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

Chapitre 104

She didn't rush to ask me about what had happened since we parted. Instead, she chatted with me about everyday things as usual, as if the separation that year had never happened. She acted very normally, without any of the frenzy and confusion she had shown the night before, except for the occasional slight daze.

"Where's my bamboo lotus hair oil?" she asked when Yun Guo'er combed her hair, noticing that the hair oil wasn't something she used often.

Yun Guo smiled and said bluntly, "The princess spilled her drink last night, but doesn't she remember?"

The princess paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something, lowered her eyelashes, and looked quite shy.

“I didn’t set the fire on purpose,” she told me quietly later when no one was around. “I woke up in the middle of the night, the candles were out, and it was pitch black. I got up and stumbled out, but I was dizzy and felt like there were walls all around me, and I couldn’t find the door. I was afraid of being locked up here, so I took out the incense burner from the tent and tried to find some incense cakes to use as kindling to light the candles, but the candles wouldn’t light no matter what I did. So I blew on the incense cakes, but I blew sparks onto the gauze curtain, and it caught fire… For some reason, I was actually very happy to see the fire getting bigger and bigger… If I burned down all these walls, would I be able to see you?”

I gave a wry smile, avoiding a direct discussion of the topic: "Your Highness is of noble birth and should take good care of yourself. In the future, please do not lightly touch any source of fire."

She seemed not to hear, and continued to say to herself, "Later they all came to pull me away, but I didn't want to leave anymore. I thought it would be good to be burned to death like this, so that my soul could float away to see you after getting rid of this body..."

My eyes welled up with tears, and I dared not look directly into her eyes. Instead, I turned my head to gaze at the boudoir still emitting wisps of smoke, and heard her let out a soft sigh: "I just want to see you."

In the afternoon, Li Wei returned from the palace, accompanied by Wang Wuzi and Consort Miao. Upon seeing the princess, Consort Miao immediately embraced her, examining her closely from head to toe, crying out "My child!" and weeping uncontrollably. The princess also shed tears, and mother and daughter wept together. Li Wei stood to the side, watching blankly, while Wang Wuzi pulled me to a side room and whispered to me that, at Li Wei's request, the Emperor had allowed me to stay temporarily at the princess's residence to keep her company.

This should have been good news, but I didn't react happily at all. I just nodded, as if to indicate that I was simply accepting the order and passively taking the arrangement into my own hands.

Wang Wuzi was somewhat surprised, but did not investigate the reason, and continued: "In addition, the prince consort made another request to the emperor."

"What?" I asked.

“He is taking a concubine,” Wang Wuzi replied. “He has asked Your Majesty for permission to take a concubine soon.”

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) A Pearl Amidst Rubble, Thrown Away by Seven Sons

Chapter word count: 2816 Update time: 09-07-05 10:40

Shichiro

(2647 words)

Ordinary men take concubines either for their beauty or to have offspring, but this was clearly not Li Wei's purpose, at least not his primary one. His current request is likely a sign that he has given up on the princess, I guess. Wang Wuzi later told me, "The Emperor asked him if he had someone in mind, and he said no, then added, 'If Your Majesty grants my permission, I will go find someone.'"

The Emperor naturally granted his request, which was to be expected. I soon realized that Consort Miao's trip was not just to comfort the princess.

After crying with the princess, Consort Miao wiped away her tears and summoned Jiaqingzi and Yunguoer to a private room for a talk. A moment later, the three emerged. Consort Miao held Yunguoer's hand, chatting and laughing intimately, while Jiaqingzi walked behind them with his head down, saying nothing.

Consort Miao took Yun Guo'er to see Madam Yang, and ordered Li Wei to accompany them. Only after they disappeared did I whisper to Jiaqingzi what Consort Miao had said to them. Jiaqingzi blushed, stammered, and after a long while, finally gave a rough explanation. It turned out that Consort Miao had heard that Li Wei wanted to take a concubine, and was worried that Madam Yang would find him a vulgar and uncouth woman, causing the princess to suffer. Therefore, she wanted to find someone she knew well to marry Li Wei directly. After much thought, she felt that Jiaqingzi, Yun Guo'er, and the princess had grown up together since childhood, and their bond was unparalleled. In recent years, the princess's maids who had accompanied her had either married or returned home, and Xiaoyan'er had been expelled. It was rare that these two had remained loyal and devoted to the princess, showing their affection and steadfastness. Therefore, she strongly urged them to marry Li Wei as concubines. This way, the matter of taking a concubine would be resolved, and they could continue to accompany the princess.

After a private conversation, Jiaqingzi politely declined, but Yunguoer finally nodded in agreement.

Presumably, Madam Yang and Li Wei accepted this outcome. When Consort Miao returned to the princess's residence, she looked relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart. Before leaving the princess's residence to return to the palace, she carefully considered her words and cautiously told the princess about the concubine arrangement. The princess was not displeased, but rather surprised. She summoned Yun Guo'er and said to her, "Marriage is a serious matter. Don't marry someone you're not happy with just because of me. I don't know what my sister said to you earlier, but if you're even slightly unhappy, shake your head now, and I will make the decision for you. I will also explain to the consort and his mother, and let them choose someone else."

Yun Guo'er said softly, "Princess, you are overthinking it. I am doing this voluntarily. These past few years, I haven't listened to my family's advice to marry. Besides the fact that I'm not good enough for anyone, I'm also afraid that I might marry a stranger without any consideration, just because of a matchmaker's silver tongue. If, unfortunately, that person is of bad character, addicted to drinking, gambling, or womanizing, my future would be miserable. Two years ago, Lady Miao asked the Emperor to bestow my sisters and me as concubines to a high-ranking official, but I declined. Wealthy families have many concubines, and the situation is unpredictable. If his wife is intolerant, my situation after entering the household would be precarious... But in front of the Princess, I naturally don't worry about that. Besides, I've seen the Prince Consort every day these past few years, and I know that he is of excellent character and very kind to his servants. He will certainly not mistreat his concubines in the future... I am willing to stay in the Princess's residence to serve the Princess and the Prince Consort for the rest of my life. However, if the Princess feels it is inappropriate, then Yun Guo'er is being presumptuous. Please pretend that this never happened..."

After repeatedly questioning Yun Guo'er and confirming that she was acting voluntarily, the princess agreed to the matter. She and Consort Miao each bestowed upon her a great deal of wealth and ordered the officials in the household to prepare a generous dowry for her. They then chose an auspicious day for the ceremony, officially granting her the title of concubine to the consort.

At first, I was worried that Yun Guo'er was being pressured by Consort Miao to say such things, so I asked Jiaqingzi to ask her privately about her feelings. Yun Guo'er still said that it was her own choice, and added, "I am different from the princess. The princess is of noble birth and naturally hopes to marry a perfect husband, someone talented and handsome, with whom she can compose poems, play music, and paint. But I was born of humble birth and have no special talents. My greatest wish is to marry a husband who will treat me well. Looks and talent are secondary; the most important thing is a good heart. The prince consort is a good man, and also a nobleman. There are certainly not many honest noblemen like him in this world, so why would I be unhappy?"

The auspicious day was chosen in mid-October. Less than a month before the day of taking a concubine, Li Wei showed no joy. He saw Yun Guo'er as before and paid her no special attention. While Yun Guo'er was busy embroidering her wedding dress, he devoted more energy to collecting and appreciating calligraphy and paintings, spending all his days in his study. It seemed that the mountain of scrolls was more like his favorite concubine than Yun Guo'er herself.

He would still come to visit the princess every day, but whenever he saw me, he would quickly take his leave after only a few words, as if afraid of disturbing us. That unusually humble attitude always made me feel guilty and uneasy.

After going through an exceptionally difficult period of consideration and decision-making, one late night, I knocked on his door and said to him, "Commander, can we postpone the matter of taking a concubine?"

At the end of September, Li Wei completed the garden he was building near Yichun Garden, and he immediately invited the princess to stay there for a while. He had spent several years building this garden, and the result was indeed excellent. The garden was filled with flowers and trees, creating a series of beautiful scenes, and was extremely magnificent. It contained many rare and exotic flowers, many of which were transported from afar and were unfamiliar to most people in the capital. When the princess was admiring the flowers, she casually asked about the names of a couple of plants, and Li Wei took it to heart. He then ordered several jade plaques from Lantian to be selected, carved with the names of the flowers, and hung on the branches of each plant so that the princess could recognize them at a glance.

But this was another thankless task. The princess merely sneered: "I heard that Yan Shu once ridiculed Li Qingsun's poem about wealth, 'Scroll-bound musical scores with gold lettering, trees inscribed with famous flowers and jade plaques,' saying: 'This is the appearance of a beggar. Whenever I speak of wealth, I don't mention gold, jade, or brocade, but only the grandeur.' Now look what's happened, someone actually took the jade plaque from the beggar's poem and hung it in the garden."

She said this in private, and I told those who heard it not to spread it, so Li Wei was completely unaware. Sometimes he would ask me about the princess's opinion on the garden, and I would say that everything was fine, but I would subtly advise him to remove the jade plaque.

The plaques throughout the garden were all empty. Li Wei wanted the princess to name them, but she had no interest in such matters and asked me to name them. Naturally, I wouldn't presume to do that, so I said everything was fine and suggested that Li Wei invite other renowned scholars and talents to inscribe the plaques. Li Wei accepted my suggestion and asked who would be best. I thought for a moment and said, "Let's ask Ouyang Xiu. He is extremely talented, and his calligraphy is excellent. Everyone calls him a 'true scholar.' Moreover, he has drafted many edicts concerning the princess over the years, and he also drafted the wedding ceremony for the princess and her husband. It's quite a rare coincidence."

Li Wei agreed wholeheartedly and decided to invite Ouyang Xiu to visit the garden and inscribe his name. He also mentioned that the garden's design had previously consulted Cui Bai, so it would be a good opportunity to host a banquet to express his gratitude.

Two days later, Ouyang Xiu and Cui Bai arrived as promised. Accompanying Ouyang Xiu was a young scholar, refined and handsome, who looked to be no more than thirty years old.

Li Wei and I went to greet the guest. Seeing that the scholar was unfamiliar, Li Wei asked Ouyang Xiu to introduce him. Ouyang Xiu chuckled and said, "I was just about to go out when I suddenly saw this distinguished guest come to my humble abode. I was overjoyed and wanted to keep him for a long chat, but I dared not break my promise to the Commandant. In order to have the best of both worlds, I disregarded his objections and forced him to come along. I hope the Commandant will not blame me."

The scholar was elegant and refined, and given the respect shown to him by Ouyang Xiu, Li Wei could tell he was no ordinary person. He bowed to the scholar again and politely inquired of his name. Ouyang Xiu offered to answer for him, but the scholar stopped him, saying, “I come from a humble background and hold only a minor official position that cannot bring honor to my ancestors. I dare not reveal my name, lest it offend your noble hearing. I am the seventh child in my family, and my friends often call me Seventh Brother. If the Commandant does not mind, please address me as such.”

His tone was not impolite, but his expression was cold, and there was a palpable arrogance in his gaze as he looked at Li Wei. It was clear that his trip was extremely reluctant and against his will.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Wei welcomed them into the garden, where they toured the place together with Cui Bai, who had arrived earlier. He invited them to appreciate and comment on the beautiful scenery, and Ouyang Xiu gladly took up his brush to name and inscribe the various pavilions and towers.

Upon hearing that Ouyang Neihan and Cui Bai had come to visit, the princess was very interested. She sent someone to tell Li Wei that she wanted to invite them to a banquet in her Zhongge Pavilion. She said that they would eat and chat in the hall, while she would sit behind a curtain on one side, listening to their conversation without showing herself.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, but still agreed. At the banquet, everyone went to the central pavilion and took their seats. Then, the sound of the princess's jade pendants jingling could be heard. She moved gracefully through another door into the hall and sat down behind the hanging beaded curtain.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) A Pearl Cast Away Like Pebbles at a Night Banquet

Chapter word count: 3087 Update time: 09-07-05 10:41

Night Banquet

(2864 words)

Perhaps because of the princess's presence, the male guests were somewhat reserved, unlike their earlier casual conversation and lively chatter in the garden. Their toasts to each other were also unusually polite. With the princess remaining silent behind the curtain, awkward silences frequently occurred. Everyone could only pretend to be engrossed in watching the musicians' performances, which must have been somewhat boring for both sides. Therefore, I suggested that the guests and hosts play a drinking game using the jade candles, which was immediately met with enthusiastic support. Cui Bai counted the people present and laughed, "The more drinking games, the more fun! We only have five male guests here, and we also need to select a jade candle keeper, so there aren't enough people. Why don't you join in, Princess? You don't need to come out from behind the curtain; just ask the jade candle keeper to pass you the candle when you need to draw one."

Li Wei looked troubled and stole a glance behind the beaded curtain. There, the shadows of hairpins swayed slightly, and the sounds of hairpins clinking and women whispering could be heard. After a while, Jiaqingzi came out from behind the curtain and said to Cui Bai, "The princess said that playing a drinking game is not a bad idea. In that case, I, the Jade Candle Recorder, will ask Mr. Liang to do it."

The "Jade Candle" refers to a drinking game token container, shaped like a lottery tube, containing several tokens for drinking games. These tokens were managed by a selected "Jade Candle Recorder." When guests and hosts played a game, the tokens were presented to the person whose token was drawn by rolling dice, and the inscription on the token determined who drank, how much, and various rewards, punishments, and entertainment. At such private banquets, the Jade Candle Recorder was usually a male guest skilled in drinking games and knowledgeable in music. In this case, he also had the task of contacting the princess behind the curtain, so the princess appointed me to this role.

I rose to accept the order, then took the set of Analects-themed jade candles from the maid, presented the dice box to Li Wei, and asked him to roll it first. Li Wei shook it, opened it, and saw four dots. Counting in order, the one to draw the dice should be Ouyang Xiu. The jade candles contained dozens of drinking game tokens, all long and narrow with curved handles, made of gilded silver, with the game rules engraved on the front in regular script. The first half of each token was a quote from the Analects, and the second half was the content of the game. Ouyang Xiu held up a token from the jade candle tube I presented. I took it and read aloud: "The Master, in Qi Shao for three months, did not know the taste of meat; presenting five points to the host."