Schlimme Dinge passieren oft

Kapitel 29

For Wen'er, observing this young prince was far more interesting than chatting or embroidering. So, while he looked at Bo Lan, she looked at him, often talking to Pang Di while her gaze was already fixed on him.

"I used to think that only men like my brother, with their long hair, flowing robes, and dashing demeanor, were considered beautiful," she suddenly blurted out.

Pang Di was taken aback, turned to look at her, and asked, "What?"

"It's nothing," Wen'er smiled and said, "The tea is ready. Won't you invite His Highness Prince Qi in for a cup, sister-in-law?"

Pang Di then asked Qiu Niang to invite him in.

He was offered some of the brewed tea, and after thanking her, he gently raised his glass, took a small sip, and then looked surprised: "This tea..."

“This is green tea that my sister-in-law brought from Hangzhou. Is there anything wrong with it?” Wen’er asked.

"This tea has a delicate lotus fragrance, but there are no lotus petals or stamens in the cup. I wonder how it was made?"

Pang Di told him, "Lotus flowers open in the morning and close in the evening, only to reopen the next day. So I put freshly roasted green tea into small gauze pouches. During the day, when the flowers bloom, I place the pouches in the center of the flower. This way, at night, the flowers will envelop the tea in their buds. After a night of being infused with the fragrance of the flowers, when the flowers reopen the next day, the fragrance will naturally blend with the tea's aroma. Before I left home, I placed the tea in the flowers and picked them at midnight. The flowers were still in bud, and the tea was still inside. I then sealed the holes in the stems with pond mud and tied them with hair to keep them fresh. This way, they can be kept for several days. The tea I drink now is brought in this way, but its aroma is never as good as the tea freshly picked in the morning."

"I see." Zhao Hao smiled faintly, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "My queen used to make lotus tea like this for me often. I once thought of asking her how she made it, but then I thought, I'll spend my whole life with her, we're inseparable, so why should I ask? She makes it for me, I just drink it. After she passed away, I never drank this tea again. I've also tried brewing lotus petals and stamens with the tea, but the taste is completely different, and I've never understood why. Every time I drink tea that doesn't smell good, I think of the tea she made. Alas, I thought it was just an ordinary thing back then."

At the time, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. Hao's tone remained calm as he said this, but his eyes were filled with regret and remorse. He must have harbored an extraordinary and profound love for his queen—the sorrow contained in these few words made Pang Di feel sorry for him as well. She softly said, "The Queen Consort of Qi must be a graceful and virtuous lady with a kind heart and gentle spirit, worthy of His Highness Qi's enduring affection."

"Why did the princess pass away so young?" Wen'er pondered this question for a long time before finally asking it. Actually, she had heard her brother say before that she seemed to have drowned, but now she was very interested and wanted to know some details.

"She..." Hao hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "She accidentally fell into Yaojin Pool and drowned."

"Yaojin Pond? Is that the Yaojin Pond where ten thousand lotuses cover the water?" Pang Di was also curious upon hearing this. On the day the secret book was exposed, she was chatting with the princess and her consort in the pavilion by Yaojin Pond.

“Yes,” Hao said. “The lotus flower grew on the second night after her death.”

Pang Di had heard the princess tell this story. She said that there were no such flowers in the pond at first, but two years ago, many suddenly sprouted overnight, almost covering half of the pond's surface, and they bloomed beautifully in red and white. At that time, the weather was still very cold, and everyone was amazed.

Wen'er laughed: "Can half a pond of lotus flowers suddenly grow overnight?"

Hao pondered for a moment, then said, "The legend at the time said it was the Flower Goddess manifesting herself, but I prefer to believe it was her soul transformed."

Wen'er pursed her lips, lowered her head in thought, and suddenly looked up to ask, "I heard that Princess Qi is the grand-niece of the Empress Dowager and was raised in the palace since childhood. So, she and Your Highness grew up together as childhood sweethearts?"

Hao nodded: "Yes."

“Then,” Wen’er asked again, “she… oh, I mean the Princess Consort, His Highness, Prince Jia, Princess Shu, and… the Emperor, you all grew up together as childhood sweethearts, right?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt that her question was clumsy. She actually wanted to ask whether the Princess Consort of Qi and the Emperor also grew up together as childhood sweethearts, but deliberately adding so many people was simply trying to cover up the truth. How could it make sense for siblings to grow up together as childhood sweethearts?

Pang Di frowned, quietly reaching under the table to tug at Wen'er's sleeve, shaking her head slightly to signal her not to ask questions. She was somewhat surprised by Wen'er's sudden leap in thought: What was this little girl thinking? What did she want to find out?

Hao pondered this question for a long time before finally answering, "Yes."

That night, candlelight shone from Wen'er's cabin. In the middle of the night, she suddenly slipped into Pang Di's cabin and said to her, "Sister-in-law, please help me think of a poem to describe a loving couple being forced to separate."

Pang Di looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Wen'er smiled, trying to make her smile appear as innocent as possible: "I feel so sorry for Prince Qi and his wife, separated by death. I want to find a poem to describe it. Oh, I'm not going to tell anyone else, just to express my feelings in private."

"Really?" Pang Di was very skeptical.

“Really,” Wen’er answered immediately.

Pang Di thought for a moment and then recited: "A divine couple, who untied their jade pendants upon hearing the zither, could not be kept even if their silk robes were torn."

"Ah! Great! How come I didn't think of that before!" Wen'er seemed very happy as she ran back to her room.

Back in her cabin, she picked up her pen and solemnly wrote down these two lines of Yan Shu's poem on the letter she had just started writing.

She didn't believe in ghosts or gods, guessing that the half-pond of lotus flowers must have been planted overnight. And who in the palace was most likely to have mobilized such a large force to plant such a vast area of lotus flowers in such a short time? The answer was naturally Emperor Zhao Xu. Why would he plant lotus flowers in the pond where Princess Qi drowned immediately after her death? This was a difficult question to answer. However, if we boldly speculate that he had feelings for her, and she loved lotus flowers, then he could be suspected of planting them to commemorate her. Could he have feelings for her? Just considering that they had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, the possibility seemed very high.

Wen'er thought she was truly clever. At home, her father often scolded her for not liking to compose poetry and lyrics, unlike her older sister and sister-in-law, but he didn't know that his youngest daughter simply disdained to use her talents for such leisurely pursuits. Her mind was meant for thinking about more important matters.

"A divine couple, like immortals, played the zither and unfastened their jade pendants; though their silken robes were torn, they could not be held back." She intended to use this phrase to describe the emperor.

Thinking of her perfect plan, I couldn't help but smile.

The boat arrived in Bianliang on the Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

Chrysanthemums bloom all over the city.

As soon as we disembarked, we saw the shore, under the trees, in front of restaurants, in front of houses, and in the hands of passersby piled high with all kinds of colorful chrysanthemums. Not only were there the native yellow and white-centered Wanling chrysanthemums, pink peach blossom chrysanthemums, white sandalwood chrysanthemums, yellow and round golden bell chrysanthemums, and pure white large Xirong chrysanthemums, but even rare varieties from various places were blooming in profusion on the streets: the golden chrysanthemum of Changzhou, the golden thread chrysanthemum of Chuzhou, the thousand Buddha chrysanthemum of Dengzhou, the thousand-layer pagoda chrysanthemum of Huzhou, the golden powder chrysanthemum of Jiangzhou, the black chrysanthemum of Jianzhou, the medicinal chrysanthemum of Mingzhou, the flying sleeve chrysanthemum of Ruzhou, the nine-bead chain chrysanthemum of Hangzhou, and the fairy dust chrysanthemum of Yangzhou... The city was filled with fragrance, and the ground was covered with brocade, a beautiful and magnificent sight.

"There seem to be more chrysanthemums this year than in previous years," Pang Di said.

Zhao Hao nodded: "His Majesty particularly likes chrysanthemums. Every year before the Double Ninth Festival, he sends officials on horseback to the capital to purchase chrysanthemums at high prices throughout the country. He also takes advantage of the 'Equal Transportation Law' to transport them day and night by boat and vehicle. In addition, he gathers the strength of the Imperial Guards to issue orders to the citizens and shops to repair the Imperial Street and decorate it with chrysanthemums. This year, even more effort has been put into it."

As they said this, their carriage had just passed through a flower gate made of chrysanthemums.

This road leads to Dulegang, a scenic spot outside the city, so today the road is crowded with carriages of nobles and wealthy families, with a constant stream of vehicles and pedestrians.

Suddenly, one of the crimson brocade carriages with flowing cloud patterns caught his eye. When their carriage pulled up beside it, he jumped down and asked into the carriage, "Is that my sister?"

The embroidered curtain on the carriage was lifted, revealing the beautiful face of Princess Shu. She was overjoyed to see Zhao Hao and exclaimed repeatedly, "Hao, you're back!"

The Imperial Son-in-Law, Wang Shen, immediately got out of the carriage and greeted Zhao Hao with a smile.

Upon seeing that it was the princess, Pang Di and Wen'er immediately alighted from their carriage and approached to greet her. The princess was delighted to see them and quickly asked Zhao Hao how they had met.

Zhao Hao then briefly recounted what had happened. The princess smiled and said, "That's quite a coincidence."

Seeing that they seemed to be going on an outing, Zhao Hao asked if they were going to climb a mountain. The princess replied, "Indeed. We are going to Dule Hill. Why don't you come along, Brother Hao?" Suddenly remembering the two women beside her, she immediately changed her mind and said, "But you should first escort Madam Wang and Miss Wang home."

Zhao Hao said, "Of course. I'll take them home first and then go find my sister and brother-in-law."

The princess nodded, about to say something, when suddenly a servant rode up from behind and knelt before her and Wang Shen, reporting, "Princess, Prince Consort, Lady Wu's heartache has flared up again!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shen hesitated, but the worry in his eyes and between his brows was impossible to conceal.

After a moment of silence, he bowed to the princess, but before he could utter a sound, the princess waved her hand to stop him.

"Go then," she said softly, without a trace of resentment in her voice.

Wang Shen then bowed to Zhao Hao and the two women to take his leave, then mounted the horse brought by his servant and rode off towards the Prince Consort's residence.

Wen'er looked at the servant and smiled, "I know, as long as the prince consort goes out with the princess, your Lady Wu's heart will start to ache."

The servant was taken aback, and then, not knowing how to answer, could only give an awkward laugh.

“I have a way to cure her heartache. Please be sure to tell your Madam Wu.” Wen’er said to him again, still smiling leisurely: “Since the heart aches all the time, what’s the point of having it? Just gouge it out, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

The servant was stunned by these words, and it took him a long time to come to his senses. He dared not answer, but bowed to the princess and said, "This humble servant takes his leave."

The princess waved her hand. The servant immediately ran back.

Zhao Hao frowned and asked the princess, "Does your brother-in-law often do this?"

The princess smiled and said, "No. Today's events happened suddenly... Xiaowu's illness is quite serious... Hao, don't tell the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager about this, and especially don't tell Xu."

Zhao Hao sighed: "Sister!"

The princess reached out and grasped Hao's hand, staring at him anxiously as she said, "Please don't tell Xu!"

Hao finally nodded in agreement.

The princess felt relieved. She then said to her younger brother, "You should quickly take them home."

Hao agreed and turned to invite the two women into the car.

Pang Di bowed to the princess and took his leave. Before getting into the carriage, Wen'er approached the princess, took out a letter, and said, "Princess, could you please deliver this letter to Attendant Zhu in the palace?"

The princess was a little surprised, but she still accepted the letter and nodded in agreement.

Wen'er bowed and thanked them, then got into the car with a satisfied smile.

Reunion

Zhao Hao escorted Pang Di and Wen'er to the gate of the Prime Minister's residence and then bid them farewell. Pang Di invited him to come inside and sit for a while, but he declined, saying that he had to rush to accompany his elder sister, the princess.

At this moment, the gatekeeper was both surprised and delighted to see them. He shouted into the mansion, "Young Madam and Miss Wen are back!" and ran over to Pang Di, saying, "Young Madam, please go into the mansion to see the young master. He has been seriously ill for several days!"

Pang Di was greatly alarmed. Without even saying goodbye to Zhao Hao, he hurriedly walked towards the inner room.

Her maids came out at the sound of her voice and greeted her excitedly. She didn't stop, but immediately asked about Wang Pang's illness. One of them told her, "Last month, on the day of Gui Mao, Tang Jiong, the Crown Prince's advisor, listed sixty charges against you before the Emperor, slandering you, sir. Young Master Pang argued with him in court, and the two quarreled. Young Master Pang then asked the Emperor to punish Tang Jiong. The Emperor agreed to demote him, but Young Master Pang felt it was too lenient and continued to demand that Tang Jiong be beheaded or exiled. The Emperor seemed displeased, and you, sir, told Young Master Pang to shut up, but he remained silent. Your husband became angry and cursed him as a scoundrel. In a fit of rage, Young Master Pang stormed out of the palace, not even taking a sedan chair, but riding a horse back home. It was a very cold day, and the wind was strong on the road. Young Master Pang fell ill upon his return and has not recovered since."

Tang Jiong, the Crown Prince's advisor and Vice Director of the Censorate, was actually quite talented and upright in his official conduct. Wang Anshi admired him and intended to promote him, ordering his assistant Deng Wan to find an opportunity to recommend him as a censor. However, several months later, just as he was about to promote him to a censorate official, Wang Anshi gradually discovered that Tang Jiong's ideas differed greatly from his own and that his behavior was too frivolous and hasty. Therefore, he only appointed him as Vice Director of the Censorate, intentionally suppressing him. Tang Jiong submitted twenty memorials to Emperor Zhao Xu on current affairs, all of which were intercepted by Wang Anshi. In a fit of anger, Tang Jiong knelt before the Zichen Hall, requesting an audience with the emperor. Emperor Zhao Xu did not want to see him, but Tang Jiong insisted on not rising until he saw the emperor. Later, Emperor Zhao Xu finally agreed to ascend the throne. Tang Jiong walked to the throne and said to Zhao Xu, "Today I have spoken of all the illegal acts of the ministers. Please, Your Majesty, allow me to recount them one by one." He then unfolded his memorial, glared at Wang Anshi, and said, "Wang Anshi, come closer to the throne and listen to my lecture!" Wang Anshi ignored him and stood motionless for a long time. Tang Jiong loudly rebuked him, "You dare to act like this before Your Majesty? What do you know about what happens outside?" Seeing that his words were clearly intended to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers, Wang Anshi was terrified and stepped forward.

Tang Jing then loudly read aloud the sixty charges against Wang Anshi, which roughly stated that "Anshi abuses his power and influence, and Zeng Bu has usurped authority both internally and externally. The world only knows to fear Anshi and no longer knows that Your Majesty exists. Wen Yanbo and Feng Jing know this but dare not speak out, and Wang Gui serves Anshi obsequiously, no different from a servant." As he read, he glanced sideways at Wang Gui, who bowed his head in shame and fear. Tang Jing then proceeded to enumerate the members of the New Party one by one: "Yuan Jiang, Xue Xiang, and Chen Yi are treated like servants by Anshi, who bosses them around; Zhang Zao and Li Ding are Anshi's henchmen, and Zhang Shangying is Anshi's hawk. Those who oppose him, even if they are virtuous, are considered unworthy, while those who follow him, even if they are unworthy, are considered virtuous." Finally, he even accused Wang Anshi of being a treacherous minister like Li Linfu and Lu Qi.

Emperor Zhao Xu repeatedly told him to shut up, but he ignored him, calmly reciting his memorial before finally stopping. Wang Pang, already furious, stepped forward to refute Tang Jiong before he could even speak, listing Tang Jiong's motives of personal revenge and his frivolous, rash, and narrow-minded character. He also refuted the absurdity of Tang Jiong's accusations, urging the emperor to punish him for disrupting court order and framing loyal officials. Emperor Zhao Xu remained silent for a long time before issuing an edict demoting Tang Jiong to the position of Prefect of Chaozhou. Wang Pang, however, was still dissatisfied, arguing that such a treacherous and malicious person, who slandered virtuous officials, sowed discord between the emperor and his ministers, and sought to obstruct reforms, was a traitor and a villain. He insisted that Tang Jiong beheaded or at least exiled to the army.

Zhao Xu did not agree, but simply said, "Tang Jiong's crime does not warrant such a punishment."

Wang Anshi knew that it was the phrase "The world only knows to fear Anshi, and no longer knows Your Majesty" that had offended the emperor, subtly stirring up his suspicion of him. Under these circumstances, he shouldn't relentlessly pursue Tang Jiong, otherwise he would appear treacherous and malicious in the emperor's eyes, and indeed seem like a villain who couldn't tolerate the honesty of loyal ministers. Therefore, he repeatedly gestured to his son with his eyes, signaling him to shut up. Unexpectedly, Wang Pang persisted, insisting on severely punishing Tang Jiong.

Zhao Xu's expression grew increasingly grim.

Wang Anshi finally lost his temper, glared at his son, and shouted, "You scoundrel! Stop your insolence! The Emperor will make a clear judgment; he won't allow you to speak out of turn!"

Wang Pang was taken aback, not expecting his father to reprimand him like that. In a fit of anger, he didn't even say goodbye and rushed out.

He rode his horse at breakneck speed, and by the time he got home, he was utterly exhausted, feeling cold inside and out. That very night, he developed a fever and fell ill.

Pang Di knew that the illness was caused by his irritable and easily angered nature. He was both worried and pitied, so he quickened his pace and hurried towards the bedroom.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw her husband lying on the bed with a haggard face. His hair was disheveled and piled up on the pillow, making his skin look particularly pale.

She gently walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to touch his face. It was icy cold, and her heart ached. She softly called out, "Pang!"

He slowly opened his eyes, still dazed, and when he saw it was her, his eyes immediately lit up, and a smile appeared on his lips.

“Di,” he asked with a smile and concern, “have you seen Su Shi?”

Pang Di was both amused and exasperated.

Upon their long-awaited reunion, the first thing he said to her was neither to inquire about her well-being nor to express his longing, nor was it related to his serious illness. Instead, he was preoccupied with the question of whether she had met Su Shi.

Seeing how thin and frail he was, she really didn't want to upset him, but she had never had the habit of lying, and besides, she had never thought of deceiving her husband.

So she told the truth: "Yes, I saw him."

"Huh?" Wang Pang was greatly surprised: "You've ignored all my words?"

“I absolutely did not do it on purpose.” Pang Di hurriedly explained to him, “Wen’er and I encountered bandits on the road. Fortunately, we met Prince Qi, who rescued us and offered to escort us back to the capital. However, he said he had to go to Hangzhou to see a friend beforehand. We had no choice but to go with him. We never expected that the person he was going to see was Su Shi.”

"You even met with Prince Qi!" Wang Pang's face turned ashen, his jaw nearly dropping. "He even escorted you back to the capital?"

Pang Di hesitated for a moment, then nodded and asked, "Is there something wrong with it?"

Wang Pang sighed and said, "Are you trying to murder your husband?" After saying that, he reached out and pulled the quilt over his face, slowly covering his face so that he wouldn't look at her.