"Ji'er, how did it go? Did the emperor make things difficult for you?"
"Father, don't worry. Not only did the emperor not make things difficult for me, he also granted our Shu family an immense favor."
"Recruiting a husband? And he has to marry into our family? Ji'er, have you lost your mind? How can this be? This absolutely won't do. Since ancient times, how can a woman take in a husband to marry into her family? If word of this gets out, what will become of your reputation? How will you ever face anyone again? No, absolutely not. I will go to the palace tomorrow. I will beg the emperor to rescind his imperial decree."
"Father, please sit down first. Do you think I've lost my mind and made a foolish request? Father, think about it. Why is the crown prince so determined to marry me?"
"For money."
"Exactly. For money. He wants to marry me into the Eastern Palace and turn our Shu family's wealth into his own. But now, before the entire imperial court, the emperor has given the decision-making power to me. He has allowed me to choose my own husband, and required him to marry into our family."
"What does this mean?"
"It means that the Shu family's wealth will still belong to the Shu family. The husband we choose will merely be a manager helping us run our business, and you will still be the master of this household."
My father sat down slowly. But I did not let him relax for long, because that is precisely the point. The emperor's move may seem like an immense favor, but in truth, it puts our Shu family on the hot seat. He has taken the Shu family's wealth and laid it out before the entire world. He is telling everyone that anyone with the ability is welcome to have a taste. Consequently, everyone who wants a piece of the pie will shift their focus from the crown prince straight onto us. We have just become the crown prince's greatest political rivals.
"Do you still think this is a simple matter of marriage? Then what should we do?"
"Father, we will face whatever comes our way. The emperor has given us a stage, so we shall put on a grand show on this stage. He wants to see the world's talents fight over my family's wealth, so we will make this search for a husband as grand and lively as possible. I want everyone to know that the threshold of the Shu family is not so easy to cross. The husband of me, Shu Ji'er, is not someone just any nobody can become."
The daughter of the Shu family rejected the crown prince in the imperial court, and instead asked the emperor for a decree to recruit a husband to marry into her family. The news spread like it had wings, reaching every street and alley in the capital. Some said I was incredibly bold to dare reject the crown prince. Some said I was scandalous to want a man to marry into my family. Some said that with a move to deflect the trouble, I had preserved my family. Various versions of the story spread, growing more and more fantastical. I, Shu Ji'er, overnight became the most controversial woman in the capital.
"By the grace of heaven, the emperor decrees. Shu Ji'er, daughter of a merchant, is loyal to the crown and patriotic, and has made meritorious contributions by presenting her talent. She is specially granted the right to choose her own husband. Any man between the ages of sixteen and thirty, of clean background, without disability, and possessed of talent and virtue, may sign up. The final choice shall be personally decided by the daughter of the Shu family, and we shall bestow the marriage upon them by imperial order."
Once this imperial bulletin was posted, the entire great Xia was in an uproar. Some mocked, calling it the biggest joke in the world. Some were disdainful, saying, "How could a real man bow down to a merchant family?" But far more people were eager to make their move. After all, that was the Shu family, whose wealth rivaled the nation's. As long as one could marry in, it was equivalent to having an endless mountain of gold and silver.
At the registration site in front of the Shu manor, the line ran out of sight down the street.
"Ji'er, with so many people, how long is it going to take us to choose?"
"Father, do not worry. Only with many people can we get things done. The more people there are, the muddier the water gets. The people planted by the crown prince will be less likely to be detected."
"You mean the crown prince will send someone?"
"Of course he will. What he cannot have, he will never let anyone else get easily."
This husband's selection is one in name. But in reality, it is a battlefield, and I am the sole commander on this battlefield.
The first trial was announced the following morning, and the courtyard filled with outrage.
"What? You want us to hand out porridge to a bunch of beggars and refugees, and we have to do it ourselves? This is an absolute insult. That daughter of the Shu merchant family really doesn't know her place, intentionally humiliating us."
That was exactly what I wanted. I want to use this method to weed out those who are arrogant, and those so-called scholars and nobles who won't even bend their backs. Our Shu family has no use for them.
"Ji'er, won't doing this offend everyone?"
"Father, our family is not choosing a husband to curry favor with the powerful, nor is it to play at being refined. I want to find a man who can support this massive family business alongside me. He doesn't need to have a prominent family background, nor does he need to have extraordinary talent. But he must be down to earth and hardworking, and know how to respect those at the bottom. Someone who thinks that giving porridge to the common people is an insult, how can you expect him to treat our family well in the future, along with the thousands of clerks and workers under our Shu family?"
"You've thought this through indeed."
At the end of the first day of porridge distribution, I stood at the window and watched the last of the crowd disperse.
"Uncle Fu, go look into the backgrounds of those few men."
"My lady, I have investigated them. Those men are all veterans who retired from the Imperial Guard. Their leader is named Chen Mo. I heard he won military merits at the border and later retired because of a leg injury."
The crown prince's men have finally appeared. The Imperial Guard is the crown prince's personal army. Sending a few retired veterans is inconspicuous yet effective. It seems Li Chong wants to plant his own man to dismantle my Shu family from within. He thinks he is acting in total secrecy.
Unfortunately, he still underestimates me.
Father, the real show is about to begin.