Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 741: Peerless and Independent
After ruling the country behind the scenes for nearly ten years, the Empress Dowager returned power to the Emperor and retired to Qingning Palace for more than twenty years. During these years, she rarely went out, and at most summoned some familiar ladies and daughters. The only time she left the palace was ten years ago when the Emperor ordered the completion of the Da Ci'en Temple, and the Emperor personally invited her to burn incense. The grand procession of that time is still talked about by the old people in the capital.
Today, the empress dowager did not ride in the two-elephant jade carriage for her most formal trips, nor did she ride in the carriage she used to burn incense at the Da Ci'en Temple. She also did not have palace servants on both sides of the carriage holding walking and sitting barriers. Instead, she simply rode in a carriage that was very simple and solemn for her. Only the carriage was covered with a relatively luxurious red gauze and gold silk enclosure, and was escorted by a group of plainclothes soldiers from the Ruiqi Battalion.
If the doormen of Duke Zhao's mansion were not well-trained, they would have known at a glance that the group of people were of extraordinary origin. Otherwise, it would undoubtedly have caused a lot of confusion that guests arrived when the wedding banquet had already started.
Because the doorman reported that the person coming might be a female member of the royal family, the doorman Zhu An hurried out in person. When he saw Yuquan got off the car first, he was immediately delighted.
Although this Shang Gong of Qingning Palace did not go out often, she had occasionally come to Zhaoguo Mansion over the years to meet the Taifu or Zhu Jing on behalf of the Queen Mother, and of course, she had also been awarded. Therefore, when Zhu An saw her, he thought that the Queen Mother had also sent her to watch the ceremony today, and perhaps there would be additional rewards. However, when he went forward to ask, he was dumbfounded to learn that the Queen Mother was in the car.
This was a serious matter. When he learned that the Empress Dowager was going to Qing'an Hall to meet the Dowager, he immediately ordered someone to inform the two young masters Zhu Jing and Zhu Tingfang, and at the same time ordered someone to go to Qing'an Hall in advance to inform the Dowager and the wife and eldest daughter who might be there. He then respectfully opened the middle door and let the carriage in.
After all, even if the Queen Mother didn't want to make it public, the proper courtesy still had to be shown.
Although they took a narrow passage that avoided the wedding banquet area, there were too many guests coming and going that day. Even though most people had never seen the Queen Mother, Zhu An was still afraid of problems, so he sent his son to personally gather all the guards who were originally scattered around.
Even though someone had sent a message early, when the empress dowager arrived at Qing'an Hall, the group of female guests who were originally there did not disperse. After all, there were many male guests in the front yard, and there were also many female guests in the back yard. Although the lady was a little surprised that the empress dowager's sister came in person, since the empress dowager did not order all the outsiders to leave, she could not be too excessive.
Faced with this unprecedented situation of the Queen Mother coming in person, the Princess of Jiangdu, Lady Qin, Lady Chu and other top ladies from the imperial court were initially caught off guard, but when they actually faced the Queen Mother and paid their respects, none of them showed the slightest bit of surprise. Their greetings and compliments were warm but not chaotic.
However, Mrs. Wu, who was specially invited by the lady to accompany her to Qing'an Hall today, was not so calm.
She was not originally a member of this circle of noble ladies. If Jiu Niang had not accompanied her personally and helped her to block any open or hidden attacks, she would have wanted to escape long ago. And when the Queen Mother came, she felt even more uncomfortable when she followed the others to pay her respects. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was like a thorn in her back.
When the three children were born on the same day, she only knew that one was the daughter of Duke Zhao and the other seemed to be the daughter of a relative of Duke Zhao. The two could not be distinguished because of the negligence of the midwife. When she finally learned from Zhang Shou last year that the other mother was actually Concubine Yu in the palace and one of the two girls was Princess Yongping, she was really frightened.
Back then, what she was worried about was that the two families had doubts about the outcome of the delivery, so they wanted to take away Zhang Shou, the only boy among the three, who was also the only son of her wife who died in childbirth. But later on, thinking about it, the Empress Dowager in the palace at that time did not really do anything because of the doubts about the three children's origins, which was already very open-minded and fair.
The plays she had seen, such as the cat-substituting prince and the various palace fights, were simply horrifying. Even now, looking at the series of events after the queen was deposed, Wu felt that she and Zhang Shou were very lucky.
Therefore, she just hoped to keep a low profile and not let the empress dowager have any idea of what she was doing. However, she did not expect that after the empress dowager took her seat, she was very indifferent to the greetings and compliments from others. In the end, she even made an excuse to go and see the bride and asked her family members to accompany her. As a result, she was confusedly dragged by Jiu Niang to accompany the most honorable old woman in the world out of Qing'an Hall.
It was not until the cold wind blew that she felt a chill on her forehead and she woke up with a start. Especially when she looked down and saw that she was actually supporting the Queen Mother's left arm, she doubted how she had agreed just now. But at this moment, she happened to hear the Queen Mother talking to her.
"Mrs. Wu, you are a very lucky person."
Mrs. Wu had no idea how to respond to the Queen Mother's question. She stood there in a daze for a long time. Finally, she had an idea: "My late wife entrusted her only son to me, so this blessing of mine is all her legacy. I never thought that this day would come, but now that this day has come, my only hope is that Ah Shou and the eldest lady can grow old together and have many children and grandchildren."
"Oh? Just growing old together and having many children and grandchildren is enough? Don't you want Zhang Shou to rise to a high position and have a prosperous career?"
After a slight pause, Wu didn't quite understand whether the Queen Mother's question was kind or malicious, so she simply said bluntly: "Officialdom is treacherous. If Ah Shou hadn't accidentally run into it as soon as he arrived in the capital, I would have hoped that he would live an ordinary life. The Duke of Zhao's Mansion has been rich and prosperous for a long time, and I think they will protect him as a son-in-law."
Seeing Jiu Niang suddenly laugh, the Queen Mother, although she didn't like this stubborn nephew's wife in the past, couldn't help but ask: "Jiu Niang, what are you laughing at? Do you think Madam Wu is too content with her small fortune, or do you think my question is too utilitarian?"
Others were very cautious in front of the Queen Mother, but Jiu Niang had long known the Queen Mother's attitude towards her, so she didn't care about the somewhat sharp question and didn't flinch at all.
She winked at Wu, signaling that she need not be frightened or worried. Instead, she said calmly, "I think Madam Wu's idea is similar to mine. It's good to be content with a small fortune. As long as Yingying likes Shou, it's enough. The Duke of Zhao's Mansion does not need a son-in-law to work hard in his official career. It's just... Shou can't do that."
"Of course, it's not that he can't avoid seeking personal gain, but he is a person who can shine even without seeking personal gain."
She didn't care about the Queen Mother's slight change in expression at this time, and said to herself: "It is said that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, but some trees find it difficult to hide themselves in a low profile and pretend to be just an ordinary tree. He was born to stand above others. Even if he doesn't want to fight with others, he will be coveted because he is too outstanding."
At this point, she smiled and said, "I'm not just talking about A-Shou, I'm also talking about Yingying."
Wu could sense that Jiuniang's words seemed to be a rebuttal to the Queen Mother, and she couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Therefore, when she heard Jiuniang say that these words could also be applied to Yingying, she felt relieved and hurriedly chimed in, "Yingying is beautiful and generous. She never follows the crowd and has her own opinions. Ah Shou has always said that a peerless and independent girl should be like her."
She just said this out of urgency, but she didn't expect that the Queen Mother and Jiu Niang would all look at her. She was sweating on her back for a while, and stammered for a long time: "A Shou seems easy-going and indifferent, but in fact he has high expectations. He often said that fame and fortune don't matter, as long as he can do something beneficial to the people of the world. But in this long life, it is difficult to find a bosom friend."
"So, I have always felt that if he really met a girl who understood him, it would be more precious than having a successful career. Because that means he can say whatever he wants to her, and he can discuss things with her without any scruples, and they can work together and use their strengths together."
This was all a few days ago. Wu happened to hear Zhang Shou teaching Ah Liu not to think about being single. Moreover, he used Zhu Ying as an example and told Ah Liu to look carefully among the countless women in the world... At this moment, she did not care about so much and brought everything to the Queen Mother and Jiu Niang, just hoping to turn the topic to Zhu Ying.
Because Wu had heard more than once from the lady dowager and even from others that the empress dowager liked Zhu Ying very much.
As expected, she saw that the Queen Mother's face was obviously filled with joy, and Jiu Niang also smiled and whispered: "If we can be a pair, why would we refuse to die? I only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals. Ah Shou is really good to Yingying. You know, I used to worry about what kind of husband would be able to accommodate a girl with such a distinct personality like Yingying. Fortunately, there is Ah Shou."
Although the Queen Mother did not want to hear these words from Wu, she still breathed a sigh of relief when she heard these words from this common woman whom Zhu Ying would have to respect as a proper mother-in-law in the future. She felt sorry for a girl as proud and strong-willed as Zhu Ying if she was really bound by some mediocre woman and husband in the backyard and had her wings broken.
After all, even though she was the queen mother, it was impossible for her to interfere in other people's family affairs.
On the way, the Queen Mother did not ask any more questions, nor did she pretend to be relaxed and chat, and seemed relatively silent. However, for Jiu Niang, who usually didn't talk much, and Wu, who was already trembling in her heart, this made them feel more relaxed. And Yuquan, Li Mama sent by the Queen Mother, and other maids who followed behind, naturally no one would make a sound to disturb them.
Therefore, when this group of people quietly arrived at Xuanji Courtyard where Zhu Tingfang's new house was located, the maid guarding the door was startled. When she recognized it was Jiu Niang, she hurriedly made way. However, in her panic, she did not notice the Empress Dowager and Wu at all. She just thought that it was her own wife who came in person to see the future eldest daughter-in-law.
When Empress Dowager Jiu Niang and Mrs. Wu arrived at the door of the main house, they met several women of different ages who hurried out of the door.
The woman in the lead was in her early forties, with a forehead full of pearls and jade. At first glance, she seemed to be a lady of high rank. However, the empress dowager was accustomed to seeing those ladies of high rank, both inside and outside the court. She could tell at a glance that the gold ornaments on the imperial crown were only superficial. Silver could be seen in many places, and it was obviously silver plated with gold. The small pearl Qingyun crown was also already showing signs of being old.
In other words, she was at best a fifth-rank lady, because those above the fourth rank could use gold ornaments on their crowns.
The three women following her, the first one was probably in her early twenties, dressed like a young woman, with a long face and tall stature, and she looked very angry at the moment. The two behind her were girls with twins who had not yet put their hair into a bun. At first glance, they seemed to be a little angry, but more embarrassed. And that was not all, Zhu Ying's crisp and familiar shouting actually chased after them.
"You slipped away so quickly! As soon as you came, you acted like an aunt and wanted to slip away because you couldn't win an argument with me. Is this the elder you just said I should respect? I have been raised by my grandmother and father since I was a child. We would go to worship Auntie during every festival. Although I have never seen her, my grandmother often told me and my elder brother and second brother stories about her."
"Not only grandma, but even the elderly servants in the family all said that grandma was strong and tenacious, a heroine who had fought on the battlefield in times of crisis. Grandma and dad respected her very much!"
"You said that when she was alive, she often helped you. That was probably true, but everyone in the family said that Auntie always said one thing, that is, it is better to rely on yourself than to blame the world, help in emergencies but not in poverty, and never support lazy people. Auntie hated relatives who didn't work hard but only wanted to get free money, and she hated people who pointed fingers in the name of relatives even more!"
"Which aunt would go to the bridal chamber at her nephew's wedding and find fault with his wife? Which cousin would go to the bridal chamber at her cousin's wedding and make comments and sneers? Who is breaking the rules? My eldest sister-in-law's father, the Earl of Weinan, was a nobleman conferred by the late Emperor Ruizong. Isn't he more noble than a fifth-rank official like you?"
"Over the years, our Zhu family of the Zhaoguo Mansion has helped you a lot, right? But how did that uncle repay you? He was incompetent once as a local official, and once he made an unfair judgment. He worked his way up to the fifth-rank prefecture governor, but he still colluded with the local tyrants and forced good citizens to become bandits. He was directly dismissed from his post. How dare my aunt wear this imperial crown and clothes to show off in our Zhu family!"
"My family is not closely related to you, it's not because my aunt passed away early. It's because you are useless!"
The Queen Mother knew that Zhu Ying was usually too lazy to argue with others, so she often used force to overcome cleverness. She was too lazy to quarrel and would just fight. But today, seeing her being so sharp-tongued in bullying her so-called aunt's family on the day of her eldest brother's wedding, she felt it was new, but she couldn't help but think of Madam Deng, the former Lady of Zhao, the mother of Zhu Tingfang and Zhu Tingjie.
She was indeed a very strong woman, especially since she encountered the rebellion of the previous emperor Ruizong not long after she got married. So she ran around to assist the wife and also helped her to appease the rear. However, she was injured during that period, so when Zhu Jing had his first son Zhu Tingfang, it was already several years after the couple got married.
However, the empress dowager's reminiscence only lasted a very short time, because when the women who came out of the house saw them, instead of retreating and making way, the oldest woman, who from Zhu Ying's tone should be Zhu Tingfang's aunt, shouted angrily : "Quickly get out of the way, I want to go to Qing'an Hall to see the lady to seek justice! How can the rich and powerful not recognize their relatives? How can this be justified in the world!"
