Novelas PaiPai - Capítulo 46
“I went to the garden to look for the princess, but I couldn’t find her. I got tired and took a rest in the pavilion in the pear garden. I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I thought the princess should have returned, so I came back immediately.” I told her a harmless lie.
“Oh,” the princess breathed a sigh of relief, then stammered, “I went to see the elephants… all by myself… After seeing the elephants, I saw the Suanni of Tianzhu… and the rhinoceros… and the divine sheep…”
She seemed uncomfortable lying to me; her voice grew softer and softer, and her face flushed uncontrollably.
I smiled at her and comforted her with a gentle expression: "Hmm, how could I not have thought of that? The princess did say she wanted to see the elephants."
The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) A Divine Song Fisherman's Pride 35. Whipping Spring
Chapter word count: 3618 Update time: 08-08-21 16:13
35. Whipping Spring
Although Zhang Chengzhao vehemently denied it, I am still certain that it was his idea to have the princess sneak out dressed as a eunuch.
He quickly gained the princess's trust through his ability to read people's expressions and his persuasive words that encouraged her to do as she pleased. I once privately reprimanded him, my tone unconsciously growing harsher, until I heard him sigh: "When I was young, I was scolded by those eunuchs and palace attendants who were a rank higher than me. That's when I realized what it meant for a higher-ranking official to have such an effect. I thought we were brothers, but you're different from them..."
I was taken aback, and gradually recalled how he had protected me when I was bullied as a child, and then I fell silent.
He then mentioned the princess: "The princess going out to play in the clothes of a minor eunuch is just a trivial matter, an occasional occurrence. And she's so careful that no one notices. Even if someone did discover her, she didn't run out of the palace. At most, she'd get a few words from the Emperor and Empress; how much trouble could that cause? The Emperor dotes on the princess so much that even if she were just strolling around the palace grounds, or even if she suddenly set fire to the palace, the Emperor would absolutely not punish her… That's what you call blood relatives! Consort Zhang is favored, isn't she? But if she makes the slightest mistake, the Emperor will give her a hard time and make her kneel and apologize. But the princess, when have you ever seen the Emperor truly angry with her? Even a minor injury to her little finger would make the Emperor heartbroken for half a day…"
I didn't want to listen to his nonsense, so I interrupted him: "This matter isn't as simple as you say, just the princess taking a stroll in the palace. If you let her disguise herself to meet outsiders, and if people—especially the censors—find out, how much trouble would that cause for her and the Emperor? Besides, she's already engaged..."
“Sigh, I’ve told you so many times, it wasn’t me who asked her to disguise herself.” Zhang Chengzhao continued to carefully avoid the accusation of instigating the princess. “You know perfectly well that if the princess wants to do something, not even ten oxen could pull her back. Besides, she just wants to meet a few more people she likes before she gets married, so why do you always have to stop her? Think about our prince consort, he’s really quite pathetic. The princess definitely won’t be smiling after she marries him, so why not let her be happy now?”
This last sentence left me speechless for a long time before I finally said, "The princess is too straightforward. If she has too much contact with Young Master Cao, I'm afraid it will be difficult to manage her in the future."
Zhang Chengzhao waved his hand: "Hey, what big trouble could two kids causing by meeting in broad daylight? Do you think they're capable of eloping?" Seeing that I didn't answer, he suddenly smiled meaningfully, deliberately lowered his voice, bowed and turned his head to stare at me, tentatively saying: "I know, you've served the princess for many years, and suddenly seeing her close to someone else, you must feel a little uneasy..."
I stood up abruptly, pursed my lips, and stared at him coldly. He was so frightened that he fell silent, lowered his head, and dared not look at me again.
Disgusted by Zhang Chengzhao's ambiguous speculation and resentful of my own strong reaction to those words, I turned and left, unable to suppress the myriad emotions churning within me. I wandered aimlessly through the palace, almost wanting to run.
He came to his senses when he heard the princess's voice: "Huaiji, Huaiji, what are you doing here?"
This question brought my thoughts back from a state of confusion. I realized I was standing in front of the Funing Palace, and the princess was walking towards me with a bright smile on her face. Before I could answer, she held up a delicate little box in her hand: "Guess what this is?"
I took a deep breath, trying to make my face less stiff, and replied softly, "Judging from the appearance, the box should contain an ancient inkstone."
“That’s right! It’s Li Chaomo that Father just bestowed upon me.” The princess smiled and approached me, then said, “Hold out your hand.”
I didn't understand what she meant, but I still reached out my hand to her as she asked.
She placed the ancient inkstone from the Southern Tang Dynasty in my palm and said, "It's a reward for you."
I couldn't help but be surprised. Such a precious ancient inkstone was not widely available in the palace. The princess must have gone to great lengths to obtain the Emperor's permission to bestow it upon her, and yet she so casually gave it to me.
After a moment's thought, I guessed the crux of the matter: "What does the princess want me to do this time?"
“Absolutely not, I don’t want you to do anything for me!” The princess immediately denied it, but when she spoke again, I knew I was right.
“However, brother,” she said to me with a cautious smile and a consultative tone, “I want to go to the Temple of Agriculture to see the spring whipping ceremony on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring)…”
"Whipping the Spring Ox" was originally an ancient ritual. A clay ox was brought out to dispel the cold and welcome warmth, encouraging farming and promising a bountiful harvest. This ritual was especially grand during the Qing Dynasty. The day before the Beginning of Spring, the Kaifeng Prefecture would present a clay ox, along with a plowman and plows, to the palace, where they were welcomed with drums and music. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, the prime minister, along with officials, princes, and nobles, would gather at the Altar of the God of Agriculture in front of the Hall of Harvests. Each person would take turns using a colorful staff to strike the ox three times, symbolizing encouragement to farm, hence the name "Whipping the Spring Ox."
On that day, nobles with official titles would also attend the ceremony, and the princess must be hoping to take this opportunity to see Cao Ping again. It was a grand ceremony for men, and palace women were not allowed to attend. The princess's words were most likely an attempt to ask me for permission to disguise herself and attend again.
She begged me for days, swearing that no one would find out, "because that day I can wear colorful clothes and a ghost mask like the other eunuchs, and have a mask covering my face, so who would know I'm a princess?"
Later I asked her, "Why does the princess need my permission? If she sends me away like last time and then sneaks out, I can't stop her."
"Um... I won't do that again." She lowered her head shyly and said, "I was afraid you'd be upset..."
The emotion I felt upon hearing those words became the reason I agreed to her request.
That day, she indeed wore a colorful floral dress, a grinning ghost mask, and dressed as a eunuch to watch the spring-welcoming ox ceremony. I could have watched with the crowd, but I followed her as closely as possible throughout.
However, she did not get to see Cao Ping as she had hoped. After she had been looking around for a long time, I went over and told her the news I had just heard: "The Liao envoy left the capital today to return home. Young Master Cao accompanied the emperor's brother-in-law to see him off outside the city and will not participate in the whipping ceremony."
Even through the mask, I could still sense her deep disappointment.
She stood there for a moment, then whispered, "I didn't say I wanted to see him." Then she continued to watch as the crowd struck the spring ox.
The clay ox was four feet tall and eight feet long, symbolizing the four seasons and eight solar terms; its tail was one foot and two inches long, symbolizing the twelve months. The ox's body was also painted with patterns representing the dates and times of the four seasons and eight solar terms, and plows and other implements were placed beside it. The colorful staffs used to whip the ox, also called spring staffs, were made of five-colored silk threads. Each official carried two staffs, and they would strike the ox in order of rank before gathering to worship and burn incense. The final ceremony involved smashing the ox, with everyone scrambling for the clay. Grabbing the ox's head and carrying it home was considered extremely auspicious; this was called "grabbing the spring."
Nowadays, there are many spectators, most of whom are of high rank and advanced age. Therefore, the later Spring Festival is mainly attended by young officials, members of the imperial family, and sons of nobles, while the older generation only observes.
As the ceremony reached its climax, the area beneath the Spring Ox altar was already teeming with eager young people, all rubbing their hands together and waiting for the master of ceremonies' signal. At that moment, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a red plum-colored robe, suddenly exerted his strength, desperately pushing his way from the back of the crowd to the first row beneath the altar. This swift movement provoked the discontent of those who had been pushed aside, who shoved and jostled him. He spread his arms wide, struggling to defend himself, refusing to yield, his face flushed, panting, his eyes fixed intently on the ox's head.
As soon as I saw his face clearly, I had a bad feeling—it was the Imperial Son-in-Law, Li Wei. It had been a long time since I had seen him, but he hadn't changed much, except that he was a bit taller and slightly fatter, making him look more robust. Compared to the group of nobles and relatives of the imperial family around him, he couldn't help but appear somewhat rough and uncouth.
Just as she was about to persuade the princess to return, she noticed Li Wei. The color of Li Wei's robes infuriated her: "How dare someone so ugly and with such dark skin wear red plum-colored clothes? It's just a pathetic imitation!"
I chuckled to myself. The ceremony on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring) was different from ordinary grand ceremonies; the atmosphere was relaxed, and not all officials were required to wear court robes. Young members of the imperial family and noble families could freely choose their own brightly colored clothes. Li Wei may have just happened to choose red plum color, and he wasn't present on the day of the archery contest, so it wasn't necessarily to imitate Cao Ping.
However, the effect of him wearing this colored robe was far inferior to that of Young Master Cao, so it's not hard to understand why the princess was angry with him.
After scrutinizing Li Wei for a while, the princess suddenly muttered to herself, "This person looks quite familiar. Where have I seen him before..."
Worried that she would recognize this "silly rabbit" who hadn't left a good impression on her, I immediately said to her, "Princess, it's getting late, let's go back, otherwise Lady Miao will be looking for you everywhere again."
Her clear eyes, visible beneath the mask, were fixed on Li Wei, thoughtfully observing him with a hint of inquiry. She declined my suggestion, saying, "Wait a little longer. I want to observe him a bit more."
I can only hope that Li Wei will not reveal his identity in subsequent activities.
However, his performance was simply too striking. After the spring ox was smashed, at the master of ceremonies' command, he charged straight towards the ox's head, dodging and weaving, knocking over several people, until he finally reached it. Without thinking, he leaped forward, pounced on it, pinned it to the ground, and held it tightly in his arms. After that, no matter how much anyone tried to pull or drag him, he would not let go. To preserve his victory, he would not stand up even if others trampled on his sleeves and robes.
The bull's head had already been touched by a nimble person who had been holding it with both hands, but unexpectedly, the bull pounced on it, knocking the person away and causing him to fall backward. After standing up, the person looked angry and seemed about to start cursing.