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Restless
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
The crescent moon illuminate over the nine continents, several families joyous, several families worry.
The first month of Tianxu year 14, the entire capital’s state of affairs was all very peculiar. Regardless whether it’s the three palaces and six courtyards of the imperial city[1], or high officials of the capital’s east and west district, all were either greatly elated or greatly worried amidst the wave after wave of disturbances. Even those few families that were pure officials, their standing neutral, also couldn’t help but hear the news outside and inwardly feel shocked.
For instance, on the fourteenth of the first month, in outsiders’ eyes, without any indications at all, the Wen’an Marquis Manor actually soundlessly invited the Jin Duke heir, Ming Yunji, the Right Marshal of the Central Secretariat, Yan Min, as well as the Zhenbei General, Cheng Guangling, to visit the already silent for many years Head Minister Yu Manor, to formally propose marriage for the Wen’an Marquis heir, Xun Che, that can be considered to be at the tip of the storm.
Although during Xun old madam’s birthday banquet in the tenth month, the entire hall of guests, especially the womenfolk of noble households, all saw that exceedingly beautiful Yu family young lady following the Wen’an Marchioness, Ming Huayue, around and greeting the guests, but considering the Yu family’s current standing and status, the great majority of the people all thought that, that was the girl Ming Huayue picked for her younger son, Xun Cong.
However, on the day of the Lantern Festival, there was news that, that was actually the future madam of the Wen’an Marquis heir?
This immediately just led to countless discussions. Those that were neutral, like the Ying Duke Manor, will think whether or not this action of the Wen’an Marquis heir was for the sake of rejecting the empress’s faintly revealed intention to form marriage ties with the Wen family previously.
After all, Wen Ruoqiong and Wen Ruoyao had also very much socialized around the capital for a period of time. And at the end of the tenth month, when the empress’s older brother, the Yiyang Marquis, and his wife entered the capital, they further brought along two even more beautiful Wen family shu daughter and clan daughter. The intention within was practically abundantly clear.
And the family clan that the empress diligently wanted to win over and form marriage ties with the most was precisely the Wen’an Marquis Manor and Jin Duke Manor. If Xun Che were to reject the Wen family young lady and marry another high class noble daughter with an interesting position, then it’s inevitable for there to be the implication of wanting to reform the state of affairs. But currently, the Xun family chose a daughter-in-law of a relatively low birth. In this way, there will be more leeway left for the Central Palace as well as his Highness Qin Wang.
Meanwhile, there were naturally also people that were greatly dissatisfied towards this marriage.
Aside from Empress Wen who wanted to have her niece married to Xun Che, as well as her older brother and sister-in-law, the Yiyang Marquis couple, the Chang’de Count Manor, as Yu Lingxin’s maternal family, were also very resentful.
Just, it wasn’t good for the Chang’de Countess to say that she’d failed to pull strings for her own daughter Qi Pei and Xun Che. She could only complain that the Yu family never once looked for their family, the legitimate maternal uncle and maternal aunt-in-law, to act as a matchmaker, instead going around in a big circle to go curry favor with the Zhenbei General Manor Cheng family.
Shortly after, she also forcibly revealed a news. Because of Xun Yan’s death, Xun old madam, who dearly loved her granddaughter, suffered a big blow, falling ill all of a sudden in the twelfth month. Even after getting examined by the doctors and taking the medicine all the way until now, she still hasn’t gotten better.
That’s why, the Wen’an Marquis couple rushed to arrange a random engagement for their eldest son, even if a bit lacking. On one hand, it’s quick, and on the other hand, there’s also the intention of using a joyous matter to drive away the bad energy.
The Qi family giving out such an explanation was actually somewhat reasonable. Mainly, it’s because the Yu family’s standing at present indeed wasn’t considered too high, while Xun Che’s official career was thriving. Besides, the proposal and formal request for the name card[2], these important rites, truly came a bit too suddenly.
But, there were also quite a few people that didn’t believe. Xun old madam had fallen ill in the twelfth month, but this Miss Yu had been showing her face at the Linglong Literature Club starting from the eighth month, and in the tenth month, she even helped manage Xun old madam’s birthday banquet. This should’ve been having long looked over her.
However, these idle gossips and rumors didn’t bring about too much trouble for the Xun family and Yu family, because very soon, as the court sessions reopen after the fifteenth of the first month, and the Judicial Court continue to hear the Xun family and Zhu family’s case that will be recorded into the history books, the surging storms in the capital became increasingly intense. Compared to the other news, Xun Che’s engagement wasn’t really considered anything.
On the seventeenth of the first month, Changchun Palace’s Noble Consort Zhu fell ill. Reportedly, for a period of time, the situation was extremely critical. Xuan Emperor, under deep concern, for this reason, didn’t attend court that day. Afterwards, Noble Consort Zhu’s situation slightly stabilized a little. Xuan Emperor then issued a decree, bestowing Changchun Palace and the Cheng’en Duke Manor many medicinal ingredients as well as gold and silver, seemingly having the intention of pacifying.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
However, this move caused the inner cabinet and imperial censors to be greatly displeased on the eighteenth of the first month. Even the relatively neutral cabinet ministers all voiced out in court that even if your Majesty has the intention of bestowing honor to the Zhu clan on Cihui Empress Dowager’s behalf, still shouldn’t be absent from court because of this. Furthermore, the Zhu family’s conduct has gone unchecked, having let down the imperial honor, so should further be strictly investigated. In fact, the Cheng’en Duke noble title that was originally extended because of the empress dowager should also be rediscussed.
Thus, in the following days, as the Judicial Court’s examination and pursuit of the case became increasingly strict, the medicinal ingredients that Xuan Emperor bestowed to the Zhu family really did become of use. The Cheng’en Duke Manor even invited the imperial physicians several times to examine the elders in the manor that had gotten startled and stifled.
On the twentieth of the first month, Zhenbei General, Cheng Guangling, and his wife set out to return to the Chen province, but left behind their already widowed for four years eldest daughter, Cheng Yanling, in the capital, also directly stating that Cheng Yanling will no longer continue living as a widow for her deceased husband Qii Feng, instead returning to her maiden home and staying in the capital, residing at her grandmother’s Grand Elder Princess Manor.
(T/N: In order to differentiate this Qi family [祁] from the other Qi family [齐], it will be romanized as Qii instead. How I wish the author wouldn’t use surnames with the same pingyin.)
Xuan Emperor, considering on behalf of the Cheng family’s sacrifices for the country generation after generation, as well as his paternal aunt’s face, bestowed down a Duanyi Xianzhu title.
The discussions initiated by this matter were just even more. General Cheng’s meaning is hoping for his daughter to stay in the capital and remarry?
That little Madam Qii that used a hundred mounted soldiers to defeat an army of a thousand, using iron blood to guard the three mountain passes will now return to her maiden family and remarry?
For a time, the military families of the capital and even some high ranking noble families all very conscientiously studied the stature and physique of their own family’s descendants.
On the twenty-fourth of the first month, another marriage arrangement was soundlessly set in place, once again pushing forward the peculiar state of affairs in the capital———–Zhenguo General Manor’s third miss, Lu-shi, got engaged with the Pingyang Marquis Manor far away in the Chang province. That Lu clan daughter that had once repeatedly received numerous bestowments and gifts from the palace, especially Jingning Palace, who everyone all thought would become the Qin Wangfei, finally sought another marriage before the marriage decree came down.
In other words, it was just the Zhenguo General Manor officially expressing that they will no longer participate in the fight between the Empress of the Central Palace and Noble Consort Zhu of Changchun Palace, once again returning to the neutral position.
This also once again proved that the Central Palace’s situation wasn’t really one side weakening, the other side growing. Because Noble Consort Zhu falling ill, as well as the Zhu family being in a sorry state under the Judicial Court’s pursuit, didn’t let Empress Wen re-obtain much imperial favor. Instead, it was that childless Imperial Concubine[3] Nie that frequently accompanied the emperor recently.
And while Wu Wang and Wei Wang were silent, his Highness Qin Wang also didn’t re-obtain his Majesty’s affection either. In fact, Qin Wang also didn’t make any progress in reconciling with the Xun family and Ming family.
It can be said that at this point, the Central Palace and Changchun Palace had both suffered losses, reestablishing a new kind of balance. In fact, some even felt that since Xuan Emperor at present was still less than fifty, and have always been healthy, who knows whether or not a young concubine will give birth to another prince?
If really like this, then exactly what will become of Great Sheng, it really was hard to say.
All in all, the entire capital was just endlessly shaken up by the wave after wave of news in the first month. Every family clan, and even every person, were all facing unpredictable changes. At the same time, they were also respectively preparing with all their might.
Either advancing, or retreating, or tossing around, all were attempting to grasp a bit of something in the flood current of fate.
Just, while some wanted to take advantage of the situation to rise up, there were naturally also those that attempted to block, just like the invitation Yu Lingxin received from the Xun family on the first of the second month.
It wasn’t from Ming Jinrou, nor Xun Ying, but rather sent from the Xun family’s second branch’s currently sole remaining young miss, Xun Xiang, inviting the Yu family young ladies to the Wen’an Marquis Manor for tea.
The reason stated was having obtained a new batch of tea, so at the same time inviting the sisters at home, also want to bond with one’s future second sister-in-law. This was also the old madam’s idea.
Speaking of which, this was also considered very openly inviting. The intention was roughly the same as previously when Xun Ying invited her over to the manor, which in reality was for the Wen’an Marquis Xun Nanheng to meet her. Xun old madam just wanted to look over this future granddaughter-in-law again.
Just, the difference was that her meeting with the Wen’an Marquis was the last deliberation prior to the engagement. At present, two of the six rites, the proposal and the formal request for the name card, have already been completed. And Yu Bocheng, because of having gotten frightened by Ming Yunji’s two ‘sudden attacks’, clearly requested that the next divination of the birthdates[4] and selection of the wedding date need to at least be arranged in the third month in order to be considered solemn. That’s why, right now, although they haven’t formally sent the betrothal gifts, but with the three matchmakers as witness, the marriage arrangements can already be considered to have begun. For Xun old madam to look over again now, what was the point?
In other families, it might just be the old ancestor wanting to meet the future granddaughter-in-law in advance, but in the Xun family……..
Although having misgivings, Yu Lingxin merely just hesitated for a moment before sending back a message agreeing to the invitation. In any case, it’s not like she hasn’t met the people of the second branch before. Currently, Xun Yan’s case was still being argued over, so it further wasn’t good for the Xun family’s interior to appear to be on bad terms, and dividing the family probably won’t happen any time soon either.
Since that’s the case, they will sooner or later be living under the same roof, so what’s the point of avoiding. Besides, Xun Xiang’s invite was at the Xun manor. There’s still Xun Che and Ming Huayue, so further nothing to be scared of.
Very soon, her thoughts just got confirmed, because the moment her horse carriage arrived at the Xun family, she just saw that Xun Che had actually came over with Xun Ying to welcome her. Having not seen each other in several days, his handsome face was full of smiles and tenderness, “You’re here.”
Yu Lingxin had also figured that she would encounter Xun Che at the Xun manor, but she didn’t expect that the first to enter her eyes when lifting the carriage curtains was just him. Even if that familiar, her heart still warmly beat, “En.”
At this very moment, the only thing to rejoice was probably just that Xun Ying, who was also nearby, won’t casually tease her like Ming Jinrou. But, Xun Ying seemingly also got led astray a little. While looking at her older brother and Yu Lingxin’s respective expressions, she also pressed her lips into a smile.
“Cough, cough, Ying’er, have you been well lately? Where’s Jinrou?” Yu Lingxin increasingly felt embarrassed. After climbing down from the carriage, she just voluntarily reached out to coil around Xun Ying. In fact, she somewhat didn’t dare to meet with Xun Che’s burning gaze.
Xun Ying was still much more gentle than Ming Jinrou and didn’t secretly laugh too much either, sweetly holding hands with Yu Lingxin as they walked, and at the same time, responding, “Jinrou went to get older sister Cheng. They’ll be here soon.”
“Duanyi Xianzhu?” Yu Lingxin suddenly jumped inside, turning to look at Xun Che.
On a certain someone’s face, it was still that unchanging slappable expression, “Right, Zhenbei General’s daughter, Duanyi Xianzhu, Cheng Yanling.”
In an instant, countless vague rumors that she’d heard in the past life surged up in her heart. In the past, Yu Lingxin was just uncertain, but at this time, suddenly recalling, it was naturally even more unimaginable. Thus, her next words, she just didn’t dare to ask anymore.
However, Xun Che voluntarily followed-up, just his voice was slightly lowered a little, “She was Jincheng’s senior sister when practicing martial arts in his youth. From his maternal family’s side, he can call her older cousin.”
[1] This refers to the inside of the imperial palace. In a way, the interior walls of the imperial palace is pretty much the size of a city.
[2] Part of the six rites of marriage, formally requesting the bride’s name card to match with the groom’s. Aside from the name, it will also include the date and time of birth.
[3] Her title is actually Zhao Yi which translates to Lady of Bright Deportment. Following the Tang dynasty’s imperial harem ranking system, Zhao Yi is one of the 9 Imperial Concubine titles, so I just translated it as imperial concubine for easy understanding.
[4] The couples’ name cards will be taken by the groom’s side to the ancestral shrine or temple to carry out divination to see if a good match.
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if the proposal was really Xun fam evading the ‘good intention’ of the Wen fam…
wow, their faces must be stinging from the slap. 🤣