Chapter Text
Shedding his Imperial status was difficult. It has taken many years, long absences, idiotic stunts and winding roads, but he was finally able to rid himself of the name almost none can say.
Ka Zuigetsu was no more, his huaya jade tablet surrendered and ceremonially split in half. In his place now stood Yue Shi of the newly minted Jin Named Clan. In other words, Yue Jinshi .
Should he have a legitimate child, they may inherit the special character from him.
Imperial no longer, he still has recognition for all he has done, as well as affection of his older brother. Thus, he still holds a position in the outer court. He is a respectable man still, valued and skilled, able to support a household.
But as he stands before the closed gates of the La estate, it matters little. His eyelid twitches as he wills it to stop. This battle will be his most difficult yet.
But this is too important. No matter what, he must not lose his composure. Let the people talk about him not having ambition or letting down his family, he won’t let it be said about him that he did not do things right by his life’s chosen partner.
“Master Lakan! Grand Commandant Lakan!” The matchmaker pounds on the wood of the door with her open palm, long turned as red as her festive outfit, “joyous news! An honorable proposal comes by the way of Master Jinshi of the Jin Clan, who proposes an alliance with your outstanding family! He comes bearing the letter of proposal as well as traditional gifts of silk, wine, jade and silver!”
Unlike the matchmaker, Jinshi stifles an exasperated sigh, resisting the desire to slump in his saddle. The large, heavy chests with the bridal gifts stand before the door, looking rather like coffins.
“It’s no use, Master. We should come back another time,” the matchmaker bows, her face bitter, “one of those days they will have to open the door.”
It has been five days already. He, of course, knew better than to think La Clan would let him in on the first try, but he was hoping to settle the first two rites in a couple of days, three at most.
And with all the people living around here seeing him being refused entry and ignored for almost a week would spread the rumour all around the capital. Forget the capital, all of Kaou province. It might even echo all the way to I-sei for Rikuson to laugh at.
If only he won that Go match all those years ago...
“Master?”
He exhales harshly through his nose.
“That’s enough. We’re leaving for now. Bring the gifts back to the mansion.”
Clack.
The sharp, clear sound of rosewood sticks cuts through the murmur of the crowd with the ease of a blade slicing tall grass.
Clack.
It’s getting closer. From atop his horse, Jinshi can see the ornate sedan chair approach, glinting in the dim evening light. All the gold shines, as if aflame. Fitting, for the banner carried behind the palanquin depicts a phoenix.
Clack.
The sedan chair manoeuvres around the protruding stone Go board sculpture and comes to a halt in front of the closed gates. A handmaiden lifts the silk curtain, revealing the woman sitting inside. She looks younger than her forty five years of age, her youthful features untouched by time and hardship she endured.
“All bow before Empress Dowager!” The attending guard yells at the top of his lungs, striking the packed ground with the butt of his spear.
Jinshi jumps down from the saddle and prostrates himself in the dust, just like everyone else. Now he is but a servant of the Emperor, not his kin.
Embroidered black silk hem comes into his view. His eyes search the pristine fabric as if an answer might hide there, among the stitches.
What is she doing here?
“Rise, my son.”
“I am no longer-“
“You are my child, my flesh and my blood. Is that how you repay your parents and ancestors? Refusing to even acknowledge the bond between us? I do not care what name you bear. You will always be my dear son.”
He reluctantly stands up. He towers over his diminutive mother, and that makes it hard to avoid her piercing gaze.
“Why are you here, Your Majesty?”
Anshi smiles sweetly.
“Why, marriage is an agreement between parents and families, yet I do not seem to recall ever being asked for my opinion. ‘Tis little wonder your future in-laws ignore your supplications! You come to beg for their precious only daughter’s hand all by yourself, without your parents' blessing, as if you were an orphan. If I were her mother, I would refuse such a suitor on the spot as well.”
Jinshi seriously doubts La Clan would have cared. In fact, he knows that. But the ooglers surrounding them in a tight ring nod and murmur along.
“So, I’m here to ask the Grand Commandant, of course. As one parent to another.”
“Lady Anshi-“ he flinches at the sharp look she gives him, “Mother. I don’t think that’s going to…”
The Empress Dowager raises a delicate hand.
“Matchmaker, knock again.”
The woman picks herself up from the ground but doesn’t dare to stand straight.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Before her hand strikes the weathered wood, however, the gates fly open.
“Your Majesty!” Kan Lahan doesn’t usually have his hair tidy anyway, but right now it’s a mess more resembling a bird’s nest. His hat is crooked, and so are his glasses, lenses covered in dust. The slight young man bows deeply, and Jinshi can see the rapid rise and fall of his shoulders, “I welcome you to our humble abode!”
It seems the bookish four-eye rushed back as soon as word got out that Anshi herself was on the way. It’s one thing to ignore Jinshi, a former Imperial, but to offend the woman who gave birth to the current Emperor? Even Lakan’s scare factor wouldn’t save their heads.
A fast horse would beat a cumbersome sedan chair any day. He must have snuck in through some back door.
Never mind that, as far as Jinshi could remember, Lahan barely knew how to ride.
“Esteemed Sir Lahan,” Anshi nods graciously in response, “I come to offer greetings on behalf of my youngest son. A match between two Named is the most welcome occasion.”
“You yourself, Your Majesty, came to visit us. This is the greatest honour this house has ever seen,” one can almost hear the abacus clicking behind Lahan’s eyes. No doubt, the calculation would have been sweeter had Jinshi remained a member of the royal family rather than starting his own clan, but still. The clout created from the Empress Dowager herself coming to the residence is immeasurable.
“Today, I come not as an Imperial but as a widowed mother, seeking the best for her youngest,” Anshi steps over the threshold, motioning for the matchmaker and the gifts to follow with a flick of her fingers.
Jinshi waits for them to process through the gate, all the while wondering if perhaps this has played out exactly as Lahan planned from the beginning.
“All this is well and good,” Lahan’s eyes glint after checking all the lavish gifts personally, “but as my honoured sister’s birth circumstances were… unusual, we do not know her precise birth date and time. To know if a match is truly auspicious, we will need to confirm with another party first.”
“That party being?…” Anshi’s voice is polite as always, impossible to discern the intent behind it.
“Verdigris House,” Jinshi interjects, and Lahan nods.
“The old Madam is most avaricious. She would not part with such information willingly, not without a substantial offering first! Until then, I’m afraid the astrologer cannot proceed, Your Majesty.”
Anshi’s eyes meet Jinshi’s, and he smiles.
“Of course not. But that is precisely why…” he pulls out a folded paper from his chest pocket, “a sizable offering was made to Verdigris House, Go Sage and Li family house. One to learn the date and time, two others to verify the information’s veracity.”
While he doubted the Madam would lie about something like this, he still wanted to double-check with Maomao’s three sisters.
“Excellent,” Anshi claps her hands and the royal astrologer she brought with her steps forward. The man determined auspicious days for government rites and travels, surely calculating marital compatibility is well beneath him?
Once again, Jinshi has a terrible suspicion that all of this is one gigantic con pulled by the La. Specifically, Lahan and Lakan.
For a while, there is nothing more than the whisper of a brush against paper and the clicking of an abacus.
“Young Master’s life is overshadowed by the Stubborn star. He is doomed to struggle against fate. If I were the father of the bride, I’d be very much worried about such a suitor,” The astrologer bows, offering them a complex chart on which he plotted the movements of the heavens during the time of their births.
“Is that so? And are you?” Jinshi shows him the practised smile he perfected during his time in the rear palace, “the father of the bride, I mean.”
“O-of course not, my lord, but…”
“Then how come you speak with his voice? Check again, and keep in mind whose presence you’re in,” Jinshi directs a respectful bow in the direction of his mother, “just think of the report His Majesty might hear…”
Royal astrologer is a prestigious position… surely many covet it.
“O-oh, I seem to have missed this!” The astrologer swiftly points to one of the stars, “the young lady is the one who can dispel the curse of loneliness hanging over them both! A most auspicious match!”
Jinshi can see the corners of Anshi’s mouth twitch just slightly upward.
“Well well, would you look at that,” Jinshi turns to Lahan who now appears to be sweating profusely, “now all we need is your honored Father’s blessing to seal the deal, don’t we? Where is the Grand Commandant?”
“Why, Master Jinshi, I am fully authorised to conduct business on behalf of the La,” the young man produces a golden plaque from inside his robes, their family’s special character carved into it with great skill, “Father… Father has been very busy these days…”
“Has a war broken out without my knowledge?” Jinshi’s eyelid twitches again, “is he being summoned by the Emperor to attend an urgent council?”
“No, nothing like that, it’s just- um-“
“Is there anything more important than the marriage of one’s dear children? Sir Lahan, when you yourself intend to marry, would it please you to be ignored by the bride’s parents?” Anshi’s tone is kind, but there is no mercy in her eyes.
“Sir Lahan?” Jinshi leans forward, stippling his fingers, “what is-“
The deafening crash of splintering wood interrupts his question.