Chapter 6: Concubines and children returning to the royal family.
Zhou Xian walked quickly within the vermilion palace walls, his face icy and silent. Yu Xi and Wang Xiang followed closely behind him, neither speaking, their heads bowed.
A few days ago, the Queen sent someone to convey a message, saying that she had not seen Princess Jiayi for a long time and missed her very much, so she asked Zhou Shan to return to the palace on the fifteenth day to have a private talk with the concubines and princesses.
It's really strange. Queen Guo wanted to completely forget Concubine Jing and Zhou Shan in the past eighteen years, but now she is always thinking about him, the princess who married a poor top scholar. I don't know what she is thinking.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xian raised her eyes coldly and smoothed her temples with her hands. He was dressed in the proper attire of a princess today, elegant and dignified. Occasionally, hurried palace maids and eunuchs would pass by and, upon seeing him, would quickly bow and greet him, kneeling facing the palace wall, waiting until he was far away before rising and leaving.
"Before I got married, these people wouldn't have given way to me like this." Zhou Xian glanced at the eunuchs and palace maids indifferently, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and sneered softly, "If it weren't for my father's imperial decree, insisting on marrying me to Zhang Jinwei, who would have remembered that there was a woman named Fu Ningxiang in the palace?"
Yu Xi knew he was upset, so she whispered to him, "People in the palace are used to flattering the powerful and bullying the weak. Princess, you know that. Later..."
She originally wanted to say that after Zhou Xian left with Fu Ningxiang's tablet, she would no longer have to worry about the past events in the deep palace, but she caught a glimpse of the eunuch Wang Xiang standing beside her and quickly stopped talking.
——Only she and the princess knew that Zhou Xian was going to escape. If there was one more person, it would probably be leaked.
The palace path was long, seemingly endless. Zhou Xian estimated she had walked for a quarter of an hour, a light sweat forming on her forehead in the cold winter weather, when she finally reached Kunning Palace.
He straightened his appearance once more, put on a reserved smile, and respectfully followed the palace maid into the West Warm Pavilion. This was where the concubines paid their respects, and because the Empress was a Buddhist, the interior was furnished in a rather simple and elegant style. It was the twelfth lunar month, and within the pavilion, a wintersweet blossom stood in a blue and white porcelain vase. The small, pale yellow buds exuded a faint fragrance.
Zhou Xian entered the room, bowed politely, and said, "Your son Jiayi pays homage to Her Majesty the Empress. I wish Her Majesty long life and good health."
The woman in the main seat nodded slightly. She wore a double phoenix crown, a bright yellow gown, and a cyan skirt. She was beautiful, though the corners of her eyes showed traces of age. She glanced at Zhou Xian briefly, then casually raised her hand, beckoning a palace maid, and said, "Give Jiayi a seat."
Zhou Shan was ushered to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he felt several gazes fixed on him, each with its own unspoken meaning. Zhou Shan smiled faintly, remaining composed, and quietly observed the surrounding audience. There weren't many concubines and princesses present, and most of them weren't favored by the Emperor. It was unclear why the Empress had included them.
The Empress's surname was Guo, and her given name was Fuling. Her father was a mere ninth-rank official, but fortunately, he had raised her well. Thirty-five years ago, the virtuous Guo caught the Empress Dowager's eye and became the Crown Princess. She and Emperor Yongchang supported each other through thick and thin, ultimately becoming the reigning Empress of the Central Palace.
Empress Guo looked Zhou Xian up and down and said with a smile, "I haven't seen Jiayi for half a month. You seem to be more dignified and steady."
"Your Majesty, I am so kind," Zhou Xian said respectfully. "Now that Jiayi has grown up and married, she must shoulder the responsibility of being a role model for women. If she continues to behave the same as before, it would be truly outrageous."
"It sounds like... Zhang Jinwei isn't very kind to you." Empress Guo half-closed her eyelids, a faint smile on her face. "A normal man would be overjoyed to marry a princess and would certainly treat her with all kinds of pampering. But why do you have to behave like a woman after marrying him?"
"Your Majesty, your husband treats me very well," Zhou Xian quickly stood up and saluted. He curled his lips inwardly, thinking, "If I told you I sleep until lunch every day, you'd scold me for being unruly!"
Empress Guo smiled upon hearing this and said, "Oh? Since Jiayi thinks it's a good idea, then it's a good idea. I'm really happy for you to have found a good husband."
Zhou Xian bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
"Come to think of it, most of the princes-in-law are rough men, but our Jiayi married a lucky man, a scholar with a promising future." Princess Jianing interjected with a smile.
She was three years older than Zhou Xian. A few years ago, she married the second son of the then Duke of Zheng. She lived in the palace for a long time and only saw her husband a few times a year. But this was the norm. It was the ancestral system of the Daning Dynasty. After marriage, the princess lived in the palace and could only meet her husband in the princess's residence on specific days. There were many rules and regulations.
Only Zhou Xian's marriage seemed like an accident from beginning to end.
Zhou Xian didn't know how to answer, so she could only respond to Jianing with a faint smile.
Just as Jia Ning finished speaking, the young Princess Seventeen spoke. The little girl spoke crisply and asked with a smile, "Sister Jiayi, is it fun outside the palace?"
"Oh, this child." Concubine Kang beside her was embarrassed and quickly covered her daughter's mouth. "She is too wild and keeps asking to leave the palace. Jiayi, don't take it to heart."
Zhou Xian disagreed with Concubine Kang's words. He smiled gently at the Seventeenth Princess and said, "Outside the palace, of course..."
Queen Guo, who was sitting at the top, coughed lightly.
Zhou Xian immediately understood what he meant. He frowned and said cautiously, "There's not much difference between the outside and inside of the palace. It's just that there are more people and the houses are more dilapidated."
The Seventeenth Princess looked lost for a moment, and she nestled in Concubine Kang's arms with a puffy face, seeming very disappointed.
Zhou Xian immediately felt a little apologetic. Of course, he thought, there were more fun things to do outside the palace. He'd been out of the palace for half a month, and the sky outside seemed infinitely brighter than inside. Furthermore, the sky was vast and the sea was boundless. Beyond the palace lay the bustling capital, and beyond the capital lay the bustling cities of Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Yingtian Prefecture... And beyond the Great Ning Dynasty lay countless other countries, their peoples sailing back and forth on vast ships, trading porcelain, silk, and tea. Anything was more interesting than this tiny palace.
He took the first step to escape, and also hoped that Princess Seventeen would escape.
This girl, who is only ten years old, is one of the few who looks like a living person among her brothers and sisters.
But then again, the Queen asked him to return to the palace just to chat about family matters?
…
As the sky darkened and grew colder, Zhou Xian, after leaving Kunning Palace, passed by the greenhouse in the Imperial Garden. His hands and feet were cold, and he shivered in the chilly wind. Even a fox fur cloak didn't keep him warm, so he went into the greenhouse to rest for a while.
The greenhouse was filled with exotic flowers and plants, and there were also many Western objects placed in it. A huge Western clock would ring "ding ding ding" at the appointed time. A green peacock was kept in a golden cage, and its black eyes stared coldly at passers-by, which made people feel uncomfortable.
Zhou Xian finally felt warm. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked around the greenhouse casually. Suddenly, he froze and turned away.
"Princess?" Yu Xi and Wang Xiang both looked puzzled and hurriedly followed him. "What's going on? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"
"Someone's here." Zhou Xian's face was solemn, and he kept walking. "It's that annoying Zhou Cong. Let's go quickly, or he'll find us—"
"Sister Jiayi, long time no see. Are you doing well with the number one scholar? I asked my mother to mention you to the Queen a few days ago. I missed you so much. I never thought we would meet by chance in the Imperial Garden today. Isn't that a coincidence?"
The man appeared in front of Zhou Xian. He had a handsome appearance, but there was a hint of cruelty between his eyebrows and eyes. He didn't look like someone who was easy to get along with.
Zhou Cong, the third son of Emperor Yongchang and the son of Consort Shen.
It turns out it’s you!
Zhou Xian was shocked. No wonder the queen suddenly thought of her. It turned out that Zhou Cong was the one who pushed her from behind!
"I'm grateful that you're thinking of me, brother." Zhou Xian was annoyed by him and bowed perfunctorily. "It's getting late. Jiayi should go home. I'll talk to you another day."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Cong leaned sideways, completely blocking Zhou Shan's path. He chuckled softly and said to Zhou Shan with ill intent, "The number one scholar is quite careless. He actually didn't notice there was something wrong with the princess he married..."
"I am Princess Jiayi, who was personally conferred the title by my father. If my royal brother believes that my identity is wrong, why don't we go to the Qianqing Palace now and confront my father in person? How about that?" Zhou Shan lowered her eyebrows and looked submissive, but her words were aggressive.
Zhou Cong had suspected Zhou Shan's identity for a long time. The prince, who coveted the Eastern Palace, was afraid that Zhou Shan would be the final winner, so he would speak rudely to her every time they met.
Unfortunately, Emperor Yongchang had recently been cursing at Zhou Cong whenever he saw him, so he couldn't possibly go and offend the emperor. Zhou Cong was furious, and it just so happened that Zhou Shan had actually entered the palace today. He looked her up and down with malicious and obscene eyes, spewing a string of vulgar words: "Did Zhang Jinwei vomit when he took off your clothes? Or did you never have sex at all? Was it him or you who was incompetent?"
Only the two of them could hear these words. Zhou Xian's face changed several times, and he almost wanted to slap the other person. But he endured it again and again, still looking virtuous and reserved. He squeezed out a few tears and said softly, "I don't know what Jiayi did wrong to provoke my brother to say such rude words..."
Zhou Cong sneered: "Your expression changes so quickly."
"..." Zhou Xian didn't bother to pay attention to him, she just shed tears, crying like a pear blossom in the rain. The people beside Zhou Cong couldn't bear to watch it anymore, brushed their sleeves, half-knelt on the ground and advised: "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine is waiting for you to have dinner. We should arrive early to avoid her getting angry again."
"Do you have the right to speak here?" Zhou Cong scolded with an unexpected look on his face.
The man immediately lowered his head, knelt on the ground and did not move, without saying a word.
"Zhou Shan, your father asked you to stay with Zhang Jinwei. Don't you understand his deeper meaning?" Zhou Cong turned back and continued to press Zhou Shan. His ambition was too great, and he cared too much about that supreme position. In his eyes, everything in the world was "the emperor's deep meaning."
"Jiayi doesn't know. Jiayi is just a woman in the inner palace. How can she understand the affairs of the court?" Zhou Shan took a step back and wiped her tears with her handkerchief, but a bit of sarcasm had already risen in her heart.
It's really pitiful. You are always trying to guess the emperor's intentions in everything. Can't you survive without the position of the Eastern Palace?
So when Zhou Xian looked at her third brother, there was inevitably pity in her eyes, but that pity was blocked by tears, and in the end only a trace of desolation remained.
"Chen Yi and his son have always been at odds with Mei Ziqian! Zhou Shan, tell me, which faction does the emperor favor?!" Zhou Cong suddenly leaped up, grabbing Zhou Shan's slender wrist and demanding, practically growling, "The emperor married you to Zhang Jin... to support Mei Ziqian's faction... right?"
Zhou Xian was pinched so hard that it hurt. He showed a panicked expression, tears streaming down his face. He cried helplessly, "How can I guess the emperor's intention? Zhang Jinwei never discusses court affairs when he returns home..."
"Really?" Zhou Cong's eyes were bloodshot, which was horrifying. The emperor's neglect over the past few days almost drove him crazy.
Zhou Xian nodded vigorously, finally withdrawing his hand. A red mark etched itself across his white wrist. He covered it with his sleeve, and the pity he felt vanished completely, leaving only a deep dislike and a hint of mockery.
In fact, Emperor Yongchang was not partial to Chen Yi and his son, nor to Mei Ziqian's faction, just as he viewed the princes' struggle for power - just for the sake of balance.
Zhou Xian was the farthest from the court, and thus saw the situation most clearly. He glanced at Zhou Cong with utter disgust, feigned a few tears, and wept bitterly as he bowed and took his leave. Anyone who saw him would know that he had suffered a great injustice.
Before he had taken a few steps, he heard Zhou Congshen say coldly: "If you want to survive, stay with Zhang Jinwei and be a concubine in the inner house for the rest of your life..."
Zhou Xian ignored him and walked away without looking back.
That night after returning home, he suddenly developed a fever and had nightmares. He remained ill for several days without improvement. The doctor said it was due to a cold and shock.
Three days later, all the ministers attended the morning court, and the third prince Zhou Cong was stopped by Zhang Jinwei in front of the palace gate.
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