Chapter 43 Autumn Under the Orchids: July in the capital was shrouded in dampness...
“I met her last month when I took A-Ling to the theater. Her family’s carriage shaft had broken down for some reason. When she saw us passing by, she asked if we could ride in the Yue family’s carriage back home. Later, she said she would host a banquet to express her gratitude and gave us a lot of gifts.”
Madam Zhou dismissed everyone around her and spoke to Yue Shanling about her recent experiences.
“She was originally the eldest sister-in-law of Consort Xian’s family. I had met her before, and she looked somewhat familiar, but we had never spoken.” Madam Zhou paused slightly at this point. “At the banquet, she said that she thought A-Ling was intelligent and virtuous. She mentioned that her family had a good-for-nothing son who had just come of age this year and asked me if A-Ling was betrothed.”
Consort Xian had two elder brothers. Her eldest brother served as the Right General of the Valiant Guard, and her second brother served as the Governor of Jiangzhou.
"I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you didn't come back, so I can only tell you today." Madam Zhou seemed a little apologetic, worried that she was disturbing Yue Shanling's busy official business.
Yue Shanling didn't have a particularly deep impression of General Zheng, and the Left Guard and Right Valiant Guard had little interaction with each other. He also didn't know what kind of family the Zheng family was.
Moreover, women's views on their husbands are always somewhat different from men's views on men. Yue Shanling couldn't think of anything wrong with the Zheng family for the time being, so he could only say, "Marriage is a major event that should be decided by Mother. I will find someone to inquire about Zheng Langjun's character and demeanor, and inform Mother if there is any news."
The Zheng family's power and influence are beyond reproach. Madam Zhou is only worried that the young master of the Zheng family is not a good man. After hearing what Yue Shanling said, she has some idea of what is going on. She decided to delay for now and wait until she has found out the young master's character and appearance before making a decision.
Fu Sui lay on the table waiting for Qin An to write the eulogy. The emperor would be holding a sacrifice on the Ghost Festival, and she would also have to write two eulogies to express her feelings.
After Qin An finished writing and put down his pen, he read the eulogy from beginning to end. Only after confirming that there were no errors did he ask Fu Sui, "Are you really not going to copy it?"
Fu Sui rested his head on his arm and lay on the table, playing with the bronze bird with his free hand: "I won't copy it. He's busy and doesn't have time to find fault with my eulogy."
Qin An spread out the written eulogy to let the ink dry, and told Fu Sui about the news he had recently received: "I heard that a lot of strange things have happened in the suburbs of the capital recently. Some people say it is in accordance with the Ghost Month. You should be more careful when you go out these days."
Fu Suicai doesn't believe in any Ghost Month. If it were really because of the Ghost Month, then every July would be unsettling. Why do ghosts and gods have to choose their season?
"What strange things have happened?"
However, these are all just rumors circulating in the streets, and there's no way to verify their authenticity. Qin An mentioned them because he was afraid that if there really were evil spirits causing trouble, they might harm Fu Sui, and he hoped that Fu Sui could bring more guards when he traveled.
"It seems that the well in some village suddenly dried up overnight, and the streams flowed backward. These are nothing unusual..." Qin An had worked with the Prince of Jin to repair the canals and knew a little about hydrology, so he was not surprised by these strange phenomena that would cause a great uproar among the people. "What is most worrying is that a sudden storm and rainstorm struck Xianling a couple of days ago, and there were faint cries in the rain."
Fu Sui was unimpressed. The Xianling Mausoleum alone had twenty or thirty burial mounds and over a thousand palace servants guarding it. What was there to make a fuss about if there were some noises?
"Maybe it's Prince Xu beating the child," Fu Sui guessed. "Prince Xu can't go out for leisure, and his life is already quite boring. Does that mean he can't beat the child on a rainy day? He's just idle anyway."
Although Prince Xu was younger than the emperor, he had raised his children early. Yongjia had already started his education when the emperor first got married.
Since moving to Xianling and keeping the gates of his residence tightly closed, Prince Xu has devoted all his energy to matters of love and sex. Children have been born one after another in the mansion, and even the current emperor has had to expand the courtyards and build more houses for him.
If Xu Wang had used half of his passion for beautiful women to educate his children, Xianling would have been crying loudly all year round.
Fu Sui's theory about beating children left Qin An both amused and exasperated, yet upon closer examination, it wasn't entirely without merit. The strange phenomenon that had caused widespread anxiety was thus resolved through such mundane family matters. Qin An shook his head helplessly, no longer bound by superstitions.
"I've collected several books copied by Xue Guangting. In the capital, he was mostly hired by families who wanted their descendants to pursue scholarship to copy classics and histories. He only copied a few legendary novels for a bookstore, and the content was quite ordinary. But guess what Xue Guangting is doing now?"
Qin An's question indicated that Xue Guangting was definitely not involved in the affairs of the Imperial Academy. Fu Sui stopped fiddling with the bronze bird and pondered for a moment.
It's not that there aren't places for a true nobleman to go, but these places wouldn't be surprising. She couldn't think of any unusual place the emperor could arrange for Xue Guangting, so she had to ask Qin An.
"The Prefect of Jingzhao was too busy, so he was borrowed to the Jingzhao Prefecture and is now inspecting the beacon towers and garrison soldiers outside the capital."
"What?" Fu Sui was incredulous. Although the beacon towers around the capital were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, the soldiers and beacon tower guards were all from the capital region and were managed by the capital prefecture. But didn't the capital prefecture have a military advisor? How did this matter fall to Xue Guangting?
"Instead of correcting the mistakes of his ministers in the Censorate and serving as a remonstrating official, he's gone off to manage beacon fires in the wilderness?" Did the emperor really make such a big fuss about him just for fun?
Qin An did not quite agree with Fu Sui's view: "The beacon towers outside the capital are mostly located in sparsely populated areas, and the distance between each beacon tower is far. If a patrol of a beacon tower is delayed for ten days or half a month, no one will know. Since Xue Guangting left the capital, there have only been a few scattered pieces of news about him, and no one can say for sure what his whereabouts are."
Fu Sui had never seen a beacon tower or post station before. Hearing Qin An say this, he realized that checking the beacon towers and garrison soldiers was not something that could be done within a fixed timeframe. He asked with some curiosity, "How long will it take?"
Qin An had never met Xue Guangting in person and could only guess from his age and background: "He is not from Jingzhao, so naturally he doesn't know the roads in the capital region. In addition, he is a scholar, and if he gets sick on the way, it will delay his journey. Moreover, he comes from a poor family, so his riding skills are probably not good. Jingzhao Prefecture does not have any horse or oxcarts for him to use. If we calculate it, two or three months would be considered fast."
A person unaffected by any power in the court has at least two months to avoid the notice of most of the court. A chill instantly crept up her spine and into every part of Fu Sui's body. Fortunately, she had kept her tail hidden, otherwise she probably would have been restless and unable to eat or sleep.
The day of the Ghost Festival was gloomy, and the thick fog in the early morning made people feel suffocated.
Kouyun and Dailing dressed Fusui in sacrificial robes and accompanied him into the palace for the sacrificial ceremony.
In July, the capital was shrouded in dampness and heavy fog, so the coachman could only urge the horse to move slowly to avoid hitting pedestrians.
A paper palanquin swayed and floated out of the milky white mist, carrying a blue-faced, fanged Yama, whose eyes darted left and right with a ferocious glare, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
The coachman was startled, and the guards on both sides of the carriage immediately moved closer to protect Fu Sui's carriage in the middle.
Upon realizing it was just a paper effigy, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, figuring it was some new performance by a theatrical troupe. The coachman exchanged a glance with one of the guards beside him. Normally, such a ferocious creature should avoid the princess's carriage to prevent a collision. However, the fog was too thick today, and by the time they could see what was in front of them, it was too late to stop it.
Cheng Baoding caught up from behind the carriage. The foreman carrying the paper offerings also saw that the carriage opposite seemed to belong to a distinguished person. Knowing that it was not appropriate to meet such a person while carrying such a large object, and with nowhere to hide, he had no choice but to order the group to stop and stand by the roadside to await the instructions of the distinguished person.
Knowing it was better to avoid trouble, Cheng Baoding instructed the carriages and horses to ignore them and continue on their way. When they passed the troupe of performers, he rode alongside Fu Sui, blocking Fu Sui and the paper effigy.
The fog made everyone feel damp. The driver glanced sideways at the towering Yama and cursed his bad luck.
The sacrificial ceremony was elaborate. Officials who participated entered the palace at dawn, and by the time the ceremony began, the sun was already high in the sky. Civil and military officials lined up on both sides in order, while Fu Sui stood obediently in the prince's position, with palace servants lifting the curtain for privacy.
Scholar Hongwen recited the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi in a serious and methodical manner, while Fu Sui looked towards the court officials under the cover of the curtain.
Yue Shanling was not short and was very conspicuous among ordinary people. However, the generals were all mixed together at this time, and the son-in-law of Huainan alone blocked out countless people. Several generals were also very burly. Fu Sui twisted his neck and searched for a long time before finally finding Yue Shanling through the gaps in the crowd.
Fu Sui had never seen Yue Shanling wear such solemn clothes before; the crimson gauze robe with its black collar and black sleeves made him look exceptionally mature.
Fu Sui glanced to the side. Guang Raobo was already dark-skinned, and wearing a red dress and white skirt made him look even darker.
Beside the Earl of Guangrao was General Wen. General Wen's round, full cheeks were flushed red by his clothes, and his round belly was wrapped in red. Fu Sui grinned. General Wen is already fifty years old, so a round belly is fine.
Looking to the side, Fu Sui's gaze moved upwards and upwards again. Luckily, they were far away, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see the entire behemoth. She wondered if Huainan's neck could take it; if she were Huainan, she wouldn't bother looking up to see what the prince consort looked like.
After looking around, Fu Sui found Yue Shanling much more pleasing to the eye. Although the court robes were too formal, his face and figure were still quite commendable.
Yue Shanling seemed to sense Fu Sui's gaze, and almost imperceptibly raised his eyes to look at the tightly covered curtain, staring blankly at the swaying beads.
Suddenly someone turned to look in their direction, and Yue Shanling quickly averted his gaze, bowing his head and standing solemnly, as if he were attentively listening to the scholar Hongwen read the scriptures.
Fu Sui was engrossed in the comparison, comparing his shoulders to this one, his waist to that one, his legs to Cui Xingyan, and his appearance to Awusiji. The more he compared, the more satisfied he became.
Suddenly, a face pressed against the curtain without warning. Fu Sui was startled and leaned back. Only after regaining his composure did he realize it was Prince Mu.
To be fair, Prince Mu was not bad-looking, though he was a bit eccentric in matters of the heart. However, he was very well-maintained and usually had a gentle and pleasant demeanor. He rarely got angry and was willing to reward people with gold and silver treasures. Many young men in his household were willing to flock to his side.
Even the best face can't withstand the horror of being suddenly stared at. Fu Sui immediately straightened his face and stared straight ahead, like a clay figure, ignoring everything.
Prince Mu was somewhat disappointed when he saw that Yong'an ignored him.
In the past, when Yong'an entered the palace, Qin'an usually accompanied him. Today, he did not see Qin'an and was worried that he had not yet recovered from the Emperor's punishment. Therefore, he specially switched places with the King of Han, thinking of finding an opportunity to ask about the recent situation of Yong'an and Qin'an.
He had just sensed Yong'an looking outside and assumed she was also bored, so he wanted to take the opportunity to chat with her for a bit, but his niece completely ignored him.
Prince Mu listened to Zhuangzi with a long face and a depressed expression. After listening to a few sentences, he couldn't help but wonder what Yong'an had been reading.
He looked to his side and back in the direction Yong'an had been looking. Rows of people stood there, all dressed in identical court robes; he couldn't remember a single face at a glance.
When Mu Wang Suo Xun looked around, he immediately noticed Awusiji's diligent work and nodded in understanding. Awusiji's height was indeed remarkable, no wonder Yong An was curious.
After the scholar Hongwen finished reading the scriptures, music and dance began, and the scribes and officials proceeded with their prayers. The emperor, in turn, presented jade coins and received titles before the Supreme God of Heaven and the Great Ancestor Emperor Yao. All the officials followed the emperor in bowing once and twice.
The palace servants prepared a thick, soft cushion for Fu Sui. Although Fu Sui's knees didn't hurt, kneeling in her formal court attire was already difficult. Fu Sui carefully spread her skirt and knelt down, maintaining an upright and elegant posture while moving gently to avoid making any noise from her hairpins or ornaments.
Fortunately, the ceremony was coming to an end. Fu Sui lay on the ground listening to the ritual master finish chanting the last "bowing again," and then used his hands to support himself on the ground in preparation for getting up.
Fu Sui looked up and saw that one of the incense sticks burning in front of Emperor Taizu Shenyao had broken off. The half-burnt incense stick hit the edge of the stove, scattering a few sparks, and then leaned against the stove.
Fu Sui's heart skipped a beat. How could such a thing have gone wrong!
The official in charge of rites was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs went weak, and he knelt down again, prostrating himself and not daring to raise his head. Seeing this, all the officials and palace servants around him knelt down as well.
Several ministers immediately knelt down as well. Officials who were far away had just stood up when they saw a group of people kneeling in front of them, and without understanding why, they knelt down as well.
As soon as Li Xin bent down, his elbow was grabbed.
He turned to look, and Yue Shanling shook his head slightly at him.
Li Tan was caught between kneeling and standing. He looked around and saw that the sacrificial ceremony, which should have been solemn and orderly, was now filled with kneeling and standing, which was quite comical.
The current Left Guard General, Duke of Wei, stood in front of him. The old man, who was over seventy years old, either didn't see him because of poor eyesight or for some other reason. He was holding the arm of the young eunuch who was taking care of him. Although his posture was no longer upright, he stood steadily.
Li Tan steeled himself and straightened his bent legs. After all, he wasn't the only one who refused to kneel; the Sage shouldn't be too harsh on him.
Fu Sui stared at the emperor's frozen back, seemingly surprised that the incense had broken. Thinking about it, it made sense. Whether someone had tampered with it or the incense was of poor quality, it was an ominous sign for the emperor, and he wouldn't do something so self-inflicted.
"Your Majesty, this is..." A voice came from behind. Fu Sui narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "So they've come after all."
Xu Asheng suddenly darted out from the side, slamming his knees to the ground and forcefully interrupting the official. The sound of his knees hitting the ground was painful to hear. "Your Majesty, it was my dereliction of duty that I failed to notice that this incense had been improperly stored and had become damp. I will go and replace it with another one right away."
The person who was about to speak was unwilling to let Xu Asheng let the matter pass so easily, and still called out "Your Majesty".
The emperor turned around and slowly swept his gaze across the assembled officials, as if scrutinizing each person's reaction. Finally, his gaze settled on the man who had just spoken. The man was prostrate on the ground, his expression unreadable, and the emperor curled his lips into a cryptic smile.
"Your Majesty..." The man was oblivious to the emperor's gaze and focused on finishing his sentence.
"Your Majesty, the incense burned out on its own without anyone intervening; this is a manifestation of the divine power of the founding emperor. Since your ascension to the throne, Your Majesty may have committed misconduct, thus offending the founding emperor and incurring the wrath of Heaven. Your Majesty should deeply reflect upon your faults and repent..."
"That is incorrect!"
Fu Sui recognized the voice; it belonged to Yu Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
"The incense is related to many processes such as materials, dryness, and production. If it is not stored properly in the inner warehouse and gets damp, or if there is a slight crack inside during production, the incense will break on its own. How can we take it as a warning from heaven?"
Others chimed in, saying, “Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been diligent in governing and caring for the people, and determined to reform. How can there be any talk of him being immoral? In my opinion, it is simply due to the negligence of the Inner Palace Secretariat. Why should Vice Minister Zhou and Vice Minister Yu argue about this?”
It was Zheng Gongchuo, that cunning old fox.
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