Novelas PaiPai - Capítulo 111
Hearing these words, the princess's eyes welled up with tears. She covered her trembling lips with her hand, struggling to control her emotions. After a long while, she finally raised her head to look directly at the emperor and said softly, "You say that the prince consort loves and respects me, but does he love me as a person? No, he loves the princess. He can love any princess, just as he loves that gold-inlaid and jade-adorned polo bat, the letters of the Jin dynasty, and the paintings of the Tang dynasty. His diligent practice of polo and his collection of calligraphy and paintings are not out of genuine interest, but because they are the refined hobbies of the imperial family and scholar-officials. His effusive attempts to please me, hoping to become my true husband, do not stem from feelings for Huirou herself, but from my origin in the imperial palace, which embodies his aspirations. Like a frog in a pond gazing at a bird in the sky, he longs to live our lives and become like us. If I were not a princess, to him I would probably just be an arrogant and domineering woman. Would he still have the love and respect he has for me?"
As she listened to her story, the anger on Jin's face began to subside, replaced by a hint of bewilderment amidst her silence.
The princess looked at me again, her voice tinged with sobs: "And Huaiji, his care and protection of me wasn't just fulfilling his duty. When we first met, he didn't know I was a princess, but he had already decided to risk being persecuted by your favored concubine to protect me. I don't care what he is in your eyes, I only know that for the past ten years, he has accompanied me as I grew up, taught me to read and write, helped me learn music, burned incense and made tea with me, and painted and wrote lyrics together... He is not just a courtier serving me, but more like my elder brother, teacher, and friend. We understand each other so well that he knows what I want to convey with just one glance... He wants me to be happy, but he won't fawn over me without principle. He might even tease and provoke me a little, but that's only to urge me to do what I should do... In front of him, I can shed the shell of a princess and become an ordinary little woman. Li Wei's gaze towards me is always timid and upward, but Huaiji's is different. When he gazes at me, I can feel that he doesn't see a princess, but a woman he cherishes."
At this moment, the Emperor's lips parted slightly, as if he had something to say, but the Princess spoke first, raising a pointed question to him: "Father, in your decades of life, have you ever met a woman who loves and respects you simply because you are you, and not because you are the Emperor?"
The Emperor was completely speechless. His gaze swept towards the Empress, and a glint of light flashed in their eyes before he turned his head away again.
The Empress, however, remained quite calm. Seeing the Emperor remain silent, she took over the conversation and advised the Princess, "We naturally understand Huaiji's intentions in serving the Princess. We also understand the Princess's trust in Huaiji and her desire to protect him. However, outsiders are unaware of the situation and, seeing your harmonious relationship, are prone to making unfounded suspicions. If you continue to associate with Huaiji in this way, being too close, it will only give others more reason to gossip..."
The princess chuckled: "I don't care what outsiders say. I only know that I can't let Huaiji leave, otherwise I'll never find someone like him again."
The Empress frowned slightly, but ultimately did not refute the princess. She remained silent and listened as the princess continued, "He understands all my joys and sorrows, and has shared my ups and downs. Aunt, do you know what kind of person he is: when you are happy and carefree, he silently steps back, content to be your shadow, but when you are in adversity, sad and helpless, he will reach out to you, preventing you from sinking into despair... He is the best person in the world to me besides my father and mother. Even if the whole world abandons me, he will still protect me. Moreover, he treats me with all his heart, and I will never worry that he will betray me, hurt me, or distance himself from me for another woman."
The Empress slightly opened her phoenix eyes, showing a hint of emotion, but it was only for a fleeting moment. She quickly regained her composure, lowered her eyelashes, seemed lost in thought, and said no more.
The princess softened her expression and looked at me gently. After a moment, she turned to face the emperor and said slowly, "Father said I am attached to Huaiji. Yes, I admit it. I am indeed attached to him, like a storm attached to a country rooftop, or a traveler attached to distant mountains. I have thought of ending my life several times in the face of the fate you have arranged for me. The reason I am still alive is because every time I look back, I can see him there... What I fear most is not death, but living a long life and never seeing him again."
The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Long smoke and setting sun, the lonely city closes in the middle pavilion
Chapter word count: 2953 Update time: 09-07-05 10:44
Cabinet
(2659 words)
The princess's words were very effective; after that, the emperor and empress stopped mentioning my departure. I think the princess is much smarter than I once thought. She intentionally or unintentionally touched upon the hidden pain behind the emperor and empress's strong defenses, making them empathize with her, and allowing her own feelings to successfully reach the depths of her parents' hearts. Beneath her innocent and naive childhood appearance and her current uninhibited words and actions, she has always kept her inner eyes open, quietly observing the warmth and coldness of human relationships and the changes in the world around her.
If she wanted to, she could probably handle all relationships properly and avoid falling into a predicament. However, she has always been proud, too proud to compromise her principles. But this is not an era that allows women to indulge their desires, not even princesses. Adhering to the principle of not betraying one's conscience will inevitably lead to heartbreak. Even though I carefully protect her every day, I still cannot prevent her from being hurt.
Although His Majesty has decided to let me stay by the princess's side, it doesn't mean he has given up on trying to repair the relationship between the princess and her husband. Besides, a group of officials are closely watching the princess's private affairs, forcing him to find a solution.
In the following month, the Emperor frequently summoned Lady Yang, Li Wei, Yun Guo'er, and Shi Zhicong, the official in charge of Princess's residence, to the palace to discuss matters. I guessed that he wanted to find a way with them to make the Princess accept the consort, so that she would naturally distance herself from me in the future. This guess was later proven to be largely correct, but the plan they adopted was not something I had anticipated.
One night, I was suddenly awakened for no reason. I sat up on the edge of the bed for a while, my heart still pounding. Just as I was feeling uneasy, a shrill scream came from the direction of the central pavilion of the princess's residence.
In the dead of night, the screams sounded exceptionally clear and piercing, a mixture of extreme panic and anger. The woman screamed several more times, her voice sounding extremely pitiful.
I recognized the princess's voice, and I was instantly struck dumb, filled with fear and anxiety, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. I grabbed my clothes and put them on, stumbling and staggering to find my way out, quickly running towards the central pavilion.
The central chamber was already brightly lit, with a dozen maids and eunuchs gathered inside and outside the princess's bedroom, running around in a flurry of activity. Some called out "Princess" or "Captain," some called on their companions to do things, and some screamed in alarm, not knowing what they had seen. The scene was noisy and chaotic.
When they saw me coming, they fell silent and made way for me to come inside.
The princess, her hair disheveled, glared fiercely ahead, clutching a jade hairpin with its tip pointing outwards, which she used as a weapon. Bright red bloodstains were clearly visible on the tip.
I followed her gaze and found that she was focusing on Li Wei. Li Wei stood blankly in front of her, with multiple marks on his neck and shoulders from being stabbed by a hairpin, and blood was still oozing out.
They were all disheveled.
If it weren't for the four maids' strenuous efforts to stop her, the princess would have pounced on Li Wei and stabbed him fiercely; her eyes, burning with rage, looked as if they were about to bleed.
I somewhat understood the situation, but before I could think about it, I rushed to the princess's side and snatched the jade hairpin from her hand.
The princess was still in a state of rage, fighting desperately. She probably didn't even realize that I was the one approaching her, and she swung her hairpin at me again. I parried while calling out to her repeatedly, and finally she responded and slowed her movements, allowing me to pull the blood-stained hairpin from her hand.
“Huaiji,” she grabbed my sleeve, her red eyes flashing as she pointed at Li Wei, “kill him!”
I turned around and half-embraced her, taking the opportunity to block her gaze from directly looking at Li Wei. I gently patted her back and comforted her softly, then glanced at the two maids behind her, bypassing the princess. The maids understood, went around to Li Wei's side, and helped him out the door.
The princess was still not fully conscious, and kept muttering, "Kill him, kill him..." Her anger gradually subsided after I comforted her, but then she was overcome with grief and buried her face in my arms, crying loudly like a child who had suffered a great injustice.
I draped a robe over her and sat with her for a long time until she cried herself to sleep. Seeing that her eyelashes were drooping and she seemed to be dozing off, I called over a maid and asked them to help the princess into the bedroom to rest. But as soon as the maid approached, the princess woke up with a start. She stood up abruptly, pushed the maid away violently, and said fiercely that she didn't want to sleep there. Then she ran out on her own. I chased after her and saw that she was just running around aimlessly, without any clear direction. So I quickly went up to her and pulled her back to the main hall. She stopped there and refused to go back into the bedroom.
I had no choice but to leave her in the hall. She forced her eyes open and refused to sleep. I then instructed the maid to help her wash and dress, and got up to leave. But she called out to me in a panic, asking me anxiously, "Huaiji, where are you going?"
Her appearance made my heart ache, so I sat down next to her again and smiled at her, saying, "I'm not going anywhere. I just stood up to stretch my limbs because I've been sitting for too long."
At daybreak, Shi Zhicong and Madam Yang came to visit, but the princess refused to see them. Shortly after, Ren Shouzhong came from the palace, saying that the emperor had bestowed gifts upon the princess and her husband. The gifts were presented one by one, including brand-new mandarin duck brocade, a double-flowered quilt, and gold-threaded colorful fruits for the wedding bridal veil.
"His Majesty said that since the Prince Consort and the Princess are husband and wife, they do not need to live in separate pavilions. Yesterday, he informed the Prince Consort to move to the central pavilion. Today, he has specially bestowed gifts to express his congratulations," Ren Shouzhong said to the Princess with a smile.
It seemed he was unaware of what had happened the night before. I anxiously observed the princess, whose drifting gaze slowly swept over the pair of gold and silver brocade ornaments before her, showing no further reaction for the time being. But when Li Wei's figure appeared by the pavilion door, her breathing suddenly quickened, her brows furrowed, and with a raised hand, she lifted a plate filled with golden coins and colorful fruits and smashed it down on Li Wei's face.
"Get out! Don't come near me!" she yelled at Li Wei, then grabbed anything she could lift and threw it at him, repeatedly saying "Don't come near me," while tears began to stream down her face.
Ren Shouzhong was stunned, only then did I realize that the princess was about to launch her next attack on Li Wei. Someone also stepped forward behind Li Wei, blocking the way for the motionless Li Wei.
That was Cui Bai. Jiaqingzi also appeared shortly afterward, entered the hall, and greeted her with a smile, "Princess."
This was their first visit after the three wedding ceremonies, so it seems that Li Wei originally intended to bring them to see the princess.
Upon seeing her close maid, the princess calmed down slightly and sat down with Jiaqingzi's help, but she was still dazed, her eyes still fixed on Li Wei with unquenched anger.
Ren Shouzhong strode out the door, pulling Li Wei away from the princess's sight.
Jiaqingzi was very sensible, smiling and asking the princess about her well-being without mentioning anything about what had just happened. When the princess occasionally asked about her married life, she said everything was fine, sharing anecdotes and even showing the princess a colorful marionette, saying with a smile, "I noticed the princess liked wooden puppets, so I asked Cui Lang to make another one. Last time, the one the princess kept was a scholar; this time it's a beauty, a perfect match."
The princess took it and examined it, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She lifted the handle and made the wooden puppet move a few times, then asked me, "Huaiji, is this puppet good?"
I smiled at her and said, "Okay." But she shook her head and said, "I want something different."
Jiaqingzi immediately smiled obsequiously and said, "Princess, just tell Cui Lang what you want, and he will definitely make it for you."
The princess nodded slightly and smiled at Cui Bai.