Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 74

The princess smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, there's no need to be so polite." She then instructed her attendants, "Prepare a gift for the Empress Dowager."

Subsequently, two rows of court officials, each carrying gifts, entered from outside the door in an endless stream and placed the gifts one by one in the painted hall.

The princess's gifts to her parents-in-law were quite generous, including three hundred taels of silver, five hundred bolts of silk, several boxes of cosmetics, a ceremonial robe, a set of name papers, and a bag of algae and beans... all of which were gifts prescribed according to the ceremonial regulations. However, what the eunuchs presented to them in the end was a tray covered with red brocade, and its contents were not immediately apparent.

Each time a gift was delivered, a courtier would loudly announce its name, but when the last gift arrived, the courtier fell silent and did not announce its name again.

At this moment, the princess lifted the curtain and walked slowly to Madam Yang. She then lifted the red brocade on the tray, allowing Madam Yang to see the gifts inside.

Madam Yang turned her head and looked at it, her face immediately changing color—it was a piece of white silk, as clean as when she had given it to Madam Han.

"Is your sister-in-law satisfied with the gift I prepared for her?" the princess asked Madam Yang, her eyes lowered.

Before she could answer, the princess took a corner of the white silk ribbon, and with a flick of her sleeve, the ribbon unfurled like a rainbow in the air, swirling in a beautiful, wavy arc before gently falling down—every inch of it was pure white, without any trace of being stained by other colors.

As the end of the white silk ribbon swept across Yang's astonished face, the princess's gaze slowly moved upward, fixing on her eyes, and she gave her a cold smile in a challenging manner.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Leaning idly against the twelve balustrades 6. Taking a Concubine

Chapter word count: 3343 Update time: 08-08-21 17:33

6. Taking a concubine

Lady Yang could not tolerate her new bride's attitude towards her, so the next day she went to the palace to request an audience with the Emperor and Empress.

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Supervisor Liang also entered the palace, hoping to offer some explanation for the princess amidst Lady Yang's complaints and grievances. I waited quietly for news at the princess's residence, feeling somewhat uneasy, wondering how Lady Yang would describe the princess to the Emperor and Empress.

As dusk approached, Supervisor Liang and Lady Yang returned together. Lady Yang looked unwell and, without performing the proper evening greetings to the princess, went straight to her room. Supervisor Liang, however, approached me first and recounted the events in the palace.

"When Lady Yang entered the palace, the Emperor had just returned from court. At that time, the Emperor was holding a scroll of memorials, lost in thought and depressed. Lady Yang tried to comfort him, but he did not listen. She had to call him several times before he responded. Although he managed a smile, he still looked deeply troubled. The first thing he asked Lady Yang was, 'Is the Princess alright?' Lady Yang probably dared not complain about the Princess, and only said that everything was fine, and that there was no trouble at home. She had come specifically to thank the Emperor and Empress."

"The Empress noticed that Lady Yang had something to say when she entered the palace. After the Emperor left, she spoke gently to Lady Yang, saying that the Princess was the Emperor's only daughter and had always been pampered by her parents. Compared to women from ordinary families, she was inevitably a bit more headstrong. If she had said or done anything inappropriate, she hoped that the Empress would be understanding. She would also advise the Princess to restrain her temper and uphold the virtues of a woman. Lady Yang listened and thought it over, but hesitated to speak. In the end, she said nothing. The Empress then bestowed upon her a number of jewels and silks, and invited Lady Miao over. After sitting with her for a while, she sent her back."

Hearing this, I finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. Supervisor Liang didn't miss my moment of relief; he looked at me intently and said, "Even so, the princess and her husband are husband and wife. This situation isn't suitable for long… As the princess's close attendant, you might try to persuade her more often. Since they are married, they should patiently cultivate their relationship. Never speak ill of her husband in front of the princess. If she has any complaints, you should defend him. A peaceful and happy life for the couple is a blessing for us servants."

I silently accepted his advice, nodding in agreement, but I didn't want to continue the discussion on this issue. After a while, I asked him something else: "The Emperor is displeased today; do you know why?"

Liang, the military supervisor, said, “Later I asked Deng, the military commander who accompanied the emperor to court. He told me that today Ouyang Xiu submitted a memorial requesting the emperor to select a member of the imperial clan as a prince. He publicly stated in court that in the past, the emperor had no heir, but he still had the affection of a princess, which pleased the emperor. Now that the princess has married and is gradually becoming a part of the emperor's life, the emperor, in his leisure time, is confined to the deep palace. Who can he talk to, who can he please? It would be better to select a virtuous and pleasing member of the imperial clan as a prince, so that he can come and go freely, inquire about the emperor's health, and serve him meals, thus pleasing the emperor. The emperor listened in silence and did not express his opinion, but several ministers echoed his sentiments, all requesting him to formally issue an edict to select a prince. The emperor did not agree in the end, and he was not in a good mood. He returned to the palace with a furrowed brow.”

Three days later, the princess simply asked Li Wei to move out of her palace and sleep alone elsewhere. Concerned that her husband might find this difficult to accept, Lady Han, with the tacit approval of Supervisor Liang, specifically spoke to Li Wei, explaining that the imperial decree stipulated that a prince consort must be summoned by the princess before he could sleep with her. Li Wei did not question this further, and from then on, he lived separately from the princess, residing in his own chamber. Every evening, after sharing dinner with the princess, he would return to his own room without disturbing her.

Madam Yang was annoyed and often subtly remarked that the household didn't seem to have a new bride, but rather like it had welcomed a deity. The princess didn't argue with her, ignoring her completely. Finally, Madam Yang couldn't hold back any longer and went directly to the princess, proposing to take a concubine for her son: "The prince consort used to have two maids, but I was afraid that the princess wouldn't like them after entering the household, so I sold them both. Now, without anyone to hold the broom, the prince consort's room is a mess, which is quite inappropriate. Your Highness is so noble, I wouldn't dare trouble you with such a matter. I'd like to find a maid myself to place in the prince consort's room to do cleaning and serving. What does Your Highness think?"

Madam Han stared in astonishment and said, "The princess has only been married off for a few days, and you're already planning to take a concubine for your husband?"

The princess nodded to her, indicating that she didn't need to argue, and then calmly agreed to Madam Yang's request: "That's very good. Sister-in-law, please go and find a suitable person. I will pay that young lady's monthly allowance in the future."

As expected, Madam Yang immediately began to take action, searching for a suitable candidate. In the end, she chose a maid she had raised since childhood, sixteen-year-old Chun Tao. Chun Tao was beautiful and gentle, but when she heard Madam Yang say that she wanted to take her as a concubine to the prince consort, she burst into tears, knelt down and begged incessantly, refusing to agree no matter what.

Madam Yang tried to persuade Chun Tao several times, but to no avail. Enraged, she dragged Chun Tao to the vicinity of the princess's bedchamber and openly berated her indirectly: "Since you entered my household, I've treated you to the best of everything, yet you've raised such a spoiled brat! My son is the son of the emperor's brother-in-law, and the emperor shares some of his bloodline with him. How is he unworthy of a lowly woman like you? You really think highly of yourself, looking down on everyone else! Since you're determined to be a virtuous woman in my household, I'll grant your wish. I'll beat you to death on the spot today, and tomorrow I'll have the emperor erect a memorial arch for you..."

She cursed and whipped, the sound of the whip cracking, causing Chun Tao to scream and cry in pain. I felt uneasy and turned to look at the princess. As soon as I called out "Princess," she understood and ordered, "Huaiji, go and bring Chun Tao here."

I immediately went out and ordered someone to hold Yang back. I also had two maids help Chuntao up and lead her to the princess.

Chun Tao knelt tremblingly at the princess's feet, still sobbing softly. The princess comforted her gently, personally examined her injuries, and then ordered people to fetch good medicine and prepare nourishing dishes to properly heal Chun Tao's wounds.

Chuntao was extremely grateful and kowtowed several times to the princess. The princess helped her up and smiled, "You don't want to be the prince consort's concubine because you're worried about me, right? Actually, there's no need to worry. If you serve the prince consort well, it's the same as doing your best for me. I will treat you well."

Chuntao shook her head desperately, still weeping silently.

"Is it not because of this that you refuse?" the princess asked curiously. Seeing that Chun Tao did not answer, she quickly came up with a new guess: "Then you dislike the prince consort, so you don't want to marry him?"

"No, no!" Chun Tao quickly denied, whispering, "The Prince Consort is kind and has always treated me very well."

The princess smiled: "If that's the case, why can't you marry him?"

Chuntao hesitated, unable to speak, her head bowed low, and tears began to fall again.

Seeing her like this, the princess suddenly realized: "Oh, you must have someone you love!"

Chuntao's cheeks flushed crimson, and she lowered her head even further, twisting her clothes incessantly with her hands, remaining silent.

The princess then dismissed her attendants, leaving only me and Han Shi by her side, and said to Chun Tao with a smile, "Don't be afraid, just tell me the truth, and I will definitely help you."

After hesitating for a long time, Chun Tao finally revealed the reason with encouragement from Madam Han. It turned out that when she returned home to visit her parents, she had a chance encounter with her cousin from her aunt's side. After several encounters, the two gradually developed feelings for each other and secretly pledged their lives to one another. Her cousin also started a business to earn money, hoping to redeem her from her servitude as soon as possible and establish a happy marriage. Unexpectedly, Madam Yang now wanted her to be a concubine, so she would rather die than comply.

The princess listened quietly, and as she listened, perhaps recalling her past, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I will redeem you from this servitude," she promised Chun Tao. "I will fulfill your wish and make sure you leave this house and marry the person you love."

Then, she sent someone to invite Lady Yang. Lady Yang entered the palace to see the princess shortly afterward, accompanied by her husband, Li Wei.

The princess got straight to the point and offered to redeem Chun Tao from her servitude. She told Madam Yang that no matter how much money was spent to buy Chun Tao, she would pay Madam Yang ten times that amount.

Madam Yang sneered upon hearing this, saying, "I've raised this girl for ten years. The effort I've put into training her is immeasurable! The princess wants to buy her, but I'm not willing to sell. She's mine in life and in death. Even if she refuses to be my concubine, I won't let her go. I want to see what makes this little slut so capable of fighting me!"

The princess didn't stand on ceremony and said bluntly, "I invited you here today not to discuss anything with you. I am the mistress of this princess's residence, and all the servants in the house are under my control. Whether to release them or keep them is my decision. I have already agreed to let Chun Tao go home. I am just informing you that she can leave tomorrow. I have prepared the money. Whether you take it or not is up to you."

Madam Yang grew increasingly furious, her tone becoming even more aggressive: "This girl was bought with my own hard-earned money, and I still have her indenture. How did she suddenly become the princess's person? The princess said the house was yours, and I accepted that, but I never expected that even a servant girl would be taken from me by the princess. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? I'll make it clear right now: Chun Tao is my person, and the princess has no right to make decisions for her. If the princess is dissatisfied, she can go find someone to judge her. I believe that even if she takes it to the emperor, he won't think the princess is in the right."

"Enough!" Li Wei, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, saying to his mother, "I never said I wanted to take a concubine, why are you forcing Chun Tao? If the princess wants her to leave, then let her leave, what's the point of arguing?"

Madam Yang was taken aback. After a moment, she came to her senses and immediately scolded her son angrily: "What have I been worrying about all this time? It's all for you, you good-for-nothing! And now you've forgotten your mother after marrying a new wife, obeying her every command, without even considering whether she respects you..."

Li Wei, unwilling to listen to her nagging, stood up and walked outside. Yang Shi, still not satisfied, chased after him, following him step by step, occasionally slapping him a few times, and continuing to nag and scold him.