Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Du Zhiqi froze at these words.

Barely a month had passed since the Shao family first sounded him out. In a few days, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Du Zhiqi’s heart pounded as he heard Du Lingjing speak again.

"If the Shao family merely seeks the Du family’s support, that’s not a concern. What I fear is that they are embroiled in a power struggle with Prince Hui’s faction, or perhaps involved in some hidden secret, needing to exploit the Du family’s dwindling reputation to cover it up."

A fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on Du Zhiqi’s forehead.

What remained of the Du family? Only this meager reputation.

Having served as a provincial official, he had only returned to the capital less than half a year ago. Many things were indeed unclear to him. Still, he could see that the rivalry between Prince Yong’s faction and Prince Hui’s party was intensifying. The overt clashes alone were innumerable, let alone the unseen ones beneath the surface.

Prince Hui was young and perhaps unaware, and the imperial consort, long secluded in the palace, could not easily intervene. But what about the Marquis of Yongding, Lu Shenru? Was he a man to be underestimated?

Du Zhiqi suddenly realized he might have underestimated the situation. His knees went weak, and he slowly sat back down, gripping the armrest of his chair.

Seeing this, Du Lingjing rose instead and performed a formal bow to her uncle.

"I have no wish to marry into the Shao family, and this matter also harbors hidden risks. I beg Uncle to reconsider carefully before proceeding."

She bowed deeply, and when she straightened, she saw that Du Zhiqi no longer looked impatient or angry. Instead, as if coming to a tardy realization, he wiped the sweat from his brow and murmured, "Understood."

Du Lingjing did not disturb his thoughts further and took her leave from the study.

Qiu Lin and Ruan Gong hurried forward, and seeing their mistress nod slightly, both drew steadying breaths.

Du Runqing had been waiting to the side, watching the three depart before bearing a tea service to the study door.

She announced herself and entered, finding Du Zhiqi seated in an armchair, one hand propping his forehead, fingers massaging his temples in silent contemplation.

Uncertain, she ventured, "Father, regarding Eldest Sister’s betrothal to the Shao family—"

Before she could finish, she was cut off.

"Enough. Let’s not speak of this again."

Du Runqing froze, about to say more, but her father gestured for her to leave.

Reluctantly, she set down the tea tray and withdrew, hearing her father release a long sigh—as if exhaling all the vigor he had painstakingly mustered.

It seemed Eldest Sister had persuaded Father to reject the marriage.

Only yesterday Father had been full of resolve, yet today he was utterly deflated.

Du Runqing didn’t know what her sister had said, but as she left the study, she saw a Qingzhou carriage arriving, and her sister's housekeeper directing servants to unload luggage.

Only then did Du Runqing remember she’d made no lodging arrangements for her sister.

Last year, when her mother came to the capital to recuperate from an injury, they had found the principal courtyard suitably furnished and moved in. Since she was caring for her mother, her mother took the main chamber, and she resided in the eastern wing.

The eastern wing was tastefully appointed, and she had taken a liking to it at first sight. However, it seemed this was the very place where her sister had lived for years during her time in the capital.

The notion tightened Du Runqing's chest.

Would Eldest Sister demand she vacate the eastern wing? After all, the family’s humble ancestral estate had expanded into its current grandeur largely by her uncle’s accomplishments.

Yet, to her surprise, the servants carrying luggage headed toward the western quarters instead.

Eldest Sister had forsook the main courtyard altogether and settled directly into the western annex.

Du Runqing experienced a twinge of discomfort, but then she saw her sister emerge from the moon gate connecting the two courtyards, now wearing fresh garments.

"Second Sister, I’ve come to see Aunt."

Du Runqing quickly composed herself and led the way.

Last year, Du Lingjing’s aunt had been in an accident while traveling to a mountain temple. The carriage had plunged off a cliff, killing the driver and two maidservants on the spot. Only the second madam, cushioned by one of the maids, had survived.

Now, Du Lingjing saw her aunt lying still behind the bed draperies, ashen and insensate, eyes tightly shut.

"Mother needs much rest. Most of the time, she’s drugged into stupor and unable to wake. She’s only lucid for two or three hours a day. Please don’t take offense, Sister."

Du Lingjing, of course, took no offense. Instead, she said to Du Runqing, "Tending the household and Aunt's care—you’ve worked hard."

Du Runqing lowered her head. "It is my responsibility."

The two sisters exchanged a few more words, but their age difference and unfamiliarity kept the conversation brief. Sensing her younger sister’s reluctance to speak further, Du Lingjing had Qiu Lin leave a case of medicinal preparations for Lady Gu before taking her leave.

...

For the next three days, the Du manor stood unnaturally still, as if nothing had happened.

Du Lingjing stayed alone in the western annex. She remembered her father’s words when he had purchased the western courtyard: "Should your uncle attain a capital post someday, this section will be his. The courtyard is generously proportioned—his family is large, and they’ll need the room."

But her uncle had never attained a capital post. Instead, it was she who now resided in the western courtyard upon her return.

Qiu Lin parted the curtain to enter, whispering,

"I made sure to watch Second Master. He hasn’t left the house—he’s been in his study since morning, just like the past two days."

Today was the tenth day of the eighth month. A mere five days stood between now and the Mid-Autumn banquet, where the imperial betrothal announcement would be made.

And today was the final day for submitting marriage petitions to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. Once today passed, it would be too late to send anything to the palace.

Qiu Lin longed to fix her gaze on Second Master until the sun set behind the western hills.

"Has no one come to see Uncle today?" Du Lingjing turned a page of her book, sunlight dappling through bamboo shadows across the paper.

Qiu Lin reported that two colleagues had come to invite Du Zhiqi for drinks, "But Second Master lacked the inclination, so they left."

Marriage petitions for the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs couldn’t be submitted by proxy—any error might court disaster. If Second Master didn’t leave the house, he couldn’t possibly deliver the card.

Qiu Lin had also posted the maid Ai Ye near the study to keep watch. But then her mistress asked another question.

"Has no one from the Shao family come to see Uncle either?"

The question made Qiu Lin straighten.

She said no, "Not so much as a shadow."

Leaning closer, she added, "Does my lady not find this peculiar? Shao Tanhua isn’t a stranger to you. If he suddenly decided to propose, why approach Second Master before gauging your disposition?"

Yes, that was precisely what was strange.

Du Lingjing snapped her book shut.

Shao Boju knew her; they had met several times before in the capital.

When her father was in the capital, he had taken great care of Old Master Hu’s two children, a former colleague. His younger sister, Hu Tingjun, was the same age as her, and they shared a deep friendship, keeping writing to each other even after she returned to Qingzhou. The elder brother, Hu Tinglan, had once been Shao Boju’s classmate and close friend for many years, standing by each other through thick and thin.

It was through the Hu siblings that she had come to know Shao Boju. Yet now, Shao Boju had suddenly made a marriage proposal, going around the Hu siblings entirely and instead seeking to arrange it directly with her uncle—wasn’t that odd?

Moreover, in Hu Tingjun’s letter to her two months ago, there had been no word about this.

Yesterday, she had written another letter to Tingjun. The Hu family resided in Cangzhou, and a courier could deliver it and return in two days.

...

By midday, the house stayed quiet.

With every inch the sun descended, the possibility of Second Master Du submitting the name plaque to the Court of the Imperial Clan diminished further.

In the front courtyard, Du Zhiqi had servants dig out old court bulletins and was flipping through them irritably in his study.

Servants were preparing the altar for the Mid-Autumn Festival moon offerings, set up for now behind a tree in the inner courtyard.

Du Runqing had just met with someone returning from the Gu family. She had sent Mid-Autumn gifts to her grandmother and uncle at noon, and the messenger had only just returned. After asking a few questions, she returned to the main house to look after her mother, Second Madam...

The entire Du household was so quiet that even the sparrows didn’t dare chirp, tucking their heads under their wings as if pretending to sleep.

Seeing the sun sank lower in the west, Qiu Lin felt relieved.

As long as Second Master Du did not submit the name plaque, her lady’s marriage would not be decided by the palace, nor would her fate be tied up with the capital. Soon, they could return to Qingzhou.

She said to Du Lingjing, "Earlier, you mentioned how strange it was that she’d gotten eight rare books all at once, leading us from Qingzhou right to the gates of the capital—as if someone had deliberately drawn us here. But if we hadn’t come, wouldn’t we have been left clueless?"

Du Lingjing just smiled. Qiu Lin was about to say more when suddenly, a commotion broke out in the main courtyard—

Screams, a flurry of hurried footsteps, followed by sobbing and harsh scolding.

Du Lingjing lifted a brow. Qiu Lin quickly asked what had happened, and a young maid reported, "Second Madam just came out of her room alone, fell down the stone steps, and cut her head—it’s bleeding!"

Du Lingjing swiftly changed clothes and hurried to the main courtyard.

The tension hung thick in the air. No servant dared make a sound. Du Lingjing strode forward, and a maid held the curtain aside for her.

Du Runqing sat by Mrs. Gu’s bedside, holding a white cloth, seemingly trying to wipe the blood from her mother’s forehead. But Mrs. Gu’s hollow cheeks were smeared with blood, her eyes wild with fear.

Seeing Du Runqing gently calling "Mother" and attempting to clean her face, Mrs. Gu suddenly seized her collar and screeched, "Who are you?! What do you want?!"

Qiu Lin, standing beside Du Lingjing, was so startled she immediately grabbed her lady’s sleeve. Du Lingjing remained still, but she noticed Du Runqing’s eyes turning red. Ignoring her mother’s desperate tugging, Du Runqing instead reached out to embrace her.

"Mother, it’s me, it’s Qing'er! Don’t you recognize me? Your head is hurt—let me clean the blood and bandage it..."

Second Madam’s expression was blank, her muttering incoherent. After a long pause, she finally looked at her daughter. "You’re Qing'er?"

With that, she went limp. Du Runqing tried to call to her again, but she suddenly fell back onto the pillow, eyes shut, unconscious.

"Mother!"

"Madam!"

The bedside broke into chaos.

Qiu Lin tightened her grip on Du Lingjing’s sleeve. "Miss, should we...?"

"Go get Uncle immediately."

Her aunt’s condition was worse than she had anticipated.

Du Lingjing spoke sharply, just as Du Zhiqi’s voice sounded outside the door.

She stepped forward to greet him, but Du Zhiqi brushed past her, demanding to know what had happened to Second Madam.

The maids stuttered, explaining that for some reason, none of them had been in the room when Second Madam woke and got out of bed on her own, walking all the way to the door.

She no longer recognized anyone. Seeing the servants in the courtyard, she cried, "Who are all of you?" Then, as they rushed to help her, she screamed, "Stay away!" In her panic, she fell down the steps, hitting her forehead on a flowerpot.

Du Zhiqi’s face turned livid as he berated them. The maids shrank back in fear, while Du Lingjing watched Du Runqing clutch her mother’s hand, weeping.

Only when Du Zhiqi called out, "Qing'er, stop crying. I’ll send for a physician at once," did she pause.

He turned to order a servant to fetch the nearest physician, but Du Runqing stopped him.

"Father, don’t you think Mother’s illness is getting worse? Could we... could we request a palace physician to examine her properly?"

Given Du Zhiqi’s rank, how could he summon a palace physician on such short notice?

But Du Runqing’s grandmother, Dowager Wan of the Gu family, often consulted palace physicians.

Du Zhiqi agreed and immediately dispatched someone to the Gu residence. "Tell them Madam is injured and beg the Dowager to use her connections to request a palace physician!"

...

In less than three quarters of an hour, the palace physician arrived. But just as he entered, another guest appeared at the gate.

Du Zhiqi was stunned. Straightening his robes, he hurried forward to greet them.

The visitor had white hair and an air of elegant bearing, but her face was pale, lips pressed tightly together as she strode inside, supported by attendants.

Du Lingjing was quietly surprised to see who it was.

"Mother-in-law, you—why have you come?" her uncle exclaimed.

It was indeed the Dowager of the Gu family, Madam Wan, Mrs. Gu’s mother.

Yet Madam Wan seemed not to hear Du Zhiqi, ignoring him entirely as she pressed forward. Only upon seeing the palace physician did her stern expression soften slightly, her voice thick with worry.

"My daughter’s delusions—why are they worsening? If this continues, what will become of her?"

The physician replied gravely, "Do not distress yourself, Dowager. Let me examine her first before we discuss further."

There was no time to delay the examination. Madam Wan thanked him profusely and urged him to proceed.

The courtyard fell silent. Du Runqing emerged from the room and bowed to her grandmother, who embraced her tightly. The young girl burst into tears, burying her face in her grandmother’s arms.

Du Lingjing also stepped forward to pay her respects. Madam Wan glanced at her, her aged eyelids lifting only slightly.

"Oh, the eldest young lady has also come to the capital."

Du Lingjing acknowledged this with a proper bow before stepping aside.

At this point, Du Zhiqi stepped forward again and explained the whole matter to his mother-in-law. Only then did Madam Wan acknowledge him, and gave only a curt reply.

Du Lingjing observed her uncle standing anxiously until the imperial physician finished the diagnosis and emerged from the room.

Everyone hurriedly inquired, but the physician said, "There is no need for alarm. The mistress has only suffered a minor injury to her forehead, nothing serious. As for her nervous condition, her pulse shows no signs of worsening. Today's incident was likely an accident."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The physician prescribed a new remedy for the second wife, which Du Runqing carefully tucked away. Du Zhiqi respectfully presented the consultation fee, and Madam Wan also made polite remarks.

By the time they finished speaking, it was already late. The physician took his leave.

Madam Wan did not linger either, though her expression never softened. She chose to exchange a few more words with Du Runqing rather than engage with Du Zhiqi.

Du Lingjing noticed her uncle standing uncomfortably off to the side. As Madam Wan made to leave, he hastily stepped forward and said, "This was truly my fault as your son-in-law. Let me escort you back."

Madam Wan declined his offer, but Du Zhiqi dared not stay behind and followed close behind her.

He accompanied her to the front courtyard, while the younger generation remained in the inner quarters.

Du Runqing immediately sent a servant for the medicine and to prepare the new prescription. However, when the maid returned with the herbs, she remained uneasy and turned to Du Lingjing.

"Elder sister, could you watch over Mother while I personally prepare the medicine?"

Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Du Lingjing sighed softly and nodded slowly.

"Go on, don't worry. I will take care of Aunt."

"Thank you, elder sister."

Du Runqing bowed to her and left.

Du Lingjing sat by the bed and looked at her aunt, recalling how her aunt had always prized her dignity and would never allow herself to appear unseemly. Yet now, she could no longer afford such concerns.

If not for the Gu family and Madam Wan's presence in the capital, the second wife might not have survived at all.

Qiu Lin, however, did not dwell on this and merely remarked, "Madam Wan truly earned her reputation of having influence even in the palace. She dares to give such a cold shoulder to the second master."

As soon as Qiu Lin finished speaking, she noticed her mistress suddenly go rigid.

Before she could ask why, the maid Ai Ye rushed in.

"Miss, the second master went to see Madam Wan off, but it's been fifteen minutes and he hasn't returned yet."

Before the words fully left her mouth, Qiu Lin saw her mistress jump up.

She immediately called for Ruan Gong, "Go to the Imperial Clan Court at once!"

It had been a long time since Qiu Lin had seen her mistress wear such a tense and stern expression. However, Ruan Gong returned shortly and dropped to his knees.

"Miss, I was too late. Madam Wan's carriage personally delivered the second master to the Imperial Clan Court. By the time I arrived, he had already... presented his credentials!"