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Chapitre 22

The princess smiled calmly: "However, I am also Wang Shen's wife. I should be a good wife. My status as a princess is not a reason for me to neglect my duties as a wife. My father taught us this when he was alive. And jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce."

"Those precepts of 'Three Obediences, Four Virtues, and Seven Grounds for Divorce' are just something those scheming men came up with to deceive and control women!" Wen'er retorted angrily. "Those men don't care about anything; they can have multiple wives and concubines, and even commit adultery without anyone saying a word. Yet they insist on listing jealousy as a reason for divorce, silencing women and allowing them to openly take concubines. Most women might only be able to swallow their anger, but it's different for a princess. You have an unparalleled noble status, and this is a tool that can help you escape the tragic fate of ordinary women. Your brother is the emperor, who holds the power of life and death over the people. As far as I know, he loves and cares for you very much. You can use this to prohibit your husband from taking concubines. Would he openly defy your imperial sister's decree?"

The princess sighed, "Didn't I say that my primary identity is Wang Shen's wife, and only secondarily a princess? I don't want to use my status as a princess to suppress my husband's wishes. Besides, what good would it do if I did? Princess Yicheng, daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, forbade her husband from taking concubines after marrying the court official Pei Xun, but Pei Xun still had an affair with a maid. When the princess found out, she ordered the maid's nose to be cut off and even cut off her husband's hair with a sword. As a result, she was punished by the emperor and demoted to a county princess, and the couple's relationship was severed from then on. Her beloved husband, Pei Xun, later married Princess Xue, and Princess Yicheng died alone. Presumably, Pei Xun wouldn't even shed a tear for her when she died." Just one drop. Princess Lanling, daughter of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, suffered an even worse fate. Her husband also had an affair with a maid, who became pregnant. Princess Lanling beat the maid to death and cut open her abdomen to remove the fetus. Although Empress Dowager Ling pitied the maid for being neglected by her husband and did not punish her, the husband, Liu Hui, naturally harbored resentment towards the princess. Afterwards, the two slept in separate beds, and Liu Hui continued his philandering. When the princess argued with him again about this, he completely disregarded her pregnancy. His pent-up resentment finally erupted, and he beat and kicked her, causing Princess Lanling to miscarry and die. A woman beaten to death by her husband because of jealousy—isn't that a great tragedy? They were both imperial princesses, and both met such ends simply because of jealousy and intolerance of a concubine. Learning from their mistakes, I certainly cannot repeat them.

"Not every woman who forbids her husband from taking concubines suffers such misfortune," Wen'er explained. "Empress Dugu, wife of Emperor Wen of Sui, was a remarkable woman skilled in managing her husband. Despite being emperor, Yang Jian always held his empress in awe, daring not to take any concubines while she was alive. Although he once secretly slept with the granddaughter of Yuchi Jiong, Empress Dugu discovered this and immediately had Yuchi Jiong's daughter killed. Yang Jian was furious, but dared not vent his anger on the empress; he simply rode out of the palace on horseback." Wen'er couldn't help but laugh at this. "Clearly, the emperor is superior to the empress, but Yang Jian was afraid of his empress—that's true skill in managing a husband! Moreover, Yang Jian didn't hold a grudge and continued to favor only the empress. After her death, he took many concubines, which ruined his health. On his deathbed, he endlessly missed the empress, saying that if she were alive, he wouldn't be so ill. Even on his deathbed, he thought of her so much; it shows that a woman who knows how to use methods and puts in a little effort can easily keep her husband completely under her thumb."

Pang Di laughed upon hearing this, "Sister, you're mistaken. The fundamental reason why Empress Dugu's fate differed from that of the two princesses wasn't because she knew how to use tactics or schemes."

Wen'er frowned and asked, "Then why?"

Pang Di replied, "Emperor Wen of Sui's feelings for Empress Dugu stemmed from love mixed with fear. Although he could punish her at any time using his authority as emperor, they had shared joys and sorrows and supported each other for decades. He still loved her, which is why he allowed her to act recklessly. The husbands of the two princesses, however, felt neither love nor fear towards them. Therefore, any excessive behavior from them would provoke strong resistance and resentment from them. The fundamental reason for this is 'love.' With love, everything can be tolerated; without love, even a grain of sand is unacceptable."

Both the princess and Wen'er found this reasonable. Wen'er wanted to ask the princess if her husband loved her, but ultimately felt it inappropriate to pry into such a private matter, so she held back. The princess herself was also pondering this question: "Does he truly love me?" She thought and thought, but the answer remained uncertain. After a moment of silence, she looked up and asked Pang Di, "If a husband and wife treat each other with respect and courtesy, is that considered a loving relationship?"

"Raising the tray to eyebrow level is not true love," Pang Di said. "During the Later Han Dynasty, Liang Hong fell into poverty and became a servant. His wife, Meng Guang, did not look down on him because of his poverty and low status. Every time she cooked for him, she would respectfully raise the tray containing the food to eyebrow level, not daring to look up at him. Later generations used 'raising the tray to eyebrow level' to describe marital affection, but this is a great misconception. At most, Liang Hong's story shows how much Meng Guang respected him, but where does it show that he also respected and loved Meng Guang? People emphasize the beauty of the act of raising the tray to eyebrow level simply to promote the wife's respect for her husband." The attitude seems to suggest that a loving relationship can be achieved simply by a wife treating her husband with the utmost respect and obedience. However, it's important to understand that wives also have their own feelings. If she's the one constantly serving her husband meals with a tray, and he takes it for granted, not only failing to reciprocate with affection but also potentially provoking his displeasure if she lowers the tray slightly, do you think she'll perceive this as love? As for mutual respect, let's leave that aside. Would a princess expect her husband to treat her only as a guest?

Wen'er clapped her hands and said, "That makes perfect sense!"

The princess then asked, "In your opinion, Madam Wang, what constitutes true love?"

A slight smile played on Pang Di's lips: "A marriage of mutual respect and harmony is not true; Zhang Chang painting eyebrows is."

Zhang Chang, a man from the Western Han Dynasty, once served as the Prefect of Chang'an. He was outspoken and dared to speak out against injustice. He was not afraid of powerful figures and had many achievements in his official career. He was also well-versed in the ways of husband and wife and the pleasures of domestic life. He often drew his wife's eyebrows by hand. People thought he was frivolous, but he enjoyed it very much.

The princess suddenly seemed to understand.

"Therefore, I believe the best way to manage a husband is not to blindly obey him and let him take concubines, nor to suppress his lustful nature with violent means," Pang Di concluded, "but to find a way to make him fall in love with you wholeheartedly, so that he spends all his time drawing your eyebrows and has no time or energy to look at other women."

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Clear eyes

"That's true," the princess said with a wry smile, "but getting him to love only you wholeheartedly is no easy task."

Wen'er interjected, "It won't be difficult. My brother and sister-in-law are like that..."

Pang Di subtly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stop talking. Wen'er smiled and remained silent, but a beautiful scene flashed through her mind one morning when she inadvertently glimpsed it while passing by her brother and sister-in-law's room: her brother sitting by the window, letting Pang Di comb his hair. They were both dressed in pure white morning robes, soft and with wide sleeves. Their hair was loose. Her brother's hair was always longer than other men's, highlighting his delicate facial features, clean skin, and relaxed expression, making him appear exceptionally elegant. Pang Di's hair cascaded down neatly, gracefully trailing behind her long skirt like a wisp of pale blue silk. She slowly combed his hair, using more her tender and affectionate gaze than a comb. He, looking at her through the bronze mirror, smiled slightly, and as she reached for a hairband, he naturally took her hand and kissed it.

The scene that day gave her naive heart a tender shock, making her realize that besides noble status and great power, there was something else she also longed to possess: the absolutely complete affection her brother had for his sister-in-law. The concept of pure and complete love only gradually became clear to her after witnessing the princess's plight. She could never be as magnanimous as the princess, she thought. If one day her husband were to comb his hair with another woman like her brother and sister-in-law, she would surely chop off that little wretch's hand.

The sudden appearance of the group interrupted her thoughts. Her brother, Wang Pang, and a man in brocade robes walked towards them, followed by two rows of palace maids and eunuchs.

It wasn't until she saw the dragon pattern on the man's clothes that she realized he was Emperor Zhao Xu, whom she had always wanted to meet.

Wang Pang, Lü Huiqing, and Zeng Bu were discussing matters in the guesthouse when, before they knew it, quite some time had passed. Only after they finished did he suddenly remember that his wife's younger sister was waiting for him outside. He immediately ran out, but she had already vanished.

He searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Panic ensued. Cold sweat broke out on his brow.

The emperor arrived. He had come to witness the grand spectacle of the book-buying frenzy. Upon seeing Wang Pang, he smiled warmly, only to find his face deathly pale. After a hasty bow, Wang Pang kept glancing around, as if searching for something.

"What are you looking for, Qing?" Zhao Xu asked, puzzled.

Wang Pang hesitated for a long time before finally kneeling down to beg for forgiveness and explaining the whole story.

Hearing that it was Wang Pang's wife's younger sister who had been lost in the palace, Zhao Xu became extremely interested, forgetting that bringing someone into the palace without permission was a grave offense. Officials' wives and concubines were usually kept hidden away and rarely seen. Occasionally, high-ranking ladies of noble birth would accompany their husbands to large palace banquets, but these were mostly elderly women. Wang Pang's wife's younger sisters, however, were all young and beautiful, especially his wife, whose beauty was already widely known. Now that they were in the palace, he figured he might as well find them and meet them. This had nothing to do with lust; he was simply very curious.

An order was issued to search for them. Within moments, news arrived that they were at Yaojin Pool, with the Princess of Shu. The emperor immediately moved his entourage there.

Everyone in the pavilion greeted him with proper etiquette. Zhao Xu told them to rise, then personally helped his elder sister, Princess Shu, to her feet and asked, "Where is the Imperial Son-in-Law?"

The princess explained, "My mother-in-law just sent someone to ask him to go home, saying there were some matters to attend to at home."

Zhao Xu frowned, but said nothing.

Then he looked at the woman beside the princess. She stood tall and graceful, indeed beautiful. Moreover, her beauty differed from that of Wan Ji; Wan Ji was gentle and graceful, while Pang Di possessed a strength that tempered her gentleness. Though she also kept her eyes lowered, her expression remained neither humble nor arrogant, showing no sign of unease at his arrival. Zhao Xu had long held the habit of using Wan Ji as the standard to judge female beauty, and Pang Di was one of the very few women who, despite not resembling Wan Ji, he still found beautiful.

He looked at her and asked, "This must be Mrs. Wang."

Before Pang Di could answer, Wang Pang stepped forward, blocking her way, and answered first, "It is indeed my wife."

Zhao Xu smiled, thinking to himself, "Why are you so nervous?"

Then look at the little girl standing to the side… that's strange, she's staring straight at him with her clear eyes. Seeing him looking at her, she doesn't look away, she just smiles slightly.

"This is my younger sister, Wang Wen," Wang Pang introduced.

He nodded and asked Wen'er, "Don't you know that looking at the emperor like that is disrespectful?"

Wen'er said, "I know." Her voice was as clear and pleasant as her eyes.

"Then why are you still staring at me?"

"I want to see the Emperor clearly."

A very bold and straightforward answer. Interesting. Zhao Xu continued, "Why did you need to see so clearly?"

"There are many reasons, but let me pick the simplest one," Wen'er replied. "This is the first time I've seen the Emperor's face, and it may very well be the last, so I need to see it clearly so that when I get back, if someone asks me, 'What does the Emperor look like?' I can only answer, 'Uh... basically, I can tell you what the Emperor's boots look like.'"

Zhao Xu laughed loudly.

Like father, like daughter. Her father, Wang Anshi, also made a surprising remark when he first entered the palace to meet the emperor, which was very different from others.

At that time, Emperor Renzong had only recently ascended the throne and was eager to find capable ministers to assist him in revitalizing the Song Dynasty. Hearing of Wang Anshi's outstanding political achievements and after reading his "Ten Thousand Word Memorial" presented to Emperor Renzong, he was immediately moved by his insights and courage and summoned him to the capital to serve as a Hanlin Academician. Before meeting Wang Anshi, he had imagined his appearance several times, always thinking that he would be either a radiant and refined gentleman or a venerable and elegant scholar. However, upon meeting him, he was greatly disappointed: his clothes were disheveled, his hair and beard were unkempt, his clothes were dirty, and his face was covered in dust.

The courtiers whispered amongst themselves, and Zhao Xu felt utterly bewildered and humiliated: the person he had been eagerly awaiting had turned out to be such a wretched and unpleasant-looking individual!

His heart sank. He leaned back on the dragon throne and lazily asked, "You must be weary from your journey. Do you have any wise strategies to revive the Song Dynasty?"