Chapter Ninety-Six: Eternal Spring
Inside the main hall, someone began playing the zither, and it happened to be a piece called "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate." A young girl recited along with the music: "There is a beautiful woman, whom I have seen but cannot remember. If I do not see her for a day, I am driven mad with longing. The phoenix flies high, seeking its mate throughout the four seas. Alas, the beautiful woman is not on the eastern wall..." Her voice was clear and sweet, and although she did not express the poem's tender and deep emotions, she did express its passionate and unrestrained spirit.
In the dark room, both the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Jin were captivated.
At the door, Ruan Bi secretly rubbed her numb knees, wondering what had happened.
Yesterday, a eunuch came first, announcing that the Second Miss would enter the palace this morning to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
Early in the morning, another eunuch entered the mansion, summoning her and the old lady to the palace. However, upon entering the palace, without a word of explanation, she was first made to stand at the entrance of the main hall for a quarter of an hour. Although the west wind was not strong, it was still uncomfortable with the whistling wind. Then, she was summoned to this Linmei Pavilion, and again without a word of explanation, she was forced to kneel as punishment.
When the Empress Dowager came out of the main hall just now, it seemed that Prince Jin was accompanying her. Although she didn't dare to look up at the time, when she did later, she only saw a large group of eunuchs and palace maids holding fans to shield themselves from the wind. However, she could sense his presence; the air was different where he was. So, he should be with the Empress Dowager in the Linmei Pavilion. Could her punishment of kneeling be related to him? Had the truth come out?
A sense of unease crept into my heart when I heard a chanting coming from inside: "...I will use the zither to express my feelings, to write down my innermost thoughts. When will I be granted permission to meet you, to soothe my anxious heart? I wish to be worthy of your virtue, to walk hand in hand with you. If I cannot fly with you, I will perish."
The sound reached the doorway, already faint, but against the backdrop of the ethereal zither music, it carried a melodious and sorrowful quality. For some reason, it touched the most hidden string in Ruan Bi's heart, causing her to feel a sudden sense of desolation and bewilderment. Her knees no longer hurt, and she could no longer feel the whistling wind. The words "Unable to fly, I am doomed" kept echoing in her mind.
In the dark room, the King of Jin also had a dazed look in his eyes, repeatedly pondering the words, "Unable to fly, I am doomed."
The Empress Dowager stared intently at him, at his upright kneeling posture, at his resolute brows and bewildered eyes. A voice within her repeatedly said, "This is retribution, this is retribution." Another voice cried out, "No, no, no, we must stop him."
Gradually, the second voice drowned out the first. She made up her mind and shouted in a low voice, "Someone come here."
The eunuch entered in response.
"Go and fetch the brocade box from the headboard of my bed in my bedroom."
The eunuch accepted the order and left.
The Prince of Jin came to his senses and looked at the Empress Dowager with confusion and bewilderment.
The Empress Dowager suddenly found it hard to bear that look in his eyes. She stood up, walked to the window, turned her back to him, and said firmly, "You can like anyone, but you can't like her."
"Why?"
The Empress Dowager remained silent, her gaze piercing through the thin blue gauze as she watched Shen Hua dance inside. It was now her turn to dance, performing "Picking Lotus Flowers." Her waist was so supple it seemed as if a gust of wind could break it; her wide sleeves fluttered in the window like flowing clouds. Although the Empress Dowager was a woman, she found Shen Hua utterly beautiful. Only she could be a match for her outstanding son.
Light footsteps approached from outside to inside. It was the eunuch who had retrieved the brocade box. He held a brocade box wrapped in bright yellow silk in his hands and respectfully handed it to the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty, I have retrieved it."
"Give it to the prince."
"yes."
The eunuch turned around, bent down, and handed the brocade box to Prince Jin. He took it with some doubt, looking at the Empress Dowager's retreating figure: "Mother..."
The Empress Dowager interrupted him: "Open it."
Prince Jin placed the brocade box on the ground, unwrapped the silk cloth, and lifted the lid. Inside was a thin booklet, its edges slightly frayed, likely frequently read by the Empress Dowager. The front of the booklet bore four characters: "Xun Ge's Notes." Xun Ge was Emperor Xuanzong's childhood name, known to few, but Prince Jin knew it. A chill ran down his spine; he quickly held the book in his hands, respectfully kowtowing three times, then turned to the Empress Dowager: "Mother..."
The Empress Dowager interrupted him again: "On the night of the 28th day of the fourth month of the fourteenth year of Qinghe."
Prince Jin hesitated for a moment, then opened the book and followed the date. He quickly found the date: April 28th, 14th year of Qinghe. In the dim light, he carefully examined the book and read: "...The imperial physician reported that Lady Ruan is more than two months pregnant. I intend to issue an edict ordering Shen Yun to bring Lady Ruan back. The Right Chancellor entered the palace late at night and mentioned that two months ago, Lady Ruan and Lady Shen went to the Yuxu Temple to pray for a child. That night, a man stayed in their room. He also presented several letters exchanged between Lady Ruan and Yuanbao, the language of which was lewd and unbearable to read..."
Yuanbao? That was the nickname of the eldest brother, Zisheng, because he was born in the first year of Baoyang, and the one he picked during his first birthday celebration was also a yuanbao.
The Prince of Jin trembled and looked at the Empress Dowager with a sense of awe and reluctance.
Although the Empress Dowager had her back to him, she could sense his change. She lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Recovering from his initial shock, the Prince of Jin cried out in a trembling voice, "Mother... how could this be?"
The Empress Dowager, still with her back to him, said with a somber expression, "Xi'er, think carefully, doesn't she resemble your eldest brother somewhat?"
The Prince of Jin trembled all over, staring intently at the letter, but not a single word registered in his eyes. The ink characters on the letter seemed to fly up, swirling around his head. After a while, his head spun, his vision blurred, and he involuntarily closed his eyes. His hand loosened, and the letter fell to the ground.
The Empress Dowager turned around, slowly picked up the note, and looked at the last few lines: "...I am deeply saddened. Yuanbao is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and should have cultivated virtue and set an example for the world. His extravagance and debauchery will surely lead to unrest throughout the land..." She didn't need to read these words; she could recite them from memory.
The events of that year and the years that followed were still vivid in her mind.
In the fourteenth year of the Qinghe era, the eldest prince, Chai Sheng, turned twenty. Civil and military officials submitted memorials requesting Emperor Xuanzong to grant him a coming-of-age ceremony, arrange his marriage, and establish him as crown prince. The emperor granted the first two requests, but not the last. Rumors began to circulate that the eldest prince had fallen out of favor, and some officials who had previously fawned over him began to realign themselves. For the next seven years, ministers submitted memorials annually requesting the eldest prince be made crown prince, but the number of ministers decreased each year. The once high-spirited eldest prince gradually became despondent… until the twenty-second year of the Qinghe era, when Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict establishing the third prince as crown prince. Knowing his fate was sealed, the eldest prince drank poison and died.
Just as she was lost in thought, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt a blur before her eyes, and saw the Prince of Jin leap up from the ground and rush out the door.
"Xi'er, come back..."
The woman he adored turned out to be his elder brother's child, and even his own niece! The Prince of Jin was completely stunned. It was as if a dark hole had opened in his heart, sucking in all the bright and beautiful things, leaving only boundless darkness that overwhelmed him like a tide. His ears drooped, and he could not hear any sound. His eyes also went blind, and he could not see the road ahead.
Stumbling and staggering, he rushed out of Linmei Pavilion as if in a frenzy, tripped over the threshold, and fell to the ground. He vaguely heard a cry of surprise, followed by a pair of hands lifting his arms, and a familiar fragrance wafted to his nose. He turned his head and saw a blurry face, looking anxious, its mouth opening and closing.
For a long time, he still couldn't hear what she was saying, but her face gradually became clearer—it really did look somewhat like his older brother. As if he had seen a poisonous snake or scorpion, he disgustedly reached out and pushed her away with all the strength he had ever had.
Caught off guard, Ruan Bi was pushed more than ten feet away, shoving herself across the threshold and crashing into the screen with a loud bang that made everyone's eardrums ring. She curled up on the ground, her chest aching, her back aching, and her heart aching—he loathed her, he loathed her, a loathing that went to the very marrow of his bones…
The clattering noise startled everyone in the main hall, and they all rushed out. Seeing Ruan Bi sitting on the ground, on the verge of tears, they exchanged glances. After a moment, the second young lady stepped forward to help her up, asking with curiosity and wariness, "Fifth sister, what are you doing here?" She wasn't stupid; she naturally knew what special significance this trip to the palace held.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress Dowager's voice rang out: "Fifth Miss Ruan is also here to attend your gathering." She then walked out from the dark room next to her, her expression still calm and composed, her steps still slow and unhurried, as if she had just picked a flower in the garden.
Ruan Bi had already realized that the matter was related to her, so she disregarded the insubordination and stared into her eyes.
The Empress Dowager did not avoid her gaze, silently meeting her eyes with a complex expression that contained sorrow, wariness, disgust, and pity...
When the second daughter saw Ruan Bi staring intently at the Empress Dowager, she quickly gave her a hard squeeze.
Ruan Bi was gripped so tightly her shoulder almost dislocated, her body trembled slightly, and her eyes twitched. When she looked up again, the Empress Dowager had already looked away, smiling and saying, "It's been a long time since the palace has been this lively. Ladies, let's continue." With that, she took the lead and walked into the main hall. The ladies exchanged glances, feeling a little strange, but dared not say anything, and followed her into the main hall.
Seeing that Ruan Bi was still staring intently at the Empress Dowager's back, the second daughter felt frightened and whispered in her ear, "Why are you staring at the Empress Dowager? Are you trying to kill me?"
Ruan Bi lowered her eyes, gritted her teeth, shook off the second young lady's hand, and followed her into the main hall.
The young ladies had already taken their seats again in the main hall. The Empress Dowager sat on the throne in the center, watching Ruan Bi gracefully enter with a detached expression. Although her face was pale, her demeanor remained composed. Deep within her eyes lay a mixture of anger, confusion, and sadness. Confusion and sadness were normal reactions, but anger was not. It was clear that she had instantly realized the matter was related to her. What an intelligent child! Unfortunately, she was far too intelligent, far too intelligent.
The Empress Dowager had once seen such a woman, and that woman was herself.
Seeing another version of myself again evoked only one feeling: the urge to utterly destroy her.
The Empress Dowager beckoned, and the eunuch, understanding, moved to her side. After a moment, he returned to his original position and said loudly, "The Empress Dowager said that all the young ladies are invited to perform their best talents, starting with Miss Ruan Wu."
Ruan Bi was slightly taken aback. Not to mention that she didn't know any talent at all, even if she did, her heart was filled with sorrow, like frozen earth. How could she have the mood to show off?
The eunuch said in a sarcastic tone, "Miss Ruan, please begin."
The young ladies were also eagerly waiting, and when they saw her standing there blankly, they all covered their mouths and laughed.
Ruan Bi smiled wryly.
Nothing matters anymore.
What's the point of being so cautious and respectful? What's the point of walking on thin ice every day, working so diligently every day? Reflecting on everything that has happened since I came to this era, recalling that push I loathed to the extreme, is there any point in living in this world? So whether I'm exposed, whether I die, whether I'm considered possessed by a demon... it doesn't matter anymore.
Since everyone is hoping she'll embarrass herself, how can we let them down?
She walked gracefully to the center of the hall, bowed slowly to the Empress Dowager, and said, "This humble woman is willing to sing a song for Your Majesty."
She can only sing modern songs, but it doesn't matter.
"Lotus in the snow, fairy among flowers"
Blooming on the edge of the cold snow line
Lotus in the snow, fairy among flowers
Blooming on the edge of the cold snow line
Despite the scorching sun, the perilous winds and frost, and the millennia-old snow...
Despite the scorching sun, the perilous winds and frost, and the millennia-old snow...
We must wait, we must wait, for spring to arrive in the world.
...
Inside the main hall, the Empress Dowager squinted her eyes.
At the entrance of Cining Palace, the emperor, who had been in a hurry, stopped and slowly walked towards Linmei Pavilion following the sound.
On the main street, Prince Jin rode his green steed like a shooting star, causing pedestrians to scramble and bump into each other in a chaotic scene. Beside him, Youde and Yuqing, looking anxious, frantically whipped the horse's rump.
"No choice"
You are the loneliest lotus in the snow.
Embracing countless worries and a heart full of bitterness
Alone in a frozen world
In search of eternal spring
...
Inside the main hall, the Empress Dowager gave a signal with her eyes, and a eunuch brought a plate containing a jade ruyi to Ruan Hua.
Outside the Linmei Pavilion, the emperor listened with a leisurely and captivated expression.
At Wansheng Gate, pedestrians hurriedly made way for Prince Jin, who rode out of the city gate at breakneck speed and headed west.
To the west lies Xingping City, where you can find sunsets, grasslands, and a free-spirited breeze...
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