Evolution - Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Outside the palace gates, the guards of the royal residence stood in solemn formation. Even in their master’s absence, their military bearing was impeccable. Their imposing aura greatly displeased the young men of the Yulin Guard who stood watch.
A bunch of lowly commoners from military households, daring to act so high and mighty in front of them? How utterly outrageous!
But the young men of the Yulin Guard, who were more for show than for actual combat, limited themselves to muttering under their breath. They didn't dare provoke them physically. Most of the Yulin Guard consisted of scions from noble families, there to gild their reputations or simply pass the time. They were exceptionally adept at reading situations. The Zhenbei Royal Residence might seem to be in a precarious position now, but its future was still uncertain. Why rush to make an enemy?
It was better to wait until the dust settled.
When Ji Changqing reached the palace gates, she saw that the residence’s steward had arranged the Commandery Princess’s full ceremonial procession. She frowned slightly and waved a hand. “You all head back to the residence first. I will return in the late afternoon.”
After dismissing them, she swung herself onto her horse. “Let’s go.”
The three thousand Jingbei troops were encamped outside the city. The coffin of the Prince of Zhenbei was also outside the city, at Mu’en Temple, waiting for the Ministry of Rites to conduct the customary funeral services and select an auspicious time for burial.
After tonight’s banquet, the residence would begin its mourning period tomorrow. She would have to observe filial piety within its walls, making it inconvenient to frequent the military camp. She had to get them settled today.
She spent nearly an hour at the camp, arranging for logistical support and setting up a rotation for the troops to enter the city in batches, while the rest remained at the camp to continue their regular drills. Afterward, Ji Changqing went to Mu’en Temple to kneel before the scriptures and offer incense. While there, she used the team communication channel to ask Lin Huang about the trade route arrangements, The First about progress on improving farm tools and weapons, and Zhong Lan, the resident mystic, about her intelligence-gathering plans.
Zhong Lan and the others had already showered her with a wave of effusive praise that morning. Most notably, The First, the resident research guru, had uncharacteristically gushed about the peerless beauty of the handsome young man. Zhong Lan and Lin Huang had cautiously suggested that the status difference between them was too great. If they wanted to stir things up, it was best not to meet in person and to maintain contact online to avoid attracting attention.
Completely unaware of the backstory, Ji Changqing simply thought it made sense. Their greatest advantage was having real-time communication in an era where such technology was severely lacking.
Naturally, they had to make the most of it.
By the time they had coordinated their future plans, her time for kneeling before the scriptures was about up.
When Ji Changqing hurried back to the royal residence, the steward had already prepared a formal ceremonial pheasant robe befitting a Commandery Princess. Ji Changqing’s expression turned cold. “I am currently in mourning. Although this is a victory celebration, it is better to be simple and plain. Prepare the formal ceremonial attire for me.”
The old steward of the residence was about to protest, but Ji Changqing’s gaze fell upon him, and the intimidating chill in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. “The survival and prosperity of the Zhenbei Royal Residence are far more important than personal honor or disgrace. If you fail to understand this next time, you can return to Jingbei and serve by my mother’s side.”
The steward, drenched in a cold sweat, bowed respectfully and complied.
It was still the black ceremonial attire, but the treasured sword at her waist was replaced with a jade pendant carved with auspicious clouds. To Ji Changqing, the clothes here were beautiful, but they were far too complex, cumbersome, and restrictive. Without the help of her maids, she was already incapable of managing her daily life.
By the time she arrived at the palace gates with the full procession of a Commandery Princess, the lanterns inside and outside had already been lit. From the looks of it, everyone had arrived except for a few major figures.
As soon as she appeared, a palace attendant immediately came forward to welcome her and lead her to her seat.
Seeing that the seating for the Zhenbei Royal Residence had not changed—still the first seat to the left below the imperial throne—those qualified to attend the banquet tonight understood the situation.
The Great Zhou dynasty was not overly strict about the separation of sexes. There were no rules that boys and girls must not share a table after the age of seven, or that women must not step out of the main gate or the inner courtyard. Young men and women could freely arrange to go on spring outings, practice archery, and enjoy themselves together. It was also common for noble men and women to have a young lover before marriage to dally with and gain some experience.
There was only one rule: don’t produce a child. Once an illegitimate child was born, one’s prospects on the marriage market became a massive headache.
It wasn’t that people thought you had a problem with your lifestyle; rather, they thought you had a problem with your intelligence and methods, and they feared it would affect the quality of the next generation.
The victory banquet was held in an open square. On a late March evening, though the days were growing warmer, there was still a chill in the air. The banquet area was enclosed by screens, and basins of burning charcoal were placed at intervals around the perimeter.
The seats for the princes and high ministers were set on a high platform. The emperor and the empress dowager occupied the highest seats. To their left was a row of esteemed elders or powerful members of the imperial clan, and to their right was a row of high-ranking ministers of the first rank.
The distinction was clear.
Below the high platform, there were three rows on each side, seating, in order, the family members of those on the platform, officials of the second and third ranks and their families, and the younger, idle members of the imperial clan.
Finding herself surrounded by a bunch of old geezers while all the young people were below the platform, Ji Changqing was speechless.
Citing her mourning period, she had the palace attendants remove the wine and replace it with plain water. Before long, the major figures arrived one after another. After the young emperor and the empress dowager appeared, everyone paid their respects and took their seats, and the master of ceremonies announced the start of the banquet.
The young emperor was trying to maintain a dignified posture, but his eyes lit up when he saw Ji Changqing. He squirmed in his seat, looking like he desperately wanted to come over and play with her. If not for the empress dowager at his side and his knowledge that he couldn’t act recklessly on such an occasion, he would have run right over.
Ji Changqing gave the young emperor a wink, raised her cup in a toast, and drained the plain water in one gulp.
One does not speak while eating or in bed. After the banquet began, well-trained palace attendants served the dishes, refilled wine cups, and promptly cleared empty plates. The emperor initiated the toasts, and after three rounds of wine, music and dance began, instantly enlivening the atmosphere.
On the high platform, the old foxes began to relax, chatting idly and watching the young scions frolic and play below.
The young emperor was getting sleepy, stifling a few small yawns as he tried to stay awake. Ji Changqing shifted her small table closer to his and quietly explained the interesting points of the entertainment below.
The very image of a treacherous courtier, doing nothing but enticing the emperor with amusement.
On the high platform, the crowd, who saw and heard everything, was rather speechless.
This was completely at odds with her style of first thrashing the barbarians, then upending the imperial court, a veritable whirlwind of trouble. Does she know she’s breaking character?
Just then, a young nobleman below the platform shouted, “At today’s victory banquet, how can mere music and dance be enough? The Jade of the Yu family is known alongside the Commandery Princess as the Twin Beauties of Great Zhou. I hear her talents are unparalleled. I wonder if she would deign to grace the floor and add to our entertainment?”
The moment he spoke, the previously boisterous hall fell silent.
At banquets of the era, there were two kinds of dance for entertainment. One was performances by professional entertainers for amusement. The other was when the guests themselves would join in, stamping their feet and dancing with uninhibited joy.
To single out one person to perform for entertainment was to equate them with a common performer, someone who could be trifled with and treated lightly.
Of course, if someone volunteered to showcase their skills in hopes of winning the appreciation of the powerful, that was another matter entirely.
Ji Changqing watched this farce with an indifferent gaze. She didn't know any of these people, so their grudges and passions were none of her business.
On the high platform, a senior official stroked his beard and teased, “Prime Minister Yu, is this Heir of Prince Liang resentful because he failed to win your Zhiyao’s hand?”
Prime Minister Yu’s expression was placid. Prince Liang? An idle member of the imperial clan, whose entire family did nothing but live off their inheritance. He paid them no mind. It was obvious what the Heir of Prince Liang was after: if he could marry the cherished daughter of the Yu family, he could use her father’s influence to enter the court and advance his career.
Everyone could see through such a petty scheme. Only that fool thought himself clever, preening with self-satisfaction.
How could such a person be worthy of his family’s precious daughter?
Still, to be so insulting on an occasion like this was truly displeasing.
“These young people, you know. It’s just a moment of pique after being rejected. I hope Prime Minister Yu can be magnanimous,” an elder imperial prince said, trying to smooth things over for the Heir of Prince Liang and salvage his dignity. “You can’t blame the young man for being impetuous. Your Yu family’s Zhiyao is just too captivating.”
Ji Changqing, who had been wearing a “none of my business” expression, froze, her outstretched chopsticks halting mid-air.
Prime Minister Yu snorted softly. My Zhiyao is captivating, but that’s my family’s business. What does it have to do with any of you?
Below the platform, Yu Zhiyao, the focus of everyone’s attention and known as the Jade of the Yu family, stood up with great composure, not a trace of anger on her face. She smiled and said, “The Heir of Prince Liang praises me too highly. Zhiyao is unworthy of such acclaim.”
A voice, once so familiar it was etched into her very bones, reached her, distant and indistinct.
Ji Changqing went completely rigid. Her mind was reeling with a single thought: Why is she here?
The Heir of Prince Liang, already quite drunk and acting out, grew even more emboldened. He leaned crookedly against his table, his robes slightly askew, and looked at her with a sidelong glance. “Worthy or not, let’s not debate it. With a face and beauty like yours, just a simple dance would be a feast for our eyes.”
His tone was lewd. Was he really treating her like a courtesan?
Ji Changqing’s hand, holding her chopsticks, tightened so hard that the veins stood out. Even if they were in the past, even if this was just a game, she could not bear to see that person suffer such humiliation.
The hall grew even quieter. Even those who had been jeering for the sake of watching the drama now shut their mouths.
The previous remark was a veiled insult that could have been smoothed over. They had been egging him on mainly to see the usually aloof and lofty Yu Zhiyao made a fool of; they never actually thought she would be made to perform.
But this idiot, the Heir of Prince Liang, had said that. There was no coming back from it.
They certainly didn't dare join in now.
Did they want Prime Minister Yu to hold a grudge against them?
With a sharp scrape, Ji Changqing pushed back from her table and stood up. Under the stunned gazes of the old geezers on the high platform, she crossed past their tables in a few quick strides and walked to the railing.
Before the finally-reacting Prince Liang and the surgingly furious Prime Minister Yu could even act…
A clear voice, tinged with a boundless chill, drifted down from the high platform. “The Heir speaks truly. Worthy or not, let’s set that aside. I just want to ask the Heir, next time, will you be asking me to come down and entertain you all as well?”
That was not the voice of that old geezer, Prime Minister Yu.
Everyone simultaneously tilted their heads up toward the high platform.
“Ah, it’s the Commandery Princess!” someone whispered in astonishment.
There, standing on the high platform with her hands clasped behind her back, was Ji Changqing, the Commandery Princess of the Zhenbei Royal Residence who was currently the center of all attention. A smile played on her lips as she looked down upon them.
An elder of the imperial clan beside her whispered helplessly, “Commandery Princess, Commandery Princess, please leave Prince Liang some face.”
Ji Changqing paused, swallowing the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Prince Liang shuddered, inwardly cursing his idiotic son for bringing up the “Twin Beauties of Great Zhou” and giving this demoness of a princess an excuse to make trouble.
“Changqing, ah, your royal cousin here has had too much to drink and isn’t thinking straight. I’ll have him come over and apologize to you right now!” He turned his face and shouted down to the floor, “You insolent whelp! Get over here and apologize to your royal sister!”
Ji Changqing glanced at the Heir of Prince Liang, who had been so frightened he’d sobered up. Someone beside him helped him up and whispered a few words. The previously panicked heir then straightened his back, adopting a posture that said, “I’m not afraid of you.”
She could guess with her toes what that person had told him. It was nothing more than, “She’s a Commandery Princess, you’re an Heir. In terms of rank, you’re no lower than her. Why should you be afraid?”
She let out a low chuckle. “Royal Uncle, you should keep a closer eye on the people around my royal cousin. Don’t let him be instigated and led astray.”
Prince Liang wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes, yes.”
On this point, he felt a certain resonance with Ji Changqing. His son was just a bit foolish. If he caused trouble or did bad things, it was because others had instigated and corrupted him, wasn’t it?
Ji Changqing couldn’t care less whether this Royal Uncle misunderstood her or not. Her gaze slid past the Heir of Prince Liang, who was now reluctantly coming forward, and finally settled on Yu Zhiyao.
Yu Zhiyao sighed silently. Her heart felt soft and sore, yet a secret thread of joy began to rise within her.
She turned slightly, tilting her head up to meet Ji Changqing’s gaze.
She had her own means and abilities to resolve the situation and extricate herself.
And even if she were a fool, the people of the Prime Minister’s residence would never have stood by and watched her be humiliated. They had remained silent only because they trusted her to handle it.
But this person, and only this person, could never bear to see her suffer even the slightest grievance.
Even though they had long since gone their separate ways and ought to be strangers.
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