A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 7.1

When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Xie Wenjun was sitting beside Crown Prince Xie Yu’s desk, diligently reading the Spring and Autumn Annals. After the inner attendant finished the report, she put down her book and asked with interest, “Imperial Brother, why are you unwilling to marry her?”

Xie Yu was speechless for a moment. “Is it that obvious?”

Even you noticed?

Jiangning shifted to a more relaxed position, leaning sideways against the back of the chair, and nodded. “Is Imperial Brother perhaps concerned about her military background? But the other day, I observed her manners were not coarse or vulgar.”

Xie Yu said, “You are still young; you wouldn’t understand.”

“Is it because of our late Sister-in-Law?”

Xie Yu stopped writing, took a deep breath, and remained silent, which was taken as consent.

Perhaps reminded of the unbearable past, tears welled up in the Crown Prince’s eyes. His gaze lost focus, and everything in his vision blurred. “Jiangning, you must hold the brush in your hand firmly. I will teach you everything I know, and when you grow up, use this half-foot writing brush to change your own destiny.”

That year, amidst the March pear-blossom rain, the young woman pressed her palms together, making a wish under the Bodhi tree. The fifteen-year-old Crown Prince, not yet fully composed, broke his usual observance of gentlemanly etiquette and sent her an umbrella, telling her, “This young scholar is Xie Yu, and Yu means ‘unto death, unwavering.'”

In the end, that girl, who was as white as the spring pear blossoms, became emaciated and her heart was ashen. Her last words before passing away were, “In the next life, I will not trust Bodhi, nor enter the Imperial Family.”

Unto death, unwavering?

It was nothing but a beautiful, fleeting dream!

“You are a daughter of the Imperial Family, the most noble princess. If even you are not free, how can we speak of freedom for other women in the world?”

Xie Wenjun’s gaze rested on a page of the Spring and Autumn Annals. She opened her mouth and said, “Imperial Brother, there is one thing Jiangning doesn’t understand and would like to ask your advice on.”

“What is it?”

Xie Wenjun said, “It is commonly said that love between a man and a woman is a normal human emotion. Then why can’t love between a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, be tolerated?”

Xie Yu frowned, sensing that the matter was not simple. He leaned over to see what kind of content Xie Wenjun was reading, but after a long look, he didn’t find anything amiss.

He was unconvinced, so he simply stood up, walked over to Xie Wenjun, took the book, shook it vigorously, and after confirming she hadn’t hidden anything scandalous inside, he returned the book to her with suspicion. He then answered her question. “The union of male and female is for the purpose of procreation, so that the dynasty can continue and order can be maintained. If this is altered, the world will fall into great chaos.”

Xie Wenjun’s eyes darted. She blurted out, “Does that mean, then, that two women having affection for each other is also a normal human emotion?”

Xie Yu looked at her in surprise. “What improper book have you been reading lately? Why are you asking such questions?”

Xie Wenjun put up a small hand and chuckled. “Nothing of the sort. Please, Imperial Brother, enlighten me.”

Xie Yu cleared his throat and straightened his face to appear more authoritative. He instructed, “Love is inherently beautiful, regardless of gender. Genuine affection deserves respect. However, what you are referring to—I do not advocate for it, nor would any dynasty advocate for it.”

Xie Wenjun pressed, “Why?”

Her eagerness made Xie Yu even more suspicious, but he patiently reasoned with her. “Most people are born complete. However, some are not favored by Heaven; they may be unable to see, speak, hear, or may be incomplete in limb. We cannot deny them existence just because they have defects. By the same logic, most people form male-female partnerships. Although ‘cut-sleeve passion’ and ‘mirror-rubbing delight’ are rare, they exist. They are different from ordinary people, but it is not their fault. However, if there were too many such people, they could not bear children, which would impact population and agriculture, inevitably disrupting the stability of the state.”

“So, they are seen as anomalies?” Xie Wenjun gently echoed, “Jiangning understands.”

The Crown Prince scoffed at her respectful manner. He neatly organized the papers and scrolls on his desk.

Xie Wenjun leaned closer and quickly glanced at them. “The Directorate of Boats, Yanzhi Mountain.”

Emperor Xuanyuan ordered the Ministry of Works to supervise the construction of a temporary palace on Yanzhi Mountain, preparing for his retirement. The necessary timber and stone tiles were transported from the East Baiyue region to Yongdu. The river channel near Hezhou became silted, and a sudden mountain flood at the end of this past summer sank two ships carrying precious nanmu timber for Yanzhi Mountain. The Crown Prince sent people to investigate, mobilizing the local government offices of seven surrounding counties to salvage the wood, but not a single splinter was found. Deeper investigation revealed that not only was this batch of nanmu timber untraceable, but even the two ships the Ministry of Revenue and the Directorate of Boats reported as sunk were never registered.

These people had become so brazen as to publicly forge accounts, embezzling the national treasury for personal gain.

Further investigation showed that the official who reported the sunken ships, Zhou Yonglu of the Directorate of Boats, was originally a merchant in Hezhou. The Great Lin Dynasty had a law prohibiting those of merchant background from holding political office. However, there was one loophole: “purchasing office through donation.”

The Great Lin Dynasty had been fighting against North Yong for over a decade, and agricultural taxes couldn’t cover the enormous expenditure. Thus, the court permitted merchants to donate money and goods to the government in exchange for an official post, thereby elevating their social status. Yet, every policy has loopholes. When the donated funds reach the national treasury, it’s called purchasing office; if the money ends up in someone else’s hands, it’s called selling office for profit.

This Zhou Yonglu had “honored” the court with a large sum of money to become the Director of Boats, but this money never entered the national treasury. Tracing the funds led directly to Prince Qi, Xie Xuan.

Xie Wenjun pondered for a moment. “My Brother Prince Qi values his reputation the most and holds his integrity above all else. He should not be involved in the selling of offices for profit.”

The Crown Prince intended to test her. He asked, “Then tell me, who would do this?”

Xie Wenjun walked a couple of steps and said, “That would be Consort De and Yao Chongshan.”

Consort De, Yao Jiyue, is the birth mother of Prince Qi, Xie Xuan. Her father is Yao Chongshan, the Minister of Works who is supervising the construction of the Yanzhi Mountain temporary palace. Her older brothers, Yao Jifeng and Yao Jiyun, serve in the Imperial Academy and the Ministry of Works, respectively.

Jiyue (Moon after Rain) and Qingfeng (Clear Breeze)—such nice names, how ironic.

“Consort De has clear ambitions. Internally, she covets the Empress’s position. Externally, she wishes for Brother Prince Qi to replace the Crown Prince. The funds required to win people over are considerable.” Xie Wenjun tapped the ledger in the Crown Prince’s hand with her finger. “Brother Prince Qi may not participate directly, but he may not be ignorant of the matter.”

The Crown Prince thought that his painstaking instruction was finally bearing fruit. He was so moved he nearly wept with joy. “Go on.”

“Consort De is in the inner palace. To accomplish things, she needs middlemen outside. The money obtained also needs a plausible source before it can be used by her. Doesn’t Minister of Works Yao Chongshan have two banks in his hometown?”

Xie Wenjun took up a brush, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, and sketched a few strokes. “Consort De needs to communicate with people, and then the Yao family arranges positions in the government for commoners. The proceeds must be laundered through the banks. With such complicated movements, if you tell me Brother Prince Qi doesn’t know, even I won’t believe it.”

The Crown Prince nodded in approval. He had been investigating the bribery and corruption in the inner palace disrupting the court for a long time, and now was the time to make his move.

Xie Wenjun added, “The Yanzhi Mountain temporary palace, supervised by Yao Chongshan, is not yet completed. Perhaps now is not the best time to move against the Yao family.”

“Why bother building a temporary palace! The deficits from earlier years haven’t even been covered yet. Fifty to sixty percent of the provisions for the Marquis of Xuanping’s war efforts were reclaimed from military farms. The construction of the temporary palace must be postponed!”

The Crown Prince stroked the paperweight, flattening the Xuan paper, and added a few more numbers. “The people’s livelihood needs to be restored. The silver for the severance and relief payments for the demobilized Northern Army will also need to be cleared and distributed soon. The national treasury can no longer allocate this sum! The Yao family has abused the court’s power to hoard so much wealth. Now that the court needs it, they must obediently cough it up.”

Chen Liangyu had a blade of grass in her mouth, squatting in the corner.

When the people from the Ministry of Justice arrived, she was still wondering if she would by chance become neighbors with Qiu Shiyan in the Ministry of Justice prison. As luck would have it, the two officials from the Ministry of Justice who were tasked with arresting her were the same two who had taken Qiu Shiyan and Zhou Pei away earlier today. However, their faces looked even more strained when they came for her.

Taking away three people at once, dragging in the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence, the Ministry of Personnel, and a Circuit Judge—if any one of the Marquis of Xuanping’s Residence or the Ministry of Personnel were to remember them in the future and seek revenge, they would be stripped down to the bone.

There were many secluded palace chambers in the Imperial City that were abandoned and rarely visited. The two officials simply threw her into a palace enclosure not far from the Six Ministries.