Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Tang Rong Regroups

At the same time, the Second Prince’s strategists were alight with excitement, gathered to discuss countermeasures. The ever-cautious Crown Prince had shown a flaw; it was delightful.

Strategist One, unable to hide his excitement, said that if the young marchioness had gone straight back to the marquisate last night, this would not have made a ripple, since she never actually played the zither. But she went to her natal home, which spoke of great grievance.

Strategist Two’s eyes flashed as he sighed theatrically: this very morning Sir Tao and his wife had gone to the marquisate. One family’s daughter who married out was aggrieved; the marquisate’s face was on the verge of being swept away. Truly lamentable.

Strategist Three said with deliberation: the Crown Princess used words to coerce the Marquis Wei Yuan household’s young madam into playing the zither to amuse the crowd, a grave humiliation to the marquisate. The young madam resolutely left the banquet, which defended the marquisate’s face and silently resisted the Crown Princess.

They exchanged looks and reached tacit agreement to start with the Crown Princess, impeaching her for abusing power and scorning the families of meritorious officials, then impeaching the Crown Prince for failing to manage his household.

The Second Prince’s strategists, eyes bright, grew ever more heated. They even spoke of using public clamor to force Tang Gang to step forward; if Tang Gang dared shrink back, they would mock his incompetence with the Old Marquis’s former glory: if he could not even guard the honor won by his father, how could he stand in the Imperial Court?

They reckoned Tang Gang would stiffen his neck and march out.

Though such a trifle might not topple the Crown Prince, they could ruin his reputation. No matter; they could let it spread and add fuel and spice, giving the Crown Prince a name for flawed virtue.

Let the old generals of the Imperial Court see what sort of man their future sovereign was.

“The core objective,” they concluded, “is to have oversight of the Ministry of Revenue land squarely in the Second Prince’s hands.”

The Second Prince’s Consort soon learned of their plotting and chuckled: “One is self-satisfied, another is dull-witted. If not for Xin An’s quick eyes and quicker hands, the effect would have been far worse.”

The Second Prince smiled beside her and said: “Not so. If she had truly been made to play, it would have been consent on both sides at most. It would only prove that Tao family’s girl is crazed for the limelight, making her already rotten reputation even worse. It would have had little to do with the Crown Prince.”

“If she did not play, then people can say she left in shame and anger, even earning her a sliver of a good name. Speaking of which, Old Marquis Tang did have keen eyes, setting Tang Rong’s betrothal early to a girl of the Xin family. What a pity.”

The Second Prince’s Consort nodded in agreement and teased: “We do not yet know how capable she is, but she is certainly better than Tao Yi Ran. My lord seems very concerned for Tao Yi Ran’s reputation.”

The Second Prince’s face tightened for a heartbeat before he said helplessly: “It is all in the past; why bring it up now? I have said it many times; I do not care for women who do not respect themselves. Am I the sort to fancy any cat or dog that comes along?”

“Are we not childhood sweethearts? Do you still not trust me?”

She shot him a glance and sighed in feigned melancholy: “And who made me a shrew who treats you poorly? I cannot be a tender, gentle beauty who understands your every word. How you must suffer.”

At her tone and expression, the Second Prince spread his hands and protested: “That woman just farted; how can you still remember it? How could she compare to you?” He rose, helped her sit, and murmured: “What does an outsider know of the bond between us? I am willing to be scolded by you, willing to be hit by you. What business is it of hers?”

“Since childhood you have beaten me; I am used to it. Those years when you were away from the capital, no one beat me, and I was miserable. In my dreams, you were still beating me.”

His shamelessness succeeded in making the Second Prince’s Consort laugh; the corners of her lips lifted as she said: “A bad habit. I will have the entire household line up to beat you.”

“They would not dare.” The Second Prince leaned close and grinned: “Only you may beat me. Anyone else who so much as thinks of it is guilty.”

By now the strategists at the Crown Prince’s Manor had also caught wind and were busily discussing countermeasures. The Crown Prince exploded at the Crown Princess, accusing her of always spoiling things.

Unwilling to be scolded, the Crown Princess retorted: “Yesterday, when I took Tao Yi Ran to the Moon Inviting Banquet, you did not object. Now that trouble has come, you blame me?” Husband and wife quarreled and parted in displeasure.

The wind today was stronger than usual, yet it could not blow away the cloud hanging overhead.

With storm brewing, Xin An in Qiu Shi Courtyard busied herself choosing fabrics for new clothes, while in Chun Hua Courtyard, Tang Rong lost his composure and smashed an entire tea set, hating himself for his impatience and for believing Tao Yi Ran’s nonsense, which had blown up into such a disaster.

He could not spare a thought for his injuries. After sitting in his study for half an hour, he gathered himself, went to find Tang Gang, and father and son entered the study together.

After all, Tang Gang had painstakingly trained him; once calm, a little thought let him grasp the broad outline quickly. He analyzed in a low voice: “The Second Prince will certainly make a great fuss of this and, nine times out of ten, drag Father into it, forcing Father to point the spear at the Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Prince has eyes and ears everywhere and will be prepared. He will likely move first to have Father play this down. If Father complies with the Crown Prince, the Second Prince’s people will pressure Father with the marquisate’s face.”

“If we comply with the Crown Prince, the marquisate’s reputation plummets. If we comply with the Second Prince, we will offend the Crown Prince. Set against each other, the outcome is uncertain, and neither choice benefits us.”

“Come to think of it, Father-in-law exaggerated a fair bit earlier.”

“There is no need for us to rush.”

Sir Tao had been endlessly tempting them with the benefits of following the dragon, saying that though the marquisate did not seem to possess great power now, the Old Marquis’s prestige endured, and with a cry of the arm, men would respond. With modest maneuvering, Tang Rong could stand out before the Crown Prince, a great boon to his career that would bring the marquisate decades of glory and wealth.

Father and son had been swayed by a few persuasive words; Tang Gang had nearly sent word to Xin Kuan to contribute silver to help the Crown Prince succeed.

Now, it seemed rash. Even without the merit of following the dragon, the Old Master’s achievements alone could sustain glory for decades. His Majesty the Emperor was in robust health and looked to have a long life ahead.

But words now were useless; they could only think of a way to calm this quickly, best if no waves rose at all.

Tang Gang said gravely: “Your grandmother is furious. The Grand Matron is usually cheerful and unwilling to manage anything, but in her heart your grandfather’s glory eclipses all else. She will not permit us to retreat.”

“And I have already written to the clan. In less than three months, several of the clan’s outstanding young men will come.”

“For that reason, I also wrote to have the clan send several girls of suitable age.”

The Grand Matron had roared to life, and Tang Gang could not refuse. Yet considering that once the clansmen arrived he would have to spend coin and effort to plan their futures, it would take no small labor. The road of officialdom was hard; even as a marquis he was walking on thin ice. To rely on those young men to rise and then shelter the family would take many years.

[The gap between investment and return was too wide; the only practical move was to start with the clan’s daughters, sending them into marriages to forge alliances, which would count as some compensation.]