Chapter 7: The Scheming Xiao Jiang Bai

Princess Min, Shen Yuzhao, is the legitimate daughter of Madam Shen. Initially, due to her outstanding beauty and embroidery skills, she was selected to enter the palace as an embroidery official. Later, she gained the favor of the Empress, who arranged her marriage to the Second Prince, Prince Min, and conferred upon her the title of Princess Min. However, she was frail and suffered two miscarriages, and after two years of recuperation, she finally gave birth to Gu Qiubo, after which she did not conceive again. Since Gu Qiubo is her only legitimate son, she is extremely protective of him, fearing any mishap. Only after selecting Shen Tiantong and Shen Liubai to be Gu Qiubo's companions for study did she feel somewhat relieved. Upon hearing that Shen Tiantong had been beaten by Jiang Bai, resulting in a swollen face and lips, she naturally sent an eunuch to check on the situation and inquire about the details. However, suspecting that this matter was not simple, she took the opportunity of a free moment today to visit the Shen residence in a small sedan chair.

Shen Yonghu said: "The late emperor has passed away, and the new emperor has not been on the throne for long. The Empress Dowager and the Empress are both from the Shang family and have a close relationship with the general's wife. Whether this meager military power can return to their hands remains uncertain. The recent altercation between Jiang Bai and Tong Ge'er is not without reason; it may well be the Jiang family testing our Shen family. Jiang Bai insists that he was struck several times by Tong Ge'er. I asked Bai Ge'er, who said that although Jiang Bai appears weak, he is quite agile. It would not be easy for Tong Ge'er to land a few punches on him. Regardless of whether Tong Ge'er actually hit Jiang Bai, Jiang Bai's two punches on Tong Ge'er's face are akin to striking the Shen family directly. How can this be dismissed as merely a children's fight?"

Due to the previous need to select a companion reader for Gu Zhengchong, Shang Jie feared that the palace might choose Jiang Bai, so she entered the palace to meet with the Empress Dowager and the Empress. She reported that Jiang Bai had been weak as a child and was raised as a boy, a matter that even Doctor Wang was aware of. Upon hearing that Jiang Bai was a girl, Shang Ruzhen felt secretly pleased. The daughters of the Shang family in this generation were either slightly older or still in their infancy. In a few years, when the Crown Prince Gu Zhengchong selects a Crown Princess, it is likely that the Shang family would be left empty-handed. Since Jiang Bai was a girl, she became an additional candidate for the Crown Princess. At that moment, she hinted to Shang Jie to take good care of Jiang Bai. Hearing that Jiang Bai had fought with Shen Tiantong and had received a few punches, she naturally felt uneasy and deemed it necessary to have a physician come out of the palace to examine Jiang Bai.

Shen Tiantong had sustained an injury to his face this time, so the matter of accompanying the reading in the palace was naturally set aside for the time being. Fortunately, with the year-end approaching, Gu Qiubo and others were also about to take their school break, which was not a significant issue. Since the Shen residence had also invited a learned scholar to serve as a teacher, Shen Tiantong could simply visit him for guidance from time to time. Upon hearing his father Shen Yonghu mention the intention to invite a skilled martial arts master to the residence, he was naturally pleased, secretly imagining himself mastering the skills and beating Jiang Bai to a bruised and swollen state. One day, while he was reading a book, a maid from Madam Shen's side hurried in. After greeting him, she said: "Young Master, the Princess Min has arrived. She came in a small sedan chair and did not wish to disturb anyone, so the main gate was not opened to welcome her; she entered through the small side gate and is now in the Madam's courtyard. She specifically requested to see you, and the Madam has sent me to invite you."

Shen Yuzhao nodded and said, "Brother Tong is indeed very thoughtful. Although the Emperor values the Shen family, both the Empress Dowager and the Empress share the surname Shang, and they will naturally support the Jiang family. If a real conflict arises, it would not be good."

Jiang Bai pretended to be injured, leisurely passing the New Year. By March, He Yuan gave birth to another baby boy, named Jiang Geng, and the entire household naturally celebrated. After Jiang Geng's full moon celebration, however, Old Madam Jiang fell ill. After examining her, Physician Wang told Jiang Zhen and Miss Jie: "The old madam is advanced in age, and it is not advisable to use strong medicine this time; we can only focus on her diet. If she can endure the heat of summer, she may last until the end of the year"

When Shen Yuzhao was in the Shen residence inquiring about the matter, Empress Shang Ruzhen also summoned Shang Jie to the palace to investigate this issue

It is good that there was no fighting. However, the Shen family's civil official is quite devious and may easily think that Brother Bai is acting under someone else's orders. This incident with Shen Tiantong will surely lead him to complain to the Princess Min. "Shang Ruzhen sighed, saying, "As soon as I heard that two people were fighting, I hurried to provide Brother Bai with some medicine for his injuries. At that moment, everyone in the palace learned that Brother Bai was also hurt, and it was clear that it was not the Jiang family bullying the Shen family, which put an end to the gossip.

Seeing Shang Ruzhen in a hurry, Shang Jie truthfully explained the situation and smiled, saying: "Your Majesty, the little white ghost is here, how could it be beaten?"

It is said that Shen Yongyang learned from his son Shen Liubai about the altercation between Shen Tiantong and Jiang Bai. He summoned Shen Yonghu to the study to discuss, stating: "During the reign of the late emperor, there was a deep-seated fear that the Shang family would collude with the Jiang family, leading to the court becoming a domain of the Shang family's relatives. Moreover, with both the empress and the crown princess being from the Shang family, it was difficult to take action against them at that time. Thus, we had to cut off their support from the roots, first suppressing the Mo family, and then the Jiang family, causing the Shang family to lose their allies. At the beginning of last year, we were assigned the position of military supervisor, thereby diminishing the Jiang family's military power. Currently, the court still prioritizes civil affairs over military matters, and the Jiang family is significantly weaker than before, naturally unwilling to accept this situation."

Madam Jiang is also aware that her time is limited. She pulled Shang Jie aside and said, "The Mo family's Ping Ge and Hui Jie are quite intelligent. If I do not survive this year, please help me look after them a bit. If they achieve something, the Mo family can still hold on and will not fall completely."

Due to Shen Tiantong's insistence on settling the matter of the fight with Jiang Bai, the incident quickly faded away, making a lot of noise but little impact. From then on, aside from studying, Shen Tiantong devoted himself to martial arts training, hoping that one day he could teach Jiang Bai a lesson with his own skills

Jiang Xuan, Jiang Bai, and Jiang Qing were excited to be asked to help find aunts for their four uncles. As soon as they arrived at the martial arts hall, they began to whisper among themselves. Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo, noticing their hushed conversation, laughed loudly and couldn't help but feel curious, so they approached and asked, "What is so mysterious?"

Madam Shen had not yet responded. Upon seeing Shen Tiantong enter, she waited for him to pay his respects to Shen Yuzhao and take his seat before she said: "Tong'er, you will be ten years old after the New Year, which makes you half a grown-up. There are some matters for which you need to have your own opinion. Regarding the incident of being beaten this time, how do you think it should be handled?"

Tong Ge'er is the companion reader of the King of Shu. Logically speaking, the Jiang family should show some respect, but this time they have beaten Tong Ge'er so severely, which warrants deep reflection on the underlying reasons. However, despite being beaten, Tong Ge'er cannot cry out. Firstly, our Shen family, while primarily focused on literature, has always invited martial teachers to instruct the younger generation in some physical training, unlike the scholars from small families who are utterly defenseless. Secondly, Tong Ge'er is two years older than Jiang Bai, so it would be acceptable if he were accused of bullying the younger, but now being beaten is indeed a matter of losing face. Shen Yongyang pondered and said: "Our Shen family currently holds the position of military supervisor, and being completely ignorant of martial arts and military strategies is also inappropriate. Taking this opportunity, we should seek out skilled martial teachers and renowned strategists to instruct Tong Ge'er and others. After being beaten by Jiang Bai, Tong Ge'er will surely be motivated to surpass Jiang Xuan and Jiang Bai. In the future, he will be able to truly fulfill the role of a military supervisor."

Shen Yonghu nodded in agreement, and the two of them discussed matters in the study until the lanterns were lit.

"Mother, it's nothing, you need not worry!" Jiang Bai's eyes rolled around, and seeing that the girls were not nearby, she quietly leaned over to He Yuan's ear and said: "Shen Tiantong didn't hit me; I am afraid of being scolded by Father, so I pretended that he hit me. He is older than me, taller than me, and stronger than me, so naturally, he felt embarrassed to say that he couldn't beat me and went back home in a dejected manner"

Madam Jiang knew that since Shang Jie had agreed, she would naturally take extra care of Mo Ruoping and Mo Ruohui, which relieved her somewhat. However, there was another matter that caused her concern, as she said: "I thought I would see Hua Hong and the others getting married and having children, but who would have thought they have been silent for so long? It seems I won't be able to see them again."

You!" He Yuan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. For a moment, he pinched Jiang Bai's cheek and whispered, "The Jiang family has always been at odds with the Shen family. Ever since Shen Yuan resigned from his official position, the animosity between the Shen and Jiang families has intensified. Now that you have struck Shen Tiantong, the Shen family is likely to take advantage of this situation. You will need to pretend to be ill for a few more days, claiming that you have internal injuries from the beating. You should take good care of yourself and stay in the room with me to learn embroidery obediently!"

"How can it be that we cannot see them? I will have Huahong and the others get married right away." Speaking of Jiang Huahong and the others, Shang Jie was also troubled. The third son, Jiang Huahong, is thirty-one years old this year and has been reluctant to marry. The fourth son, Jiang Huaji, the fifth son, Jiang Huaceng, and the sixth son, Jiang Huagai, all claim that they will marry only after the third son, Jiang Huahong, does. Because of this matter, Shang Jie was almost driven to despair, and upon seeing Old Madam Jiang in such a state, she forced a smile and said, "Last time, Huaan and Huakuan got married together; this time, let Huahong and the other three marry together as well, and we can hold an even more lively wedding banquet. I will discuss this with two prospective brides; we cannot allow these four to keep postponing any longer." In other families, a thirty-one-year-old man is almost a grandfather, yet in our family, he is still unmarried at thirty-one. This time, we must mobilize everyone to bring back four brides in one go, solving four problems at once. Shang Jie, with her ambitious plans, decided to also involve Jiang Xuan, Jiang Qing, and Jiang Bai, urging them to contribute as well.

Upon hearing the words "embroidery," Jiang Bai recalled her actions in the sewing room being witnessed by Shen Tiantong, and she felt a surge of embarrassment and anger: "Shen Tiantong, if you do not speak of this matter, I will let the incident of you breaking my belt be forgotten. But if you dare to reveal my behavior of pasting flowers on the mirror, just wait and see if I won’t beat you to the ground, leaving you searching for your teeth"

"Xiao Bai, where were you hit?" He Yuan, upon hearing that Jiang Bai and Shen Tiantong had fought, naturally had someone call her into the room for a detailed inquiry. When she saw that the new silver fox fur coat was stained in several places and the belt was broken, she couldn't help but be startled. She approached Jiang Bai, who was holding her belly, and began to press and pinch her, asking, "Where does it hurt? Let me take a look."

Jiang Bai, upon seeing Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo inquiring, turned his eyes and said with a smile: "Tomorrow, we will hold a family banquet at the residence, inviting the ladies and young ladies from each household to gather. Grandmother has asked us to help find wives for the four uncles among the young ladies, so everyone, if you have time, please lend a hand!" The more people, the easier it is to get things done; we can also ask the Crown Prince and the King of Shu to assist the uncles in finding wives. Grandmother mentioned that if the third uncle and the others get married, it might bring joy to the great-grandmother, and perhaps her condition will improve.

While Shang Ruzhen was speaking, Shen Yuzhao said to Madam Shen in the Shen residence: "The Jiang family reports that Jiang Baishang is severely injured and will not be attending school, instead recuperating at home. Upon hearing that he was torn by Tong Ge'er, the Empress Dowager has already bestowed upon him a peacock cloak, a crane cloak, and a jade belt. Additionally, she has granted him restorative and medicinal herbs, instructing him to take good care of himself. The Empress Dowager's grand gestures in bestowing gifts make it seem as though Jiang Baishang's injuries are more serious than those of Tong Ge'er. We intend to seek an explanation, but it seems we will have difficulty doing so."

At this point, Jiang Zhen and He Shangjie naturally understood that the time of the old lady Jiang had come to an end, something beyond human control, and there was nothing they could do about it

Shang Jie felt a twinge of sadness and naturally agreed to it

Upon hearing that Shen Yuzhao had arrived, Shen Tiantong felt a surge of anxiety, realizing that the matter concerning his altercation with Jiang Bai involved the reputations of two families. A minor issue had escalated into a conflict between the two clans. The root of the incident was merely his act of spying on Jiang Bai while she was sewing. When Jiang Bai discovered his intrusion, she struck him out of embarrassment and anger. He had only intended to teach Jiang Bai a lesson in private, not to let the matter evolve into a political incident. As he pondered this, he carefully chose his words, saying: "I believe it is unwise to escalate this matter. If it becomes a big issue, it will appear as though our Shen family is making a mountain out of a molehill, which could lead to unfavorable consequences for us." He had only intended to teach Jiang Bai a lesson in private, not to let the matter evolve into a political incident. As he pondered this, he carefully chose his words, saying: "I believe it is unwise to escalate this matter. If it becomes a big issue, it will appear as though our Shen family is making a mountain out of a molehill, which could lead to unfavorable consequences for us."

Madam Shen, upon seeing Shen Yuzhao arrive, naturally understood that it was regarding the matter of Shen Tiantong being beaten, and could not help but recount the events once more.