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

Chapitre 87

Upon seeing the layout of the place, Madam Han hurriedly said, "Chengzhao, please refrain from being rude!"

Zhang Chengzhao stopped and stood still. Madam Han deliberately glared at him and scolded, "I've only been gone for a short while, and you've already made such a scene, disturbing the Empress Dowager so much. I'll tell Supervisor Liang later, and he'll skin you alive!"

Zhang Chengzhao smiled apologetically, nodded repeatedly in agreement, and said no more.

Madam Han then went to Madam Yang's side and apologized, "Last night, the princess ate some cold dumplings and complained of a stomachache in the middle of the night, even crying from the pain. The maids were all panicked and confused, not even knowing where to find medicine, so I asked Jiaqingzi to invite Huaiji over to take a look. Huaiji was calm and quickly arranged everything—getting the medicine, decocting it, and taking care of everything inside and outside the room—and he even stayed with me in the room to watch over the princess. The medicine was ready just now, but the princess complained it was too hot, so I took the bowl out to cool it down with ice water. I didn't expect that in just a short while, that rascal Chengzhao would anger Madam. He certainly deserves a beating. Madam, don't worry, I will definitely have Supervisor Liang teach him a lesson."

Madam Yang sneered and asked Madam Han, "Since the princess is unwell, there should be enough servants available. Why are there only one or two people serving her in the room? Besides, even something as trivial as preparing an iced medicine bowl requires your personal attention, Your Highness?"

As the princess's wet nurse, Lady Han was also granted the title of Lady of Changli County after the princess's marriage. Hearing Lady Yang's question, she remained calm and replied, "Don't be fooled by the large number of servants the princess brought; actually, very few of them are truly capable. Those maids are all clumsy. When they first saw the princess clutching her stomach and saying it hurt, they all rushed to rub it for her without thinking, only making her feel worse. It made me angry, so I simply sent them all out and only call them when I need them to run errands. This medicine took a long time to brew, and I was afraid they would carelessly spill the decoction or add water, so I didn't dare let them carry it out and had to do it myself."

Madam Yang pursed her lips, seemingly not quite believing it, but Madam Han's attitude was kind and she spoke to her gently, so she didn't make a fuss. However, she took the medicine bowl from Madam Han's hand and presented it directly to the princess, saying, "In that case, Princess, please drink this medicine quickly. If you're sick, it's best to get better as soon as possible."

The princess hesitated for a moment, but Madam Han winked at her from behind Madam Yang and made a drinking gesture. The princess then took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing that the princess had finished drinking, Madam Yang's expression softened slightly, and she offered a perfunctory explanation: "I only heard that the princess had invited Mr. Liang over in the middle of the night, wondering what serious matter had occurred, so I rushed over to check on her at dawn. Now that she appears to be in good spirits and has a strong voice, I'm relieved." She paused, then added with emphasis, "However, the princess should always have a few maids serving her day and night. Mr. Liang already manages many affairs in the residence, so there's no need to trouble him to come and handle such matters personally in the future. With the princess by her side, what is there to worry about?"

She said those last two sentences while staring at me. I bowed to her and replied, "Thank you for your understanding, Madam Imperial Brother."

She maintained that meaningful smile, giving me a cold, sidelong glance with a clear warning. After a long while, she bid farewell to the princess. The princess did not respond, and she said nothing more, turning and leaving.

As soon as she stepped out of the pavilion, I immediately asked Madam Han, "What medicine did the princess drink?"

She whispered, "Don't worry, it's an appetizer and spleen tonic, it won't harm the princess's body. I haven't had a good appetite these past few days, so I brewed it and kept it in my room. Just now I heard the Empress Dowager shouting here, so I brought out a bowl and made up a reason to leave her speechless."

I thanked her and wanted to explain the situation when I was alone with the princess, but I didn't know how to start. After hesitating for a while, she spoke first and laughed, "I watched you grow up. Do you think I don't know what's going on between you? Only a vulgar woman like her would think such dirty thoughts. Now you just need to think about how to explain the princess's outing to Supervisor Liang."

She then went to the princess, pulled her to sit down, and comforted her with kind words. The princess, however, was still indignant, growing angrier the more she thought about it, and couldn't help but wipe away her tears with her sleeve. Just then, a eunuch came in to report: "The prince consort heard that the princess is unwell and is requesting an audience outside the palace gate."

The words "imperial son-in-law" reignited the princess's anger, and she immediately replied, "Get out of here! Who has time to see him!"

The young eunuch was taken aback, unsure whether he should obey. I then said to him, "Go and tell the prince consort that the princess is unwell and has already gone to bed. Please ask the prince consort to come and visit her later."

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) The wine is finished, leaving only sorrow on her brows. 2. The Boudoir

Chapter word count: 2828 Update time: 09-07-05 10:35

2. Boudoir

(2582 words)

At dusk, Li Wei came to see the princess again. The princess was changing the evening incense in the golden duck incense burner she took out from the embroidered curtain. Although he came in, she never looked at him directly. Li Wei respectfully greeted her, but it was only Han Shi beside him who answered on behalf of the princess. The princess lowered her eyes and had a cold face, silently doing her own thing.

She casually poked at the incense ash in the burner with fire tongs, then had Jiaqingzi pick up a red-hot Qingquan incense cake and place it in the burner. She lightly smeared a layer of incense ash over it, used the fire tongs to make a few holes, reached up to test the heat, and only when she felt the heat was right did she place the mica separator on top. Then she picked up the silver incense spoon and prepared to add spices.

The princess performed these movements with fluidity and elegance. Her hands were exceptionally beautiful, with a complexion as smooth as jade and long, slender fingers that swayed gently like two fluttering magnolia blossoms. Li Wei stared in a daze, momentarily forgetting to continue his conversation with Madam Han.

Later, the princess probably noticed his absent-mindedness. When her gaze briefly swept across his face, a hint of cold indifference flashed across her eyes. She then turned to me, pointed to the incense box with a silver spoon, and smiled charmingly: "Huaiji, what kind of incense do you think I should use tonight? Should it be flower-infused agarwood, or osmanthus and sandalwood?"

This is an ambiguous question. The golden duck incense burner is placed in the boudoir behind the screen, and the two kinds of incense she asked about are often referred to as "incense in the tent".

She did it on purpose.

Sure enough, Li Wei's eyes were like incense sticks that had burned out in an instant, leaving only a deathly gray. He didn't make a sound, but his hands, resting on his knees, slowly tightened their grip on the hem of his robe, and the veins on the back of his hands stood out.

I didn't want to conspire with the princess to carry out this revenge, so I bowed respectfully to her and told a white lie: "I have never smelled any of these incenses before, so I cannot offer any good advice to the princess. Why don't you ask the ladies instead?"

The princess smiled, and without asking anyone else, took a spoonful of osmanthus and sandalwood incense and added it to the bowl.

Li Wei was restless. After exchanging a few more words with Han, he got up to take his leave. I tried to see him out, but he coldly stopped me, saying, "I wouldn't dare trouble Mr. Liang." Then he quickened his pace and left.

From then on, he visited the princess less often and devoted himself more to studying calligraphy and painting. He spent a lot of money to buy collections and painted bamboo in his study day and night. When he went out, he would either visit famous calligraphers and painters or collectors, or go to supervise the construction of the land he bought next to Yichun Garden. It seems that he really wanted to build a magnificent garden.

The princess was quite pleased with the fact that her husband was beginning to distance himself from her, and she also found a new pleasure—constantly buying me new clothes, searching for the most exquisite Wu silk, Shu brocade, and Yue silk, and having them tailored into the most fashionable style of wide robes and loose belts for scholars and literati in the capital city, ordering me to wear them all day long at home, while she forbade me from wearing the clothes of the palace officials unless I entered the palace.

Once, when she went to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense, she had me wear such a scholar's robe to accompany her. At that time, Xiangguo Temple had just changed to a new abbot who did not recognize us. When he came out to greet us, he saw me dismount from the princess's carriage and immediately came over to bow, calling me "Captain". The princess and the servants around her all laughed when they heard this, but no one said anything. In the end, I explained my identity to the abbot. He was very embarrassed after hearing this and hurriedly apologized to me and the princess. The princess was not angry at all, but seemed to like the misunderstanding.

Madam Yang naturally disapproved and often spoke coldly to her. The princess also did as she pleased, insisting that I dress according to her wishes. All I could do was try to keep a distance from the princess and avoid being alone with her. Even when I was composing poems and painting in my study during the day, I would leave the door wide open and have at least two maids attending to me.

Lady Yang must have planted people to spy on my relationship with the princess, but they didn't find anything of significant importance. However, she remained dissatisfied with the princess. Whenever female relatives from the imperial clan came to visit, she would complain to them that the princess disrespected her husband and was rude to her, behaving completely unbecoming of a new bride. Some people also relayed these words to me, which worried me: if Lady Yang's complaints reached the ears of the scholar-officials, they might say that the princess was "arrogant and willful."

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In the first month of the fifth year of the Jiayou reign, the current emperor bestowed the title of Princess Fu'an upon his ninth daughter and Princess Qingshou upon his tenth daughter. Since Consorts Dong and Zhou gave birth to princesses one after another last year, the current emperor has shown them special favor. They became pregnant again one after another, and in the third month, Consort Qiuhe of Dong gave birth to the current emperor's eleventh daughter.

Although he had lost hope of having an heir once again, the current emperor still bestowed generous rewards upon Qiuhe and her mother, and even wanted to promote Qiuhe to the rank of concubine. Qiuhe declined, but the current emperor insisted, and she finally said, "If Your Majesty insists on bestowing favors upon me, then please transfer the favors you have given me to my father." So the current emperor granted her request and posthumously granted Qiuhe's father an official rank.

Three days after the Eleventh Princess's birth, the princess and Lady Yang entered the palace to offer their congratulations. The Empress, in the Qiuhe Pavilion, personally held the Eleventh Princess, gently stroking her with affection, calling the unnamed girl "Princess" in a tender tone. The Princess, seeing her little sister, also liked her very much. After playing with her for a while, she still felt it wasn't enough, and then forcefully snatched the Eleventh Princess from the Empress's arms, holding her herself. She went to Qiuhe Pavilion and said with a smile, "Ninth Sister looks like Father, and Eleventh Sister is just like you, cast from the same mold."

Qiuhe just smiled quietly and replied softly, "Newborn babies are all wrinkled, what can you tell from them... If they look like me, that wouldn't be good..."

Seeing that the princess and her sister were having a great time, the Empress asked Lady Yang to go outside with her to talk in the hall. Fearing that Lady Yang would criticize the princess in front of the Empress, I followed her out and stood by her side.

After exchanging brief greetings with Lady Yang, the Empress inquired about the recent relationship between the Princess and her husband. Lady Yang immediately sighed, "It's still the same old story. I'm afraid that even when His Majesty reports the arrival of his tenth son, he might not see a single grandson! It's all my son's fault for being so honest and simple-minded; he doesn't know how to speak sweetly, nor does he know how to choose nice clothes. The Princess finds him an eyesore." She then glanced at me, seemingly casually, and said with a faint smile, "I'm still advising the Prince Consort to spend more time learning from Mr. Liang, asking him to teach him how to speak, act, and dress, so that the Princess will smile whenever she sees him."

The Empress understood her implied meaning and glanced at me. I immediately bowed to her in response, then said to Madam Yang, "Huaiji is humbled. The Prince Consort's demeanor is dignified, and his attire is appropriate. How could Huaiji presume to make such comments?"

Madam Yang chuckled and said, "Mr. Liang is too modest. You are handsome, your clothes are elegant, and you are skilled in everything—calligraphy, painting, poetry—you can't do it all. Even if the Imperial Son-in-Law were to beat several fine horses, he still couldn't compare to you." After saying this, she turned to the Empress and added, "Mr. Liang is skilled in many things; he must possess some unique skills that others don't. The Princess likes him very much and often invites him to her chambers to exchange techniques. Mr. Liang serves the Princess diligently, from morning till night, always by her side. To be honest, people who don't know them often point and whisper about them, thinking Mr. Liang is the Imperial Son-in-Law!"

She said it was a "joke," but her eyes were cold and brooding, revealing no hint of a joke. The Empress naturally understood. After a moment's thought, she raised her eyes and smiled slightly at Lady Yang: "Indeed, the Empress Dowager is a woman of great experience, not one to stoop to the level of beggars. She laughs off some wild and absurd words. I remember when I brought my wet nurse into the palace, she was shocked to see palace eunuchs freely entering and leaving the women's quarters, even serving the ladies in their dressing and grooming, and supporting them. She said that such things were not for men. When Empress Dowager Zhanghui heard this, she reprimanded her, saying: 'The eunuchs are not men, and are not much different from the maids used in wealthy households, except that they are stronger and smarter than ordinary women, making them easier to manage. They have been castrated since childhood and have received strict training in the palace. Their conduct is impeccable, and they have no intention of defiling the palace.'" "What's wrong with them coming and going from the inner chambers? Just treat them like girls, don't make a fuss. Otherwise, those who know will say you're strict about etiquette and guarding the boundaries, while those who don't might laugh at you for being petty and unable to handle such expensive servants." My wet nurse felt very ashamed after hearing this and got used to it. Presumably, not many people outside the palace have seen the inner court officials, and when she happened to see Huaiji, she mistook him for a man, which is why some inappropriate remarks reached the ears of the Empress Dowager's brother. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager's brother has been in and out of the palace for twenty years and has the same experience as the palace ladies, so she naturally understands the situation and won't take such gossip to heart or get upset for no reason. Having such a sensible mother-in-law is truly a great blessing for the princess."

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) The wine is finished, leaving only sorrow on her brows. 3. Seizing the Whip

Chapter word count: 2300 Update time: 09-07-05 10:35

3. Seizing the whip