The First Jasmine - Chapter 14
Chapter 14: The Overprotective Second Maternal Uncle
The Study of the Censor’s Manor
A faint, scholarly fragrance drifted throughout the ancient, refined study. Behind the writing desk, the Imperial Censor of the current dynasty, who ordinarily maintained a thoroughly cultured and elegant composure, bore a rare trace of gloom upon his countenance as he stared down at a letter on the desk, immersed in deep thought.
"Qingfeng, what exactly do you make of Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao's intentions?" After a long pause, Lord Censor Xu finally lifted his head and questioned.
Standing respectfully not far from the writing desk, a handsome young man knitted his brows, contemplating for a moment before replying, "Your son is dull. Could it be that she acted in this manner merely to preserve the face of the Prince Ding Estate, and therefore..." Lord Censor Xu shook his head and countered, "In the eyes of your father, this move by the imperial family is an absolute slap to the Prince Ding Estate's face. Striking someone with a blow only to offer a sweet date afterward? This sort of method might hold utility against ordinary officials, but it is fundamentally useless against the Prince Ding Estate." Xu Qingfeng's sword-like brows knitted slightly, his expression filled with absolute indignation as he said, "Whatever the imperial family intends toward the Prince Ding Estate, they ought not to sacrifice Cousin as a shield. For generations, the Xu family has consistently been blessed with many sons and few daughters. In the previous generation, there was only one daughter—Ye Li's mother—and in Xu Qingfeng's generation, both direct branches of the Xu family had sired nothing but sons. Having resided within the capital all this time, Xu Qingfeng felt immense protective affection for this cousin whom he had frequently met during their childhood years.
Lord Censor Xu let out a soft sigh and remarked, "In the eyes of the imperial family, who else is exempt from being sacrificed apart from themselves? Furthermore, ever since your paternal aunt passed away, Li'er has rarely shown her face within the capital, and her reputation was already thoroughly ruined by that wretched woman of the Ye family. It is only natural that Prince Li was unwilling to wed Li'er." Xu Qingfeng gave a cold snort and countered, "Your son believes it is entirely correct that Cousin is not marrying that Prince Li. To take items from his betrothed's shops for free before the grand wedding has even occurred—is this truly the conduct of the imperial family? If Cousin had truly wed him, I fear the meager dowry left behind by Auntie and our family would have been completely squandered away by him." Recalling the details Qingshuang had mentioned upon her arrival, a wave of uncontrollable fury surged within Xu Qingfeng's heart, rendering his perception of Mo Jingli even more atrocious.
Lord Censor Xu lifted his hand to stroke the beautiful beard beneath his lips, nodding as he said, "That Prince Li is indeed not a fine match for Li'er. Li'er has consistently been a girl of firm resolve, and it is highly probable she never held Prince Li in high regard to begin with; otherwise, she would never have permitted that mother and daughter of the Ye family to act in such a manner." Recalling when his younger sister had passed away years ago, he had originally intended to receive his gravely ill niece back into the Xu family to be raised, yet he was barred by that old hag of the Ye family. Li'er had actually dragged her ailing frame to send her own wet nurse and senior nannies back to Yunzhou, surviving entirely on her own within that isolated, un-supplemented Ye Estate. Although that Madam Wang of the Ye family had attempted to act against her on numerous occasions, the girl had still successfully navigated and avoided the danger. Beholding the situation today, his niece not only possessed his younger sister's brilliance but also a measure of fierce resolve and sharp acumen that superseded his sister's. This filled Lord Censor Xu's heart with a fair amount of absolute pride.
"However, Prince Ding... Prince Li is indeed unsatisfactory, but he is at least an individual with intact limbs. The marriage alliance the Emperor has decreed at present is not only a sheer humiliation to the Prince Ding Estate, but it is likewise a complete waste of the Xu family's bloodlinelineage."
"Humph! Compared to Prince Li, I harbor far greater confidence in the discipline and upbringing of the Prince Ding Estate. That Prince Ding was, after all, raised single-handedly by the old Prince Ding." As he spoke, Lord Censor Xu ignited the candle stand resting upon the desk, letting the written letter burn to ashes before continuing to address his son, "How have the inquiries regarding the Prince Ding Estate that I ordered you to perform these past days proceeded? In a few days, when your mother visits the Ye family, let her convey the details to Li'er altogether." Xu Qingfeng replied with a trace of helplessness, "The Prince Ding Estate is easily investigated in other aspects, but that Prince Ding extremely rarely interacts with anyone. Over these past few years, the number of individuals who have actually cast eyes upon him can be counted on a single hand. We simply cannot unearth any useful information. There is only one rumor—it is claimed that Prince Ding possesses a horoscope that destroys his wives; several of his previous betrothed were allegedly driven to their graves by his curse. There was even one who was driven to death by sheer terror on the very night she crossed the threshold."
"Nonsense!" Lord Censor Xu rebuked sternly. As an Imperial Censor, and with the old master of the Xu family possessing students scattered across the entire world, the depth of matters he was privy to was naturally greater than that of ordinary families. For instance, Prince Ding's first betrothed had been established by the old Prince Ding before his catastrophe occurred; she had by no means succumbed to illness as outsiders claimed, but had instead entered the imperial harem to become the current heavily favored Noble Consort. For another instance, the second betrothed was designated by the current Empress Dowager; she had originally been a frail, sickly creature, so it was by no means a marvel that she failed to survive until her hair-pinning ceremony. As for the one who perished only upon crossing the threshold, in Lord Censor Xu's view, the probability of her being driven to death by terror was minuscule. When Prince Ding returned to the imperial court after sustaining his injuries years ago, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of him from a distance; though the scar across his face was somewhat ferocious, it was far from reaching a degree capable of driving someone to death from sheer terror. "Enough, go see your mother. In a while, your father shall personally pay a visit to Prince Ding. At present, I intend to compose a memorial to the throne."
"Compose a memorial? Whom does Father intend to impeach?" Xu Qingfeng questioned in surprise.
A trace of a cold sneer appeared upon Lord Censor Xu's lean, scholarly face as he remarked, "Impeach Minister Ye for lacking discipline in raising his daughters, indulging his fourth daughter to engage in private, illicit exchanges with Prince Li prior to the dissolution of his original engagement." The explicit laws of the Great Chu dynasty dictated that speaking officials were entirely exempt from criminal prosecution. So long as the Imperial Censor's impeachment did not utilize fabricated, slanderous words, the Emperor was fundamentally incapable of meting out punishment regardless of what was stated. The affair between Prince Li and the Fourth Miss of the Ye family was something that every noble within the capital was privy to; it was merely because the Ye family themselves ignored it that others naturally feigned ignorance. Now that someone was explicitly submitting a formal memorial, those imperial censors who had nothing better to do, along with those pure-stream scholarly literati who detested such unseemly conduct, would naturally never pass up this opportunity. On the surface, the impeachment targeted Minister Ye, but in reality, the ultimate direction of the matter would absolutely point straight toward Ye Ying and Prince Li. I fear that in the end, even the matter of Prince Li taking the property of his former betrothed for free will be completely incapable of being concealed.
"Will acting in this manner create enemies for Li'er?" Xu Qingfeng knitted his brows, speaking with a degree of worry.
Lord Censor Xu smiled faintly and replied, "If we do not act in this manner, does Prince Li look like an individual who harbors a shred of guilt toward Li'er? At the very least, our Xu family's stance must be laid bare for Prince Li and the Emperor to behold." The Xu family was explicitly lining up their horses and wagons to protect their niece; since they could not fathom Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao's intentions for the time being, they might as well find some matters to occupy the Prince Li Estate, lest they remain idle and plot against his niece. Within Lord Censor Xu's heart, no matter how he evaluated the situation, he could fundamentally not comprehend why Prince Li would abandon his own niece to wed that Fourth Miss of the Ye family. Setting aside physical appearance, in terms of status, one was the legitimate eldest daughter while the other was birthed by a successor wife. In terms of intellect and moral virtue, someone like Ye Ying who only knew how to utilize her charms to flatter men would have long since been punished to kneel within the ancestral hall if she were a member of the Xu family. Even if one discussed the wedding dowries, I fear that even if the Ye family exhausted their entire estate's financial capability, the resulting dowry would still fail to be as bountiful as what the Xu family was preparing for Li'er. The disparity between a newly risen nouveau riche and a century-old grand clan was far from a mere fraction.
Hearing his father's words, Xu Qingfeng could not help but feel a wave of absolute amusement, smiling as he said, "Father is still the most thorough in his considerations. Your child takes his leave."
Watching his son close the door and depart, Lord Censor Xu let out a soft sigh and lifted his brush to compose the memorial. He possessed sons under his knee; his eldest son, Xu Qingrui, had accompanied their aged father back to Yunzhou to display filial piety and study before him. His second son, Xu Qingfeng, had grown up by his side since childhood; although both he and his wife hailed from scholarly lineages, Qingfeng had possessed an immense natural talent for martial arts since his youth, while his literary talent was merely ordinary. Recalling the words Ye Li had uttered to advise him when she came to offer New Year greetings the previous year, he could not help but offer a bitter smile: "Could it be that the century-old scholarly Xu clan is truly destined to produce a martial general?" Halting his brush to ponder for a long while, Lord Censor Xu finally laid down his writing instrument, rising to walk over to the nearby bookshelf. With practiced familiarity, he extracted a volume from the third shelf, lowering his head to look upon the vigorous, forceful brushwork displayed upon the cover—the Grand Ancestor's Military Canon. He called out in a raised voice, "Men."
Swiftly, the young attendant waiting outside the door pushed open the entrance and greeted respectfully, "Master."
"Deliver this book to the Second Young Master, and tell him he must finish reading it within this year. Furthermore, he is to submit a written analysis of his insights every month."
The attendant accepted the book and, without raising any questions, withdrew in a thoroughly respectful manner.
Before long, Xu Qingfeng's bright, hearty laughter drifted in from a distance—evidently, before he could walk too far, he had been overtaken by the attendant. "Your child offers thanks to Father; your child accepts the command!"
"Muddled brat, entirely devoid of propriety!" Lord Censor Xu scolded in a low voice, yet a smile of absolute relief could not help but appear upon his countenance.