Yu Yichen also stopped and looked at Wang Ling, saying, "It's meaningless, but this is the current situation in the court. If I don't step in, the Emperor and His Majesty will have a very difficult time in the palace."
Wang Ling shook her head and said, "I am a woman without great ambitions. It was only because you supported me step by step that I got to where I am today. Perhaps I look a little ugly now, but you have not set foot in Yanfu Palace for several months. Even the most docile rabbit would harbor resentment in its heart."
Yu Yichen stared intently at Wang Ling, nodding his head. She did indeed look somewhat strange; her belly was slightly swollen, her complexion was sallow, and when she got angry, the two lines at the corners of her lips appeared even deeper.
This is a typical pregnant woman. When a woman is pregnant, she gradually becomes more suspicious, fickle, and sensitive, and her appearance also becomes less attractive. All of this is simply because she is carrying a child in her belly.
He was annoyed by children, and even more annoyed by pregnant women who acted coy and timid.
Yu Yichen said softly, "This servant is really too busy. The thing Your Majesty should be most careful about right now is the child in your belly."
Having heard such comments too many times, Wang Ling sneered, "Perhaps it's just a daughter, so why do you place such high hopes on her?"
Yu Yichen thought to himself: Perhaps having a princess wouldn't be bad; it would save the court officials from coveting her. But there are still concubines in the harem, and someone will inevitably give birth to a boy. And Li Xuzhe's health is the most crucial factor. This emperor, already physically weak and sensitive, is threatened by his strong brothers in the northwest, harassed by northern enemies, and watched by his court officials. With only a eunuch to fight alongside him, how long can he hold out?
Yu Yichen is just a eunuch; how long can he stay with him?
Seeing that Wang Ling was still gazing at him expectantly, he opened his lips and gently comforted her, "You are now the Queen Mother of this country and will give birth to the Crown Prince. You should think less and focus on your pregnancy now."
Yu Yichen recalled the first time he saw Wang Ling among the three thousand selected women. The women stood in groups of three or five, forming many cliques and factions. It was their nature as women to see each other as prostitutes, yet they were incredibly affectionate when they were together. Wang Ling had neither clique nor faction, standing alone, coldly watching the lively group of women before her.
She wasn't beautiful, but she possessed a dignified air, and her eyes held an undisguised ambition. She was the kind of woman Emperor Chengfeng and the then-Empress, now the Empress Dowager, would favor. Moreover, her father was a highly respected Confucian scholar, and her uncle, Wang Zhen, was in charge of the Ministry of War, having served for many years and enjoying Emperor Chengfeng's deep appreciation. Such a woman, if guided by him, might become a valuable asset to Li Xuzhe.
After arriving at the Eastern Palace, Wang Ling harbored ambitions for a long time, and under his tutelage, he was able to manage the palace ladies very well. Moreover, she was very obedient and listened to him.
But for some reason, she gradually became dependent on him and lost her ambition. Now, she holds a high position but asks for nothing. Yu Yichen thought that pregnancy would rekindle her fighting spirit, but now that her belly is so big, she is still indulging in the superficial pleasure he occasionally gave her in the past and cannot extricate herself.
He was considering whether to replace her with an ambitious yet obedient woman who wouldn't be bewitched by him, but Wang Ling only saw boundless tenderness and pity in Yu Yichen's eyes beneath his long eyebrows. Her expectations of him and his expectations of her were now completely different.
Remembering her outburst of anger at their parting the previous day, Zhenshu felt uneasy. On May 18th, she dressed and left early. Just as she stepped out of the East Market, she saw Sun Yuan standing at the intersection. He ran over to her and bowed, saying, "Miss Song, your father-in-law went on a long journey this morning. He specifically asked me to wait here to inform you that you should temporarily suspend your studies at the manor. He will likely be back in about three months, at which time he will personally come to the East Market to see you."
Zhenshu had changed into a summer dress and gauze skirt today, and even wore a jade hairpin in her hair. Hearing this, she was somewhat excited and nodded slightly, saying, "If that's the case, then I'll go home."
Sun Yuan hurriedly said, "However, my father-in-law said that if you miss him, you can write him a letter. Give it to me and I will send it to you."
Zhen Shu shook her head: "I have nothing to write. Please leave."
Seeing that Zhenshu was about to leave, Sun Yuan followed a few steps and said, "Although you have nothing to write today, perhaps you will have something to write tomorrow? Now that you are leaving, I have no duties to perform in the mansion. I will be here every morning at dawn. If you finish writing the letter, please deliver it here every morning at dawn. I will be there."
Zhenshu ignored him and returned to the East Market dejectedly. She hadn't gone far when she saw people gathering in twos and threes and walking out. Some people were even shouting loudly, "Today the mighty general is going to war. I heard that the emperor is seeing him off at the city gate. We must go and see the emperor's face from afar."
Another person said, "What a mighty general! He's just a eunuch. Now he can be a general because of the emperor's favor. It shows that the emperor is also a fool."
Perhaps someone tugged at his clothes to tell him to watch his words, because the person grabbed him by the neck and said, "What? He's a eunuch, does that mean I can't say that?"
Zhenshu didn't know who they were talking about, but she secretly felt that the eunuch they were referring to might be none other than Yu Yichen. Yu Yichen was an eccentric man, skilled in calligraphy and playing the zither, but apart from that, Zhenshu knew nothing about him.
She returned to the framing shop, which wasn't too busy these days because of the few apprentices. So she went straight to the small building in the back courtyard, and as soon as she got upstairs, she saw Madam Su sitting on a chair outside, holding a cup of tea with a worried expression. She only nodded slightly when she saw Zhenshu come up.
Since paying Zhang Rui's wedding gifts last time, Madam Su has become frugal, refusing to buy new clothes or accessories, and even refusing to ask Wang Ma to buy the best and freshest vegetables and meats. It seems she really intends to take care of all of Zhang Rui's wedding gifts from now on.
Zhenshu sat down beside her and noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the burnt color around her lips. She asked, "Mother, are you feeling unwell today?"
Madam Su raised her eyebrows and looked at Zhenshu, then slowly shook her head and said, "A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up; there is no greater truth to that."
Chapter 56 Aunt
Could it be because of Jung-won's marriage?
Zhenshu said, "It has only been a little over two months since Grandmother passed away, and the hundred-day mourning period has not even passed yet. No matter how anxious you are, Sister, you will have to wait until a year later."
Madam Su smashed her teacup and said angrily, "You're all the same. Because I was preoccupied with Zhenyuan, I didn't care about you. Now I'm afraid everyone is hiding something from me. Do you know that our crammed-in-this-building apartment is already damaging to your reputations? Many good families would be reluctant to marry you if they heard about our living conditions. If you keep running around outside and getting involved in shady things, one by one, you'll all end up like Zhenyuan, old maids in this house?"
Zhenshu assumed that Su knew about her recent tendency to go out, so she advised, "We run a business, and occasionally we need to deliver paintings to people's homes or collect calligraphy and paintings. Besides, you never detained me for this in Huixian County."
Madam Su picked up her handkerchief and started crying, saying, "You're always traveling, you should find someone for yourself. I don't care if he's ugly or poor, as long as he can get married. As for us, we can't live here anymore. I need to find a quiet place and rent a nice courtyard to live in."
Zhenshu frowned and said, "Although business in the shop is still doing alright, we've hired many apprentices. Even though we don't pay them wages, we still have to provide for their food and lodging. In the capital, mortgaging a courtyard costs over 100,000 taels of silver. Where would we get that kind of money?"
After stopping her crying, Madam Su pursed her lips and held back for a long while. She then stroked her head and sighed, "It's because I committed too many sins in my past life that I have to suffer the torments of you all."
Seeing that all the rooms were quiet, Zhenshu peeked out and asked, "Where did the eldest sister and the others go?"
Madam Su pointed to Zhenyuan's room and said, "She's going to the city gate with your brother today to see some mighty general's departure for battle. I had Zhenyi go with her. As for Zhenxiu..."
She sighed deeply and refused to say anything more.
Zhenxiu pushed open the door and came over, saying, "I can still be there, but I work in this little house all day to earn some money for my mother. Although I don't earn as much as my second sister, it still takes a lot of effort and hard work."
Su ignored Zhenxiu and got up to go inside. Zhenxiu sat down in her place and said, "Zhenyu is five months pregnant now, isn't she?"
When Zhenshu heard her bring up Zhenyu on her own initiative, she was somewhat surprised. She did some quick calculations and said, "I'm afraid she is pregnant."
Zhenxiu said, "Although she's convinced I stole her money, we can still cut ties with her because of it. I've made some baby clothes these days, all made of soft, washed cotton with stitches on the outside, perfect for babies. I wanted to deliver them myself, but I know she wouldn't want to see me, and if she did, she'd probably have her maids grope me. My elder sister had a past with Dou Wu but still refuses to go, so why don't you deliver them for me?"
Seeing Zhenxiu's sincerity, Zhenshu nodded and said, "That's right. Although we said a few words last time, we are still sisters. She is heavily pregnant and it's hot now. I'm afraid she must be anxious being trapped in the Marquis's mansion. I'll go and check on her for you."
Upon hearing this, Zhenxiu got up and went back to her room. She came out with a bundle, untied it, and laid out the contents one by one. Zhenshu picked them up one by one; each piece was an adorable little garment, shoes, and hat, without any embellishment, but made of pure white cotton with the stitches turned outwards. They would surely be very comfortable for a tiny baby. Zhenxiu then picked out another item, saying, "These are several embroidered silk fans I prepared for the Dowager Consort in the palace. Zhenyu is a frequent visitor to the palace; I asked her to give them to the Dowager Consort to reward the servants."
Zhenshu carefully packed everything up and put the bundle into a basket. After bidding farewell to Madam Su and Zhenxiu, she headed towards the residence of the Marquis of Beishun.
She introduced herself at the west gatehouse, and the gatekeeper went in to relay the message. Half a day later, Zhenyu's maid, Jichun, came out to escort her. Jichun was not as resentful as she had been on the day of the funeral. She greeted her with a smile and said, "My young lady has been longing for a sister to come to the mansion for a chat, but she has never been able to find one. Hearing that the Third Miss has arrived, she was so happy that she insisted on coming to fetch her herself, and we were asked to stop her."
Zhenshu, her heart pounding, sensed that Zhenyu's anger had subsided somewhat upon hearing this, and so she and Jichun entered Zhenyu's Floating Cloud Residence together. It was already quite hot, though not yet the height of summer, the house was still stiflingly stuffy. Zhenyu, though only five months pregnant, had a very prominent belly, and was helping An'an feed the birds on the porch. Seeing Zhenshu enter, she tossed a handful of millet into the birdcage, clapped her hands, and greeted her, saying with a hint of resentment, "You all ignore me now."
Zhenshu laughed and said, "How could I ignore you? It's just that I'm too busy at the mounting shop to leave."
Zhenyu personally invited Zhenshu to sit down before saying, "Now you're quite capable, even taking on the role of manager. We've been cooped up in this little courtyard all day, it's driving us crazy."
This small courtyard of the Marquis's mansion is probably a place many women would go crazy trying to squeeze into.
Zhenshu laid out all of Zhenxiu's embroidery for Zhenyu to see before comforting her, saying, "I didn't know what happened between you two back then, but she put her heart into making these things."
Zhenyu took the package, put the little shoe on her big toe, and saw that the stitches were very beautiful, smooth, neat and dense. She sighed and said, "She always does these things well."
Zhenshu then handed her the stack of fans, saying, "These are what she asked you to give to the Dowager Consort in the palace. She said she would give them to people to use as gifts in the summer."
Zhenyu took the documents and frowned, saying, "Du Yu has caused a lot of trouble, making the Emperor and Prince Ping quarrel because of him. Now, the Emperor is so angry that he has even detained my aunt. I have submitted my petition many times, but the palace will never let me see her. You should take these things back and give them to her."
Zhenshu said, "Since it's been sent, you can keep it and reward the maid. Why should I take it back?"
Zhenyu handed the items to An'an, then frowned and said, "My ancestor has gone mad and is now unbinding his feet."
Zhenshu was completely confused by her explanation and asked, "What is foot binding?"
Zhenyu unfolded her two small embroidered shoes, each about seven or eight inches long, and said, "It's just that the bound toes are being unbound again. But those toes are used to being under the soles of the feet, and now that they're suddenly out, it hurts so much that I can't even take a step. I usually have to use a cane."
Zhenshu then realized that she was referring to Dou Mingluan. She admired Dou Mingluan and praised her, "She has such courage, which is admirable."
Zhenyu knew that Zhenshu was a fool, so she shook her head slightly and said, "She is already having trouble finding a good marriage because of Du Yu. Wouldn't it be even harder if she unbound her feet? Besides, she is a fool. She insists on unbound her feet so that she can go to Liangzhou to find Du Yu. This has made our boss so anxious that he is always full of blisters and takes all his anger out on us."
Zhenyu put her legs on the small table, and An'an knelt down to massage them for her. She pointed to her swollen legs and said, "Even with my big belly now, she still made me stand in the stands for half a day the other day. I could bear it, since my husband is her youngest son, and he put in a few words for me, so I came back. But the third wife, because she's the wife of a concubine's son, had to stand there all day long with her bound feet. I don't know how she endured it."
Zhenshu also sighed, "It's not my own home after all."
Zhenyu said, "The old Marquis is extremely anxious these days. Prince Ping refuses to send Du Yu back, but the Emperor wants him to send Du Yu back. The two are stuck like this for thousands of miles, and the northern Tartars have attacked from the Qingzhou area. Our Emperor is also confused; he actually sent a eunuch to be the military supervisor and even appointed him as the Mighty General, to be the military supervisor on the front line in the Emperor's stead. The old Marquis has been in charge of Yingtian Prefecture for many years and has recommended several candidates for military supervisor, but the Emperor rejected them all. Now he is very angry, and my husband always sneaks out of the house, afraid that the Emperor will see him and arrest him and give him a scolding!"
"What did she say about me?" The inner door opened, and Dou Keming walked out wearing a thin gauze cloak, followed by a pretty little girl with a rosy face, who followed closely behind him.
Zhenyu laughed and said, "It's just some idle talk. Where are you going again?"
Dou Keming took the fan from the pretty girl, opened it and fanned himself a few times, saying, "Where else can I go? I'll just go outside and chat with my father's guests for a while, so he won't scold me for staying cooped up in the inner quarters all day."
Zhenyu glared at her and said, "Come back soon, I'm feeling really annoyed right now."
Dou Keming glanced sideways at the pretty girl, who shyly lowered her head. Zhenyu gritted her teeth and said, "If you're going, go sooner rather than later. Why are you standing here playing games?"
Dou Keming seemed to only then notice Zhenshu, his eyes lighting up as he smiled and said, "Third sister is here?"
Today, Zhenshu had dressed up a bit for the Yu residence. To him, it seemed as if she had deliberately dressed up to meet him at the mansion, and she looked him up and down, unwilling to leave. Zhenyu gritted her teeth and inhaled sharply, "Aren't you coming?"
Dou Keming then clasped his hands in farewell and went out.
Seeing that Dou Keying had left, the pretty young woman came over and knelt at Zhenyu's feet, saying, "Young Madam, this servant..."
Zhenyu patted her disheveled hair with a fan and said, "Well done, but you just need to remember who's in charge of this courtyard."
The pretty girl kowtowed three times before taking her leave. Zhenshu noticed that everyone in Zhenyu's room was behaving somewhat awkwardly, and she was thinking of taking her leave as well. But then Zhenyu suddenly asked, "Mingluan likes you a bit. She often asks me why you don't come, saying that if you do come, I should let her know so she can come and sit with you for a while."
Zhenshu hurriedly waved her hand and said, "There's no need to announce it again. I need to go back to the mounting shop to take care of the business."
☆, Chapter 57 Mid-Autumn Festival
She got up and walked out, but then turned back and asked, "Is the mighty general that Second Sister mentioned Yu Yichen?"
Zhenyu raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you know?"
Zhen Shu said, "It's just something I heard from people in the mounting shop."
So it really was him. But Sun Yuan said he had been away for three months. Since it was a war, there was probably only victory or defeat and no time limit. How could he know when the war would end?
Zhenyu naturally knew that a businesswoman's time was as valuable as money, so she didn't linger any longer. She asked An'an to put some fresh fruits from the south in her basket and send her out of the mansion.
On the way back, Zhenshu sighed sullenly: At least there are three months left, so I don't have to rack my brains to find an excuse to go to the Yu Mansion to study every time.
After walking a few more steps, she sighed again: What is there for me to write? How could I write to someone I don't even know, especially since he's a...
Upon arriving at the East Market, amidst the bustling crowds, Zhenshu sighed again: "Perhaps when he returns, he will forget to ask me to study."
In the young woman's mind, three months seemed like a distant prospect. The sweltering heat of the small building in the summer, the drowsy afternoons, and the inability to wait until nightfall for a bath—all these made the days increasingly unbearable for Zhenshu. Unlike the countryside of Huixian, where there were large locust trees to provide shade, the capital city was scorching hot everywhere, with nowhere to escape the heat. The house was even worse, stifling like an oven. Even Zhenxiu, who rarely went downstairs, would take a fan and go down to cool off during the scorching July days.
The poem says, "People shouldn't laugh at those who pass the imperial examinations early, for it's only because Chang'e loves young men."
Mid-Autumn Festival arrived in the blink of an eye. As usual, unmarried men and women worshipped the moon. Men prayed to ascend to the moon palace and climb the cassia tree, while women prayed to resemble Chang'e, with a face as beautiful as the moon and cassia. Although there was no large cassia tree in the courtyard, they still worshipped the moon as was customary. In the evening, Madam Su, along with Zhenyuan and several others, and Zhang Rui, went to a cassia tree by the moat. They placed offerings on a small table and first had Zhang Rui worship, followed by Zhenyuan and the others. Even without her, she herself chanted and worshipped for a long time. Since there was no curfew that night, the young ladies, as usual, went out for a stroll.
Zhang Rui and Zhen Yuan quickened their pace, soon leaving Su Shi, Zhen Shu, Zhen Xiu, and Zhen Yi behind. The moon was full and the air was cool tonight; the people, exhausted from the summer heat, were enjoying the refreshing breeze. Moreover, there were no restrictions on the streets, so wealthy families held their banquets, scholars and literati frequented brothels, and unmarried women could openly show their faces tonight. Zhen Shu and Zhen Xiu reached the moat, where the dark green water shimmered. The riverbank was crowded with young men and women walking hand-in-hand. Zhen Yi and Su Shi were at a sugar-blowing stall, while Zhen Xiu was nowhere to be seen.
Zhenshu remembered the bookstore she had visited during the Lantern Festival, which was not far from here. So she walked over, wanting to see if the shop was still open tonight, but when she arrived, she found the door tightly locked, and the lock was rusted, so it seemed that no one had opened it for a long time.
She returned to the moat listlessly, and there she saw a slightly plump girl and a man standing in the shade of a tree, talking about something. Suddenly, the man reached out and cupped the plump girl's face, about to kiss her. Zhenshu noticed that the plump girl's clothes resembled Zhenxiu's, and the man's back also seemed strangely familiar. So she went closer to take a look, and heard Zhenxiu say, "You'd better hurry up, or my mother will see you again."
The man laughed and said, "Even if she sees me again, she'll just curse me a few times. What can she do about it?"
Zhenshu was naturally surprised to hear Tong Qisheng's accent. She walked closer and, upon closer inspection, saw that both Tong Qisheng and Zhenxiu suddenly turned around. Zhenshu felt embarrassed and turned to leave. Zhenxiu quickly ran a few steps to stop her, saying, "Don't even think about telling on us. Mother knows everything. If you feel uncomfortable, just pretend you didn't see anything."
Tong Qisheng also came over, gave a slight bow and said, "In the future, we will need Second Sister to help us get together with Mother."
Zhenshu nodded and said, "Zhenxiu, don't stay out too late, go home early."
After saying that, she went to the sugar figurine stall to find Madam Su. Zhenyi held up a few sugar figurines and asked, "Second Sister, would you like some?"