Chapter 3: Yuanfang turned out to be a wild cat.
The person who came to the palace was eunuch Liu Renfu from the Imperial Household Department.
Liu Renfu was a powerful figure in the palace. He served as the chief scribe in the Imperial Household Department and was considered a big shot in front of the Emperor. Whenever he left the palace, there would be a big ceremony.
When Zhou Xian rushed to the front yard, Liu Renfu was sitting on the armchair. His fat body was wrapped in red patches, and the golden tiger patch on his chest had also become fatter. Although the armchair was wide, it could hardly hold all his fat.
Upon meeting Zhou Shan, Liu Renfu, propped up the young eunuch's shoulder, tremblingly rose to his feet and saluted. His gleaming eyes surveyed Zhou Shan from head to toe. Then, with a pinch of his orchid finger and a shrill, raspy voice, he said with a smile, "I've come to see Princess Jiayi for His Majesty. After all, she's the first daughter in the palace to live outside the palace. His Majesty kept nagging about it all night, worried that the princess wouldn't be used to it!"
Zhou Xian put on a dignified smile, bowed gracefully toward the imperial palace, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, I greet you with respect." After completing the formalities, he turned to Liu Renfu and said with a smile, "Thank you for coming here, eunuch. I wonder what good news you have that I have invited you to come out."
"Oh my, it's really a great joy!" Liu Renfu covered his mouth and smiled, his eyes as big as mung beans rolling around.
Zhou Xian was delighted, thinking that maybe she was going to give him a princess's mansion, or some valuable dowry?
Unexpectedly, the abominable Liu Renfu suddenly fell silent, only laughing, making Zhou Xian feel uncomfortable. This group of powerful eunuchs loved to make fun of others, and they kept talking nonsense all day long, which was very annoying.
"Your Highness! No, it should be Master Zhang."
Liu Renfu smiled with his eyes narrowed for a while, until Zhang Jinwei hurried to the front yard, he showed a look of great surprise, hurriedly went to meet him, and took out a scroll of imperial edict from his sleeve.
Could it be that this has nothing to do with Zhou Xian?!
Zhou Xian gave Liu Renfu a cold glance, but maintained his composure and politeness, kneeling with the others to listen to the imperial edict. His peripheral vision flickered to the prince consort standing beside him. The man knelt as upright as a pine or cypress, a man of scholarly bearing. Suddenly, Zhou Xian's slight displeasure gave way to other thoughts.
After all, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. Judging from Liu Renfu's expression, this happy event must be related to Zhang Jinwei. If the prince consort is powerful in the court, Zhou Shan will also have a better life. Anyway, let's listen to what the imperial edict says.
Liu Renfu slowly unfolded the imperial edict, a bright yellow light spreading between his arms. He read in a strangled voice, "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees... Your former Hanlin Academy editor Zhang Jin... Although temporarily suspended due to his marriage to the royal family, his integrity is well-known and I always remember him. Therefore, I grant you special grace and reinstate you... I decree!"
"Your servant - Zhang Jinwei, editor of the Hanlin Academy, respectfully listens to the imperial edict. Long live the emperor!" Zhang Jinwei's tone was faintly excited. He saluted and hurried forward to receive the edict. His handsome face was radiant, and his hands were trembling slightly as he received the edict.
Zhou Xian supported himself on Yu Xi's arm and slowly stood up, with a look of surprise on his face.
"Master Zhang has achieved fame at a young age and has even won the top three places in the imperial examinations. If you were to be given a sinecure, His Majesty would be upset!" Liu Renfu said with a grin. "You are the first imperial consort to win the top spot in the imperial examinations, and also the first civil official to do so in the Daning Dynasty!"
Zhang Jinwei said, "I am so honored to have received His Majesty's grace and favor. I truly...have no way to repay you."
Liu Renfu smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Master Zhang? His Majesty values you, so just accept it. Do your duty well and take good care of our princess, Master Zhang, and there is no need to worry about your bleak future!"
"My father-in-law is right. I was so ecstatic that I lost my mind for a moment." Zhang Jinwei gently stroked the imperial edict, his expression quite dazed.
He had never imagined that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his teachers and friends and work together to promote the new policy. Originally, according to the ancestral system of Daning, if one married a princess, no matter what position he had held before, he would be dismissed and then granted one or two honorary military titles, that was all.
Reinstatement...
Regardless of what that person in the palace was thinking, at least it gave Zhang Jin a chance to rise. So, his ambitions, his teachers and friends, and his wife...
Zhang Jinwei said earnestly, "I will definitely do my best."
"With Master Zhang's words, I feel relieved." Liu Renfu smiled, squinting his eyes. "In my opinion, Master is handsome and talented, and the princess is intelligent, virtuous and well-mannered. They are a perfect match! I have to return to the palace to report, so I'll leave first. There's no need to see me off."
The sedan chair carrying Liu Renfu's fat pig wobbled out of the door. The sun was at its highest point in the sky. The maids and eunuchs had prepared lunch and were sending people to urge them to eat.
Zhang Jinwei's eyebrows raised slightly. He didn't care too much and subconsciously held Zhou Shan's hand. His palm was broad and his joints were distinct, just enough to wrap around his wife's slender hand.
What does this person mean?!
She was so shy this morning, but after an hour, she actually dared to touch his hand!
Zhou Xian was startled by him and couldn't pull his hand back. He pretended to be shy. His hand was tightly grasped by the man, and his palms were sweating. He whispered, "Prince Consort, it's time to eat."
Zhang Jinwei finally woke up from his dream. His ears turned red and he let go of his hand. He said embarrassedly, "It is your humble servant Meng Lang who is being reckless. I..."
Zhou Xian just smiled, with two small dimples on his cheeks. He retracted the hand that had been held just now into his sleeve. He took the opportunity when Zhang Jinwei turned his back to quietly wipe his hands with a handkerchief.
Lunch consisted of a simple four-course meal and one soup: winter bamboo shoot and ham soup, squirrel fish, stir-fried shrimp, braised goose feet, and braised Chinese cabbage. Afterward, there were sweet treats like red bean dumplings. The chef, Lao Jiang, was quite skilled, making even simple ingredients taste delicious, far superior to the cold meals in the palace.
Zhou Xian, despite his pretense of dignity and self-possession, couldn't help but be tempted by the food. He ate with grace, yet ate very quickly. Zhang Jinwei was still sipping his soup, but he had already wiped his mouth, his mind drifting back to the account book.
Although the Zhuangyuan Mansion's account books were empty, they gave Zhou Shan plenty of opportunities to tamper with them. After lunch, Zhou Shan sat in the courtyard basking in the sun. He placed the account books on his lap and said to Yu Xi, "Aunt, take inventory of the dowry over the next few days and pawn off the inconspicuous items. Then, exchange them for gold leaves and hide them away."
Yu Xi agreed.
"Besides..." Zhou Xian straightened up and glanced around with disdain. "This garden is too ugly. Isn't Zhang Jinwei from Suzhou Prefecture? The rockery is twisted and twisted, and the pond is dry! When the people who are building the Buddhist hall come, have them renovate the garden as well."
As he was speaking, a small white butterfly flew in from somewhere, its wings trembling in the cold wind of early winter. It was not afraid of people and landed on the tip of Zhou Shan's nose.
Zhou Xian had a beautiful nose, the tip of which tilted slightly upwards, rising and falling with his breath. He stared at Bai Die for a long moment, then scolded her with a smile, "You're quite stubborn, little thing. You're still alive at this hour. Do you think the Mirabilis jalapa powder I put on smells good? How dare you lie on my nose like that?"
The butterfly, startled by the vibrations of his words, flew away. Zhou Xian stood up, using the account book as a fan, and pretended to swat it. He chased the butterfly all the way through the garden, his skirt lifted high as he ran, the hairpins in his hair and the jade belt around his waist jingling.
The butterfly suddenly turned sideways and disappeared into the sparse bamboo forest. Zhou Xian immediately lost interest. He lowered his head to adjust his clothes, and when he looked up again, he found himself standing at the foot of a rockery.
There is a very narrow path among the rockery, which leads to the top of the mountain.
Zhou Xian had never climbed a rockery before. Today, he and Aunt Yuxi were the only ones in the yard, so he simply rolled up his long skirt, wrapped it around the jade forbidden step hanging around his waist, and tiptoed to the top of the rockery.
"Oh, my dear Princess! Please come down quickly. The wind is so strong up there. What if you fall?"
Yu Xi hurried to the foot of the rockery, whispering. In the blink of an eye, her princess had climbed to the top of the rockery, disregarding any princess etiquette. She sat firmly on the top in her complicated horse-faced skirt, her feet in phoenix-head shoes peeking out from under the skirt. She was swaying in a good mood.
"I don't want it." Zhou Xian smiled slyly, "Aunt, the view up there is really beautiful! Come up and take a look. You can see very far."
Very far away.
Zhou Xian rested his chin on his hand, not bothering to pay attention to Yu Xi's frantic whirring below. His gaze passed over the courtyard wall, fixed intently on the distance—the Imperial Palace, the Imperial City, the bustling crowds, the speeding carriages. Through Xuanwu Gate, he could even see many ordinary people hawking their wares...
He wanted to leave this courtyard and the imperial city, and escape this cannibalistic capital forever with his mother Fu Ningxiang's long-cherished wish.
Unfortunately, they could not see anything further away as they were all blocked by the towering walls of the imperial city. Zhou Xian had seen enough. If he continued to look, he would probably be visited by the Embroidered Uniform Guards tomorrow.
He stood up from the mountain. His legs were numb from sitting for a long time, and he slipped and almost fell down the mountain.
"Princess, be careful!"
A gentle male voice came from behind him, and Zhou Xian fell firmly into a warm embrace.
He was stiff all over.
It’s Zhang Jinwei.
He was still wondering why Yu Xi suddenly stopped moving. It turned out that she ran to the study to find Zhang Jinwei... The aunt who raised him since he was a child defected to the enemy on the second day after he married into the Zhuangyuan Mansion!
Zhou Xian was in a state of panic. He still intended to play the virtuous role, but what kind of reserved lady would climb a rockery? Only a cat could never sit still, running around with its tail up all day long. And now, he had been caught.
"My dear Prince Consort... I, I'm just a little curious." Zhou Shan didn't dare to move in the man's arms, and he didn't know where to put his hands. He quickly lowered his eyes and acted as if he was about to cry.
"...From the rockery, you can see quite far, right?"
Zhang Jinwei gently supported his shoulders, his face flushed, and led them to sit on the top of the rockery again. "When I was young, studying in my teacher's house, I would sneak up on the rockery and look towards the direction of the capital."
Zhou Xian had no idea what he was up to, but she couldn't shake him off. She asked softly, "Was the Prince Consort still in Suzhou at that time?"
"Yes." Zhang Jinwei said, "My parents passed away early, so my uncle who was making a living in Suzhou Prefecture took me in. I studied in the prefectural school in Suzhou until I was twenty years old."
"They say Jiangnan is a great place, Prince Consort, are you serious?" Zhou Xian was intrigued by his words and couldn't help but ask further. He had read many travelogues written by literati in the palace and was obsessed with the misty Jiangnan.
That is also the hometown of his mother, Fu Ningxiang.
Zhang Jinwei smiled. "It's indeed a wonderful place. Princess, you can reach Suzhou in a month's boat ride along the Grand Canal from Yongding Ferry outside the capital. It's a land of fish and rice, extremely prosperous, with many merchants and scholars gathering in the city, and several well-established academies... Suzhou also has a lot of delicious food, and fresh food from the seaside can be delivered within a few days. The rivers are densely populated, and when the season comes, there are fresh wild vegetables and water chestnuts to pick..."
Zhou Xian's eyes gradually lit up.
Zhang Jin, aware of his wife's expression, recounted the details of Suzhou's history, describing how the city was home to many talented individuals. Scholars often held poetry gatherings on auspicious days, inviting renowned singing girls to perform, earning widespread acclaim. Academies offered lectures every three days, where anyone, from a scholar to a peddler, could take the stage to criticize current affairs.
The above is what the wealthy do in the city. But in the countryside, during the dry season of winter, farmers use long poles to carry boats to dredge the silt in the river, singing catchy folk songs...
"Princess, do you want to go and see it?"
Zhang Jinwei asked softly.
Zhou Xian was stunned and murmured, "Princess, you can't leave the capital without permission. I..." I will fly away in the early spring of next year, and then travel all over the country by myself, becoming a carefree traveler.
"I'll take you there." Zhang Jinwei said solemnly. He looked at his wife with surprise and couldn't help smiling.
Before he got married, his teacher, the cabinet minister Mei Ziqian, reminded him that Princess Jiayi Zhou Shan had a very special identity. No one knew what made it special, but they only knew that His Majesty attached great importance to this marriage.
After last night and this morning, at first glance, she seemed to be just a beautiful and virtuous princess, but within a day, Zhang Jinwei caught her by the tail.
It turned out to be a wild cat.
So, what is so special about your identity?
Zhang Jinwei helped the princess walk down the rockery. He looked back at the palace and saw the setting sun like a drop of old blood, hanging in the sky above the century-old dynasty.
Things are about to change in the capital again.
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