Chapter 9: Checking the Eight Characters

Gazing at her daughter’s pretty face, which held a trace of shyness amid its handsomeness, the Grand Princess felt a vague ache in her heart. What exactly was bothering her, she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She thought for a long while before rising and walking out. She called towards the door, “Aunt Qi.”

Aunt Qi answered and came in.

The Grand Princess said, “On the first day of next month, I intend to offer incense at Spirit Platform Temple. Have someone ask Master Fashan if he is free to expound a sutra and some Buddhist philosophy for me.”

“Yes.”

“Mother…” Once Aunt Qi had retreated several paces, Wei Qingchen slipped over to Mu Yunxian and tugged at her arm, coaxing, “You still haven’t mentioned my matter…”

“We must first see if your eight characters are compatible before we can discuss anything further.” Mu Yunxian, growing impatient with the pestering, swatted her hand away.

“Eight characters? Are you asking Master Fashan to read our eight characters?” Wei Qingchen was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up with radiant joy. “Mother, you agree?!”

Mu Yunxian did not answer, but silently mused: It seems Qingchen is very fond of that Chu family girl.

Gazing at her daughter’s gleaming eyes, a faint smile curved the corner of her mouth.

—She only wondered what kind of fondness it was.

Breakfast had been laid out for some time outside. All those serving within the room were the princess’s trusted attendants. Aunt Qi set dishes before mother and daughter. Qingchen herself ladled a bowl of congee and placed it before her mother.

“On the first, I’ll accompany you to Spirit Platform Temple.”

“What for?”

“Did you not say you would ask Master Fashan to compare the eight characters?”

“You want to ask Master Fashan to read your own eight characters?” The Grand Princess looked at her with an amused, yet mocking, expression.

Several maids in the room giggled.

Belatedly, Wei Qingchen’s face flushed bright red.

“Cough.” She took a mouthful of congee to hide her burning cheeks. Only after swallowing the hot gruel did she set down her bowl and chopsticks and rise with feigned seriousness, cupping her hands. “Then I must trouble you, Esteemed Mother.”

The Grand Princess glanced at her, stirring the congee before her with her spoon.

The Chu family carriage entered the residence through the west gate. Lei Min stopped the carriage outside the inner gate. A serving woman set a stepping stool before the carriage. Qingdai descended first, then helped her young mistress out.

“Elder Sister, you’re finally back.” Chu Mingyu greeted her sister on the curved bridge.

“Why are you waiting here?” Chu Mingxi walked up a couple of steps and saw that she was still holding fish food in her hand.

Beneath the bridge, several koi wagged their tails, blowing bubble after bubble. The afternoon sunlight fell upon the pool, casting shimmering reflections.

Chu Mingyu scattered all the fish food in her hand, clapped her hands clean, and moved to take her sister’s arm. Chu Mingxi shot her a glare. Chu Mingyu stuck out her tongue, and her slender hand shifted upward to loop around her sister’s elbow.

“Wasn’t it said that Lady Xihua sent a card inviting Mother to admire the flowers? You actually didn’t go along?”

Chu Mingxi could only let her arm be taken. The two sisters descended from the bridge, a school of koi trailing behind their firework-bright reflections.

“I went. Lady Xihua hosted lunch in the garden, and we didn’t return until after the midday rest.” Chu Mingyu, who would turn thirteen in a few more months, was in the bloom of maidenhood. She liked to pout when she spoke, her manner both innocent and mischievous. “It was precisely from attending this banquet with Mother that I discovered it wasn’t Lady Xihua’s original idea to entertain guests today, but rather the idea of the wife from the Grand General’s Mansion.” As she spoke, she blinked and looked at her sister.

“Grand General’s Mansion?”

“Yes. The Grand General Wei’s Mansion, the wife of the Marquis of Jingyuan.”

“The Grand Princess?”

“Right! Elder Sister finally guessed it.” Chu Mingyu clapped her hands in delight, a sly smile on her face. “Sister, guess again. What was the Grand Princess’s purpose?”

“That the Grand Princess is the wife of the Marquis of Jingyuan needs no guessing. But her intention…” Chu Mingxi shook her head. “I cannot guess.”

“You haven’t even tried!” Chu Mingyu stamped her foot and coaxed. “Let me give you a hint. This matter concerns you.”

“Me?” Chu Mingxi raised an eyebrow at her sister, then nodded. “The Grand Princess holds an exalted status, but has little association with our family. At most, she remembers us when Imperial Medicine is needed. Perhaps someone in her household has a stubborn ailment that isn’t convenient to mention directly, so she had Lady Xihua act as intermediary? But that doesn’t fit either. If it’s a stubborn ailment, all the more reason not to let outsiders know.”

The two sisters talked as they walked and soon arrived outside the main house’s courtyard. Seeing her sister’s guesses grow further and further from the mark, Chu Mingyu impatiently grabbed her arm. Standing on tiptoe, she cupped her other hand near her sister’s ear as if whispering a secret. “The Grand Princess wanted to ask about your eight characters. Since it wasn’t convenient to directly invite Mother to the Grand General’s Mansion, she had Lady Xihua take the lead and invite a whole crowd of official wives…”

Chu Mingxi’s footsteps stopped abruptly. Staring at her, she demanded, “What did you say?!”

“They thought I was too young to be on guard, so I overheard.” Chu Mingyu stood up straight, but deliberately leaned her face closer, laughing as she lowered her voice. “Elder Sister, you’re going to marry into the Marquis Mansion!”

Servants inside heard the noise and came out from the courtyard. Chu Mingxi steadied her breath and stepped inside.

The parrot under the eaves was preening its feathers with its hard beak. Seeing the two sisters, it flapped its wings noisily. The maids, noticing the First Young Miss’s darkening expression, all lowered their heads obediently and lifted the bamboo curtain for them.

The bamboo curtain shut out the summer heat. Chu Mingxi slowly blinked, leaving all her temper on the other side.

In the Flower Hall, Qi Xiaolong sat alone at the table. A teacup sat there, its steam already faint. The two sisters came forward and together offered greetings. Qi Xiaolong pulled her daughters up and studied them carefully, one on each side.

“What tea is Mother drinking? Your daughter wants a taste too.” As Chu Mingxi spoke, she poured a cup for herself.

“It’s just what we usually drink. If you like it, you can take it to your room as well.” Qi Xiaolong smiled gently, not minding when her younger daughter leaned in. “Mother, you’re playing favorites! How can you give it only to Elder Sister? I want some too!”

“Hm? What do you want it for? At your age, I’ve never even seen you brew a pot of tea yourself.”

“Mother!!!”

The three of them laughed and bantered for a moment. Chu Mingxi set down her teacup and said casually, “Even though summer is here, the house is a bit cool after all. Mother’s digestion is weak; it’s better not to drink cold tea.”

“Mm. Alright.” Qi Xiaolong smiled good-naturedly and half-jokingly said, “Even at home, you’re as fussy as if you were still in the dispensary. You two sisters—one is too rowdy, and the other too aloof. I truly don’t know who could manage to marry either of you in the future.”

Because of the conversation they’d already had outside the courtyard, the two sisters exchanged a tacit look. Seeing their silence, Qi Xiaolong half-guessed the reason. She sent her younger daughter to take the maids and search for tea leaves, keeping only the eldest daughter in the Flower Hall.

Chu Mingxi toyed with her teacup, her eyes downcast as she asked, “Mother attended a banquet at Lady Xihua’s residence today?”

“I did. Their family newly renovated the garden and invited us over to sit, along with wives and young misses from other families.”

“Oh…”

Qi Xiaolong glanced at her. After all, she was an unmarried young lady, thin-skinned. Though she wanted to ask, her ear tips were already burning red. Watching her, Qi Xiaolong felt both heartache and amusement. “The Grand Princess was also there today.”

“Mm.” Chu Mingxi sat upright in her chair and steadied her nerves, knowing her mother was about to say it.

“At first, everyone sat around chatting. Later, somehow or other, the Grand Princess and I ended up looking at flowers together. She surprisingly had no airs, and even talked with me for quite a while.” Qi Xiaolong sat beside her daughter, a trace of a smile on her lips. “The Grand Princess asked me for your birth eight characters.”

“Mother.” After she finished speaking, Chu Mingxi finally raised her eyes and looked back at her mother.

Hearing neither shyness nor irritation in that one call, but rather a steady coolness, Qi Xiaolong’s smile also froze a little.

“Mother, your daughter… does not wish to marry into the Marquis Mansion.”

“Why not?”

“Your daughter…” Chu Mingxi began, then suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of grievance. She turned her face away, her tone stubborn. “Even though I am a girl who has had a broken engagement, I still don’t want to become someone’s concubine!”

“Concubine??” Qi Xiaolong was so startled that her eyes widened. “What concubine? Who told you that??”

“Mother, while we have little interaction with imperial relatives and noble houses, I, as the proprietor who has run the Imperial Medicine Hall for many years, must know something. The Eldest Young Master of the Jingyuan Marquis Mansion came of age long ago and must now be twenty-three or twenty-four. He married years ago. His wife has only a daughter and even came to one of our branch shops seeking a prescription.” Chu Mingxi said flatly, “Even if they want a son, they don’t need to come begging to our family like this. I… I won’t do it.”

Qi Xiaolong was utterly dumbfounded. It took a long moment before she understood what her daughter was saying. She fiercely slapped her daughter, scolding, “What nonsense are you spouting! A young girl filling her head with such wild thoughts! You’ve been ruined by outside business dealings!” Glaring hard at her daughter, she continued in a still-exasperated tone, “The Grand Princess was asking for the household’s Second Young Master!”

“Second Young Master?”

“Correct! The legitimate son of the Grand General, the Grand Princess’s own flesh and blood! The Heir Apparent of the Marquis Mansion!”

“…” Even though she had seen the world, Chu Mingxi was still stunned by this string of titles. She stared blankly for a moment, then bit her lip. “Mother… this… could you have misunderstood?”

“The Grand Princess told me personally. How could there be a mistake?”

“Then the Grand Princess must have made a mistake. She was asking for Mingyu’s eight characters.”

“At first, I thought the same…” Qi Xiaolong stopped mid-sentence and looked up to read her daughter’s expression. Seeing that she truly looked unconcerned, she continued, “The Grand Princess said the child is fifteen this year and has reached the age to consider matches, so she wanted to inquire about the birth eight characters of our eldest daughter. Fearing a mix-up, I even… even mentioned the matter with the Li family a while back. She said she knew all about it. She also said you are a good child, that she saw you in the palace, and felt even then that you and her family’s child were well-matched.”

“………………” Chu Mingxi rubbed her forehead with a headache. “Fifteen years old… The Grand Princess likely saw me in the Empress Dowager’s Longevity Palace. I followed Father into the palace a few times before and occasionally had to report matters before the masters. Back then, I was twelve or thirteen. How old could her family’s Heir have been? And we were well-matched?”

Qi Xiaolong also wanted to sigh. She had no idea whether this suddenly dropped pie was a blessing or a curse.