MYUFPC CHAPTER 8
Even though he later became a high ranking official
Zhan Yue was born with a pair of narrow, elongated eyes. His nose was elegantly straight, his face as smooth as jade, and his lips thin as a blade.
After all, they were uncle and nephew, and Zhan Yue bore a three to four-part resemblance to Zhan Shaoying. However, compared to Zhan Shaoying's scholarly frailty, Zhan Yue seemed to possess a heroic spirit that couldn't be ignored.
It was likely due to his many years of service in the military.
Upon hearing Jiashan call him, Zhan Yue glanced at her casually, his tone unhurried: "Greetings, Princess."
Jiashan smiled brilliantly, her lips curving in a radiant arc: "Greetings to you too, Zhan Daren."
She added with a laugh, "I had forgotten that you are related to Aunt Ruyang."
"Since we are both staying at the Changchun Temple these days, I will undoubtedly rely on your support, Zhan Daren." Jiashan's smile deepened as she instructed Su Yu to prepare tea for them.
Zhan Yue's voice remained calm and indifferent: "It is my duty as a minister, and I will do my best."
At this moment, the nun who had escorted them spoke up: "Your Highness, Zhan Daren, please wait a moment. The layman is preparing the meal and it will take a little while longer."
Zhan Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, and Jiashan couldn't help but express her surprise: "Is Aunt cooking herself?"
The nun replied, "Yes. Your Highness is an esteemed guest and naturally should be treated with the highest respect."
"How thoughtful of Aunt," Jiashan said with a slight bow. Even she hadn't expected that Princess Ruyang had honed such cooking skills during her time at the Changchun Temple.
Since the meal wasn't ready yet, it was impossible for them to sit idly facing each other. Jiashan was a princess, Zhan Yue a minister; Jiashan was a woman, Zhan Yue a man. Their interactions were fraught with the potential for awkwardness due to their different statuses.
In the courtyard, there was a low table and chairs that Jiashan had initially thought were prepared by Princess Ruyang for afternoon tea. Upon closer inspection, she realized the nun had already set up a chessboard on the table.
With black and white pieces placed in respective bowls, it seemed Princess Ruyang had thoughtfully prepared the game to entertain them while they waited.
Given the princess's goodwill, Jiashan naturally took a seat. She glanced at Zhan Yue, who was still standing, and smiled: "I've heard that you, Zhan Daren, are exceptionally talented and well-versed in both literature and martial arts. I wonder if your chess skills are as formidable as rumored?"
Jiashan's face was fair and beautiful, and she was at the prime of her youth. Even without makeup, she was still breathtakingly gorgeous, her smile as radiant as a flower in full bloom.
Zhan Yue only gave her a slight glance before nonchalantly looking away.
He sat properly across from Jiashan, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly: "Please, Your Highness, guide me."
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Youze, led by a maid, walked over. He seemed to always quickly identify Jiashan's location and was guided to her side. Zhao Youze softly called, "Ah Jie," and Jiashan, with one arm around Zhao Youze, continued playing chess with Zhan Yue.
Zhao Youze sat on a low stool, leaning slightly against Jiashan's shoulder.
Time passed, and only the sound of the chess pieces being placed could be heard. Neither Jiashan nor Zhan Yue spoke much.
Finally, Zhao Youze couldn't hold back and asked, "Ah Jie, did you win?"
Jiashan looked across at the straight-backed Zhan Yue and shook her head lightly: "No, I lost."
She held the black pieces while Zhan Yue held the white. At first, Jiashan made the opening move. She had learned to play chess in her youth, but compared to Zhan Yue's skill, it was merely child's play.
Before long, her strategy began to falter.
Zhan Yue played with the same composed and methodical approach as he conducted himself. Though not aggressive, his moves were ruthless, each one strategically crucial.
Despite having the advantage of the first move, Jiashan quickly found herself overwhelmed.
Her eyes shimmering, Jiashan smiled: "Zhan Daren, your chess skills are indeed superb. I concede defeat."
"I had thought that perhaps you might let me win a game or two," Jiashan said with a laugh, her gaze lingering on Zhan Yue's long, fair fingers. "I see I was mistaken. You play with no mercy."
Jiashan's voice was gentle, her soft tone like a delicate feather brushing lightly across Zhan Yue's heart.
Zhan Yue's narrow eyes curved slightly, but his tone remained calm: "Showing one's full ability is a sign of respect for the opponent."
He stared unblinkingly at Jiashan: "If Your Highness is unsatisfied, we can play another game."
Jiashan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She looked at the chessboard, the half-lost territory, and laughed softly: "I can't win against you, Zhan Daren. Why should I subject myself to more humiliation?"
She leaned in slightly, moving an inch closer to Zhan Yue, and lazily said, "Instead of that, I'm more curious to know if there's anything Master Zhan isn't good at."
Jiashan carried a subtle, refreshing floral fragrance, reminiscent of snow plum blossoms and orchids in a secluded valley. The scent was not overpowering, just light and delicate, yet it effortlessly captivated the senses, almost intoxicating.
Zhan Yue lowered his head, his hand holding the tea cup trembling slightly, his knuckles distinctly visible. Jiashan didn’t notice as she was counting Zhan Yue’s accomplishments on her fingers: “I’ve heard my father praise your calligraphy. He said you have the style of Wang Xizhi from the Wei and Jin dynasties. Years ago, my father chose you for the Jinwu Guard because of your unmatched bravery during the autumn hunting event.”
“And now, I’ve witnessed your chess skills,” Jiashan said with a curious smile. “The six arts of a gentleman: rites, music, archery, charioteering, writing, and arithmetic. Zhan Daren, do you truly excel in all of them?”
Zhan Yue did not look at Jiashan, his expression unchanged, but his voice was hoarse: “Of course not.”
“Hmm.” Jiashan touched the head of Zhao Youze, who was sitting beside her. “Our Yuan Kang should aspire to be as capable as Zhan Daren.”
Zhao Youze opened his mouth slightly, as if he had something to say.
At that moment, Princess Ruyang finally emerged from the house. Seeing Zhan Yue and Jiashan seated on either side of the chessboard, she smiled: “Let’s play after the meal. With the sun so high, aren’t you hungry?”
Before the two could respond, Zhao Youze, with his nose raised and sniffing, excitedly said, “It smells so good.”
“Auntie made it herself. I’ll eat a lot later,” Zhao Youze said, smiling brightly at Jiashan.
Only eleven years old, Zhao Youze's actions still had a childlike charm. Knowing that he had been blind from birth, Princess Ruyang felt even more affectionate toward him. She kindly walked over and took Zhao Youze's hand: “Our Yuan Kang always knows how to make Auntie happy.”
Jiashan smiled and said, “Yuan Kang is young and still growing, so he should eat more.”
“You're not much older.” The table was already set with several place settings, with Princess Ruyang seated between Zhao Youze and Jiashan.
With no outsiders present, Princess Ruyang didn’t want Zhan Yue to be too formal and let him sit next to Zhao Youze.
Fearing that Zhan Yue might feel uncomfortable, Princess Ruyang specifically said: “Once inside the temple, leave all status constraints outside.”
Zhan Yue nodded, less uncomfortable than Princess Ruyang had imagined. He said, “I will follow Auntie’s advice.”
Princess Ruyang’s husband was the heir of the Yongding Marquis, Fu Yi. Zhan Yue’s mother, Fu Shiyu, was the legitimate daughter of the Yongding Marquis household.
Though the large Marquis household had seen many of its old members pass away, the family ties remained unchanged. Zhan Yue’s address of “Auntie” was entirely appropriate for Princess Ruyang.
Princess Ruyang smiled, looking somewhat wistful. She pressed her lips together as if she was genuinely smiling: “It’s been a long time since anyone called me that.”
Zhan Yue lowered his lashes, gripping his chopsticks with such force that his fingertips turned slightly white.
Jiashan also forced a smile, while Zhao Youze, oblivious, continued to eat heartily.
Jiashan was well aware of the old matters of the Yongding Marquis household. Although she hadn’t been born when the incident happened, the renowned reputation of the Fu family was known throughout the entire Daliang.
However, fame is a double-edged sword—it can win a ruler's favor, but also lose it.
At the founding of the dynasty, the Yongding Marquis was ennobled for military achievements, a title passed down through several generations. Originally, the family’s influence had begun to wane until Fu Yan emerged. At fourteen, Fu Yan fought bravely against the Turks under the general Pingxi, steadily building his reputation over two decades.
The Marquis title was nearly impossible to retain by Fu Yan’s time, but due to his outstanding military achievements, the late emperor held him in high regard. After the old Yongding Marquis passed, Fu Yan not only inherited the title but also saw his sister become empress.
The empress bore a son, who was named Crown Prince Xiaohuai. The late emperor entrusted the crucial task of guarding the border to Fu Yan.
In the twenty-sixth year of Zhongping, someone accused Fu Yan of treason, claiming the recent peace with the Turks was due to his collusion with them, intending to seize the border and usurp the throne.
Initially, everyone thought this was a baseless accusation. The Yongding Marquis had stood firm for decades, and with the empress in the palace and Crown Prince Xiaohuai nearing adulthood, the allegations seemed unlikely.
Although suspicions of the Marquis’ power surfaced occasionally, the late emperor would simply reprimand the accusers and the matter would be dropped.
This time, however, the late emperor did not dismiss the matter. Instead, he ordered Fu Yan's military power be revoked and had him and his son escorted to the capital for trial.
The news shocked many, and despite the empress and Crown Prince Xiaohuai pleading for mercy, the late emperor remained unmoved.
By then, Fu Yan was nearly fifty, having spent his life in the military. Among those sent by the late emperor was Liu Ban, a eunuch who had clashed with the Crown Prince.
It was easy to imagine the humiliation Fu Yan endured on his way to the capital. Within days, news arrived that Fu Yan had died en route. When his son Fu Rong was brought to the capital, he was severely injured.
The Crown Prince, unable to bear the injustice, knelt before the throne to appeal for Fu Yan, but the late emperor's decision was final. Eventually, Fu Rong wrote a blood letter before taking his own life in prison.
The Yongding Marquis had three sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Fu Yi, married Princess Ruyang. Five years ago, he died in battle at the border, leaving no children. The second son, Fu Rong, married the daughter of the Datong General, Madam Lu, and had a daughter. The youngest son, Fu Xiao, was a late-born child, just five years old at the time.
As for the only daughter of the Yongding Marquis, Fu Shiyu, she was sixteen and engaged to the An Guo Gong’s Zhan family but had not yet married.
With the deaths of the Yongding Marquis and Fu Rong, the once grand household was left with only widows, orphans, and the lonely.
It’s said that later, Crown Prince Xiaohuai and the Empress knelt at the gates of Qianqing Palace all night, prompting the late emperor to grant a lifeline to the remaining members of the Yongding Marquis household.
However, the hereditary marquis title and the long-standing military honors of the Yongding Marquis were lost with Fu Yan's death.
Without the protection of the marquis title, the An Guo Gong’s family broke off their engagement with Fu Shiyu. The Crown Prince Xiaohuai’s estrangement from the late emperor led to his deposition and banishment to Yongzhou within a year.
Subsequently, the Empress died in grief, and the former Han Wang was established as the Crown Prince, who is now Emperor Zhang He.
With the late emperor's passing, the truth of whether Fu Yan committed treason became irrelevant. Whether the late emperor's judgment was right or wrong may no longer matter.
With Fu Yan's death, Fu Rong's suicide, and the deaths of the Empress and Crown Prince Xiaohuai, the once-glorious Yongding Marquis household was left with only the grown-up Fu Xiao, Zhan Yue, and Princess Ruyang, who had married Fu Yi.
The merits and faults of the Yongding Marquis household had become deeply buried stories. The heroes of the past were no longer mentioned.
Jiashan glanced at Zhan Yue with mixed feelings. She recalled some news she had heard elsewhere—
After the An Guo Gong’s family broke off the engagement with Fu Shiyu, he married the daughter of Marquis Wu Chong, Jiashi. After Jiashi entered the household, An Guo Gong remembered his past affection for Fu Shiyu and approached the Fu family, proposing to take Fu Shiyu as a concubine.
Jiashan privately speculated that at that time, Fu Shiyu agreed to marry into the An Guo Gong’s family again, likely to ensure that someone would protect the Yongding Marquis household and prevent them from being bullied.
It was a pity for Fu Shiyu and Zhan Yue.
One was a beloved daughter of a general’s family, raised with care. The other should have had a prominent status, a powerful grandfather, and a doting uncle, enjoying a life of splendor as the legitimate son of a duke's household.
But now, he was confined to this temple, addressing the already pious Princess Ruyang as "Aunt."
Even though he later became a high ranking official, becoming immensely influential, the fall of the Yongding Marquis household would always remain a deep scar in his heart.
Whether out of pity or compassion, Jiashan sighed deeply. She picked a piece of cabbage and placed it in Zhan Yue’s bowl, smiling at him: "Here you go, Eat this."
Zhan Yue was startled and looked at her.
Jiashan’s face was smooth and delicate, a picture of beauty. Under the sunlight, her eyelashes fluttered, and her pupils were dark and bright. A single glance seemed capable of drawing someone into her heart.
Zhan Yue’s tense fingers relaxed slightly, and he turned his head, deliberately looking away.
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Ah Jie- Sister, Older sister.
Wang- Son of the Emperor.
Daren- Lord.