Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 27

The boy said "Oh," and was led away by the eunuch. Still reluctant to leave, he looked back every step of the way.

The princess turned to us and said, "Never mind him, let's continue playing ball."

Cao Ping was very courteous, completely abandoning his own enjoyment of the game and wholeheartedly teaching the princess how to play polo. As a result, the princess was in a great mood, and even at the banquet, she frequently turned towards the direction where Cao Ping was sitting, smiling slightly.

But Consort Miao's expression was quite different from that of the daytime. Her face was pale, and no matter how lively the banquet was, she showed no smile. She kept her head down and had no interest in looking at the young master of the Cao family.

After the banquet, upon returning to Yifeng Pavilion, Consort Miao had her maid escort the princess to her room, then sat down in the hall, lost in thought. Noticing her unusual expression, Madam Han cautiously asked, "Why is Your Highness unhappy?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Miao's tears immediately burst forth like a burst dam: "How can I be happy? The Emperor is going to marry the princess off to his maternal uncle's family, who sells paper money!"

I overheard this from the sidelines and was also astonished; I never expected it to turn out this way.

The "uncle who sells paper money" refers to Li Yonghe, the younger brother of Empress Dowager Zhangyi, the mother of the current emperor.

The current emperor was raised by Empress Dowager Zhangxian Mingsu, née Liu, and Empress Dowager Zhanghui, née Yang, but his birth mother was Li, a maidservant of Empress Dowager Liu. When Empress Dowager Liu was Consort De of Emperor Zhenzong, she was the most favored concubine but had no children. Once, Emperor Zhenzong happened to visit Consort De and saw that Li was beautiful and fair-skinned, so he ordered her to sleep with him. Li became pregnant and gave birth to a prince. Consort De took Li's son and raised him, publicly claiming him as her own. Li did not contest the title, remaining silent among the previous emperor's concubines, keeping the secret until her death, never acknowledging him to the current emperor.

When Lady Li was critically ill, Empress Dowager Liu instructed the current emperor to promote her to the rank of Consort Chen. Lady Li's younger brother, Li Yonghe, was only seven years old when he entered the palace. He grew up in poverty, making a living by chiseling paper money in the capital—a lowly profession despised by the world. Later, Empress Dowager Liu sent people to find him among the common people and bestowed upon him some official positions.

It wasn't until after Empress Dowager Liu's death that the Prince of Yan revealed the truth about his birth mother to the current emperor. The emperor was deeply grieved, neglecting court for days, issuing a sorrowful edict of self-reproach, posthumously honoring Lady Li as Empress Dowager, and bestowing upon Li Yonghe generous rewards, elevating his official rank and titles. Li Yonghe's current official titles are Military Governor of Zhangxin and Chancellor, honorary titles, but they demonstrate the emperor's exceptional favor towards Lady Li, making her one of the most favored among imperial relatives.

However, the imperial bestowal of honor did not elevate Li Guojiu's standing among the palace women. Many people still spoke of him privately, referring to him as a paper money seller, and often spoke of his "sudden wealth and status" with disdain. When he and his wife entered the palace, they often engaged in inappropriate behavior and speech, which was always criticized by the palace women.

"Today, His Majesty ordered Li Guojiu and his wife to bring their second son, Li Wei, to meet the Empress and me behind the curtain," Consort Miao said to Madam Han, wiping away her tears. "That child is thirteen years old and looks rather simple-minded. When the Empress asked him what he was reading, he first said the 'Thousand Character Classic,' then after thinking for a while, he said he was reading the 'Classic of Filial Piety.' He speaks slowly, but His Majesty liked it and even said he was 'graceful in his speech,' gave him a seat, and rewarded him with food. He knelt down to thank him, and His Majesty praised him for being sensible, saying his 'demeanor was admirable.' I noticed a red swelling on his forehead and asked what happened. He said he bumped into a locust tree while taking a walk in the back garden..."

Upon hearing this, Han said in surprise, "How can a child bump into a tree while walking? This child is really silly."

Consort Miao grew increasingly annoyed and continued, "After the Emperor dismissed him, he asked me what I thought of Li Wei. I thought, 'It's not easy for a child so dull to have grown up like this,' so I smiled and praised him to the Emperor. To my surprise, the Emperor was overjoyed and said, 'So you like him too. That's perfect! I want to choose him as my consort and marry Huirou to him.'"

Madam Han shook her head and sighed, "My God, the Emperor selected someone from such a humble background after so many choices... Is that what the Empress meant too?"

Consort Miao said, "At first, I thought the Emperor was joking, so I asked him repeatedly. He then solemnly admitted that he did indeed intend to do so. At that moment, even the Empress was stunned. I think she was also reluctant, but seeing how serious the Emperor was, who dared to say anything?" She paused, then began to sob again. "Hearing this made me feel so suffocated. During the banquet, I overheard Lady Li talking animatedly to Lady Cao beside her, beaming as she talked about how much money her family had made in business this year. Lady Cao was very well-mannered and just smiled. But, heavens, when I thought that Lady Li was my future mother-in-law, I just wanted to smash my head against the palace wall and die!"

Han sighed and wept alongside Consort Miao. After a moment, she said with hope, "Perhaps His Majesty was just saying it on a whim. He will come to his senses in a couple of days and won't bring it up again."

Perhaps, in a couple of days, no one will mention it anymore. I hope so too.

Li Wei is definitely not a suitable match for the princess. I come to this conclusion not because I despise the Li family's social standing. From Consort Miao's words, I can guess that Li Wei is the young man Princess Agate Ball met today, and their incompatibility has already been shown in the princess's slightly furrowed brow. Therefore, now I can only hope that it was just a joke by the emperor.

However, on the day of Bingzi in May of that year, we received the Emperor's decree: Li Wei, the Eastern Head Attendant, was appointed as the Left Guard General and Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, and was to marry Princess Fukang.

The reaction from those in the palace was expected.

"They chuckled to themselves, saying that in the future, when the palace holds religious ceremonies, they won't need to send anyone to buy paper money anymore, as the Li family will provide it themselves." Consort Miao once lamented to the Emperor, "I just can't understand why Your Majesty chose this son-in-law. The eldest son of the Cao family is both talented and handsome, and his age is a good match for the princess..."

At that time, the current emperor had set up a chess game and was sitting alone studying it. After hearing what Consort Miao said, he picked up a chess piece with two fingers and slowly placed it on the chessboard.

"Do you insist that all the relatives of the emperor in the world bear the surname Cao?" he said calmly.

(to be continued)

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Unwittingly Misled by the East Wind 21. Lyrics

Chapter word count: 2877 Update time: 08-08-21 16:05

21. Fill in the blanks with lyrics

In the past, when the current emperor announced an edict without consulting his ministers, there was always opposition. The ministers usually split into two factions, one in favor and one against. There was also another situation—both factions opposed together. However, on the issue of choosing a consort, the ministers' attitudes were unprecedentedly unified. Almost everyone resolutely declared that His Majesty was wise and had done the right thing. Even the remonstrating ministers who had previously been accustomed to submitting memorials criticizing the current emperor's mistakes now submitted memorials congratulating him, saying that His Majesty's choice of Li Wei as his wife was to honor his maternal uncle's family and to repay the kindness of Empress Dowager Zhangyi. "Upon hearing this, everyone in the world was moved to tears and advised each other to be filial." As a result, the current emperor's attitude towards this marriage became even more resolute, allowing no discussion within the harem. However, perhaps to appease Consort Miao, he promoted her to the rank of Shuyi, the third rank of the second grade, and soon after, he also promoted her close friend, Consort Yu, to the rank of Chongyi.

The princess naturally knew that her father had chosen a husband for her, but no one would speak ill of Li Wei in front of her, and I didn't tell her that Li Wei was the "silly rabbit" she had met that day. Moreover, at this time she didn't understand the concept of marriage, and seemed to think that the husband was merely someone who would manage her affairs in her residence outside the palace. So, "Sister, when I'm married, can you come and live with me outside the palace?" she asked her mother, this was her most pressing question.

Miao Shuyi said sadly, "No. Your sister is your father's wife and cannot live outside the palace anymore." Seeing the princess's disappointment, she smiled and hugged the princess, comforting her, "However, your wet nurse, Jiaqingzi, and Xiaoyan'er can all go out with you, and your life won't change much."

"Can Huaiji come with me too?" the princess asked.

Miao Shuyi was taken aback, but then smiled and said, "Oh, of course, Huaiji can go with you."

The princess smiled with relief, nestled close to her mother, pondered for a while, and then asked, "How much longer can I stay by my sister's side?"

Miao Shuyi was unsure how to answer this question accurately: "It depends on your father's opinion... wait until you grow up."

The princess asked again, "At what age is it considered grown up?"

Miao Shuyi said, "About fifteen or sixteen years old."

"So I have to surrender when I'm fifteen or sixteen?"

“Not necessarily. If your father is willing to keep you, you can wait a little longer.” Miao Shuyi stroked her daughter’s cheek and sighed, “But you can’t be older than twenty... Once you’re over twenty, you’ll be an old maid who has missed her chance to get married.”

“Twenty…” The princess calculated the time she could stay with her mother, and the conclusion made her smile with satisfaction: “That’s ten years, a long time. With that much time, I can live my life all over again.”

As time went on, some gossip about the prince consort reached her ears, and occasionally, she felt a little worried.

"I heard Li Wei isn't good-looking and is incredibly stupid," she told me. She always addressed the prince consort her father had chosen by his name without any hesitation, saying, "He's thirteen and still reading the 'Thousand Character Classic,' he's so incredibly stupid!"

I hope she thinks positively: "The prince consort must have read many books by now."

She said the outlook was not optimistic: "Even if he manages to memorize the Thousand Character Classic, there's still a whole bunch of Confucian classics waiting for him to study. With his brain, it will probably take him twenty or thirty years to learn them."

As she flipped through the collection of poems and lyrics I had found for her, browsing through the fine lines by famous scholars of the dynasty such as Yan Shu, Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shunqin, and Mei Yaochen, she sighed with annoyance: "He's already busy enough with the classics, he definitely won't have time to learn poetry and prose... He definitely won't be able to compose poems and lyrics with me."

I couldn't help but chuckle. The last thing she said earnestly sounded really funny to me.

She knew why I was laughing, and glared at me: "Are you laughing at my inability to compose poetry?"

"No," I lied, "the princess is an expert in both poetry and prose."

I guess my expression wasn't sincere enough, so she decided to challenge me: "Give me a problem, and I'll show you how to solve it."