The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It took Mei Yi a long moment to find her voice. "What... did you say?"
She turned to look at the Empress in disbelief, only to see Her Majesty cough twice upon hearing the news again and spit out another mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty!"
The Empress's expression was one of utter devastation. "Mei Yi, is it my fault?"
"No, it's not! It's not!"
"If I hadn't insisted that Father go to the estate, he wouldn't have traveled to the outer county, naturally wouldn't have encountered the mountain bandits, and wouldn't have fallen from his horse. It is my fault, all my fault..." Having just lost her grandfather, and now her father, even the Empress's resilient heart could not withstand such a heavy blow.
No matter how dissolute the Marquis Chengen was, he was still the Empress's birth father, the father she had admired and loved in her childhood.
"He must have heard the news of Grandfather's death and taken the mountain path to save time, which is why he met the bandits." The Marquis Chengen had often been mocked as the unworthy son of a great father, but he had always revered Old Marshal Jiang. Upon hearing the news of the Old Marshal's death, he would rush back to the capital for the funeral without delay.
Yet, who could have predicted this outcome?
Qi Daiyu wanted to offer comfort but didn't know where to begin.
"Consort Hui, you may go back. Let me be alone for a while. No one else should come either." The Empress's face was ashen, and she clearly had no desire to speak with anyone.
Qi Daiyu had no choice but to say, "Please take care of your health, Your Majesty."
She slowly retreated from the hall and waited outside. She waited until the imperial physician arrived in haste, and until the Emperor arrived in haste.
Jiang Yuan glanced at her but said nothing, striding quickly into the room.
Qi Daiyu heard the imperial physician say the Empress's vomiting of blood was caused by a surge of anger and grief affecting her vital energy.
With such a commotion, the Eldest Princess naturally heard it too. She wanted to go inside but was stopped by Qi Daiyu.
Qi Daiyu crouched down. "Eldest Princess, do you remember saying you wanted to protect your brother? Now that the Empress is unwell, the Second Prince will be very scared all by himself. Shall we go keep him company?"
The Eldest Princess, her eyes brimming with tears, looked towards the hall. "Consort Hui, will Mother Empress get better?"
Qi Daiyu: "She certainly will. That's why we mustn't give Her Majesty any cause for worry."
The Eldest Princess wiped the tears from her face and took Qi Daiyu's hand. "Let's go find my brother!"
Mother Empress was ill; she must take good care of her brother and not let Mother Empress worry.
Qi Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and walked with her towards the side hall.
With the Empress ill, Consort Ning was the only senior consort in the palace capable of managing affairs. The Emperor thus issued an order for Consort Ning to temporarily oversee the Six Palaces, with Consort An and Consort Hui assisting.
Qi Daiyu hadn't expected to be involved, but for the Empress's sake, she did not decline.
Consort Ning summoned the two to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility to discuss matters. She assigned Consort An the duties of banquets, ceremonial music, flowers, plants, ice, and charcoal. She assigned Qi Daiyu the duties of food procurement for each palace, needlework, and utensils.
Fortunately, the Empress had previously taught her many management skills hands-on. Furthermore, the stewards of the Imperial Kitchen, the Tea Bureau, the Jewelry Office, and other departments were all the Empress's people. No one dared to make things difficult for her, so handling all these affairs was not overly strenuous for Qi Daiyu.
Even so, her days became much busier.
"It's hard to imagine how exhausting each day must be for Her Majesty the Empress." Qi Daiyu allowed Yan He to massage her shoulders and Shiliu to rub her legs.
Today, there had been a discrepancy in the Imperial Kitchen's procurement—a miscalculation in the accounts. When Qi Daiyu went to handle it, the stewards kept passing the blame, arguing for ages without clarity. It was like watching a play, giving her a headache.
Qi Daiyu also realized profoundly that from top to bottom, there was not a single place in the rear palace where people weren't scheming against each other.
Yan He: "As the saying goes, 'It's easier to deal with the king of hell than his little demons.' Mistress, you must never underestimate those eunuchs and palace maids. They can be extremely malicious and wear people down. Your authority is not as deeply established as Her Majesty the Empress's. It's inevitable that some might take advantage of this period to stir up trouble for their own gain, which would only harm your reputation."
Qi Daiyu: "Thank you for the reminder, Aunt."
Lianwu brought in the evening meal. "Mistress, please eat first."
"Alright."
Halfway through her meal, Qi Daiyu suddenly thought of something else. "Has Old Marshal Jiang's coffin already arrived outside the city?"
Shiliu: "Yes. His Majesty has already issued an edict. Tomorrow, he will personally leave the palace to welcome Old Marshal Jiang's coffin and has permitted Her Majesty the Empress to return to the Marshal's residence to oversee the funeral arrangements for Old Marshal Jiang and the Marquis Chengen."
Qi Daiyu nodded. This was the Emperor bestowing the utmost honor upon the Jiang residence and the greatest respect upon the Empress. It also served to check those who thought the Jiang family would decline with the Old Marshal's death.
"I hope Her Majesty can regain her strength soon."
The next day, the city was almost entirely draped in white, welcoming Old Marshal Jiang's coffin back to the capital. The common people of the capital spontaneously offered incense and kowtowed to this old hero who had protected the nation. A continuous stream of people came to offer condolences at the gates of the Marshal's residence.
The Emperor's personal visit to offer incense for Old Marshal Jiang further composed a tale of exemplary ruler-subject relations, earning praise from scholars and men of letters alike.
Jiang Yuan could not stay long after all. Before leaving, he simply took the Empress's hand and said earnestly, "A'Nüying, I await your return to the palace."
He understood her grief and had done his utmost to offer her the greatest comfort. The meaning behind his words was also a hope for her to regain her strength soon.
After all, besides being a daughter of the Jiang family, she was also the Empress of the nation.
The Empress bowed. "This subject understands."
After the Emperor left, a single tear fell from the Empress's eye. Looking at the sea of white throughout the residence, she felt nothing but sorrow.
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, clarity had returned to her gaze.
"Have Mother and the various uncles and aunts all arrived?"
The steward of the Marshal's residence bowed. "They are waiting in the main hall."
"Accompany me there."
Old Marshal Jiang had only one son in his lifetime, the Marquis Chengen. And the Marquis Chengen only had two daughters. Now that Old Marshal Jiang and the Marquis Chengen had passed away one after the other, their direct line had no male heirs left. The Empress's return this time, besides overseeing the funerals, also carried the intention of selecting a son from the clan to be adopted into the Marquis Chengen's line to inherit the Jiang family legacy.
Old Marshal Jiang had two younger brothers, namely Second Master Jiang and Third Master Jiang. Both held official posts at court, but they were sinecures without any real power.
The second and third branches of the Jiang family each had two grandsons. The selection would be from among these four. It wasn't that they couldn't choose from more distant branches, but these two were closer kin.
As soon as the Empress entered, everyone in the room bowed and offered greetings. The Empress first looked to the Marchioness Chengen.
Although the Marquis Chengen had been dissolute and fickle, and the Marchioness had often looked down on him, they were still husband and wife of many years, and there was affection between them. Now that the Marquis had died suddenly, the Marchioness was deeply grieved. In just a few days, white hairs had appeared.
The Empress held back her own sorrow. "All rise."
She wasted no words and went straight to the point. "My opinion is that Third Younger Brother is suitable."
The Third Jiang Young Master, Jiang Ruheng, was considered one of the more scholarly and talented among the male descendants of the Jiang family in his generation. Previously, with the Empress's tacit approval, funds from the family treasury were used to purchase an official post for Jiang Ruheng. He currently held the position of Eighth Rank Assistant Secretary in the Court of State Ceremonial.
When Second Master Jiang heard that his young grandson had been chosen, far from being reluctant, he was delighted and immediately pushed the boy forward before the Empress. "Kowtow and greet your elder sister and mother," he urged.
Jiang Ruheng's biological parents also wore smiles on their faces.
After all, it was merely a change of parents on the clan register, but his prospects would be vastly different. Naturally, they had no reason to be displeased.
Jiang Ruheng paid his respects to the Empress and the Marchioness Chengen according to protocol.
The Marchioness Chengen presented the prepared adoption gift she had brought. "Accept this. I will have a room prepared for you at the Marquis residence afterwards."
"Thank you, Mother."
The Empress said, "You need not go to the Court of State Ceremonial anymore. Spend the next few months at home with your parents. Next spring, you will go to gain experience in a provincial post for several years before returning to the capital."
For a civil official to advance, serving in local posts for experience was essential. The Empress was paving the way for Jiang Ruheng.
"From now on, you are my blood brother. I will naturally plan for your future. When you take up your local post, aim not for meritorious deeds, but to avoid mistakes."
Jiang Ruheng replied, "I will remember your guidance, Elder Sister."
The formalities of the adoption still required the Jiang clan head to oversee the rites, which did not require the Empress's direct concern. After everyone else had left, only the Empress and the Marchioness Chengen remained in the room.
The Empress walked up to the Marchioness Chengen and slowly knelt down.
The Marchioness stood up. "What are you doing?"
"Do you blame me, Mother? For sending Father to the manor outside the capital, which led him to Xu County, and then to..."
The Marchioness Chengen interrupted her: "Don't you know your father's temperament? Even if he were in the capital and heard about that champion cricket in Xu County, he would have rushed there. No one is to blame for this. Perhaps... this was simply your father's fate."
"The mountain bandits along the roads near Xu County have only appeared in recent years. Your father's attendants advised him to take the official road, but he was in a hurry to return for his father's funeral and refused to listen, taking the mountain path instead. During the fierce battle between his men and the bandits, your father's horse was startled. He fell from the saddle, was trampled by the horse, and that is how he lost his life..."
The Empress lowered her gaze. She had already investigated the matter. The bandits in Xu County relied on the deep mountains for hiding, making the mountains their home. They robbed commoners, taking only their valuables without harming lives, which was why the local authorities had failed to capture them. That day, they had only intended to rob the Marquis Chengen, but he, in his haste to return to the capital, immediately ordered his men to attack, and the two sides clashed.
The Marquis's men were seasoned veterans retired from the Jiang army, skilled and agile. Given enough time, subduing those bandits would not have been a problem. Who could have predicted the Marquis's horse would bolt?
Now, all those bandits had been captured. They only admitted to robbery and denied tampering with the Marquis's horse. Even suspecting it was an accident, there was no evidence.
The Empress could only console herself that it truly was fate.
The Marchioness Chengen helped the Empress to her feet. "At this point, you are the only one left in the Jiang family. Don't dwell on other things. Taking care of the Crown Prince and the Princess is what matters most."
Noticing the Empress's pallor, she reminded her to take care of her health.
Her tone softened uncharacteristically, perhaps because, with the passing of her father-in-law and her husband, only the two of them, mother and daughter, remained.
The Empress did not mention her episode of coughing up blood, saying only: "I chose Ruheng because I value his scholarly talent. In the future, he may also provide shelter for the Jiang family. To please me, he will surely be filial to you. If you ever feel lonely, perhaps you could keep his wife and children by your side for company."
The Marchioness Chengen, however, shook her head. "Don't you intend to send him to a provincial post? Why separate husband and wife? Don't worry about me. Your uncles will certainly send some boys and girls to keep me company. If I truly wish for an obedient child, raising one by my side for a few years is also possible."
Seeing that the Marchioness had her own plans, a weight lifted from the Empress's heart.
The Marchioness Chengen thought of something else: "The officers and men who returned with your grandfather are all fiercely loyal to the Jiang family. They came to pay their respects today. You might consider receiving them. Winning their support would also be planning for the Second Prince's future."
This was precisely the reason for the Empress's return to the residence.
Those men had followed Marshal Jiang for many years. Even now, after the Marshal's passing, they would look after the Jiang family for years to come. Naturally, they were also inherent supporters for the Second Prince, and she would not relinquish that.
"I know."
