Chapter 6 The Misfortunes of the Spring Equinox In ancient times, any special festival…
In ancient times, any special festival required proper sacrifices, and the Spring Equinox was no exception. Every year on the Spring Equinox, the emperor would lead his civil and military officials to the Altar of the Rising Sun to worship the sun god, and then go to the Altar of the God of Agriculture to demonstrate spring plowing.
Yinreng was still half asleep this morning and woke up before four o'clock. After waking up, he hurriedly called for someone to come and serve him. After washing his face, he even ordered someone to bring him his auspicious robes to wear.
Chen He was completely bewildered, not knowing what was wrong with this master today, but no matter how strange the master's orders were, the servants below had to do as they were told.
Yinreng dressed in his court robes, his hair neatly combed and slicked back. He thought to himself that today was the sacrificial ceremony, and he needed to get to the Qianqing Palace as quickly as possible. But as soon as he stepped out of the room, the morning dew and the breeze outside jolted him awake completely.
A profound sense of loss and panic welled up inside me.
He was no longer the crown prince and was not qualified to accompany the emperor to the Altar of the Rising Sun for the sacrificial ceremony. When this thought popped into his mind, he could barely stop trembling.
Yinreng stood blankly in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the east. The Emperor and his officials should have already departed by now. Which princes would be going to the sacrificial ceremony this year?
He turned and went into the study, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he walked around the room once and then came out again. He returned to the main hall and walked around inside again before sitting down weakly on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Yinreng felt like a trapped beast! His reason and emotions were constantly fighting, and he felt as if he were being torn in two by two forces.
Reason told him that his elder brother wouldn't be among those attending the ceremony this year. With his sudden removal as crown prince, the emperor would surely be cold towards Prince Zhi, so he wouldn't be among those present. Who would it be then? The third, fourth, or fifth prince? Or would only the younger ones be brought? But whoever it was, they wouldn't be standing closest to the emperor like they always had!
Yinreng's lips had just curled into a smile when he was immediately overcome with shame and anger.
He's now the deposed crown prince, haha, the deposed crown prince. This year's Spring Equinox was the first time he didn't attend; is everyone laughing at him? It should be said that people were probably already gloating behind his back when his maternal great-uncle, Suo'etu, was killed, but none of that is as applauded as his being deposed as crown prince.
He clenched his fists in an instant. He wondered if the servants in this palace were also laughing at him. Laughing at him for his delirium that morning, thinking he was still the crown prince, laughing at him for having nowhere else to go but to wander around Xian'an Palace!
Yinreng tried hard to calm himself, but his heart was boiling like water. He stood up abruptly, grabbed a cup of cold tea from the night before, and gulped it down, slowly extinguishing the fire within him. Then, he desperately wanted to talk to someone, anything, just someone to keep him company!
Inside the east side hall of the main courtyard, Li Jia was startled when she heard the summons from the front courtyard. Not only her, but even her maid, Pearl, looked panicked. Li Jia stood up and sat down in front of the dressing table in the inner room, absentmindedly looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, inwardly groaning.
In her early years, she was considered the Crown Prince's most favored person. At that time, the Crown Prince lived in Yuqing Palace, while she, the Crown Princess, and several other princesses lived in Xiefang Palace. Back then, every eunuch and maid in Xiefang Palace, high and low, fawned over her.
Furthermore, although the Crown Princess was personally appointed by the Emperor, her fame only lasted for a short time after she entered the palace, and her favor waned afterward. She, however, was different. Even though she was just a princess, never even reaching the rank of concubine, she gave birth to several children. Although only one survived, it was the Crown Prince's eldest son who survived!
Her heart was also nurtured during that time.
But now, she dared not think that way anymore. Ever since the crown prince was deposed, all her hopes were now pinned on her son. She was also incredibly grateful that her son, Hongxi, had not been implicated by the deposed crown prince and could still live peacefully outside and continue studying in the Imperial Study as usual.
Li Jiashi has no desire to go to the front yard now. The more proud she was of being able to serve them so closely before, the more she wants to hide now.
At this moment, the palace maid Amber came in from the outer room and stopped half an arm's length away from Li Jia. With a worried look on her face, she said, "Princess, I've inquired. The Second Master got up early today and wandered around the study in the front courtyard and the main hall several times. The little eunuch who just delivered the message said... that the Second Master seems to be in a bad mood."
Hearing this, Li Jia couldn't help but let out a long sigh. After a long while, she made up her mind that she would not speak if she could avoid it when she arrived at the main hall!
Inside the main hall, breakfast had already been cleared away, but several plates of pastries and milk tea starter remained on the octagonal table, which Yinreng had specifically requested to be left there.
After entering, Li Jia immediately greeted the Second Master, saying, "This servant greets the Second Master. May the Second Master be blessed with good fortune."
Yinreng frowned upon hearing the title "Second Master," but refrained from getting angry and instead tried to appear gentle, saying, "Get up."
Lady Li tiptoed over and sat down opposite Yinreng.
Yinreng asked her, "Have you eaten?"
Li Jia replied with her head down, "This morning, the Fujin bestowed two plates of flower cakes upon me, and I have just eaten some."
Yinreng was immediately disappointed, but after a moment he still reached out and picked up a piece of honey peach blossom cake and placed it in front of Li Jia: "This was a gift from the Fujin, and this is a gift from me. I thought you seemed to like this flavor a few years ago, so I specially saved it for you."
Li Jia rose with trepidation to express her gratitude, then sat back down and ate two or three bites of food as if chewing wax before finally stopping.
Yinreng couldn't understand why Lady Li was so cautious around him. In previous years, Lady Li was at her most lively, with a silver tongue that could always say what he wanted. She would speak softly to him and sometimes drink with him, but more often she would tell him how many books Hongxi had read and how many characters he knew.
"What's wrong?" Yinreng asked. "You used to be the most talkative person, so why are you acting like a silent gourd when you see me today?"
He wanted to hear her talk about other things, whether it was about spring flowers, delicious snacks, or children; he would be happy to listen. But Li Jia knelt down and begged for forgiveness in the face of his expectant gaze.
"This servant is guilty." Li Jia knelt down in fear, her body shrinking into a ball.
Yinreng felt like he'd been doused with cold water, his enthusiasm completely gone. The anger he'd felt that morning rekindled instantly, flames leaping and burning fiercely in his mind. But Lady Li was the mother of his son, Hongxi's mother; he couldn't vent his anger on her.
Yinreng gripped the corner of the octagonal table, veins bulging on the back of his hand. His deep, suppressed voice, like the tremors before a volcanic eruption, said, "Kneel down and take your leave."
Li Jia felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and like a rabbit being chased by wolves, she disappeared in no time.
Yinreng gave a few self-deprecating laughs and said loudly, "Bring me the wine!" When the wine was served, he simply started drinking by himself, and in a short while he had downed about ten cups.
Chen He, who was standing nearby, wanted to offer some advice, but he was stopped by Yinreng's sharp gaze after taking only one step forward. A murderous look shot over him like a nail, making goosebumps rise all over Chen He's back and sending chills down his spine.
After a while, Yinreng suddenly asked, "Do you have anything new to report?"
Chen He pondered for a moment and realized that the Second Prince wanted to vent his anger on someone. When it came to the target of his anger, it seemed that no one was more suitable than Consort Cheng. He sighed inwardly, but quickly revealed her true identity aloud: "Consort Cheng has recently taken to kicking the sandbag. Not only does she kick it herself, but she also brings her maids and the lowly eunuchs from the back courtyard with her."
Reminded by this, Yinreng also remembered that there was such a person in the backyard. His eyes darkened and he said in a deep voice, "Then call her here."
In a side hall of the main courtyard, Amber saw the young eunuch who had delivered the message go to the backyard and hurriedly came in to tell Li Jia. Li Jia glanced back unconsciously, couldn't help but smile, and murmured, "Amitabha, may Heaven protect us!"
In the backyard, Cheng Qianyue was eating cakes. Ruoyun said that the kitchen had prepared a large table of cakes and pastries today, and since the Princess Consort couldn't finish them, she gave two of them to the servants, including Cheng Qianyue.
Both mistress and servant were very happy. Ruoyun was happy that the Fujin treated Cheng Qianyue and the other two princesses equally, while Cheng Qianyue was happy that the two plates of pastries were delicious.
One of the dishes, a plate of honey milk osmanthus cake, was particularly sweet. She didn't even have porridge that morning, finishing the entire plate of cake on its own. The reason was simple: honey and milk had strict hierarchical rules in the palace, and princesses like her rarely saw them; they were only given as a gift by those in power.
After finishing the osmanthus sugar cake, there was still a plate of peach blossom pastries. Eight or nine small, pink petal-shaped pastries, each about the size of a palm, were stacked like a pagoda. Cheng Qianyue told Ruoyun to take four pieces out for afternoon tea, and the rest would be a treat for her.
Ruoyun readily agreed, took out a porcelain plate, and used chopsticks to pick out four pieces one by one. The rest of the pastries, as well as the porridge and steamed buns that Cheng Qianyue hadn't used, were all hers.
After finishing breakfast, the master and servant strolled around the house to digest. The sun was shining brightly today, and soon it was high in the sky. Ruoyun suggested that after lunch, they could have a shuttlecock game while the weather was still warm in the afternoon. Cheng Qianyue happily nodded in agreement.
Just then, Lin Quan'an arrived. "Princess, Second Master requests your presence," he said, bowing his head.
Cheng Qianyue and Ruoyun exchanged bewildered glances. More than half a month had passed since they last returned from the front yard, during which time she had prepared herself to never be summoned again. Why were people coming to the front yard today?
Confused, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but mutter, "Why did Second Master suddenly think of me?"
......
Lin Quan thought to himself, "Second Master wants to vent his anger on someone. If you go there, you're sure to get scolded and humiliated." However, he didn't show it on his face at all, and just lowered his head and said, "This servant didn't know. Please hurry."
Having a master above you is a double-edged sword, bringing both advantages and disadvantages. Cheng Qianyue had no choice; if her master gave a word, she had to obey without question, leaving her no room for negotiation. After Lin Quan'an left, she let out a long sigh and said to Ruoyun, "Alright, get me ready."
After a while, Cheng Qianyue arrived at the front yard and, as usual, went in to serve tea. Cheng Qianyue recalled the unpleasant incident from last time and thought to herself, "Damn it, I didn't do anything wrong in my past life, so why am I so miserable in this one!"
She made up her mind that no matter what the Second Prince said, she would simply repeat it without interfering!
Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath and went inside. It was the same spot as before, but she could smell the alcohol as soon as she entered. She felt a chill run down her spine, lowered her head, and walked lightly, carefully placing the teacup down with her eyes downcast.
Yinreng didn't even glance at her as usual, and casually said, "The teacup is too heavy, put it back down."
You're not playing by the rules again?
Cheng Qianyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly whispered, "Yes." She then picked up the teacup with both hands and carefully placed it down. However, no matter how carefully you place a teacup on the kang table, it will always make a sound, and since the room was quiet, even the slightest noise could be heard. So Cheng Qianyue started to play with the teacup, repeating the action whenever Yinreng told her to continue.
She played the music seven or eight times before someone finally came to her rescue.
Someone from outside the palace has arrived!
A note from the author:
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