Chapter 75: Grasping the One-Year-Old Ceremony and the Jade Seal
During the days I stayed at my aunt's house, I felt like I had returned to my carefree girlhood.
My aunt and my aunt have similar personalities, but their ideas are very different. My aunt feels that my status is different now, and I shouldn't have to worry about anything, so she just raised me carefully, which is no different from the way Li Siyan raised me.
My aunt is different. She inherited our Shen family's strange sense of mission. In other words, she loves work very much.
The next day after I arrived, she woke up early and knocked on my door. Xiaozhi stepped aside to welcome her in and called her "Auntie" in a terrified manner. Auntie ignored me and just pulled me out of the bed and said, "Why are you sleeping in the middle of the day? Get up and go to work with Auntie!"
I was half asleep and dreamed of the day when Su Xing forcibly pulled off my blanket.
Seeing their aunt's behavior, not only Xiaozhi, but even the secret guards lying on the wall were stunned.
Ever since I started to feel depressed, everyone has spoken to me in a soft voice, afraid that any of their words would hurt me. I haven't seen my aunt behave so rudely in a long time.
My uncle, who is a henpecked husband, clapped his hands from behind: "Yiyi is so brave, Yiyi is so great!"
Yiyi is my aunt's nickname. My family has a preference for repeated characters when giving nicknames.
Shushu passed by with a washbasin in her hand and said to Xiaozhi, who looked shocked, with relief: "... Grandma is still the same as always, noisy and equal, this is what the Shen family is like."
My aunt took me away to work early in the morning. Shangguan Lan missed this scene because she was taking her daughter to visit relatives, and she regretted it for a long time.
"Did she really take you to the government office?"
In the evening, we each went back to our homes. Shangguan Lan sat in my room and chatted with me. She was puzzled: "You are still asked to copy books?"
"Yes," I said, massaging my sore wrist. "As soon as I walked in, she handed me a set of pens and ink and told me to write something for her."
"Did you do it?" Shangguan Lan couldn't help gossiping.
"I did it, and she scolded me. She said I wasn't ambitious, that my writing was terrible, and that my handwriting was weak and limp, and that I was bringing shame to her."
My aunt always scolds people very fiercely, and Shangguan Lan is frightened when she hears it.
Shangguan Lan's pretty face fell, her eyes wandered, and she looked a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Yingzi. I didn't expect that even though you're already twenty years old and the emperor's woman, your aunt would still force you to do something."
I actually laughed out loud: "Even if I grow up to be eighty years old, my aunt will still punish me."
Come to think of it, I haven't set foot in the history museum for many years. Today, my aunt brought me in without knowing why, and it felt like a lifetime ago.
When I smelled the familiar scent of bookworms, my heart suddenly calmed down, as if all the hardships and sufferings over the years were just a nightmare. Now I woke up from this drowsy dream and returned to where I should be.
Meng Xu said it well, our roots are in the endless scriptures. When the faith in life collapses, this is our last place to heal.
People always need to find something to do to fight against the emptiness of fate.
My aunt knows this very well: if you don’t work, you will become useless sooner or later.
From this perspective, she actually understands me better than my aunt.
——Because I was so much like her when she was young, dressed in fine clothes, full of talent, and willful. Even if I was exhausted by men, I would still instinctively hold the pen tightly.
"That's not right," Shangguan Lan suddenly put down the snacks in her hand, her expression serious. "You are the queen now. Wouldn't your colleagues in the Luoyang History Museum faint from fear when they see you?"
I shook my head. "How could that be? They were all so calm. For us historians, the most important thing is to remain calm. Even if Mount Tai collapses before us, we can remain calm."
Xiaolan refused to drink this bowl of chicken soup and complained bluntly: "All nerds are like this."
I stayed in Luoyang for half a year. When I left, the willows were swaying, and when I came back, it was raining and snowing. My aunt took me to the Luoyang History Museum to work every day. At first, I copied books and practiced calligraphy. Later, when I gradually recovered my professional level, she began to let me organize the county annals.
I really like this job.
In the past, when recording history, people always studied the stories of emperors, generals, dukes, marquises and viscounts. County annals, on the other hand, recorded the lives of ordinary people and were full of the ordinary life.
On days off, my aunt would take me to the countryside to play, explore the local scenery, and compile them into a collection.
She showed me the manuscripts she had accumulated. It was a thick stack, exuding the scent of old ink, with a title casually written on the cover: Luoyang Scenery.
She said to me, "If you like, you can also write one yourself. The emperor just sent you this year's new tribute paper from the palace. You must find a way to use it up. Although the person is rotten, the gift is innocent and cannot be wasted."
She had her maids carry out the newly arrived imperial gifts. I stretched out two fingers, twisted the snow-white rice paper, and said sincerely, "This paper is really good."
My aunt also thought the paper was good, but she was a proud person, so she just snorted coldly: "If it weren't for my niece's face, I wouldn't accept the favor of this bastard."
My aunt's stance towards Li Siyan was much firmer than my aunt's. No matter how others exaggerated the emperor's kindness and sincerity towards me, she would just sneer and say, "He deserves it. Who made him mess up Yingzi like this? Do you want this blessing?"
Indeed, few people dare to ask for this blessing, and few people dare to bring bad luck to my aunt.
Fortunately, Li Siyan met me, whose personality can be considered gentle. If he had met my aunt back then... he might no longer be in this beautiful world. After all, when my aunt goes crazy, no one can handle it.
As the old saying goes, a lid fits the pot, and a madman should be dealt with by a crazier madman.
After careful reflection, I realized that I lost because I wasn't crazy enough.
But I didn't want to think about these bad things right now, so I smiled and changed the subject: "Auntie, you haven't met Hexi yet, right? Why don't you come with me to see her do her one-year-old ceremony in a few days?"
The aunt was startled. "Oh, that's true. You've been here for so long, and you haven't even once gone back to see the little princess... How could the emperor tolerate this?"
I was quite confident: "As long as I'm alive, he can tolerate whatever I do."
During the past six months, Li Siyan often came to Luoyang to see me. When I was in a good mood, I would see him. Sometimes I didn't want to see him, and he could only lie on the wall with his guards and look at me pitifully.
But my indifference did not dampen his enthusiasm. He still persevered in running to Luoyang. Even if I ignored him, it was good for him to be closer to me.
During this time, he also thought about bringing his daughter over for me to see, but such a long journey was really too uncomfortable for a baby like Hexi. Even if there was a thick cushion on the carriage, the little girl would still suffer from acclimatization.
Her father had a hard time sleeping in the open air when he was young, so once he had a daughter, he always wanted to bring the best things in the world to her. She ate carefully selected and rare ingredients, and slept on a bed as soft as a cloud, which is the favorite of babies. In short, my little daughter was at the pinnacle of material treatment for human babies as soon as she was born.
But the disadvantage of doing so was that he inadvertently made the little girl very spoiled, picky about food and bed, and could not withstand the fatigue of several hours of travel.
Unable to take care of his daughter's emotions, he could only give up with regret. Instead, he hired a group of court painters to paint a portrait of his daughter every few days and bring it to Luoyang to show me.
Portrait painting skills vary greatly. Generally, the better ones are painted by court painters, while the less satisfactory ones are painted by the daughter's father.
My eyes fell on the stack of baby portraits, and I couldn't help but sigh again.
Li Siyan is an extreme person. He has no principles or bottom line in doing things. When he is cold-blooded, his methods can be incredibly cruel. But once he is nice to people, he will obey them in everything and will even pick the moon in the sky.
But, ultimately, this method of education is unhealthy.
Due to the lack of good role models during his growth, Li Siyan has no idea how to raise a child.
What's the point of just giving her the best food and clothing? Fine goods are not expensive. Our Shen family never believes in the nonsense of raising sons poorly and daughters well. We treat all our children equally, regardless of gender, and first and foremost, we raise them as healthy individuals.
I can let him have the joy of raising a daughter, but I still have to educate her myself.
Li Siyan was right about one thing after all. Since I gave birth to He Xi, it was impossible for me to just abandon her to her father.
Our Shen family has an almost obsessive pursuit of the education of our descendants. This is the source of our family's continued prosperity from generation to generation, and it is also the reason why I cannot bear to abandon my daughter.
The child’s father is a bastard, but my daughter is innocent.
In the dead of winter, a few days before Hexi's one-year-old birthday, Li Siyan came to Luoyang to pick me up in person. When he walked in on the fresh snow, I was sitting in the courtyard of the Luoyang History Museum playing chess with a colleague.
This colleague is two years younger than me. He just started working at the History Museum this year and we haven’t gotten to know each other well yet, so no one told him my identity. He just thought of me as an ordinary editor.
Most of the people in the History Museum were introverted and cold-blooded, and they worked like writing machines. He tried to strike up conversations with people everywhere but kept getting rejected. In the end, I was the only one in the entire History Museum who was willing to talk to him, so... it was natural for the two of us to become partners in the art of Go.
Snow fluttered down from the plum blossoms in the courtyard. I happened to make a wrong move and was about to take it back, but the opponent grabbed my restless paw and said, "No, I'll admit defeat. Give me the money!"
"Just take it!"
I took out five copper coins and threw them to him in disappointment, and he let go of my hand contentedly.
However, when his hand touched my sleeve, I clearly felt a chill on my back, as if a resentful gaze was staring at me.
This feeling was so familiar that my hand holding the chess piece was slightly startled.
The clerk asked me, "What's wrong, sister? Are you unhappy because you lost?"
I shook my head. “You better leave now, or someone’s going to beat you up.”
The clerk was bewildered: "What did you say?"
I pushed him back to the main room of the history museum and said, "You unlucky kid, why are you talking so much nonsense? Go back here right now."
After driving him away, I looked around and said calmly, "Come out."
A black shadow flashed, and Li Siyan jumped down from the wall. He stood in front of me stiffly with his lips tightly pursed.
Seeing him acting like a spoiled brat, I was furious. "What are you doing? You're the king of a country, but you're just leaning over the wall instead of going through the main gate. What's wrong? Are you having another attack? Do you want to give my chess partner a beating?"
Li Siyan was originally filled with resentment when he saw me letting others touch me so easily, but when I suddenly scolded him, he instantly wilted.
How dare he touch my colleagues? If one of them fails to do something right and I find out, I will definitely give him a bad face for a year or two, and he will suffer a huge loss.
So, he tentatively reached out to pull my hand, saying flatteringly, "Who said I wanted to touch him? I just saw that he was clever and wanted to give him a reward."
I rolled my eyes in my heart, bah, I believed your lies!
I can’t tell you how familiar that secretly evil look was to me.
While we were talking, the clerk I had pushed back to the History Museum inexplicably returned. Seeing a man standing next to me, the clerk uttered a "huh" sound, scratched his head, and said, "Sister, is this your... husband? Are you married?"
Before Li Siyan could speak, I coldly replied, "I'm not his wife, I'm his benefactor."
"Oh, benefactor." The clerk nodded, not quite understanding.
"I thought you were married, you scared me, hahahahahaha."
After a moment of embarrassment, the clerk smiled sincerely and patted my shoulders wildly.
Li Siyan's face suddenly became gloomy.
The silly dog was completely oblivious and said happily, "I originally wanted to introduce you to some talented people from my relatives' families, but when I saw a man standing next to you, I almost thought it was impossible, hahahahahaha."
Li Siyan's face darkened again.
I gave him a warning glare.
He was so angry that his chest heaved and his back teeth were clenched, but because I was protecting my son, he didn't dare to get angry.
Seeing that he was about to burst his temper, I quickly sent the clerk away: "You better run for your life! I was married before, but now I'm divorced."
What a divorce! Li Siyan looked at me in disbelief, the blood draining from his lips.
He didn't expect that I would rather have the reputation of a divorced woman than admit in front of others that I was his wife.
I looked at him coldly and turned away, leaving him alone, standing helplessly in the deep snow.
I heard from Hu Yue'er that the emperor was once again deeply hurt by my indifferent attitude, but he didn't dare to get angry with me. He could only hide in the Zichen Palace alone and drink alone, one jar after another. He drank until his eyes were bloodshot and he was completely drunk. When he was deeply moved, he hugged his pillow and cried loudly.
Crying into a pillow? This scene is quite familiar.
I narrowed my eyes. "He asked you to tell me that, didn't he? Which storybook did you copy that from?"
Hu Yue'er hadn't expected my brain to work so well today. He panicked and stammered, "No, everything I said is true. His Majesty...drank a little too much, that's why..."
I said lazily, "It's not like I haven't seen him drink before. When he's drunk, he doesn't react in any other way. He just sits there with a gloomy face and occasionally calls my name."
Hu Yueer opened his mouth wide, he didn't expect that I knew so much.
I rubbed Hu Yue'er's head and said, "Go tell him. I came back to see my daughter, not to watch his performance. He's dreaming if he expects me to feel sorry for him for my daughter's sake."
I don’t know whether Hu Yueer conveyed his original words or not. I only know that Li Siyan did not try to play the victim to me again. He probably realized that I was not moved by any persuasion and regarded him as a monster, so he gave up.
To be honest, after learning that he had finally settled down, I felt a sense of satisfaction as if I had avenged myself.
After not seeing her for half a year, Hexi has grown rapidly like a young bamboo shoot, and her little face has gradually become more relaxed. I stared at her for a long time, pinched my nose and accepted the fact that she still looks more like her father, and sighed to the sky.
Shangguan Lan also said that my daughter would look like me when she grew up... She was just fooling me, but I shamelessly believed her. I feel so heartbroken.
Seeing my melancholy expression, devoid of the joy of seeing my closest relatives, the wet nurse anxiously asked, "Does your Majesty think something is wrong?"
I shook my head: "No, you took good care of me."
I awkwardly picked up my chubby daughter and muttered, "You're so heavy."
"Hey, your mother has already found a good teacher for you," I said with a wicked smile to the little girl who was staring at me curiously, "Your good days are over."
The Ministry of Rites was extremely enthusiastic about the ceremony for the emperor's first child, trying to be low-key and luxurious, without any mistakes, and to guide the little princess to grab the most auspicious pen smoothly, making the emperor, empress, civil and military officials happy.
But He Xi is worthy of being the daughter of Li Siyan and me. The little girl has been extremely rebellious since she was young. She has perfectly inherited my fierce spirit and her father's immoral spirit.
On the day of the one-year-old's birth, He Xi appeared in a dazzling red cotton-padded jacket under the gaze of hundreds of nobles. The ceremonial officer walked up to her and respectfully placed bowls and chopsticks, pens and ink, sewing box, rouge and powder and other daily necessities on her. All other items were bare, only the pens and ink were coated with a layer of gold, making them stand out among the crowd.
All the ministers secretly cursed the Ministry of Rites in their hearts for being so cunning. Their method of flattery was too direct and crude.
Everyone thought that He Xi would grab the pen and ink without hesitation, but unexpectedly, the little girl looked up at the ceremonial officer, and with a clean and neat move, she pulled off the official seal hanging on his waist.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
He Xi grabbed the official seal, a look of delight on his face, and opened his mouth to take a bite.
The ceremonial officer was shocked and pried her hand away with sweat on his forehead: "Hey, Princess, you can't hold this!"
When a girl is having her first birthday, there shouldn't be seals or weights on the table, which are men's things. He Xi just grabbed the official seal of the ceremonial officer, which seemed like he was trying to sabotage the ceremony.
I couldn't help but laugh. She is worthy of being my daughter!
When I was doing the "Zhuazhou" ceremony, I didn't grab the writing brush and ink prepared at home, but grabbed my grandfather's beard, which made the old man grimace in pain.
I wonder what Li Siyan caught back then... Oh no, he probably didn't catch Zhou.
He was standing next to me, looking at me and the little girl on the stage with gentle eyes. Suddenly, he seemed to have made some decision and whispered instructions to Qingfu beside him.
Qingfu lowered his head and obeyed, but after he had only listened halfway, a look of shock appeared on his old face.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty"
This was the first time he showed hesitation towards Li Siyan's order.
Li Siyan's sharp eyes swept over: "Go now."
I didn't notice Qingfu leaving quietly. There was a lot of noise at that time and I was chatting with Wei Wan'er.
I haven't asked about the affairs of the palace for a long time. As we chatted, I learned that after the queen left, the burden of assisting in managing the six palaces fell on her again.
Before, when I was in confinement after giving birth, Li Siyan mentioned to me that he was thinking about disbanding the six palaces, letting them go back to their own homes and find their own mothers. He only wanted me.
As soon as the news got out, more than a dozen women knelt down in front of me, crying bitterly and begging me not to dismiss them.
After listening carefully to the reasons they provided, I couldn't help but sigh again.
They said they had nothing but a distinguished family background. If they returned home without any explanation, where would they find room? It would be better for them to stay in the palace, where they could find solace in each other.
Wang Funiang cried the loudest, her tears and snot all over me. She said that she was just a illegitimate daughter of the Wang family's side branch, and she entered the palace to replace her legitimate sister. She could still make a living in the palace, but if she returned to Hedong Road, she would just be raised by her family or marry a mediocre man.
I was emotionally unstable during the confinement period. Seeing her tears, I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat. So I called the emperor over and told him: It was you who wanted to take the woman in. Now that you have done so, you should be responsible for it.
Li Siyan was scolded by me and left in disgrace. The next day, the harem was restored to its original state and the power of the palace was handed over to Wei Wan'er. He was only responsible for allocating funds on time every month, and Wei Wan'er was responsible for all the food, drink, defecation and urination in the harem.
In order to reduce the management burden, Wei Wan'er cleverly dismissed several concubines who were willing to leave the palace. Now there are only about a dozen people in the harem, and they live a plain life as neighbors with the emperor.
As they were chatting, Qingfu came back from behind the curtain and presented an antique box to the emperor.
He was extremely careful in his every move, and his old eyes scanned the surroundings cautiously, as if he was holding some secret treasure in his hands.
I only took a quick glance and casually continued chatting with Wei Wan'er. Suddenly, she gasped and tugged at my sleeve, saying, "Empress, look at His Majesty..."
I turned around and was also surprised.
Li Siyan opened the box, took out a heavy jade seal, and put it into He Xi's hand.
The jade seal was engraved with dragon patterns and was of top quality. I recognized it. Isn't this the imperial seal that Li Siyan would only take out to stamp on major festivals?
Some of the ministers recognized the jade seal, and everyone was shocked.
Why did he give the imperial seal to He Xi in front of all the officials!
I stood up suddenly, walked over quickly, and grabbed He Xi who was trying to bite the dragon's head. I also snatched the saliva-soaked jade seal and stuffed it back to Li Siyan, whispering, "What are you crazy about! How can you let her play with this thing? If she accidentally drops it, do you want her to bear the blame?"
Li Siyan smiled happily: "I'll give it to her sooner or later anyway, so sooner is better."
I was holding He Xi and was suddenly stunned.
He stood up, expertly holding his daughter in his arms, and spoke aloud, "I have something I should take this opportunity to announce to all the nobles. Princess Langya, Li Hexi, is now the Crown Princess of the Imperial Dynasty. The imperial edict has been sent to the Secretariat for drafting, and a date will be chosen for the formal enthronement ceremony."
What did he say? He was to make Hexi the Crown Princess? What is the title of Crown Princess? Is it what I understand it to be?
My temples were throbbing, and I lost my balance and fell down onto the red chair.
Crazy, he must be crazy.
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