Chapter 50 The Moon Shines So Sweetly on the Reunion, the Moon Over the Capital
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fu Sui was to go to the palace for a banquet.
She got up very early, not to do her hair or makeup, but to go to the kitchen to pick out the lotus seeds and longans needed for making the mooncake soup. She then instructed the kitchen on what time to prepare it and what time to send it over.
Holding the small bowl that Fu Sui had specially chosen, the kitchen staff looked at the few longans and lotus seeds in the bowl and said in a puzzled tone, "Princess, why don't you make more? I'm afraid a few seeds won't be enough."
Fu Sui was adamant: "That's all, don't make even one more bowl."
I promised to reward him with a bite of the Moon-Playing Soup, so here it is.
The delay meant that by the time Fu Sui entered the palace, the palace servants had already been waiting for a long time.
The Mid-Autumn Festival moon-viewing banquet in the palace was held in the evening. Fu Sui dined with the emperor again at noon, and in the afternoon, the emperor handled state affairs, leaving Fu Sui to play by himself for a while.
Fu Sui didn't want to wander around the palace. No matter how beautiful the garden was, it couldn't compare to the embarrassment of encountering the concubines. In the past, some unfavored concubines even tried to coax Fu Sui into coming to their palace because of her young age.
The women in the harem were like monstrous floods to Fu Sui, something to be avoided at all costs. It was much more comfortable to stay in the palace, read books, and take a nap.
Fu Sui met Consort Feng again that evening.
Not only Consort Feng, but also Consort Gui, Consort Xian, the birth mothers of several princes and princesses, and other concubines with titles were present, and the princes and princesses also gathered together.
The presence of Fu Sui, an outsider, in this otherwise harmonious family scene was unexpected. Fortunately, Fu Sui was already used to it and didn't feel uncomfortable.
The seating arrangement today is still intriguing. The concubines are arranged in order of rank, one to the east and one to the west, the princes and princesses to the left and right, the empress's seat is vacant, and only the emperor sits at the head of the table.
However, the emperor reserved a position for Fu Sui below the emperor and above all the princes.
Fu Sui sat down to the side of the emperor, facing two long rows of concubines. In a daze, it seemed as if the people sitting below were not her future "sisters-in-law," but she herself was the "secondary empress."
She forced a smile as she accepted the princes' and princesses' bows, trying her best to speak encouraging words to the princes, who were about her age, like a kind elder.
"It's a family banquet today, no need for formalities." After all the princes and princesses had paid their respects, the emperor pretended to excuse himself from the formalities. The princes and princesses thanked him again before taking their seats.
Inside the palace, the soft, melodious sounds of string and wind instruments swayed with the flowing robes of the palace women as a stream of delicacies were presented.
The Imperial Concubine's meticulously made-up face was covered in heavy powder, making it appear intense and dull. In contrast, Consort Feng stood out even more, her face, without any makeup, was as smooth as jade, radiant and glowing. A touch of lip rouge was enough to make all the other concubines pale in comparison.
Seeing Fu Sui looking at her, Consort Feng smiled politely and raised her cup to him. Fu Sui had no choice but to raise his cup in response, and the two of them sipped their wine with feigned politeness, separated by several people.
Below Consort Feng was Consort Zheng. Although General Zheng had never fought on the frontier, he was highly respected in the capital and was quite adept at managing affairs.
Her brothers were adept at navigating the political landscape, while she, as the younger sister, seemed somewhat isolated in the palace.
Consort Zheng resembled General Zheng quite a bit. While a large face and square jaw might convey a sense of authority on a man, they lacked refinement on a woman. Coupled with the fierce competition among the concubines, Consort Zheng's appearance appeared even more plain.
Consort Zheng was originally a concubine of the Crown Prince, and in terms of seniority, she was far superior to Consort Feng, yet now she was relegated to a lower position.
Fu Sui carefully observed Consort Zheng's expression. She had a distinguished background and a powerful maternal family, yet she remained silent on such an important matter as seating arrangements, which represented hierarchy. Fu Sui wondered whether Consort Zheng's silence was due to her personality or if she had other thoughts.
Next to her was Xu Jieyu, a tall and slender woman with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Incongruous with her appearance was her soft and delicate voice, which was easily overlooked if one was not paying attention.
Unlike Consort Zheng, who married the Crown Prince, Consort Xu was already in the Emperor's household when he was still the Prince of Jiangdu. She gave birth to the eldest prince, the fifth prince, and a princess. Although she did not rise to the rank of consort, she was still considered to have enjoyed considerable favor. The Xu family currently holds several minor official positions, none of them in important government offices.
The eldest prince's current tutor was recommended by the Consort's family, and he is very strict in his upbringing. The Consort's health has deteriorated to the point where she can no longer bear children. If she were to ascend to the throne, she would likely adopt the eldest prince and raise him under her care.
Fu Sui had only taken a few bites of food when she felt someone tugging at her skirt. Turning around, she saw the petite Fourth Princess leading the even smaller Sixth Princess.
The emperor's first two daughters were born to his concubine. When he first became crown prince, a concubine in his household gave birth to his third daughter.
Unfortunately, the concubine suffered severe postpartum hemorrhage, and despite the imperial physicians' efforts throughout the night, they were unable to save her. It is said that the third princess was born with a bluish-purple complexion and died after only eighteen days of care.
Children who die young are not usually included in the order of birth, but the emperor, considering the passing of the imperial concubine, made an exception and included the third princess in the imperial genealogy.
For a long time afterward, no more princesses were born to the emperor, until Consort Xu gave birth to the fourth princess, after which princesses began to be born in the palace.
It was because of these mysterious events that the emperor was particularly fond of the fourth princess, calling her "auspicious".
Fu Sui bent down and asked the Fourth Princess if she needed anything. The Fourth Princess didn't speak, but just covered her mouth and laughed, and the Sixth Princess laughed along with her. The two little pink dumpling-like girls pushed and shoved each other, and in the end, the Fourth Princess stepped forward, handed Fu Sui something, and ran off laughing.
Several palace maids followed along, afraid that the princesses would fall. When the emperor saw the fourth princess running towards him, he was very happy, saying "May the emperor have good fortune" to her. He picked up the fourth princess and placed her on his lap, asking her in a low voice what she wanted to eat.
The sixth princess's wife was slow-moving and spoke haltingly, only able to grab the emperor's clothes and call out "Yay! Yay!" The emperor reached out and picked her up, placing her on his other lap, and then ate with his two daughters. If one didn't notice their attire, it truly seemed like a harmonious scene.
Fu Sui opened his hand, revealing a flower that had been crushed. It was unclear which flower room had been damaged by the two little maids.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly lively. Some of the younger princes and princesses, unable to sit still, were taken out to play by palace maids, while the younger ones were carried back to the palace to rest. The concubines chatted and laughed in twos and threes, and even Consort Feng and Consort Gui exchanged a few words with Fu Sui about everyday matters.
"I remember that Sanlang was recently praised by the Master, is that true?" The Emperor asked, seeing the Third Prince looking around idly.
The third prince was suddenly asked about his studies, and hurriedly got up to answer.
The concubines, who had been chatting happily, all stopped, and the hall immediately fell silent.
"Today the moon is full and people are reunited. Let's see you choose a poem that suits the occasion." The emperor casually stroked his knees, looking at his princes with a warm and relaxed demeanor.
The princes, however, dared not be as leisurely as the emperor. Xu Asheng led men to bring out several small tables for the princes to use, and even the fifth prince was given one.
Several of the older princes spread out their paper, pondered briefly, and then began to write. The Fifth Prince, unsure how to proceed, frequently glanced at Consort Xu. How could Consort Xu help him? She could only gesture with her eyes for him to write quickly.
The Fifth Prince pursed his lips, his face tense, and frowned seriously. He was about to put down his pen when he picked it up again, repeating this several times, looking around the room and the sky and the ground, before finally putting down the first stroke. But after writing the first sentence, he got stuck again, and it took him a long time to come up with the second sentence.
By the time the fifth prince finished writing, the emperor had already read through the works of the first four princes.
The princes, of all ages, stood in a row below, and the birth mothers of several princes all looked nervous.
The emperor showed no emotion, neither joy nor anger, and offered no comment. He simply handed all the poems to Fu Sui and asked, "What do you think?"
With the paper handed to him, Fu Sui had no choice but to accept it. Each prince's writing was different; the most prominent was by the eldest prince, a seven-character poem. The eldest prince's handwriting was neat and upright; even from these precise strokes, one could glimpse the seriousness of the person teaching the eldest prince.
Fu Sui read the poem carefully. The tones and rhymes were fairly regular. Although it had nothing new, it could still be called a poem.
Fu Sui turned to the next page, this one written by the Second Prince. To Fu Sui's surprise, the poem written by the Second Prince was not an old work either.
Fu Sui looked through all the papers. The emperor had only said to pick some poems appropriate to the occasion and had not said that the princes should compose them on the spot. He could have chosen some old works by predecessors. However, none of the five princes wrote any old famous works.
The Third Prince's poetry was even better than the First Prince's, and his calligraphy was also quite good. Fu Sui didn't look at it closely, but given the Third Prince's age and knowledge, this poem was probably prepared well in advance.
With the festival approaching, even if the emperor wanted to test his son, it wouldn't be without the festivities, so making preparations in advance wasn't difficult. Fu Sui placed the Third Prince's poem below and carefully looked at the ones written by the Second and Fourth Princes.
The Second Prince's calligraphy was far superior to the Fourth Prince's. Despite the age difference and the vast disparity in arm and wrist strength, the two poems were equally excellent. The Second Prince used the moon as a metaphor to depict the prosperity of the farming community, while the Fourth Prince praised the virtue and wisdom of the sage; both poems, though different in approach, reached the same conclusion.
If it weren't for the vastly different styles of the two poems, Fu Sui would have suspected that the two had hired the same writer.
Compared to these two poems, the poems of the eldest prince and the third prince appear crude, blunt, and unbearable to read.
Fu Sui glanced down at the person below. Consort Xu seemed a little nervous, constantly looking at the Fifth Prince, probably afraid that he would embarrass himself by writing poorly.
The Imperial Concubine was weak and felt tired after sitting for a long time. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, seemingly uninterested in the poems of the princes.
Consort Feng still wore a smiling expression, while Consort Zheng looked down at the food table in front of her, seemingly indifferent to the outcome.
Even a clay figure should have some expectation when its own child is competing with others. Consort Zheng's "virtuous" character is truly admirable; she has actually become a bodhisattva without desires.
Fu Sui skipped over the brilliant poems of the Second and Fourth Princes and went to look at the Fifth Prince's work, which was placed last.
There was only one quatrain on the paper, and Fu Sui pursed his lips to suppress a smile.
The first line is decent enough, the second line is also rhyming enough, the third line starts to force the tones, and the fourth line is completely incomprehensible.
No wonder the Fifth Prince looked around hesitantly when he wrote it; it turns out he was completely unprepared and wrote it on the spot.
Although his poetry was poor, his calligraphy was quite good, even better than that of the Third Prince, which shows that he had put in a lot of hard work.
Fu Sui gathered the papers together and handed them to a palace maid, who then presented them to the emperor.
"The sage is virtuous and wise, and each of the princes has their own strengths. I think they are all very good."
The emperor disagreed: "There are always superiors and inferiors."
Fu Sui could feel the gazes cast by the princes and concubines, but she ignored them completely and focused only on the emperor: "Yong'an doesn't understand right and wrong. If my brother says something is right, then Yong'an thinks it is right."
"Hmph." The emperor let out a very soft laugh, looking at Fu Sui with a half-smile: "Slippery fellow."
"I speak from the heart." Fu Sui immediately revealed an innocent smile, emphasizing the second half of her sentence, "Yong'an will obey Your Majesty's orders."
The emperor glanced at Fu Sui, his eyes half-closed, making it unclear whether he was looking at a person or lost in thought. After a few moments, the emperor suddenly gathered up the poems of the princes and tossed them to Xu Asheng, no longer commenting on their merits or demerits. Instead, he pointed at Fu Sui and laughed, "What a fine example of blind obedience! If I wanted the grapes on your table, would you obey my every command?"
Fu Sui acted almost instantly upon hearing this. She picked a grape from the table, carefully peeled off the skin despite the dripping juice, knelt before the emperor, and held up the grape, saying, "I will obey your command."
The emperor picked up a grape, the emerald green grape twirling between his fingers: "If I eat this grape, I don't know how much you'll plunder from me." He curled his lips, threw the grape into his mouth, and shouted to Xu Asheng: "Go open the storeroom and let the princess choose."
Fu Sui bowed his head and knelt in gratitude, loudly expressing his thanks.
After Fu Sui washed his hands and sat down again, the princes also returned to their seats.
The carefully prepared poem, which was supposed to be useful, failed to achieve its purpose, leaving the second prince somewhat disheartened.
Consort Xu was very happy. She knew without even reading the Fifth Prince's poems that they were inferior to those of his older brothers. Since he wouldn't be judged or ridiculed, the Fifth Prince was spared the humiliation of being judged. It was a wonderful holiday, and everyone should enjoy it.
The Fourth Princess appeared out of nowhere and leaned against Consort Xu, showing her the new flowers she had picked. Consort Xu took out her handkerchief to wipe the Fourth Princess's hands, and the Fourth Princess obediently let Consort Xu wipe away the bits of leaves and twigs on her hands, then reached out to put the flowers in Consort Xu's hair.
The emperor glanced at the two of them and suddenly spoke: "Xu is kind and compassionate, inheriting the virtues of Empress Lu of the Taizu Emperor."
Empress Lu and Emperor Taizu were childhood sweethearts. It is said that Empress Lu was cheerful and talkative in her youth, and she followed Emperor Taizu in his campaigns when he raised his army. Consort Xu's personality was as gentle as her voice; it's hard to imagine how she could be similar to Empress Lu.
As expected, everyone at the table changed their expressions.
The Imperial Concubine was not worried that Consort Xu would compete for the Empress's position. Given Consort Xu's background and temperament, the Emperor would never allow her to become Empress. The Imperial Concubine herself would not have any more children, and the more the Emperor valued Consort Xu's children, the more advantageous it would be for her.
She first smiled with obvious agreement, then turned to look at Xu Jieyu, as if she genuinely admired her.
Consort Feng's smile remained, but it lacked its initial liveliness. Consort Zheng glanced quickly at the Emperor, but before Fu Sui could see her clearly, she lowered her eyes again.
Consort Xu rose in fear and trepidation, but the emperor casually pressed her down, forcing her to sit back down in a flustered state.
Seeing this, Xu Asheng quickly ordered the musicians to perform, and the atmosphere became somewhat harmonious again.
Fu Sui was walking on thin ice in the palace, while Yan Shan was in constant turmoil in his mansion.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion, the Seventh Prince pulled the Prince of Xiping aside and lamented that he had no relatives, no friends, and nowhere to go, almost bursting into tears.
The Prince of Xiping was also soft-hearted. After hearing what he said, he thought of the Seventh Prince being a hostage alone in the Central Plains, and how he himself was also a hostage in the capital. Moved by his feelings, he agreed to let the Seventh Prince come to his residence for the festival without thinking.
Only after the words were spoken did the Prince of Xiping realize his mistake. He had brought his illegitimate son home for the festival without consulting Yanshan, and this was the same barbarian from the grasslands who had offended Yanshan.
The Prince of Xiping regretted it more and more, and was so reluctant that he immediately went to find the Seventh Prince again and told him not to come.
Upon arriving home, he told Yanshan about the matter, waiting for Yanshan to refuse so that he could immediately decline the offer from the Prince of Xiping. Unexpectedly, Yanshan readily agreed, even saying a few words about the difficulties faced by the Seventh Prince and instructing his elder brother to treat him well.
On the fifteenth day, before it was even dark, the Seventh Prince stood outside the Prince's Mansion with gifts of all sizes.
The Prince of Xiping prepared a sumptuous feast, and he put a lot of thought into the seating arrangement. He placed his table next to that of the Seventh Prince, while placing the table of the Salt Mountain Prince at a distance.
The Seventh Prince measured the distance between himself and Yanshan, then looked at the Prince of Xiping who was so close by. His gaze toward Yanshan was so mournful it could have dripped with tears.
Yanshan pretended not to see the big dog wagging its tail at him from afar and ate his meal as usual.
On this side, Yanshan was quiet and elegant, while on the other side, two men were making a huge fuss. The Seventh Prince kept pouring wine for the Prince of Xiping, hoping to secretly move the food table closer to Yanshan once the Prince of Xiping was drunk. The Prince of Xiping, in turn, kept putting food on the Seventh Prince's plate, hoping to keep him quiet.
Yanshan poured himself a glass of sweet wine; such a lively celebration seemed quite nice.
The atmosphere at the Prince's residence was lively, while the atmosphere at the Yue residence was somewhat cold.
Pei Rou was about to give birth, and the Yue family was afraid that the noise would disturb her, so they didn't hold a big celebration. They just had a meal and some fun together as a family.
Yue Shanling wasn't very familiar with his father's concubines, and these concubines didn't feel comfortable laughing and joking freely in front of him. The meal was much quieter than in previous years. If it weren't for Yue Shanzheng's witty remarks that drew laughter from everyone, the meal would have been completely silent.
Although the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, Mrs. Zhou was actually quite happy.
Zheng Jia revealed that Tao Gong praised Shen Siming's article highly, and that Shen Siming might formally become his disciple in a few days.
Madam Zhou kept this happy news to herself. Firstly, things were not yet settled, and she was afraid that telling Shen Siming would only disappoint him. Secondly, she also felt that Madam Yu was right; Yue Shanling was busy with official duties in the garrison and she couldn't bother him with everything.
With a great joy in her heart, Madam Zhou became more lively, constantly urging others to eat and looking at everyone with a cheerful expression. However, when she looked at Yue Lingling, she secretly cursed her for being so old and still not getting it, showing no interest in her own marriage.
Even so, Madam Zhou was reluctant to let Yue Lingling marry immediately, feeling that it would be fine to keep her at home for another two years. Madam Zhou was very conflicted, so she simply stopped thinking about it. Festivals should be celebrated with joy, and those worries could be dealt with another day.
After the meal, everyone was at peace. Chen Siming and Yue Shanling had exchanged a few words. They were all adults now, and there was no need to let a childhood squabble cause unrest in the household.
After the meal, Shen Siming got up to take his leave. Madam Zhou was puzzled. In previous years, Shen Siming would stay at the mansion for a few days at this time. This year, she had also had his quarters prepared well in advance. Why did he suddenly refuse to stay?
Madam Zhou couldn't help but glance at Yue Shanling, but fearing that Yue Shanling would notice, she quickly pulled her gaze back.
Madam Zhou tried to persuade Shen Siming to stay, but Shen Siming insisted on leaving.
In fact, Shen Siming's departure had nothing to do with crossing the mountains. Madam Zhou had arranged a house for him in the capital. During the imperial examinations this spring, he met several scholars from other places, and he became particularly close to Xue Guangting. Knowing that Xue Guangting was in financial straits and could not afford a house in the capital, he invited Xue Guangting to stay at his home. Later, another scholar surnamed Liu also came to stay with him.
Xue Guangting was away on official business, while the Liu surnamed scholar remained in the capital awaiting selection. Shen Siming felt it would be too lonely to leave him alone, so he decided to go back.
Just as he was about to explain to Madam Zhou, Yue Shanling stood up and took his leave.
Yue Shanling's livelihood depended on marching and fighting, so how could he not notice Madam Zhou's glance? He also mistakenly thought that Shen Siming didn't want to stay because he didn't want to see him, and therefore thought it would be better for him to leave.
Madam Zhou was now truly caught in a dilemma; she wanted both of them to stay, but didn't know how. Yue Shanling, using the excuse that he still had official business to attend to, left directly.
Shen Siming then realized that Yue Shanling might have misunderstood something, but he couldn't bring himself to call Yue Shanling to explain, so he could only watch Yue Shanling leave.
As luck would have it, Yue Shanling ran into the servant boy who was delivering the Moon-Playing Soup to the Yue residence as he led his horse out of the mansion. The servant boy was an acquaintance; he was the same one who had stopped Yue Shanling on the Dragon Boat Festival. Upon seeing Yue Shanling come out, he went straight to greet him, delivering the Moon-Playing Soup directly to Yue Shanling across the Yue residence.
The small, exquisite, and crystal-clear glass bowl, with its wide mouth and narrow bottom, barely covered half of his palm when held by Yue Shanling. He found it somewhat amusing; it truly was only one bite.
He led his horse with one hand and carried a bowl in the other, walking slowly down the empty street. Tonight, the imperial guards did not enforce the curfew, yet there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.
Suddenly, a loud "smack" came from a house by the street, causing a woman to scream. Then came the sounds of a woman laughing and scolding a man, and the man begging for mercy, with a child's voice calling out "Your Majesty" and "Yay!"
We passed through the mountains quietly. The moon-viewing soup in the bowl was still warm, and wisps of steam rose from it in the darkness, shimmering in the reflection of the glass bowl.
The glass bowl was thin, and the scalding heat could be faintly felt from the fingertips that had carried it across the mountains. The bowl contained only a shallow half-bowl of lotus root soup, but was piled high with lotus seeds and longan. Having been cooked for a long time, the longan had scattered into flower-like shapes and clung to the lotus root soup, giving it a slightly tinted color.
They stopped their horses at the foot of the mountain and brought the glass bowl to their lips. The lotus seeds, cooked until soft and tender, mixed with the sticky lotus root soup and the soft longan, and the sweetness instantly filled their mouths, warming their entire being.
So sweet, I thought about it as I traversed the mountains.
So sweet, he savored the memory.
The bright moonlight spilled into the bowl. Yue Shanling leaned against his horse and looked up; the full moon hung calmly in the sky, awaiting people's praise and sorrow.
So sweet, this moon over Beijing.
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