Before the martial and civil examinations began, Empress Zhou had already selected a prince consort candidate for the Eldest Princess from among the newly minted civil jinshi who were eligible to remain in the capital: Yu Shen.
Yu Shen was twenty-four years old this year, a native of Yiyang County in the capital. His grandfather had served as the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicature and Revision, and his father was also a regular jinshi, though unfortunately he died of illness in his early thirties. Influenced by his grandfather, Yu Shen had been highly observant of people and affairs around him since childhood, and was fascinated by laws and books on solving cases. Empress Zhou even found out about Yu Shen's childhood boast that he would one day become the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature and Revision.
Empress Zhou had also specially asked Prince Kang to test the waters. Yu Shen, who had placed near the top of the second tier of jinshi, had not changed his ambition and still wanted to enter the Court of Judicature and Revision.
Empress Zhou was very satisfied with this. Because the current dynasty followed the old system of the previous dynasty, a prince consort could enter the court as an official, but civil officials could not enter the Central Secretariat, nor could they hold positions of the standard third rank or above in the Six Ministries. Military officials could not hold positions of the standard second rank or above, nor could they be appointed as primary generals to lead troops. All of this was to limit the power of the prince consorts and prevent them and the princesses from rebelling.
Empress Zhou's two biological princes had both died young, and now she only had the Eldest Princess as her precious daughter. Neither mother nor daughter had any wild ambitions, so naturally, they did not want to pick a highly ambitious prince consort and hinder his career. However, Empress Zhou also did not want to wrong her daughter by casually picking a prince consort without great talent. After looking around, Yu Shen seemed perfect. His expertise lay in solving cases, and the standard third-rank position of Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature and Revision was something a prince consort could hold. Marrying her daughter would not drag down his ambitions.
When Empress Zhou mentioned this matter to Emperor Yongchang, he understood her loving heart for her daughter. Emperor Yongchang also regarded the Eldest Princess as the apple of his eye. Yu Shen was handsome and full of righteous spirit, indeed suitable for the gentle and demure Eldest Princess. If he insisted on picking a prince consort with the talents of a prime minister for his daughter, once he passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, should the new emperor become wary of the power of the Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess, it would bring trouble to both the brother and the sister.
Now that the Eldest Princess had a prince consort candidate, Emperor Yongchang went to ask Noble Consort Du and the Second Princess for their opinions, to see what kind of prince consort the mother and daughter wanted to pick.
The Second Princess did not like frail scholars and wanted to choose from among the military jinshi.
After the results of the palace military examination were officially published, Emperor Yongchang came to Noble Consort Du's Yikun Palace that evening and directly handed her a list of several military jinshi he deemed suitable.
Ranked first was Li Tingwang, the Tanhua, whose family background, appearance, and abilities were all suitable for the Second Princess.
Looking at this name she had already known about in advance, Noble Consort Du silently smiled like a blooming flower in her heart.
That wretched girl Yao Huang had talked back to her every time, leaving her speechless and disgraced, making her lose face in front of the Emperor, the Empress, Consort Xian, and Consort Rou. Noble Consort Du had long wanted to teach that wretched girl a lesson. Since she couldn't find any faults with Yao Huang in the palace, she had people investigate whether Yao Huang had done anything before the draft that could be used against her. This investigation revealed that Yao Huang actually had a handsome childhood friend named Li Tingwang. It was also discovered that Li Tingwang was studying at the military academy, frequently taking first place in the year-end assessments, making his passing the military jinshi examination a sure thing.
Noble Consort Du didn't want Emperor Yongchang to know that she had prepared in advance to target Yao Huang, so she held her ground and waited. She waited and waited, finally looking forward to tonight when Emperor Yongchang personally handed Li Tingwang's name to her.
"Since he is the Tanhua, he must have a handsome appearance akin to Pan An?" Noble Consort Du asked with great interest.
Emperor Yongchang thought of Li Tingwang sitting in the first seat of the first row during the palace examination and nodded.
This young man's martial arts and essays were beyond reproach; he was a fine youth skilled in both pen and sword. However, there was something slightly off about his demeanor. To say he was composed was true—he indeed lacked the nervous anxiety of meeting the Emperor. Yet, Li Tingwang's composure was different from the steadiness of Luo Kun and the others. This kid seemed to carry an inexplicable aura of unyielding defiance, as if saying, "I'll take my exam, judge me as you please; even if you give me a lower grade, I have a clear conscience." It was as if he was certain there might be underhanded suppression of true talent in the palace examination. Emperor Yongchang felt this child's temperament still needed more tempering.
Noble Consort Du smiled and said, "Then let's tentatively decide on him. However, for such a handsome and talented young man, even though he is not yet married, there must inevitably be some girls among his relatives and friends who admire him. Why doesn't Your Majesty first send someone to investigate Li Tingwang's conduct regarding women? If he acts frivolously or already has a bunch of bedchamber maids around him, then I will certainly disdain him."
It was human nature for parents to have such concerns about a son-in-law, so Emperor Yongchang dispatched a hidden guard to investigate.
For the hidden guards serving by the Emperor's side, especially those specializing in investigating people's backgrounds, checking on a young man from a thousand-household commander's family was as easy as flipping a hand. The hidden guard went to investigate on the morning of the tenth and returned at dusk. When he knelt before Emperor Yongchang, this hidden guard was as calm and steady as ever.
Emperor Yongchang: "How was it?"
A hidden guard must tell the truth. Telling an unpleasant truth might not result in death, but once the Emperor learned the real facts from someone else, a hidden guard guilty of deceiving the sovereign would surely die.
"Answering Your Majesty, Li Tingwang keeps himself clean and upright. He has no bedchamber maids around him, nor has he ever acted frivolously or discourteously toward any woman."
Emperor Yongchang was just about to nod when he heard the hidden guard continue: "However, Li Tingwang and Yao Lin, the older brother of the Princess Consort of Hui, are close childhood friends. Starting from the age of twelve, he frequently went to play with Yao Lin, and thus often met the Princess Consort. He is suspected to have feelings of admiration for the Princess Consort. But according to other playmates of the Princess Consort and her brother, Li Tingwang often annoyed the Princess Consort. She frequently bickered with him when they were together and only showed him a pleasant face when learning swordplay from him. After the Princess Consort married, Li Tingwang never visited the Yao family again. Two years ago, his mother intended to match him with the daughter of Cui Gang, the Commander of the East Camp Guard, but Li Tingwang consistently refused."
Emperor Yongchang: "..."
The hidden guard: "This humble servant also found out that in the first month of this year, someone else went to ask about the Princess Consort's past, specifically asking if she had committed any acts offensive to public morals. The other party offered too much silver, and the Princess Consort's old playmates thought long and hard but could only think of Li Tingwang. However, they had never seen the Princess Consort and Li Tingwang alone together; even practicing swordplay was done in the Yao family's courtyard with Yao Lin and Madam Yao present."
The smile Noble Consort Du had when mentioning Li Tingwang immediately floated before Emperor Yongchang's eyes. To be honest, it had been a long time since he had seen Noble Consort Du smile so radiantly.
"Go warn those people who revealed the Princess Consort's past to you, so they will never dare to gossip about the Princess Consort to anyone ever again."
"Yes."
.
The next morning, after receiving several ministers, Emperor Yongchang was just about to send someone to summon Prince Hui to the imperial study. After a moment of hesitation, Emperor Yongchang went out with Eunuch Wang.
The sun was shining brightly, and its warm rays made one feel delightfully lazy. Emperor Yongchang stretched his arms and first went to the Central Secretariat to see what the prime ministers were doing. Then he strolled around the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Chief Surveillance Bureau, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicature and Revision, as well as the Court of the Imperial Clan, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites, all lining the palace roads of the outer city. Meanwhile, the news that "the Emperor is inspecting the offices" had long spread across the various government bureaus.
Zhao Sui sat in his own office. Hearing some commotion outside, he asked Qingai to go and see what had happened.
After Qingai returned, he smiled and said, "They say the Emperor is inspecting the government bureaus one by one up ahead. Lord Yan has ordered every department in our Ministry of Works to quickly do a self-inspection. Dirty places must be wiped clean, and messy places must be tidied up."
As he spoke, Qingai secretly scanned the floor of the Prince's study.
Zhao Sui: "..."
Prince Hui did not pay much attention to this until Emperor Yongchang "inspected" the Ministry of Works. After sitting with Yan Lun for about a quarter of an hour, the Emperor naturally came to Prince Hui's office alone.
Eunuch Wang, Qingai, and Feiquan all stood outside.
Zhao Sui propelled his own wheelchair to the door to welcome his imperial father, and then invited him to take a seat.
Emperor Yongchang looked at his son's hands pushing the wheels. He should have been used to it by now, but his heart still ached. When Li Tingwang put on such a proud and unyielding front in the great hall, he must have guessed that the Second Prince already knew about his past admiration for the Second Prince's wife. He held his head high, boldly declaring to the Second Prince that he was an upright man and was not afraid of any suppression!
Emperor Yongchang wanted to ask how his second son found out. His daughter-in-law couldn't have brought it up on her own. Could it be that the Princess Consort ran into Li Tingwang while she was out, and the Second Prince caught them doing or saying something? Only this could explain Li Tingwang's strange behavior.
Emperor Yongchang knew that his second son had a good temper since childhood and was always patient and accommodating. Therefore, he wanted to ask clearly. If his daughter-in-law really dared to wrong his son, he would stand up for him!
But as soon as Emperor Yongchang came in, he saw his second son's wheelchair, the excellent wheelchair designed by his daughter-in-law.
Such a lively young lady, who dared to speak, laugh, and run freely, must be treating his second son with absolute sincerity. Otherwise, his son wouldn't be working at the Ministry of Works today.
Taking a sip of tea, Emperor Yongchang patted his legs, which were a bit tired from walking such a large round. He smiled and asked what his second son was busy with, and then mentioned the Princess Consort's four brothers: "Four Jinshi scholars in one exam. Is your wife overjoyed?"
Zhao Sui thought of the unending smile on the Princess Consort's face over the past two days, and a bit of warmth filled his usually cold and lonely eyes. He replied, "She is indeed overjoyed."
Having been on the throne for over thirty years, Emperor Yongchang had long developed a sharp eye. He didn't even need to stare intentionally; a simple exchange of glances was enough to read someone's emotions.
Therefore, he saw very clearly that his second son didn't care at all about how many childhood sweethearts the Princess Consort had. The Second Prince was exceedingly satisfied with his wife!
The warmth that had never appeared in his second son's eyes while growing up in the palace until the age of eighteen had been nurtured by his wife.
Since that was the case, why should he bring up such disappointing matters?
After briefly "inspecting" Prince Hui's office, Emperor Yongchang soon left and proceeded to the adjacent Ministry of War.
That night, Emperor Yongchang visited the Yikun Palace again.
Dismissing the servants, Emperor Yongchang looked at the expectations Noble Consort Du tried hard to hide in her eyes and smiled. "During the draft, you were dissatisfied with the Second Prince's wife because you thought her family background was too low. Later, you were dissatisfied with her because she wouldn't tolerate you belittling the Second Prince, and because she wouldn't yield to you at every turn like he does, right?"
Noble Consort Du's face turned pale. She nervously grabbed her handkerchief and pressed it against her chest. "Why is Your Majesty suddenly saying this? I..."
Emperor Yongchang dropped his smile and glared at her angrily. "Shut up!"
Noble Consort Du trembled all over and dared not say another word, only looking at Emperor Yongchang pitifully, as if wanting to air her grievances.
Emperor Yongchang couldn't be bothered to confront her and said bluntly, "I am very satisfied with the Second Prince's wife. I don't care how many real or fake childhood sweethearts she had before. I only know that her character is flawless and she is the daughter-in-law I personally bestowed marriage upon. You had better let your so-called leverage rot in your stomach. If you dare to mention it to anyone, I will demote your rank."
Noble Consort Du trembled again.
Emperor Yongchang continued, "Speak. Who did you send to inquire about this, and who around you has heard of this matter?"
He asked simply, but his words carried the might of thunder. Noble Consort Du tried to cover it up but failed, so she had no choice but to call for her head eunuch, Eunuch Lu. She only gave the orders; who to send, how to investigate, and reporting back were all handled by Eunuch Lu.
Eunuch Lu was in his fifties and could retire and return to his hometown. As for the other young eunuchs, they were all given to him as adopted sons to accompany him back and serve him in his old age.
Noble Consort Du received a small box sent by Emperor Yongchang, said to be a keepsake left for her by Eunuch Lu to commemorate their decades of master-servant relationship.
Noble Consort Du opened the box, and inside was a bloody severed finger.
.
Noble Consort Du fell ill, but Emperor Yongchang paid it no mind. She was not a good adoptive mother, nor was he a good father. He had long known that Noble Consort Du was too strict with his second son. It wasn't until the boy grew into a teenager and revealed his literary and martial talents that the Emperor truly noticed this pitiful little prince born of a dancer. If his second son had been mediocre and untalented, he probably would have continued to ignore the child.
Now that his second son's legs were crippled, he had finally gotten a caring and considerate Princess Consort. Since Noble Consort Du still wanted to ruin the young couple's comfortable life, Emperor Yongchang had to teach her a lesson.
As for that Li Tingwang...
Emperor Yongchang felt proud of his second son again. At the very least, when he was twenty-four, he definitely wouldn't have had his second son's broad-mindedness when dealing with a rival in love.
Since his second son didn't mind, Emperor Yongchang naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a callow youth. At that time, Li Tingwang didn't know that his little childhood sweetheart would become a Princess Consort in the future. He would have been a fool not to hover around such a beautiful and lovely girl.
Soon, the official positions for the martial Jinshi scholars were all finalized.
The second-place winner Luo Kun and the third-place winner Li Tingwang were both appointed as Deputy Guard Commanders of the secondary fourth rank in the border army. Luo Kun was to go to Jincheng in Liangzhou, while Li Tingwang would go to Datong in Jinzhou.
