Xie Jiayan knew that Consort Li understood his meaning. She was a wise woman, able to remain detached in the harem and still receive the Emperor's special attention due to past affections.
Xie Jiayan cupped his hands respectfully, "Thank you, Consort Dowager."
The heavy doors of the palace hall opened and closed with a muffled thud. Consort Li's gaze slowly drew back from the direction of the doors.
In truth, she could see nothing from where she sat, yet her eyes seemed to follow him as he left.
He had done the right thing. What was so good about this palace? It was merely a gilded cage.
Xie Jiayan handed over the wet nurse from Consort Li's palace to the Seventh Prince. How to interrogate her was his affair; Xie Jiayan's task was complete.
...
"Brother Jiayan!" Yu Mingyue had been waiting in Xie Jiayan's study, almost falling asleep. Just as she was dozing off, she heard footsteps, jolted awake, and ran to the door.
Xie Jiayan was nearing the study door when Kong mentioned Yu Mingyue was inside. He was about to turn back when movement came from within, and she had already run out.
"Sixth Lady!" Xie Jiayan smiled.
"Brother Jiayan seems very busy lately. Every time I visit, I can't find you. Today, I finally ran into you," Yu Mingyue pouted instinctively, a hint of dissatisfaction.
First, she was confined, then her elder brother returned to the capital, and guests frequently visited their home. She had to accompany her mother in entertaining them. Finally, she managed to find time to look for him, only to find he was always absent.
"I've been a bit busy lately."
"Busy with the Wang family father and son's case? I heard the Seventh Prince asked for your help?" Yu Mingyue said, walking familiarly into the study.
Her leg had cramped when she stood up, and it hurt a little to stand. It was more comfortable to talk while sitting.
Xie Jiayan noticed her unusual gait and guessed what was happening. She was still growing at her age, and leg cramps were common.
"If we don't investigate thoroughly, we owe the Wang family an explanation."
Yu Mingyue raised an eyebrow, "That's what they say, but in reality, whether this case is investigated or not makes little difference to the Wang family. Wang Ningqing had already chosen the next head of the Wang family when he left Liancheng."
"Oh?"
"Otherwise, how could they say Wang Ningqing is capable? Everyone thought Wang Fan was the next family head, but it wasn't true at all. Wang Ningqing's true choice for the next family head was the Fourth Lady of the Wang family," Yu Mingyue scoffed.
It was good that Wang Ningqing and his son could escape unscathed this time, but if they couldn't, the Wang family wouldn't lose out. By sacrificing them, they incurred a debt of gratitude from other families, allowing the Wang family to maintain its position as the foremost noble clan.
"It's not entirely strange. Noble families haven't been without female heads before," Xie Jiayan mused.
However, if a woman was chosen as the family head, she either had to remain unmarried for life and adopt a nephew or niece, or choose a husband who would join her family. The conditions for such a husband were extremely harsh, the primary one being complete severance from his former family to prevent the family property from falling into other hands later. While it wasn't servitude, it wasn't much better.
Therefore, most women who inherited the position of family head chose to remain unmarried to avoid future complications.
"After the great fire in Liancheng, many of the Wang family's direct descendants were killed or injured. Wang Ningqing's generation only had him and the late Empress Wang. The Wang family's second branch had already relocated to Hedong, and the third branch was quite ordinary. Among the younger generation of direct descendants, besides the eldest son Wang Fan, there were two younger sons, but they were all born to concubines. Only Fourth Lady was a direct descendant. She is eighteen years old and unmarried. Wang Fan, as the eldest son, appears to have taken over the Wang family's affairs, but the Wang family's foundation rests in the hands of Wang Si Niang. Brother Jiayan should know that a family's lifeline is never in plain sight. For the past period, the Wang family in Liancheng has been managed by Wang Si Niang. Isn't that obvious enough?"
When Yu Mingyue investigated these matters during the great fire at the Wang family's villa, she hadn't found anything strange at the time.
It was common for women from the Five Great Clans to marry late; some even married at twenty after being engaged.
It wasn't until the incident with the Wang family father and son that she finally realized what was odd.