Shu Ke puede recuperar una fortuna perdida

Capítulo 48

Pang Di was utterly astonished to hear him say such a thing: Wasn't he always the most jealous of Zhao Hao? Wouldn't he be furious and enraged at the sight of her having any contact with Hao? How could he now be so magnanimous as to say such a thing?

“Di,” Wang Pang gazed at her and said slowly, “I’m sorry for making you waste the best five years of your life on a useless man like me. Fortunately, you now have a chance to correct this mistake, and I hope it’s not too late. Marry him in peace, and don’t worry about me at all. From beginning to end, I’ve been someone unworthy of your love. Not only am I incapable of being a good husband, but I’ve also ruined my own career and dragged Father down, destroying his life’s pursuit. How could someone like me be worthy of your gentle heart and beautiful face? Zhao Hao is the most suitable person for you. He is gentle and kind, possesses both literary and martial talents, and his seriousness and persistence in love are rare among the princes of the royal family. You and he can live a loving life of playing music and reciting poetry together, just like when he played the zither and flute with you in this mansion… Don’t feel uneasy, and you don’t need to explain to me. I’m saying all this without any sarcasm or accusation. Even if you two have feelings for each other, it’s nothing shameful. I know it’s pure and beautiful, just like what we had before…”

Pang Di couldn't listen anymore and interrupted him with tears in her eyes: "Pang, you still love me, don't you? As long as you tell me that you still love me and hope that I will stay, I will not leave you to marry him."

Wang Pang's heart trembled slightly. He almost wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go, but he finally withdrew his outstretched hand and said sadly, "No, my greatest wish now is for you to leave me. Haven't you had enough of the torment I've inflicted on you all these years? Even if you stay, things won't change at all, because abusing you like that wasn't my intention. I just couldn't control myself. I don't want to scold or hit you, but every time I see or sense your affection for other men and your interactions with them, I can't help but get angry and end up hurting you. If you stay, the abuse will continue to repeat itself over and over again. The result might be that you kill yourself in your heart before I kill you. I won't allow that to happen."

He suddenly perked up and said in a joking yet serious tone, "Don't be fooled by my current lucid expressions of care. I might forget everything and attack you tomorrow." Then he sighed deeply and said, "So, I beg you, leave me before I completely lose my mind, so that I can still maintain a somewhat positive image in your heart. Look at the poems written by Prince Qi; they are overflowing with pity and affection for you. Aren't you moved? Don't you have any feelings for him at all? Back then, I was always on guard, not wanting you to know anything about him, and never mentioning him in front of you. Yet you met him the moment you left home. It's clear that your marriage was predestined, while for me, it was fate that brought us together but not meant to be."

Pang Di wept and said, "How can we say we are destined to meet but not to be together? If I am more destined to be with Prince Qi, why was it you, not him, who found my veil during the spring outing in the third year of Xining?"

Wang Pang smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes: "Do you really believe in that chance encounter of finding the hat?"

Pang Di nodded and said, "When I lost my hat, I felt that the person who found it must be destined to be with me."

"What kind of fate is that?" Wang Pang asked. "Is it a fate that spans three lifetimes? Are you certain that it's the person who picked up your hat?"

Pang Di nodded again.

Then he laughed again and said, "Then I'll tell you a secret: actually, the person who found your veiled hat was Zhao Hao. I thought the hat was very exquisite and beautiful, so I borrowed it from him to take a look. That's why you saw the hat in my hand when you came looking for it. And now, it's obviously time to return it to Zhao Hao intact."

After that long talk, Pang Di finally fell silent and no longer opposed remarrying. After discussing it with Zhao Hao, Wang Anshi set the wedding date for June 29th of that year. Both sides began to prepare for the wedding according to etiquette. Wang Anshi treated Pang Di like a daughter and prepared her dowry meticulously, while Zhao Hao also came to present the betrothal gifts in accordance with the proper procedures for marrying a principal wife.

However, Wang Pang fell ill, and his condition worsened day by day. He was bedridden and unable to get up, and he became increasingly taciturn.

Lady Wang was deeply worried and sighed, weeping every day and constantly praying to the gods and Buddhas for her son's speedy recovery. But as time went on, she herself fell ill.

One day, while Wen'er was serving her mother, Madam Wang said to her, "I was originally going to Daxiangguo Temple to offer incense tomorrow, but I can't go now. You go in my place and sincerely pray to the Bodhisattva to make your brother get better as soon as possible."

Wen'er agreed. Madam Wang then ordered someone to bring out a sutra for her, instructing her, "This is a copy of the Diamond Sutra that I borrowed from the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple last time. It was personally transcribed by Cai Junmo, a scholar during the reign of Emperor Renzong. It is very precious. Take it with you and return it to the abbot. Be very careful on the way and don't do anything to damage the sutra."

Wen'er found a brocade box, put the scriptures inside, and said to her mother with a smile, "Now that I've personally carried this box, Mother should be at ease, right?"

The next morning, Wen'er, accompanied by her personal maid Dingdang, went to the Daxiangguo Temple, clutching the brocade box containing the scriptures.

After getting out of the sedan chair, Wen'er walked straight inside. When she reached the lotus pond in the temple, she realized Dingdang hadn't followed. Turning around, she saw Dingdang standing about ten paces away, staring blankly at something against a wall. Wen'er frowned and impatiently called to her. Dingdang hurriedly ran over. Wen'er scolded, "You brat, what were you looking at?" Dingdang smiled sheepishly and said, "There's a very handsome young man over there, Miss. Look, many people are looking at him."

Wen'er looked in the direction she pointed and saw a young gentleman standing under the willow tree by the wall. He was dressed in a light blue long robe, with a silver silk turban tied around his head. He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and indeed, his face was as handsome as jade, with exquisite and refined features. At that moment, he was standing by the wall with his hands behind his back, admiring the murals, looking relaxed and at ease. A young page was serving him behind him. The pilgrims and ladies coming and going were also frequently turning their heads to look at him.

Wen'er stopped and glanced at him a few more times. Unexpectedly, the young master seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly turned around, their eyes meeting.

An ordinary woman would have lowered her head in embarrassment, but Wen'er was not at all like that. She did not avoid his gaze and stared at him directly.

The young man was slightly surprised, but seeing that she was looking at him, he nodded in greeting.

Wen'er nodded to him, then turned and continued walking inside. After a few steps, feeling that his gaze was still following her, she couldn't help but turn back to look. She found that he had indeed been watching her the whole time, and a faint sense of joy welled up in her heart. However, she remained reserved and did not stop walking. Unexpectedly, she tripped over a stone that suddenly appeared, lost her balance, and fell to the ground. The brocade box in her hand flew straight out and landed in the lotus pond.

Wen'er stared in disbelief at the ripples spreading across the pond, momentarily forgetting to get up. The young man strode over and kindly offered his hand to help her up.

Wen'er abruptly flung her hand away and angrily shouted at him, "Don't touch me!" Then she stood up and scolded him, "It's all your fault! Why were you looking at me for no reason? You made me lose my scriptures!"

The young master was taken aback, unsure how to respond. His pageboy, however, retorted angrily, "It seems you were the one who looked at my young master first."

Wen'er glared at the page and said, "I'm talking to your master, why are you interrupting?"

The young master hurriedly apologized, saying, "It was my rudeness; please forgive me, Miss." He then ordered his page to go into the water to retrieve the brocade box.

Although the brocade box could still be retrieved, the scriptures inside were soaked beyond recognition. Wen'er was both angry and anxious, and said to the young master, "You have really ruined me today."

The young master asked, puzzled, "It's just an ordinary copy of the Diamond Sutra. How about I go to the bookstore later and buy ten copies to return to you, Miss?"

Wen'er sneered, "Can you afford to pay for it? That was handwritten by the famous calligraphers Cai Xiang and Cai Junmo!"

The young master looked troubled and said, "It seems I have really committed a grave offense, having destroyed such a masterpiece." After hesitating for a while, he said softly, "If Miss does not mind, may I make a copy of this scripture for you?"

"You?" Wen'er sized him up, rolled her eyes, and said, "Can your writing compare to Cai Junmo's?"

Upon hearing this, the pageboy interjected indignantly, "My young master's calligraphy is renowned throughout the capital."

The young master winked at him to be quiet, then said to Wen'er, "My handwriting is naturally not comparable to Cai Junmo's, but I will try my best to write it well until Miss is satisfied."

Wen'er thought for a moment, a clever smile appeared on her face, and she nodded in agreement.

Wen'er led him to the abbot, recounted what had happened, apologized to the abbot, and asked him to prepare writing materials so that the young master could transcribe the scriptures. The abbot was naturally heartbroken to see the scriptures destroyed, but out of respect for Wang Anshi, he could not show his dissatisfaction to Wen'er. He could only take them to the study and bring out the Four Treasures of the Study for the young master to use.

So the young master calmly picked up his brush and began to copy. Wen'er glanced at it for a while but then lost patience and took Dingdang out to offer incense and pray to Buddha. Afterwards, she wandered around the temple for quite a while before leisurely returning and finding him still engrossed in copying the sutra, his expression extremely focused.

After waiting for a long time, he finally finished copying it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled as he invited Wen'er and the abbot to come and take a look.

Upon seeing it, the abbot exclaimed in surprise, "I never imagined that you, benefactor, would possess such skill at such a young age. Your calligraphy is vigorous and beautiful, with flowing strokes, far beyond the reach of ordinary people! Your future achievements will certainly not be inferior to those of Cai Junmo."

After examining the man's calligraphy closely, Wen'er also agreed that it was indeed outstanding, but she didn't want to let him off so easily. Seeing him smiling and humbly thanking the abbot, she snorted and said, "The abbot was just being polite, and you took it seriously. Your handwriting isn't much better than the fortune tellers on the street." Then she took her brush and made a heavy stroke on the man's finished manuscript, saying, "No, rewrite it!"

The pageboy angrily retorted, "How can you be such an unreasonable woman!"

Wen'er raised her head and said, "Am I being unreasonable or are you being unreasonable? Didn't your young master say he would write until I was satisfied? Now that I'm not satisfied, he has to rewrite it!"

The young master nodded good-naturedly and said, "Miss is right. I have promised you, so I must keep my word." He then sat down again, ordered his page to continue grinding ink and spreading paper, and picked up his brush to rewrite.

Wen'er sat down leisurely to the side, glancing at him now and then at the words he wrote.

After the young master finished writing again, Wen'er still said it wasn't good, so he continued writing. His page advised him to have lunch before continuing, but he ignored her and persisted in writing. Finally, even Ding Dang couldn't stand it anymore and quietly advised her mistress to let him go. Wen'er glared at her and said, "Stop talking nonsense!" Ding Dang dared not utter a sound.

As darkness fell, the young master, exhausted from copying, handed the last copy of the scripture to Wen'er and said apologetically, "This copy is still not good enough, but it is getting late, and I am afraid that if I keep making you wait, it will delay your return home. So please allow me to go home and copy it. I will personally deliver the best copy of the scripture to your home in the future."

Wen'er looked at him with a smile that didn't betray her true feelings, and asked, "What's your name?"

He bowed deeply to her and said, "My name is Cai Bian, courtesy name Yuandu."

fireworks

"So it was him who proposed to Miss!" On the way home, Dingdang said to Wen'er with great surprise, "Young Master often praised Young Master Cai for his talent, good temper, and handsomeness. It's all true! Miss, please go back and agree to this marriage!"

"Why are you so excited? It's like he's here to propose to you!" Wen'er rolled her eyes at her, but a faint smile remained on her lips. She suddenly felt very good, a feeling she hadn't had since Zhao Hao rejected her that day.

As soon as she got out of the sedan chair at the door of her house, a servant rushed over and said to her in a hurry, "Miss, why are you so late? The eunuch from the palace has been waiting at the mansion for a long time. He said that the emperor wants to see you."

"Summoned me?" Wen'er frowned, and after a moment's thought, she guessed why Zhao Xu had summoned her: Zhu Xichan, that silly girl, must have accidentally let the emperor discover the secret letter she had written to her.

Zhu Xichan was already several months pregnant. If she could give birth to a prince, it would be a great thing for them. If this prince were to be named the crown prince and inherit the throne in the future, things would be even better. With Zhu Xichan becoming the empress dowager, Wen'er would naturally be her chief contributor, and power and glory would be within her grasp. However, Zhao Xu already had several princes before this, and it was conceivable that Zhu Xichan's son would not be the last. Therefore, they needed to find a way to make this child stand out from the other princes and create momentum for him.

After carefully studying historical records about the births of emperors, Wen'er discovered that, according to the books, almost every emperor's mother experienced auspicious omens during her pregnancy or childbirth, such as "auspicious light illuminating the room" or "a strange fragrance filling the room." People concluded that children born under these circumstances were destined for greatness, possessing the qualities of a wise and virtuous ruler. Would Zhu Xichan experience these omens during childbirth? Who knows? But this wasn't a big problem for Wen'er; even if she didn't, she had a way of creating these "auspicious omens" for her.

She ordered someone to go out and purchase what she needed, and then wrote down in detail how to use it in a letter. When Zhu Xichan's trusted eunuch left the palace to find her, she gave him the letter and the items to take back to the palace.

As a result, the Emperor summoned her to the palace, and naturally, the truth came out. "These fools, don't they know they should be more careful when doing this kind of thing?" Wen'er cursed inwardly, but her anger did not show on her face. She went back to her room, carefully dressed herself, and then smiled at her parents, who were both puzzled and worried, saying, "I'll be right back." She then went to the palace with the eunuch who came to fetch her.

Upon arriving at the Funing Palace, she calmly and respectfully greeted the emperor, her face neither flushed nor her voice trembling. After Zhao Xu said "Rise," she stood up, lowered her eyes, and stood quietly to the side.

Zhao Xu looked her over and smiled, "Are you the young lady of Mr. Jie Fu's family? I remember seeing you before, but you have grown up so much over the years that I almost didn't recognize you."

Wen'er replied, "Your Majesty has seen me before. It was on the day the secret books were exposed in the fifth year of Xining. Your Majesty naturally doesn't remember what I look like, but I remember the scene vividly. Now that I see you again, I feel that Your Majesty's demeanor is even more impressive than before." As she said this, she smiled and glanced at the gold-embroidered dragon boots Zhao Xu was wearing, and added, "Even the dragon boots are much more exquisite and spirited than before."

These words reminded Xu of what she had said when they first met: "This is the first time I've seen the Emperor's face, and it may very well be the last, so I need to see it clearly, lest when I go back and people ask me, 'What does the Emperor look like?' I can only answer, 'Uh... basically, I can tell you what the Emperor's boots look like.'"

He couldn't help but burst into laughter again, almost abandoning his plan to rage and interrogate her. But he wouldn't forget the purpose of summoning her, so he deliberately asked her, "That day you stared directly at me without any restraint, why are you so meek and submissive today? Is it because you have a guilty conscience and dare not face me again?"

"I have no guilty conscience, only admiration and respect for the Emperor," Wen'er said. "Back then, it was because I had never seen the Emperor before, so I wanted to see him clearly. Now that I have seen him, I must remember my place and can no longer look directly at the Emperor without regard for rank."

Xu asked, "Do you truly always keep your identity in mind? Do you know what things someone of your status cannot do?"

Wen'er replied, "I have only one standard for doing things: I will not do anything that would infringe on the Emperor's interests or displease him, but I will do as much as possible to make the Emperor happy."

“Then,” Xu picked up a package from the table and threw it in front of her, saying, “Do you think this package you gave to Consort Zhu will make me happy or unhappy?”

Wen'er glanced at the package and feigned ignorance, saying, "These are just fireworks and spices. Would they make the Emperor unhappy? Doesn't the Emperor like watching fireworks and burning incense?"

"I do enjoy watching fireworks, but only on New Year's Day, the Lantern Festival, or during major celebrations," Xu said, casually unfolding the letter she had included with the package: "If it weren't for this detailed instruction manual from Miss, I wouldn't have known that fireworks and spices could have such wonderful uses."

The "instruction manual" she wrote was indeed very detailed. First, she lavishly praised the quality of the items, describing the fireworks' magnificent flames and minimal smoke, and the spices' rich and unique fragrance, unparalleled in Bianjing. Then, she meticulously instructed Zhu Xichan to choose an auspicious time and have her trusted confidants secretly set off the fireworks in a corner of the palace. She also explained how to control and eliminate the resulting smoke, ensuring it was visible from outside the palace but not clearly discernible, creating an inexplicable "auspicious light." Furthermore, she instructed that the spices be hidden in concealed places like beams and walls, scattered throughout, so that no one could find them. She meticulously noted which spices were used normally and which were used during production, as if afraid Zhu Xichan wouldn't understand, hence the several pages… Sigh, it seems next time, she should just dictate things directly, and definitely not write them down, as they could become inescapable evidence. While silently summarizing her "experience," Wen'er mentally cursed Zhu Xichan and her eunuchs' intelligence and competence. Of course, the immediate priority was dealing with the Emperor's investigation. So she sighed and said to Xu with a helpless expression, "Does Your Majesty really not know? I thought this was a traditional method in the palace to pray for the newborn prince."

Emperor Xu asked, "I have never heard of such a strange method of praying for blessings. How did you learn of it?"

Wen'er opened her clear eyes, feigning utmost sincerity and innocence, and said, "Didn't the historical records say that many princes were born amidst auspicious light illuminating the room and filling it with a strange fragrance? Weren't those lights fireworks set off to pray for blessings? Weren't those incenses burned to celebrate the prince's birth? Or perhaps they also had medicinal properties to alleviate the pain of childbirth for the concubines?... Could it be that I've misunderstood? Alas, this is not surprising; my father often scolds me for not studying properly and for always misunderstanding the meaning of the books. So please tell me, Your Majesty, were those lights and incense natural or artificially created?"

What a sharp-tongued girl! She's as eloquent as her father and as cunning as her brother. Xu suddenly felt a little strange. Logically, he should have been displeased to hear her openly utter such sophistry, but he wasn't particularly angry. Looking into her clear eyes, listening to her melodious voice, and pondering the complex thoughts within her small frame, he found it quite intriguing. Moreover, he himself was someone who dared to question all supernatural tales. "Were the lights and fragrances natural or artificially created?" he wondered. He believed there weren't so many so-called "auspicious omens," but rather the result of deliberate exaggeration to enhance the emperor's status and talent, which had then become distorted through word of mouth. Even if there truly were lights and fragrances at the emperor's birth, perhaps, as she said, they were artificially created. He didn't admire her cunning, but her actions didn't infuriate him like her brother's deceitful abuse of power.

"But," he asked again, "if you're praying for blessings, why are you being so secretive, afraid of being discovered?"

Wen'er smiled slightly and said, "I admit I'm a little petty. I think perhaps not every concubine knows this method of praying for blessings, and I was afraid they would learn it, so I had Consort Zhu do it secretly."

Xu suddenly sternly slammed his hand on the table and rebuked, “How dare you! You think you can deceive the emperor with your petty schemes? The auspicious light illuminating the room and the room filled with strange fragrance are signs of the emperor’s birth, which everyone knows. How could you, the daughter of the prime minister, not know this? You are clearly creating such a false impression to build momentum for Consort Zhu’s son when I choose an heir in the future.”

Wen'er was not afraid and knelt down gracefully again, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will confess. I did have the idea of creating momentum for Consort Zhu's prince, but to be precise, it was not for Consort Zhu, but mainly for Your Majesty."

Xu said, "How can you say it's for me?"

Wen'er replied, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful. Even if my little tricks are flawless, how could they possibly deceive you? Your Majesty only needs to glance at me to know what I was thinking the night before. Therefore, I had Consort Zhu do these things not for Your Majesty's benefit. Although Your Majesty now has several princes, if I may be frank, none of them seem to be in very good health. Your Majesty also doesn't seem to favor any of them. Consort Zhu, on the other hand, is of good character, cheerful, and healthy. The prince she gives birth to will surely be extraordinary. If Your Majesty likes this prince in the future and wants to make him the crown prince, but some people grumble and object because he is not the eldest son, Your Majesty can use these auspicious omens of light and fragrance to silence them and save a lot of trouble. Of course, if Your Majesty doesn't like this prince, he can simply ignore him. In any case, Your Majesty won't believe in such pointless 'omens' that are hard to distinguish between true and false like ordinary people."

Xu glanced at her and said, "You seem particularly concerned about Consort Zhu. May I know why?"

Wen'er said, "The reason is very simple. I got lost in the palace, and Consort Zhu mistook me for a palace maid who wanted to run away. She kindly persuaded me to stay, comforted me, and cared about me a lot. I felt that she treated me very well, like an older sister, so I wanted to help her, because I have always been a grateful person."

"Help her?" Xu sneered. "Then, you were the one who taught her to sing while boating on Yaojin Pond back then?"

“I just think,” Wen’er quickly recovered and replied calmly, “that if a beautiful woman were to sing and entertain the Emperor while he is admiring the lotus flowers, it would make him feel even more comfortable. The Emperor wouldn’t particularly care who that woman is, so I encouraged Consort Zhu to strive for this honor herself. She would be incredibly lucky, and it would not do the Emperor any harm at all.”

"You're the one who made her sing the lines, 'A divine couple, having heard the zither and unfastened their jade pendants, yet unable to hold each other back even when their silk robes are torn'?"

"Yes," Wen'er readily admitted, then countered, "I just picked one randomly, doesn't it sound good?"

"You are truly more cunning than your brother." Xu gazed at her and said slowly, "Your scheme to make me favor Consort Zhu may not have harmed me, but it has greatly benefited you. Tell me, how should I punish you for forming cliques with the concubines in the inner palace?"

“Alas, I only wanted to repay Consort Zhu by helping her with a small favor. How could that be considered forming a clique with her?” Wen’er sighed, then smiled faintly. “But if the Emperor says I am guilty, then I am guilty. Since the Emperor has given me the choice of punishment, then I will decide for myself—it seems the Emperor doesn’t like Consort Zhu setting off my fireworks, so the Emperor shall punish me by making me set off all these fireworks now!”

Xu chuckled and said, "Is this considered a form of punishment?"

“Of course!” Wen’er said seriously, “It would be tiring to put all of these in.”

"Alright." Xu nodded and said, "But this is only part of the punishment. I will think of another way to punish you after I have seen you finish setting off the fireworks."

They arrived at the courtyard in front of the palace. The eunuchs placed the fireworks in an open area and then handed Wen'er a lit incense stick. She ran over lightly, reached out to light the fuse of one firework, and immediately turned to light another, her movements nimble and graceful, her skirt billowing as she twirled. She smiled throughout, and when the first firework burst forth with brilliant flames, she chuckled softly, a joyful light in her eyes blooming along with the flames.

She was actually a beautiful girl, but her excessive scheming overshadowed her beauty. When people saw her, their first thought was of the threat emanating from her bright yet piercing eyes, rather than noticing her natural girlish charm. Xu silently watched her; her youthful figure and graceful movements dazzled him, yet he understood perfectly well what was going on.

She suddenly ran back to his side, handed him the incense, and asked with a smile, "Doesn't Your Majesty put some out for yourself?"

He shook his head, smiled, and said, "I've thought of a way to punish you."

"Oh?" she asked. "How so?"

He stared intently into her curious eyes and said, "I have no rivals in this palace, and I am quite lonely. So I am summoning you to the palace and keeping you by my side. We will have a good competition in the future and see who can control whom."