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Chapitre 20

Still dazed and confused, a man rushed over, quickly helped up the person she had pulled up, and angrily rebuked her: "You audacious brat, how dare you offend the Princess of Shu!"

Princess Shu? Startled, she looked up—the woman she had bumped into appeared to be in her early twenties, elegantly dressed with a beautiful face. She was currently adjusting her slightly disheveled hair, and despite the suddenness of the incident, her every movement remained graceful. Seeing her staring at her so "unrestrainedly," the woman's cheeks flushed, and she showed displeasure. She subtly moved aside, letting the man beside her shield her. The man was young and handsome, dressed in flowing robes and a dashing manner; one glance revealed him to be from a noble family, undoubtedly the Imperial Son-in-Law, Wang Shen.

Pang Di then remembered that she was a woman disguised as a man. Not only did she grab the other person's arm and knock him down, but she also pounced on him. To others, this was naturally extremely rude.

He immediately rose and performed a graceful curtsy according to women's etiquette, apologizing, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I am not a man; I was merely dressed as one."

The princess and her husband were initially taken aback, scrutinizing her for a long time before smiling with relief. The princess, always magnanimous and forgiving, didn't hold a grudge over such a trivial matter. Instead, seeing Pang Di's delicate features and natural beauty that shone through despite her men's attire, she felt a sense of goodwill and asked her with a smile:

"Who are you?"

"My name is Pang Di, and I am the wife of Wang Pang, the Crown Prince's tutor and storyteller at Chongzheng Hall." Seeing that the princess was kind and gentle, Pang Di briefly explained why she had disguised herself as a man to enter the palace to admire the calligraphy and paintings.

"So it's Miss Pang." The princess nodded. It turned out the princess had heard Empress Dowager Gao mention her many times before. The Empress Dowager recalled her sighs: Miss Pang was beautiful and elegant, well-educated and courteous, possessing the talent of Consort Wan but without her sorrowful air. She handled elders with propriety, neither servile nor arrogant. Though seemingly delicate, she possessed a resilient heart, making her most endearing. It was a pity that Lord Pang had made a mistake in his decision, betrothing her to Wang Anshi's son; otherwise, she could have married Hao. The Empress Dowager said: She should have been more suitable to be Hao's wife than Consort Wan.

This is the girl in front of her. If not for missing an opportunity, she might already be her brother's wife... The princess suddenly realized that she seemed to have called her by the wrong name. She was now a married woman and should not be called Miss Pang, but rather Madam Wang.

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Master Attendant

"I have long admired the beauty of Madam Wang, and seeing her today, I still feel that the rumors are incomplete. Madam Wang's appearance and temperament are truly indescribable," the princess praised.

Pang Di bowed and said, "Your Highness flatters me. Your virtue and talent are renowned both at home and abroad. I never imagined I would have the honor of meeting you today; it is a source of great comfort for me."

The imperial son-in-law, Wang Shen, laughed and said, "Since you two hit it off so well, why don't you go to the Imperial Garden and chat at your leisure? There are too many people here; it's not the place to talk."

The princess then extended an invitation, but Pang Di said that Wang Pang was in the palace discussing matters and he couldn't leave. He also noticed that Wen'er was nowhere to be found and was worried, so he told the princess. The princess replied, "It's alright, they're all in the palace anyway. I'll send someone to find them."

As they were talking, Wang Shen had already summoned the palanquin. Pang Di had no choice but to agree and follow the princess in the palanquin to the rear garden.

The most beautiful spot in the Imperial Garden is Yaojin Pond, where thousands of lotuses cover the water, creating a shimmering effect. In the distance, a dragon boat with carved railings and jade steps is moored. Weeping willows line the pond, their delicate reflections swaying on the water's surface, and occasionally, mandarin ducks can be seen gliding through their reflections.

The three sat down in the pavilion by the pond. The princess, gazing at the lotus buds already forming in the water, said to Pang Di, "The lotuses in Yaojin Pond always bloom earlier than elsewhere. Initially, there were no such flowers in the pond, but two years ago, suddenly so many appeared overnight, almost covering half the surface, and they bloomed so beautifully, red and white. At that time, the weather was still very cold, and everyone was amazed."

Pang Di smiled faintly and said, "If they truly appeared overnight, then it must be the Flower Goddess manifesting her power."

The Flower Goddess? The princess suddenly thought of Wanji, who was obsessed with flowers. Wanji had drowned in this Yaojin Pond, carrying her two-month-old child. Hao's child. And these myriad lotuses that cover the water sprouted on the second night after her drowning. Could these flowers be the manifestation of her soul? Such a pure and delicate woman, truly like these lotuses, stood helplessly and forlornly on the water's surface, gazing at her reflection in the water, feeling sorry for herself.

Seeing that the princess had been personally holding the three scrolls, and now placed them on the stone table in the pavilion, Pang Di asked, "These three paintings must be the calligraphy of the Imperial Son-in-Law, right? I have long heard that Imperial Son-in-Law is skilled in calligraphy and painting, especially landscape paintings, which are unparalleled in the capital. I wonder if I could have a look at them?"

"

Before the princess could speak, Wang Shen answered for her: "These three scrolls are all landscape paintings, but only one is my work. I wonder if Madam Wang can identify my work from a detail?"

Pang Di nodded and said, "Why not give it a try?"

So the prince consort and the princess unfolded the three paintings, concealing any inscriptions or seals, and then invited Pang Di to view them.

After a moment's careful examination, Pang Di pondered for a moment and immediately understood. Pointing to the painting on the left, he said, "This one is entirely in ink wash, clear and serene, with a hint of Zen, but it lacks a bit of elegance. It should be painted by Li Cheng."

Pointing to the scroll on the right, he continued, "This landscape painting features towering peaks and winding paths, with distant water sources. The leaves are depicted with brushstrokes interspersed throughout, and the figures are rendered with sharp, pointed brushstrokes. It is a masterpiece by Guo Xi, an artist from the Imperial Painting Academy."

Finally, he smiled and pointed to the painting in the middle, saying, "This landscape painting is clear and lovely. Whether it is the cliffs and forests or the deep valleys and cascading springs, everything is full of life in the smallest detail, as if it could be seen coming to life. The painting style is neither ancient nor modern, but unique. Of course, only Commander Wang has such skill."

The princess smiled and agreed. The prince consort bowed to Pang Di and said, "Young mistress, you certainly have discerning eyes. You are so knowledgeable about painting. I admire you very much!"

"

Pang Di returned the greeting and said, "I've only seen a few paintings by Guo and Li at my maternal home before, and I've heard my father often praise Commander Wang's landscapes, so I just made a wild guess."

Wang Shen said, "It must be because the Pang family possesses a large collection of rare books and paintings, and the young mistress has been exposed to them since childhood, which explains her current erudition."

"No," Pang Di said, "Even if there were more, it wouldn't be even a tenth of the Bao Hui Tang's collection. My father and I have always greatly admired the vastness of Bao Hui Tang's treasures."

Bao Hui Tang was the library of Wang Shen's family. Wang Shen, courtesy name Jinqing, was a descendant of Wang Quanbin, a founding meritorious official of the Song Dynasty. The Wang family had been registered in Bianjing (Kaifeng) for a century, becoming a noble family with a tradition of collecting calligraphy and paintings. The collection in Bao Hui Tang was now quite considerable, known to all the scholars in the capital. Wang Shen was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age, especially skilled in painting. He loved to travel and sketch from nature, and his landscape paintings were the most praised among the painters in the capital. Moreover, he was handsome and possessed a dashing and elegant demeanor, which led to his selection as the prince consort. In fact, Pang Di already knew that the painting in the middle must have been his before even looking at it, because the first painting Princess Shu picked up after falling was this one, and she carefully wiped away the dust with a tense expression. She would not have paid such attention to it if it were not the prince consort's painting. This small incident showed that the princess was indeed fond of the prince consort.

The two of them looked quite well-matched standing together. A perfect couple, they must love each other as much as Wang Pang and she did. Thinking of Wang Pang, Pang Di felt a surge of joy in her heart.

"The abundance of the Bao Hui Tang collection is just a rumor, and it's been exaggerated a lot," the princess continued. "Actually, when it comes to collecting calligraphy and paintings, my second brother, Prince Qi Hao, is quite skilled in this field. Most of his collection consists of rare and precious pieces, and even the prince consort often goes there to admire them."

He also possessed excellent calligraphy skills, but he didn't like to show them off. It's a pity he's no longer in Beijing; otherwise, I could show you his collection and his own calligraphy and paintings today.

Mentioning Hao, the princess couldn't help but feel a pang of regret: when Empress Dowager Gao invited Miss Pang to the palace, she wanted Hao to come and meet her in person, but Hao was still grieving the loss of his wife and made an excuse to decline, thus missing his chance to meet Miss Pang. Now, Miss Pang has finally entered the palace to view calligraphy and paintings, but he has already left the capital. Having missed two opportunities to meet, it seems they are ultimately destined to be apart.

Pang Di replied, "It is I who am unfortunate to have seen His Highness Prince Qi's treasures." Privately, however, she did not feel much regret. To her now, Prince Qi and the things related to him were no different from those of other strangers. Or perhaps, he had truly been a stranger to her from beginning to end, even though there had once been a slight possibility of them becoming husband and wife. But now, it seemed like a long time ago.

They continued chatting about calligraphy and painting with the princess and her consort until Wen'er came looking for them.

To be precise, it wasn't her who brought her here, but rather the princess's people who brought her.

After leaving Pang Di, she slipped into the inner palace.

No one stopped her from questioning her, because she was still small and looked very much like a handsome young eunuch. Moreover, she walked with an air of confidence and composure, without any sign of guilt or fear. Although she was wearing clothes from outside the palace, the guards assumed that she dressed like that to make it easier to go out of the palace on business, and now that she was naturally returning to the palace, there was nothing to ask.

Once inside, she saw nine layers of palaces, with gates upon gates, endless corridors and palace gates, and she quickly got lost.

Unable to distinguish between east, west, south, and north, I had no choice but to choose a direction and keep walking.

Finally, someone stopped her.

A palace maid... no, the dress she wore wasn't the color of an ordinary palace maid's attire; it was slightly better, but not luxurious. She also didn't have a phoenix hairpin in her hair, so she probably wasn't some concubine or beauty.

However, she is very pretty and young, around sixteen or seventeen years old.