Chapter 17: The Second Prince's Absence Causes His Heartbreak; He Was Unable to Attend the Emperor's Birthday Banquet...
Since the Second Prince was unable to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet, the Princess Consort ordered several tables from the Prince's kitchen and set them up in the main courtyard as a formality.
Inside the main courtyard, five tables were set up. The head table was for the Fujin (Prince Consort) and the Second Prince, while the three tables below were reserved for the princesses. However, only the Fujin, Princess Li, and Princess Lin were present; the Second Prince and Princess Cheng were nowhere to be seen.
The princess frowned and asked He Youfu, who had come to report, "What's wrong? Did something happen to the second master up ahead?"
He Youfu lowered his head and replied in a deep voice, "Reporting to Madam, the Second Master said he is tired today and will not be coming over. He told you and the two princesses to enjoy your meal at your leisure."
At this moment, Li Jia, who was standing to the side, lowered her eyebrows and said, "If the Second Master isn't coming, why isn't Cheng Jia coming either? Didn't you go and tell Princess Cheng?"
He Youfu glanced cautiously at his superiors and replied, "When I went to deliver the message, I saw Consort Cheng serving by the Second Master's side." If Consort Cheng hadn't been by the Second Master's side, he could have simply invited her, but she was right there in front of him. How could he possibly ask her to come?
The Fujin was at a loss for what to do. She couldn't very well go to the front courtyard to invite the person herself. If she couldn't even do that, she would lose face in the eyes of her servants. So she took a deep breath, waved to He Youfu, and then said to Li Jia and Lin Jia below, "Alright, it seems that the master has his own plans."
Li Jia and Lin Jia bowed and said yes. However, Li Jia still felt indignant. She glanced at the Fujin (Prince's wife) and tentatively said, "I don't know how Cheng Jia gained the Prince's favor, but no matter what, we can't offend the Fujin. If Cheng Jia is sincere, she should apologize to the Fujin from behind." As she spoke, she pulled Lin Jia aside and asked, "Sister Lin, don't you think so?"
Lin Jia glanced at the Fujin and then at Li Jia, having no intention of getting involved in the argument, and simply smiled slightly without saying a word.
Li Jia had never looked down on Lin Jia since entering the palace. Seeing her gentle demeanor, she sneered inwardly: "For so many years, she has been nothing but a boring, taciturn person."
The Fujin (principal wife) couldn't help but find Li Jia's (Lady Li's) shabby and jealous words amusing. Li Jia, who had previously scurried about in the side hall like a mouse, was now spouting such nonsense, revealing her as someone who only cared about food and didn't want to be punished. But such a good thing was impossible to come by.
The Fujin had heard Li Jia's open and covert boasting many years ago, and now she felt quite sorry for her. Of all the women in this courtyard, she was the only one who had been formally married. So what if the others were proud for a while? She said, "Don't mention such pathetic and jealous things in front of me again. If you're willing, I'll ask the Second Master for a favor and let you serve him with writing materials in the study."
Li Jia's face stiffened, and she gave an awkward laugh. "How could this servant trouble the Fujin with this?" She shut her mouth and remained silent.
The Fujin then looked at Linjia and asked her, "Linjia, what about you?"
Lin Jia immediately bowed and said, "This servant dares not."
The Fujin thought to herself, "Do they really think serving in the front courtyard is a good job? Even Chengjia herself is probably trembling with fear. Not only do they not thank Chengjia for taking the blame, but they also say such things in front of her, acting like they're stirring up trouble. They have no sense of female virtue or propriety whatsoever." But then she thought, "If they were really so magnanimous, what would be the point of having her?" Thinking this way, she felt a little smug. It was precisely because she did better than them that she was the Fujin.
"Alright, today is His Majesty's birthday. Although I was not fortunate enough to attend the banquet, I cannot neglect my duties." The Princess Consort smiled with genuine admiration and said, "You all follow me to the direction of the Hall of Preserving Harmony and perform a grand salute. This will fulfill our loyalty."
Li Jia and Lin Jia nodded and walked behind the Fujin. The three of them, in two rows, kowtowed three times heavily towards the direction of the Baohe Hall to the south, saying loudly with each kowtow, "May His Majesty live ten thousand years." After the ceremony, they sat down to eat.
At this moment, in the main hall of the front courtyard of Xian'an Palace, Cheng Qianyue watched Yinreng drink with trepidation. From the moment she learned that it was the Emperor's birthday but Yinreng had not attended the banquet as summoned, she knew she was doomed; he was bound to be gloomy. However, throughout the day, he seemed alright; at noon, he even seemed to be in the mood to watch her embroider her undergarment. But things went wrong by evening; he not only ordered food but also wine.
Alcohol can be a catalyst for emotions, and she was really afraid that he would lose control of himself after drinking.
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips, looking at him with concern, hesitant to speak. Holding in his emotions would lead to a twisted personality, but if he continued to vent through violence like last time, it could become a conditioned reflex and also cause him to become abnormal. So, should she try to persuade him or not? It seemed that either approaching him or not might lead him to become abnormal!
Cheng Qianyue secretly observed Yinreng's expression, watching him pour wine down his throat cup after cup, his eyes reddening slightly.
Is he about to cry?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she was incredulous.
Yinreng drank cup after cup, feeling as if his internal organs were being torn apart. In the end, all he could do was mechanically pour and chug the wine. He split into two people: one broodingly wondering if the Emperor had truly abandoned him, and the other gleefully affirming that yes.
A maniacal smile immediately appeared on Yinreng's face.
Father Emperor, do you even remember having a son like me? Do you remember how much you once valued me? Why are you treating your son like this, Father Emperor!
Thinking of this, his resentment and grievances erupted like a volcano, burning him so much that he wanted to rush into the Qianqing Palace. He thought that if he was to be treated like this, he might as well kill him! He should just kill him!
As he was thinking this, he suddenly stood up.
Cheng Qianyue: !!!
To Cheng Qianyue's astonishment, Yinreng dashed off like a wild horse. She cried out in alarm and hurriedly chased after him. In the blink of an eye, Yinreng had already reached the gates of Xian'an Palace, but fortunately, the gates were already closed, and he couldn't get out.
He started banging on the door, punching it repeatedly until it made a dull, resounding thud. By this time, a circle of people had knelt around him and behind him, all earnestly advising him to take care of his health.
Cheng Qianyue ran over quickly and saw in the moonlight that his eyes were frighteningly red, like a vampire's. She shuddered and seemed to hallucinate the day he hit someone.
If this continues, these people are bound to suffer, and not only them, but she herself might not escape unscathed. Thinking this, her courage seemed to return, and she immediately shouted at the others, "Shut up, all of you!"
The surrounding sounds suddenly fell silent.
Cheng Qianyue caught her breath and slowly walked to a spot an arm's length away from Yinreng. She forced a smile and said gently, "Your Highness, it's getting dark. Where are you going?"
Yinreng's mind seemed to have stopped working. He turned around and said, word by word, "Qing Palace."
"The Qianqing Palace," Cheng Qianyue continued gently, "You wanted to go and celebrate His Majesty's birthday, didn't you? But His Majesty said we should celebrate together at home." Nonsense, there was no such thing; she had made up a blasphemous lie.
Yinreng frowned and tilted his head, his eyes fixed on her.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath and boldly walked over. She gently and softly took one of his hands and said softly, "Shall we kowtow to His Majesty here? Even if His Majesty can't see us now, he will be happy to hear about it in the future."
But after he finished speaking, Yinreng stood there motionless. Cheng Qianyue didn't urge him, and just stood there with him, smiling.
After a while, it seemed as if a gust of wind woke him up. Yinreng walked step by step into the courtyard, looked at the gate of Xian'an Palace, and respectfully bowed and knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground and kowtowing three times. Then he got up and bowed and knelt again, kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times before he finished.
Finally, he stood up, his body slightly unsteady. Cheng Qianyue and Chen He quickly stepped forward to support him, and then escorted him back to his bedchamber in the main hall.
Cheng Qianyue helped him wipe his face and rinse his mouth. Finally, he lay on the bed, his eyes glazed over, and tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Don't go..."
Cheng Qianyue spoke to him gently, as if coaxing a child, "I won't leave. I'll watch them pack their things and then come back to keep you company, okay? If you're a good boy, I'll come over." As she spoke, she pulled up the bed curtains.
When she came out, Chen He and the other eunuchs looked at her as if she were a god.
Cheng Qianyue's legs were actually weak, but she forced herself not to tremble and said to them with a slightly pale face, "Young Master, please rest. Please tidy up these things."
Chen He waved to his apprentice Jing Shun, who immediately brought in several eunuchs to clear the table. These eunuchs bowed their heads, their movements swift and efficient, without making a sound.
Cheng Qianyue told them, "Leave me a plate of steamed buns, sweet ones." She hadn't eaten anything just now, and she was still shaken, so she needed to eat something good, otherwise she definitely wouldn't be able to hold on tonight.
Upon hearing this, Jing Shun immediately became very attentive and whispered, "How about this plate of rose jam and gold and silver rolls? I'll also save you a bowl of lily and lotus seed soup."
Cheng Qianyue said, "No need for trouble, a plate of gold and silver scrolls will do." She then looked at Chen He and said, "The matter was urgent just now, I was really offended." In principle, she was a princess, a concubine, that was true, but Chen He was the chief eunuch by the side of the Second Prince. She heard that he had once served in the Qianqing Palace and was specially sent by Kangxi to serve Yinreng. She could not afford to offend him, so she had to apologize.
"Oh, Princess, you're too kind." Chen He quickly replied with a smile, "It's all for Master's sake, how could this servant dare to be angry with you?" He thought that if Princess Cheng could pull the Second Prince back from his madness every time, let alone her orders, he would even willingly kneel and call her a god if she asked him to kowtow to her.
Cheng Qianyue smiled at him and sat down at the dining table, stuffing the plate of gold and silver rolls into her mouth like a little hamster stuffing its food in. She swallowed all four rolls in less than a few minutes, but she choked on them and quickly drank a cup of tea to help her swallow them.
Then she tiptoed into the inner room, slightly pulling back the bed curtains to see if Yinreng was asleep. If he was asleep, she wouldn't stay the night. She cautiously lifted a corner of the bed curtains, and through the small gap, she saw Yinreng squinting as he met her gaze.
She was unsure whether he was asleep or not, and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Master?"
Yinreng gave a low, muffled "hmm".
Well, it looks like she's not leaving today.
Cheng Qianyue had no choice but to take off her clothes and climb into bed. But as soon as she got on, Yinreng pounced on her. Cheng Qianyue cried out in pain, inwardly complaining that he was being treated like a dog, but she quickly adjusted to a comfortable position, sighed, and raised her hand to stroke his head.
To be honest, she now feels a little sorry for him.
A note from the author:
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Mini-theater:
Chen He: Wow, again and again, you're amazing?
Cheng Qianyue: Basic operations, please. Thank you.
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