Chapter 94

Chapter 94

"Get up. There's no need to kneel so often."

Qingyang set down the small wooden figure and looked at Zhang Su, who was kneeling and thus shorter than her. She was choosing him to be her Imperial Son-in-Law, not recruiting him as a guard!

Zhang Su remained kneeling, facing the hem of the princess's skirt. "If Your Highness has made up your mind, I will go to the palace tomorrow to ask His Majesty to approve the marriage."

Qingyang found it amusing. "You usually keep such a low profile, so why are you in such a hurry today?"

Zhang Su replied, "Marriage is a significant matter. I wouldn't dare deceive His Majesty."

Qingyang still insisted he rise, saying, "Father has always been pleased with you and was only waiting for my approval. But you’ve just returned from Yunzhou. Rushing to propose would neither suit your temperament nor align with the Duke’s principles as his subject. Let me inform Father myself and have him choose an appropriate time to grant the marriage."

Zhang Su acknowledged her suggestion and stood silently to the side. Only when the princess tapped the chair arm did he sit back down and resume fanning her.

His arm was stretched out so far that Qingyang found it tiring to watch. She took the fan and fanned herself instead, then shook the small wooden figure and asked, "Weren’t you supposed to get it this afternoon? So it turns out you can lie too."

Zhang Su knew the princess had already seen through his thoughts and chose not to respond.

He had changed his planned gift to a peacock carving because he feared the princess might have forgotten her promise to wait for him and didn't want to presume upon their relationship.

He brought the gift today because he considered the possibility that the princess might still remember and worried she would be angry if he changed the gift on his own.

Qingyang remarked, "It resembles me, but it’s too small—much shorter than I was at fourteen. It’s not like I’ve been shrinking as I grow."

Zhang Su replied, "...There is another one, seven and two-tenths inches tall. I'll go get it later and give it to the Third Prince."

Qingyang asked, "...How long does it take to carve one?" He must have been quite busy in Yunzhou, yet he managed to carve two small figures and an incredibly intricate peacock?

Zhang Su looked at his hands resting on his knees. "Over the years, I've become quite skilled. Spending half an hour each day, it takes about a month to complete one."

Qingyang tapped the back of his hand with the corner of the fan. "Turn it over."

Zhang Su stiffened slightly but, before the princess could urge him again, turned his left palm upward.

Qingyang leaned closer, bending to look. She saw his long, slender fingers, with thin calluses on his knuckles and palm. She reached out to compare hand sizes, but before she could even get halfway, Zhang Su withdrew his hand as if avoiding a venomous snake, hiding it behind his back.

It was a familiar swiftness. Qingyang stepped on his foot in response.

Zhang Su asked, "...Shall I continue playing chess with Your Highness?"

Qingyang declined, "No, I’m going back to the palace to rest."

Zhang Su glanced at the still-sleeping Third Prince.

Qingyang smiled. "Let Third Brother sleep a while longer."

She stood up, placed the fan belonging to the Third Prince beside the chessboard, and walked toward the waterside pavilion. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around.

Zhang Su lowered his gaze and said, "I will escort Your Highness."

Qingyang asked, "After escorting me, will you go straight home, or will you come back to bid farewell to Third Brother?"

Zhang Su, ever proper, naturally intended to return.

Qingyang said, "It’s the middle of a hot afternoon—no need to stand on ceremony with me."

Zhang Su glanced at the blazing sun outside and offered, "I will hold an umbrella for Your Highness."

Qingyang laughed. "Jie Yu (a servant) is here for that. There’s no need for the Third Young Master to do such menial work. If you’re truly sincere, you might as well stay and fan away the mosquitoes for Third Brother."

Zhang Su fell silent.

Despite his silence, Zhang Su continued to follow behind the princess.

It was all in good fun, so Qingyang did not send him away again. After leaving the waterside pavilion, she instructed Fu An, who was standing guard: "I’m tired. The Third Young Master will escort me and then return directly to his residence. When Third Brother wakes, let him know."

Fu An acknowledged with a smile.

Qingyang gave him a meaningful look before leaving.

Fu An understood—he would never reveal to the Third Prince that the princess and the Third Young Master had shared a private conversation. The Third Prince didn’t need to know, and it wouldn’t affect anything. But if the princess found out he had been indiscreet and gossiped behind her back, she would surely punish him.

.

Since the princess had forbidden him from returning, Zhang Su mounted his horse and departed after seeing her carriage off.

He had informed his parents before leaving, and now that he was back, Zhang Su made it a habit to check in with them to ease their worries.

Lady Xu was chatting with her husband on the daybed in the side room—her husband seated while she rested her head on his lap.

Zhang Jie noticed his wife yawning and said, "Go rest. When Su Geer returns, I’ll inform you of any news."

Lady Xu was skeptical. "With the two of you and your tight lips, even if something happened, you wouldn’t be able to get it out."

Zhang Jie fell silent.

It was then that Zhang Su arrived. Hearing the maid announce him at the door, Zhang Jie quickly helped his wife sit up properly and got off the daybed. By the time Lady Xu had tidied her hair, Zhang Jie was already seated upright in a grand chair to the north.

Lady Xu was both amused and exasperated. They were just an old married couple chatting on the daybed—was it really necessary to worry about the children seeing?

Zhang Su entered. Seeing his father seated in the north holding a book and his mother on the daybed with needlework, he bowed to each in turn before standing facing his father.

Zhang Jie set down his book and studied his son. "Did you drink with the Third Prince?"

Zhang Su replied, "No."

Zhang Jie asked, "Then why are you only returning now?"

Zhang Su explained, "Both Their Highnesses were very concerned about the campaign against the Biao and we spoke at length."

Zhang Jie gave a noncommittal hum and returned to his book.

Lady Xu called her son over and smiled. "I remember the princess used to enjoy exploring outside the palace whenever she left. Did she not feel like sightseeing today, or was she considerate of your recent return and didn’t keep you with her?"

Zhang Su answered, "The afternoon heat was intense. After the gathering, Her Highness returned directly to the palace."

Lady Xu nodded. "Yes, it is quite hot. So, after such a long time apart, has the closeness between you and the two Highnesses faded at all?"

Zhang Su said, "The Third Prince treats me as he always has. The princess has grown up—it’s only natural for there to be some distance."

Lady Xu resisted the urge to glance at her husband and nodded. "Indeed. You must mind your manners and not unintentionally offend the princess because of your childhood bond."

Zhang Jie interjected, "Alright, go rest now."

Zhang Su took his leave.

As soon as their son was out of earshot, Lady Xu looked at her husband with suspicion. "It sounds like the princess has no particular interest in Su Geer. Last year, did you misinterpret His Majesty’s intentions?"

Zhang Jie was not one to speculate about the emperor’s thoughts, but after the emperor had just bestowed a marriage upon the Third Prince, he had toasted Zhang Jie alone with a noticeable smile. Zhang Jie did not believe he had misread the situation.

"Let's wait a bit longer. The princess has just reached her coming-of-age ceremony, and the imperial marriage decree will likely happen within the next two years. If she is indeed matched with someone else, then you can make arrangements for Su Geer."

.

After returning to the palace, Qingyang first went to the Qianyuan Hall. Upon learning that her father was awake, she made her way inside.

Emperor Xingwu was lounging on the couch, idly flipping through memorials for amusement. When he noticed his daughter slightly avert her gaze after meeting his eyes, he smiled slightly. It seemed there was a hint of the shyness of a young maiden who had just met her beloved, but it felt more like the pure joy of having chosen the most suitable Imperial Son-in-Law, mixed with a mild frustration at being unable to hide it from her father. Emperor Xingwu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"So it went well?" Suppressing that strange feeling, Emperor Xingwu asked with a smile.

Qingyang: "Of course." Two fifteen-year-olds—Zhang Su liked her even more than she had guessed.

Emperor Xingwu: "I was certain he would agree. Unless, of course, Zhang Su really is a block of wood."

Qingyang glared at her father, then sat down beside him and said, "He even wanted to come to the palace tomorrow to ask for your permission to marry me, but I told him to wait for you to make the decision."

Emperor Xingwu: "Hmm. At the end of the month, we’ll be heading to the Western Garden to escape the heat. I plan to organize a hunting competition. If he wins first place, it will be the perfect opportunity for me to arrange your marriage."

Qingyang frowned: "Hunting sometimes depends on luck. What if he has bad luck and doesn’t…"

Emperor Xingwu waved it off: "Then we’ll see who does win first place. Perhaps it will be someone even more handsome, skilled in martial arts, and of better character than Zhang Su. Wouldn’t that make him more suitable for you?"

Qingyang: "...Don’t joke about my marriage, Father."

Emperor Xingwu sighed and patted his daughter’s head: "I’m just worried that you’re still too young to understand what love between a man and a woman truly is. Seeing your elder sister, eldest brother, second brother, and third brother all get married one after another, you’ve treated finding yourself an Imperial Son-in-Law as a task to be completed as soon as possible. And since there happens to be a Zhang Su by your side who meets all your criteria, you’ve decided to settle it now that you’ve both come of age."

One was a daughter who had been obsessed with books and state affairs since childhood, the other a proper, silent, and etiquette-abiding young man. As an elder, Emperor Xingwu naturally believed the two were a perfect match. But matters between men and women often hinge on a certain chemistry, much like how he had seen many beauties sent by others, yet only Consort Li had captivated him from the moment she appeared.

With a daughter as beautiful as hers, Emperor Xingwu believed Zhang Su had feelings for her. The key question was whether his daughter truly understood.

The young princess, well-read as she was, had indeed never come across passionate tales of romance in her books. So she humbly asked: "Can you tell me about it, Father?"

Emperor Xingwu: "...I’m a man, and my perspective is different from that of women. This is something you should ask your mother."

Qingyang: "...Mother gets nervous whenever she sees you. In private, she doesn’t even dare say a single bad word about you. Is that her love for you?"

Emperor Xingwu snorted: "Your mother also had times when she would blush at the sight of me. It’s just that you weren’t born yet and didn’t have the chance to see it."

Qingyang thought for a moment. When she saw Zhang Su, she only felt happy, but...

She smiled: "Zhang Su blushes in front of me. It’s enough that he has feelings for me, and I happen to like him too."

As for all that talk of love and romance, Qingyang couldn’t be bothered to overthink it. In any case, she had taken a liking to Zhang Su, and he was willing. All that was left was to wait for the imperial decree and the wedding.

"Father, continue reading your memorials. I’m leaving!"

In the blink of an eye, the young princess had dashed out of the Qianyuan Hall.

Emperor Xingwu listened to the sound of his daughter’s retreating footsteps. Then, placing Zhang Su and Consort Li side by side in his thoughts, he felt his daughter’s words made sense.

If the young princess had taken a liking to someone, she might as well claim him first. If she later fancied another man, they could cross that bridge when they came to it.

.

On the thirteenth day of the fifth month, Qingyang, dressed in a crimson python-patterned robe, ran into her eldest brother on the palace path near the Eastern Palace, and together they proceeded to wait outside the Qianyuan Hall for the morning court session.

The siblings lived close by, so they arrived early. Zhang Jie, due to his inherently respectful nature, arrived exceptionally early as well. As a duke, his position among the military officials was particularly high. As for Zhang Su, who held a Third Rank military position and had just returned from a distant campaign, Emperor Xingwu had granted him half a month’s leave, so he was temporarily exempt from attending court.

The summer dawn broke quickly. In the faint morning light, Qingyang approached while observing her prospective Imperial Son-in-Law’s father, the duke.

Zhang Jie bowed to the two royals, keeping his eyes lowered without glancing around.

The young princess found it difficult to determine whether the duke was exceptionally composed and inscrutable or whether Zhang Su was simply too proper and hadn’t informed his parents.

The young princess couldn’t tell, and even Emperor Xingwu, seated on the dragon throne, glanced at Zhang Jie several times—intentionally or not—without gleaning anything. Thus, after the court session, he summoned Zhang Jie to the imperial study.

"Zhang Su and Lin'er grew up together and are now of age. In a little while, I intend to arrange their marriage. Do you consent?"

Zhang Jie replied respectfully, "To have earned Your Majesty’s favor is a blessing for my son and our entire family. I only fear that the princess may not have feelings for my son, which would be a disservice to her."

Emperor Xingwu smiled meaningfully: "Whether Lin'er would feel wronged or not—you should ask your Zhang Su about that."

Zhang Jie: "..."