Chapter 45 The Bright Moon Shines Over the West Tower at Forty-Five
Three days later.
Wang Yuying was on leave and had arranged to visit Chen Wan, bringing Chu Ying along, each riding a horse. Despite the snow and frost, everyone worried about the autumn chill and urged her to take a carriage, but Wang Yuying dismissed the suggestion: "There's not much wind today."
Compared to the sandstorms in the Northwest, it's nothing.
Moreover, the gift she gave to Chen Wan was a pair of bracelets, which did not require transportation.
Chen Wanfu's home was in the north of the city, requiring a journey across the capital. Chu Ying went out every day, still basking in the novelty, looking left and right, her eyes darting about, unable to take it all in. Seeing a few troupes with acrobatic performances, she immediately called to Wang Yuying to watch too. Wang Yuying rode alongside Chu Ying on her Akhal-Teke horse, chatting idly about the street scenes.
Passing through Xuanwu Street, the ginkgo trees on both sides of the road were all golden, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves. Chu Ying couldn't help but exclaim that it was absolutely beautiful. Wang Yuying agreed. She remembered that this street was the most beautiful in this season. She stared at it for a long time, unable to take her eyes off the ginkgo leaves.
Naturally, many people were also enjoying the scenery. The horse was moving slowly, and halfway through the journey, Wang Yuying realized that the figure of the man in black robes standing under a certain tree looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the attendant beside the man was Qingfu.
The man seemed to notice something and turned around; it was indeed Xu Heng.
He also saw Wang Yuying, first glancing at the Akhal-Teke horse, then tilting his head back, his gaze following her as he gradually turned halfway around.
Wang Yuying, thinking Xu Heng was still watching her, felt displeased and ignored him, spurring her horse forward. There were many pedestrians, making it difficult to walk quickly. Xu Heng took a couple of steps to catch up, but Wang Yuying noticed him out of the corner of her eye and pulled on the reins to stop.
Xu Heng strode over. Today, he tied his hair up with a jade crown that matched the color of his robe, making his whole being, including his eyes, appear as dark as ink. He looked up at Wang Yuying, and she could see an overwhelming sorrow on his face.
“I haven’t been to Xuanwu Street for a long time, and everyone says that the ginkgo trees this year are in full bloom, surpassing all others in the capital. But just now, as I walked along the road and stood under the trees, I felt that everything was gray and the autumn colors were silent. Until I saw you,” he paused, his lips pale, “the color suddenly became clear.”
Wang Yuying slowly raised an eyebrow.
Xu Heng smiled wryly: "You're going west, aren't you?"
Heading west?
Did he think she went to visit Jingye in the west of the city? Wang Yuying was worried that Xu Heng would stop her, and was about to speak about Chen Wan, intending to bring up his golden words of support for her and the old troops of the Western Expedition, but Xu Heng said nothing. He turned around and looked up, continuing to watch the leaves on the tree fall. The tree and the ground were as bright yellow as his unworn dragon robe.
Wang Yuying didn't explain further and continued on horseback to find Chen Wan. Chu Ying followed, but she sensed something was off and lost all interest in admiring the street scene.
However, after seeing Chen Wan and sitting together to reminisce and chat, they quickly became cheerful again—who would remember their chance encounter with the emperor on the road!
Chen Wan asked the nanny to take her children away, and invited Wang Yuying and Chu Ying to go shopping at the nearby market together.
Wang Yuying readily agreed, but Chu Ying bit her lip after hearing it.
Seeing Chu Ying make such a gesture for the first time, Wang Yuying assumed she didn't want to go shopping and tried to smooth things over. But Chu Ying suddenly said, "I want to go to the market, but... I have a favor to ask..."
She closed her lips, unable to continue.
"What's wrong?" Wang Yuying asked with concern. Chen Wan even got up and half-squatted in front of Chu Ying, speaking softly to ask what the request was.
Chu Ying then stammered out that because she was tall and burly and not particularly attractive, her family said she wasn't suited to wearing headdresses, using rouge and lipstick... basically, she was unsuitable for dressing up and would look out of place. She was afraid of being laughed at and had never tried it, but she still wanted to... Today, when she went out, could Wang Yuying and Chen Wan help her decide if she could give it a try?
Wang Yuying and Chen Wan immediately agreed.
The three women entered the market with brisk steps, moving nimbly through the crowd. First, they picked out a suitable lip rouge for Chu Ying, and then found a set of amber headdress at a jewelry shop called Linglong Pavilion, which perfectly suited Chu Ying.
Chu Ying tried on the items and applied them, and every time she turned her head to discuss her opinion with the other two women, her eyes and brows were filled with undisguised joy.
Not long after leaving Linglong Pavilion, they came across a shop selling stationery. Chen Wan bought some paper and decorative stationery for her husband. The three women continued walking and were suddenly drawn in by the aroma wafting from a roadside stall.
They were fried until they deflated in the wind, also called bubble oil cakes, and their aroma made Chu Ying swallow a mouthful. Before long, each of the three of them had one in their hands, as if they were holding a cloud.
"Be careful, it's hot." Wang Yuying warned those around her first, and after taking a bite, she immediately squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
"You have some icing on your lips," Chen Wan pointed and reminded her with a smile. Wang Yuying also laughed, "Oh, eat first, then wipe your mouth."
Ahead was another silk shop. Looking inside, the fabrics were dazzling and colorful, like a rainbow. The three women were all irresistibly drawn to the beauty and stepped into the shop.
Having bought headdress and lip rouge, Chu Ying's courage was greatly boosted. She wanted to try pink, a color she had never worn before. After she expressed her idea, Wang Yuying and Chen Wan helped her choose a piece of plain satin in a bright red color. When the satin was placed against Chu Ying's face, her complexion immediately improved by 30%.
"I'll give you this satin." Wang Yuying took out her silver and bought it. Chu Ying was overjoyed. Then she saw a piece of shimmering red brocade displayed alone in the center of the counter. It was so eye-catching that she stared at it for a while and couldn't help but pick it up and compare it to herself. After looking in the mirror, she immediately put it down—if the scarlet brocade made her look twice as white, this one made her look twice as black.
Chu Ying couldn't understand why this was the most beautiful piece of cloth in the shop, but it didn't look good on her.
Chen Wan noticed her confusion and explained with a smile, "This color is too selective in terms of who it suits."
Chu Ying remained silent for a moment, then held the shimmering brocade in front of Wang Yuying. She immediately felt that the immortal master's skin appeared even whiter, more radiant, and dazzlingly beautiful. Chu Ying felt as if this fabric was truly a piece of celestial light cut from the heavens and draped over the immortal master.
She immediately took out money to give the batch of shimmering brocade to Wang Yuying.
The shimmering brocade was far more expensive than plain silk, and Chu Ying's monthly salary wasn't much. Wang Yuying quickly declined, telling her not to spend the money. Chu Ying insisted, "Immortal Master, this is your material. Go back and make a dress from it, and wear it for us to see!"
Wang Yuying agreed to Chu Ying's request and planned to secretly increase Chu Ying's salary this month using her own money.
As the three of them left the silk shop, a figure suddenly darted past them. Wang Yuying and Chu Ying both stepped back alertly, raising their arms to protect Chen Wan at the same time.
Wang Yuying looked again and saw a thin girl running forward as if her life depended on it, without looking back.
"Stop! Stop!" A dozen burly men followed closely behind, surrounding and capturing the girl. "Trying to run away?"
Seeing this, Chu Ying strode forward and said, "How can you arrest people like this?"
"What do you mean 'anywhere'?" One of the burly men turned and glared at Chu Ying. "This is a runaway slave!"
"Aren't they reducing the number of slaves lately..." Many onlookers murmured among themselves.
The burly man at the head of the group immediately retorted: "She didn't cut it off, her slave contract is still with our Third Young Master!"
As he spoke, he took out his family's identification token and official documents.
The people bombarded him with questions, and the burly man explained that the girl was his third son's concubine. She had faked her death to escape but had been captured. The carriage had entered the capital, and they were about to return home when the servant tried to escape again while the guards weren't looking, only to be caught once more.
“Even faking death won’t save me,” Chu Ying murmured. The burly man heard this, turned and glared at her, and Wang Yuying and Chen Wan immediately stepped in front of Chu Ying.
After the burly men took the girl away, Chen Wan whispered to Chu Ying, "Her status as a slave is still valid. Even if she escapes to the ends of the earth, she will be caught and brought back."
"I feel so helpless." Chu Ying felt distressed just thinking about the girl being taken away.
Wang Yuying pressed her tongue against her lower lip and back teeth, having also considered faking her death. After a moment, she slowly parted her lips: "Man is the butcher, and I am the fish on the chopping block; so be it."
Unless wielding a knife
Chu Ying sighed deeply.
After exploring the market to the end, the three of them stopped to rest at a riverside restaurant. They ate at one table while the other table was piled high with the day's "spoils of war."
After finishing their meal, they returned to Chen Wanfu's house. Servants brought Wang Yuying and Chu Ying's horses to help load the goods. The two bid farewell to Chen Wanfu and headed south, buying two bottles of perfume along the way.
It was past 7 PM when they arrived at Yongjia Lane. Chu Ying had dinner while telling Juan Xue Shuang Tian about what she had seen and heard that day. Wang Yu Ying did not follow the rule of "not talking while eating" and would occasionally chime in with a few words.
Hearing this, Juanxue Shuangtian felt a strong urge to go, and they finally agreed that when Wang Yuying had her next day off, the four of them would go shopping together again.
Wang Yuying was both happy and exhausted today, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the bed, completely unaware of the night watchman's gong ringing: "Second watch, close the doors and windows, beware of thieves—"
At the same time, another drop fell from the water clock in the Funing Hall of the Forbidden City, and the floating arrow pointed to the third quarter of Hai hour.
Normally, the emperor didn't like anyone around when he went to sleep. After Qingfu helped him undress, he led a group of eunuchs out of the palace, but their steps gradually slowed until they stopped—ever since returning from the immortal master's place on the Double Ninth Festival, the emperor had been depressed and never smiled. Today, during the council of state, the officials mentioned that the ginkgo trees on Xuanwu Street were in full bloom, and the emperor took it to heart. Before noon, he went out of the palace to see them, only to run into the immortal master again. His mind was not at ease, and he returned even more melancholy.
Qingfu felt a growing unease and finally couldn't help but look back at the dragon bed with worry. The gilded curtains on both sides were drawn and tightened, obscuring the view inside. The emperor... should be asleep by now, right?
Qingfu turned around, led the eunuchs, and tiptoed out of the hall, closing the door behind them.
Inside the tent, Xu Heng kept his eyes closed for a long time, then slowly opened them, closed them again, and opened them again... This repeated torment caused him to suffer through the night for three days.
Without realizing it, Xu Heng was awake when he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. This had been happening frequently lately, and the imperial physician had examined him. He raised his hand and rubbed his chest, thinking it would get better soon, but the tightness only worsened. He was so short of breath that he could hardly catch his breath, and the pain became more intense, spreading not only to his chest but also to his entire back.
Almost instantly, he broke out in a cold sweat and his limbs felt icy cold.
Xu Heng tried to get up, but he completely lost his strength; even the simple act of parting his lips was agonizingly difficult, causing him to tremble uncontrollably: "Xuan—"
He wanted to summon the imperial physician, but the physician's voice was no longer as loud as a bell; it was so faint that even he himself could not hear it.
His heartbeat grew slower and slower, and he couldn't shout or call for help. He could only stare helplessly at the golden canopy above him. For a moment, Xu Heng thought he would die looking at the canopy, and a wave of despair washed over him.
Xu Heng's teeth chattered: "Qing... Fu..."
At the same time, he used all his strength to swing his right arm and hit the coffee table next to the bed.
Outside the palace, Qingfu and two other eunuchs heard a slight noise. Qingfu quickly opened the door and entered the palace. In the distance, he saw a small section of the curtain drawn back, with the emperor's arm hanging outside. He ran closer, looked at the emperor, and was instantly horrified: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The emperor on the dragon bed had dark purple lips, a pale face devoid of color, and was drenched in sweat, his undergarments soaked through.
"Guards, quickly summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!"
*
Wang Yuying only heard about Xu Heng five days later.
The Vice Minister of War came to inspect the drill ground. After finishing his business, he stood by the field talking with Instructor Chu. The instructor said with a smile, "It's only 5 a.m. and the official has already arrived. It seems the court session ended early today."
"No, not at all," the Vice Minister sighed. "His Majesty has suspended court for five consecutive days."
"Ho!" Instructor Chu's smile vanished instantly, and he lowered his voice with concern, "I just found out. I'm very worried. Sir, you are the most well-informed. Do you know why His Majesty has suspended court?"
The Vice Minister sighed again: "It must be because he has been working day and night and is too tired that His Majesty is unwell and unable to attend court..." The Vice Minister covered his mouth with his sleeve and whispered to Instructor Chu, "We are good friends, so don't spread this around. It is said that His Majesty's illness is so severe that he is unable to get out of bed."
Instructor Chu's expression changed upon hearing this: "You and I know this matter, we only pray that Your Majesty will recover soon!"
Although Wang Yuying did not get close, she could still hear the gist of it—Xu Heng had stopped attending court due to illness.
No wonder the atmosphere at the Ministry of War has been strange these past few days during roll call.
However, recently, rumors have been circulating that the emperor has confined Empress Dowager Wei to Kunning Palace because of her excessive spending on purchasing and her tolerance of palace servants accepting bribes. How can a person be both furious and bedridden at the same time?
Two words popped into Wang Yuying's mind: loading cargo.
She didn't believe it for a second, and immediately dismissed it. Besides diligently performing her duties, she only had one other thought on her mind that day: it was getting cold, and she had arranged to have hot pot with Chu Ying and the others that evening.
As people returned home after their shifts, many camels appeared on Zhuque Street, carrying a strong, unpleasant odor, but even stronger was the smell of spices.
Looking at the camel caravan's attire, Chu Ying pinched her nose and asked, "Which caravan is this?"
“They are not a caravan,” Wang Yuying replied. “They should be envoys from the Western Qi Kingdom.”
At the end of the year, various vassal states successively went to the capital to pay tribute.
The camels were huge, blocking the road completely, making it a dead end for carriages and horses. Everyone had to get out and walk. Wang Yuying and Chu Ying moved slowly, one after the other. Chu Ying said, "Immortal Master, I'd like to ask for leave in a few days to go home and visit. It's been a long time since I've been back."
"I'll give you a day off tomorrow," Wang Yuying replied.
"No, no, no." Chu Ying still pinched her nose; the smell was so strong that she almost sneezed. "In a while, my maternal relatives will be coming to the capital from Lujiang. There's no sure how many days they'll be on their way. I'll let them know when they arrive, and they can see my cousins along the way."
Wang Yuying smiled upon hearing this: "Then I'll give you a day off tomorrow, and another day off when your cousins arrive."
"That's so good?" Chu Ying blurted out.
Wang Yuying nodded with a smile: "And the salary will still be paid."
Chu Ying was overjoyed, and Wang Yuying also lowered her head with a smile. When she looked up again, she saw Zheng Yangzhi, dressed in a peacock fur coat, walking towards them. He passed between the two pedestrians, met Wang Yuying's gaze, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and his feet seemed to have suddenly taken root and remained rooted to the ground.
There were already many people and camels, making travel inconvenient; his stopping blocked the pedestrian path as well. Annoyed, Wang Yuying waved her hand and said, "Get out of the way! A good dog doesn't block the road!"
Zheng Yangzhi's face reacted before his brain. He leaned towards her hand, and although he didn't touch it, he still smiled—he hadn't seen her for over a month and missed her terribly. He never expected to be so lucky today, to receive a scolding from her. It was truly a case of finding something without even trying.
Pedestrians on the street began to move again. When Wang Yuying passed Zheng Yangzhi, she deliberately left Chu Ying behind. Zheng Yangzhi looked back, and after a while, a drop, two drops... began to fall, wetting the ground. Zheng Yangzhi's smile did not diminish, but his brows furrowed slightly.
Wang Yuying was lucky; she had just arrived home when the rain started to pour. Inside, the hot pot was steaming and filled with laughter, while outside, the rain fell like a curtain, and a layer of mist rose from the ground up to her knees.
In the Funing Hall of the Forbidden City, the imperial physicians looked out at the continuous rain, their brows furrowed. The emperor was truly suffering from this illness, which was both urgent and dangerous, with the possibility of death either day or night. They had barely managed to save him, but now, with the rain, the cold and dampness had aggravated his chest pain once again.
While the imperial physicians silently prayed for the rain to stop, they removed the fire needles that had been used for moxibustion from the emperor's fingers one by one. The emperor was helped to sit up by the eunuchs. He first drank a bowl of bitter ginseng and aconite soup, then swallowed a styrax pill. Next, he pricked his ten fingers to draw blood from his heart to clear blockages and unblock the meridians.
The imperial physician knelt beside the bed: "Your Majesty, please bear with me for now and allow me to open up the meridians for Your Majesty's health."
Upon hearing this, Xu Heng extended his left hand. The imperial physician gently supported the emperor's thumb and delivered a precise and swift puncture.
A sharp pain instantly shot up from Xu Heng's fingertip, through his heart, and down, making his whole body feel like it was being torn apart. The imperial physician then pricked his index finger, and the pain struck again. He thought that being torn apart by five horses was no more than this, but it was as long as being slowly sliced to death.
He endured the pain until the imperial physicians had all left, then curled up to ease the agony. His eyes caught his lonely shadow on the palace bricks—a true loneliest man among emperors.
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