Miao Wendao

In the imperial study, Yan Zhongyou leaned against the daybed, idly toying with a folding fan in his hand. When he caught sight of Xichun entering, his gaze immediately fixed on her. He saw her carrying a tray, slowly and gracefully walking towards him.

Xi Chun's hands, holding the tray, trembled slightly. The closer she got to the Emperor, the more panicked and afraid she became. The thought of You Lan being carried away covered in a white sheet brought her fear to its peak. She stood still beside the daybed, forgetting to serve the Emperor tea, her hands frozen as she held the tray.

Miched sighed inwardly at her awkwardness. Xichun was beautiful, but her clueless manner was rather irritating. He spoke up, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and serve the Emperor tea."

Yan Zhongyou was in a good mood today. Zhang Zheng broke his leg after court yesterday and didn't come to court today. The Ministry of Revenue approved the plan for his Xueyuan Palace, and construction would begin soon. Looking at Xichun's silly appearance, he found her exceptionally innocent and naive, much like Fei Xueyi back then.

Reminded by Michide, Xichun carefully placed the tray on the small rosewood table and offered the tea to the Emperor. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief after the teacup was safely placed, the Emperor suddenly grabbed her hand. Startled, she quickly pulled her hand back, picked up the tray, and hurried out of the Imperial Study.

Yan Zhongyou was not annoyed by her rejection. Since she was already in the palace and serving him in his Yuanhe Hall, she would be his person sooner or later. He picked up the teacup beside him and began to sip the tea with great interest.

Miched saw everything and thought that when he met Xichun later, he would give her some pointers. A woman's beauty alone cannot hold a man's heart.

Xi Chun carried the tray quickly to the tea room. Facing the wall, tears welled up in her eyes. She frantically washed her hands in the copper basin, her hands turning red from the effort. She could resist Wei Changsong, and her mother-in-law could help her. But now she faced the Emperor, the Emperor who held the power of life and death over everyone. She couldn't resist, and no one would come to her rescue.

When Yu Ping learned that she was to serve the Emperor, she stuffed a walnut cake into Xi Chun's mouth while instructing her, "You must be obedient to the Emperor's wishes, serve him carefully, and never anger him. I've seen too many palace servants being punished in the Yuanhe Hall. Those who die instantly like You Lan are lucky; most are beaten beyond recognition, unable to die, and that is the most painful."

That night, Xi Chun lay in bed and saw Wei Qiao come to Yuanhe Palace to find her. He told her he had come to take her away. Just as she was about to place her hand in his, Yu Ping lifted her bed curtains and told her to get up. It was all a dream. Xi Chun sighed sadly.

For several days in a row, Xichun served tea to the emperor. After repeated practice, she had mastered the basic tea-making skills. Although she couldn't reach Peilan's level, it was enough. The emperor stopped touching her, but her fear of him did not diminish in the slightest.

Two days later, she was serving tea in the imperial study again. As usual, she placed the teacup on the emperor's desk. Before she could even put the teacup down properly, the emperor's hand suddenly touched the back of her hand. Startled by the sudden change, she dropped the teacup, and the hot tea splashed onto her own hand.

Ignoring the pain in her hands, Xichun quickly knelt down and apologized to Yan Zhongyou.

"This servant deserves to die, Your Majesty, please forgive me," Xichun said in a panic.

Yan Zhongyou's face showed a brief displeasure; he remembered that this was the second time Xichun had refused his touch. But then he thought that she was, after all, a virgin, and naturally naive, and that he should give her some time to adjust. He rose and walked to Xichun, helping her up. "Get up, I don't blame you."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace." Xi Chun rose tremblingly, looking down at the golden bricks in the hall, not daring to look up at Yan Zhongyou.

Yan Zhongyou noticed the red marks on the back of her hand from the scalding tea, pursed his lips, and instructed Michide, who was serving beside him, "Find a royal physician to examine her hand."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace." Upon hearing this, Xichun knelt down again to express her gratitude.

Because the imperial physician was being sought at the Yuanhe Hall, it was Min Xiu, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, who came. After examining Xi Chun's hand, he prescribed a small jar of ointment for burns. "Miss's injury is not serious. Applying this burn ointment for a few more days will allow it to heal completely. Just remember not to scratch the wound if it itches. Otherwise, there's nothing else to worry about."

After Min Xiu left, Xi Chun also took the ointment back to her residence. That evening, Guang Jinfu came to her residence and told her that she didn't need to be on duty for the next few days, and that she could serve tea to the emperor after her hand had fully recovered.

In the imperial study, Wei Qiao, dressed in a red official robe, reported to Yan Zhongyou on the training of the soldiers of the southern city defense battalion.

Yan Zhongyou asked Michide to give him a seat and said with a smile, "As expected, I still need you to go. Minister Wei has only been there for a few days and he has already seen the problems in the defense camp. Tomorrow, you should submit a memorial, and I will talk to the ministers about this matter at the morning court."

Wei Qiao pretended to listen attentively to Yan Zhongyou's words, but his eyes were searching for Xichun's figure in the imperial study.

Yan Zhongyou rewarded him with two cans of Tiger Hill tea, which he loved to drink, for his efficient handling of the matter.

As Michide saw Wei Qiao out, Wei Qiao couldn't help but subtly inquire about Xi Chun, "Eunuch Mi, why did you put away that painting of a beauty by Master Qiu Jiu?"

“That’s because the beauty is already by his side, so there’s no need to think of her when he sees things.” Thinking of Xi Chun’s two attempts to avoid the Emperor’s touch, Michide sighed and said with emotion, “That girl Xi Chun is really honest and straightforward. It’s just that the Emperor is interested in her now. Once this interest passes, I think she will be miserable in the palace.”

Wei Qiao sensed the regret in his words. Xi Chun had been in the palace for some time, but as far as he knew, she had not yet received the emperor's favor or been promoted. Yan Zhongyou was a lecherous man and would definitely be eager to consummate their relationship as soon as possible, so there could only be one reason behind this: Xi Chun was unwilling.

"But what happened?" Wei Qiao asked.

Michide briefly recounted to Wei Qiao what had happened after Xichun entered the palace. Wei Qiao realized that the problem indeed lay with Xichun, and upon hearing that she had refused the emperor's favor, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

He was more pleased than disappointed. He had originally hoped that Xichun would become his favored concubine. He was confident that he could train a woman who had already fallen in love with him to be a useful pawn in the palace to monitor Yan Zhongyou. His idea of ​​having her lie dormant by Yan Zhongyou's side, actually to be used by him, had always been to have her. But now, for some reason, he was starting to waver.

She's a bit too naive; she's probably not good material for a spy.

Wei Qiao took out a piece of yellow jade from his sleeve and handed it to Michide. “After all, she was once my sister-in-law. I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of her in the palace. I haven’t seen her much in the manor. I only heard my mother mention that she is a bit dull-witted and has been keeping a widow’s life for her brother in the manor. If the Emperor wants to win her heart, he will probably have to proceed slowly.”

Miched declined a few times but accepted the jade disc, and said with a smile, "Lord Wei, rest assured, I will definitely not let anyone bully her. As for the Emperor, I will also advise him to be more patient."

Wei Qiao nodded to him, "Then thank you very much, Eunuch Mi."

It was five days later when Xichun returned to the Imperial Study to serve tea. After serving tea to Yan Zhongyou, Xichun stood beside Peilan in the hall, waiting to be summoned.

Seeing that Xichun had recovered, Yan Zhongyou smiled and glanced at her a few times before turning his gaze back to reviewing the memorials on his desk.

After a while, Guang Jinfu came in to report: "Your Majesty, Miao Wendao, the Assistant Minister of Rites, has come to pay his respects."

“Miao Wendao?” Yan Zhongyou stopped writing. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place who it was.

Seeing this, Miched quickly reminded him, "Your Majesty, Miao Wendao was the tenth in the second class of last year's spring examination. Your Majesty read his essay during the palace examination and praised his concern for the common people."

"Oh, I remember now, his ancestral home is Yanzhou, the same place as Consort Jia."

"Indeed, Your Majesty, last time you mentioned to the Minister of Rites the matter of bestowing a title upon the Second Princess, saying that Miao Wendao should handle this matter. I suppose Miao Wendao has come today for this very reason."

Yan Zhongyou nodded. "Let him in."

After paying his respects to Yan Zhongyou, Miao Wendao presented several titles he had proposed for the Second Princess. Yan Zhongyou looked at them, pondered for a moment, and said, "The double peach blossoms are redder in the evening, peeking through the window and reflected in the bamboo, revealing her exquisite beauty. Cailuan was born in March, precisely when peach blossoms are in full bloom, so I bestow upon her the title of Princess Linglong."①

Miched laughed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The Empress Consort will surely like this title very much."

Yan Zhongyou stroked his beard with satisfaction, looked at Miao Wendao in the hall, and instructed Mi Qide: "The title proposed by Miao Wendao is very much to my liking. Reward Miao Wendao with a bolt of cloud silk."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

After Miao Wendao expressed his gratitude, Xichun handed him a silk handkerchief. Outside the Yuanhe Hall, Miao Wendao looked at Xichun, dressed in a lotus-colored palace gown, and was filled with emotion. He took the silk handkerchief from her and asked with a smile, "Have you ever been to Xinjiang, young lady?"

Xi Chun didn't know why Miao Wendao asked this, but she nodded anyway, "I passed through here once when I went to Beijing several years ago."

Upon receiving her affirmative answer, Miao Wendao knew he had finally found her. His voice trembled with excitement: "Young lady, you once helped someone in Xinjiang, do you remember?"

Xi Chun looked up at him, then lowered her head and thought for a long time before finally remembering that such a thing had indeed happened. That year, after disembarking at Xinjiang, she originally wanted to buy some steamed buns in the city to eat on the way, but she saw Miao Wendao being chased out by the shopkeeper in front of a herbal medicine shop.

"It's not that I don't want to extend credit to you, but I only did so because of your scholar status last time when you asked for a penny of ginseng on credit. Now that you haven't paid me back for that last time, it's absolutely impossible for you to extend credit again."

"Shopkeeper, please have mercy! My good friend is really in dire need of ginseng to prolong his life. I have sent another letter home, and I believe my servant will soon bring money to Xinjiang. I swear on my honors, I, Miao Wendao, will never break my promise."

"Go away, you're just a failed scholar. I only gave you credit before because of you. Don't bother me with business again, or I'll immediately report you to the authorities for disturbing public order."

Seeing this, Miao Wendao had no choice but to leave the herbal medicine shop dejectedly. Xichun followed Miao Wendao as if possessed, and finally saw him enter a dilapidated courtyard at the end of a secluded alley.

"Auntie, it's my fault for being incompetent. The shopkeeper won't let me buy medicine on credit anymore. I'm afraid I really can't save Yusheng this time." Miao Wendao apologized to the woman in coarse clothes in front of him, his face full of tears.

The woman patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Suqing, I know you did your best. I know you sold so much treasure to save Yusheng. Yusheng has a good friend like you, so his life hasn't been in vain. We've done our best and left the rest to fate. Don't blame yourself."

After speaking, the woman went back into the kitchen to brew the medicine. A short while later, a series of violent coughs echoed from inside the house. Miao Wendao went in to feed Feng Yusheng water, then walked out of the house and stood by the courtyard wall, gazing at the sky and weeping. Just when he felt all hope was lost, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

He went over and opened the door. Outside stood a little girl with her hair in two buns. "What can I do for you, young lady?" Miao Wendao asked.

Xi Chun took off her silver bracelet and handed it to him, saying, "I know you're saving your friend. Here, take this bracelet; you can exchange it for some money to buy medicine."

Miao Wendao quickly waved his hand, "Miss, we are complete strangers, I cannot accept such a valuable gift from you."

Xi Chun placed the bracelet in his hand and said with a smile, "I'm happy to help your friend. Please accept it. I hope your friend gets better soon."

Miao Wendao was dazzled by Xichun's radiant smile. When he came to his senses and tried to return the silver bracelet to her, she was nowhere to be found. Miao Wendao pawned the bracelet for five taels of silver and used the money to buy some ginseng roots to keep Feng Yusheng alive. Unfortunately, he only lasted half a month before passing away. Later, he recognized Feng Yusheng's mother, Aunt Li, as his godmother and lived with her. Last year, he passed the imperial examination and was appointed as an official in the Ministry of Rites.