Novelas PaiPai

Capítulo 28

Seeing that she was very interested, I complied and chose a simple ci poem for her: "Please, Princess, compose a poem called 'Remembering Jiangnan.' You don't need to compose a whole poem. I'll start, and you and I can finish with two or three lines."

She nodded in agreement. I noticed that she was wearing a light pink silk blouse, so I casually began, "The blouse is thin... Princess, you may choose your own rhyme for the next line."

"A thin shirt..." she murmured repeatedly, then counted on her fingers, glancing upwards from time to time, muttering to herself.

I found it strange, so I asked her, "What is the princess counting?"

"Stop arguing!" she said, annoyed that I had interrupted her train of thought. "I'm checking the tones of the next line."

The wait was long, so I leisurely sat down and started boiling water and making tea.

"I've got it!" As the first string of bubbles rose from the silver kettle, she finally came up with a line: "Sleeves wrapped around the quilt, cold... A thin shirt, sleeves wrapped around the quilt, cold... How about that?"

The silver bottle rustled softly, like the sound of a storm after a storm. As I warmed the teacup with the bottle, I answered truthfully, "It's just that the meter is good."

"Just not bad?" Her eyes darkened. After thinking for a moment, she persisted, wanting me to praise her. "You often tell me that writing poetry should come from genuine feelings, and I truly did. These two lines are about that very cold night last time we were talking under the eaves. I was only wearing my undergarment and was so cold that I was hugging my blanket..."

I placed the ground tea leaves into the cup and listened to her recount the past. My heart stirred, and I paused slightly, softening my voice as I spoke to her: "Okay, that's a good sentence."

She smiled happily: "I've also thought of the next line... 'The fragrant breeze gently caresses the pearl pavilion.' You can use this line."

I poured a little hot water into the cup, placed the teapot back on the tea stove, and stirred the tea powder. During this time, I recalled the crescent moon and thought of a line: "The moon's shadows drift and swirl."

After speaking, he suggested to the princess, "The last sentence only has five characters, so the princess should answer it."

She agreed, lowering her eyelashes and contemplating. Soon, steam rose from the soup pot, and fish eyes and crab eyes leaped about. At this moment, she opened her eyes wide and stared at me, about to speak with a smile.

I was deeply skeptical of her quick response this time, so I stopped her and said, "Princess, have you thought it through? This last line, though short, is the finishing touch of 'Remembering Jiangnan,' so it must be concise and to the point."

She nodded repeatedly: "Very concise, absolutely concise. My one sentence perfectly encapsulates the essence of that night. Compared to this, all the previous sentences were just nonsense."

I picked up the bottle and whisk, ready to pour the hot water and whisk, and when I heard her say this, I readily agreed, "In that case, I am all ears."

"The fragrant breeze gently wafts through the pearl pavilion, the moon's light flows and shadows sway..." She first repeated the first two lines to prepare the tone, then proudly announced her final finishing touch: "Taro balls under the eaves!"

My hand trembled, and the silver bottle spilled soup all over the table. I couldn't help but laugh, so I simply pushed aside the tea set and burst into laughter.

Seeing my reaction, she pouted, frowned, and slammed her hand on the table, saying, "How dare you! You dare to mock the princess? I remembered taro from that day, what's wrong with putting it in the poem?"

I laughed for a while before I could barely hold it in. I stood up, bowed to her, and pretended to be serious, saying, "Your subject dares not mock the princess, but I just feel that the taro is not round."

“It’s all for the sake of rhyming…” she explained, still thinking seriously, “Or, I could change a word… what other words could rhyme with taro?” She looked at me, cautiously probing, “Sweet?… Salty?… Sour?”

Forcibly suppressing the laughter that was about to burst forth, I replied seriously, "Your Highness, if I cannot have both round taro and sour taro, I would rather give up sour taro and take round taro."

She was overjoyed: "I knew it! It's always better to do it spontaneously."

Although I was on the verge of fainting, I still managed to stay upright and bowed to her, saying, "I have another matter to report, and I hope the princess will grant my request."

She waved her hand generously: "Speak."

"Your Majesty... wants to laugh..." As soon as I uttered those three words, I slumped down and burst into laughter.

She seemed a little annoyed and pounced on me, but after only two light slaps, she couldn't help but laugh herself, pulling my sleeve to cover her face and giggling incessantly.

Watching her smile and talk every day, I felt time was passing by and life was peaceful and serene. This carefree life seemed to continue indefinitely. Sometimes I would think about her betrothal, and that her marriage might be the end of these wonderful days. But at those times, like her, I always felt that ten years was a very long time, so long that it seemed like that day would never come.

(to be continued)

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Unwittingly Misled by the East Wind 22. Flying White

Chapter word count: 4405 Update time: 08-08-21 16:06

22. Flying White

After the princess's engagement, in addition to the regular rewards from the palace, Consort Miao and the Li family would exchange gifts during festivals. At the end of the seventh year of the Qingli era, seeing that I was getting older and was a servant of the princess, Consort Miao entrusted me with the task of delivering New Year's Day gifts to the prince consort's family.

Although we had met once, the Imperial Son-in-Law Li Wei did not make much of a move when he saw me, remaining quite silent. The Imperial Uncle was unwell and resting inside, but the Imperial Uncle's wife, Madam Yang, was quite hospitable. She invited me to sit down, had tea served, and sat down opposite me, asking me all sorts of questions. After staring at me for a while, she smiled and said, "Liang Gaoban is quite a talented person. If you didn't know, who would guess he was a minor eunuch?"

I was both amused and exasperated, and could only take it as a compliment. After staying for a short while, I got up to say goodbye and hurriedly left the Li residence.

Seeing that it was still early, I followed the address of Cui Bai that I had asked about last time. I didn't expect to find him, I just wanted to remember the location of his house so that I could come back when I had the chance. But when I arrived at his house, the door suddenly opened from the inside, and a person strode out with his head held high. He was wearing a wide robe and had a headscarf tied around his head. It was Cui Bai.

We were both overjoyed to see each other again. He hurriedly invited me inside, and after exchanging pleasantries, he took out his recent paintings and laid them out for me to see one by one, saying, "I have devoted myself to nature these past few years and have achieved some success. If I hadn't run out of money, I probably wouldn't be returning home now."

Thinking of Qiu He's matter, and worried that Cui Bai might already be married, I deliberately inquired, "While you are traveling the world, will your wife stay at home alone, or will she go with you?"

Cui Bai laughed loudly: "I don't have any sister-in-law here, only a piece of bamboo!"

I lowered my head and smiled upon hearing this. A bamboo wife is a summer bedding item, woven from bamboo strips or made from a whole section of bamboo, usually cylindrical, used to keep cool while sleeping. Cui Bai's words indicate that he is not yet married.

“I have long intended to travel the world, and I have spent several years on the road. I only recently returned, so I am still unmarried,” Cui Bai then explained.

I asked him again if he was engaged, and he said no, so I was relieved. I then brought up Qiuhe and asked him if he had feelings for her when he gave her the Qiupu Rongbin painting.

Cui Bai also frankly admitted: "When I gave her this painting, it was indeed to express my longing for her. But after thinking about it carefully, I felt that this move was quite rash. I am just a commoner, without high official rank, wealth, or family background to match her, and she is in the deep palace. I dare not hope to be destined for her in this life. I only hope that she will not think that I am presumptuous because of the meaning of 'wild geese' in the painting, and that the painting can always be with her. For me, that would be enough."

I told him in detail about Qiu He's favor with the Emperor and Empress and the Emperor's promise. Then I asked Cui Bai if he intended to marry her. Cui Bai was very happy and said, "If Miss Dong does not mind that I have no official rank and live in a humble house, I will definitely marry her after she leaves the palace."

I smiled and said that Qiuhe would not care about material possessions. Cui Bai was even more delighted. He took out a pen and ink and immediately wrote the draft letter used before the betrothal ceremony, listing the names of three generations of his family and his own birth date and time, and asked me to pass it on to Qiuhe.

Back in the palace, I quickly found Qiuhe, relayed Cui Bai's reply, and handed her the draft letter. Qiuhe smiled broadly and thanked me repeatedly, but then worried, "But, if I just abruptly tell the Emperor that I want to leave the palace, will he agree?"

I thought about it and suggested that she first talk to the Empress: "You have served by the Empress's side for so long, and she likes you. She will definitely think of you. You should discuss it with her and ask her to speak to the Emperor."

Qiu did as she was told. Two days later, she came to see me, walking briskly and looking radiant, clearly indicating that things were going very well.

“I tentatively told the Empress that I wanted to leave the palace,” she told me, blushing. “She was very surprised and said that I was still young, and wondered if something had happened at home that made me so eager to go back. I said no, and then she immediately guessed what was going on, dismissed everyone, and asked me if I had…someone in mind…”