Eyes Charming - Chapter 42
The Censorate dispatched jailers to break into the residences of Wang Shen, the son-in-law of the Imperial Son-in-Law, and Wang Gong, the son of Zhang Fangping, the Minister of Works, who were accused of "receiving Su Shi's satirical writings about the court." Their aim was to search for "evidence" such as poems, letters, and documents exchanged with Su Shi. Having heard rumors of this, Wang Shen had already burned or secretly hidden these items, so the jailers found nothing for the time being. However, just as they were becoming exhausted and frustrated, they inadvertently discovered something of great interest in a woman's bedroom in the backyard of the Imperial Son-in-Law's residence—erotic toys. After admiring them with great interest, they took these items back to report.
The prince consort, Wang Shen, turned ashen-faced. These items were found in the room of his concubine, Xiao Wu. If the emperor found out, he would surely blame him for his frivolous behavior and neglect of the princess.
After much deliberation, he nervously entered the bedridden princess's room, confided in her about the matter, and pleaded with her to find a way to save him.
The princess slowly shed two lines of tears and said, "Don't worry, Jinqing. Now that the Zizhan Poetry Case has already put you in a difficult situation, how can you be burdened by this matter again? I will definitely help you."
The princess, despite being ill, rose and went to the palace to see the emperor and empress dowager.
At this moment, Zhao Xu had his men bring the erotic paraphernalia confiscated from the驸马府 (驸马府 is a place for imperial son-in-laws) into Empress Dowager Gao's Bao Ci Palace and present it to her. He angrily said, "These items were found in a woman's room in the backyard of the驸马府, not in the princess's room. Given their exquisite craftsmanship, they must be extremely valuable. Ordinary servants couldn't afford them. They must be the tools the驸马 uses for pleasure with his concubines. It's clear Wang Shen is habitually licentious and indulgent. No wonder my sister is becoming increasingly melancholic and haggard; it's clearly due to his neglect!"
The Empress Dowager didn't know what to say. She knew that what Xu said made sense. Her daughter was gentle and virtuous and would not be jealous, so the驸马 (the驸马) must have gradually become indulgent and acted recklessly, which was extremely hateful. But if she condemned Wang Shen, it would only add fuel to the fire for Xu, making him punish Wang Shen severely, which would also upset her daughter.
The Empress Dowager was in a dilemma, sighing repeatedly, when she saw the princess, looking sickly and unsteady on her feet, enter the palace. Just as she was about to greet the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xu, Emperor Xu stepped forward and supported her, asking, "Sister, why aren't you resting at home instead of forcing yourself to come to the palace?"
The princess sighed, "The Emperor sent people to break into my residence and search it. They practically demolished the entire mansion. How can I possibly recover peacefully?"
Xu explained, "It was just to find Su Shi's documents at the prince consort's place. I specifically instructed them not to disturb the princess."
The princess looked around, her gaze landing on the erotic toys. She smiled calmly and asked Xu, "Are these also Su Shi's documents?"
"I was just about to ask you, my elder sister, whether your husband often neglects you." Princess Xula sat down, pointed to the utensils, and asked, "Judging from this, he must often indulge in illicit pleasures with the maids and concubines in the mansion, right?"
“No, he’s very good to me,” the princess replied calmly. “You’re mistaken. The room where this item was found is where I take a nap during the day. In other words, these erotic toys are mine.”
(to be continued)
Note: The "Wutai Poetry Case" involving Su Shi actually occurred four years later in the second year of the Yuanfeng era. I moved the timeline forward to make the novel's structure more compact, the narrative more convenient, and to logically arrange later events. Lü Huiqing wasn't the mastermind behind the case, but since he had already committed many misdeeds, one more wouldn't hurt, especially since he and Su Shi were already at odds. :)
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torture
Zhao Xu naturally didn't believe the princess's words, but since it involved matters of the boudoir, he couldn't pry and could only turn his head away in silence. The princess then begged him to forgive Wang Shen and Su Shi, but he remained silent. The princess tearfully pleaded with her mother, the Empress Dowager, for help, and the Empress Dowager Gao also spoke up, urging Xu to spare Wang Shen. However, Xu only said that everything would be decided after the case was thoroughly investigated.
Helpless, the princess rose and went to Qingshou Palace to see the Empress Dowager. Upon seeing her grandmother, she knelt down and wept bitterly, her body pressed against her grandmother's lap. The Empress Dowager stroked her, surprised, and asked, "Why are you so sickly and grieving? Has your husband mistreated you?"
The princess shook her head and then recounted the whole story of the "Wutai Poetry Case," trying her best to defend Su Shi and Wang Shen, claiming that they had been framed innocently, and asking the Empress Dowager to intervene and save them.
The Empress Dowager immediately summoned Xu and asked him, "I heard that His Majesty has ordered Su Shi to be imprisoned. I wonder what crime he has committed?"
Xu replied, "Su Shi's poems in the Qiantang Collection contain many satirical remarks about the government, resentment towards the court, and slander against the emperor and father. This is extremely disrespectful and he should be punished."
The Empress Dowager picked up a copy of "Qiantang Collection" and asked with a sneer, "Are you referring to the poems in this book? I've read them too. I only see Su Shi's deep concern for the country and its people, and his loyalty to the emperor and his country. I don't see any resentment towards the court or any slander against the emperor and his father."
"The country has just been pacified after the drought, and Su Shi wrote poems that slandered the new laws at this time. With the help of Wang Shen, these poems were published in the capital. This has a negative impact on confusing people's hearts and arousing resentment and dissatisfaction towards the court. I must punish him." Xu explained to the Empress Dowager, and recited a few lines from the poem that were clearly aimed at the new laws as evidence.
After hearing his explanation, the Empress Dowager said with pity, "What kind of evidence is this? To execute Su Shi based on just a few lines of poetry? Look at those three hundred poems; most of them criticize current affairs. If we were to investigate each one and execute all the authors, wouldn't that be a collection of their last testaments? Scholars write poems and lyrics to express their feelings at the moment, not out of any real disrespect or treason. Even if there are one or two instances of satire on the government, that's normal for poets, intended to advise the monarch to address the people's livelihood issues. To fabricate these slightly offensive words into a crime is not the way a ruler should be cautious in handling cases and show compassion for talent." I remember... When the brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe first entered the imperial examinations, Emperor Renzong greatly admired their talent, saying with satisfaction, "I have gained two excellent prime ministers for my descendants!" Now, I find the motives of those who accuse Su Shi highly suspicious. They are likely either jealous of his talent or seeking personal revenge. You must investigate this carefully. Moreover, Su Shi possesses both virtue and talent, enjoying extremely high prestige among the people and in literary circles. If you were to execute him, you would not only be killing him, but also the hearts of the people, leaving you with the eternal infamy of using murder to silence public opinion!
The Empress Dowager's words gave Xu a sudden realization. In truth, he didn't want to sentence Su Shi to death either; it was just that Li Dingshu and others had deliberately escalated the case, as if only killing Su Shi could appease public anger, leaving Xu in an awkward position. The Empress Dowager's words pulled him back from the path of suppressing talent, making him clearly realize that continuing to severely punish Su Shi would be a sign of narrow-mindedness and inability to tolerate talent, certainly not the behavior of a wise ruler.
After leaving Qingshou Palace, he timely received a memorial from Wu Chong pleading for leniency for Su Shi. Excellent; he needed such a memorial now to make his decision to treat Su Shi leniently seem popular. Looking at Wu Chong's memorial, a pleased smile unconsciously crept onto his face.
Upon hearing that the Emperor intended to leniency towards Su Shi, Lü Huiqing sensed something was amiss. He immediately gathered his cronies and ordered them to carefully examine the *Qiantang Collection* again, searching for any "rebellious poems." He also began devising new schemes to frame Su Shi. His deep resentment towards Su Shi wasn't solely due to Su Shi's opposition to his implementation of the "hand-operated" policy. Su Shi was highly talented and renowned, frequently praised even by the two empress dowagers and the Emperor himself. If circumstances changed again, and Wang Anshi retired, a new prime minister would be chosen, and Su Shi might be reinstated at the recommendation of the two empress dowagers. In that case, Su Shi would be the biggest obstacle to Lü Huiqing's rise to power. Therefore, in the long run, it was crucial to eliminate Su Shi now to prevent future trouble.
He turned his attention to the courtesan who had exchanged poems with Su Shi.
One afternoon, a woman arrived at the gate of Prime Minister Wang Anshi's residence, weeping and pleading, requesting to see the young master. Wang Anshi was working at the Secretariat, while Wang Pang, who had been frequently visiting the homes of powerful officials and scholars, was not present. The gatekeeper's servant reported this to Lady Wang. Lady Wang asked what the woman looked like, and the servant replied that she was young and beautiful, fashionably dressed, and resembled a courtesan. Lady Wang was quite displeased, thinking that her son had incurred some romantic entanglements and that a courtesan had come to their door. She ordered the servant to tell her that the young master was not there and to send her away. However, the servant returned and said that the woman insisted on staying, saying that if the young master was not there, she would request to see the young mistress, who would recognize her. Lady Wang was surprised, thinking that it was not surprising that her son knew a courtesan, but how could her daughter-in-law know her too? Finally, she agreed to let her in and had someone invite Pang Di downstairs to see her.
Upon seeing her, Pang Di recognized the courtesan as Gu Lingyun, the Hangzhou courtesan Wang Pang had taken her to Fuxiang Tower shortly after their marriage. She smiled and asked, "It's been a long time. How are you and your sister?"
Gu Lingyun immediately knelt down before her, tears streaming down her face, and cried, "My sister is now in prison, tortured to the point of near death. I fear that if this continues, she will not survive. Please, young mistress, tell Young Master Wang about this and ask him to find a way to save her. We sisters will repay your great kindness in our next life!"
Pang Di immediately helped her up and asked in surprise, "What happened? How could it be like this?"
So Gu Lingyun explained the reason to her. Lü Huiqing had repeatedly visited Fuxiang Tower to ask Gu Lingbo to accompany him, or invited her to his residence for gatherings and singing, but Gu Lingbo found him treacherous and disliked him greatly, so she always made excuses to decline, naturally arousing Lü Huiqing's dissatisfaction and resentment. Now that Su Shi's case had come to light, Lü Huiqing wanted to find the courtesans who had associated with him, to have them testify that Su Shi's words and poems contained slanderous remarks about the court and the emperor, proving that he was not only disrespectful but also rebellious. Furthermore, he could use this to accuse him of being a high-ranking official who had indulged in unrestrained prostitution, a crime against public morals. The first courtesan he thought of was Gu Lingbo, so he ordered the jailers to arrest her and throw her in prison, demanding that she "confess" to Su Shi's "rebellious" words and her "illicit affair" with him. He even wrote her a "confession," waiting only for her to sign it. Unexpectedly, Gu Lingbo remained strong and resolute, only cursing him for framing a loyal official. She loudly praised Su Shi's noble character, loyalty to the emperor, and patriotism, insisting that Su Shi was a gentleman and that their relationship was completely innocent and without any illicit affair. Lü Huiqing instructed his subordinates to torture her, but despite trying every possible method, she still refused to confess. Several times she fainted from the pain, but upon waking, she continued to curse and refuse to yield.
“My sister is covered in wounds, almost every part of her body is unharmed, but she won’t be released unless she confesses to framing Lord Su, Lü Huiqing. After thinking it over, I can only find Young Master Wang as someone who can save her,” Gu Lingyun said with tears in his eyes.
Pang Di was both shocked and furious, never expecting Lü Huiqing to be so despicable, attempting to frame his political enemy, Su Shi, by torturing a weak woman. He immediately comforted Gu Lingyun, promising to tell Wang Pang about the matter and ask him to rescue Gu Lingbo. Gu Lingyun thanked him repeatedly, bowing and kowtowing before slowly leaving.
So Pang Di waited for him in Wang Pang's room. He didn't return until evening, slightly tipsy, but his eyes shone brightly with a sense of self-satisfaction. He was slightly surprised to see Pang Di, but perhaps because he was in a good mood, he even managed to smile at her and ask, "Is something the matter?"
Pang Di had no interest in probing the reason for his good mood or pondering his attitude towards her, and went straight to the point: "Do you still remember Gu Lingbo from Fuxiang Pavilion? She was almost killed by Lü Huiqing."
After learning what had happened, Wang Pang didn't say anything more. He immediately got up, went out, and headed straight for the Censorate prison.
When he returned home, it was late at night. Pang Di, who had been waiting, saw his solemn expression and the sudden loss of his spirits, and knew that things were probably not going well.
He looked at her and said, "It's too late. She's already dead."
“She died from hitting her head against the wall.” Wang Pang continued to describe what he saw: “When I arrived, the jailers were carrying her out of the cell. Her head was covered in blood, which stained most of her clothes and mixed with the blood from her old wounds. The walls and the floor were also covered in blood, a horrifying sight. It was pitiful that her eyes were still open in anger, and she did not close them even after she died.”
Pang Di was speechless for a moment before finally sighing and saying, "I never imagined that a courtesan could be so fierce. She was willing to sacrifice her life to protect the purity of the man she admired. She is admirable and praiseworthy."
Wang Pang remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Pang Di asked him, "Have her funeral arrangements been made? Is there anything we can do for her?"
Wang Pang said, "I have already notified her sister to handle the funeral arrangements. Tomorrow, please ask Father to instruct the Censorate to take charge of the burial. However, if we're talking about what I can really do for her, that's not what I'm referring to."
Pang Di understood his meaning: "You mean to take revenge on Lü Huiqing, right? Can this implicate him?"
“He already has a strong foundation in the court, and his faction is growing. He can’t be brought down by just one or two incidents. But let me make some preparations, and there will be a time when he’ll be in trouble.” Wang Pang suddenly smiled, raised his eyebrows and asked Pang Di, “Lü Huiqing first killed Uncle Anguo, then tried to prevent Father from returning to the position of prime minister, and now he has forced a weak woman like Gu Lingbo to her death. This man is insidious and ruthless, and he deserves to die. What do you think we should do with him in the future?”
Pang Di asked in bewilderment, "What else can be done? At most, we can dismiss him from his post, or perhaps you can persuade the emperor to punish him and imprison him?"
Wang Pang smiled and said, "I am currently advising the Emperor to reinstate corporal punishment. Wouldn't it be perfect to use it on someone like Lü Huiqing in the future?"
Corporal punishment! The most cruel punishment in history? Pang Di was shocked: her husband actually asked the emperor to restore this cruel punishment, and when he talked about it, his tone was so calm and his smile was so light and leisurely, as if he were just talking about how to plant flowers and trees.
Corporal punishment, implemented since the pre-Qin period, consisted of five punishments: tattooing, nose amputation, foot amputation, castration, and death penalty. These punishments aimed to inflict physical harm on the individual and were highly valued by prominent Legalists, particularly Shang Yang. After unifying China, Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) felt that the "three-chapter law" was insufficient to control wrongdoing. Therefore, he ordered his prime minister, Xiao He, to emulate the Qin law and "select what was suitable for the times, creating nine chapters of law." In addition to death penalty, he issued an edict to exterminate three generations of a family: "Those whose three generations are involved shall first be tattooed, nose amputated, and their left and right hands cut off, then flogged to death, their heads displayed, and their bones and flesh pickled in the market. Those who slander or curse shall first have their tongues cut off." This was also known as the Five Punishments. Later, Emperor Wen of Han reformed the penal system, abolishing these cruel corporal punishments. By the Sui and Tang dynasties, a new five-punishment system, primarily based on flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile, and death penalty, was gradually established, and corporal punishment ceased to be used.
Pang Di recalled Wang Pang's words to his father: "Just behead Han Qi and Fu Bi in the marketplace and display their heads to the public, and you won't have to worry about the new laws failing!" At the time, he thought that Wang Pang was just being too eager to implement the new laws and that he was speaking recklessly. Little did he know that the restoration of corporal punishment had always been one of the governing methods he was planning to use.
"No!" she naturally objected firmly. "Corporal punishment is too cruel and deeply wounds people. No wise ruler or prosperous era should use such cruel methods to punish criminals. If you insist on persuading the Emperor to reinstate this punishment, you will be condemned by future generations!"
“I knew you would object.” His smile gradually cooled, revealing a hint of hostile mockery: “Do you know who opposes this most vehemently in the court? — It’s Prince Qi! You two are truly like-minded and of one mind!”
ruling
Seeing that a death had occurred, Lü Huiqing dared not continue to use the courtesans to frame Su Shi. Instead, he sought to find "slanderous" intent in Su Shi's poetry. He noticed Su Shi's poem about the cypress, which reads: "Standing tall and fearless, its straight trunk soars into the sky, seeking no strangeness. Its roots reach to the netherworld, without crookedness; only the hibernating dragon knows its secrets." He felt the phrase "hibernating dragon" held great significance and consulted Wang Gui. The next day, Wang Gui reported to Emperor Zhao Xu in court: "Su Shi's poem about the cypress says, 'Its roots reach to the netherworld, without crookedness; only the hibernating dragon knows its secrets.' I don't know if he is comparing Your Majesty to a hibernating dragon or if he is implying another dragon vein lurking in the world. Clearly, he harbors resentment and slanders his sovereign, a clear indication of disloyalty. If Your Majesty does not severely punish him, it will be difficult to serve as a warning to future generations."
Zhao Xu said unhappily, "Why are you nitpicking like this? Su Shi's poem is just about cypress trees. What does it have to do with me? It probably doesn't really have any satirical meaning."
Wang Gui added, “The slanderous intent here is very obvious, and most people can see it. If Su Shi is not severely punished, it will be difficult to eliminate this bad influence.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu turned to Wang Anshi and asked for his opinion: "What does Mr. Jiefu think?"
Wang Anshi stepped forward, bowed to the emperor, and then turned to Wang Gui, asking, "I would like to ask you, sir, have you heard of these two lines of poetry: 'The people of the world await the morning mist, unaware that the dragon coils here'? Is the meaning similar to the lines about 'hibernating dragon'?"
Wang Gui pondered for a moment before replying, "This poem describes a dragon coiling in the mist without bringing rain, thus benefiting all living beings. It also seems to be a veiled criticism of His Majesty the Emperor..."
Wang Anshi then asked, "In that case, the author of this poem must be in cahoots with Su Shi, and also guilty of harboring resentment and slandering the emperor and father?"
Wang Gui didn't know what he meant, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't back down, so he had no choice but to stick to his guns: "This poem must have been written by one of Su Shi's cronies..."
"So I was also a member of Su Shi's faction! I didn't know that until you told me!" Wang Anshi laughed and said, "I wrote this poem. According to your interpretation, I should be imprisoned!"
Wang Gui was greatly embarrassed and immediately fell silent, daring not to answer. Zhao Xu smiled knowingly, and Wang Anshi then said to him, "Your Majesty, it is very common for poets to use the character 'dragon' to express their feelings. Where are they all alluding to Your Majesty? Although Su Shi is outspoken, arrogant, and his political views are out of step with the times, and the views in his poems are debatable, I believe he has no intention of offending or slandering Your Majesty. To sentence him to death based on a few poems would be too much and would surely cause controversy among the people, thus damaging Your Majesty's reputation. I beg Your Majesty to treat him leniently, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty's enlightened and benevolent nature."
Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your opinion coincides with mine."
Seeing this, Lü Huiqing couldn't help but step forward and advise, "I believe Su Shi is indeed a disloyal subject..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xu turned his head and said angrily, "Do you want future generations to criticize me for not being able to tolerate talent?"
Startled, Lü Huiqing swallowed back the words she had prepared, took a step back, and remained silent.
Zhao Xu then glanced at Wang Gui, Li Ding, Shu Dan, Lü Huiqing, and others, and said, "Look at you all. Mr. Jie Fu and Su Shi had such different political views that they were like fire and water, but he did not take advantage of Su Shi's misfortune to retaliate against him. Instead, he spoke up to defend him. How many of you can match such magnanimity?"
Those people lowered their heads and looked down dejectedly, not daring to utter another sound.
Zhao Xu then announced his proposed punishments: "Su Shi, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Director of the Imperial Academy, is guilty of satirizing the government through his poems and writings. He is hereby demoted to the position of Acting Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, Deputy Military Commissioner of Huangzhou, and exiled to this prefecture. Su Shi's brother, Su Zhe, the Signatory Judge of Yingtian Prefecture, attempted to redeem Su Shi by offering his official position, but was found to have disrespected the government officials and is demoted to the position of Supervisor of Wine in Fuzhou. Wang Gong privately communicated with Su Shi and made irresponsible remarks about the government, and refused to hand over the documents exchanged with Su Shi. He is exiled to Binzhou. Sima Guang, Zhang Fangping, Fan Zhen, Chen Xiang, Liu Zhi, Liu Ban, Sun Jue, Li Chang, Qian Zao, and twenty-two others who secretly colluded with Su Shi are fined twenty catties of copper as a warning."
Lu Huiqing's faction was greatly disappointed, while the rest of the involved parties breathed a sigh of relief: this punishment was the lightest they could imagine. Although the emperor was young, he was still able to distinguish right from wrong and pulled back from the brink in time, and was not misled by slander and used words as a prison to punish the scholars of the world.
The imperial son-in-law, Wang Shen, had been feeling uneasy and apprehensive. However, since he hadn't heard his name mentioned in Xu's ruling, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, thinking that Xu was only letting him off the hook because of his status as his brother-in-law. So, he put on a happy face and was about to join the courtiers in shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times to express their gratitude when he heard Xu coldly call out his name: "Imperial Son-in-Law, Commandant Wang Shen, listen to the decree."
Wang Shen was taken aback and had no choice but to step forward, kneel down, and receive the imperial decree.
“Wang Shen, the Imperial Son-in-Law and Commandant, privately funded the publication of a collection of poems by Su Shi that satirized the government. Later, he defied the laws of the court and refused to hand over Su Shi’s seditious poems. Therefore, he was stripped of all his official titles and exiled to Junzhou.”
Wang Shen's face turned ashen, and he remained silent and dejected. After a long while, he silently kowtowed and accepted the imperial decree.
Xu looked at him indifferently, keeping his cold smile to himself. He knew that Wang Shen surely understood that the main reason for his current predicament wasn't actually the Su Shi case; he was merely using it as an excuse to find an impeccable reason to publicly punish his brother-in-law who had wronged his imperial sister. He had entrusted his most beloved sister to Wang Shen, yet he didn't cherish it, content to enjoy the status and wealth that came with being a驸马都尉 (Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant), never realizing that everything he possessed was given to him by the princess. Without her, he was nothing, possessed nothing at all.
Upon hearing the Emperor's verdict on Su Shi's case at home, Pang Di finally felt relieved. She had initially worried that her father-in-law would use this opportunity to completely destroy Su Shi, her political enemy. However, she hadn't expected him to be so magnanimous and righteous as to speak up for Su Shi. This increased her respect and admiration for him. In the days leading up to this, she had feared that the Emperor would indeed adopt the advice of those sycophants and execute Su Shi. She had considered persuading Wang Pang to ask her father-in-law to save Su Shi, but then she reconsidered, thinking that Wang Pang was far more suspicious than before. If he saw her so eager to save Su Shi, he would surely be displeased and might even do the opposite, harming the person she wanted to save. Therefore, she remained silent, only praying silently for Su Shi. Fortunately, things finally turned for the better; although Su Shi was demoted, at least his life was spared.
Thinking of her husband's recent changes brought another wave of sadness. She soon discovered that her little friendship with Prince Qi had solidified into an intractable knot in his heart. He would frequently mention Prince Qi's name to mock her, constantly implying an affair between them. Naturally, she refused to tolerate this unfounded suspicion and would always refute him, which usually ignited his anger, making arguments a daily occurrence when they met. To avoid these pointless disputes, she resorted to locking herself upstairs all day, as before, to minimize her visits with her husband.
The flowers have faded, their crimson petals falling, and spring is drawing to a close once more. One day, leaning alone against the railing, idly watching the swallows on the eaves, I suddenly remembered that it was my birthday. Alas, life was so desolate that, like everyone else, I had no desire to celebrate, and I had almost forgotten the significance of this day. Yet, I couldn't help but recall my birthday shortly after marrying Wang Pang in the fourth year of the Xining era. At that time, she was a beautiful 29-year-old, her heart as pure and lovely as her appearance. Her husband openly doted on her with unbridled affection, lavishly inviting the whole family to celebrate with her, even professing his love for her in front of everyone. These were things she had never experienced in her previous peaceful, quiet, and self-restrained life, and she was naturally surprised, then felt a heartfelt joy and happiness born of bliss. He was so dashing, confident, and passionate back then, and he always knew when to express his feelings subtly and gently, and when to be bold and unrestrained. His sweet words were neither cheesy nor crude. Although she would occasionally get a little annoyed by his teasing remarks, deep down she loved his way of expressing himself. It was a kind of uninhibited intimacy, which is gone now, and that's why she misses it so much, especially on days like these that easily evoke sweet memories.
What is he doing today? Most likely, he's still visiting powerful officials and the homes of scholar-officials he might try to win over. Manipulating power and building his own faction seems to be his only passion now. Will he even remember that today is his wife's birthday? Alas, how can one expect that? He has already forgotten all the loving days they spent together; how can one expect him to remember this day, which has lost all meaning for him?
So, on this day that should have been joyful, she could only lean alone upstairs, gazing wistfully at the swallows on the eaves with envious eyes.
Suddenly, her maid, Green Sleeves, rushed upstairs, interrupting her thoughts: "Miss, a distinguished guest has come to see you!"
"Who?" she asked, frowning. Who would come to see her at this time? Especially a "distinguished guest."
“The eldest princess of Shu Kingdom,” Green Sleeves replied.
When the two women met again, they inevitably held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes, but they both tried to smile, both to hide their gloomy mood and to offer each other some comfort by trying to appear as cheerful as possible.
"How is the princess doing lately?" Pang Di asked her.
The princess forced a smile and said, "Not long after the prince consort left, I also sent Xiaowu to Junzhou to accompany him. This way, the house is much quieter, and I can have some peace and quiet."
Xiaowu's departure brought peace, but her beloved husband had also left her. How could she possibly want to live such a "peaceful" life? The princess's pale complexion and emaciated body proved that her health had long since left her along with her husband's shadow, or perhaps, her soul had gone with Wang Shen as well.
Pang Di felt great sympathy for her. For a moment, he felt that the princess's plight seemed even more tragic than his own. So he took the princess's hand and said, "If the princess doesn't mind that my place is simple, please come and visit often. The more we chat, the faster the days will pass."