Chapter 3: A Marriage Alliance?

Neither man could have imagined that the person before them was no longer the wastrel they had known.

“Perhaps the heir has finally come into his own, my prince,” Xiahou Liang offered. It was the only explanation he could give.

Zhang Heng went on, “Father, whatever else happens, I’ll bring honor to our household in the metropolitan examination that starts tomorrow. But there is one matter I’d like you to look into.”

“Speak,” Zhang Yuanzhe said coldly.

Zhang Heng took the examination questions and answers from his pocket and handed them over.

“Zhou Bin, Vice Minister of Rites, gave me these questions and answers for this examination. Whoever is behind him must mean us harm. Please have someone investigate discreetly.”

The papers looked thoroughly unremarkable. Zhang Heng suspected the questions were false. Whoever had written the answers was no great talent either; they were mediocre, hardly the work of a successful candidate. In all likelihood, the whole thing was a trap.

“The heir is quite right,” Xiahou Liang said.

Zhang Yuanzhe nodded, his expression turning grave.

“Very well. Have someone look into it afterward.”

Xiahou Liang cupped his hands. “Yes, my prince.”

Zhang Yuanzhe turned back to his son.

“If you truly earn a place on the list, the law prevents you from being appointed directly to an office with actual authority. But I shall go to your imperial grandfather and ask him to reward you. If you make a mess of it… Hmph!”

In truth, neither he nor Xiahou Liang expected very much of Zhang Heng. As long as his examination paper did not expose him as a complete ignoramus, they would be satisfied.

“What sort of reward?” Zhang Heng asked. “A few wives?”

His words seemed to remind Zhang Yuanzhe of something. Ignoring his son, he turned to Xiahou Liang again.

“On that subject, there is another matter on which I would welcome your advice. My imperial mother has recently been considering a marriage for Heng. Which family’s daughter would make the most suitable alliance?”

“Wait, they actually hand out wives?”

Zhang Heng could not help quirking his mouth.

His father plainly had no intention of asking his opinion. This was going to be a political marriage.

Xiahou Liang waved his feather fan.

“Does Your Highness know which senior officials have daughters of marriageable age?”

Zhang Yuanzhe considered for a while before answering slowly.

“Of the young women I have heard of who are of suitable age and standing, there are two my imperial mother favors.

“The first is the legitimate daughter of Lin Huaiyuan, Minister of Personnel. A marriage into his family would give me a powerful ally at court. I have met the girl. She is cultured, courteous, gentle, and dignified. They call her the foremost talented lady in the capital. She once bested a Hanlin scholar in public debate.”

Xiahou Liang frowned. “But Lin Huaiyuan has attacked Your Highness at court on numerous occasions.”

Lin Huaiyuan and Zhang Yuanzhe seemed born to rub each other the wrong way. Lin Huaiyuan prided himself on being a man of letters. To him, Zhang Yuanzhe was a prince who knew nothing but fighting and killing, with no understanding of courtly rules. The two often traded insults at court.

“I am well aware of that,” Zhang Yuanzhe said, looking aggrieved. “But if a marriage could turn an enemy into a friend, all the better.”

Zhang Heng glanced at his father. Apparently, the man was not entirely without a brain.

Xiahou Liang nodded. “It is a possibility. Whether Lin Huaiyuan would agree is another matter.”

On reflection, Zhang Yuanzhe had to concede the point. What sort of reputation did his son have? And what sort did Lin’s daughter have? Her family might well turn him down.

Before arranging the match, his imperial mother would also consult the Lin family. The prospects were probably poor.

“The second is the legitimate daughter of Shen Wanlou, the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Commissioner. The Shens are no great court clan, but they are immensely wealthy. They control one-fifth of Jiangnan’s cloth shops. With their support, my household would have a solid financial foundation.”

A light flickered in Xiahou Liang’s eyes.

“The Shen family? That, too, could serve.”

Zhang Yuanzhe shook his head.

“My imperial mother favors both families. My imperial father, however, may not wish to see me joined to either the Lins or the Shens.”

Emperor Qian was a master of balancing rival powers. He did not like seeing princes marry into the families of powerful officials, and his views would differ from the empress’s.

Xiahou Liang gestured toward Zhang Heng with his fan.

“My prince, since a marriage alliance seems unavoidable, why not let the heir decide for himself?”

He wanted to see how Zhang Heng would handle a choice between two difficult options. There was something different about the heir now.

Zhang Yuanzhe paused, then looked at his son.

“What does he know?” he said automatically.

Zhang Heng raised his head and gazed at him with innocent eyes.

“Father, could I marry both?”

Choosing was for children. Adults took the lot!

The Prince of Yan had been hit hard by political pressure lately. As Zhang Heng saw it, that did not quite fit Emperor Qian’s usual balancing act. They should be able to get away with stirring things up a little just now.

“You greedy little bastard. Just like your old man!” Zhang Yuanzhe cursed, unable to hold back a laugh.

Marrying into either family might make his imperial father wary. Both? Did the boy think the emperor was not wary enough already?

Xiahou Liang laughed too. The heir really did dare ask.

If he married both women, they would have the Minister of Personnel’s support on the civil side, a former grand marshal on the military side, and the Shen family’s wealth behind them. The crown prince would never sleep soundly again.

Xiahou Liang narrowed his eyes as he studied Zhang Heng. Tonight had made one thing clear: the heir’s ambitions were anything but modest. He seemed intent on pushing the Prince of Yan toward rebellion at every turn. No wonder he had dared put an imperial robe on his father and cheat in the examinations.

Seeing that his father had not agreed, Zhang Heng said, “Father, both young ladies come from distinguished families. But I think a marriage alliance should begin with the people involved. If our temperaments clash and our interests differ, we might turn our families into enemies rather than relations.”

What he really needed to know was whether they were pretty and could bear children.

It wasn’t as though he was forcing his father into a Xuanwu Gate showdown.

“The heir speaks wisely,” Xiahou Liang agreed, playing along.

Zhang Yuanzhe was silent for a while before he answered.

“Very well. Once the examination is over, if you have the ability to earn a place on the list, you may discuss it with your mother yourself. If you fail, however… Hmph! Do not blame me when I have you beaten with military staves!”

His son seemed different today from the usual wastrel, and Zhang Yuanzhe had revised his opinion a little.

A beating with military staves would leave him bedridden for at least half a month. Zhang Heng shook his head at the prospect.

“Rest assured, Father. I won’t let you down!”

……

The ninth day of the second month, in the ninth year of Great Jing.

In the small hours, just after the midnight watch, Zhang Heng wanted nothing more than a little extra sleep. Huo Ning, Princess Consort of Yan, woke him instead.

Her father was a former Vice Minister of Works. Her family background was nothing exceptional, but she and the Prince of Yan had been childhood sweethearts, and an imperial decree had named her his consort. She and Zhang Yuanzhe were a loving couple with a son and a daughter. Zhang Heng had an eight-year-old younger sister.

Huo Ning summoned four personal maids to help him wash and dress.

Zhang Heng yawned while all four went about their work with faintly flushed faces.

He had inherited the best of his parents’ looks: an elegant bearing and a face as fair and handsome as carved jade.

One maid straightened his clothes while another arranged his hair. A bolder one reached around his waist to fasten his belt.

With his modern mind now in charge, Zhang Heng was not quite used to such attentive service. Life as a wastrel heir certainly had its perks.

“Your Highness, you may take your hands off this servant now.”

At that, Zhang Heng reluctantly let go of the head of the maid crouching before him to fasten his belt.

His little antics had left her blushing scarlet.

Soon, the door opened.

Two figures entered, each carrying an air of authority and dignity.

They were Zhang Yuanzhe and his consort, Huo Ning. Zhang Yuanzhe gave a cold snort. He was still annoyed that Zhang Heng had entered the examinations behind his back.

Huo Ning looked at her son with tenderness. It was good for a boy to have ambition.

“Get there early. Don’t be late,” Zhang Yuanzhe urged. “If your imperial grandfather hears of it, you’ll earn another scolding.”

His son’s demonstration the day before had given him a little confidence.

“Heng, it doesn’t matter whether your name makes the list,” Huo Ning said gently. “Just do your best. Your father can plead with your imperial grandfather afterward. He won’t really keep you confined for that long.”

Her son no longer wore his old arrogant, overbearing manner. She had also heard about Xiahou Liang’s test, and her hopes for him had been rekindled.

“Yes, Mother.”

Zhang Heng bowed farewell to his parents and prepared to leave for the examination.