Chapter 255: A Matchmaking Appointment

More than ten days had passed since the Shangyuan Festival in the eleventh year of Tianbao. The red lanterns in front of the Dugu family’s mansion were gradually fading, and the festivity and joy of the festival had faded away. The noise subsided, and another ordinary day began.

That morning, dressed in white fur attire, Dugu Mingzhu led a small donkey and sneaked out through the side door, planning to attend a small gathering with her friends. Although she had turned another year older since the New Year, she still didn’t show the maturity and composure of a seventeen-year-old girl. Her personality remained enthusiastic and impulsive, her thoughts erratic. For example, she might say she hated fish in the morning but eat an entire fish by dinner—such was the unpredictable nature of a seventeen-year-old girl.

These past two days, Mingzhu had been in a terrible mood. The diamond that Li Qing’an had given her was lost when she showed it off. After much thought, she concluded it must have been stolen by Cui Liuli. She decided to ask her for it back during today’s gathering.

Mingzhu peeked outside, fearing most of all running into her mother, who might scold her and send her back inside.

“Third Miss, are you going out?”

A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Mingzhu. Turning around, she saw Liu Erniang, the housekeeper’s wife. Mingzhu stamped her foot and said, “Erniang, you scared me to death!”

Liu Erniang chuckled and said, “I suggest the third miss not go out.”

“Why?”

“Because the madam is already looking for you everywhere.”

“Looking for me?” Mingzhu was stunned. “Why?”

“Good news! Go back quickly!”

At that moment, Huobo, the madam’s personal maid, appeared near the moon gate. “Third Miss, the madam wants you to go back inside right away.”

Mingzhu handed the donkey’s reins to Liu Erniang and approached Huobo, smiling cheekily. “Sister Huobo, what does Mother want from me?”

Huobo sighed. “Someone is coming for a matchmaking appointment soon. The madam wants you to go back and get ready.”

Mingzhu’s eyes widened. “A matchmaking appointment? Who? Sister? Isn’t she already promised to Li Qing’an? Why another appointment?”

Seeing her act foolish, Huobo said impatiently, “Third Miss, it’s you who has the appointment.”

Mingzhu stood there frozen for a while before suddenly shouting, “This is terrible! Mother’s going to kill someone!”

She turned, grabbed the donkey, and tried to run away. Liu Erniang, who was prepared, grabbed her arm and laughed, “The madam knew you’d try to escape, which is why she sent me to watch you. Third Miss, come back with me obediently! Otherwise, I’ll have those strong women carry you back.”

Liu Erniang was extremely strong. Her claw-like hands grabbed Mingzhu’s arm and dragged her back.

“I’m not going! Second Madam, let go of me! I’ll give you ten guan, or twenty if you must—just let me go!”
“Mingzhu!”
An angry shout came from ahead. Her mother, Lady Pei, appeared at the entrance to the inner courtyard. Mingzhu immediately calmed down, and Liu Erniang released her.
“Madam, the third young lady tried to sneak out, but I caught her.”
Lady Pei nodded. “You did well. I’ll reward you later.”
She slowly walked up to Mingzhu, took a look at her, and seeing her strange makeup, said coldly, “Trying to go and gather with those worthless friends again?”
“Mother, they’re not worthless friends. They’re all daughters from prominent families you know. We agreed to go archery by the Qujiang River today.”
“Hmph! What prominent family daughters? Last time, you all wore strange clothes and paraded through the streets, causing a huge uproar in Chang’an. You were among them—you really brought shame to me!”
“Mother, today I…”
“Silence!”
Lady Pei snapped angrily and pointed at the embroidered building. “Go back right now, change into clean clothes, wash your face, and then come see me.”
Mingzhu didn’t dare argue with her mother and hurried back to her room. There, she pouted and changed her clothes, while her maid brought her a basin of hot water to wash her face.
At that moment, Mingyue pushed the door open and came in. Seeing her sister’s unhappy expression, she smiled and said, “What, don’t you want to go on a blind date?”
“I certainly don’t want to! It’s just to dress up nicely so that some man will take a fancy to me and marry me as if out of kindness. Then Mother will be happy, while my fate doesn’t matter to her at all.”
Hearing her sister’s extreme tone, Mingyue gently tried to persuade her, “Don’t say that. Mother is doing this for your own good. You’re seventeen now and really should get married. Besides, the man coming for the blind date today is the third son of the Lu family. He has good character and talent, and he’s also the deputy magistrate of Luochuan County. He’s a suitable match for you.”
“Oho! Suitable match?”
Mingzhu exclaimed in outrage, rolling her eyes at her sister. “You even say suitable match? Wasn’t Zhao Xuming also a ‘suitable match’ back then? Why didn’t you take him? Now that you’ve escaped trouble and married a perfect husband, you come to trouble your sister. Are you still my sister?”
Stunned by her reply, Mingyue was speechless for a while before saying, “What matters is character. Zhao Xuming really had poor character. He already had a wife at home yet still hid it and deceived people. How could anyone marry such a person? The third son of the Lu family is different. He’s been raised with strict discipline. I met him once at the poetry society—he’s really good.”

“Hmph! We only found out later that Zhao Xuming was already married. When our mother said he had a good character before, didn’t you still try to force yourself into a relationship with him? Now you say Lord Lu has a good character—why didn’t you marry him then? You force me to do things I don’t want to do; I refuse!”
Although Mingzhu was speaking out of anger, Mingyue found some truth in her words. She didn’t really know much about Lu Yizhong either; she only thought that since he came from a prestigious family, he must have good character. But if her sister married the wrong man, it would ruin her life forever. As the elder sister, she should think carefully on behalf of her sister.
After some thought, she smiled and said, “If you really don’t want to, then pretend to be sick! Wait until today is over, and we’ll investigate him behind his back. If it really doesn’t work out, we can refuse.”
Seeing that her sister was finally willing to consider her situation, Mingzhu became very encouraged and quickly said, “Pretending to be sick might not work. Mother saw me just now; she definitely won’t believe it.”
“What else can you do?”
Mingzhu blinked, leaned close to her sister’s ear, and whispered a few words. Mingyue tapped her head and laughed, “You tricky girl! Mother will surely scold me mercilessly later. I won’t help you.”
Mingzhu hugged her sister’s arm and coaxed, “Dear sister, please help me! If you could marry your ideal husband, it’s because I traveled all the way to Beiting for you. How can you forget your kindness?”
Hearing her bring up old grievances, Mingyue had no choice but to agree. “Alright! Since you’re my sister, I’ll help you this time.”
Mingzhu jumped for joy and hurriedly said, “There’s not much time left; we need to get ready quickly!”
……
In the small guest room of the Du Gu family, Lu Yizhong, who had come for the arranged marriage, had already arrived. Lu Yizhong was the son of Lu Hui, the former governor of Wei Zhou, and a member of the famous Lu family of the Tang Dynasty. He was 23 years old, good-looking, and although he hadn’t passed the imperial examinations, he was quite learned. The year before last, he obtained a position as the county magistrate of Luochuan in Ningzhou through family connections, showing early success. He was one of the most outstanding young men in Chang’an, and someone like him was highly sought after in the city’s romantic circles. Many families wanted to marry their daughters to him, and he was the dream lover of countless girls.
Lu Yizhong had a decent character, with the only flaw being that he was a bit arrogant. This wasn’t surprising, as he was the legitimate son of a prestigious family, extremely talented, and still young—so some arrogance was natural.
Today, Lu Yizhong’s mother sent him to the Du Gu family for the arranged marriage. Originally, his mother was also supposed to come, but due to family matters, she asked Lu Yizhong to go alone. Lu Yizhong politely answered Madame Pei’s questions.

“A few days ago, my great-aunt passed away. Today is the seventh day, and I need to accompany Father to the Cui family to offer our condolences, so I can’t come today.”
“Oh! I see the old lady has passed away.” Lady Pei sighed and said, “Now the Cui family has lost an important family elder.”
Lu Yizhong took a sip of tea before asking tentatively, “Madam, I was wondering if Mingzhu is at home today?”
Although Mingzhu was somewhat famous among the young women in Chang’an, Lu Yizhong was unaware of this. He only knew his sister Mingyue, who was a renowned beauty in Chang’an. He had once had feelings for Mingyue, but Li Qing’an’s sword strike, like that of other men who admired her, made him give up on her. Yet, since Mingyue was so beautiful, her sister must be just as lovely. Thus, Lu Yizhong hurried over in hopes of meeting a fairy-like girl.
Lady Pei was quite satisfied with Lu Yizhong. He was well-educated, sensible, and very calm. After making a mistake with Zhao Xuming last time, she no longer rushed to judge people or situations. As for Lu Yizhong, he was good-looking, but she wondered if his character was as good as his mother claimed. It was during a New Year’s banquet when she sat next to Lady Lu and discussed their children’s marriages that she decided to arrange a meeting. Today, Lu Yizhong came to the woman’s family. If both sides were satisfied, Lady Pei would take her daughter to the Lu family so they could meet Mingzhu as well. If both sides were happy, then the marriage would be settled.
When Lady Pei saw Lu Yizhong asking about Mingzhu, she grew a bit anxious. Why did it take so long for Mingzhu to change clothes? Could it be that the girl had run away again?
Suddenly, she saw her eldest daughter Mingyue waving at her from behind a screen by the side door. She smiled at Lu Yizhong and said, “Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll go urge Mingzhu.”
“Please go ahead, madam. I’ll wait patiently.”
Lady Pei stood up and walked toward the side door. After stepping outside, she frowned and asked Mingyue, “Why hasn’t your sister come yet? Go urge her!”
“Mother, my sister is getting dressed and grooming herself! She’ll be here soon. I need to talk to you about something.”
“What is it? Can’t it wait until evening?”
“It’s too urgent to wait until evening.”
Lady Pei hesitated for a moment. Although Mingzhu was on a matchmaking appointment, her eldest daughter’s marriage was crucial to the Du Gu family’s fate, so she couldn’t afford to be careless. Since Mingzhu was getting dressed, it would take some time before she was ready. She nodded and said to the maid behind her, Hupo, “Go find Mingzhu and bring her directly to the small guest room to meet Young Master Lu. Don’t let her run away, understand?”
“Yes!”

Amber bowed and left in a hurry. Lady Pei then said to Mingyue, “Let’s go! We need to talk to our mother.” The mother and daughter hurried toward the inner chambers. Just as they left, Mingzhu poked her head out from the nearby bamboo grove. She watched Amber walk away before emerging from the grove. She had indeed simplified her makeup and changed into formal clothing, but she was carrying a wine pot—a gift from her late grandfather, given to her by her grandmother. It was a purple jade gourd that could hold two or three jin of wine. Mingzhu unscrewed the lid of the wine pot, took two big gulps, and spat some wine on her dress with a “pfft!” She sniffed her dress, nodded in satisfaction, screwed the lid back on, then took out a reddish rouge and applied it all over her face and neck before walking toward the guest room, pretending to be unsteady on her feet. Inside the guest room, Lu Yizhong was holding a teacup, looking anxiously toward the door. Suddenly, a “click” came from the side door as someone bumped into the screen, causing it to shake violently and nearly collapse, almost making Lu Yizhong drop his teacup. “Where did you come from, you pale-faced lad?” A strong smell of alcohol filled the air as a drunk girl appeared before Lu Yizhong. Though she was quite attractive, her clothes were messy, and her hair was styled in twin buns, with one bun undone, leaving half of her hair hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes were filled with drunkenness, and her face was red from alcohol, even extending to her neck. Hearing her call him a “pale-faced lad,” Lu Yizhong became upset. He said sternly, “Who are you? How dare you be so rude?” “Who I am? Hmph!” Mingzhu snorted and sat down cross-legged like a servant, right in her mother’s seat—usually reserved for elders. A younger person like Mingzhu should sit at the back. Lu Yizhong frowned, about to remind her of her improper seating, but his eyes widened suddenly as she raised the wine pot and took several big gulps, followed by an “eruct!” A pungent smell of alcohol wafted out. She blew her nose loudly, wiped it with her sleeve, and said in a deep voice, “You must be Lu the lad! I’m Mingzhu, the one you’re supposed to be matched with. What do you think of me? Am I beautiful? Everyone says I’m as beautiful as a fairy. What do you think?” Lu Yizhong was stunned. He had never seen such a heavy drinker, so messy, and so shameless—a woman who even called herself as beautiful as a fairy. He felt choked and couldn’t say a word, thinking to himself, “Is this the Mingzhu from the Du Gu family mentioned in legends? Truly extraordinary!”

He suppressed his disgust and advised her, “Miss Mingzhu, it’s not good for women to drink. You’d better stop!”
Mingzhu glared at him and mumbled drunkenly, “Wine is my best friend. Since I was ten, I’ve had to drink three pots every day. I can’t live without it. Men aren’t necessary, but wine is essential.”
She let out another belch, narrowed her eyes at Lu Yizhong, and said, “You pale-faced boy, if you want to marry me, you have to let me drink. Once I’m drunk, I’ll go to sleep. As for you? You can do whatever you want; I won’t care. How great!”
“Miss Mingzhu, I’m warning you one last time—don’t call me ‘pale-faced boy’. Do you hear me?”
“Oh! Pretending to be refined, huh? Fine, then I won’t call you that. Pale-faced boy… what should I call you then? Let me think… Hmm! I need a drink first.”
With that, Mingzhu picked up the wine pot and took a couple of sips. By now, she was truly getting drunk. Suddenly, she pointed at Lu Yizhong and burst into laughter. “That’s it! Call you ‘Little Lu’. What a nice name! It reminds me of my little donkey today. The two of you are just like brothers.”
Lu Yizhong could hold back no longer. He stood up angrily and said, “Miss Mingzhu, speak politely!”
Mingzhu laughed and slapped her thighs. “Good! Good! Good! It’s my little donkey that resembles you. Now it works, right?”
She put down the wine pot, placed her hands on her head, stretched her face, imitated the donkey’s loud bray, and waved her hands at him.
Lu Yizhong was furious. He stamped his foot and said, “Enough!” Then he turned and strode away, filled with regret for having acted impulsively and brought shame upon himself. Thankfully he had come to check things out; otherwise, marrying this woman would have caused him lifelong regret.
Seeing him leave, Mingzhu was so happy she wanted to laugh. But as the alcohol took over, she felt severe chest tightness. She quickly leaned on the wall to stand up. She had to leave this place immediately—her mother would be horrified if she saw her. She staggered out through the side door and suddenly rushed into the bamboo forest, vomiting violently.
…
Mingzhu’s blind date was over, but Lady Pei still didn’t know. Mingyue told her something extremely important, making her forget about the blind date.
Mingyue received news from the palace that Yang Guifei had sent a maid to invite her to stay at Huaqing Palace for a few days. Mingyue wanted to discuss it with her mother first, so she didn’t agree right away.
“No! Absolutely not.”

Madam Pei immediately rejected the idea. Having been through similar situations before, she was well aware of the dangers her daughter would face once entering the palace. The current emperor was notorious for his lustfulness, and she was worried that he might already have his eyes set on her daughter. Once inside the palace, it was very likely that her daughter’s chastity would be lost.

“Mother, I really don’t want to go either. I just don’t know how to refuse the Imperial Concubine.”

Madam Pei lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, “How about this? I’ll tell the maids at night that you’re going to go meet your husband. Didn’t Li Qing’an write last time saying he had crossed the Hexi River? Ten days have passed now, so I guess he should have reached Gansu by now. You can simply go meet him. That way, the Concubine won’t be able to say much.”

Mingyue hadn’t seen Li Qing’an for over a year, and longing had grown like a towering tree in her heart. Ten days ago, she received a letter from him saying he had crossed the Yellow River. Her heart had already flown to him, but she hadn’t dared to bring it up. Now that her mother had suggested it, she nodded eagerly and said, “Alright, I’ll set off right away!”

“Very good. I’ll go prepare things for you.”

After saying that, Madam Pei suddenly remembered Mingzhu, who was still in the process of being matched in marriage. With a gasp, she hurriedly said, “I need to go see that girl first. I can’t let things go wrong.”

At that moment, her maid Humble ran over, out of breath. “Madam, Lord Lu left without saying goodbye.”

Madam Pei was stunned. “What happened? Where is Mingzhu?”

“I don’t know what happened. I went to look for Miss Mingzhu, and by the time I returned, Lord Lu had already left.”

Madam Pei grew anxious. “I’m asking you, where is Mingzhu?”

After a long pause, Humble stammered, “Miss Mingzhu got drunk and is sleeping soundly in the bamboo grove!”

Chapter 9: The Struggle for the Eastern Palace