In front of the Qi residence in Jiangning, a carriage slowly came to a halt.
Qi Caishang, clad in official robes, stepped down from the carriage, followed by another man.
Though past fifty, Qi Caishang did not have a single white hair, still presenting the elegant demeanor of a scholar. At this moment, however, this "scholar's" steps were unsteady, and his gaze somewhat unfocused.
"Magistrate Liu, no need to see me off, no need! I'm... hic... already at my own doorstep. No need to escort me further!"
Qi Caishang ushered Magistrate Liu towards the carriage and instructed a servant, "You, make sure to see Magistrate Liu safely home! If... if anything happens to him, I... I won't let you off!"
Magistrate Liu wore an obsequious smile. "Lord Qi, your esteemed presence today brought immense honor to my humble abode. With the Imperial entourage about to arrive in Jiangning, we are all rather anxious. When the time comes, we sincerely hope you will put in a good word for us before His Majesty!"
This Magistrate Liu was the Prefect of Jiangning. A very shrewd man, his administrative record was neither remarkable nor flawed. However, as Jiangning was inherently prosperous, even his lack of major accomplishments made his tenure appear respectable. Having served as Prefect for five years, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would either be laterally transferred to another prefecture next year or promoted to the capital.
But then, an unforeseen circumstance did arrive.
The Emperor had suddenly decreed an imperial tour, and Jiangning was on the designated route. From the moment he received the news, Magistrate Liu had been on tenterhooks, fearing that any misstep in hosting the Emperor or incurring His Majesty's displeasure would ruin his chance for promotion!
After much deliberation, Magistrate Liu recalled that the eldest daughter of Provincial Inspector Qi Caishang, who had arrived two years prior, was none other than Consort Hui in the palace. If he could win over Lord Qi, then when the Emperor arrived, even if issues arose, he would have Lord Qi to support him from the sidelines.
Thus, today, Magistrate Liu had specially hosted a banquet at his residence, inviting Qi Caishang as the guest of honor. All the officials, big and small, in Jiangning attended. During the feast, they toasted Qi Caishang one after another, and he felt he had heard a lifetime's worth of flattery in a single sitting.
Now, faced with Magistrate Liu's reminder, Qi Caishang still played the part of the drunkard. "Hmph, quickly now, off you go home, home!"
Only then did Magistrate Liu board the carriage, still saying as he went, "No need to see me off, no need! You there, quickly support your master, don't let him fall!"
As the carriage clip-clopped away, Qi Caishang, who had been leaning on his servant, straightened up instantly. The haze cleared from his eyes. He sniffed his damp sleeve, then exhaled a breath, frowning. "My wife is going to lecture me again."
He then spat in the direction the carriage had gone. "Trying to get me to put in a good word by forcing drink on me? I'll put in a good word for a cudgel!"
The servant beside him seemed accustomed to his master's two-faced nature—the gentleman in public and the rascal in private. Suppressing his inner exasperation, he said, "Master, you should hurry back inside. The mistress has been waiting for you all day!"
"Wasn't I busy? Always nagging, nagging, that's all she knows!" Despite his words, Qi Caishang quickened his pace.
He knew perfectly well what Mrs. Wan was anxious about. With the Imperial entourage soon arriving in Jiangning, Mrs. Wan was hoping to see Yu'er. Since his appointment as Provincial Inspector of Jiangning and her accompanying him here, mother and daughter hadn't seen each other for two years.
But this foolish woman—Yu'er was an imperial consort. How could it be so easy to see her? Especially outside the palace.
Yet, Qi Caishang himself was itching with the same desire. In previous years, Mrs. Wan could still enter the palace during festivals, but he himself hadn't laid eyes on his daughter in over a decade. He always had to wait for Mrs. Wan to return home and tell him how their daughter was doing, how lively and lovely the Third Princess was.
Qi Caishang was filled with nothing but envy.
Jiangning had no imperial traveling palace. This imperial tour had been decreed and launched with such haste that local officials had no time to construct one. However, Jiangning was the former fiefdom of a prince, and there was a princely mansion here. When the Imperial entourage arrived, they would lodge at this mansion.
Since it was a princely mansion, the restrictions probably wouldn't be as strict as in the palace... right?
Lost in these thoughts, he entered the residence. Mrs. Wan was waiting in the courtyard.
As he approached, she caught the smell of alcohol on him. Covering her nose with a handkerchief, she looked at him with disgust. "How much did you drink? You reek!"
"Heh heh," Qi Caishang laughed. "Magistrate Liu and the others invited me to a banquet. How could I refuse?"
Mentioning this reminded Mrs. Wan of the gifts delivered to the residence today, filling her with unease. "All those things sent over today, several cartloads... should we really accept them? I haven't had them logged or stored in the warehouse yet. Should I have them returned tomorrow?"
"No need! I went through all that trouble dealing with those people. If you return the gifts, they'll just get even more anxious. Don't worry, I have a plan regarding this matter."
"If you say so." When it came to important matters, Mrs. Wan trusted Qi Caishang's judgment.
Mrs. Wan then asked, "When exactly will the Imperial entourage arrive? Is it confirmed they'll stay at the princely mansion? Will Yu'er have a chance to come out? Or could I go to the mansion to see her then?"
"I've been preparing so many things lately—several chests of fabric alone, all Suzhou embroidery, for both Yu'er and the Third Princess. The materials and patterns are of the finest quality. I've also collected some novel trinkets; Yu'er is sure to like them..."
As Mrs. Wan chattered on, Qi Caishang teased her, "You only prepared things for your eldest daughter? What about our son and younger daughter?"
Mrs. Wan glared at him. "Haven't I prepared plenty for them every year? Last year, Qinglong even came to Jiangning with her child and stayed for a while. It's only my Yu'er... in the blink of an eye, another two years without seeing her. I wonder if the child has grown thin again..."
As she spoke, Mrs. Wan's eyes reddened.
The Qi family was no longer the destitute household of the past. Not to mention that Qi Daiyu was now the illustrious Consort Hui, Qi Caishang himself held a second-rank official position. People came to curry favor at the Qi residence in an endless stream. As the matriarch, Mrs. Wan naturally basked in this reflected glory. With children and grandchildren around her knees, her life was truly comfortable. Yet, if there was any regret in her heart, it was surely for her eldest daughter.
A mother's heart aches for her daughter. Everyone saw only Consort Hui's splendor, but Mrs. Wan understood the principle that accompanying a ruler was like accompanying a tiger. Sometimes she would wake from sleep in the middle of the night, terrified that her daughter might have said the wrong thing or made a misstep in the palace, incurring the Emperor's displeasure and suffering as a result.
To this day, she regretted not having arranged a marriage for Yu'er earlier. Then Yu'er wouldn't have had to enter the palace.
They wouldn't be separated by flesh and blood, finding it so difficult to even meet.
"You, you're talking nonsense again," Qi Caishang said helplessly. "How do you know that Yu'er would have definitely lived a good life if she hadn't entered the palace? Think about it, with the lowly official post I held back then, what kind of good husband could I have found for Yu'er? Marrying her into a low-ranking family would have meant a life of hardship, and Yu'er's frail health couldn't have endured manual labor. As for a high-ranking family, it's almost certain they would have looked down on our family and treated Yu'er with contempt."
Qi Caishang was also at a loss. Their family had humble origins, peasants for generations, with him being the only scholar produced after several. He managed to pass the imperial examinations, becoming a low-ranking official, but the meager salary wasn't enough for the whole family to live comfortably. In fact, in earlier years, Qi Caishang hadn't even aspired to advance, content with an ordinary life.
It was only later, spurred by his elderly father's serious illness and lack of money for treatment, along with worries about his eldest daughter's situation in the palace, that Qi Caishang began to scheme for a better future.
In recent years, from Qi Daiyu's perspective, Qi Caishang had become a master of relentless striving.
Not only did Qi Caishang drive himself hard, but he was also perceptive of people's hearts, skilled at social maneuvering, and possessed the dignified appearance of a scholarly gentleman. In official circles, he widely befriended court ministers, and before the emperor, he could display absolute loyalty.
For a farmer's son to become a court official, Qi Caishang was undoubtedly capable. It was precisely because of this that within nine years, he rose from a Vice Director in the Waterways Bureau to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and two years ago was appointed as the Governor of Jiangning, showing the emperor's high regard for him.
Qi Caishang didn't just push himself; he also spurred on his son, Qi Chuchu.
In his early years, Qi Chuchu followed his father-in-law, General Lang, to the border regions. There, he captured a spy from Beili and was promoted to Loyalty-Displaying Commandant. Later, during the war with Beili, Qi Chuchu also achieved numerous military merits, even killing an important enemy commander at the cost of losing an arm.
After Zhaoguo's great victory, rewards were distributed based on merit. Qi Chuchu was appointed a fourth-rank Illustrious Might General and now serves as the Deputy Commander of the Tiger Guard Camp near the capital, training soldiers.
Then there was his son-in-law, Zhou Yue. Zhou Yue wasn't from the capital, but as the youngest son of the Zhou family, he wasn't required to inherit the family business and thus stayed in the capital. Before Qi Chuchu returned to the capital, Zhou Yue and Qinglong lived with the Qi family for many years, becoming no different from a real son.
Qi Caishang taught Zhou Yue many skills for dealing with people and the world. Zhou Yue himself was a military officer and benefited from the emperor's current favor towards military officials, making his official career exceptionally smooth. He is now the Commander of the Capital Gendarmerie.
One could say the Qi family's fortunes were improving steadily. Yet, it was precisely this that made the couple feel increasingly that they had wronged their eldest daughter.
Because of this, in recent years, Qi Caishang had become even more intensely focused on social climbing and scheming. He wanted to become a high official, one so indispensable that even the emperor couldn't do without him. That way, if only for his sake, the emperor wouldn't let Yu'er suffer.
Qi Caishang sighed. "At worst, when the Imperial entourage arrives, I'll plead with His Majesty. At the very least, to let you see Yu'er once."
Hearing this, Mrs. Wan immediately brightened up. "Then I'll go check if there's anything else we need to add!"
With that, she headed towards the storeroom, loudly instructing the maids to bring the inventory ledger to select more fine items.
"Add what? Being able to see her once is already incredible, and you still want to send gifts!" Qi Caishang said, but a smile appeared on his face.
On the twenty-sixth day of the tenth month, the banks of the river in Jiangning were packed with commoners. Soldiers from the garrison and the city defense troops were responsible for maintaining order, but the people's enthusiasm was so great that it still caused a few disturbances.
On the dock, Qi Caishang stood at the forefront of the Jiangning officials, occasionally hearing the exasperated voice of Prefect Liu.
Finally, the silhouette of large ships appeared in the distance on the river, and the people craned their necks in anticipation.
A magnificent and grand fleet sailed into view. The first three ships carried the imperial guard. The fourth was the Dragon Boat. This vessel was a behemoth, resplendent and magnificent, exuding imperial grandeur.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live, long live!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live, long live!"
No one knew who started it, but the commoners knelt down one after another, shouting excitedly.
So, when Qi Daiyu stepped out of the cabin, this was the scene that greeted her: tens of thousands of people kneeling on the ground.
Qi Daiyu: "..."
She felt a bit panicked. Would this shorten her lifespan?
