Chapter 700

Chapter 707: Direction (Part 2)

"Lord Xu," Lady Eleven looked at Lord Xu with concern, "What does the Emperor mean by this? Not only granting Jin'er a hereditary position out of the blue, but also assigning him to the Xiaoling Imperial Guard, which is typically reserved for imperial relatives..."

"Aren’t we imperial relatives ourselves?" Lord Xu, evidently in high spirits, first teased Lady Eleven before lowering his voice, "Don’t worry. Times are different now. The Emperor’s gaze is fixed on the wider world—I’m no longer among those he views with suspicion." He then laughed heartily, "I suspect the Emperor is 'a feint to the east while attacking in the west'!"

Aiming for Xiang Yu—meaning there was another motive! Yet no matter what that motive was, using Jin'er as bait made Lady Eleven uneasy.

"Has Lord Xu discerned something?" Lady Eleven pondered, "I can’t make sense of it at all!"

"It’s normal that you can’t," Lord Xu teased, "If even you could see through it, how would the Emperor manipulate his courtiers?"

"Oh?" Lady Eleven raised an eyebrow, deciding to play along, "Listening to Lord Xu’s tone, it almost sounds like self-praise—as if the Emperor can deceive his ministers but can’t hide anything from you! Tsk, tsk, our Lord Xu is truly remarkable!"

Lord Xu couldn’t help but chuckle, affectionately pulling Lady Eleven closer before saying, "You’re usually so sharp—what’s clouding your mind today? Think carefully! Why would this matter seem so peculiar?"

Peculiar?

A sudden realization flashed through Lady Eleven’s mind, and her expression darkened. "Could it be... the Emperor intends for Jin'er to marry the princess?"

The Emperor’s casualness, the Empress’s composure... and the princess’s age. Only this could explain everything!

"Close, but not quite," Lord Xu smiled. "Princesses are often difficult to marry off, especially since the First Princess has already had her coming-of-age ceremony."

If discussions about her marriage weren’t held soon, it would be too late. But if the Emperor truly intended for Jin'er to marry her, that might not be the case!

Concerned for her son’s future happiness, Lady Eleven dropped her playful tone and urged Lord Xu, "Please explain clearly!"

"If the Emperor truly intended for Jin'er to marry the princess, the first step would be to discreetly probe our family's stance through a mutual acquaintance. Otherwise, if Jin'er were already betrothed, it would become a public scandal. The fact that there’s been no prior hint suggests the Emperor has other plans for the First Princess’s marriage." Lord Xu spoke slowly, "Allowing the princess to freely roam the inner and outer palaces, showering favor on the youngest son of the ever-watchful Yongping Marquis simply because he can amuse her, and even granting him a hereditary appointment as Commander of the Xiaoling Imperial Guard... Such an extraordinary honor..."

"I understand!" Before Lord Xu could finish, Lady Eleven’s expression flickered with excitement. "Others will see how deeply the princess is favored—if someone were to marry her, they’d enjoy boundless wealth and status! The Emperor is laying the groundwork for her marriage! And since the benefits fall to our household, it’s a win-win!"

"Exactly!" Lord Xu pretended to be impressed, "Finally showing some wit!"

"Lord Xu!" Lady Eleven laughed, "Must you always tease?" Then she grew serious again, "But what about Jin'er? Should we send word for him to return? And will he still be sent to the frontier outpost?"

"Jin'er must return to receive the decree," Lord Xu said firmly. "As for whether he’ll still be sent to the outpost... once marriage discussions for the princess begin, Jin'er will no longer be relevant. Besides, the Xiaoling Imperial Guard requires neither mandatory drills nor duties. We’ll proceed as planned." His tone grew resolute, "Leave this matter to me—don’t worry."

Lady Eleven nodded slightly. "I’m just afraid that with such a position, he’ll grow idle and waste his potential."

"I know," Lord Xu squeezed her hand. "Don’t worry. 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' I have a plan."

Reassured, Lady Eleven accompanied Lord Xu to the Dowager’s quarters.

The Dowager was dramatically retelling the scene to the second madam, Jiang Shi, and others: "...You should have seen their expressions—every one of them wished that appointment as Commander had gone to their own family!"

Everyone laughed.

Yingniang said, "Grandmother, shouldn’t we host a grand banquet to celebrate?"

"Celebrate we must!" The Dowager nodded repeatedly. "Our Jin'er is truly blessed. Now I needn’t worry for him." Her voice carried a hint of emotion.

"Mother is the truly blessed one," the second madam comforted her gently. "Third Uncle, fifth uncle, Qin'er, Jian'er, and Zhun'er have all received imperial grace—and now Jin'er as well. Your future is as splendid as brocade, with even greater days ahead!"

The Dowager was pleased, nodding continuously.

Xu Sizhun chimed in, "Grandmother, I’ll write to Second Brother right away, and we should also send word to the household at Sanjing Lane. This is cause for celebration!"

"No need to rush," Lord Xu’s voice sounded as he and Lady Eleven entered. Only then did the absorbed group notice them and rise to greet them. Lord Xu acknowledged them with a nod and took a seat beside the Dowager. "Let’s wait until the decree is official. A hereditary title still requires deliberation by the Grand Secretariat. Though none would dare oppose the Emperor, protocol must be followed."

"Steadiness is good!" said the elder madam, though she instructed Eleven Miss, "Quickly commission a fourth-rank Commander’s uniform for Jin Geer. Once the edict arrives, he’ll need to go to the palace to give thanks."

Eleven Miss responded with a smile, "Yes."

The elder madam returned to the topic of Jin Geer's conferment: "With the Emperor's verbal decree during the Wansheng Festival, even if we wanted to keep it secret, it would be impossible. To think, our Jin Geer is only twelve this year! A twelve-year-old Commander—probably the first in all of Da Zhou!" The old lady's expression carried a hint of pride, clearly delighted to discuss this. "When the time comes, we must not only host a grand banquet but also invite all three major opera troupes of Yanjing..." She paused, then added, "Oh, and remember—mint five thousand taels of silver ingots for rewards. Everyone who attends must receive one. Use my personal funds..."

"That’s too much!" Eleven Miss was startled—this was beyond the usual scope. "And we can't use your private funds. We'll cover it ourselves."

"What’s yours stays yours; this is my gift," the elder madam said unhappily. "This is my reward..."

As the elder madam spoke, the fifth madam looked lost in thought.

A twelve-year-old Commander was rare, but in this vast world, anything was possible. Her own son-in-law had inherited his rank as an infant—also a fourth-rank position. Who could say there weren’t others like him?

Unconsciously, her expression carried a trace of envy.

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The Xu family held back their excitement while awaiting the imperial edict. Eleven Miss also listened for updates from outside.

Within days, both the Marquis Zhongshan and the Marquis of Zhennan’s families began discreetly sounding out the Empress about the eldest princess’s marriage. Even the usually composed and low-key Duke Dingguo’s estate couldn’t stay quiet—the duchess herself visited Eleven Miss, subtly hinting at her mediating.

Since this was so important, she discussed it with Lord Xu: "Should I go to the palace?"

"Of course you should go!" Lord Xu laughed. "If you don’t, wouldn’t we offend the Zheng family? Besides, this isn’t something we can decide. Whether it happens or not depends entirely on the Emperor and the Empress. All I can do is pass along a message."

Eleven Miss smiled and sent her request for an audience to the palace.

The Empress was lounging on the daybed in the warm chamber, chatting with Huang Xianying. Seeing Eleven Miss arrive, she had a maid place a stool by the bed and said, "Perfect timing! The edict will be proclaimed in ten days—will Jin Geer make it back in time?"

Eleven Miss calculated the days. "He’ll make it back."

"Then let’s make it fifteen days," the Empress said with a smile. "That’ll give Jin Geer more leeway." She added, "When he returns, have him come to the palace. With the New Year approaching, I have extra gifts for him."

Eleven Miss hurriedly expressed Jin Geer’s gratitude.

The Empress smiled. "Timing is everything. I’m currently selecting a suitable match for the eldest princess—listen and tell me which family seems best." She gestured for Huang Xianying to continue.

Eleven Miss had no chance to state her purpose, so she settled in to listen carefully.

Roughly twenty noble houses had expressed interest in the eldest princess’s hand—mostly second or youngest sons of ducal households. A few of the candidates were truly outstanding.

The Empress seemed satisfied. After Huang Xianying finished, she asked Eleven Miss, "What do you think—should we prepare ten thousand acres of fertile land in Huguang or Shandong as the princess’s dowry?"

Ten thousand acres just like that—how lavish!

"Each has its merits," Eleven Miss replied with a smile. "Huguang is a land of fish and rice, while Shandong is rich in resources. Both seem excellent to me."

The Empress considered for a moment. "Then Huguang it is. You can’t survive without grain."

Her tone was like a modern person saying, "One cannot live without money."

But in truth, it was the same.

In ancient times, without banks or insurance, land was security for old age.

Huang Xianying quickly noted it down.

Only then did the Empress ask Eleven Miss why she’d come.

Lady Eleven conveyed it tactfully.

The Empress instructed Huang Xianying to take note and continued discussing the Grand Princess's dowry with Lady Eleven. Seeing that it was getting late, she even offered her a meal before allowing her to leave the palace.

Upon returning home, as soon as the carriage stopped, Amber called out, "Madam, Madam, Young Master Six has returned!"

Lady Eleven, who had been dozing off, was startled and quickly lifted the curtain to look.

Inside the gates of Yongping Marquis's residence stood several black-lacquered, flat-roofed carriages. Chang'an, Jin Geer's attendant, was directing a few servants to move trunks.

"Chang'an!" Amber sat on the carriage step.

Chang'an hurried over, bowed hastily, and before they could speak, said, "Young Master Six is currently with the Marquis in the study."

Lady Eleven stepped down from the carriage and headed to the study.