrayed his concern. He looked like a rabbit who sensed danger but obstinately refused to let go of the green grass in its paws. Lou Jing’s heart melted. He stepped forward quickly and kissed his husband’s cheek gently, then nuzzled against his ear. “Friends are supposed to help each other to begin with. I’m very happy that Dianxia is willing to use one of my friends,” he whispered next to Xiao Chengjun’s ear.

Xiao Chengjun felt Lou Jing’s warm breath brush against his ears. It was a little ticklish. Xiao Chengjun resisted his instinctive urge to shy away. “Is… is that so…”

The consequence of not shying away was that Xiao Chengjun’s ear turned a bright red. Lou Jing laughed lightly, then took that little ear between his lips. “Naturally,” he said.

“Mmph!” A suppressed sound came from behind Xiao Chengjun’s lips, and he trembled slightly. He pushed against his Consort’s shoulders, rescuing his ear from Lou Jing’s lips. “Stop fooling around. We need to get back to the Mountain Palace,” he said.

“Hahaha…” Lou Jing grinned happily as he draped himself over the Crown Prince, allowing the latter to drag him off.

The Minister of the Left said nothing when Zhao Xi handed him the thick envelope from the Crown Prince.

“Second Uncle, I’m afraid I might have caused some trouble today,” Zhao Xi said, his head dropping meekly. It was incredibly rare for him to admit to his uncles that he was wrong.

Zhao Duan glanced at his unusually diffident young nephew, then stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Do you know what your mistake was today?” he asked.

“My mistake was that I didn’t think things through carefully.” Zhao Xi replied immediately. “Lou Jing is already married to the Crown Prince, and is therefore inextricably linked to him. If I continue to associate with Lou Jing, I will definitely be linked to the Crown Prince as well.”

Zhao Duan nodded slightly. “Since you’re aware of your mistake, go to your study, and write an essay on this issue.”

“What?” Zhao Xi raised his head, looking at his Second Uncle in disbelief. He was actually serious! He had no choice but to do it, so he walked listlessly back to his compound and set about applying himself to this task. What was this essay supposed to be about? How to avoid getting entangled in the Crown Prince’s schemes?!

“Second Brother, is it necessary to scare Ji Ming like this?” the Fifth Lord of the Zhao family asked. He was also a minister in the Imperial Court, and couldn’t help smiling faintly after witnessing this exchange.

“It’s so rare to be able to get one up on that clever little devil,” Zhao Duan said, smiling gaily as he stroked his beard. “I can find no fault in his studies, but he’s still green when it comes to political manoeuvers.” As he said this, he broke the seal on the letter and read its contents carefully. The smile on his face faded slowly as he read it, and when he was done, he heaved a long sigh.

On the tenth day of the ninth month, things in the Imperial Court came to a head.

The Ministry of Revenue reported that, based on its records, the disbursement of silver had been approved by the Crown Prince, and that both sums of silver had been sent to Qinghe County.

The Ministry of Justice’s findings were that the County Magistrate had used both sums of silver toward temple repairs, and the reason why the repairs had cost such an exorbitant amount was because the County Magistrate had ordered a new ancestral hall built in the temple.

“What ancestral temple?” the Chunde Emperor asked, frowning. He looked in Shen Lian’s direction. As the Minister of Internal Affairs, Shen Lian was overseeing this investigation.

Shen Lian’s face paled. He glared fiercely at the Minister of the Right, Chen Shichang, then bowed before speaking. “Replying to the Emperor’s question, this is an Imperial family ancestral hall. As Qingliang Temple is a Temple of National Protection, it’s not out of place to have an Imperial ancestral hall there. However, the issue is not that an ancestral hall was built in the temple, but that Imperial silver meant for repairing the river dike was used to build it,” Shen Lian said.

“Hmph! Building an Imperial ancestral hall?” the Chunde Emperor asked, sniffing coldly. “Is this something that a mere Qinghe County Magistrate should be doing? Bastard!”

A County Magistrate technically did not have the power to make a decision to build an Imperial ancestral hall unless he had received orders from the Imperial Court. Why would the Qinghe County Magistrate randomly decide to build an ancestral hall out of the blue? The implication was clear; someone else in the Imperial family must have given the order. The hundred officials in the Imperial Court were all silent. No one dared to ask who the “bastard” the Emperor referred to was.

After the morning Court session was adjourned, the Minister of the Left, Zhao Duan, met with the Emperor privately.

“My dear minister*, I asked to meet today because of a submission I received,” the Emperor said, extending a bamboo scroll to Zhao Duan.

*T/N: I have translated 爱卿 (ai qing) as “my dear minister”. This is how the Emperor refers to officials who are close to him. Usually, the higher ranked ministers are considered close to the Emperor, and are referred to as such.

This submission detailed the many sufferings that the people of Qinghe went through after the river burst its banks, then went on to make statements about benevolence and justice, and finally ended with a sentence that read: While new buildings are built, the people are destitute. The Crown Prince has no morals! 

Zhao Duan’s face remained calm as he folded up the bamboo scroll. He observed the Emperor’s expression quietly. “Chen is of the view that whilst this submission has certainly exaggerated matters, it does make some valid points. The Crown Prince has excelled at his studies since he was young, but he still has much to learn when it comes to actually managing affairs of state,” he said in a serious tone.

“Oh? You think so too?” the Chunde Emperor said. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. This Minister of the Left usually avoided giving any firm views where the Crown Prince was concerned. It was extremely rare for him to give such a straightforward opinion.

“Chen is merely drawing a conclusion based on the available facts,” Zhao Duan said. He looked troubled, and spoke very slowly. “The Crown Prince has been assisting your Majesty in managing affairs of state for five years now, and whilst he has not made any terrible mistakes, he also has not made any achievements. I do want to say that the Crown Prince’s actions in ordering an ancestral temple to be built came from a good place – he was just trying to be filial. He just used the wrong methods to go about it.”

The Chunde Emperor relaxed a little with each word Zhao Duan spoke, even nodding slightly at some points. He finally retracted the penetrating stare he had been directing at Zhao Duan. “The Crown Prince is truly a filial son. However, he’s not very bright when it comes to the country’s affairs,” he agreed.

On the eleventh day of the ninth month, the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince back to the Imperial Palace, and informed him to attend Court the next morning. 

Xiao Chengjun was silent as he looked at the messages in his hands. After a long while, he fed the small pieces of paper into the candle flame one by one, burning them to ashes.

Lou Jing sighed softly as he stood behind the Crown Prince. “Yun Ba has reported that the Minister of Revenue’s findings are very detrimental to Dianxia,” he said.

“I know,” Xiao Chengjun said. He stood with his back to Lou Jing, gazing at the maple trees outside the window. A light drizzle had fallen in the afternoon, causing more red leaves to fall, and turning the bluestone path a dark grey. The red leaves contrasted starkly with the dark grey stone.

“Dianxia knew, but chen did not!” Lou Jing strode forward and turned the Crown Prince around, forcing the Crown Prince to look at him. The situation in the Imperial Court had rapidly deteriorated, but Xiao Chengjun had not said a word of it to him. Tomorrow, he had to return to the Imperial Court. What if the first thing the Chunde Emperor said was to punish the Crown Prince for his “crimes”?

“The house is on fire,” Xiao Chengjun said. “I cannot put out the fire alone. My efforts are like a drop in the ocean.”

Lou Jing stared at Xiao Chengjun. He had heard the Crown Prince say this before. The house is on fire… Instead of struggling to put out the fire, it’s better to let it burn, and let it be reborn from the ashes… He realised that the Crown Prince had already told him the path ahead the day he said those words.

“Chengjun…” Lou Jing released the Crown Prince’s shoulder from his grip and looked him straight in the eye. The Crown Prince was dressed in his usual apricot-coloured robes, and he looked like the warm sunrise, illuminating the cold palace room on this dreary autumn day.

Xiao Chengjun looked back at his Consort. That exquisitely handsome face brought joy to his heart no matter when he saw it. He slowly reached out and caressed Lou Jing’s cheek. It felt slightly cold, chilled by the wind blowing in gently through the window. “I don’t want to get you mixed up in this. Don’t do anything,” he said.

“Dianxia just said yesterday that we were family,” Lou Jing said, grasping the hand that was caressing his face and holding it tightly.

Xiao Chengjun looked at him and sighed softly.

Lou Jing brought the soft, slender hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. “Whether in my capacity as a minister of Court, or as your wife, I will not let you face this alone,” he promised.

The Crown Prince smiled quietly.

“In a few days, my maternal Second Uncle and my First Aunt will arrive in the Capital,” Lou Jing said, changing the topic. His melancholy mood suddenly lifted at the thought of seeing his maternal relatives, and took the opportunity to wrap an arm around the Crown Prince’s waist. “Dianxia, you have to come with me to the Anguo Gong’s residence when that happens. It’ll be really entertaining.”

Beansprout: Poor little Zhao Xi, everyone’s having a go at him when he’s working so hard! XD