No Adventures
The Bai family's generous virtue — a magnanimity that accorded with the hearts of all people under heaven. The righteousness and compassion that cradled the whole world in one breast. Was that not, after all, precisely the virtue required of the one who sat upon that lofty seat?
Whether the Grand Princess was paving the road in advance for the Seventh Young Master Bai Qingjue, or whether she herself intended to become Empress Regnant, Qi Zhengyu was more than willing to devote this one body of his — to pave her road with his own flesh and blood. Even if the road's end was death, he would have no regrets.
* * *
When Bai Jingyan returned to Qinghui Court, Physician Hong had already been waiting inside for quite some time.
"Your Highness, Physician Hong is here."
Nanny Dong, who had come out to meet Bai Jingyan, announced.
Hearing the word that Bai Jingyan had returned, Physician Hong stepped over the threshold and offered his greeting.
"Commandery Princess."
Chun Tao couldn't hold back a low chuckle.
"Back home, the way people address you changes every other moment. One minute it's 'Commandery Princess,' the next it's 'Your Highness.'"
Bai Jingyan guided Physician Hong inside with a smile.
"Physician Hong, just call me Gounang."
Once they entered the room, Chun Xing — whose mind had been wandering elsewhere all day — served tea to Physician Hong, then withdrew to the upper quarters with Nanny Dong, leaving Chun Tao waiting at the entrance for instructions.
After taking Bai Jingyan's pulse, Physician Hong lowered his voice as far as it would go.
"The poison in the Emperor of Great Yan's body is a very strange one. The symptoms during his fits resembled a deadly poison called Ipgeop, yet at other times they looked like Chilseongsan. When I examined his pulse, it seemed there might be Guhoncho as well. I suspect the reason previous physicians could not diagnose the Emperor of Yan's condition is that these three toxins have been interacting and fusing within his body, transforming into an entirely new poison. That is why no one could determine what poison it actually was. Above all, the antidote is extraordinarily delicate — if the dosage is miscalculated by even the slightest degree, it could snuff out the Emperor's life in an instant."
Then this affair was surely tied to some hidden secret of the Great Yan imperial house.
Bai Jingyan tapped her fingers lightly against the table.
"Is there a way to treat him?"
"There is."
Physician Hong nodded and tucked away his pulse pillow.
"But since this concerns the Emperor of Great Yan, treating him would be tantamount to staking an entire nation. I am, after all, a man of Jin, and the Emperor of Yan seemed to hesitate a great deal on that account. He said he would deliberate for a few days, but in the end I imagine he will give up on the treatment."
Bai Jingyan thought differently. She lifted her teacup, took a slow sip, and asked.
"If the Emperor of Yan decides to entrust himself to your care, Physician Hong, what are the odds of success?"
In the candlelit room, Physician Hong held up two fingers.
"Twenty percent."
"Even so, prepare in advance, just in case. There's always the chance the Emperor of Yan will choose to be treated."
Bai Jingyan studied Physician Hong for a moment, then asked.
"Physician Hong — there's something more you wished to say, isn't there?"
Physician Hong dropped his voice even lower.
"Today, at the place where the Emperor of Yan is staying, I saw a Rongdi man dressed in commoner's clothes. When I went in…… a Rongdi man dressed like a vegetable merchant was bowing his thanks and taking his leave. In my estimation, Great Yan means to aid the Rongdi. Whether they intend to help the Northern Rong or the Southern Rong, I can't say."
Even after hearing this, Bai Jingyan's expression remained calm.
Xiao Rongyan was a man of superb, calculating foresight. As far as she knew of what advantages would come from aiding the Rongdi now, Xiao Rongyan would certainly have reasoned through the same.
At present, the envoys of both the Northern Rong and the Southern Rong were in Dadu. The Jin Emperor's stance was exceedingly ambiguous. He had neither declared he would send troops to aid the Northern Rong, nor stated that he would maintain neutrality. The Southern Rong had settled securely into its position, leaving only the Northern Rong anxiously begging for help on every side.
The Jin Emperor harbored no ambitions for the world. Preserving the prosperity and stability before his eyes was enough to satisfy him completely. And so the Emperor of Jin could not dare to take a risk. Nor should he!
But Great Yan was different. Xiao Rongyan's boldness and vision encompassed all under heaven. He would take the gamble, whatever it cost.
Moreover, whether Great Yan would aid the Southern Rong or the Northern Rong was perfectly clear.
The Rongdi Emperor had suffered a grave injury while hunting and passed away in his traveling palace. By all rights, the Crown Prince should have ascended the throne. But the Rongdi Emperor's younger brother, Afumu, held in his hands an imperial edict — one claiming the Emperor had passed the throne to him. It was a seat that lacked any legitimacy.
When Great Yan reclaimed Nanyan, it had raised the banner of legitimate governance. Great Yan, therefore, could only aid the Northern Rong, the legitimate line of the Rongdi. Only then would they have justification for intervening.
Yet even this was a tremendous gamble for Great Yan. If Great Yan dispatched troops into Rongdi territory and another nation invaded Yan in the meantime, Yan would find itself in dire straits.
The pity was that she had no troops to deploy at this moment. If only she had the forces…… Now was the very best time to reap profit from the Rongdi — a golden opportunity to plant her own soldiers on Rongdi soil amid the chaos.
Bai Jingyan clenched her fist tightly. Once an opportunity slipped away, it did not come again easily. But she held nothing in her hands at present. She could not split herself in two, and if she forcibly sent troops as the Rongdi's ally, her true intentions would be laid bare.
She let out a soft sigh.
"Physician Hong, thank you for your trouble. Go get some rest early tonight."
Physician Hong nodded, then offered a word of caution.
"Your Highness's health has improved somewhat, but you are still weaker than an ordinary person. I'll write out a few tonic prescriptions for Nanny Dong, so that they can be prepared for you daily."
"Thank you, Physician Hong."
Bai Jingyan smiled and called Chun Tao to see Physician Hong out, then summoned Nanny Zhang.
Nanny Zhang came in bearing swallow's nest cakes and coaxed Bai Jingyan to eat a little, as one might humor a child.
"While I was away, did Chun Xing do her work properly? In your opinion, Nanny?"
Bai Jingyan popped a piece of swallow's nest cake into her mouth, lifted her teacup, and asked Nanny Dong in a low voice.
"She does well. She handles things calmly and capably. But she never does more than that."
There was a hidden meaning in Nanny Dong's words. She never undertook tasks outside her allotted duties — meaning that even if something urgent arose, she would never extend a hand unless it was her own affair.
A servant like that would attend to daily care well enough, but nothing more could be hoped of her.
Yet what Bai Jingyan needed was a capable maid. Chun Xing wasn't bad, but she was not suited to serving her personally.
Once Chun Xing married, the position of head maid would fall vacant, so a suitable replacement would have to be found.
Bai Jingyan took a sip of tea, fell briefly silent, then asked.
"Chun Xing looks to be about sixteen this year."
"Your Highness, she's seventeen."
Nanny Dong grasped Bai Jingyan's meaning at once.
"Your Highness — you mean to send Chun Xing off?"
Bai Jingyan nodded. Tracing the rim of her teacup with a finger, she mentally reviewed Chun Xing's family circumstances, then smiled lightly.
"You have a good eye for people, Nanny, so find her a solid match. Not a household tangled up with complicated relations, but one that's comfortably well-off, with in-laws who are decent folk. But Chun Xing has to be willing too, so keep that in mind."
"Rest assured, Your Highness. This servant will see to Chun Gounang's marriage with the utmost care."
Before retiring for the night, Bai Jingyan added weight to her sandbags and practiced horse stance in the courtyard. She needed to take up the Sun-Shooting Bow again as soon as possible.
When she finished her practice, Chun Tao, as always, attended her bath.
Though Chun Xing was not on duty that night, for some reason she stayed instead of going to rest, and trimmed Bai Jingyan's hair for her.
Chun Xing had gone white with shock when Nanny Dong told her that the Gounang meant to marry her off. She had believed her mistress had simply grown tired of her. But Nanny Dong had said she would only be sent away with her own consent — that the Gounang had given special instructions. Hearing this, Chun Xing had been beside herself with joy.
She had sworn that the Gounang would never marry in her lifetime. She couldn't even dare hope to follow her as a secondary bride when she did. Chun Xing had never wanted to remain unmarried at the Gounang's side for the rest of her days.
Chun Xing was not a great beauty, but she was still quite pretty. A few days ago, when the Gounang was invested as Commandery Princess, her own value had risen along with her — for she was now the head maid of a Commandery Princess.
Two days earlier, her mother had come to visit, saying that Madam Wang from next door and an official from the Ministry of Revenue had come calling. The secondary wife of the Minister's concubine-born son had suffered a difficult labor last month and could bear no more children, and the Minister's household was searching for a commoner-born concubine for the son.
Because Madam Wang and the official's wife were close acquaintances, they had recommended Chun Xing, who served in the Zhenguo Commandery Princess's estate. But it turned out Chun Xing already had a betrothal contract.
Hearing this, the official from the Ministry had immediately turned to leave — but Madam Wang had stopped him. With a glib tongue, she had gone on and on about what a fine young woman Chun Xing was, how dearly the Commandery Princess favored her, and insisted that if one only spoke well to Her Highness, she would surely dissolve the betrothal contract.
Chun Xing's mother, too, afraid such a good match might slip away, had given her firm assurance that the Commandery Princess would certainly permit it, uncertain though the matter was. Only then had the official said that, for Madam Wang's sake if nothing else, if Chun Xing's betrothal were rescinded, he would pursue the match.
Chun Xing's mother had agreed at once, then hurried off to find Chun Xing and persuade her — that only by becoming the secondary bride of a distinguished minister's house could her two younger brothers afford to study.
When Chun Xing heard this, her heart had pounded fiercely. She had seen the Ministry of Revenue's concubine-born son once before.
It was a few days before the Gounang returned — the day she had asked the Madam's leave to visit home briefly. On the way there, she had lost her purse without realizing it and tried to buy something, only to find she could not pay. Just as she was being accused of theft, the Ministry's concubine-born son had stepped forward and come to her aid.
Chun Xing was certain the young man had fallen for her at first sight that day.
When Chun Xing did not refuse, her mother told her to beg the Commandery Princess to dissolve the betrothal contract and come home. If she followed Her Highness to Suyang, she would be unable to look after the family.
And so Chun Xing had spent days agonizing over how to broach the matter with Her Highness — and then, of all things, Her Highness had used her privilege to ask Nanny Dong to find her a good household. Chun Xing resolved that rather than wait, she would simply ask the Commandery Princess now to dissolve her betrothal.
Bai Jingyan leaned against the couch by the window, a book in one hand and a celadon porcelain teacup painted with lotus blossoms in the other. She did not ask why Chun Xing was being so unusually attentive today.
After Chun Tao finished arranging Bai Jingyan's hair and withdrew, Chun Xing knelt down at Bai Jingyan's feet and spoke carefully.
"Commandery Princess……"
"Call me Gounang."
Bai Jingyan set down her teacup and turned a page of her book.
"Is there something you wish to say?"
Chun Xing bit her lower lip.
"Yes… when Your Highness returns to Suyang in early summer, my father and mother will both still be here, so I beg Your Highness to dissolve my betrothal contract……"
Looking down at Chun Xing, still bowed low in her kowtow, Bai Jingyan answered in a quiet voice.
"You attended me faithfully, so I won't simply cast you aside. Nanny Dong will find you a good household, and when the wedding is arranged, she'll return the betrothal contract to you. Don't be in such a hurry."
Bai Jingyan paused for a moment, then asked.
"Do you, by chance, have a man in your heart?"
"Gounang, the truth is… my mother has been looking into a marriage for me."
Even as she spoke, Chun Xing's ears turned scarlet.
Truthfully, this was not something she should have said. She was a maidservant already sold into service — her parents had no right to arrange her marriage. Whom she married rested solely upon a single word from her mistress.