Chapter 15: A Drastic Solution
The matter of the Censorate's reform had just begun, but before it could stir up any debate, it was overshadowed by another matter.
Her Majesty announced she was pregnant.
Wei Qi first informed the chancellors of the Council of State. Whether it was the Left and Right Chancellors or the various ministers, all were stunned into silence.
"Your Majesty, this old servant is getting on in years and didn't hear you clearly. Could you please repeat that?" Cai Quan asked, his hands trembling as he bowed.
"We said, We are three months pregnant," Wei Qi replied calmly.
"Then, may I be so bold as to ask which gentleman will preside over the central palace?" Cai Quan asked tactfully.
"No one will preside over the central palace."
"Then… then… who is the child's father?"
"We do not know either." Wei Qi was perfectly candid. "Minister Cai, let Us be frank with you. We have no desire to marry, nor do We wish for anyone in the rear palace. But We also know that the Great Zhou needs an heir. This child has come at the perfect time, has it not?"
"But… but… but how can there be no father?"
Wei Qi laughed heartily. "Is it not perfect to have no paternal clan? There will be no threat from powerful maternal relatives."
Cai Quan was about to speak again, but Wei Qi's laughter subsided, and she said coldly, "We hope you ministers understand that the heir apparent is the foundation of the state. We will naturally fulfill Our duty. But with whom We find pleasure is Our private affair, and it is not for you ministers to manage."
Cai Quan frowned and asked again, "If the paternal line is unknown, how will the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate be determined?"
"We are the mother. How can there be any distinction between the flesh and blood that comes from Our own body? This conveniently eliminates any dispute over legitimacy."
Wei Qi had thought this through for a long time. In her youth, she had witnessed her parents' discord. Her father, a man of great learning, was confined to the central palace and died early, full of resentment. Her mother, though she loved him, had to be wary of him. They hurt each other in this constant push and pull. Wei Qi did not understand it. At her age, she had never been moved by anyone and had no particular preference for carnal love between men and women. It seemed she was naturally indifferent in this regard.
From the age of sixteen, memorials were submitted every year urging her to fill her rear palace and produce an heir early, but she always delayed. Especially after ascending the throne, she always felt constrained at every turn, and she was unwilling to let others interfere in matters she could decide for herself. But as Gao Yunqu had said, the court officials were concerned about the issue of succession, and the longer she waited, the harder it would be to suppress their opinions.
So Wei Qi devised a drastic solution. She had the Head Eunuch find some young scholars of clean background, handsome appearance, and robust health. Posing as a noble lady seeking a lover, she had them blindfolded, brought in to share carnal pleasures, and then sent away once it was over. For these scholars, it was like a fleeting dream. When she told Cai Quan she didn't know who the child's father was, it was the truth. The Head Eunuch had destroyed all records, and she didn't even know when she had conceived.
Her attitude was resolute, and the chancellors could do nothing about it. After all, the imperial heir had already been conceived, so they could only ensure the child's birth was made legitimate.
The matter gradually spread from the Council of State, causing a huge uproar. The entire court's civil and military officials frantically submitted memorials, declaring it a breach of propriety. This time, the Council of State stood with Her Majesty, jointly suppressing the dissenting opinions. A few were beaten, a few were fined, and a few were demoted.
Gao Yunqu was also taken aback when she heard the news. In the tenth month, Her Majesty had said she had a plan. Gao Yunqu truly hadn't expected this kind of plan. But upon careful consideration, there was nothing wrong with it. All the court wanted was an heir.
He Bishi came quietly to her duty office to request an audience. She was one of the censors who had submitted a memorial before the new year, asking Her Majesty to fill her rear palace.
"My Lord, what is your view on this matter?" He Bishi asked, a troubled look on her face.
Gao Yunqu poured her a cup of tea. "Censor He, what is your view?"
"This subordinate has thought it over and over but cannot make sense of it, so I have come to seek your guidance. Previously, this subordinate asked Her Majesty to fill her rear palace for the sake of the royal family producing heirs. Now Her Majesty is pregnant, but why do I still feel that something is not right?"
"Does Censor He, like those others, also believe the imperial heir must have a father?" Gao Yunqu asked.
"According to propriety, it should be so. Without a father, how can there be a child?"
"Censor He, you are mistaken about one thing."
"I ask for my lord's instruction."
"It should be, without a mother, how can there be children?" Gao Yunqu placed the emphasis on the word "mother."
He Bishi was also a female official. At home, she had a husband and consorts, and her children all took her surname. After a moment's thought, she understood Gao Yunqu's underlying meaning. "Thank you for your guidance, my lord. This subordinate understands."
That night, Fang Jian also asked Gao Yunqu about the matter.
"My Lord, I don't understand. Isn't Her Majesty's pregnancy a good thing? Why do so many people object?" Fang Jian asked while copying documents for Gao Yunqu. "Many teachers and students at the Imperial Academy are also filled with righteous indignation, saying they will go to the Meridian Gate to submit a petition."
Gao Yunqu asked her in return, "In your view, what do they have in common?"
"Ah? In common? Are they all conservatives?" Fang Jian thought for a moment but couldn't figure it out.
Gao Yunqu pointed it out with a smile, "Look closely. Aren't most of them men?"
"Ah, it seems so… But why?"
"A'jian, you should know that since the empresses began to rule, female officials, female generals, and female nobles have emerged in endless streams. There are also many female heads of household among the common people. The social customs have opened up, which is how you and I have our positions today."
"Yes, I know," Fang Jian listened attentively.
"But do you know how many families with matrilocal husbands have had their family fortunes usurped by those husbands after the female head of the household passed away, with the heirs' surnames also changed to the father's?"
"Ah? But that's against the law and propriety!"
"Ha," Gao Yunqu laughed. "A'jian, you must understand that decades ago, the laws and rites were written by men, and they only wrote about men's affairs. Even now, there are still people who think we are 'hens crowing at dawn.'"
"Then I understand. Her Majesty's action is tantamount to a drastic solution, a public declaration to the world that the maternal line is the true path of bloodline inheritance, while the paternal line is, in fact, optional."
"A'jian is clever."
"But there are also men among the lords of the Council of State. Why are they helping Her Majesty?"
"This is where Her Majesty is brilliant. For these lords, before they see themselves as men or women, they first see themselves as chancellors. And the heir and the fate of the dynasty are far more important than the distinction between sexes."
Since becoming pregnant, Wei Qi had grown more easily fatigued than usual. She had just seen off Wei Zhi.
Her little sister had rushed to the palace as soon as she received the news, terribly nervous, so much so that Wei Qi had to be the one to comfort her. After soothing her with a few words and encouraging her to grow up quickly, she sent Wei Zhi home, filled with both anticipation for the new baby and the panic of great responsibility.
Wei Qi sat behind the wide desk, watched her leave, and let out a breath, reaching up to rub the space between her eyebrows.
A pair of hands placed a teacup by Wei Qi's side. They were not the Head Eunuch's hands, which had begun to grow old and coarse. Wei Qi lowered her hand and looked up. Beside her was a new palace attendant, around thirty years of age. She was not young, with fine lines already at the corners of her eyes, which only made her appear more dignified and composed. Wei Qi studied her closely, and the woman stood respectfully with her hands lowered, allowing the emperor to scrutinize her.
After a moment, Wei Qi turned to the Head Eunuch, signaling with her eyes.
The Head Eunuch said, "Your Majesty, this is A'zheng. A new palace attendant. She has given birth before, so this servant chose her to attend to you."
"Oh?" Wei Qi was a little puzzled to hear this. Palace attendants, servants, and female officials in the forbidden palace were not allowed to have contact with the outside world, so young, unmarried women were usually employed. "Your child?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, she was raised to the age of six, then passed away prematurely," A'zheng replied with her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable.
"And your husband?"
"He passed away before that."
"Oh…" Wei Qi's interest was piqued. "Why did you come to the palace?"
"Your Majesty, this humble servant first lost my parents, then my husband, and my young daughter also died prematurely. The world says this humble servant's fate is too harsh, and everyone avoids me. Fortunately, I came upon the palace recruitment. Thanks to Your Majesty's grace in not casting me aside, this humble servant has a way to live."
"Heh," Wei Qi scoffed. "Life and death are matters of fate. What has it to do with others? The notion of being a jinx is baseless. If there were such a thing, then We, a solitary ruler, would be the greatest jinx in the world."
"Your Majesty!" The Head Eunuch and A'zheng were shocked and quickly knelt, begging Wei Qi to retract her reckless words.
"Enough, rise." Wei Qi shook her head and changed the subject. "Where did you serve before?"
The Head Eunuch replied, "In the library of Wenhua Hall."
"Oh? You can read?"
"I studied for a few years," A'zheng answered.
"Excellent. Come and read the memorials for Us. We are a little tired."
A'zheng was a mature woman. Her every move carried a mature grace, completely unlike the lively young ladies before the hall. Being older, yet not as strict as the Head Eunuch, the young palace attendants all loved to play around her.
Wei Qi had never before paid any mind to the attendants around her. When she needed something done, she would order the Head Eunuch, who always knew who to assign the task to and how to get it done. But perhaps because pregnancy had made her more sensitive, she now found herself noticing the attendants around her during her moments of rest. She was not strict with her inner court; she didn't forbid the young attendants from playing and laughing in the distance. Sometimes, she would watch the youthful colors from her window.
Lively, vibrant, spirited—the image of young women, an image completely different from her own life of rising early, sleeping late, and toiling over documents.
A'zheng was different from them, too. The Head Eunuch had never married or had children and was extremely attentive to Wei Qi's pregnancy, having specially chosen A'zheng to serve her personally. In her leisure time, Wei Qi always found herself watching her—watching her gentle face, her full figure, her careful movements, her soft voice as she spoke to the young attendants, and her focused expression as she read the memorials.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" A'zheng gently woke Wei Qi.
"Hm? Did We fall asleep?" As Wei Qi's body grew heavier, she became increasingly drowsy.
"If Your Majesty is tired, you should go to the couch for a short rest," A'zheng said softly.
Wei Qi agreed, and A'zheng carefully supported her, helping her to the couch to lie down.
"A'zheng," Wei Qi said, no longer feeling sleepy now that she was lying down, "is pregnancy always this difficult for women?"
These past days had not been easy for Wei Qi—vomiting, loss of appetite, drowsiness, fatigue—all while she still had to oversee court affairs. Although the chancellors of the Council of State had taken over many duties for her, and Wei Zhi was often by her side reading memorials and writing endorsements, there were still many important matters awaiting her decision.
"Your Majesty, it is so for most women in the world. It is only through the mother's blood and tears that a child's birth is welcomed." A'zheng sat on the step below her couch, answering her question from behind the curtain.
Wei Qi touched her lower abdomen, where a life was gestating. It was somewhat miraculous. Before her pregnancy, all she had thought about was the matter of succession, of duty, of the dynasty's fate. Only at this very moment did she dimly realize that this meant she would become a mother, that there would be a life connected to her by blood, a legacy carved from her own flesh and bone.
"A'zheng," Wei Qi turned her head, looking at A'zheng's hazy cheek through the thin gauze, "do you still miss your child?"
"Of course," a momentary tenderness surfaced on A'zheng's face before sinking again. "Such a fragile life was born from my womb, steeped in my blood, my tears, my pain. How could I not love her?"
"I'm sorry, A'zheng." Looking at her face, Wei Qi suddenly felt a wave of sorrow. She involuntarily spoke words unbefitting an emperor.
"It is all right, Your Majesty. It was a long time ago." A'zheng smiled. "To this day, I am still grateful that she was willing to be born into my womb, willing to give me a beautiful memory. Even if I failed to protect her, failed to let her grow up well."
"Was it a daughter?"
"Yes, a very beautiful and lively little girl."
"That's wonderful. I want a little girl, too." Perhaps it was a slip, but Wei Qi did not use the imperial 'We'. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.
Author's Notes
- Second side couple, Her Majesty and her older little widow
- Her Majesty is super awesome.
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