My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Su Wanrou and Chen Jing hit it off immediately. Both were talented women who had entered the political arena; though they occupied different positions, they shared a deep sense of mutual respect and professional kinship.

“Sister Chen, is it difficult to navigate the advancements and retreats within the Imperial Court?” Su Wanrou’s slender hands poured a cup of clear tea for Chen Jing.

Chen Jing accepted the cup, cradling it in both hands. “The tea is clear and the aroma is striking; this is truly fine tea.”

Su Wanrou nodded with a smile, holding her own cup and sipping slowly. After they had savored the tea, Chen Jing spoke: “I am a personal official of the Princess’s Manor, so I do not have the right to attend the morning court sessions.”

Su Wanrou nodded. It was true that the personal staff of Princes and Princesses did not have the privilege of the court unless they held a separate commission from the central government.

“However, when working in the court, one always encounters those with short-sighted views. After encountering enough of them, it ceases to be surprising.” Chen Jing looked at Su Wanrou with a knowing smile. “Actually, you are the first woman in this dynasty to be formally commissioned as an official. Before I left, there were people clamoring to ‘replace’ you, though the Emperor and the Princess dismissed them casually.”

Chen Jing recalled how, upon her departure, some officials in the capital had righteously offered to “share Su Wanrou’s burden” by suggesting she go home to rest while they took over her “hardships” in Chongjiang.

Su Wanrou’s gaze remained calm, though she was surprised that someone would specifically target her small, rank-7b “sesame official” post.

“Actually, you know this person. He is the younger brother of Censor Su’s second wife,” Chen Jing said, dropping a bombshell with a smile.

The calm in Su Wanrou’s eyes flickered with a dark light upon hearing this. Her voice remained neutral as she said, “I truly do not know this person. If you hadn’t told me today, Master Chen, I wouldn’t have even known my father had remarried.”

Su Wanrou knew Chen Jing was testing her—probing the depth of her relationship with her father.

Chen Jing was genuinely surprised by Su Wanrou’s reaction. She hadn’t expected the father-daughter relationship to be so estranged that Su Wanrou was unaware of his remarriage.

Su Wanrou picked up the purple clay teapot to refill Chen Jing’s cup. “Do you know when my father remarried, Master Chen?”

Chen Jing tilted her chin, thinking for a moment. “I believe it was around August or September of last year.”

Su Wanrou stood up and looked out the window, her voice drifting as if from a distance. “August or September of last year… at that time, the floodwaters were besieging the city. I was pushed into the flood and thought I was certain to die…”

Chen Jing understood. Before coming here, she had heard Prince Jian mention this incident—how Su Wanrou’s husband, despite looking weak and scholarly, had leaped into the raging waters to chase after his wife.

Watching the woman in the cyan dress looking out the window, Chen Jing remained silent. She had thoroughly researched Master Su’s background, including the death of her biological mother in a landslide. It was clear the relationship between father and daughter was far from harmonious.

This meant Grand Princess Shaoyang didn’t need to worry about Censor Su’s influence over her. If the Princess intended to use Su Wanrou, she had to know if she was truly capable and where her loyalties lay. Censor Su had sided with the Eldest Prince, acting as his “mad dog” in court, barking and biting wherever he was pointed—something that had long since irritated the Emperor.

The Emperor gave his son power to temper him, not to let him turn the carefully balanced political situation into a mess. The Eldest Prince had recently been scolded into submission by the Emperor and no longer dared to interfere recklessly in the Ministry of Justice, much to the relief of the Minister there.

The Eldest Prince himself was in a foul mood. He couldn’t understand why his father insisted on bringing Shaoyang into the court. Shaoyang showed him no face as an elder brother and blocked every attempt he made to place his people in key positions.

The Eldest Prince’s eyes darkened as he made a decision to push his sister out of the court. He crushed a camellia flower in his hand, shredding the petals. “Women belong in the back courtyard. Why must they fight men for power? They are simply too restless.”

Su Wanrou saw Chen Jing off to her quarters. Before leaving, Chen Jing made an appointment to visit the processing workshop tomorrow.

When Su Wanrou returned to the rear yamen, Lu Youming happened to be out, communicating with the Grand Princess’s guard detail.

“The Princess ordered us to follow your lead entirely. Whatever you arrange, we will do,” the tall, burly captain of the guards said, cupping his hands toward Lu Youming.

Looking up at the captain who stood a full head taller than her, Lu Youming rubbed her temples. “How should I address you, Master?”

“My name is Cheng Ji. You can just call me by my name,” Cheng Ji grinned broadly.

“Then call me by my courtesy name, Zijin.”

“My courtesy name is Changsheng (Long Life). When I was small, my parents feared I wouldn’t survive to adulthood. When I grew up, they worried I’d be injured. When I came of age, they gave me the name Changsheng.”

“Your parents truly have a devoted heart for their son.”

The two exchanged courtesy names and began to chat. Having lived in the capital for a long time, Cheng Ji knew many secrets. He picked out some unimportant gossip to tell Lu Youming. Lu Youming’s reactions—”Oh!” and “Ah!”—greatly satisfied Cheng Ji’s desire to share.

He even whispered, “Just between us, the Eldest Prince was given a massive scolding by His Majesty again before we left.”

Lu Youming’s eyes widened. Is this something you can just say out loud? She watched Cheng Ji peering left and right to make sure no one else heard. She felt a few “black lines” on her forehead; this man seemed a bit… simple-minded.

“Brother Changsheng, let’s save these secrets for private chats. We must be careful that walls have ears,” Lu Youming whispered back.

Cheng Ji nodded vigorously. “Zijin is right.”

Lu Youming watched as the massive Cheng Ji led his men to take over the security of the cement factory. Most of her own people were withdrawn. Looking at the factory that no longer truly belonged to her, she felt a twinge of loss. This was her and her wife’s first “career,” after all. Fortunately, she had mentally prepared herself; otherwise, she would have been upset for days.

She hoped someone would use the factory wisely so that the commoners could use cement to find some safety during floods. Now that the factory was in good hands and the sales were settled, Lu Youming began to wonder what she should do next.

As she was leaving, Cheng Ji ran out after her. “Zijin! Zijin! The Princess said you have to arrange our tasks, but you haven’t given us any orders yet!”

Lu Youming was dragged back, her melancholy vanishing amidst Cheng Ji’s boisterous shouting.

“Wow! This is cement? Whoa, this wall is so hard!” Cheng Ji acted like he’d never seen the world, patting and hitting the cement wall, occasionally giving it a hard punch. The other guards followed suit, touching the wall or running over to help the craftsmen pour sand.

Looking at the chaotic crowd, Lu Youming didn’t feel like a guard detail had arrived—it felt more like a pack of Huskies.

Someone reached the furnace. “Eh? What’s this? Is it glazed glass?” A tall, thin man held a palm-sized piece of opaque glass, turning it over in his hands.

“That’s glass the Master fired. It wasn’t successful, so it’s not clear enough,” a worker explained.

“This was fired?” the man, Lan Ming, asked in amazement. Lord Lu was truly extraordinary. As a guard, he had seen many fine things and knew that glazed glass was worth its weight in gold. Maybe by following Lord Lu, I can make a small fortune, he thought, his eyes gleaming. He resolved to work hard for Lu Youming so he could eventually go home and marry his cousin.

Lu Youming had no idea that the discarded glass she’d left aside was being treated like a treasure. She watched the “Huskies” and slapped her forehead. “Brother Changsheng, stay calm. Let’s talk business first.”

Regaining her composure, Lu Youming explained the production limits and the logistics of the Princess’s large orders.

“That’s fine,” Cheng Ji said. “The Princess said to listen to you. Don’t treat us like masters; we are at your command.” He pulled out a small seal. “I almost forgot to give you this. This command seal is split in two. The other half is with Master Chen. Whoever holds the seal can command the guards, but Master Chen has priority.”

“That is only natural. I didn’t expect the Princess to trust me so much,” Lu Youming said, holding the thumb-sized seal with emotion. These guards were from the Imperial Forest Army, exclusive to the Princess’s Manor. The command authority was a significant gesture.

Her sense of loss vanished completely. This Grand Princess was more magnanimous and unconventional than she had imagined. After arranging the work, she let them rest in the manor outside the factory, which was equipped with servants and cooks.