Чистая вода и прекрасные горы

Глава 34

After waking up early and having breakfast, I went over some accounts with the steward in the east room, inspected the storeroom, and made a list for the servants to prepare. When Lu Zhen finished his classes, I led him into the palace, as I had promised to take him go goose hunting yesterday.

After paying my respects to the Empress, I had several eunuchs and maids accompany him to play in the Imperial Garden. I then sat by the Empress's sickbed and fed her her medicine.

"Is the seventh brother feeling any better?"

"He's much better now. He was able to get out of bed yesterday, and he's also eating more breakfast than before."

“Zhao’er, tell me… should I give up on Hong’er? The Emperor has already given up on him, but I still think of his good qualities and believe that as long as I help him, he is capable of ruling the world… I have taken good care of him since he was a child and hired the best tutor, but in the end, I just can’t help him…”

“Auntie…” I couldn’t help but feel sad for my aunt’s disappointment at all her painstaking efforts, but I was powerless to offer any words of comfort.

Dragging his heavy steps, he walked out of the central palace. His head felt a little dizzy. He quickly summoned a palace maid beside him. "Prepare a side room for me in the central palace. I'm feeling a bit tired..."

The young palace maid blinked. "Please follow me, Your Highness."

She hadn't gone far when she pushed open a door. "This is where Prince Ning lived before he took a concubine and left the palace. Your Highness, please rest here."

I nodded and went inside.

I lay on the bed fully clothed. The room was extremely elegant and quiet, perfect for someone of simple tastes.

The palace maid drew a curtain for me, making it dim, but I could vaguely sense light coming from somewhere. I got up and moved closer to the cabinet. The cabinet door was half-open, and I gently pulled it open. Inside, a piece of white silk was neatly folded, and orchids embroidered with fluorescent thread shimmered with an eerie light in the dimness.

I held it before my eyes, my fingertips touching the elegant orchid. Beside it were small words: "May we find one true love, and stay together until our hair turns white." Of course, I knew this was Qin Lanruo's orchid, Qin Lanruo's white silk, Qin Lanruo's words, Qin Lanruo's...heartfelt sentiment.

I put the white silk in my sleeve, returned to the bedside, and summoned the palace maid who was guarding the outer room.

"Does Prince Ning come here often?"

The young palace maid said, puzzled, "After the prince moved out of the palace many years ago, he would come here from time to time, sometimes staying for a long time. But since that incident three years ago... he has come less often, and after his wedding, he hasn't come at all."

"That matter?" I asked. "What happened?"

The young palace maid lowered her head nervously. "Three years ago, the prince stayed in the palace... I don't know why, but the Eighth Princess rushed in, and when she saw the prince, she started crying and making a scene. She even banged her head against the doorpost of this room. After that, the prince came less often."

I had a vague feeling that she was hiding something, so I smiled gently and asked, "What's your name?"

"Ting'er".

"Ting'er, you've been in the palace for quite a while now. It must be lonely guarding this empty hall all day long. Do you miss home?"

"think."

"Want to leave the palace?"

"Yes," Ting'er said, quickly kneeling down. "Your Majesty, can you allow me to return to my hometown?"

"Of course I can make that decision... but what do you know about something that happened three years ago?"

"Your Majesty, there are some details I originally intended to keep to myself all these years, never revealing a single word. But you are the Seventh Prince's Consort, and I feel you should know at least a little bit about these matters. I've served the Prince since I was little. When he was studying in the Imperial Study, he became close to a fellow student. By the time he was thirteen or fourteen and could take his maidservants out of the palace, that girl had already risen from a student to a lady-in-waiting. So, the Prince originally intended to wait... until the time was right, to make that lady-in-waiting his principal wife. Therefore, although the Prince moved out during those years, he often returned to the palace and secretly met with that lady-in-waiting here. I always kept watch." Later… you know Mistress Xiwen, right? She's now the Eighth Prince's Consort. Everyone in the palace knows she's in love with the Prince. Once, she caught him in the act and smashed her head against a doorpost. The Emperor suppressed the matter, and to appease the Eighth Prince's Consort, he vowed never to betroth the lady-in-waiting to Prince Ning. So, he bestowed a marriage upon the Sixth Prince instead. The lady-in-waiting refused to comply, and the Prince was punished and confined to his residence for two months. The matter was dropped. Few people besides the Emperor and Empress know this story anymore. It's been so long; they've probably long since lost contact. Please don't dwell on it, Your Majesty. Everyone has their youthful impetuosity.”

I walked out of that dimly lit room, feeling nothing. Three years had passed; it seemed the connection was still lingering...

I heard arguing nearby. In the garden not far away, several children were making a ruckus. I saw Lu Zhen with a face covered in mud and an unruly expression.

I rushed over and pulled Lu Zhen aside, asking, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zhen wiped away his tears and pointed to some of the older children, "They said I'm not the eldest son and don't deserve to play with them."

My heart clenched. I looked at Jing Qing, who quickly shook her head. She then spoke to Jing Nan and Jing Peng beside her, saying, "It wasn't me. It was my fifth uncle and my eldest uncle's brother who said it."

A slightly taller boy stepped forward, and I figured he must be Jingpeng from my sister-in-law's family.

The boy bowed to me and said, “Seventh Aunt, Lu Zhen is not the eldest son. We all have ‘Jing’ in our names, but he doesn’t. The eldest sons of our families study in the Imperial Study, but he can’t go in. We go to the garden with our grandfather, but he can’t go with us. So we can’t play with him.”

I chuckled and patted the dirt off Jingpeng's shoulder. "Jingpeng, don't you play with your younger siblings born to your second and third aunts either?"

“This…” Jing Peng tilted his head, unable to explain.

I pulled Lu Zhen aside and said to them with a smile, "Seventh Aunt is making this clear to you today. Seventh Aunt has no children of her own, but I treat Zhen'er as my own flesh and blood. He has been by my side since I entered the manor. Whatever you have learned, I have taught him as well. He may not be unaware of the knowledge you are discussing. In Seventh Aunt's eyes, there is no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and your mother is the same. In the future, when you get married, you will inevitably have several wives and concubines, but will you only like legitimate sons and ignore illegitimate sons?"

The children all hung their heads. I handed Lu Zhen to Jing Qing and let them go play by themselves, still worried that this might leave a shadow on Lu Zhen.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty—the Empress has vomited blood!" Several palace servants hurriedly caught up from behind. It was truly one crisis after another.

"Auntie, Auntie..." I called softly.

The person on the bed slightly opened their eyes, smiled tremblingly, "Zhao'er..."

I took her hand. "Are you feeling any better?"

“Hong’er came by just now. He cried in front of me, begging me not to be disappointed in him and to help him regain the Emperor’s trust… But I still shook my head at him. The Emperor is right; the country cannot be destroyed by a moment of reluctance. My son… Hong’er… Even though I am tormented, I cannot help him in the slightest. I am such a bad mother… How can any mother in this world bear to abandon her son… How could I be so heartless…” My aunt was in tears in front of me.

"Empress, Empress, how are you?" Upon hearing the news, the Emperor strode over, took a step to the bedside, sat down, tightly grasped the Empress's hand, and stared at her with anxious and worried eyes.

"Your Majesty, I am fine..." the aunt said softly.

"I heard the Crown Prince came?" The Emperor frowned. "That scoundrel." He then got up.

The Empress quickly pulled up the Emperor's dragon robe, "Your Majesty, please don't blame my son..."

"Empress." The Emperor looked at the Empress with a pained expression.

I immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, if you don't want to see my aunt and the Crown Prince become estranged, then please don't blame the Crown Prince. I'm afraid... if you leave, my aunt will lose this son forever. Are you truly worried about my aunt, or do you want to cause her unbearable pain?"

The Emperor was startled, let out a long sigh, returned to the bedside, gently placed a hand on the Empress's forehead, his eyes glistening with tears, and hoarsely called out, "Yue Ran... Yue Ran..."

At that moment, I was deeply moved. Although there was no single-minded devotion, no tender affection, and no sincere promises, they had supported each other through thick and thin for so many years, never abandoning each other. In the end, this emperor, who had been a womanizer and had his lover spread far and wide, could still call out his wife's name with tears in his eyes by her bedside. Isn't this the ordinary love of an ordinary couple?