The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 47

Upon closer inspection, I recognized him as Zhang Xifu, the son of Zhang Yaozuo and a cousin of Consort Zhang.

Li Wei looked up at this moment, and Zhang Xifu recognized him. He suddenly chuckled and said, "So it's Prince Consort Li. No wonder, you've put in so much effort to carve the paper money, how could we dare to compete with you?"

This statement was quite clear, and everyone on the altar laughed upon hearing it. They stopped arguing with Li Wei over the ox head, each picked up a few pieces of spring ox soil, and then dispersed.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Wei slowly stood up, still clutching the bull's head tightly, looking around anxiously, as if afraid that someone else would come to take it from him.

Worse still, he was now a pitiful sight: his crimson robe was crumpled and covered in footprints; his turban had fallen to the ground and was flattened by the crowd; his hair was disheveled, his face was covered in mud, and there were bloody marks on his forehead...

I turned to look at the princess, unsure how to speak to her. She stood silently by, like an ice sculpture in the dead of winter, her eyes never even moving.

After a moment, she slowly spoke: "I remember now, he was that silly rabbit."

I touched her shoulder, wanting to lead her away: "Princess..."

She gently pulled away and asked me, "Is he Li Wei?"

I could no longer hide it from her, and finally nodded.

She lowered her head, and two tears welled up in her eyes, slid down the colorful smiling face on her mask, and fell silently to the ground... and into my heart.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) A Divine Song Fisherman's Pride 36. The Prince Consort

Chapter word count: 2674 Update time: 08-08-21 16:14

36. Imperial Son-in-Law

"There are so many fine men in the world, why did my father choose such a dull and foolish husband for me?"

The princess wept uncontrollably in front of Miao Shuyi.

Miao Shuyi was at a loss for words. She didn't have time to ask how her daughter had seen Li Wei, nor did she care to punish us attendants. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she hugged her daughter tightly, weeping with her, and said with resentment, "Who told your father to treat you like such a precious jewel? When Empress Dowager Zhangyi was alive, he never called her 'Mother.' When he learned the truth, it was too late. They were separated by death. He could no longer fulfill his filial duty to the Empress Dowager, so he could only do his best to compensate his maternal uncle's family. He bestowed high-ranking official titles and riches, and rewarded them with gold and silver, but it still wasn't enough. The most precious treasure he could give was you. He wanted to use your birth as the daughter of the emperor to make his maternal uncle's family the richest family in the world."

“If I were truly a jewel, I would accept it without complaint, for I have no eyes or heart, and cannot distinguish between beauty and ugliness, nor between wisdom and folly,” the princess wept. “But who made me a sentient being… I must go and tell my father that I do not like that silly rabbit Li Wei and do not want him to be my husband.”

Miao Shuyi shook her head and advised the princess, "Don't argue with your father, it's useless. This matter has been decided for several years, and no one could change his mind back then, let alone now. If you go to him and cry and refuse the marriage, he will definitely think that you look down on the Li family and are disrespectful to Empress Dowager Zhangyi. There are many trivial matters in the court these days, and your father is already in a bad mood. You must not bring this matter up with him again, lest you upset him."

"Is there no other way?" The princess nestled in her mother's arms, tears streaming down her face, soaking Miao Shuyi's clothes. "I don't want to see that dark and ugly face every day for the rest of my life."

Miao Shuyi sighed sadly, wiping away the princess's tears with a silk handkerchief while gently comforting her: "You still have six years until you turn twenty. Let's wait and see. Perhaps something will happen in the meantime so that you don't have to marry him."

At this moment, the Prefect Wang Wuzi entered, temporarily interrupting their conversation.

"Commander Li has sent a gift to the princess," Wang Wuzi reported, bowing slightly.

The eunuch following behind him stepped forward, holding a tray aloft. The tray was covered with a brocade cloth, and within it stood a towering object; judging from its shape, I vaguely guessed what it was.

At Miao Shuyi's instruction, Wang Wuzi lifted the brocade veil, revealing a clay ox head to the people in the pavilion.

"This is the ox head that Commander Li obtained during today's spring festival. He specially sent it to the palace to wish the princess peace, health, and eternal happiness," Wang Wuzi explained.

The princess and Consort Miao looked at each other in silence. After a moment, the princess ordered Wang Wuzi, "Throw it out."

Wang Wuzi was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

The princess emphasized each word: "Throw this bull's head out."

Wang Wuzi bowed his head and said yes, but did not actually obey the order.

At this moment, Miao Shuyi spoke up: "Li Wei sent this out of good intentions. If the princess doesn't like it, there's no need to waste it. Why not give it to the Emperor? He will surely be happy to accept it."

And so the bull's head was disposed of in this way. Judging from the Emperor's expression when the princess met him the next time, Miao Shuyi was right. The gift did indeed make him very happy. He praised Li Wei for his thoughtfulness and said that the princess was also sensible and always remembered her father.

After listening to her mother's words, the princess temporarily refrained from mentioning her dissatisfaction with the marriage to the emperor. However, she became depressed for several days, completely losing her previous liveliness. She often sat alone in a daze, and sometimes she would secretly wipe away tears. It was unclear whether she was thinking of the consort she disliked or Cao Ping, with whom she was destined to have no future.

The person who brought a smile back to her face was Zhang Chengzhao.

That day, seeing that the princess was still depressed, I suggested that she go to the garden in the pavilion to see the newly blooming white plum blossoms. After much persuasion from me, she finally got up listlessly, and Zhang Chengzhao hurriedly led the way, accompanying me out with her.

The Hundred-Petaled Fragrant Plum, also known as the Yellow Fragrant Plum or the Thousand-Petaled Fragrant Plum, has small and dense flowers with a slightly yellow center. The plum blossom has more than twenty petals. Although it is not as beautiful as the red plum, it has a unique fragrance that drifts in the pavilion with the breeze, refreshing the heart and soul.

The fragrance seemed to have lifted the princess's spirits. She stood under the eaves of the palace, leaning against a pillar, her expression serene, her eyes half-closed, watching the maids Jiaqingzi and Yunguoer in the garden trimming the flowers in the vase.

She moved silently and did not speak. The two maids were chatting happily while pruning plum branches and did not notice the princess's arrival, continuing their conversation.

Jiaqingzi said, "I once secretly went outside the main hall to see Prince Consort Li. To be honest, he looked far inferior to the scholars, and even in court attire, he didn't look like an official."

Yun Guo'er said, "He wasn't an official to begin with. He doesn't need to manage things like other officials; he just needs to collect his salary."

Jiaqingzi said in confusion, "Isn't the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant a fifth-rank official? If he has an official title, he must be in charge of something, right?"

Yun Guo'er laughed and said, "The title of Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant is just an honorary one. The Emperor will not allow him to interfere in court affairs. If there is anything he is in charge of... then he is in charge of the princess's husband!"

Upon hearing this, the princess's eyes darkened.

I coughed lightly, and the two maids turned around and saw us. They were shocked and hurriedly came over to greet the princess, keeping their heads down and not daring to look at her.

The princess remained silent, her expression cold. Seeing this, Zhang Chengzhao stepped forward and scolded the two girls: "What are you gossiping about behind the princess's back? You're talking nonsense... The Imperial Son-in-Law is not the princess's husband!"

Upon hearing his words, the princess turned her head slightly to look at him: "What does the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant do?"

Zhang Chengzhao bowed to the princess and answered loudly, "Your Highness, the 'Captain' in '驸马都尉' actually means 'to oversee the princess's residence,' meaning to guard the princess's home. '驸马' originally meant the horse outside the carriage, but now it refers to someone who drives the princess's carriage, accompanies her on outings, or runs errands for her. In short, a '驸马都尉' is a slightly higher-ranking retainer serving the princess, at her beck and call, available at her beck and call."

Hearing this, Jiaqingzi and Yunguo couldn't help but chuckle, secretly covering their mouths with their sleeves. The princess seemed quite satisfied with the explanation and smiled as well.

Seeing the princess's reaction, Zhang Chengzhao became even more enthusiastic and continued, "The princess's descent is not like a common woman marrying. A common woman must pay respects to her parents-in-law upon marriage and must serve them with even greater care than her own parents. She might even have to endure mistreatment from her elder brothers, sisters-in-law, and younger brothers and sisters-in-law. But the princess's descent is not about becoming a daughter-in-law in the husband's family. What does 'descent' mean? It means that the princess descends to earth like a celestial maiden and is invited back to be worshipped by the husband's family. Once the princess enters the husband's family, the entire family's seniority will be lowered by one level. The princess does not need to treat the husband's parents as her parents-in-law; she only needs to treat them as her elder brothers and sisters-in-law. She does not need to bow to them. Instead, the princess sits behind a curtain in the painted hall, while her parents-in-law pay their respects from outside the curtain. As for those elder brothers, sisters-in-law, younger brothers and sisters-in-law, they are essentially the princess's nephews and nieces. When they come to pay their respects to the princess, if the princess is happy, she will give them a smile; if she is not happy, she does not need to look at them directly..."

I frowned and glared at Zhang Chengzhao, signaling him to shut up, and he finally stopped talking. The princess, however, seemed quite interested and pressed on, "Is that really true? Why didn't Father mention it to me?"