《 Previous | Table of Contents | Next 》
Translation: marchmallow
The most scenic location in Yangzhou was the Slender West Lake.1
The Slender West Lake was originally called the Protection Lake. Years past, local salt merchants dredged the center of the lake and silted the periphery. On both banks of the lake, several pavilions and pagodas had been erected. These structures accumulated after several generations, now enjoying the view of the flourishing landscape hailed as the best in the country.
Feng Sheng had spent a lot of time in Yangzhou, but not once had she gone to the Slender West Lake. Prince Wei, however, frequented this place. Many a time had he stayed in Yangzhou on the pretext of visiting the Daming Temple to practice meditation. The Slender West Lake had a waterway leading to the Daming Temple, so he was familiar with the area.
The two of them took a carriage to the Slender West Lake and switched to a boat when they arrived.
The boat slowly sailed through. The beauty of the landscape on both sides of the shore completely relaxed and invigorated those who beheld it. When they reached the Xiaojin Mountain, Prince Wei ordered to have the boat docked, and then trod afoot with Feng Sheng.
This Xiaojin Mountain was actually a small island. It was a mound formed from the silt dredged from the Slender West Lake. The scenery on the mountain was extremely breathtaking. Anyhow, Feng Sheng was in the best of spirits throughout the whole journey. The mountain road was not easy to trudge on, and occasionally, Prince Wei would take the initiative to reach out his hand to assist her, with the servants trailing after them. Slightly intimate though these actions were, Feng Sheng was no longer embarrassed. Needless to say, she had never been an unreasonable person.
They paused by a pavilion, but it was already occupied. Prince Wei signaled with his hand, and De Wang quickly ran forward to negotiate with the other party. No one knew what he was saying, but he appeared to have stuffed the other with silver, and the other party gave up the pavilion.
Feng Sheng primarily felt that it wasn’t proper, but considering Prince Wei’s identity, she said nothing more. She could actually discern that Prince Wei halted for a temporary rest because he had noticed she was tired.
The two entered the pavilion and settled themselves inside. De Wang had already ordered someone to boil water and make tea.
One couldn’t help but say, these heavenly offspring truly led a luxurious and dissipated life. When they came out to enjoy the scenery, behind them followed a group of servants who had everything with them. When Feng Sheng caught a glimpse of someone setting up a tea stove2 outside the pavilion, she could no longer say anything.
What else could she say? After all, she would drink this tea, too. Were she to express an opinion, she would be too hypocritical.
When the tea was served, De Wang brought up a few dishes of pastries that had been baked just before they went out. Feng Sheng tasted one. It was crispy and delicious. She was eating with great relish when Prince Wei cast her a look, grasped the handkerchief in De Wang’s hand, and wiped his hands with it. Feng Sheng was abashed.
He disliked that she ate anything without wiping her hands. This truly wasn’t a good habit, but Feng Sheng had been accustomed to jaunting outside. How could he be so meticulous? Did he think that everyone was like him, who had a great number of servants and imperial bodyguards crowding around?
Annoyed, she picked up a piece of almond pastry and shoved it to the side of his mouth.
Prince Wei was startled by her levity and shot her a glance. Just as Feng Sheng was regretting her own behavior and wanted to withdraw her hand, Prince Wei opened his mouth. It would be inappropriate to withdraw it at this time, so Feng Sheng could only force herself to wait for him to take a bite. Who would have thought that, after taking a bite, the person would clutch her wrist just as she was about to take her hand back?
With Feng Sheng’s wrist in his clasp, Prince Wei finished a piece of almond pastry. Feng Sheng withdrew her hand, pretending that nothing had transpired, and drank tea. Only her red ears exhibited a few hints.
This very moment, someone spoke outside the pavilion.
“There are already people inside.” It was a woman’s voice laced with a faint trace of dejection.
Hearing something familiar to the ear, Feng Sheng followed the sound and looked over. However, she saw two unexpected people.
There actually stood Fan Jin Chuan with Man’er.
Man’er was dressed as a married woman, her mien gentle and demure. If she hadn’t recognized Fan Jin Chuan, Feng Sheng might not have recognized her at a glance. On the other hand, Fan Jin Chuan was tall and high-spirited. With the two of them standing at the same place, they truly looked like a perfect pair.
When Feng Sheng turned to see, Fan Jin Chuan was holding Man’er’s hand. As she looked over, he did as well. Upon locking eyes with Feng Sheng, he subconsciously threw her hand away.
Man’er clenched her fingertips and lowered her head, showing a wry smile. To those around, she manifested the illusion of an evil spirit appearing in a magic mirror as sung in a full-scale drama.
Just as she conjured blind and disorderly conjectures in her head, Fan Jin Chuan had already stepped forward to speak. Even if there was no Fang Feng Sheng and only Prince Wei, they still had to abide this mere formality.
No one had expected to meet in this setting or even in such a circumstance. However, the awkwardness was not obvious from the surface, and the fact that Man’er could smile and nod to Feng Sheng to express her regards elicited from Feng Sheng a more favorable impression of her.
Out of consideration for Man’er, Feng Sheng took the initiative to leave the pavilion and stroll with Man’er to the side to enjoy the scenery as they chatted. Nearby was a bamboo forest, and amidst it were stone tables and chairs. The location was too covert to be discovered, and it was thus a suitable spot for Feng Sheng and Man’er.
The two of them paced over and perched on the seats. De Wang hastened to prepare tea and pastries.
“This tea isn’t bad.” Feng Sheng gestured in invitation and raised her teacup.
The two of them drank tea in serenity for a while, during which neither of them spoke. Feng Sheng was not sure what to say, while Man’er had too many things to utter. The words were at the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t muster a cohesive sentence.
“Have you been well?”
Feng Sheng didn’t anticipate Man’er to ask this and looked at her in surprise. “Naturally.”
“Come to think of it, a person like you can naturally pass your days comfortably regardless of circumstance.”
These words seemed as though they were heavy with meaning. Man’er appeared to have realized it and promptly explained, “I didn’t mean anything by that. I meant to say that, with your character, you can pass your days comfortably at all times.”
The implication was still quite ample after saying it once more. Man’er was a little overwrought. Feng Sheng sighed and patted her hand. “I understand. No need to explain.”
“That’s good.” Man’er simpered all of a sudden.
“So, have you been well?”
Well, this awkward encounter was destined to be somewhat bizarre for both parties. Feng Sheng also felt that her words weren’t good enough, but she couldn’t take them back. She just said what she could say. When all was said and done, she still had some opinions about Man’er in her heart. Her means had been too cutthroat, impelling both her and Fan Jin Chuan to a point where they both had to make an abrupt decision.
Back then, Feng Sheng had good feelings for Fan Jin Chuan. However, she had fathomed the complexity of discussing such emotions, so like a turtle hiding its head, she pretended not to have deciphered Fan Jin Chuan’s struggle and affection. Everyone was selfish. She hadn’t wanted to change the situation, but words of refusal had also been something she couldn’t bear to say. She had thought that if she and Fan Jin Chuan were to remain as they were once the dust had settled, she would have perhaps given him a conclusion. A pity……
There was nothing to regret. In the end, it was beyond her to be so presumptuous.
Thinking about it this way, Feng Sheng’s heart actually felt undisturbed. She smiled at the panic-stricken Man’er and said, “No matter what, I hope you and Brother Fan can live happily.”
“What about you?”
“I’m fine. His Highness treats me quite well. In fact, I met His Highness before I met Brother Fan.”
Man’er breathed a sigh of relief. “This way, I can rest assured. I’ve always thought I was the one who ruined……”
“Don’t say that. You and Brother Fan had long been betrothed. You two are a happy match bestowed by the heavens.” Feng Sheng interrupted. She stood up and thought to herself that she truly wasn’t too suited for this sort of dialogue. Perhaps she and Man’er were not destined to be friends.
“They seem to have finished their discussion. I’ll go over and take a look.”
*
Since both parties were headed to Daming Temple, it was only par for the course that they travel collectively for the rest of the journey.
Traveling together like this rendered most of the involved parties polite and reserved. Prince Wei was probably the sole unaffected party. Perhaps he, too, was affected, but it just wasn’t obvious to others.
The sunlight was just right. Tiny fragments of golden rays sprinkled on the surface of the lake. Feng Sheng leaned against the side of the boat, watching the tranquil lake below. Prince Wei strode over. He habitually and very naturally took her in his arms and asked, “What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at the lake. There seem to be fish in it.”
Prince Wei followed her line of sight and said, “Of course there are, and also quite a few.”
He raised his chin to De Wang at the side. At once, De Wang tacitly understood and swiftly withdrew. Shortly after, he returned, and in tow were two boatmen with fishing nets in their clasp. Prince Wei pulled Feng Sheng to the side to evade the two boatmen casting the net into the lake in lithe and familiar movements. Feng Sheng did not expect Prince Wei to be like this. Somewhat startled, she bantered, “You really are a cow chewing on peony.3 Despite such beautiful scenery, you let people cast a net to fish.”
“Weren’t you curious whether or not there were any fish?”
“I was just saying that.”
“If Princess Consort wants to see, this prince will naturally fulfill it.”
“Then, if I want to see what the stars in the sky look like, could it be that……” As she was saying this, Feng Sheng sensed that something was amiss. Just as she wanted to change the subject, she saw Prince Wei smiling as he uttered, “Then, this prince will naturally ask someone to set up a ladder and pick a few stars to relieve Princess Consort’s curiosity.”
Perhaps because Prince Wei’s smile was too rare a sight to behold, or that his eyes contained too much substance, Feng Sheng was actually bereft of speech as she gazed at him in a daze.
Amidst her trance, Prince Wei’s face drew closer.
“Ai, you……”
He nibbled on her lips and placidly asked, “Ai what?”
Feng Sheng was already embarrassed and was afraid of being seen, but she and Prince Wei stood in a special position. He was born tall, and he was covering her entire body if seen from the boat. She obviously couldn’t see anything. All that hove into her view were the boats outside.
When she abruptly turned her head to look out, she was relieved to see that no one was there. She shot him an irritated glance. “You’re not at all ashamed even when in full view of the public.”
“Ashamed of what? No one saw.”
As they were talking here, the net had already been fished up over there. Probably because the boatmen desired to show that they were awaiting a reward, they caught quite a few fish.
“Have it cooked just in time for lunch.”
On the other end, Fan Jin Chuan and Man’er were also staring at the lake scenery. The view was beautiful, but unfortunately, their hearts were not in place.
Man’er shifted her sight to Fan Jin Chuan, her words teeming with bitterness. Nonetheless, her face showed a soft smile as she remarked, “His Highness Prince Wei and the Princess Consort are really affectionate. This concubine can easily tell that they’re getting along extremely well.”
Fan Jin Chuan looked towards her. For a brief instant, his gaze was as sharp as a knife, but after discerning the bitter smile on her face, he grew upset, ill at ease, and slightly perturbed.
He didn’t say anything, just averted his gaze and laid his eyes on the scenery.
At noon, Feng Sheng and Prince Wei had a whole fish feast on the boat.
According to common practice, Prince Wei should be hosting a feast to entertain Fan Jin Chuan, but Feng Sheng held him back. If Prince Wei were to accompany Fan Jin Chuan, she would be bound to accompany Man’er, and she truly didn’t want to. It was rare for her to take the initiative, and it just so happened that Prince Wei had the same intention, so the two dined by themselves.
As for Fan Jin Chuan’s side, De Wang naturally did the talking. The same meals were served to them. De Wang’s excuse was that His Highness was used to accompanying the Princess Consort during meals and did not want to disturb Lord Fan and Madam Fan.
They ate their meals with different thoughts. Feng Sheng was quite happy, and since she was happy, Prince Wei was naturally in a good mood. On the contrary, Fan Jin Chuan’s side wasn’t. No matter how De Wang looked at it, the Prince and the Princess Consort were indeed a perfect couple. They both possessed a perfectly calm disposition different from ordinary people.
Feng Sheng was accustomed to taking a short nap after a meal, but there was no bed on the boat, so she lay on the chaise lounge for a while. Needless to say, this chaise lounge wasn’t wide, but Prince Wei insisted on squeezing in with her, so Feng Sheng had no choice but to nestle in his embrace. Only this way could the two sleep on it.
Probably because she awoke so early in the morning, Feng Sheng was also really sleepy and gradually drifted into slumber. When she opened her eyes, Prince Wei was no longer there, and the boat had arrived at Daming Temple.
Feng Sheng tidied herself up and stalked out to meet Prince Wei, who was having tea with Fan Jin Chuan.
The other servants searched for Man’er, and the group got off the boat and started climbing the mountain on foot.
Fortunately, the Daming Temple was flourishing with a multitude of people worshiping and burning incense at the front. The mountain road was not difficult to tread on. From the bottom to the top of the mountain, embellished were stone steps that were almost completely flat. After a short break, they reached the top.
Prince Wei was an old patron, so most of the monks in the temple were acquainted with him.
From here, Fan Jin Chuan finally excused himself from Prince Wei. He imparted that they had come for another purpose, and he feared that due to this, they could not journey together.
They had ventured here to pray for a son. Bao-shi and Fan Jin Chuan had discussed this several times, and it wasn’t until today that he found the time to accomplish it.
It was also a clever excuse. One of the reasons why the Daming Temple was prosperous was because the Guanyin4 in one of the temples was particularly efficacious, especially when it came to praying for a son. Therefore, those within the vicinity liked to journey here for that purpose.
When Prince Wei saw the direction that Fan Jin Chuan was headed to, he instantly figured out what the pair were up to. Out of some obscurity, he asked Feng Sheng whether or not she wanted to pay her respects as well.
Feng Sheng glanced at him and asked in speculation, “Didn’t you want to see Master Hui Jing? Why are we suddenly paying respects to Guanyin?”
Prince Wei replied in deadly earnest, “Consort Mother instructed this before we left the capital. She’s quite concerned about it.”
“Then let’s go.”
Prince Wei was stunned, not anticipating Feng Sheng to agree so readily.
As for Feng Sheng, of course she knew what this petty man was thinking. If this day did not go as well as he wished, there was no telling how long he would remember.
When she emerged out of the temple hall, Man’er followed behind Fan Jin Chuan with a reddened face. On the contrary, Fan Jin Chuan’s brows were creased. She didn’t seem to notice all of this, or perhaps had perceived it but didn’t care.
As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Prince Wei with Feng Sheng walking towards her.
Fan Jin Chuan paused his steps and nodded to Prince Wei, who reciprocated the gesture, and the two parties crossed paths.
Naturally, Feng Sheng did not miss Man’er’s expression. She actually admired this woman. She was stubborn, determined, pliable, and unyielding. She believed that after all her waiting, one day, she would be successful in obtaining what she had long desired. Thinking about it this way, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Prince Wei took the joss sticks from De Wang’s hand and shared three sticks with Feng Sheng.
She received them. They both bowed to worship at the same time.
*
After spending a few more days in Yangzhou, they journeyed to Hangzhou and Suzhou.
The beauty and affluence of Suzhou and Hangzhou was comparable with heaven. In any case, it would be regrettable not to drop a visit and explore the place.
Feng Sheng had initially thought they could meander around until at least the end of the year, but who would have expected that something would happen in the middle of the trip? Thus, Prince Wei had to take her back to the capital at an earlier time.
Consort Li was pregnant.
She wasn’t young. She was in her early forties. At the outset, Prince Wei leaving the capital with Feng Sheng had been tantamount to leaving Consort Li to fend for herself. Given the course of events, it was imperative that the two of them return.
After arriving at the capital the night before, the two entered the palace the next day.
Consort Li’s complexion was quite well, and it could even be described as excellent. At the sight of her son and daughter-in-law, her face immediately broke out in a smile, but underneath that smile was a tinge of embarrassment. She already had a daughter-in-law but suddenly conceived a child. Fortunately, Feng Sheng still didn’t have good news to spread, else, if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were pregnant at the same time, what would they even be called?
Because of this, Consort Li didn’t have the nerve to express her solicitude for Feng Sheng’s health.
From the moment he entered the palace, Prince Wei frowned and seemed quite unhappy. Feng Sheng had cast him several meaningful glances, but he didn’t seem to have noticed them.
Everyone in the palace hall had originally been quite jubilant. The palace maids and eunuchs all uttered pleasantries. It was just that, Prince Wei, as the only person displaying a cold countenance, turned the atmosphere very awkward.
Feng Sheng pulled Prince Wei out and had someone pour him tea to drink before entering the inner hall once more.
“Consort Mother, don’t blame him. He’s just awkward.” She was still thinking of pretexts to keep the mother and son pair from estrangement, but Consort Li unexpectedly laughed.
She beckoned Feng Sheng to sit on the edge of the couch and patted her hand. “How can I not understand my son? This child’s personality has been dull since young. In fact, I’m also to blame. My poor background implicated him and compelled him to live a suffocating life, so he has developed a temperament where he holds everything in his heart. He’s actually worried about me, he just won’t express it. Those who don’t know would think he doesn’t treat me as a mother.”
“His Highness is indeed worried about your health. On the way back, he even said that Consort Mother’s health is not well. He fears that you……”
Consort Li smiled somewhat mournfully and replied, “I know. You go back and tell him. Tell him not to worry. Mother is well aware of the situation. In the palace, it’s always been that the mother’s honor increases as her son’s position rises. In the past, ah, I couldn’t give birth even if I wanted to. Now that it’s here and His Majesty also likes it, Mother will naturally bear this child. With His Majesty watching over, nothing will happen.”
Feng Sheng could only listen to this, and when she went back, she relayed these words to Prince Wei. However, he did not feel happy. On the contrary, he seemed to have more weighing his mind.
Feng Sheng also felt it wasn’t good to ask, until she brought it up again at night while lying in bed.
“Consort Mother wanted this child to please Imperial Father, or should I say, it was for my sake.”
Any more, Prince Wei didn’t say, but whenever Feng Sheng thought about it, she would inevitably sigh a little in her heart.
Although they had stayed out of the manor for quite some time, they were still cognizant of the events that had occurred in the capital.
Just as Prince Wei had previously deliberated, after overthrowing the Crown Prince, Prince Wu, Prince Zhao, Prince Xiang and the others did not reap much benefits. The position of the crown prince was vacant, and everyone had their eyes peeled on it. Therefore, the court hall, which had quieted down after all the trouble, was once again like raging fire over the matter of establishing a crown prince.
Regarding this, the Jianping Emperor simply paid it no heed, but he didn’t hesitate to sort these people out in private.
Owing to the inextricable conflict between Prince Wu and Prince Zhao, and after a series of eliminations, everyone suffered tremendous losses and were temporarily at a standstill. Perhaps they did cease momentarily, but no one knew whether or not they were orchestrating big moves behind the scenes.
In the end, everyone was moving, and their hearts and minds were unstable. This was true in the palace and also in the court hall. In contrast, Prince Wei was so quiet that it was almost as if he didn’t exist. Consort Li’s pregnancy, this huge chess piece, was, to be frank, paving the way for Prince Wei’s future.
After all, Consort Li was getting old. She couldn’t guarantee that she could maintain her own favor after a few years, but all would be different if she had a child. Parents loved their youngest children, and grandparents loved their eldest grandchildren. Most of the world just worked this way.
Having this child would at least ensure that in the next few years, even if Prince Wei plunged to the bottom, he wouldn’t be completely devoid of existence.
Even the child was a calculation. Although it was a pity, perhaps this was simply what an emperor’s family was like.
No other time had brought such a penetrating and thorough awakening to Feng Sheng like this one, allowing her to understand what kind of place she was in and what she would face in the future.
1 This is an actual place in Yangzhou. Here are some photos:
2 This has already been mentioned quite a few times, but I just recently thought to insert a photo to show you. It’s pretty much just a small ware for boiling water. This is what it looks like.
3 牛嚼牡丹: a cow chewing on peony (idiom); unappreciative of sth worthwhile; oblivious to the worth of sth.
4 Guanyin is the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion. This Guanyin is part of folk belief, who was originally a man but changed to woman by course of history. She saved those who needed her and called out her name, but in the course of events she somehow helped women bear sons and have safe delivery.
Snowy’s side note: Which is actually weird, since Buddhism is all about breaking the shackles of reincarnation. Living is suffering. So why would a bodhisattva be like: Alright, I’ll grant you your wish for sons. ??? Then again Taoism and Buddhism were always confused with one another, and it doesn’t help that a large part of China was illiterate and uneducated.