J'ai passé mon bras autour de la taille fine de l'homme fort

Chapitre 42

I tilted my head back and took a deep breath of the March air, which was filled with the scent of plants, and tried to keep my eyes wide open so that the princess wouldn't notice the moisture in the corners of my eyes.

This is the first time I've ever felt so uncomfortable after she made intimate gestures towards me.

After the naming ceremony, the emperor would, as usual, bestow wine and food upon the successful candidates, and then present the top scholar with a silk whip and a fine horse. Afterwards, seven imperial guards from the Jinwu Division and two escorts would be dispatched to escort the top scholar back to the gathering place where the successful candidates had gathered. At dusk that day, the emperor and empress, along with their palace ladies, would watch a banquet at the Ziyun Tower.

Just as the Emperor and Empress arrived upstairs and before the banquet began, a palace attendant entered and reported to the Emperor about the scholar's predicament: "Your Majesty, just now, a guard outside the Donghua Gate reported that as soon as the scholar stepped out of the Donghua Gate, a group of wealthy servants on tall horses surrounded him. Without saying a word, they rushed forward and forced him to change course. We don't know where they led him."

The Emperor stared in disbelief: "Outrageous! In broad daylight, they've brazenly kidnapped the top scholar outside the palace gates! Do you even know which family's servants are behind this?"

The eunuch hesitated to answer, but Consort Zhang, who was standing to the side, seemed rather uncomfortable. She coughed lightly and bowed to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, my uncle sent someone to tell me earlier that he admires Scholar Feng's talent and would like to invite him to his home for a chat. Those servants must be from his household. Although the servants were a bit clumsy, my uncle's invitation was entirely out of goodwill, and he will certainly send him home properly after the banquet. Please do not worry about the scholar."

The "uncle" that Consort Zhang referred to was her great-uncle Zhang Yaozuo, who was the closest blood relative to her in her father's family. In recent years, Consort Zhang had been favored by the emperor and had repeatedly sought rewards and honors for Zhang Yaozuo, ensuring his smooth career advancement. Just three months prior, he had been appointed acting Minister of the Three Departments, wielding significant financial power, which drew the attention of officials in the court. Relying on his influence within the palace, Zhang Yaozuo's arrogance had grown considerably. His invitation to the top scholar to his residence was certainly not a simple matter of drinking and conversation.

The Emperor clearly understood as well. After a moment's thought, he asked the Consort again, "Of your younger cousins, how many are of marriageable age?"

Consort Zhang smiled apologetically and said, "Your Majesty is right. There are still four who have not yet been married."

The Emperor smiled faintly, sipped his wine, and said no more.

Consort Zhang carefully observed his expression and tentatively requested, "Your Majesty, since the top scholar is hosting a banquet at my uncle's house, could you please bestow some imperial wine upon him as a sign of special favor?"

The Emperor glanced at her, and said with a half-smile, "It's not impossible."

Consort Zhang was overjoyed and hurriedly ordered her eunuchs to select the finest imperial wines and delicacies to be sent to Zhang Yaozuo's residence.

During the banquet, the concubines watched silently, saying little. After the banquet, they gathered together to chat privately, expressing their disdain for Zhang Yaozuo's behavior. They said he must be trying to use his power to force the top scholar into marriage, both to find a good husband for his daughter and to win over the future rising star in the court, making him a wing of the imperial concubine.

The princess overheard a few words and became quite worried, quietly asking me, "Will Scholar Feng agree?"

Recalling the daytime visit of the top scholar to the Empress Dowager, I didn't hesitate and gave her a clear answer: "No."

The news that came the next day proved my judgment to be correct. Lady Zhang Yaozuo went to the palace to see Consort Zhang early in the morning. According to those who saw her, her face was tense and frosty.

The story of the top scholar's refusal to marry, which she tearfully recounted to the Imperial Concubine, quickly spread among the palace servants of Ninghua Palace. Stripped of Madam Zhang's embellishments, the events unfolded as follows: Zhang's servants escorted Feng Jing to Zhang Yaozuo's residence. Zhang Yaozuo and Wang Zhi greeted him with smiles, inviting him to a banquet. Wang Zhi then acted as matchmaker, proposing that Feng Jing marry Zhang Yaozuo's daughter. Zhang Yaozuo even took out a gold belt previously bestowed by the emperor and had it forcibly tied around the top scholar's waist, saying, "His Majesty also intends to arrange a marriage." A moment later, palace eunuchs brought in wine and food, seemingly confirming the "arranged marriage." However, Feng Jing did not agree. Impatient, Zhang Yaozuo laid out the luxurious dowry he had prepared for his daughter and showed it to Feng Jing. Feng Jing smiled but did not look at it, untied the gold belt and returned it to Zhang Yaozuo, saying, "Marriage must be arranged by parents. Now that my mother is not in the capital, I dare not make a private decision. I hope you, Minister Zhang, will understand."

Zhang Yaozuo said it was no problem, as long as someone was sent to Feng Jing's hometown to ask the old lady for permission. Feng Jing, however, smiled and said, "The other day, my mother sent someone to deliver a message saying that she had arranged a marriage for me. I dare not disobey my mother's orders, but I ask Director Zhang to choose a more prestigious family, so as not to ruin the young lady's good years because of my humble and lowly status."

Zhang Yaozuo asked Feng's mother whose daughter she had betrothed, and Feng Jing said he didn't know for sure. Zhang Yaozuo understood that he was deliberately making excuses, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to let him go back.

In the following days, the Emperor quickly issued an edict to express his true attitude on the matter: Wang Zhi, a scholar-official of the Tianzhang Pavilion and a senior official of the Ministry of Personnel, was appointed as the prefect of Hongzhou.

The refusal to marry further enhanced the reputation of the top scholar Feng Jing. It is said that even the common people outside the palace were full of praise after hearing about it. Many wealthy families sent matchmakers to wait in front of Feng Jing's residence every day to request an audience. Every time he went out, he would be hit on his official robes by several embroidered balls. Therefore, the emperor had to increase the number of guards to protect him.

Not long after, the princess and I witnessed the grand spectacle of the entire city adoring the top scholar at Jinming Pond.

That day, the princess's great-aunt, the Grand Princess of Wei, slipped and fell while bathing at home, injuring her right arm. Her son sent someone to report this, and upon hearing it, the Emperor immediately ordered the Empress to take the princess and Consort Miao to the Grand Princess's residence to visit her. I accompanied the princess.

The Grand Princess of Wei was virtuous and kind, and always treated her servants with kindness and compassion. When the eunuch sent by the Emperor reprimanded her servants for not serving her properly, she immediately said to the Empress, "I am already sixty-two years old, old and frail, and it is not easy for me to move around. I accidentally slipped and fell, which is not the fault of those around me. Please, Your Majesty and Empress, do not punish them."

The Empress then instructed the eunuchs not to blame the servants and not to pursue the matter further. The Emperor summoned the Princess, inquired about her recent situation, and gently instructed her to treat her future husband and his family well, to be filial to her parents-in-law, and to respect and love her husband, etc. The Princess agreed to everything, but her expression was not very serious, as if she did not take it very seriously.

Leaving the main residence to return to the palace, the princess and the empress rode in the same carriage, while I rode alongside on horseback, with Consort Miao's carriage following behind. Just as we arrived at Jinming Pond, we saw a large crowd of people thronging the road ahead, a bustling scene of carriages and horses, and the empress's carriage was blocked from moving forward.

The Empress summoned her attendant to inquire. After a short while, the attendant returned and said, "Today, the Qionglin Garden held a celebratory banquet. After the banquet, the top scholar and other successful candidates came out, and the people of the capital who were waiting outside the garden rushed forward to catch a glimpse of their demeanor. Many wealthy families even brought out carriages to choose their sons-in-law, so the entire road in front of Jinming Pond was blocked."

Several days after the announcement of the list of successful candidates in each imperial examination, the emperor would bestow a "Joyful Banquet" at Qionglin Garden to entertain the newly appointed scholars, with eunuchs and some officials in attendance. On that day, the people of the capital would also gather, lining the roads to watch. Families with daughters of marriageable age would often prepare carriages and horses, approaching any young scholar they saw to strike up a conversation and invite them to marry. Some would even forcibly pull the scholar into their carriages to discuss marriage. These carriages were known as "son-in-law selection carriages."

In the past, when the imperial concubines traveled, they were always the focus of attention, especially the Empress's carriage. When it traveled along the road, the officials and commoners would respectfully step aside, but they couldn't help but look up and peek. Even though it was difficult to catch a glimpse of the Empress's face, seeing the carriage and her entourage was something they were eager to do. But today, the situation was very different. The people blocking the road did not immediately move aside, and they didn't really look at the Empress's entourage. Instead, they all craned their necks to look ahead of the carriage, as if waiting for something.

The eunuchs cleared the way, making it difficult for the carriage to move, and it dragged on for a while, stopping and starting intermittently. Later, hearing shouts of encouragement from ahead, the tourists were gradually pushed aside, and finally a path was cleared. Several imperial guards came running towards them, carrying imperial edicts bearing the decree appointing the top scholar as the emperor. Behind them were dozens or even hundreds of yellow banners, each inscribed with a line of poetry, fluttering in the wind. Passing by the cloud-like crowd, the top scholar, Feng Jing, slowly rode up, still dressed in a yellow robe and green gown, with a square-brimmed black gauze hat on his head, two purple silk ribbons hanging down his chin, making his face appear as handsome as jade.

Upon seeing the Empress's palanquin, Feng Jing immediately dismounted, walked closer, and solemnly bowed before it.

Two attendants gently parted the embroidered curtains of the phoenix palanquin, allowing the Empress, who was separated by a layer of gauze, to see the scene before her.

After glancing at Feng Jing and then at the other scholars who had accompanied him, the Empress gently asked him, "Scholar, where is your palace flower in your hairpin?"

Wearing flowers in one's turban is called "zan dai". At the celebration banquet for newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the emperor would send an envoy to bestow palace flowers upon them, which the Jinshi would then wear in their hair upon returning home. Now that the celebration banquet has ended, all the men in green robes have palace flowers in their hair, except for Feng Jing, whose hair is completely bare.

Feng Jing lowered his head and said, "Just now, someone threw some things down from the building on the street. They hit my hat and knocked off the palace flower I was wearing..."

"Hmm?" the Empress said in surprise, "Someone actually dared to throw something at the top scholar?"

At this moment, an eunuch named Zhuangyuan Hedao stepped forward and knelt down, explaining to the Empress with a smile: "Your Majesty, what hit Zhuangyuan Lang's crown was an embroidered ball thrown by a young lady from the building behind. The palace flowers were knocked down by the embroidered ball, and before they even hit the ground, they were snatched up by the onlookers on the street."

I looked around and saw that there were indeed many colorful screens set up by wealthy families on the buildings on both sides of the street. I guessed that young women were hiding in them watching the top scholar. I wondered how many times Feng Jing would be hit by the embroidered ball that day.

"What a handsome scholar!" The Empress couldn't help but smile, and then instructed her maid to pick a peony from under the eaves of the carriage and put it in the scholar's hair.

The Empress's carriage was slightly wider than the one with eaves, and all the patterns were dragons. In the third month, following the customs of the Qingming, Hanshi, and Huachao festivals in Bianjing, the top was decorated with willow branches and various flowers, which hung down to provide shade. The flowers used now were all freshly picked from the Imperial Garden today, and although half a day had passed, they were still very beautiful.

The peony hanging under the eaves was a thousand-petaled variety, its purple color and dense, even leaves, also known as "flat-headed purple." A maidservant picked a peony and placed it beside Feng Jing's hairpin. Feng Jing smiled slightly and bowed again to the Empress in gratitude.

The Empress smiled and told him to rise. After he stepped aside, she ordered the carriage to return to the palace. The embroidered curtains were lowered, and the carriage began to move. The princess, however, quietly lifted the curtain by the window, opened her eyes wide to look at Feng Jing, and a faint, lively smile appeared on her lips.

Seemingly recognizing the princess he had met briefly, Feng Jing smiled and gave her a slight bow, his elegant demeanor still impeccable.

Back in the palace, the Empress, along with the Princess and Consort Miao, went to the Funing Palace to report to the Emperor. After recounting the matter of the Grand Princess of Wei, the Empress mentioned Feng Jing, describing the scene of thousands vying to see the top scholar and the embroidered ball knocking down palace flowers. The Emperor laughed heartily and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Even a street parade can cause so much trouble. We can't appoint such a handsome scholar as the top scholar again."

Despite saying that, he smiled, as if he were deliberately complaining to outsiders about the flaws of his outstanding child that weren't really flaws, and his tone was full of parental doting affection.

Perhaps thinking of the imperial son-in-law Li Wei, Consort Miao sighed deeply and looked at the Emperor, saying half-jokingly, "Your Majesty also thinks Scholar Feng is quite good, right? If a Tang Dynasty emperor had met him, he would most likely have been made the imperial son-in-law."

The Emperor smiled and replied, half-jokingly, "I would like to make him my son-in-law, but where would I find a second daughter? Even if I did, when it comes to the skill of snatching the young man in green as my son-in-law, I can't compare to the people of the capital, especially those old men in the court. I simply can't compete with them!"

The princess listened silently without interrupting, perhaps due to the shyness awakened in her by Feng Jing. Back in Yifeng Pavilion, she sat quietly on the swing, head bowed in thought for a long time. Suddenly, she sighed and asked me, "Is that Li Wei really both stupid and ugly?"

(to be continued)