Vice Minister Gu, who had claimed he would stay only for a moment, naturally did not manage to leave.
Not only did he fail to leave that day—and since only a single wall separated their residences, giving him the advantage of proximity—for several nights in a row, Vice Minister Gu found a fresh excuse to sit for a while each evening, and each night he came up with some new trick to captivate Lord Zhu’s attention.
Zhu Qingyu fell into a daily cycle: stern warnings at dawn, firm resolutions that he absolutely would not be allowed through the door, and then by evening her willpower would begin to waver, and before she knew it, she would be breached once again by the vulgar pleasures of his company.
But after a few days, when the Duchess of Dingguo arrived in Jiangning with the task of proposing a marriage alliance, Vice Minister Gu—even with all his eighteen kinds of skill yet unshown—had no choice but to put away his tricks and move back to the Governor-General’s residence.
After all, at this critical moment, he still needed his mother to propose the marriage on his behalf; Gu Zhao certainly could not leave his mother alone in the Governor-General’s residence.
Zhu Qingyu, in turn, chose a time after her official duties ended and returned to the Jiangning Imperial Silk Factory.
She was about to be married. Since they had agreed to continue as family, it was only right and proper that she inform Zhang Shen and Zhang Ruohua.
At this hour, Zhang Shen still had a guest. Zhu Qingyu could not see him right away, so she waited in the front hall, preparing to speak with him once he was done.
A servant brought tea. Zhu Qingyu had just taken a sip when Zhang Shen, still in his official robes, came hurrying in.
Seeing her, Zhang Shen was pleasantly surprised:
"Had I known you were coming, I would not have scheduled a meeting with the salt merchants today. I thought you would not be back until your rest day."
Seeing that his business had been pressing, Zhu Qingyu felt rather apologetic:
"Had I known you were busy, I should have sent someone ahead with a note to let you know. It is not a great matter—it is simply that I am likely to be married soon, and I wanted to tell you in person."
Zhang Shen’s smile froze on his face. He stood rooted to the spot, staring at her in a daze.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Qingyu felt a pang of sadness. She did not want to upset him, but she even less wanted him to hear the news from someone else’s mouth, for that would only wound him more deeply.
Perhaps, between them, they still needed more time before they could treat it lightly—at least, not yet.
Zhu Qingyu rose to her feet:
"That was all. I’ll be going now. On rest days, Jingyan—if you find it too hard, I can simply not come back for a while."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Zhang Shen let out a long breath. His eyes were red-rimmed, but a smile was on his face as he gestured for her to sit and said:
"Ah, I know. I heard he’d come to Jiangning, and I guessed as much. Do sit down first. Let me ask you—when you marry, what are the arrangements on their side? The Three Letters and Six Rites—how will they be conducted?"
Having passed through life and death together in the northern frontier, Zhu Qingyu did not care much about such formalities. She had not even asked Gu Zhao how all those elaborate rituals would proceed. She answered:
"Just the usual way, like any ordinary household, I suppose."
Zhang Shen grew serious:
"What do you mean, ‘just the usual way’? The Duchess’s son takes a wife—how could it be like an ordinary household? Qingyu, is he taking advantage of your ignorance? It’s not as if you have no family behind you. Tell them to come to me. I’ll oversee it for you. The Three Letters and Six Rites—proper and complete—not a single one can be missing for you."
If he truly had been her cousin from her maternal family, having Zhang Shen oversee the arrangements would naturally have been a good thing.
But putting herself in his shoes, Zhu Qingyu could not imagine how much pain it would cause Zhang Shen to manage these affairs for her, and so she declined:
"Jingyan, you needn’t do this."
Zhang Shen, however, was insistent:
"I must do this. Qingyu, I told you long ago—I wanted to find you a good husband, so as not to hold you back."
As he spoke, Zhang Shen smiled again:
"Perhaps, if it is my own hands that send you out the door, I might finally find it in me to let go."
......
On the day of Light Snow, the weather was clear and bright—an auspicious day for engagement and marriage.
The Jiangning Imperial Silk Factory opened its gates to receive guests from the Governor-General’s residence of the Two Rivers.
The Duchess of Dingguo, accompanied by Gu Zhao and bearing the engagement letter and gifts—including a pair of live wild geese that Gu Zhao had hunted with his own hands—and together with the matchmaker, arrived at the Zhang family’s doorstep.
When families of nobility and rank formed marriage alliances, it was not like ordinary households. The matchmaker invited to officiate was generally someone of high position and weight, to show the importance placed on the bride’s side.
At present, in the Jiangning region, apart from Gu Zhao—who held the concurrent ranks of Governor-General of the Two Rivers and Minister of War, a first-rank official—the highest-ranking official was Governor Lord Zhuang of Jiangsu. The Duchess of Dingguo therefore entrusted the task to him.
Although the Zhuang family had originally been negotiating a marriage alliance of their own—Lord Zhuang and the Duchess of Dingguo had nearly become in-laws—those who rise to high office are no ordinary people, as they say. Lord Zhuang readily agreed, and so it was settled.
Choosing a matchmaker who had almost become one’s in-law, and discussing the marriage alliance with the former husband of one’s future daughter-in-law—a scene so extraordinary that anyone else would surely have been contorted with discomfort—the Duchess of Dingguo remained as steady as Mount Tai throughout, smiling and chatting amiably with Zhang Shen over the arrangements for the wedding.
Observing the traditions of the age, wherein marriages were decided by the parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words, Zhu Qingyu and Gu Zhao stood by and watched as Zhang Shen negotiated with the Duchess.
Her son’s marital affairs had been so fraught with setbacks that the Duchess was anxious lest anything else go wrong, and thus she was eager to advance the wedding date, as if she wished it could be held the very next day.
Zhang Shen glanced at Zhu Qingyu, then said:
"The scenery of Jiangnan is at its finest in spring. Since this is a matter of great moment, it should take place in the best season Jiangnan has to offer—so let it be in the spring of next year."
The Duchess was about to press further, but Gu Zhao spoke first:
"Very well."
The date was finally set for the third day of the third month of the following year—the Shangsi Festival.
After seeing off the Duchess and her party, Zhang Shen hastened to explain to Zhu Qingyu:
"Qingyu, I am not trying to delay your wedding. But when families of nobility and rank form an alliance, there are rules. There must not be a betrothal and marriage in the same year. If people dig into it later, they might say the Gu family did not value you—idle gossip that would bring you needless annoyance."
Zhu Qingyu smiled at him:
"Jingyan, I may not understand these customs, but even had you not explained, I would know—whatever date you chose, it would be for my own good."
Zhang Shen let out a breath of relief, a smile appearing on his face as well:
"All things considered, it’s no more than half a year—the time will be tight enough. Come, let me show you your dowry list."
At this, Zhu Qingyu was taken aback:
"Ah—you really did prepare a dowry for me?"
Zhang Shen looked at her with a helpless expression:
"How many times have I told you—I’ve prepared a dowry for you."
She had always thought he was speaking figuratively, but now it turned out he had been literal.
When she took the dowry list, Zhu Qingyu was utterly astonished:
"Jingyan—you’ve given me your entire fortune. What are you going to do with Ruohua—live on the northwest wind?"
Zhang Shen knew she was too embarrassed to accept it, so he pressed it into her hands and said:
"Keep it safe. Remember—you are a woman with a dowry and a family behind you. You are not bound to him, and you need not settle for less. If he ever dares to treat you poorly, divorce him and come back whenever you like."
At this, Zhang Shen paused, then opened his arms and smiled:
"Qingyu—come, one last hug."
Zhu Qingyu rushed into his arms, and whispered by his ear:
"Jingyan, thank you. I have been so lucky to have met you."
And someone whispered back into hers:
You must all live well, for a lifetime.
