The Lonely City Closed

Chapter 79

Although I couldn't offer her many words of comfort, I could imagine how she felt. Several imperial physicians indicated that, based on her pulse, Qiuhe was likely carrying a boy. The other palace ladies also said she had a face indicating she would give birth to a son, and the Emperor himself was almost certain she would bear a son. Every order he issued was to prepare for the birth of a "prince," seemingly addressed to both his ministers and himself. However, if fate intervened, the greater the expectation now, the greater the disappointment in the future. As a concubine, Qiuhe was somewhat of an anomaly. She disliked vying for favor and pursuing fame and status. While other concubines worried about not being able to give birth to a prince mostly for their own future, she was simply afraid of hurting her husband, even though her feelings for him might not have been love.

So when news spread from the palace a month later that Lady Zhou, the Lady of Anding County, was pregnant, I think Qiuhe must have felt a little relieved. When I saw her again, she was indeed in much better health, and her smile was much brighter than before.

With both ladies pregnant, the chances of them giving birth to princes have greatly increased. The Emperor is overjoyed and has held several imperial banquets in the palace. Ministers' wives, noblewomen, and members of the imperial family have all come to the palace to offer their congratulations.

After a private banquet, the Emperor and Empress kept the princess and the Empress Dowager's wife behind for a chat in the inner palace. Since everyone present was a close relative, the conversation was not very formal. Consort Yu then asked the princess with a smile, "It has been more than a year since the princess was born. I wonder when His Majesty will be able to have a grandson to celebrate his joy?"

The princess was displeased, frowning and remaining silent. Consort Yu thought she was just shy, so she turned to the Empress Dowager with a smile and said, "I've heard that the Holy Mother of Fertility at Yuxian Temple outside the city is very efficacious. Why don't we have the Commandant take the princess there to offer incense and pray for an heir? Who knows, the Empress Dowager might be able to bring her grandson into the palace by this time next year."

Having already looked quite displeased after hearing what Consort Yu had said to the princess, Madam Yang immediately sneered upon hearing this and replied to Consort Yu, "Where is the Goddess of Fertility so effective that she can make a couple who have never even touched each other have a child?"

Upon hearing this, all the palace ladies present looked at each other in astonishment, and Consort Yu was also stunned, remaining silent.

Once Madam Yang's lingering anxieties were stirred, she couldn't help but continue, "Bringing a grandson into the palace? I'd like to, but a grandson can't be conceived by the prince consort alone. The husband and wife's bedrooms are three thousand li apart; it would be strange if they could even have a child! Even if the goddess of fertility is incredibly powerful, what good is it if the person doesn't want to have a child..."

Seeing that the situation was not going well, Consort Miao quickly changed the subject: "The Empress Dowager already has grandsons. A few days ago, the eldest son's sister-in-law brought several of her sons to the palace. I think the eldest son is only a teenager. I wonder what official position he has been appointed to?"

This successfully diverted Madam Yang's attention, and she quickly shifted the focus to seeking an official position for her eldest grandson: "I was just telling my sister-in-law the other day that she shouldn't bring the child out so often. The child is over ten years old, and he's bound to meet some important people when he goes out. It's not appropriate for him to always be dressed in plain clothes. If they say he's a member of the imperial family, wouldn't that be embarrassing for the Emperor..."

The gathering ended with the Emperor's promise to promote the son of Li Zhang, the eldest brother of the Imperial Son-in-Law. Afterwards, the Empress Dowager's wife returned to the Princess's residence first, while the Empress kept the Princess behind and summoned her to the inner chamber of Rouyi Palace. She also sent Consort Miao and Consort Yu along, presumably to inquire in detail about the Princess's private affairs.

Over the past year, the Empress and Consort Miao had inquired about the princess's marital affairs, but the princess remained silent. When they asked Supervisor Liang, he declined to comment, saying it was inconvenient to get involved. He suggested they ask Han, but Han was protective of the princess and disliked Li Wei's simple and uncouth manner, so she did not tell them the truth. She simply mumbled that everything was fine and brushed the question off.

Therefore, the information revealed by Madam Yang was beyond their expectations. Summoning the princess to the inner room for a private talk clearly indicated that she wanted to advise her.

I accompanied the princess to Rouyi Palace, but did not enter the inner chambers; instead, I stood in the hall waiting. Being quite far away, I couldn't clearly hear what the concubines were saying, but I sensed their constant whispering, which I assumed meant they were taking turns urging the princess to accept the prince consort.

They waited for over half an hour. At first, the princess remained silent, but when she finally spoke, her voice was raised in indignation: "No, you are not me, how could you possibly understand my feelings? Even if Father wasn't the emperor, he was still a refined and handsome scholar, so you can't possibly imagine how I feel facing a mediocre and despicable husband... He has nothing but the stench of money, squandering the money Father gave him, associating with frivolous and shallow friends, trying to appear cultured but failing miserably. Last time, he wanted to buy paintings and calligraphy to present to Father and Aunt, but he bought a bunch of fakes. The paintings by Xu Chongsi and Guo Xi that were finally presented were actually found by Huaiji... If your husbands were like this, could you still be able to share a room with him without any reservations?"

Seeing her so agitated, I was slightly surprised and took a few steps toward the inner room.

A silence followed, with none of the three consorts speaking. The princess calmed down slightly and continued, her tone less aggressive than before, but her voice still clear: "Father married me to him to glorify Empress Dowager Zhangyi's family, and once I enter his household, that goal is achieved. The Li family gains another layer of imperial status, and Li Wei can enjoy his honor as the Imperial Son-in-Law for life. I am not a man, so I don't have to bear the responsibility of continuing the imperial bloodline, and I don't restrict Li Wei from taking concubines. He can have as many women as he wants, and as many children as he wants, and his lineage will not end because of me. In the future, if his concubines give birth to children, I can treat them as my own, and I ask Father to promote them... Isn't that enough? Why do you insist on me marrying him..."

Consort Miao lowered her voice and spoke to her earnestly, but the princess still did not accept it, only replying, "Are you talking about happiness, sister? We are different. Your happiness may be being favored by your husband and being able to spend more time with him, but the only happiness I can pray for now is for that annoying person to stay away from me so that I can live in peace."

The princess ended the day's private conversation with these resolute words. Several concubines tried to persuade her several more times afterward, but all to no avail. The Emperor was also quite worried and summoned Supervisor Liang and Lady Han to inquire about the matter, but they were also at a loss. He could only ask Supervisor Liang to convey his message to the Prince Consort: the princess still needs guidance, and the Prince Consort must wait patiently and not anger the princess.

In addition, the Emperor also indicated that the son-in-law could take concubines.

Upon hearing this news, Madam Yang immediately began arranging for the prince consort to take a concubine, publicly declaring that this was done by imperial decree. However, Li Wei was uncooperative, repeatedly refusing to even look at the beautiful women his mother had found. Madam Yang was displeased and couldn't help but grumble and complain, expressing numerous grievances against the princess.

Lady Han was furious upon hearing this. With the princess's consent, she asked Supervisor Liang to persuade the prince consort to take a concubine as soon as possible. Supervisor Liang went, and soon returned with the same news: the prince consort refused. "I tried to persuade him for a long time, but he just lowered his head and remained silent. In the end, he only said one sentence: 'If I take a concubine, then the princess and I will always be like this, won't we?'"

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch): Who can share the fragrant love of a pair of lovebirds?

Chapter word count: 2642 Update time: 09-07-05 10:31

Fragrance

(2381 words)

Summer came early in the fourth year of the Jiayou era. It was already very hot in April. Even wearing light silk clothes, a thin layer of sweat would seep through after just a few steps.

The princess often went to the courtyard to cool off in the evenings. This day, she ordered someone to move a green gauze-draped screen to stand beside the tea rose stand, with a light rattan couch in the center. On the couch were a small mountain-shaped screen, a green bamboo basket with water patterns, and a Ding kiln white porcelain child-shaped pillow. Then she took off her crown, loosely tied it into a small bun, and secured it with a jade hairpin. She lay on the couch and chatted idly with her maid. Feeling bored, she called a eunuch to bring a backgammon board, moved it to the front of the couch, and had the maid sit opposite her. She herself remained lying on her side, gently waving a silk fan, and played a game of chess with her maid.

In games of strategy, this was her forte. She casually waved her fan, playing with nonchalant ease, while her opponents crumbled one after another. After Xiaoyan'er and Yunguo'er were defeated, Jiaqingzi took over the seat opposite the princess. Her skills were originally quite good, but she struggled more under pressure, taking increasingly longer to think. The princess, however, maintained a relaxed and leisurely demeanor. After each move, she would often gracefully recline, gazing at the Milky Way and stars with a serene air. The jade hairpin in her hair would occasionally tap lightly against the white porcelain pillow with each turn, producing a soft, rhythmic sound. Finally, Jiaqingzi couldn't hold on any longer and looked to me for help, softly calling, "Mr. Liang..."

I smiled at her, continued to use a silver spoon to polish the flames of the sandalwood candle, added the latticed glass cover, then walked behind her to look at her. Next, I picked up a black chess piece in front of her, chose a direction, and moved it one step for her, according to the number she had rolled on the dice. This didn't arouse the princess's particular suspicion; she continued to play casually, exchanging moves with me two or three times before gradually realizing the situation had changed. She abandoned her relaxed reclining posture, sat up to examine the game closely, made two more moves, and seeing that she couldn't regain her initial advantage, complained with dissatisfaction, "A true gentleman observes chess without speaking."

Jiaqingzi burst out laughing: "If the princess didn't want Mr. Liang to instruct me in chess, why didn't she say so earlier?"

The princess glared at her and said, "You brat, do you think I'm afraid of him?" "Hmm, not afraid, not afraid at all, the princess is naturally not afraid of anything!" Jiaqingzi stood up with a smile and pulled me to sit down. "Let the teacher play this game. But you mustn't deliberately let anyone win. The three of us sisters are counting on the teacher to avenge our previous defeat."

I smiled without saying a word, and seeing that the princess was displeased, I suggested, "You've almost finished playing this game, so let's call it a draw and start another game."

The princess swept the chessboard aside and said, "Since you are playing, we must first agree on a wager."

I smiled and asked, "What prize does the princess want?"

"If you lose, you must paint a landscape scroll for me," the princess said, very seriously, and continued, "If I lose, I will allow you to paint a landscape scroll for me."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing: "So the princess wanted to change the painting on her pillow screen."

There's a small pillow screen at the head of her current tatami bed, used to block the wind. The landscape painting on it was originally one of my paintings, "Distant Mountains and Misty Waters." She saw it and asked me for it, but instead, she cut it up and framed it to make a pillow screen. Since then, I've refused to ask her for any more paintings. Now that she's listed this unreasonable condition, she must feel that the painting on the pillow screen should be replaced.

Jiaqingzi covered his mouth and laughed upon hearing this: "Mr. Liang's painting is worthy of being sent to the Imperial Library for safekeeping. Using it as a screen is indeed a waste."

"What do you know? Are those sent to the Secret Pavilion so rare?" the princess retorted immediately. "Don't you even know how many paintings and calligraphies are sent to the Secret Pavilion every year, but only a few are selected by me to be used as screens!"

More than ten years of living and working together has made me realize that there is no reasoning with this little girl. After some bargaining, I finally proposed that if I lost, I would paint a landscape painting for her, but if she lost, she would have to return the small screen to me.

She reluctantly agreed, as if she had already suffered a great loss.

In the ensuing backgammon game, she gave it her all, and I focused intently, employing a tight defense while subtly launching attacks, giving her few opportunities. After a short while, most of my pieces had entered her inner square, and victory seemed within reach.

She began to fidget, glancing at the flower stand one moment and looking up at the sky the next, but each time her gaze was drawn back to the chessboard by the sound of me tapping the chess pieces. She unconsciously pouted and her brows furrowed.

After I made my crucial move, she racked her brains but still couldn't find a way to counter it, and it looked like she was about to lose the game. Just then, Xiaoyan'er came over with a kitten, watching the game with a smile. The princess looked at the kitten, her eyes lit up, and then she said to me with a smile, "Huaiji, where is Vega today?"

I immediately looked up and, finding nothing unusual about the stars, I understood her purpose. Out of the corner of my eye, I also saw her pointing at the chessboard, desperately trying to wink at Xiaoyan'er.

Smiling, she understood and loosened her grip, tossing the kitten in her arms onto the chessboard. The kitten fluttered around a couple of times, scattering the two-colored chess pieces across the board, making it impossible to discern their original formation.

"Oh dear, this wretched cat!" The princess pretended to pat the kitten while glancing at the disrupted chessboard and chuckling smugly.

"What a pity, such a good game of chess can't be finished." She sighed deliberately.