The bedroom door was knocked twice as Yin Chou’s voice came through, “Princess Consort, it’s getting cold after the rain, would you like an extra quilt? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
Xie Jing paused for a moment in the darkness, then raised his voice to answer: “I’m fine, there’s no need. His Highness is here. Thank you for your concern. Why are you still awake?”
“I got up to retrieve the clothes; they were all soaked by the rain and completely washed in vain,” Yin Chou seemed to smile and said, “His Highness and Princess Consort should also rest early.”
She walked away after saying this. Xie Jing then turned his gaze back to Lu Lingcong, whose fingers felt slightly damp, likely splashed by the rain when he closed the window.
“Why did you come over?” He asked, “Was sleeping on the mat in the east room uncomfortable?”
Lu Lingcong’s feet brushed against Xie Jing’s slightly cool toes inside the quilt, gently rubbing them: “If you say any more of this pointless, contrary talk, I genuinely won’t attend to you anymore.”
Xie Jing rested his head on his arm and smiled: “So, if I don’t say it, you will still attend to me?”
Lu Lingcong deliberately avoided looking at him: “Did you want me to come over? Let’s agree on this first, don’t say anything insincere. I won’t, and neither should you.”
Xie Jing sneered inwardly. This fellow still wanted to play hard to get, but unfortunately, his level was a bit low. It’s just about being direct, who couldn’t do that?
So, he leaned into Lu Lingcong’s arms and said earnestly, “You haven’t spoken to me these past few days, and that made me angry, so I didn’t want you to; but not seeing you, not being able to talk to you… then I did want you to.”
Then he felt Lu Lingcong completely froze up. He stopped making noise, held his breath, and didn’t even bother to put on any expression while lying rigidly beside him as if dead, deaf, and mute.
Xie Jing rolled over onto his back, pulling the quilt up to cover half his face, and began to laugh silently, causing the pillow and bedding to rustle and shake along with him.
Lu Lingcong felt somewhat embarrassed: “What are you laughing at!”
“Teasing you is fun,” Xie Jing let out a few more chuckles. “What kind of logic is that; you get to tease me, but I can’t tease you?”
“I never said you couldn’t tease me,” Lu Lingcong muttered. “You teased me, so why act all spoiled?”
Xie Jing felt very aggrieved: “Heaven and Earth know my heart; I absolutely did not act spoiled. Isn’t it a fact that you haven’t been talking to me these past few days?”
Lu Lingcong thought for a moment: “If it’s not acting spoiled, then it’s turning the tables, the villain making the first accusation.”
Xie Jing felt a bit guilty because Lu Lingcong wasn’t wrong. They slept in separate rooms, avoided each other, and didn’t speak when they met, but Xie Jing hadn’t made the first move to talk to Lu Lingcong either. Subjectively concluding that Lu Lingcong “didn’t want to talk to him” was indeed unfair.
“I don’t care,” he said stubbornly. “You were the one who gave me the cold shoulder and started the cold war first.”
Lu Lingcong didn’t want to accompany him tediously, arguing about this kind of issue, repeating meaningless words. This was too much like flirting and bantering, like the foolish but harmless bickering between lovers, and he found it somewhat strange. So, he simply said, “I was wrong.”
Xie Jing clearly sensed the appeasement in his tone and immediately lost his interest in joking, not daring to say anything more, afraid of becoming bothersome.
He quietly placed his hand over his lower abdomen beneath the quilt. When would things change here? He wondered if it would be a boy or a girl and who it would resemble more, but it would definitely be very adorable and obedient, and most importantly, it would be especially clingy to him. Xie Jing had this intuition, a heart-to-heart connection between mother and child, and he already anticipated the little one’s sweet disposition and lovability.
Lu Lingcong was so patient with his younger sister and Lu Lingzhang, so he should be even more compliant with his own flesh and blood every request. Xie Jing thought to himself that he had been carried away and crossed a line.
Lu Lingcong noticed Xie Jing had suddenly gone quiet, lying still, and realized he’d been seen through, leaving him feeling a bit helpless. To call Xie Jing childish, yet he could instantly read and grasp the intentions in others’ hearts; to call him experienced, yet he often appeared like an immature young master; innocent and willful, his emotions laid bare on his face, quick to anger at a single word, yet equally easy to soothe with just one word.
Before he married him, he was more like the former type: meticulous, calm, mature beyond his years, with every word and action perfectly measured. After marrying him, however, Lu Lingcong always felt as if he had lost the kind of unspoken understanding between him and Xie Jing, where everything was conveyed without words. He couldn’t fathom what the other party was thinking, and Xie Jing also didn’t play by the rules, so he didn’t know how to please him.
Lu Lingcong asked, “Are you angry?”
“No,” Xie Jing said softly, “After this experience, how could I dare to be angry again? Otherwise, you’ll… and I won’t want to talk to you again.”
Lu Lingcong sighed, cast a sideways glance at Xie Jing, bent the arm Xie Jing was resting on as a pillow, and Xie Jing obediently snuggled back into his embrace.
“I regard you as family. Aside from my mother and Zhenzhen, you are my closest family. If you’re willing, you can tell me anything directly; you can say exactly what you want, and it doesn’t matter if you lose your temper. In short, there’s no need to beat around the bush and even less need to worry about gains and losses. Where do grudges last overnight between family members?”
Xie Jing was stunned but then heard Lu Lingcong continue, “I say this because sometimes I don’t restrain my temper or just follow my instincts around you; actually, it’s just because I’m a bit tired and want to be more relaxed in front of my own people. If I’m not careful, I might offend you, but apologizing feels very distant whether beforehand or afterwards, so I thought it would be better to just make it clear to you. This Is my thought; you should also just speak your mind.”
That one phrase, “my own people,” left Xie Jing feeling neither sweet nor bitter. Lu Lingcong was capable of conveying his intentions to others, so Xie Jing could clearly sense that Lu Lingcong was not placating him but genuinely treating him as a more intimate existence—family than an ally, a conspirator, or “grasshoppers on the same rope.”
On one hand, he felt a little flattered, and on the other hand, he felt he was too easily satisfied. After all, even a lover is not necessarily irreplaceable, but family members are those who stick together regardless of status and rely on each other through life and death. Looking at it this way, what he received was more than what he sought, so wasn’t this a fortunate thing?
Xie Jing was silent for a while, then reached out and wrapped his arms around Lu Lingcong’s waist. Lu Lingcong leaned up and hugged him back; Xie Jing’s head gently rubbed against the side of his neck, and he also moved his chin to rub back.
It was a bit like two furry creatures meeting, first sniffing each other’s scent, and once safety was confirmed, moving closer to nudge, cling, and rub against one another, letting the other catch their scent as well.
To put it plainly, they were still “their own people”.
After cuddling for a while, Xie Jing suddenly said, “I am willing.”
Lu Lingcong paused, then realized that Xie Jing was answering that he was willing to be regarded by Lu Lingcong as his closest family member besides his mother and younger sister.
Perhaps it could be further extended: he was also willing for Lu Lingcong to become his closest family member besides his parents, older brother, and sister-in-law.
Once drawn into the conversation by him, Xie Jing’s initial drowsiness had mostly vanished. Remembering the serious matters, he asked, “Has Zhong Zhao replied? What is the background of that palace eunuch we met in the Star-Plucking Tower?”
Lu Lingcong lowered his voice: “He replied, but I didn’t have a chance to tell you. That person has a birthmark on his left elbow, right? Zhong Zhao investigated and discovered he’s a junior eunuch in Shenlong Hall, from a poor family, and must have secured the chance to serve the emperor by attaching himself to some high-ranking officials. Zhong Zhao checked the duty roster, and when I mentioned wanting to go hunting at Shenlong Hall, he was one of the two on duty there. He must have relayed this information to the master behind him, who had a private arrangement with Xu Yi, the Prefect of Liangzhou. Xu Yi sent retainers to my side by pretending to leave the city with me to track my movements, which then led to the assassination incident at Mount Tang.”
“Miss Xiao mentioned that Xu Yi communicated with someone in the palace, so is this eunuch’s master also someone from the palace?”
Lu Lingcong nodded: “Otherwise, with Xuanshi’s capabilities, it wouldn’t be so difficult to investigate in the palace.”
Xie Jing said, “But tracing the source of the leak is still useful. You now know it wasn’t His Majesty scheming against you, so you can rest a little easier for the time being.”
Lu Lingcong paused, and after a moment of hesitation, said, “What if his master is…?”
Xie Jing frowned, “That night at the Mount Tang manor, I did hint to you that if it was confirmed there were no outsiders before His Majesty and no eavesdroppers, then it could only mean His Majesty had resolved to act against you. But that was merely elimination; the only possibility left when all else failed. I know you don’t trust the father-son relationship of the imperial family, but now that the source is confirmed to be that eunuch, His Majesty’s suspicion can naturally be cleared. Why would he kill you? If he were to kill you, the Second Prince would become the sole candidate for crown prince, and he could never allow the Wang family to seize power by controlling the heir.”
Lu Lingcong pondered briefly and followed his line of reasoning: “According to your logic, it’s also unlikely that his master is Empress Mother. Lingzhang is young, and Empress Mother is wary of Emperor Father, constantly watching his expression. If I were to make a fuss about the assassination attempt and Emperor Father investigated this layer—someone from the palace trying to kill me, Empress Mother would be the first suspect. She isn’t that foolish, nor would she do such a useless thing.”
He hissed, “But I truly can’t figure out who it could be. Since that person could mobilize soldiers to force us away, their background must be significant. But besides the Emperor Father and Empress Mother, whose taboos could I have violated in the palace?”
Xie Jing said, “Perhaps we can start by looking into Xu Yi’s identity. This ‘master’ who seeks him out must have a special reason. Do you know Xu Yi’s background in detail?”
Lu Lingcong recalled, “He was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination during the late emperor’s reign, later entered the Eastern Palace, and was quite valued after my father ascended the throne. However, in the last years of Jianning, he was implicated in a major case and demoted to Liangzhou.”
“What major case?”
Lu Lingcong shook his head: “You and I were still young then, and the matter was kept a deep secret in the palace. I don’t know the specifics; I only know that it triggered a major change in the court’s power structure. The Xiao clan of Lanling, the family of the current Empress Dowager and my grandmother, was severely hit; their power structure almost collapsed overnight, and soon after, they moved their entire family back to their ancestral home. The Wang clan of Langya, the Cui of Qinghe, and others who gained merit in this incident, without the suppression of the Xiao family, regained their right to speak, especially the former, who gradually gained power due to Empress Mother and Lingzhang. The court officials also underwent a thorough reshuffle. Even the former officials of the Eastern Palace suffered vastly different outcomes due to differing loyalties. For example, Grand Tutor Zhang, whom you are familiar with, became a high official trusted by the Emperor Father after this while people like Xu Yi and my teacher He Gao were respectively relegated to Liangzhou and Yongzhou.”
Xie Jing had not heard his father or elder brother mention this matter. Perhaps because Xie Yi was an admonishing official, the Xie clan of Chen Commandery did not participate in this “coup” without smoke from beginning to end. But he thought this must have affected his father. Xie Yi and his eldest son had already entered officialdom and could no longer extricate themselves, yet he raised his second son in his hometown far from the capital, and the reason might lie here. It was just that life was unpredictable, and he had ultimately failed his father’s earnest efforts.
Not long after, he caught another detail and mumbled, “The Xiao clan of Lanling… Miss Xiao?”
Lu Lingcong spread his hands: “The ‘Xuanshi’ also vanished exactly after that major case. But Xiao Yao is extremely cautious. Even though I’ve known her for many years, I only know she comes from the Xiao clan of Lanling. As for where she obtained the Flying Light Dagger and how she took over the power of Xuanshi, I have no clue at all.”
During a previous casual conversation, Xie Jing had also casually asked Yin Chou, who was also from the Star-Plucking Tower, if she knew Xiao Yao’s background, but Yin Chou said that Xiao Yao had almost no interaction with the other girls in the Tower and that she herself did not know.
“So, what condition did she set for you in order to have Xuanshi used by you?” After asking, Xie Jing subconsciously added, “Can I ask that?”
Lu Lingcong smiled, “I think you can guess.”
Xie Jing thought for a moment: “If you become the emperor someday, you must ensure the safety and prosperity of the Xiao family?”
Lu Lingcong tacitly agreed. Xie Jing sat in silence with scattered thoughts for a while, then suddenly said, “When Emperor Gaozong established the imperial examinations to select officials, his original intention was to gather all power in the world into the hands of the emperor. But he probably didn’t foresee that a hundred or so years later; the court is only barely forming a situation of competing powers. Those from aristocratic and powerful clans, like Prime Minister Wang, Grand Commandant Cui, and my father, and those from humble backgrounds who succeeded in the exams, like Grand Tutor Zhang, Xu Yi, and your esteemed master, will likely find it difficult to determine who will win or lose in the foreseeable future.”
“Since the day that prominent commandery surnames were no longer a panacea and a death-exemption badge,” Lu Lingcong sighed and said, “countless people began to painstakingly scheme for their families and clans in an attempt to slow down and lessen the loss of the power, wealth, and land accumulated by their ancestors.”
Xie Jing felt a sense of melancholy. He could completely understand Xiao Yao’s act of gambling her life and fortune with the cost merely being to have Lu Lingcong ensure the Xiao clan’s prosperity and safety. They shared the same background; their thoughts and every move were tied to the fate of their entire clan.
“There is something I was originally hesitant about telling you, but since the conversation has led us here today, I might as well mention it all at once.”
He paused, “I want to ask for your help.”
Lu Lingcong raised an eyebrow as he saw Xie Jing lift his head from his embrace, his eyes wide and shining as they met his. He asked in surprise, “Tell me about it?”
Xie Jing considered his words carefully: “You should also know… although the Xie family is not comparable to the palace or the Prince’s Mansion, we do have some family assets.”
Lu Lingcong nodded.
The Xie family’s property on Wuyi Lane is their ancestral home, quite old, with a building that is modest and far from extravagant. Later generations only carried out routine repairs without adding conspicuous carvings or ornate paintings, nor did they acquire other private residences elsewhere in the capital. Judging solely from the façade, it’s actually impossible to tell the extent of the family’s wealth.
However, Lu Lingcong had seen quite a few rare cultural treasures in the Xie family’s house. Even the tea sets casually displayed in the main hall for guests were priceless, unique pieces. Those are clearly not obtained simply through wealth but amassed and preserved over generations.
Coupled with Xie Jing’s usual spending habits, it was very clear: the Xie family was not without wealth; they just didn’t flaunt it or draw attention to it.
Lu Lingcong just hadn’t expected Xie Jing to actually talk to him about this kind of matter. He had stereotypically thought his princess consort would sneer at the smell of silver, and Xie Jing was someone who was very measured, sensitive, and cautious. For him to open up about wealth, it seemed he had genuinely taken Lu Lingcong’s words about being “family” to heart.
Xie Jing shifted into a more comfortable position and continued, “Over the past century, fewer and fewer members of the Xie clan stayed in the ancestral home with most relocating to the capital and the royal domain. The land north of the river was left vacant and uncultivated, so my great-grandfather recruited many tenant farmers, asking them to move their families there to settle on the land, prosper, and multiply. The tenants pay rent and taxes, while the rest they can manage themselves.”
“But everyone there is from a farming background, and no one in the Xie family has the mind for business. Over time, when too much grain is grown, it piles up and can’t be sold, rotting in the fields and going to waste. However, if too little is planted, the land lies fallow for no gain, and there’s also the risk of encountering a year of famine. It’s always difficult to manage.”
Lu Lingcong understood what he meant, “You want to utilize my maternal uncle’s family’s trading houses and caravans?”
Xie Jing hurriedly said, “It’s just doing business in a professional manner, which counts as a win-win for both families. I don’t understand the minute details, such as how to turn over capital and how to split the profits. My elder brother handles all those decisions. I’m just relaying a message in the middle.”
Lu Lingcong pondered for a moment. Unexpectedly, he didn’t ask anything and replied, “When I get up tomorrow, I will send a message to the Wu family. Going directly to the managers below them will be faster in speaking and handling the business as they are more familiar with these specifics than my uncle.”
Xie Jing was stunned and said, “It would be more proper for me to personally make a trip to the Wu family. Thanking them face-to-face shows more sincerity.”
Lu Lingcong waved his hand: “No need. Merchant families don’t care for those superficial formalities.”
Xie Jing frowned, “My gratitude is sincere, how is that superficial?”
Lu Lingcong pressed him down and consoled him, “No, what I mean is that I’m asking this of him, not you. You don’t need to show your face at all, and you certainly don’t need to feel like you owe him a favor either.”
Xie Jing’s ears felt a little warm. He quietly said, “Oh,” and after a moment, added, “In that case, I won’t thank you excessively either.”
Lu Lingcong asked again, “Why are you suddenly concerned about this?”
Xie Jing was silent for a while, then said, “When I returned to the mansion a few days ago, I happened to overhear my elder brother and the steward discussing it, so I thought I could help out a little if possible.”
He looked at Lu Lingcong and smiled faintly: “If you hadn’t said those things just now, I would never have been able to ask this.”
Lu Lingcong also smiled. Xie Jing observed his natural expression but felt a bit uneasy. He actually had a selfish motive.
Of course, the reason he gave Lu Lingcong wasn’t false; he truly wanted to help his family establish connections. But apart from that, there was another reason not to be spoken to outsiders—it was for the child he had not yet given birth to.
Xie Jing could not be certain whether he and Lu Lingcong would have any more children later. If not, and if this pregnancy were a daughter, he would have to carefully plan every detail of her entire life.
He was not worried that Lu Lingcong would mistreat the child because it was a daughter, but the unchangeable fact was that Lu Lingcong’s princely title and fiefdom could not and would not be inherited by a daughter.
The palace could not possibly allow Prince Zhao’s Mansion to be without an heir. The empress had stated on their wedding day that if Xie Jing could give birth, then so be it. If not, whether it was adopting a son born to a concubine or fostering a son from the imperial clan, in any case, there must ultimately be a boy to inherit the title.
At that time, how should his daughter conduct herself?
This was something he desired to help with but was powerless to change. At most, Lu Lingcong could choose a husband who was suitable and satisfactory for her and give her the most generous dowry possible, and this was based on the premise that Lu Lingcong actually had this authority. The greater probability was that their daughter would also repeat their failure, born to bear the responsibility of an “imperial daughter,” and for various reasons, marry a complete stranger.
Xie Jing clearly understood that he could not shake these old institutions. Confronting the ancestral laws head-on was the most meaningless and foolish act; only rigid people would dwell on such dead ends, and he would not waste that time.
Therefore, it was better to plan ahead and prepare for a rainy day. Although he had married out of the Xie family, he was not a daughter after all, and there were only him and his elder brother in his generation, so there was still room for him to share a portion of everything. If this grain trading venture succeeded, there would also be a commission going into his own pocket. While he couldn’t say it would be a lot, at least it wouldn’t be too embarrassing either.
This was why he told his elder brother not to rush to hire brokers to manage the business but to wait for him to return and ask for the Wu family’s opinion first. Without intermediary, many matters would be more direct, convenient, and reassuring.
This income, along with his not-so-large monthly salary and a portion moved out of his dowry, would also be put into the money house to earn interest. A daughter would have to reach the age of fifteen before being promised to someone. Counting from now on, he will have at least sixteen full years. The accumulated sum over sixteen years would certainly be considerable. At that time, purchasing land and property and placing them under his daughter’s name; separate from her dowry and not transferred to her husband’s family, would provide her with lifelong security.
These were calculations—or rather, not calculations. Xie Jing could imagine that if Lu Lingcong knew he was pregnant, he would also consider this and start making arrangements. But they hadn’t reached the point of being one heart and soul where ‘you are me, and I am you,’ after all, so being clearer about certain things wouldn’t cause any harm.
A few months ago, Xie Jing would never have imagined putting his mind to these things. He had always had little notion of parenthood, only a vague idea of what it entailed; like his father’s words the night before his wedding, but he found it hard to empathize or fully comprehend, feeling as if he had been reluctantly thrust into it.
It was only now that he understood the emotion of worrying about everything, being bewildered by everything yet being careful about everything, which is called, “The love of parents for their child drives them to plan for the distant future.”
