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She walked in slowly, leading a child who looked to be about five or six years old.

Upon seeing her, the lady in the room immediately stepped forward and bowed, addressing her as "Sister Zhang." Madam Zhang returned the bow, softly calling out "Ruozhu," which was presumably the young lady's maiden name.

After that, Ruozhu gave us a brief introduction, saying that Madam Zhang was her sworn sister, and that the princess was her newly acquainted friend, and that I was the princess's husband, but since she did not know my identity or name, she did not say more.

We bowed to each other. Madam Zhang looked the princess over and suddenly smiled, "This young lady looks very familiar; it's as if I've seen her somewhere before."

I had a bad feeling. Judging from the lady's appearance and age, she was obviously a noblewoman who could often attend banquets in the palace. Even if she wasn't the wife of a high-ranking official who could sit close to the palace ladies, it was very likely that she had seen the princess from afar.

The princess, however, remained calm and smiled gently, replying, "Is that so? Many people say that. I think it's either because my appearance resembles that of some noble lady, or because I have the most unremarkable face, which is why everyone feels they've seen me before."

Those who heard this laughed and did not delve into the matter further. Ruozhu then invited us to sit down in the hall.

After we sat down, the two ladies continued their pleasantries, but the princess's gaze was drawn to the little child. She whispered to me, "This child is so cute, even more handsome than Zhongming."

The little boy with his hair hanging down had delicate features, bright eyes, and a fair complexion. Several strands of his hair were tied into several thin braids with colorful ribbons, while the rest of his hair fell down to his shoulders. It was a girl's hairstyle. He was also smiling at Ruozhu with his lips pursed, which was also a girl's expression, but he was wearing a boy's clothes.

Later, Ruozhu also noticed the child and said to Madam Zhang, "This child is like a piece of jade, is he from your family, sister?"

“I would love to have a child like that, but alas, I am not blessed with such a life,” Madam Zhang said with a smile. She then explained, “This is Adi, the daughter of Scholar Pang Dan, the Imperial Secretary. Scholar Pang and your wet nurse have been friends for many years, and I have known his wife, Madam Xiao, since childhood. Today, they brought their child to visit us. After receiving your letter, I was unable to leave immediately, so I was delayed for a while. Your brother-in-law and Scholar Pang were discussing philosophy, and Adi ran over to listen. You know your brother-in-law; he finds it an eyesore when he sees her dressed as a boy. He frowns shyly, looking as if he wants to say something but hesitates. I was worried that he might say something unpleasant, so I quickly excused myself, took Adi, and made an excuse to leave. I told her mother that I would take her to see the lanterns and then take her back later, so she came with me.”

Ruozhu stroked Adi's hair and smiled at her, "You're interested in adults discussing philosophy? Can you understand it?"

Adi lowered her eyes and smiled without speaking, while Madam Zhang responded from the side: "Don't underestimate her. Although she is only five years old, Scholar Pang has always taught her like a boy, and she can already recite quite a bit of the Four Books and Five Classics."

Ruozhu became even more curious and asked Adi, "What were they talking about today?"

Adi raised her head, blinked, and a bright smile appeared on her lips: "Uncle Sima said that sumo wrestlers wear too little clothing, it's shameful, shameful, and improper. He wants to ask the Emperor to forbid them from performing on the streets anymore."

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) Who can share the joy of being a loving couple? 8. Bewildered

Chapter word count: 2911 Update time: 09-07-05 10:32

8. Bewildered

(2714 words)

Adi's voice was soft and childlike, and her innocent expression made the princess and Ruozhu laugh.

Ruozhu immediately said, "For this kind of game, it's natural to dress more flexibly so that they can move around easily. Do you expect them to wear long robes with wide sleeves and be completely covered up while they wrestle and fight?"

The princess also smiled and said, "This is a program that is performed every year during the Lantern Festival. The Emperor likes to watch it when he visits Xuande Gate to watch the lanterns, and I have never heard him think that there is anything wrong with the women's clothing."

As soon as Adi uttered the words "Uncle Sima," I guessed that this gentleman might be Sima Guang, the scholar I had met once before. His reputation for virtue was widespread, and everyone knew him to be of high moral character and strict adherence to propriety. Listening to Madam Zhang and Adi's description, it seemed to match his character. Moreover, in my memory, he was the only official in the capital with the surname Sima. This guess was confirmed in Madam Zhang's subsequent words.

"Alas, it is precisely because the Emperor has not noticed anything amiss that Junshi has so many objections," Madam Zhang said with a helpless smile. Junshi was indeed Sima Guang's courtesy name.

Madam Zhang further explained, “He told Scholar Pang that Xuande Gate is the symbol of the nation, used to display laws and embody national dignity. During the Lantern Festival, with the emperor above and the masses below, the empress and concubines attending, and noblewomen watching, how can it uphold etiquette and demonstrate dignity to the world if those women are allowed to play half-naked in front of Xuande Gate? I must submit a memorial to discuss this matter and ask the emperor to ban this performance.”

The princess disagreed: "I think this program is quite good. Women can compete like men, unlike in the past when they could only wear heavy makeup and play string and wind instruments, or act as singers and dancers to entertain people. Wearing less clothing is not a big deal for this kind of event. Besides, there are many men who expose their arms in the Hundred Plays in front of Xuande Gate, so why can't women show even an inch of skin?"

Ruozhu laughed and said, "It's a good thing you don't know my brother-in-law. If you said that to his face, I don't know how he would scold you."

The princess looked displeased and was about to retort, but I immediately tugged at her sleeve to stop her. The princess didn't say anything more, but asked Adi, "Does your father agree with Uncle Sima's opinion?"

Adi shook her head and smiled slightly, "Uncle Sima wanted my father to help him persuade the Emperor, but my father just smiled and didn't agree. Then Uncle Sima got unhappy, and when he saw me, he got even angrier..."

The princess and Ruozhu exchanged a knowing smile, while Madam Zhang also smiled and sighed, changing the subject: "Let's leave this bookworm aside. Ruozhu, let's talk about you. Why are you so angry and come all the way here by yourself?"

Ruozhu hesitated and did not answer immediately. I think she was probably mindful of us and didn't want to tell her sisters about her family matters, so she said softly to the princess, "It's getting late, we should take our leave."

The princess grunted, her tone clearly displeased, and didn't immediately stand up. Ruozhu probably sensed the princess's great interest in her story, and after a moment's thought, she finally took the princess's hand and said, "Sister, don't go. It's rare to find someone I get along with so well, so I'll tell you about my grievances today." She then turned to me and said, "This young man might as well listen too, so he won't make the same mistake my husband did in the future."

She ordered the maid to clear away the leftovers and boil water for tea. Ruozhu turned to Madam Zhang and began to recount: "Because of my father's situation, my husband was originally unable to serve as an official in the capital and was assigned to a post outside the capital for several years. However, recently, the Emperor, disregarding my father's objections, summoned him back and appointed him to the Hanlin Academy as a scholar. I found this quite strange and asked my father why, but he refused to tell me. It wasn't until yesterday, when I went with my mother to my maternal grandfather's house for the New Year's celebration, that I chatted with his sisters, aunts, and cousins. They told me that Ouyang, the Imperial Secretary, had been concurrently serving as the Prefect of Kaifeng for the past two years, and thus had less involvement in the affairs of the Hanlin Academy. Moreover, he was busy impeaching Bao Zheng last year, and the Emperor felt that the Hanlin Academy was short of personnel, so he was in a hurry to summon my husband back."

The incident she mentioned, Ouyang Xiu's impeachment of Bao Zheng, caused quite a stir last year, and I had also heard about it. It started when Bao Zheng, the acting Censor-in-Chief, led officials from the Censorate in impeaching Zhang Fangping, the Commissioner of the Three Departments, accusing him of incompetence, ultimately leading to Zhang Fangping's dismissal. The current emperor then announced that Song Qi would succeed him as Commissioner of the Three Departments, but Bao Zheng again said it wasn't good and impeached Song Qi, forcing the emperor to appoint Song Qi to an outside post. The emperor was amused: "You think this person is no good, that person is unsuitable, why not let you do it yourself!" With a flourish of his pen, he wrote the preface: "Appointing Acting Censor-in-Chief Bao Zheng as Commissioner of the Three Departments."

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Ouyang Xiu was furious and immediately submitted a memorial impeaching Bao Zheng. The memorial, exceeding a thousand words, stated that Bao Zheng was "naturally upright and honest, but lacked formal education," and that "he could not have been without fault, even stealing an ox from a field," and that "his criticism of others' faults was like a sudden outburst, and his dismissal of others' positions was like a collapse of the throne… Now, Bao Zheng has dismissed two ministers and taken their positions, allowing future treacherous individuals to use this as a pretext to mislead the emperor; from now on, those who speak out will not be trusted and will have no way to clear their names…" After the memorial was submitted, Bao Zheng also felt uneasy and stayed at home, refusing the appointment. However, no matter how much Ouyang Xiu tried to persuade him, the emperor refused to change his mind and insisted repeatedly, finally leading Bao Zheng to take office.

The dynasty adheres to a system of kinship avoidance, generally meaning that relatives of high-ranking officials cannot hold important positions, or even simultaneously serve as officials in the capital. One of the reasons Bao Zheng impeached Song Qi was that his brother, Song Xiang, was in power, thus preventing him from serving as Minister of the Three Departments. Judging from Ruozhu's words, it seems her father was also a high-ranking official, therefore her husband couldn't serve as an official in the capital and was reassigned to a post outside the capital for several years. However, I haven't inquired much about the Hanlin Academy lately, and I don't know which official from the outer prefectures was recently recalled to serve as a member of the Hanlin Academy.

"So my sister's husband is Neihan! I knew I was right!" The princess clapped her hands and laughed triumphantly.

The official rank of Hanlin Academician is the third grade, and the princess's previous assessment of Ruozhu's husband's rank was indeed correct.

Madam Zhang laughed upon hearing this: "Her husband is quite remarkable. He became a scholar in the Imperial Academy in the tenth year. There have been few like him in the history of the dynasty."

"Oh?" the princess asked curiously, "Then he is..."

"He just got lucky because of the Emperor's favor," Ruozhu said casually, not in a hurry to mention her husband's name, and continued talking about her family. "Later, the women in my maternal grandfather's family discussed who was right and who was wrong between Ouyang Neihan and Bao Zheng. Most of them felt that Bao Zheng's impeachment of Song Qi was actually correct. Besides avoiding the suspicion of Song Xiang being in power, Song Qi was indeed as Bao Zheng said, fond of banquets and excessively extravagant. And the position of the Three Departments Commissioner, who was in charge of the national finances, should not be held by such a person. Then, they began to tell the stories of the young Song circulating in the court, one of which was..." Quite interesting: Young Song had many concubines. When he was the prefect of Chengdu, he held a banquet by the Jinjiang River one day. Halfway through the wine, he suddenly felt a chill in the wind and sent someone home to fetch a short-sleeved garment for him. As soon as the servant returned and mentioned this, the group of concubines rushed back to his room, each bringing him a short-sleeved garment. The servants delivered them all, and Young Song was dumbfounded—there were over a dozen! He stared blankly at them for a long time, feeling that choosing any would be unfair, and that he would feel he was showing favoritism. So he dared not take any and returned home, enduring the cold.

As she finished speaking, the princess covered her mouth with her sleeve and began to chuckle to herself. Madam Zhang and I also chuckled. Seeing this, Ruozhu added, "Isn't it funny? I also found it quite amusing, so when I got home today, I told someone about it. When he heard Xiao Song looking blankly at the half-sleeved garment, he laughed heartily. So after I finished speaking, I casually asked him, 'If your first wife and my sister were still alive, and the three of us each made you a winter coat and gave it to you together, whose coat would you wear?' This time, he was 'blank' too. After thinking for a while, he finally answered, 'I'll wear them all, since it's going to be quite cold this winter anyway.' I wasn't going to let him get away with it like that, so I pressed him, 'Then whose coat would you wear first? Whose would you wear inside?' He stammered and wouldn't answer. I asked him repeatedly, and he finally mumbled, 'There has to be a first-come, first-served order, according to the order in which I married you...'"

Mrs. Zhang asked with a smile, "Is this what's making you angry?"

Ruozhu frowned and said, "I was not happy when I heard that, but that's not the most infuriating thing... I asked him again without showing any emotion: 'If the three of us are in our own rooms and all three rooms catch fire, who would you save first?' He looked up at the sky and then at the ground, hesitated for a long time before saying: 'Let me save your sister Wang and Ruolan first, they are both in poor health... I promise I will come to save you as soon as I save them.'"

The princess could no longer contain herself and burst into laughter. Madam Zhang smiled and shook her head, saying, "He is indeed very straightforward. Even if he thought that way, he shouldn't have said that last sentence directly."

Ruozhu gritted her teeth and said angrily, "I gasped and barely managed to suppress my anger before continuing to speak to him in a gentle tone: 'But the fire is huge. If you don't come to save me first, I'll be burned to death.' And guess what he said?"

We all laughed and shook our heads, indicating that we couldn't guess. Then she revealed the answer: "He said, 'No way, you're not sick or in pain, and you run fast. I bet you would have run out as soon as the house started to smoke, and I wouldn't even need to save you.'"