Prince Bei Jing of the Red Chamber, starting from saving Qin Keqing

Three days before the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the Prince of Beijing's mansion was already brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. The ceremonial music, gift lists, and tokens were all prepared, and the place was filled with festive order.

Shui Rong sat upright in the study, her fingertips tracing the white jade bracelet carved with twin lotus blossoms on the desk.

This is an engagement gift to be given to Daiyu. The jade is warm and smooth, just like his feelings for Daiyu.

His brows furrowed with barely concealed anxious anticipation as he frequently glanced at the engagement documents sent by the Imperial Clan Court, repeatedly instructing Zhao Zhong beside him:

"Make sure to double-check the guest list. We must not neglect the elders of the Lin family and our colleagues in the court. This engagement banquet must be a grand and glorious affair for Daiyu, and we must not let her down in the slightest."

Zhao Zhong bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have checked it three times. The gift list, seating arrangements, and music are all in order. Even the route from the Lin residence to the Prince's residence has been cleared. I will ensure that Miss Lin does not suffer the slightest grievance."

Shui Rong nodded, a gentle smile appearing in her eyes.

He had long awaited this day. Daiyu was beautiful, gentle, and exceptionally talented. He had already made up his mind to bring her into the Prince's mansion with the most solemn ceremony.

Thinking of Daiyu, who was already quite beautiful at the age of thirteen or fourteen, with delicate and picturesque features, his smile softened even more, and even his aura became gentler.

But this tenderness lasted less than half a day before it was shattered by a piece of news.

In the afternoon, Zhao Zhong rushed into the study in a panic, bowed, and said:

"My lord, something terrible has happened! News has come from the palace that His Highness the Crown Prince... His Highness the Crown Prince has also presented his betrothal gifts today. The engagement banquet is scheduled for the eighteenth day of the first lunar month with the daughter of Grand Secretary Zhang Shi'an!"

"What did you say?"

Shui Rong's hand suddenly stopped, her fingers tightening, the warm, smooth jade surface almost embedding itself into her palm.

The tenderness in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Are you sure it's the 18th of the first lunar month? The same day as mine?"

"Absolutely true."

Zhao Zhong's tone was urgent:

"This servant just learned from the palace gates that His Highness the Crown Prince's betrothal gifts have been delivered to the Zhang residence, and the Ministry of Rites has also registered them."

"Moreover...the Zhang and Lin residences are close to each other. On the day of the engagement, both wedding processions will have to pass through the same street, which might cause..."

Before Zhao Zhong could finish speaking, Shui Rong already understood the scheme behind it.

The eighteenth day of the first lunar month was supposed to be his engagement day with Daiyu. He made meticulous preparations, hoping for a grand and glorious occasion.

But the Crown Prince happened to choose the same day to get engaged to the daughter of the Grand Secretary.

Zhang Shi'an was the Grand Secretary, and his protégés and former officials were all over the court. The Crown Prince's move was clearly intentional, to divert his guests and to suppress him.

What's even more infuriating is that the two teams are traveling along the same stretch of road. If all the guests go to curry favor with the Crown Prince, wouldn't the engagement team of the Prince of Beijing's mansion become a laughing stock?

Furthermore, Zhang Shi'an wielded immense power in the court, and the marriage alliance between the Crown Prince and the Zhang family already carried significant weight.

In contrast, the Lin family, though a scholarly family, lacked the power and influence of the Zhang family, and court officials were inclined to curry favor with them.

They will certainly prioritize attending the Crown Prince's engagement banquet, at which time the Prince of Beijing's residence will likely be deserted.

"The substitution of the prince for the raccoon dog is quite a clever scheme."

Shui Rong slowly raised her hand and placed the jade bracelet on the table. Her fingertips gently tapped the edge of the table, producing a rhythmic and cold sound.

A mocking sneer curled at the corner of his lips, his voice low and sinister, "Interesting, very interesting, my good nephew, you've learned to play these tricks on me."

How could he not know what the Crown Prince was thinking?

The Crown Prince has always been wary of his power, and now that he wants to form a marriage alliance with the Lin family and win over the civil officials' families, the Crown Prince naturally does not want to see his power grow stronger.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to arrange a marriage with Zhang Shi'an, they got engaged on the same day, thus diverting his prestige and guests.

This both demonstrated the Crown Prince's authority as heir apparent and subtly suppressed him, achieving two goals at once.

"master,"

Zhao Zhong looked troubled and said in a low voice

"This is a tricky matter."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and Minister Zhang is the Grand Secretary; the officials in the court certainly dare not neglect him."

"At that time, I'm afraid... I'm afraid there will be very few guests coming to our palace."

"Moreover, anyone who rashly comes to our Prince's residence will inevitably be accused of 'forming cliques for personal gain and favoring Prince Bei Jing,' thus offending His Highness the Crown Prince."

"The court officials are all driven by self-interest and avoid harm; they would never take such a risk."

Shui Rong remained silent, his eyes deep and still as a cold pool.

Zhao Zhong is right. Now that the Crown Prince is powerful and has Zhang Shi'an backing him up, the court officials will naturally not offend the Crown Prince for his sake.

This engagement banquet, which he had meticulously prepared, is likely to be turned upside down by the Crown Prince.

Just as the two were at their wits' end and the atmosphere in the study was heavy, the high-pitched voice of the eunuch Li Fuquan suddenly broke through the silence of the courtyard:

"By imperial decree—Summon Prince Shui Rong of Beijing to receive the imperial edict!"

Shui Rong's eyes flickered, suppressing the coldness in her heart. She rose, straightened her robes, and strode out of the study, bowing as she stood on the veranda.

"Your subject Shui Rong has received Your Majesty's imperial edict."

Li Fuquan, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, slowly stepped forward, a formulaic smile on his face, and said in a shrill voice:

"His Majesty has decreed that a court assembly will be held this afternoon, and all civil and military officials, as well as princes of the imperial family, must be present without fail. Prince Bei Jing, please come with me to the palace immediately."

"My lord, I obey your order."

Shui Rong bowed in agreement, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

His Majesty's sudden convening of a court assembly, coinciding with the exposure of the Crown Prince's engagement on the same day, must be suspicious.

He looked up at Li Fuquan and tentatively asked, "Eunuch Li, His Majesty has suddenly convened a court assembly today. What important matter is it?"

Li Fuquan smiled and waved his hand, his tone ambiguous: "I don't know, His Majesty has his own will. When Prince Bei Jing arrives at court, he will know."

Shui Rong asked no more questions, instructing Zhao Zhong to take good care of the Prince's Mansion and prepare for the engagement. Then he followed Li Fuquan and hurried to the palace.

Throughout the journey, his mind was in turmoil. His Majesty must know that the Crown Prince and he were betrothed on the same day, and today's court meeting was probably to make a decision on this matter.

Before long, Shui Rong arrived at the palace, where the court assembly had already begun.

Civil and military officials lined both sides, while princes of the imperial clan stood on the east side. Upon closer inspection, Liu Dongchen was naturally not among them.

Prince Zhu Changjun of Qin, Prince Zhu Changming of Zhao, Prince Murong Zhao of Ping'an, and others have all arrived.

Crown Prince Zhu Changyu, dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe embroidered with dragons, stood below the throne with a dignified expression, but a hint of smugness was hidden in his eyes.

Shui Rong strode into the main hall, bowed deeply, and said, "Your subject Shui Rong greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise."

On the throne, His Majesty Zhu Yiheng, with a dignified expression and a booming voice, swept his gaze across the entire hall before slowly speaking.

"I have summoned you all here today because I have some joyous news to announce."

He paused, his gaze falling on the Crown Prince and Shui Rong, before continuing:

"Crown Prince Zhu Changyu is virtuous and kind, and possesses a dignified bearing; Zhang Wanning, daughter of Grand Secretary Zhang Shi'an, is gentle, virtuous, and exceptionally talented."

"After careful consideration and calculation by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, I have granted your permission to hold an engagement banquet on the eighteenth day of the first month."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince and Zhang Shi'an bowed together and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

The court officials bowed and offered their congratulations, and the hall was filled with joyous sounds. However, Shui Rong felt a chill in his heart. Just as he had expected, His Majesty knew about this matter but did not stop the Crown Prince.

Just then, Zhu Yiheng's voice rang out again, his tone still authoritative, but with a hint of consideration:

"At the same time, Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, is the head of the imperial princes. He is of upright character and skilled in both literature and martial arts."

Lin Daiyu, daughter of Lin Ruhai, the Salt Commissioner, was beautiful, gentle, and exceptionally talented. The two were deeply in love.

"I also grant your permission, and order that the two of them hold their engagement banquet on the eighteenth day of the first month, the same day as the Crown Prince!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly. The court officials all looked surprised and their gazes toward Shui Rong and the Crown Prince became more inquisitive.

The Crown Prince's smug expression froze for a moment, clearly not expecting His Majesty to make such an arrangement.

Shui Rong also looked surprised, then bowed and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yiheng raised his hand in a gesture of support and continued:

"I understand that it may be inconvenient for the two to be engaged on the same day, therefore I hereby issue this decree that the engagement ceremony may be held in two separate locations."

"The Crown Prince's engagement ceremony will be held at the Zhang residence; the Prince of Beijing's engagement ceremony will be held at the Lin residence. Both will be conducted in accordance with the proper etiquette and must not be performed incorrectly."

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping across the room, his tone solemn:

"As for the engagement banquet, I have decided that it will be held in the side hall of the Wenhua Hall on the east side of the palace, where the two of them will have a joint banquet."

"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, which demonstrates the exalted status of the position;"

"Prince Bei Jing is a model for the imperial clan, demonstrating their majesty. The fact that the two are engaged on the same day and hold wedding banquets together shows not only my high regard for them, but also the harmony within the imperial clan and the unity of the ruler and his subjects."

"What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the court officials all bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is wise!"

No one dared to object. His Majesty's actions appeared to be impartial, showing neither favoritism towards the Crown Prince nor neglect towards Shui Rong.

With Zhang Shi'an backing him up, the Crown Prince's engagement ceremony was held at Zhang's residence, showcasing the Crown Prince's prestige.

Shui Rong's engagement ceremony was held at the Lin residence, with the banquet held at the same venue as the Crown Prince's, demonstrating the Prince of Beijing's high status and indicating that Shui Rong's position within the imperial clan was not diminished because of the Crown Prince.

However, all the ministers knew in their hearts that His Majesty's move was actually a tactic of checks and balances.

The Crown Prince's power was growing, and after his marriage alliance with Zhang Shi'an, his influence became even greater.

Your Majesty's move is to raise Shui Rong's status to check the Crown Prince's power and prevent the Crown Prince from becoming too powerful.

At the same time, it also served as a warning to the Crown Prince and Shui Rong, achieving two goals at once.

Zhang Shi'an stood among the court officials, a smile on his face, but a barely perceptible hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He had thought that the Crown Prince's engagement on the same day would give him an edge over Shui Rong.

However, His Majesty arranged for the two to have a banquet together, clearly because he did not want the Crown Prince to be too ostentatious, nor did he want the Zhang family to gain too much power through the marriage alliance.

Crown Prince Zhu Changyu bowed and replied, "Your subject obeys the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your grace."

His tone was respectful, but his eyes concealed a hint of resentment and coldness. He hadn't expected His Majesty to intervene.

His scheme to make Shui Rong an equal and share a wedding banquet with him ultimately failed.