Back then, Zhan Buxiu had said he wanted to return to their original residence. But before Shang Xiguan’s property was confiscated, that estate was still under his name. Moreover, it had already been rented out and turned into a pleasure house. In Meng Xizhao’s opinion, unless it was “cleansed” for at least three to five years, it would not even be fit for living.
…
So he cautiously asked Zhan Buxiu whether they would accept a new residence granted in the Crown Prince’s name. Meng Xizhao had fully expected to be refused—but to his surprise, Zhan Buxiu agreed immediately.
That left Meng Xizhao a little stunned. Still, agreement was good. It meant that Zhan Buxiu was gradually stepping out from the shadows of the past.
Letting go of obsession—now that was a good thing.
On the day the Zhan family moved back into the inner city, aside from Meng Xizhao’s parents, all the other young masters and ladies of the Meng family came. Meng Xizhao and Meng Xi’ang chatted in the front courtyard, while Meng Jiaojiao went to the rear courtyard to inspect Zhan Hui’s new residence.
This new estate had originally been prepared by the Emperor of Tianshou for another of his fathers-in-law—the father of Consort Shu. Consort Shu was young, pampered, and from a distinguished background, offering a different kind of appeal to the emperor. As such, he had invested quite a bit into the property.
Now that Cui Ye had intercepted it, Meng Xizhao had gone to the imperial treasury and, without hesitation, selected a large number of items to furnish the new home.
Others did not know what these items were—but the Zhan family did.
They were all things that had once been confiscated from their own household.
The Zhan family had been a military lineage, with considerable wealth. Meng Xizhao had searched carefully for a long time, yet only managed to recover about two-thirds. The remaining third had either been rewarded by the Emperor of Tianshou to others or quietly taken by unknown hands.
Naturally, Meng Jiaojiao knew nothing of this. She simply looked around critically. After a long while, she finally nodded with some reluctance. “Now this place barely matches A’Hui.”
Zhan Hui smiled lightly. “You know I have never cared about such material things.”
Meng Jiaojiao blinked, lifted her skirt, and trotted over to sit beside her. “I know you do not care—but like my mother says, you may not like these things, but you cannot be without them.”
Zhan Hui paused, then replied, “Madam Meng is wise. I cannot compare.”
Meng Jiaojiao muttered, “My mother’s fierceness—you cannot compare either. No woman in the world can…”
Zhan Hui: “……”
Though Madam Meng had not come today, Zhan Hui quickly changed the subject, afraid Meng Jiaojiao might say something too unguarded that would somehow make its way back to her mother. “I heard from my brother that Xie Sheren is also coming today. Shall I help arrange for the two of you to meet?”
Meng Jiaojiao waved her hand magnanimously. “No need, no need. I came today to accompany you. Why would I go see him? Besides, we are already betrothed—why rush something like that?”
Zhan Hui was momentarily speechless. Xie Sheren had no direct connection with her brother. Although both of them were close to Meng Xizhao, the two had barely exchanged a word. After what happened during the hunting event, and now that Xie Sheren had become the future son-in-law of the Meng family, their relationship had only grown more awkward.
Even though everyone knew it had all stemmed from a joke that turned into a rumor, in this era, the people involved would still care about such things to some extent.
Today, Xie Sheren had not avoided the situation. He even brought gifts and red envelopes to visit. Zhan Hui did not believe he had come to reconcile with her brother—he must have known that Meng Jiaojiao, as her close friend, would definitely be here, and had come along to see her.
Zhan Hui understood this perfectly, but said nothing. After all, Meng Jiaojiao was her only close friend in this lifetime. Once she married, it would be difficult for them to meet as often as before. Zhan Hui had her own small thoughts as well—she could not help but want to take a tiny bit of revenge on the person who had, in the blink of an eye, taken her friend away.
Since the Zhan family had only just returned and had no female elders at home, all the guests who came to offer congratulations today were men. This actually made things more convenient for Zhan Hui and Meng Jiaojiao—they could chat freely in private.
Meng Jiaojiao firmly believed she had perfected the art of being a noble lady, so she was eager to pass all her experience on to Zhan Hui—how to speak to others, how to reward servants, how to respond when people made passive-aggressive remarks…
She thought Zhan Hui, having grown up in the outer city, had no understanding of the dangers of high society, and feared she would suffer losses. So she lectured her earnestly, over and over again. Yet no matter how much she taught, she still worried something might go wrong. After all, Zhan Hui had neither a mother nor a grandmother. If those noblewomen had designs on her, they would likely come straight to her.
If noble young ladies were wolves and tigers, then married noblewomen were demons and monsters.
Zhan Hui: “…………”
No matter what Meng Jiaojiao said, Zhan Hui listened patiently, responding with a gentle demeanor. Pleased by this, Meng Jiaojiao grew more animated, saying whatever came to mind.
When it came to political shifts, she did not know much. But when it came to high society gossip, she knew more than anyone.
Sometimes, she even knew things before the people directly involved.
For example, among the most sought-after noble young ladies in Yingti Prefecture, Meng Jiaojiao herself had once ranked first. But after her betrothal, that position had gone to the third young lady of the Situ family. Having just come of age, and with her grandfather poised to shine in the new regime, nearly every family with eligible sons wanted to marry her.
The second was the daughter of Censor Jiang. Rumor had it that Censor Jiang would be promoted after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, so many were already planning to attach themselves to his family.
Zhan Hui was not yet on the list—but that was only because people did not yet know of her beauty, nor had the Zhan family fully risen in prominence. Give it a few more days, and once things settled, people would realize that Zhan Hui was the most desirable match of all.
Zhan Hui listened with a faint smile. In the past, hearing Meng Jiaojiao praise her like this would have made her blush uncontrollably. But now, it no longer affected her—she had heard it so often her ears had practically grown calluses.
…
After listing the noble ladies, Meng Jiaojiao moved right along to rattling off the eligible young gentlemen. And in her ranking, Meng Xizhao firmly sat at number one.
Though anything coming out of Meng Jiaojiao’s mouth usually sounded unreliable, this time she was not exaggerating. Meng Xizhao had become the most sought-after son-in-law in Yingtiān Prefecture.
Forget what kind of person he used to be. Forget that his household was supposedly managed by two maidservants rumored to be “honored concubines.” Right now, he was the Crown Prince’s absolute favorite—his top favorite. If all the officials were ranked by how much the Crown Prince favored them, Meng Xizhao would be far ahead of everyone else, leaving second place hundreds of miles behind.
If no one made a move now, then when?
Especially after news spread of Meng Jiaojiao’s engagement to Xie Yuan, outsiders did not care whether the two had any affection for each other. They only thought one thing:
The Meng family was cunning.
Nothing had even happened yet, and they were already forming alliances.
As die-hard supporters of the Crown Prince, they had now also married into the Crown Prince’s maternal family. From this point forward, their entire household would be firmly tied to the Crown Prince. Doing this at such a critical time—was that not a blatant declaration of loyalty?
Having Meng Xizhao alone was not enough—they were even sending out their only daughter to strengthen their position. Meng Jiuyu… truly terrifying.
…
As for how aggrieved Meng Jiuyu felt when he heard these rumors and complained to his wife—no one cared.
Everyone else was thinking: if the Meng family was eating meat, they would at least drink some soup.
The most refined and promising candidate, Xie Yuan, was already out of reach. But was there not still Xie Yun? And even if one could not marry into the Xie family, marrying into the Meng family would not be bad either.
Aside from his poor reputation, Meng Xizhao had almost no flaws.
Young, capable, handsome—and ever since he entered officialdom, he rarely frequented pleasure quarters anymore. At most, he occasionally visited an old courtesan acquaintance.
From a certain perspective… that could even be called devotion.
…
And so, families hoping to marry their daughters to Meng Xizhao all sprang into action. In her entire life, Madam Meng had likely never seen so many invitations and calling cards.
Some of the candidates were indeed excellent—so much so that Madam Meng was tempted. This time, she did not dare decide on her own. Instead, she had someone summon Meng Xizhao back from the Eastern Palace to discuss it.
Despite his busy schedule, Meng Xizhao made time to return. Upon hearing the matter, he could not help but laugh.
“Mother, do not concern yourself with this anymore. No matter who brings it up, just refuse them.”
Madam Meng hesitated. “But these two families are truly very good…”
Meng Xizhao glanced at the birth charts on the table and shook his head. “Not as good as the one I have in mind.”
Madam Meng blinked slowly—then suddenly understood.
She leapt to her feet in delight. “Erlang, you have someone in mind?! Which family’s daughter is she? Tell me—I will go arrange the proposal immediately!”
Meng Xizhao: “…………”
After a pause, he said, “When the time comes, I will tell you.”
Madam Meng frowned. “It would not be that Sang Fanyu, would it?”
Heavens above—the Meng family was, after all, a scholarly household. If Meng Xizhao truly married a courtesan as his legal wife, this—this…
Madam Meng nearly fainted.
But this was the first time Meng Xizhao had shown any intention of settling down. She did not dare faint—what if the opportunity slipped away?
Even if she were a courtesan… as long as she was a good girl, it would not matter!
Meng Xizhao shot her a speechless look, completely unaware of the storm of thoughts in her mind.
“No! How many times have I said it? Sang Fanyu and I are just friends. Back then, I stayed close to her to help His Majesty keep up appearances. Besides, she would never fancy someone like me.”
Only then did Madam Meng relax.
But halfway through her relief, suspicion returned.
“If not her, then why are you being so secretive? Could it be she is not from a respectable family?”
Meng Xizhao: “……”
“She is from a good family. Did you not always want me to marry someone of equal standing? She is exactly that. It is just that the situation is complicated right now. Once things settle, I will take you to meet him.”
Madam Meng: “…………”
The more he spoke, the more unsettled she felt.
Equal standing to the Meng family.
The situation is complicated.
And once things settle… instead of bringing her home or arranging a formal proposal, he would have both parents go meet this person???
What kind of young lady would require Meng Jiuyu himself to pay a visit?!
A horrifying thought crept into Madam Meng’s mind.
Erlang… could it be…
Could he have set his sights on one of the Emperor’s consorts?!
＊
Meanwhile, Meng Xizhao returned to the Eastern Palace.
Though he appeared calm, he was inwardly uneasy.
He knew exactly how jealous Cui Ye could be. If this news had reached him, then it must have reached Cui Ye days earlier.
Yet Cui Ye had been unusually calm these past few days.
Which made Meng Xizhao all the more certain—something was coming.
Back at the palace, he did not see Cui Ye. Asking a palace attendant, he learned the Crown Prince had gone to the Great Xiangguo Temple to pray for Emperor Tianshou.
As long as Emperor Tianshou lived, the Crown Prince would have to keep playing the role of the dutiful son.
Meng Xizhao gave a simple acknowledgment. He intended to handle some official business, but could not focus. Instead, he went out for a walk.
Just then, he ran into Yu Fulan returning from outside. Seeing Meng Xizhao, Yu Fulan started in surprise and quickly bowed.
Meng Xizhao asked, “Where have you been?”
Yu Fulan paused briefly, then replied calmly, “The Bureau of Attire. Director Wei has finished embroidering the imperial ceremonial robes and wishes for His Highness to inspect them.”
Since the funeral arrangements were already being prepared in advance, the enthronement ceremony naturally had to be prepared as well. The most important part was the new emperor’s attire. The Bureau of Attire was working through the night, racing against time.
They needed to prepare the garments ahead of time, leaving only the dragon’s eyes unfinished—specifically, they would embroider the dragon’s body but leave the eyes blank. Only after the late emperor’s mourning period ended would they stitch in the eyes, symbolizing respect and reverence for the deceased ruler.
Meng Xizhao had no particular thoughts about this kind of ritualistic formality. Still, hearing that the robes were already finished surprised him. After all, it had only been a little over a month. He had seen past records—properly embroidering a dragon robe usually took at least three months.
Since Cui Ye would not be back anytime soon, Meng Xizhao decided to take a look on his behalf.
Yu Fulan hesitated. “Uh…”
Meng Xizhao narrowed his eyes. “What, I cannot go?”
Yu Fulan: “Uh…………”
Meng Xizhao immediately understood.
Yu Fulan would never hesitate like this on his own—this had to be Cui Ye’s instruction.
The more unusual the situation, the more suspicious it became. Originally, Meng Xizhao did not particularly need to go, but now, seeing Yu Fulan’s reaction, he felt he absolutely had to.
The Bureau of Attire was not far. After giving Yu Fulan—who looked completely stiff—a glance, Meng Xizhao turned and left.
Yu Fulan groaned inwardly but had no choice except to follow.
When they arrived and entered the chamber where the ceremonial robes were kept, the embroiderers—unused to seeing high officials—were startled and quickly bowed before retreating.
Only after they left did Meng Xizhao step forward, approaching the robes displayed flat on wooden frames.
Two of them.
One was bright crimson, slightly larger. The other was a darker red, slightly smaller.
The dragon robe for the enthronement ceremony had strict requirements—it must be black. These two could not be used for that occasion.
But they could be used for an imperial wedding.
Meng Xizhao stood there, gazing at the magnificent garments.
He slowly stepped closer.
The craftsmanship of the palace embroiderers was impeccable. The dragons embroidered upon them seemed almost alive, as if they might soar into the sky at any moment.
As for the smaller robe—since no one had ever made this kind of wedding attire before, the embroiderers did not know what pattern to use. A phoenix would not be appropriate, so they instead chose designs of the Four Divine Beasts and a qilin.
Meng Xizhao thought to himself: these were the most beautiful clothes he had ever seen.
He remained silent for a long time—so long that Yu Fulan behind him felt his heart climb into his throat.
Then suddenly, Meng Xizhao turned around, walked up to him, and said:
“Bring these two robes back to the Eastern Palace.”
Yu Fulan tried one last time to object. “Lord Meng, this is against protocol—”
Meng Xizhao looked at him expressionlessly.
Yu Fulan: “…Rest assured. I will personally escort them.”
Only then did Meng Xizhao withdraw his gaze and leave.