CH 372: The Cui Clan’s Eldest Daughter

Empress Dowager Cining had been sold into slavery when she was very young and had eventually made her way into the then Prince Donghai’s manor. She could not remember anything about her family situation, and wasn’t even certain whether her surname Wang was real.

She thought the trail had gone cold and it would be impossible to find her family again, so she had never made any attempts.

Someone was keeping this matter in mind for the Emperor’s birth mother.

After receiving Prince Donghai’s reminder, Marchioness Ping’en did not return directly to the Capital after she had left Jincheng City . Instead, she made a detour to Donghai. With the help of the Cui clan and her husband’s family’s influence, she received excellent treatment. Although she was a woman, she could still wield considerable power, though she needed to work through the local officials’ wives to relay messages.

Donghai had just recovered from rebellion and was eager to rebuild. It was particularly anxious to curry favor with the court, so the arrival of Marchioness Ping’en was seen by local officials as a hint, assuming this was all at the behest of the Emperor and his birth mother.

Marchioness Ping’en naturally did not clarify this, but she made two demands: first, secrecy – no one was to mention this to anyone; second, all leads must be sent to her first, and only after receiving her confirmation could they be reported up the chain of command.

The officials understood tacitly. The Emperor’s birth mother had an unclear background, and if they ultimately discovered she came from a lowly family, it would be embarrassing. Therefore, they were happy to let Marchioness Ping’en take responsibility.

Progress was not particularly smooth at first – it was like looking for a needle in a haystack with no place to start. They couldn’t publicly post notices, so they could only send out capable agents to make discreet inquiries.

When the Emperor had traveled south from the north, he had stopped in Donghai for one day, causing a sensation. After that, the situation changed, and almost every day people came to the government offices claiming to be the Emperor’s maternal relatives. Their stories were quite complete but couldn’t withstand scrutiny – upon investigation, they were full of holes, and inevitably resulted in beatings as punishment.

Marchioness Ping’en couldn’t stay in Donghai indefinitely, so she followed the Emperor’s entourage back to the Capital. She thought this matter couldn’t be rushed and might take several years to yield results, but at least she had done something and could give Elder Laojun some explanation.

She sensed the Elder Laojun would be angry, but still underestimated the old lady’s fury.

The Cui clan’s old matriarch had just recovered from a serious illness. She had sent out a granddaughter to seduce the Emperor, fully expecting this would provide the Cui family with another layer of protection. How could she have imagined that her granddaughter would actually be given by the Emperor to the Xiongnu!

Elder Laojun hated the Emperor, but times had changed – he was no longer the Weary Marquis she could scold at will, but the Son of Heaven of Great Chu. Even her son Cui Hong dared not show the slightest criticism, and instead submitted a memorial thanking the Emperor for granting his daughter the title of “Princess,” taking pride in it.

Elder Laojun’s hatred could only be entirely transferred to Marchioness Ping’en.

“Tie her up! Tie her up!” The old matriarch was beside herself with rage. She stood up, pushed aside the maids on both sides, and wanted to do it herself.

Marchioness Ping’en immediately knelt on the ground. The surrounding servants dared not disobey the Elder Laojun’s orders and twisted Marchioness Ping’en’s hands behind her back, but they didn’t actually bind her with rope – they just wrapped a long sash around her wrists twice as a token gesture.

Marchioness Ping’en didn’t dare struggle and maintained the bound posture, while not forgetting to defend herself verbally: “Grandmother, please listen to me. That really wasn’t my fault. Third Sister made her own decision, and afterward she refused to see me…”

Elder Laojun rushed forward, wanting to slap her eldest granddaughter hard several times, but was held back by a group of women who all advised her to be careful – she had just recovered from illness and shouldn’t strain herself.

Elder Laojun had fallen ill from anger. “Nonsense! Cui Zhao should have at least been destined to become an Imperial Consort. Why would she voluntarily marry into the Xiongnu? It must be you, you wretch, who schemed behind the scenes…”

Marchioness Ping’en endured the abuse, and when Elder Laojun grew tired, she said with a bitter expression: “Second Brother was also there at the time and can testify for me. Third Sister’s marriage truly had nothing to do with me.”

Mentioning Cui Teng made the Old Matriarch even more furious. Actually, she had long known that Cui Zhao had voluntarily married to the Xiongnu, but she couldn’t understand it, and even less could she understand why Cui Teng hadn’t argued forcefully against it. However, her habit of indulging her grandson was deeply ingrained, so she instinctively made excuses for him and placed all the blame on her eldest granddaughter.

“You brought Cui Zhao to Jincheng City, so if you’re not responsible, who is? Cui Teng serves beside the Emperor and must be cautious at all times – how would he dare say an extra word? At least Cui Teng still remembers me as his grandmother and knows to write letters explaining the situation to me. But you – you cause trouble and don’t even let out a fart, then go hide away enjoying yourself. Tell me, which wild man did you go find?”

Marchioness Ping’en face flushed red. Over the past few months, she had been staying in Donghai, and since the matter had remained without progress, she hadn’t dared write back to the Cui clan.

The old matriarch’s anger was like tidal waves, each one higher than the last, receding only to surge again with no end in sight. In front of so many outsiders, Marchioness Ping’en didn’t dare speak too plainly and could only endure it.

A full two hours later, when Elder Laojun was finally too exhausted to continue, Marchioness Ping’en was able to escape. She had hoped to find an opportunity to explain privately to Elder Laojun, but from that day forward, she couldn’t even enter the gates of the Cui residence.

Elder Laojun wielded absolute power in the household, and no one dared announce a visit from Marchioness Ping’en to her.

Left with no choice, Marchioness Ping’en could only continue waiting, thinking that when her father returned, she would surely be able to explain everything clearly. Elder Laojun wouldn’t live forever, and Madam Cui was weak by nature – the Cui clan would still need someone like herself to manage household affairs.

Cui Hong did return, but he never met with his eldest daughter. Unlike Elder Laojun, Cui Hong didn’t resent Marchioness Ping’en – he was simply too busy to deal with household matters.

And so Marchioness Ping’en, believing she had achieved great merit, never had the chance to reveal this to the Cui clan. Suddenly, news came from Donghai that Empress Dowager Cining’s family had been found.

Marchioness Ping’en was more shocked than anyone, for she had known nothing beforehand – no one had given her advance notice.

She had also underestimated the cunning of Donghai’s officials.

When the matter had seemed hopeless, Donghai had been quite willing to cooperate with Marchioness Ping’en, trying to avoid responsibility. But when the clues suddenly became clear, the officials changed their minds and immediately reported to directly to the imperial court, only briefly mentioning Marchioness Ping’en’s role in the matter.

The breakthrough had come by accident. After quelling the rebellion, the Donghai officials had arrested many people. One prisoner, having somehow heard that the local authorities were searching for the Empress Dowager’s family, revealed to his captors that he had once sold a young girl who might very well have been the Emperor’s mother in her childhood.

Like many other leads, the criminal’s words received little attention until all other clues had been proven false. Only then did an official remember this person and, with a mind to try anything, had him interrogated and his testimony recorded. Officers were then sent to verify each detail, and they were amazed to find witnesses and evidence for every step.

The human traffickers who had originally sold the girl to the royal residence, as well as those higher up in the chain, were all tracked down. All were alive and well, having returned to their home villages and long since abandoned their former trade, yet they still kept the old transaction records, all of which matched up.

Following the trail, the authorities discovered that the Empress Dowager had been sold multiple times in her childhood. Though there were gaps in the evidence, once they knew the names of the traffickers, they could always continue the investigation. Finally, they found the Empress Dowager’s family in a neighboring county.

To the relief of Donghai officials, this was an ordinary household with land and property – not wealthy, but certainly not poor. Moreover, their surname was indeed Wang, and the person who had originally kidnapped and sold the child was the Empress Dowager’s ne’er-do-well uncle.

This uncle was still alive, but when he heard that the niece he had secretly sold might be the current Emperor’s mother, he turned pale with terror and hanged himself that very night.

Apart from this, the entire Wang family was highly satisfactory to the Donghai officials. However, since this family was not registered in Donghai, fearing that the neighboring county might steal the credit, the Donghai prefect immediately sent an urgent dispatch requesting the court’s instructions for the next steps.

The news spread quickly. By the time Marchioness Ping’en heard of it, it was already the next day. She was so angry she couldn’t eat or drink – such great merit had been stolen from her! It was all the old matriarch’s fault. If Elder Laojun had been even slightly more calm and let her granddaughter finish speaking, with the Cui clan’s influence, Donghai would never have dared treat them so poorly.

Therefore, when her father Cui Hong sent someone to summon her, Marchioness Ping’en was full of resentment. Even if she couldn’t speak directly, she would find roundabout ways to complain about her grandmother.

Cui Hong received his daughter in his study at home, sitting behind his desk reading a military treatise. He seemed completely absorbed in it and didn’t look up for a long time.

After the servants withdrew, Marchioness Ping’en stood before her father and suddenly felt uneasy. She hadn’t spoken alone with her father in many years. He had always been stern and rarely communicated with his children – she could hardly remember what he looked like when he smiled.

Cui Hong put down his book and looked up at his eldest daughter, asking coldly, “When you went to Donghai previously, was it to help the Empress Dowager find her family?”

“Yes, father. The officials of Donghai were really…”

Cui Hong waved his hand, stopping his daughter from continuing, and went on, “Who gave you this idea?”

Marchioness Ping’en was startled, not expecting her father to guess that this wasn’t her own idea. Reluctantly, she said, “Prince Donghai mentioned it, but…”

Cui Hong stood up, walked around his desk, and positioned himself in front of his daughter. He asked calmly, “After so many things have happened, do you think Prince Donghai would still consider the Cui clan’s interests?”

“Well… at the time… the Cui clan did show him kindness after all… Did I do something wrong, father?” Marchioness Ping’en felt increasingly uneasy.

Cui Hong remained calm and continued asking, “What made you think Empress Dowager Cining would be grateful to you – to the Cui clan – because of this?”

“Ah?” Marchioness Ping’en hadn’t considered this point at all. “The Empress Dowager… her family… this is also… human nature, isn’t it?”

Cui Hong had to remain calm – only this way could he make his foolish eldest daughter understand his meaning. “If Empress Dowager Cining wanted to find her family, couldn’t she issue the order herself? Why would she need to go through you?”

“Empress Dowager Cining… perhaps she didn’t think of it…” Marchioness Ping’en lowered her head, not daring to continue.

Cui Hong fell silent for a while. What was done was done – anxiety and anger were useless. Fortunately, he had another daughter who was intelligent and served as Empress, who knew how to truly protect the Cui clan.

“Since that’s the case, go to the palace and seek an audience with Empress Dowager Cining to claim credit.”

Marchioness Ping’en looked up at her father in surprise, unable to tell whether this was mockery or a genuine command.

“You must find ways to win Empress Dowager Cining’s favor and have her send you to Donghai to investigate the true circumstances of that family. If you succeed, you’ll still be my daughter. If you fail, never again claim to be a member of the Cui clan. I’ve already arranged your palace visit for you. Go.”

Cui Hong turned back to his seat and continued reading. Marchioness Ping’en took her leave in a daze, still not understanding what exactly she had done wrong.