Chapter 30: Realization part 1
After returning to Wanchun Palace, Linchuan complained endlessly to the Empress Dowager about how Jiaofang Palace was far too desolate, saying it had given her quite a fright.
All the way back, she had been recalling a memory from her childhood when she had playfully wandered into a secluded palace. That hall was located near the northeast corner of the Forbidden City, and she vaguely remembered it being called Paiyun Palace.
While playing with the palace servants, she had inadvertently slipped inside. Seeing that it was overgrown with weeds, she thought it a perfect hiding spot. Noticing the profound silence and assuming it was uninhabited, she found a place to conceal herself.
She hid inside a large water vat, listening with excitement as the voices of the servants calling for her outside grew increasingly anxious.
Suddenly, she heard a few sharp, piercing laughs, accompanied by the sound of stumbling footsteps. Panic rose in her heart, and before she knew it, a shadow fell over her. As soon as she looked up, she saw a grinning face staring down at her, the expression tinged with madness. Her hair was disheveled, looking for all the world like a malevolent ghost.
“There’s someone here.”
Hearing the person’s eerie cackle, Linchuan screamed in terror, shrinking into the vat, too afraid to move.
Her memory of what happened next was blurry; she only remembered that the madwoman pinched and squeezed her for the entire afternoon until the palace servants finally found her. Later, she learned that the madwoman was a deposed imperial concubine, and the palace she lived in had been sealed off, becoming a “Cold Palace.”
Since then, Linchuan had been terrified of places that were too quiet. Recalling the atmosphere in Jiaofang Palace just now, she patted her chest, fear still lingering in her heart. “Mother, Jiaofang Palace is too cold and cheerless. It was dead silent inside, without a single sound.”
Knowing her daughter’s phobia, the Empress Dowager comforted her gently before asking, “What happened?”
“How should I know?” Linchuan curled her lip, clearly displeased.
The Empress Dowager frowned. “Then what was the Empress doing?”
Linchuan replied, “She seemed to be making a zither.”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager lost interest, furrowing her brow. “She has perfectly good days to spend; why is she messing around with that? Forget it, let us not mind her affairs.”
“Mother,” Linchuan leaned affectionately against the Empress Dowager, whispering, “I still want to go horse riding in the northern suburbs.”
A few faint rays of sunlight shone in from the door, illuminating Linchuan’s face and softening her features. The young girl twisted her sash around her fingertips, looking up at the Empress Dowager with eyes full of hope.
The Empress Dowager stroked her cheek and asked helplessly, “Didn’t you just go a few days ago? Why do you want to go again?” She warned, “Your Imperial Brother likely won’t agree.”
The Emperor allowing Prince Yan to set aside government affairs to look after Linchuan for a day was already giving her, his mother, a great deal of face. If this happened every few days, given the Emperor’s temperament, no amount of pleading would move him.
“I don’t need Fourth Brother to accompany me,” Linchuan pouted, shaking the Empress Dowager’s arm back and forth. “I can go by myself. Mother, if you’re worried, can’t I just bring a few more guards?”
The Empress Dowager remained silent. She waited until Linchuan had pleaded for a long while before finally relenting. “Then I will ask your cousin to accompany you.”
“But Cousin Ling doesn’t know how to ride,” Linchuan frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with the arrangement.
The Empress Dowager laughed, glancing at her before replying, “I meant your Cousin Fang. Her horsemanship is excellent. I will have her brought here to accompany you. Will that do?”
Under the warm sunlight, the fruits on the table glowed with a golden hue. The Empress Dowager thought she had made a perfect arrangement, but to her surprise, Linchuan looked even more unhappy.
“Mother, why bring her here?”
She didn’t want to play with He Xunfang. She didn’t understand the rules at all and was terribly annoying.
Both of them had been spoiled growing up, but because He Xunfang was the only daughter in her family, she was treated even more preciously than Linchuan, a princess. Her family doted on her so much they feared she would melt in their mouths. As a result, it was impossible for her to yield to Linchuan in anything.
He Xunling, on the other hand, was willing to flatter Linchuan, putting her first in everything, almost to the point of sycophancy.
comparing the two, Linchuan disliked He Xunfang even more.
Not knowing her daughter’s petty thoughts, the Empress Dowager said with amusement, “You child, Xunfang is your rightful cousin. The way you speak, it sounds as if she were your enemy.”
Linchuan turned her head away, refusing to answer, determined not to go with He Xunfang.
Hewing a good zither took a long time—as short as a year, or as long as two years or more.
Zhao Yiyi possessed this patience, as well as the energy and time to kill. After deciding on the style for the two fir wood boards, she had someone take them away for adjustment, polishing, and hollowing out the sound chamber.
With that done, she found herself with some free time.
“The spring colors outside are lovely, and the blossoms in the peach grove are in full bloom. Would Your Highness like to go take a look?” Seeing her bury her head in a book, Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask.
Called back to reality, Zhao Yiyi looked around in a daze, then shook her head and said softly, “I don’t want to go out. It’s too much trouble, and the sun is too harsh. I’ll just stay in the hall and read.”
She spoke casually, but to Yunzhu’s ears, it was heartbreaking.
Too much trouble? The sun is too harsh? In the past, Her Highness loved going out the most. She used to say that staying in Jiaofang Palace all day made her feel stifled and that she needed to go out for a stroll to feel better.
How could she possibly find it troublesome?
However, since faintly perceiving her mistress’s state of mind that day, Yunzhu didn’t dare push too hard. She only tried to mention things she liked. “But this slave heard that the pear blossoms beside Dajiao Temple have opened. They are truly beautiful.”
She deliberately put on a longing expression because the Empress used to be very easygoing; whenever the servants mentioned wanting to see something, she rarely refused.
Being cooped up in the courtyard for too long was bound to be uncomfortable.
Dajiao Temple was a Daoist temple within the Palace City, built to pray for the late Emperor. It was located in the northwest corner of the palace. Although the current Emperor disliked Buddhism and Daoism, he had temporarily preserved Dajiao Temple.
Dozens of pear trees were planted beside the temple. Every spring, it was an excellent place for people in the palace to visit.
Zhao Yiyi pursed her lips and smiled slightly. Suddenly, she raised her hand, pointing to the west side of the courtyard, and said gently, “Are these not enough to look at?”
The tree was full of swaying pear blossoms, like congealed snow in early winter. Especially after last night’s spring rain, many blossoms had fluttered down with the rain. Their bodies, wet with rain, hung slightly low, revealing a pitiful beauty.
Yunzhu instantly fell silent.
That’s right. Since Jiaofang Palace clearly has them too, Her Highness naturally wouldn’t cherish the others.
Zhao Yiyi rested her chin in her hand and watched for a while before ordering, “Go pick up some of the fallen pear blossoms. Once dried, they can be used for sachets or brewed in tea.”
The young palace maids happily swarmed under the tree. Another female official asked Zhao Yiyi if she wanted to play Go (Weiqi) to relieve her boredom.
Playing Go was a game Zhao Yiyi often played in the palace, and the servants of Jiaofang Palace all knew she enjoyed it. What they didn’t know was that her initial interest in Go stemmed from the Emperor.
Years ago, at a flower-viewing banquet at the Princess of Runan’s estate, the Crown Prince had defeated everyone, earning the title of a national master player, which spread like wildfire.
From that moment on, Zhao Yiyi knew he loved chess. She went to her grandfather to learn. Her grandfather had looked baffled and couldn’t help asking, “You didn’t like it before; why do you suddenly want to learn it again?”
She dared not say the real reason, only whispering, “I suddenly find it interesting and want to learn to play.”
Because she had always been obedient, her grandfather didn’t suspect anything and taught her earnestly for a time. Later, after entering the Eastern Palace, she studied even more diligently, just to be able to play against him.
To have a little more interaction and time with him was something that could make her happy for a long time.
Unfortunately, after playing with him a few times back then, she was disdained for her unfamiliarity with the game. “How long has the Crown Princess been practicing?”
Not understanding why he suddenly asked this, she froze for a moment before answering shyly, “About… three or four years.”
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