Wei Caiwei had full confidence in Shang Qinglan's capabilities. It seemed that over the past three years, the Jiajing Emperor's health had been deteriorating to the point where even those closest to him were considering "changing allegiances."
Chen Jingji escorted Wei Caiwei out of the palace. Having studied at the Inner Study Hall for three years, he had graduated with outstanding results and been assigned an official post. Thanks to his adoptive father Huang Jin—the Supervising Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs—and the favor of Consort Shang, he was selected to serve as a scribe in the Directorate of Ceremonial, responsible for copying documents and serving before the emperor. He had become quite the rising star in the palace.
The two walked along the main street of the Western Six Palaces, also known as Yong Lane. The Forbidden City's rear palace had one such north-south thoroughfare on each side.
In the lengthy, deserted Yong Lane, the cool early autumn wind rustled the wild grass struggling to emerge from the drainage ditches lining both sides. Chen Jingji asked in a low voice, "How... is she now?"
Without needing explicit clarification, it was clear who "she" referred to. Wei Caiwei replied, "She gave birth in the early hours of August seventeenth—a boy. I delivered the child myself. Both mother and son are well; she was able to get out of bed and move about the next day."
Chen Jingji's steps faltered slightly before he caught up with Wei Caiwei's pace. "That's good... She's a mother now. How wonderful." While he would never have the chance to become a father himself.
Wei Caiwei explained, "My visit to Consort Shang today was regarding her son's first-month hair-cutting ceremony. Everyone in the palace avoids mentioning it, afraid of angering the Emperor. Only Consort Shang might attempt to broach the subject. If her son isn't officially recognized, she won't be able to elevate her status through motherhood. Prince Yu and Princess Yu intend to petition for her promotion to secondary consort after the child's hair-cutting ceremony and ancestral worship."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jingji felt a tumult of emotions. "Despite three years of diligent study at the Inner Study Hall, my words still carry little weight. I remain unable to help her."
Wei Caiwei comforted him, "Even Consort Shang must rely on divine will to intervene, let alone you. Focus on your duties at the Directorate of Ceremonial—there's still a long road ahead."
In her previous life, Wang Daxia had similarly taken the eunuch route to advancement, though he joined the Eastern Depot. By handling several imperial cases, he rose rapidly to power. However, this came with drawbacks—excessive bloodshed left his reputation divided. He sought wealth through danger and ultimately died from poisoning at forty-seven.
Chen Jingji, lacking martial skills, possessed knowledge, calligraphy talent, and moral character that even the picky Jiajing Emperor could find no fault with.
Despite numerous setbacks, he harbored no resentment in his heart. Innately kind-hearted and not one to flatter superiors, he was clearly unsuited for the Eastern Depot. Handling documents in the Directorate of Ceremonial was his best path forward.
Though his promotion might be slower, he would advance steadily with solid footing. With his clean reputation and unstained hands, his future prospects were boundless.
Chen Jingji accompanied Wei Caiwei all the way out of the rear palace, where a blue-curtained carriage returned her to Tianshui Lane.
Wang Daxia, who had a key to her home, had been waiting for her arrival. He immediately sought credit, "I've persuaded both Commander Lu and my father. As we agreed, three years from now—which means the day after tomorrow, August twenty-third—they'll come to propose marriage. You can't go back on your word."
Wei Caiwei built a fire in the courtyard and burned the spirit tablet inscribed "Spirit Tablet of My Deceased Husband Wang Erlang," adding numerous paper ingots to the flames.
This followed the custom: when a widow decided to remarry, she could no longer maintain her deceased husband's spirit tablet and had to burn it.
Wang Daxia remarked, "You're not really a widow, and the tablet was just casually written. Why bother burning paper money too? Seems unnecessary."Because, my husband from the previous life, Eunuch Wang, truly died, and I was burning these offerings for him.
In this new life, Wang Daxia is completely different from Eunuch Wang in both personality and body. It felt as if she had fallen in love with two different people. With Wang Daxia here now, Eunuch Wang could no longer exist.
However, Wei Caiwei no longer dwelled on this dilemma. She loved both Eunuch Wang’s melancholy and Wang Daxia’s cheerfulness. If that was the case, she would simply marry twice.
After burning the paper money, Wei Caiwei proceeded to burn paper houses, paper clothes, and even a box of five-nut paper mooncakes.
Wang Daxia remarked, "I love five-nut mooncakes the most."
"I know, which is why I only burn five-nut mooncakes and not cilantro mooncakes."
When everything had turned to ashes, and the red flames of the bonfire faded to black, Wei Caiwei said, "You see, this is my sincerity in marrying you. I’ve even burned the ancestral tablet—there’s no turning back now. Besides accepting your proposal, I have no other path to take."
The three-year promise was about to be fulfilled, like a dream. Wang Daxia often woke up laughing from such dreams.
Meanwhile, at the Lu Residence in the West City.
As usual, Lu Ying returned home very late. The first thing she did upon arriving was to light incense for her father’s memorial tablet. Her mother, Li Yiren, also followed her routine, waiting for Lu Ying to return before going to bed. Ever since the scar appeared on Lu Ying’s face, Li Yiren had been constantly worried about her daughter. Unless Lu Ying was away on official business, Li Yiren needed to see her daughter each night to rest peacefully.
This night was different. Lu Ying proactively stopped her mother. "Mother, I have something to discuss with you."
Li Yiren’s heart tightened. "Are you going on another long trip?" Whenever Lu Ying spoke gently and kindly, it never boded well. She knew her daughter well. As a child, Lu Ying had been more mischievous than any boy. If she was making noise in her room, things were fine. But if she grew quiet and there was no sound, she was surely up to something big—climbing rooftops, scaling trees, or wading into rivers, always heading straight for danger.
"No," Lu Ying replied, guiding her mother to sit on the Arhat bed, afraid she might not withstand the shock and risk falling. How strange—had the sun risen from the west today? The more obedient her daughter acted, the more Li Yiren feared something major was about to happen. "Yinghua, whatever you’ve done, just tell me. As long as it’s not something that would bring ruin to our family, I’ll stand by you."
Lu Ying hesitated for a moment, as if carefully considering her words. "Mother, I’ve fallen for someone."
Is that all... Li Yiren breathed a sigh of relief. "You nearly scared me to death. I’ve always known about this. I approve of this match—why else would I have recommended Wang Commander to your in-laws, the Duke of Chengguo, asking for his promotion? In matters of marriage, social status is important. Wang Commander is now the Assistant Commander of the Jiangxi Regional Military Commission, a third-rank military official. The Duke of Chengguo even praised him as diligent and hardworking, saying he has potential for further advancement."
Lu Ying said, "Wang Daxia is a thing of the past. Back then, I was inexplicably drawn to that pretty-faced type. Three years have passed, and I’ve lost interest in pretty-faced men. Now I prefer refined and mature ones."
"What?" Li Yiren was shocked. "You’ve broken up with Wang Daxia? When did this happen?"
Lu Ying replied, "I ended it with him today. I told him I’ve fallen for someone else. He was furious—tore up the reimbursement forms and said things like, 'If you don’t want me, others will be lining up for me.' Then he stormed off in a huff."Li Yiren anxiously said, "You foolish child, how can you do this! Wang Daxia is handsome, sweet-tongued, personally recruited into the Embroidered Uniform Guard by your late father, and you've endured life-and-death trials together. How can you just cut off three years of feelings like this?"
Lu Ying replied, "Precisely because we've worked together, investigated cases, and faced mortal dangers side by side, our relationship doesn't feel like lovers anymore—it's become more like siblings. Can I possibly love or marry my own brother? Of course not. What I feel for him now is purely brotherly affection, not romantic love. Sometimes when we're on missions with no rooms available, we sleep in the same chamber with him on the couch opposite mine, and I don't have any improper thoughts about him."
Li Yiren turned pale with shock. "What? You've slept in the same room?"
"It was just sleeping, nothing else," Lu Ying explained. "Sometimes when camping outdoors, we'd share a tent for warmth and still felt nothing. He feels the same way about me—treating me as a brother and superior, never showing the uncontrollable impulses of a lover or making any advances—"
"How dare he!" Li Yiren interrupted. "If Wang Daxia didn't care for you, why would he angrily say 'if you don't want me, others are eager to have me'?Lu Ying said, "He hasn't realized that our fate has come to an end yet." When I'm unwell, he just tells me to drink more hot water. When I'm alone with other men, he shows no jealousy. For the past two years, we've only discussed official matters. Though we once shared romantic moments, it's clear the love is gone. Looking at Wang Daxia now feels exactly like looking at my brother Lu Yi. I can't marry Lu—"
Li Yiren quickly covered her daughter's mouth. "Don't speak nonsense! You and Lu Yi are half-siblings—people will gossip."
After Lu Ying nodded emphatically, Li Yiren released her and asked, "Then who do you love now? What's his father's official position? Which family is he from? What about his maternal lineage? How old is he? Which yamen does he serve in? What does he look like? Have I met him?"
Lu Ying replied, "Mother hasn't met him, but Father did before his passing and admired him greatly. Even the Emperor knows of him. He's no less handsome than Wang Daxia, though not in that pretty-boy way. He's resourceful, composed, and scholarly in demeanor—young but mature and steady. We trust each other completely."
"However, he's currently an undercover agent for the Embroidered Uniform Guard with critical responsibilities. He can only retire after completing his mission. Since it involves court secrets, I cannot reveal his specific identity yet—not even his name."
"You—you two—" Li Yiren exclaimed in frustration, "If you can't even tell me his name, how can you marry him?"
Lu Ying declared, "The day his mission ends will be our wedding day. I swear I'll marry no one else in this lifetime. If Mother disapproves, I'll remain unmarried forever."
Li Yiren protested, "Impossible! No woman should stay unmarried."
Neither lifelong spinsterhood nor marriage after mission completion appealed to Li Yiren, but if forced to choose between two evils, the latter was marginally acceptable.
Thus did Lu Ying persuade her mother. On the third day, when Li Yiren shockingly learned that Wang Daxia had become engaged to the young widow Doctor Wei next door, she immediately recalled Wang Daxia's angry words: "If you don't want me, others are eager to have me."Oh, young people are so impulsive. When Sakura shifted her affections elsewhere, Wang Daxia swiftly got engaged in the blink of an eye to show that he was also desirable. Turns out this "someone else" was Doctor Wei.
Wang Daxia has quite the temper, actually using marriage as a means of spite to get back at Sakura. Good thing I didn’t marry Sakura off to him—so immature.
Author’s note: Three years together, and proximity to darkness rubs off. Lu Ying’s skill at lying is no less than Wang Daxia’s.
Today is your birthday, my China~ Sending 100 red envelopes to celebrate the motherland’s birthday. Happy birthday! Wishing everyone a joyful National Day.
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