When Lord Chang’an came over to speak with Jiang He, the female officials and palace maids attending her slowly withdrew, leaving a distance of about ten feet.
“One should not accept rewards without merit.” Jiang He offered the gourd back again, but Zhao Jiao did not take it.
“Royal Sister-in-law,” he said, putting away the unruly, rolling-on-the-ground temperament he had shown yesterday, his tone rather solemn, “this is medicinal powder for invigorating the blood and dispelling bruises. Mix it with your hand cream and apply it, and it will remove the marks.”
Jiang He’s expression stilled slightly. She understood.
Yesterday, Zhao Jiao had seen her wrist, and had noticed that the marks were bruises from stagnant blood.
“It’s no matter,” Jiang He said with a forced smile. “There are imperial physicians in the palace. They can prepare medicine for me.”
“Better not,” Zhao Jiao said, shaking his head as he stepped back. “They like asking this and that, digging to the bottom of things. It would make Royal Brother unhappy.”
He did not say it would make Jiang He unhappy. Instead, he said Zhao Zheng would be unhappy—which meant he had guessed who had caused Jiang He’s injury.
After saying this, Zhao Jiao suddenly laughed with carefree cheer, loud enough for the maids who had withdrawn to hear. Raising his voice, he said, “Though this gourd isn’t worth much, it was grown in my own estate last year. ‘Gourd’ carries the meaning of ‘fortune and prosperity.’ I wish Royal Sister-in-law and Royal Brother many sons and many blessings.”
Zhao Jiao gave Jiang He a sly smile, his expression bright and mischievous. Gripping the red silk tied to his gilded silver sachet, he swung it as he left with a chuckle, fragrant wind spreading in his wake.
Jiang He watched his departing figure and smiled as well.
She was in quite a good mood today.
Breakfast had been delicious, she had won at chess, the Empress Dowager had bestowed gifts upon her, and even Lord Chang’an had sent medicine for her injuries.
“Your Highness the Queen, shall we send the Empress Dowager’s rewards to the storeroom?”
When they reached the turn in the corridor, a maid holding the Three-Treasures jade ruyi scepter and the gold-threaded silver bowls asked respectfully.
“All right.”
Jiang He turned with a smile, but instead of heading toward Zhiyang Palace, her steps were light as she walked toward the storeroom.
Compared with that pitch-black palace, she preferred staying in a private treasury piled high with gold, silver, and jewels.
As they entered the courtyard where the storerooms were located, a man hurried over at a trot to pay his respects.
This was Zong Jun, whom she had seen earlier that morning.
Zong Jun was responsible for managing all the storerooms. Whether items were placed into storage or taken out, whether they needed daily dusting or maintenance, none of it could do without him.
Zong Jun bowed his head to greet her, but his expression was rather strange. It was as though someone had forced him to make a mistake, and he did not know how to explain himself.
A bronze plaque hung on Jiang He’s private treasury, engraved with two large characters: “Queen’s Treasury.”
“Open the door,” the female official said, stepping forward. “The Queen has received new rewards and wishes to place them in storage.”
Zong Jun opened the door and stepped aside. The female official who entered first could not help letting out a soft “Eh?”
Jiang He looked inside, and her limpid eyes widened.
The storeroom was perfectly clean. There was not even a single mouse.
“Where is the dowry from Qi?” she asked in doubt, though she already had a guess in her heart.
Only then did Zong Jun shuffle over, his face flushed crimson.
“After Your Highness left today, this servant still went to Xuande Hall to report it. At first, the Chief Steward said nothing, but later he came out again, and then…”
And then emptied out my private treasury?
Outrageous!
I merely moved away one, two, three, four… perhaps a dozen or twenty of his things, and he was ruthless enough to empty an entire room of my treasures!
Before Jiang He could ask anything more, Zong Jun was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and said repeatedly, “This servant said that His Majesty had never been willing to use that storeroom, and now that the Queen had taken things from it, that was why he grew angry. Your Highness, please do not be anxious. Go say a few pleasing words to His Majesty, and His Majesty will surely return everything. This servant made a mistake in handling the matter. I beg Your Highness to punish me.”
Zong Jun trembled as he spoke, his voice thick with tears, and the hand holding the keys shook so badly it left a blur.
A woman followed her husband after marriage, but the dowry from her natal family remained her private property.
There were many places in the palace that required money. Though the monthly allowance was not small, it could not withstand the enormous expenses.
Jiang He was now the queen of a nation. Without her dowry, she would be hard-pressed at every turn.
But this matter had nothing to do with Zong Jun.
She had been the one to start it. It seemed that when dealing with someone as harsh and ungrateful as Zhao Zheng, one needed not only a ruthless heart, but patience as well.
“Steward Zong, rise,” Jiang He said with a smile after the surprise faded from her face. “Since my private treasury is gone, then place the things the Empress Dowager rewarded this time into His Majesty’s private treasury.”
Zong Jun gaped at her in astonishment, thinking he had misheard.
“But…”
He hesitated, his expression full of sorrow on Jiang He’s behalf.
“Because these are favors bestowed by the Empress Dowager, and the treasures are valuable, let’s put them in His Majesty’s best private treasury. What do you think?” Jiang He coaxed patiently.
Although Zong Jun was worried for Jiang He, he thought that perhaps gifting His Majesty a few items might calm His Majesty’s anger, so he obeyed and led Jiang He to a private treasury that looked slightly smaller, yet was the most heavily guarded, and opened the door.
Jiang He’s maids placed the items inside. Jiang He walked to the doorway and glanced at the bronze plaque hanging on the door.
On the plaque were two neat characters: “Sovereign’s Treasury.”
She raised her hand, took down that bronze plaque, and hung up a new one.
It was the plaque Jiang He had just taken down from the door of her own private treasury, bearing two very pleasing words: “Queen’s Treasury.”
Zong Jun stared, dumbstruck and at a loss.
Jiang He lightly clapped her hands and said, “Not bad. This should be enough to compensate for my roomful of dowry.”
“She won?”
There was no need to wait for Chief Eunuch Li Wenzhou to come in and report. Zhao Zheng had already heard his surprised voice outside.
The eunuch who had brought the news said something else, and Li Wenzhou gave a wry smile before entering and bowing to Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng’s brows were slightly furrowed. No one knew what he was thinking.
“It seems the princess of Qi is indeed skilled at chess,” Li Wenzhou said as he removed the now-cold tea, a trace of satisfaction in his voice.
No matter what Zhao Zheng had said before, the Queen and the ruler were now bound together for good or ill.
If the Queen won, firstly, it would cut down the Chancellor’s Residence’s arrogance; secondly, it would prove that choosing a marriage alliance with Qi had been correct.
“She won?” Wei Nanxu’s chess skill was superb. Beating her was no easy matter.
“She won,” Li Wenzhou said again. “By a full two stones. I hear that when the Chancellor’s legitimate daughter left the palace, she was so angry she stumbled down two steps and scraped her knee.”
Chess was an elegant pursuit, yet after losing she had ended up in such a sorry state. In the future, Miss Wei’s reputation would probably change because of this.
However…
Zhao Zheng held a writing brush in his hand. On the opened bamboo slip, the memorial response had already been written halfway, but he could not continue.
Why…
Jiang He was merely a female official in the Qi escort mission.
On the roster, she was listed as a female official, but in truth she did everything from sweeping and laundry to cooking.
Back then, he had chosen her, first, because she spoke the Qi language well and could deceive close ministers; second, because she was quick-witted, adaptable, and capable of killing to preserve her life, so she might be of use.
Aside from that, she was also skilled at cooking. The duck congee she made could be called unparalleled.
Chess was not something a palace maid or female official would have the chance to learn. First, one had to begin early; second, one had to have a strict teacher. In order to cultivate Wei Nanxu, Chancellor Wei had invited renowned chess masters from all seven states. How could she fail to defeat a cooking maid from the Qi envoy?
Perhaps he had taken too much for granted. Jiang He’s true identity needed to be investigated.
The hall fell quiet for a while. Seeing Zhao Zheng weighed down with thoughts, Li Wenzhou spoke again as if teasing, “The Queen went to the private treasury.”
Zhao Zheng rarely revealed a smile.
When he heard today that Jiang He had moved away items from his private collection and casually bestowed them upon others, Zhao Zheng decided to repay tooth for tooth. He had someone move all of Jiang He’s dowry away and hide it.
He felt that he had been somewhat strange recently, to actually get into a fit of pique with a young woman.
The feeling was very peculiar. It was like having a jar of unopened new wine—though he knew it would be pungent, he still could not help wanting to taste it.
Or like encountering a fierce beast in the mountains. Though he clearly knew his life was in danger, he delayed loosing the arrow for a long time, harboring the thought of taming it instead.
“She must be furious,” Zhao Zheng said.
Li Wenzhou shook his head. With a wry smile, he rested the horsetail whisk in his hand over the crook of his arm and bowed. “The Queen changed the bronze plaques. Now, outside His Majesty’s best private treasury, the words ‘Queen’s Treasury’ are hanging.”
She actually…
Zhao Zheng laughed soundlessly. “Can it be done like that?”
Indeed. Just change it back, and that would be that. Did she really think she could seize her sovereign’s possessions this way?
Li Wenzhou also laughed along.
Then he casually added, “There is one more matter. On her way back to the palace, the Queen encountered Lord Chang’an. Lord Chang’an presented her with a gourd.”
Zhao Zheng’s expression changed.
He looked at Li Wenzhou. Although he did not speak to ask, his eyes suddenly turned cold as water, filled with vigilance.
Li Wenzhou abruptly seemed to understand something and immediately said, “They were too far away, so I did not hear clearly. This servant will go ask at once.”
He lifted his foot and left. His figure vanished at the palace doorway. Before long, he returned panting, already somewhat out of composure.
“Your Majesty,” Li Wenzhou said, urgency in his voice, “after the Queen returned, she opened that gourd and dismissed the maids. This servant deserves death, to have failed to…”
Before Li Wenzhou could finish speaking, there was suddenly a snap as a bamboo slip fell, ink splattering all over the floor. The black hem of Zhao Zheng, ruler of Yong, flashed past before his eyes, and the man had already reached the palace doors.
Zhao Zheng did not summon a sedan. His aloof figure leapt down the steps and strode swiftly toward the bedchamber, like a hawk skimming rapidly over the ground.
Li Wenzhou hesitated for an instant, then chased after him, but he could not catch up.
“Master, what happened?”
The young eunuch on duty asked timidly.
“Something terrible!” Li Wenzhou’s face was deathly pale, but he could not utter another word.
Was it medicinal powder?
Jiang He had dismissed the attendants on both sides and was sitting before the dressing case.
She held the gourd in her hand and examined it carefully.
Sure enough, though the gourd looked smooth and round on the outside, there was a fine seam around the very top. Following the seam and separating it, she saw that something had been placed inside the hollowed-out gourd.
She poured out a little. It was black powder. Jiang He carefully smelled the scent within and distinguished pine resin, borneol, lard, honeysuckle and forsythia, as well as plantain herb.
These were indeed medicinal ingredients for stopping bleeding and dispelling bruises.
However, the powder had been processed and mixed together, concealing certain other smells. It was impossible to identify them all.
Jiang He did not continue smelling it closely. She poured out a little cardamom pearl cream and mixed it with the medicinal powder, stirring them together.
The white pearl cream soon turned gray.
Would it work?
Jiang He folded back her sleeve, revealing the injury on her wrist.
Because she had startled awake and sat up abruptly last night, the marks from the bindings had become even more obvious, and they were somewhat swollen and painful.
Jiang He cursed Zhao Zheng once in her heart, then used a hairpin to pick up the gray ointment.