Chapter 56 Mother
"Imperial sister, I'm sorry for your hardship..." The emperor's voice was slightly hoarse.
Immediately afterwards, Prince Duan also stepped forward, bowed, and exchanged a few words in a low voice with the eldest princess, his words full of old friendship and concern.
After the royal family elders had met, the princes and princesses stepped forward in order, respectfully paying their respects to the distinguished imperial aunt. The eldest princess smiled and nodded in agreement, then she turned slightly and waved toward the carriage behind.
Everyone looked over.
A young girl, adorned in the ornate attire of the Dongling royal family, approached with graceful steps. Her long, ebony hair, meticulously combed, framed her face as white as jade. Her eyes were lively and her gaze was radiant, her demeanor imbued with an exotic grace and the dignity of royalty. She approached the emperor and, in accordance with Dongling royal etiquette, gracefully folded her hands over her chest, bowed, and spoke in a clear, melodious voice:
"Xinyi Zhaoyang, I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
When Xinyi Zhaoyang was born, the eldest princess brought the good news back to the Western Wei. The emperor, grateful for the imperial sister's contribution to the marriage and, because she was her eldest daughter, decreed the title of Princess Liuyang. Now, for the first time in her life, Xinyi Zhaoyang set foot on the land of her mother's homeland.
The emperor carefully observed the graceful young woman before him, noting a faint resemblance to the princess's youthful charm, her agility and fearlessness mirroring those of her youth. A genuine fondness flickered in his eyes. He personally reached out and helped Xinyi Zhaoyang to her feet, his tone gentle and loving:
"As Zhaoyang's uncle, we are so far apart that this is our first meeting. I feel truly ashamed."
He paused, looking into the girl's clear, fearless, and curious eyes, and asked with a deliberately teasing smile, "Zhaoyang has come from afar, and your uncle is very happy. So, would you like to ask your uncle for a gift?"
Upon hearing this, Xinyi Zhaoyang's eyes lit up. She was not at all shy and extended her fair hand towards the emperor with a bright smile on her face.
"Zhaoyang! Don't be so rude!" The eldest princess frowned slightly when she saw this and immediately scolded him.
The emperor laughed heartily with joy, waving his hands repeatedly at the eldest princess, his eyes full of tolerance and doting: "It's okay, it's okay! There's no need to restrict her, my sister. I am very happy to see Zhaoyang so innocent, frank and lovely!"
He turned to Xinyi Zhaoyang, his tone filled with the kindness of an elder and the promise of an emperor: "Come, follow me into the palace. I have prepared a gift for you long ago."
The candlesticks illuminated the hall brightly, and everyone filed in, taking their seats in order. Of the concubines present at this family feast, only Concubine Li, who gave birth to Prince Rui, and Concubine Chun, the mother of Prince Jin, were allowed to attend.
"Since Zhaoyang has come to the capital this time, I will certainly make amends to you." The emperor stroked his beard and laughed, immediately bestowing several boxes of precious treasures upon his niece. A jade-inlaid coral tree and a coiled incense burner were brought in by palace maids, their pearly gleam making the hairpins on Xinyi Zhaoyang's temples tremble slightly.
At the beginning of the banquet, the emperor and the eldest princess recalled the interesting things in their childhood.
While Prince Duan was drinking and chatting, the little grandson Chao Yunye, who was standing beside the Crown Princess, was tilting his head to look at his new cousin - the girl with double buns suddenly blinked at him, startling the child so much that he clutched his mother's sleeve.
"Has Zhaoyang ever thought about choosing a husband in the capital?" The emperor changed the subject, and all the silver chopsticks in the hall froze for a moment.
The coiled dragon candles burst into flames, causing Xinyi Zhaoyang's cheeks to blush. "Uncle wants to host a welcoming banquet and let me choose?"
"That's right!" The emperor clapped his hands and said with a smile, "If Zhaoyang likes me, I will grant her marriage immediately."
The eldest princess coughed lightly, but saw her daughter had already stood up and left the table. "Speaking of this, Zhaoyang is curious about that upright official in the capital—" She lifted her pomegranate skirt and spun around. "I thought he was an old man with a white beard, but who would have thought he was a young man!"
"Zhaoyang!" The eldest princess frowned and scolded softly, the jade bracelet on her wrist jingling against the table.
The girl stuck out her tongue and sat back in her original position, but the golden butterfly wings in her hair were still trembling.
A gleam flashed across the emperor's eyes: "Are you talking about Pei Qing?"
"It's Pei Ji, Junior Minister of the Dali Temple," the Princess continued, her fingertips stroking the rim of the jade cup. Across from him, Prince Rui's hand on the jug paused slightly, the wine rippling in the luminescent cup.
"How is Mr. Pei doing?" Xinyi Zhaoyang asked, holding up her chin. "If he's a glutton, I won't tolerate him!"
"Princess Zhaoyang is worrying too much." Prince Duan suddenly put down his silver chopsticks. "Shaoqing Pei is so handsome that he is not inferior even to princes and sons of noble families." Before he finished speaking, the ivory chopsticks in Prince Jin's hand made a light "clacking" sound.
The emperor glanced at his sons, his smile growing wider. "Third brother, what you said is true. Pei Qing is both talented and beautiful. If Zhaoyang is interested, I will make the decision for you."
As Xinyi Zhaoyang stood up to salute, the twelve-bell gold bracelet on his wrist jingled, "Then Zhaoyang will wait for the welcoming banquet."
She caught a glimpse of the little prince peeking over the table, and pushed the rose pastry in front of her towards him.
The young grandson of the emperor, Chao Yunye, glanced at the Crown Princess beside him, and then grinned at Xinyi Zhaoyang, so sweetly that the other's heart almost melted.
…
As night fell, the palace banquet dispersed amid the sound of stringed instruments.
Prince Rui Chao Yinlong followed behind Concubine Li's sedan chair and passed through two hanging flower gates to arrive at Lanxin Palace.
The copper bells on the eaves were struck by the night wind, making clear sounds, which startled the sparrows perched on the branches of the sycamore trees.
Concubine Li turned around the screen holding her jade hairpin, and the candlesticks cast her shadow on the twelve brocade screens.
Although she was over forty years old, the neck exposed outside the brocade palace dress was still as smooth and transparent as mutton-fat jade.
She turned and waved at her son, the three-inch-wide gold bracelet on her wrist making a soft clattering sound. "Yinlong, please sit down. The crab roe pastries from the kitchen are still hot."
Chao Yinlong leaned against a mother-of-pearl armchair with his right leg bent, the hem of his black python robe piled on the blue brick floor.
There were seven or eight kinds of snacks scattered on the table. The most eye-catching one was a plate of butterfly pastries baked to a golden and crispy texture. It was the folk snack he had been clamoring to eat on his fourteenth birthday.
For this purpose, Concubine Li specially invited a chef from outside the palace.
"Does mother take me for a three-year-old?" He chuckled as he picked up a piece of butterfly cake, not caring at all that the crumbs landed on his jade-colored lapel. "Last month, the Ministry of Rites sent tribute wine from the Western Regions. It's better than these greasy things."
Concubine Li twisted the crimson handkerchief to wipe the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and suddenly waved away the people around him.
When the palace door creaked shut, she tapped the rim of the sweet white porcelain bowl with her fingertips. "Today, the eldest princess specially brought Princess Liuyang to toast Pei Ji. Are you really not in a hurry?"
Chao Yinlong scooped a spoonful of almond sweet soup and frowned slightly.
This soup seems to be lighter than usual. I guess the imperial kitchen has changed the chef who makes the sugar.
He swallowed slowly before speaking, "Sun Honglei hunted a white fox the day before yesterday and said he wanted to give it to the young lady from the Luo family who had broken off the engagement."
"Are you talking about Luo Zhaohan from the Fuyuan General's Mansion?" Concubine Li's painted nails traced the lotus pattern on the table. "Wasn't that girl's engagement broken off by the Wuwei General's Mansion at the beginning of the year?"
"That's exactly her." Chao Yinlong pushed the empty bowl to the center of the table. The remaining syrup at the bottom of the bowl glowed amber in the candlelight. "Last month, she shot three arrows through three moving bull's eyes at the West Market Horse Farm."
The golden bracelet on Concubine Li's wrist slammed against the jade paperweight. She leaned forward, the oriental pearl held by the golden phoenix in her hair trembling. "Are you going to let Hong Lei marry such a wild girl? The Princess of Liuyang is the eldest princess's only daughter!"
The night wind carried the sound of the night watchman's drum through the carved lattice fan, and the Buddhist beads on Chao Yinlong's wrist suddenly broke.
The sandalwood beads rolled all over the ground with a crackling sound, and one of them rolled straight into the shadow under the antique display cabinet.
He leaned over to pick it up, his voice muffled by his golden python robe: "Hong Lei said that when Miss Luo trained a horse, she could braid the horse's mane into small braids."
Concubine Li laughed in anger, her jade earring hitting her cheek: "Do you think this is just a child's play? Pei Ji is now teaching the emperor's eldest grandson. If he marries the eldest princess, it will be even more powerful!"
"Mother, what do you think of this sweet white porcelain?" Chao Yinlong suddenly held up the empty bowl to the candlelight, a hazy glow filtering through the thin base. "The previous dynasty's official kilns fired three hundred kilns to create this set, and now it's just a container for sweet water, isn't it?"
Concubine Li stared at her son's profile in a daze. The candlelight cast a deep shadow on his brow.
The snowy night twenty years ago suddenly came crashing into his memory - eight-year-old Yinlong was huddled at the threshold of Lanxin Palace, clutching a piece of butterfly cake. The cakes sent from the imperial kitchen were poisoned, and he refused to touch any food anymore.
"If you really can't let go." She suddenly reached out and pressed her son's wrist bone, the armor rubbing against him painfully. "The Zhan family has been here for three years, can't they still be better than..."
Chao Yinlong stood up suddenly, and the jade pendant on his waist hit the corner of the table with a crisp sound.
He stood before the Suanni incense burner with his back to his mother, watching the smoke curling up from the beast's mouth. "Hong Lei will go to the Luo Mansion in five days to deliver the white fox fur."
The night watchman rang again, and Concubine Li slowly sat up, holding onto the table. "Since that's the case, I'd like to see what kind of person this Miss Luo is."
She reached out and straightened her son's crooked jade belt. "If it really doesn't work out, we can try again at the Princess's Mansion."
"Don't worry, mother." Chao Yinlong turned around with his usual gentle smile on his face, and casually picked up a crab cake. "Your palace kitchen should change the sugar. This almond soup is too bland."
The copper bells on the eaves rang again, startling the palace maid on duty so much that she almost knocked over the lantern.
Concubine Li looked at her son's receding figure and suddenly ordered her personal nanny, "Send the box of South Sea rock sugar from Curry to the kitchen."
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavier, the carriage from Prince Rui's mansion rolled over the bluestone slabs of Suzaku Street.
Chao Yinlong lifted the car curtain and looked at the inky sky, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the newly replaced Buddhist beads on his wrist - the one that had just rolled into the darkness was never found.
…
As dusk fell, a thin layer of frost fell on the glazed tiles of Ningxin Palace.
Concubine Chun sat upright in a Huanghuali armchair carved with scroll patterns, holding a well-read copy of the Lotus Sutra in her slender fingertips.
The crane-beak incense burner belched out green smoke, staining her plain moon-white skirt with the scent of sandalwood.
When Prince Chao Yinxi of Jin lifted the brocade curtain and came in, he saw his mother placing the scriptures on the table with a lotus pattern.
He untied the black fox cloak and handed it to the palace maid, revealing the dark blue four-clawed python robe underneath. "Your son pays his respects to the Concubine Mother."
"Sit down." Concubine Chun didn't even raise her eyelids as she poured herself a cup of Junshan Yinzhen tea. The tea rippled in the Yue Kiln celadon cup, reflecting the fine lines at the corners of her eyes—the only thing about the head empress of Ningxin Palace that showed her age.
Chao Yinxi lifted his robe and sat down, pushing the teacup three inches forward with both hands: "Mother, please try the newly tributed Snow-Top Green Tea." The agarwood rosary on his wrist hit the table with a muffled sound.
“Bang!”
The celadon cup was suddenly swept to the ground, and the broken pieces splashed onto the dragon-patterned bricks.
The palace maids waiting outside the hall all shuddered. The silver bracelet on the wrist of one of the little palace maids knocked against the door frame, and the jingling sound was particularly harsh in the silence.
Chao Yinxi looked down at the tea stains on his cloud-head shoes, and suddenly remembered that when he was twelve years old, his mother smashed his inkstone because he could not recite the "Ten Thoughts to Admonish Emperor Taizong".
He bent down to pick up the largest piece of broken porcelain, not caring at the bleeding cuts on his fingertips. "The wintersweets in the Southern Suburbs Imperial Garden should be blooming soon."
Concubine Chun clenched her hands beneath her wide sleeves. She hated her son's docile demeanor the most. He looked just like the compassionate man who pleaded for his enemy before dying.
A ray of setting sun filtered through the cracked window lattice of the East Warm Pavilion, shining right onto the silver hairpin in her hair.
"I said it's not necessary."
"Your son, I'll take my leave." Chao Yinxi suddenly stood up, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the mess on the floor. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of the jade Guanyin statue on the antique display shelf—it was a gift from his father, but his mother had never had it cleaned.
The moment the palace door creaked closed, Concubine Chun suddenly fell to the ground.
He was unaware of the broken porcelain piercing his palm, and the blood mixed with tea stains meandered in the cracks between the bricks, forming strange totems.
Twenty years later, she still remembered that snowy morning when her wet nurse knelt in the snow, holding the baby wrapped in bright yellow clothes and saying, "My Lady, this is the name His Majesty gave you."
…
In the warm room of the East Palace, the blue and white floor lamp with lotus flowers illuminated Chao Yunye's small face.
The silver spoon he was using to scoop up the sweet soup suddenly stopped. When he looked up, his eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows under his eyes. "Mother, this soup is too sweet."
The Crown Princess took a sip from her son's silver spoon. The sweet aroma of honey melted on her tongue, reminding her of the jujube fragrance in the wedding wine on her wedding day.
She moved the sweet soup aside, her jade earrings swaying slightly as she moved. "How about we have the crystal pork elbow?"
Chao Yunye pushed away the porcelain bowl with lotus pattern and sat upright, looking like a small prince.
His fingers unconsciously stroked the coiled dragon jade pendant at his waist. It was the gift his father had personally bestowed upon him last year as a coming-of-age gift. "The other day, when I went to the upper study, I heard the emperor's uncles discussing Mr. Pei and my cousin's marriage."
The Crown Princess suddenly clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
A spark of light popped from the candlestick, illuminating the watery glint in her eyes. When Ye'er looked up, the wrinkle at the corner of his eyebrow was exactly the same as the one his father wore when he pondered state affairs.
"Does mother know about the affair between Lord Pei and Miss Luo?" Chao Yunye suddenly lowered his voice, like a cat stealing food. "That day when I went to Prince Duan's mansion, I saw Miss Luo whip away Lord Pei's official hat with her horsewhip."
The clock outside the warm room ticked. The Crown Princess looked into her son's sparkling eyes and suddenly heard the voice of her youth ringing in her ears: "Your Highness, I think Lord Pei and Miss Luo are a perfect match."
"Ye'er." She reached out and pulled her son into her arms, smelling the milky fragrance from the child's collar. "The most precious thing in this world is mutual love."
Chao Yunye buried his face in his mother's brocade palace dress and said in a muffled voice, "But the Empress Dowager said that if you marry the princess, you can help us deal with other factional disputes."
"Ye'er." The Crown Princess suddenly grabbed her son's shoulder, her fingertips trembling, "Remember, sincerity should not be a bargaining chip." A tear fell on the Panlong jade pendant, blurring the dragon's eyes inlaid with gold threads.
Outside, the north wind blew dead leaves against the window lattice. Chao Yunye held out his little hand to wipe his mother's tears. The five-colored silk ribbon tied around his wrist brushed against the Crown Princess's chin. It was the one Pei Ji had personally woven for him last year during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
