Chapter 34

 

After sending the painting, Xuyu returned to the Imperial Palace and continued being busy in the Zhaowen Pavilion while waiting for a response.

The next day, there was no news, and the day after that, there was still no news.

On the third day, her heart had already gradually turned from the initial nervous anticipation to depression.

According to common sense, if there were no response within the first few days after sending out the painting, there would be no hope later. The most likely possibility was that she had contacted the wrong person.

Of course, there was another inference. Yumian was indeed Yinniang, but she no longer wanted to have anything to do with the person from the past and doesn’t want to meet her.

The night rain fell like a thread, weaving the evening sky of Chang’an.

Xuyu was still flipping through the book in the corner of the west pavilion of the Hanlin Academy. Unconsciously, her eyes once again cast towards a certain place outside the pavilion.

The glazed pavilion that stood on the imperial palace’s Dragonhead Heights was the Ziyun Palace, where the emperor resided in seclusion. Shrouded in mist and drizzled with rain, it appeared distant and unreachable, hidden behind layers of towers and halls.

“Dismissed! Dismissed!”

After another boring day was over, somewhat relaxed voice of the clerk on duty could be heard urging people to leave.

Xuyu was distracted, put the scrolls back to their places one by one, and walked among the tall and simple bookshelves in the dim light.

Across the walls, two palace eunuchs who were cleaning and tidying up the place were discussing something in low voices while doing their work.

Tomorrow was the birth day of Princess Shouchang.

On this day every year, all officials would take an extra day off, and an altar would be set up in Zhanxing Nunnery to pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the princess.

Not only that, the palace eunuchs who worked hard all year round in the palace also did not have to do anything. Therefore, at this moment, the two palace eunuchs were relaxed and smiling.

“… His Majesty will go there in person tomorrow.” One person said with certainty.

“How do you know?” the companion asked doubtfully.

“I heard that there is a forbidden area in Zhanxing Nunnery, and people are sweeping it all year round to welcome the emperor. The emperor is always remembering Empress Zhaode, and tomorrow is the princess’ birthday, so why wouldn’t he go?” the man explained.

“But it seems that His Majesty has never left the palace on this day in previous years.” The companion retorted.

“How could we possibly know about this? Maybe His Majesty left the palace quietly and went to the forbidden residence without any procession.”

“Yes, yes!”

The two palace eunuchs suddenly seemed to notice someone approaching and immediately shut up and stopped talking.

Xuyu stood quietly in the shadow of the wall, waiting for the two palace eunuchs to leave. Then she walked out of the west pavilion, went down the corridor steps, looked back at the Taoist palace that was silent in the evening rain, and left the palace.

The next morning, at noon, the streets outside Zanxing Nunnery were crowded with people, all eager to see what was going on. Amid the noise, there was a sound of a procession being cleared in the distance, and the street immediately became quiet.

Xuyu stood in the corner opposite the nunnery gate and saw a large group of people coming towards this side.

The one riding in front was a great eunuch with a stern face and wearing ochre robes. He was ordered to come here today to take charge of the affairs. Next came the procession of court officials. Except for some at the end who were wearing green and blue robes, the front row all wore scarlet robes. In the front, there were also a few officials wearing purple robes.

This was at least a high-ranking official of the rank of a minister, and should be an official from Ministry of Rites or Ministry of Ceremonies. But the eunuch in ochre robes was obviously of a special status, and even several officials in purple robes seemed quite polite to him, and even had a bit of flattery in their expressions. Behind him were many miscellaneous officials, palace eunuchs, palace guards, and their entourage. They came in a line carrying many boxes and trunks, no one knew what was inside.

At the end of the procession, there were many ragged beggars. Not just them, there seemed to be quite a few beggars nearby, and now they all came out, as if all the beggars in Chang’an were gathered here today. They pushed each other, vying for the front position, looking eagerly at the large group of people heading to the nunnery in a grand manner.

Under the gaze of many eyes, the large group of people stopped outside Zhanxing Nunnery. The great eunuch and officials went straight inside, the remaining eunuchs lined up outside the gate.

Eunuch Cao, whom Xuyu had met in the palace, was the leader. He loudly announced to the beggars who had been waiting impatiently: “Today is the auspicious day for Princess Shouchang. We are here on the order of His Majesty to pray for the princess’ birthday! We pity you, the weak and lonely. Anyone who comes can receive two longevity fruits and two coins.

“Princess, may your noble virtue be as everlasting as the celestial phoenix, and may you live for a thousand years in great fortune!”

As soon as the words fell, the palace eunuchs and their attendants opened the boxes and distributed the contents, which were layers of longevity fruits and boxes of copper coins. Seeing this, not only the beggars were excited, but also passers-by and some nearby residents who loved to take advantages of free offerings joined the team to receive the gifts, and in an instant, the originally wide road was completely blocked.

Naturally, there were also many who disdained mingling with beggars just for a bit of gain. They gathered on the side to chat about some anecdotes, discussing nothing new—just the well-known stories of how the current emperor mourned the late Empress Zhaode and longed for the princess who had been lost to the world.

“When I entered the south gate just now, I saw eunuchs busy sweeping fallen flowers and leaves, but they only swept this tree and ignored the other trees on the street. Why is that?”

A peddler who had probably just arrived in Chang’an was passing by with a load on his shoulder. He stopped to watch the excitement for a moment and couldn’t help but interrupt and ask.

The one who told the story before recounted the origins of the pomegranate tree and Princess Shouchang, and then glanced at the officials at Zanxing Nunnery, lowering his voice, “Did you see the emissary who rode in first? That is the famous Yuan Zhi, the number one person in the Palace Office, the most useful man next to His Majesty. It was he who issued the order, and it was naturally His Majesty’s intention.”

The peddler had never heard of this before and was surprised. He shook his head and said casually, “What’s the use of guarding a pomegranate tree? I think the princess is long gone! If she’s still alive, she would have remembered things when she was four or five years old. After so many years, how could she give up her precious life and never return home?”

Everyone knew this truth, even the emperor himself probably understand it, but no one dare to speak of it.

Everyone was silent for a moment. The elderly among them recalled the catastrophe in the past, and sighed with fear.

After the peddler finished speaking, he saw that the excitement was almost over. Zanxing Nunnery had been cleared since yesterday and no one was allowed to enter. There was nothing left to see. He was about to leave with his carrying pole when he suddenly heard a strange noise behind him. He turned around and saw two men dressed as passers-by stepping out of the crowd with unfriendly looks. They took out chains from their sleeves and were walking towards him. Before he could understand what was going on, he was tied up on the spot.

The peddler was shocked, tried to struggle: “Who are you? Why are you tying me up? It’s broad daylight, is there any law? Let me go!”

Seeing this, the others nearby also began to question.

“What did you just say? Today is the day to celebrate the birth of Princess Shouchang, and you openly cursed the princess with evil words. Who else should I tie up if not you?”

Everyone was surprised, then understood.

In such a situation today, Yuan Zhi must not allow any accidents to happen. In addition to the visible guards, there were also secret guards nearby. These two people should be the secret guards of the Palace Office. Everyone was silent for a while, and just watched the peddler being pushed away. The peddler kept shouting that he was wronged, saying that it was unintentional and asked to be let go.

The secret guard sneered: “Whether it’s unjust or not, Supervisor Yuan will decide for himself.” After saying that, he took the man outside the gate and reported the matter to Eunuch Cao. Eunuch Cao immediately went inside and came out and said: “Pass on the words of Supervisor, cut off the tongue and display it to the public for three days.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the peddler was pinned to the ground by the guards. One of them drew his dagger, pinched his mouth open, and pulled his tongue out of his mouth with a hook that he had taken from somewhere.

There was no sound around. Everyone held their breath and watched the peddler struggling desperately and begging for mercy, but it was in vain.

Even the beggars who were originally only busy fighting for peaches and money stopped at this moment, staring at this scene with wide eyes in horror. The guard had a cold and ruthless expression, looking at the man on the ground as if he were a fish on a chopping board, and raised the dagger in his hand, about to cut off his tongue. The timid women in the crowd dared not watch anymore, and turned their heads away with their eyes closed.

Xuyu watched all of this from the corner, her hands clenched tightly, her heart beating so hard that it was about to jump out. Seeing this, she could no longer bear it and was about to separate the crowd and move forward when she suddenly heard someone say, “Stop!”

The voice sounded quite fresh and tender, as if it was spoken by a young boy.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked over, and found that another group of people who was about to come to the nunnery had arrived at a nearby intersection.

The people riding on horseback were a group of imperial nobles, with attendants and guards on both sides. In the front, two boys of similar age, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, stopped their horse side by side.

Eunuch Cao naturally recognized them. The one with a sturdy build was the current emperor’s son, Prince Kang, Li Ze, and the other one with a pale face and a thin body was Prince Ning’s grandson, Prince Xin’an, Li Hui.

It was Li Hui who spoke out to stop the execution.

Eunuch Cao knew that the two men were sent by the crown prince today, so he hurried to greet them. Li Hui asked why they want to cut the man’s tongue, and Eunuch Cao explained that the man had just cursed Princess Shouchang, committing a great crime of disrespect, and he was punished on the orders of Supervisor Yuan.

Prince Kang nodded when he heard this: “It’s right for Supervisor Yuan to punish! Today is my sister’s auspicious day, and he dared to speak ill of her. What is his intention? If he is not punished, how can we prevent others from following suit?”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness is absolutely right!”

Eunuch Cao was about to order the execution to continue, but Li Hui hesitated, turned to Li Ze and said, “This man was disrespectful to Aunt, and he should be punished. But today, Supervisor Yuan and we are all ordered to come here to pray for Aunt’s longevity. Since we are praying for blessings, although we don’t know where Aunt is now, if she knew, she should not want blood to be shed for this matter.”

Li Ze glanced at him with a disapproving look: “Little Thirteen, I think you’re just too soft-hearted.” Then he leaned over on horseback and whispered: “Let’s not meddle in other people’s business. Just do what we are called for! This is what the eunuch meant. If he tells my father about it and he is displeased, neither you nor I can escape responsibility!”

Li Hui looked hesitant and obviously fearful, but he looked at the peddler begging desperately, paused, and turned to eunuch Cao and said, “You’d better go in and ask Supervisor Yuan to consider it again. This person has indeed violated a taboo. Can you change the punishment to something else? Just say that I said it. Today is the auspicious day of my aunt’s birth. It’s really unlucky to see blood like this.”

Although Prince Xin’an was young, had a somewhat childish face, and his seniority was also low, his tone at this moment was quite firm.

He was the posthumous son of the eldest son of Prince Ning who died in the battle to suppress the rebellion. He was named Prince Xin’an by the current emperor when he was three years old. It was said that he had been diligently studying at home under the care of his widowed mother. His mother loved him dearly and even forbade him from practicing martial arts, which led to him developing a quiet and reserved personality. Normally, he stayed out of the spotlight and didn’t like to draw much attention, but today, he spoke up like this.

Eunuch Cao did not dare to offend too much, and said hesitantly: “Prince Xin’an, please wait a moment, this servant will report it first.” After that, he hurried into the Taoist nunnery.

After a while, he came out again. Yuan Zhi still didn’t show up, but changed his words and said, “Supervisor Yuan ordered this servant to apologize on his behalf. The altar has been set up, so it’s inconvenient for him to come out to greet you. Supervisor Yuan also said that what Prince Xin’an said is not without reason. Considering that today is the princess’ birthday, the punishment of cutting off the tongue will be spared. However, a living punishment cannot be avoided, so he will receive thirty lashes as a warning to others.”

The peddler, who brought disaster upon himself because of a careless remark, had already collapsed to the ground, pissed all over himself. Upon hearing that the punishment was changed to thirty lashes, he regained a bit of life. Although the beating would be unbearable, it was a relief compared to having his tongue cut out.

The onlookers nearby watched the group of people enter the nunnery and dared not say anything more, fearing that they would also get into trouble, so they left one after another.

The sun was setting. The pray for blessing in the nunnery, which had shaken half of Chang’an with the sound of cymbals, finally ended. The princes, envoys and officials from the palace left, the birthday fruits and copper coins were distributed, the beggars and passers-by dispersed, and the street slowly returned to its original state.

According to the usual practice, the nunnery would not be open tonight.

It was rumored that His Majesty the Emperor may come here quietly at an unknown time to remember his late empress and the princess whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

Xuyu stayed outside Zhanxing Nunnery for a whole night.

In the second half of the night, it started to drizzle again. When the day dawned, old dew had gathered on the greenery, and the damp mist clung to the clothing.

When she returned to the inn, she was soaked all over.

Last night, the current emperor, her father, did not return to the old imperial mansion that once held many memories for her.

Xuyu’s lips turned pale from the cold, and she could hardly stop shivering. After drying her wet hair and changing into a fresh set of clothes, she sat behind a carved window in her room, most of her figure hidden in the lingering shadows of the night.

She opened a black lacquer dressing box and held up a bronze mirror. The morning light from the window reflected her face in the mirror. Her eyes fell on the scar on the forehead of the person in the mirror.

One day when she was three years old, her father agreed to go hunting at Forbidden Garden at the request of his brothers, and she insisted on going with him. After her father coaxed her to sleep, he slipped out the door, but she woke up as soon as she touched the pillow and chased to the door crying. Her father had no choice but to get off his horse with a wry smile and come back to pick her up. However, she ran too fast and tripped on the threshold. A sharp stone on the ground knocked a hole in her forehead, and blood flowed all over her face. She cried even more heartbreakingly and earth-shatteringly. Her father was so distressed that he immediately canceled his plan to go out and stayed at home with her for several days.

It was also a coincidence that her uncles relaxed their vigilance during that hunting trip and even complained that her grandfather was old and confused and treated his sons cruelly.

They forgot that the servants who led the horse might also be the old man’s spy. So, after returning, all the uncles who had been there were convicted and severely punished for their false proposal of treason. One was given poisoned wine, one was exiled to Lingnan, and the other two who had not said a word at the time were also punished by being stripped of their titles and completely expelled from the palace.

Xuyu remembered the day when her father returned from the palace. He didn’t say a word, but the first thing he did was to hug her tightly in his arms, and he refused to let her go even when she was almost breathless. She felt her father’s palms were cold and his heart was beating fast. She asked him what was wrong and whether he was sick, but he didn’t say anything, but just kissed the scab on her forehead that had not yet fallen off.

Later, although her mother used all kinds of ointments prepared by the imperial doctors, the wound was too deep and it was still left a scar. Although she was young at that time, she was already a beautiful lady. She looked in the mirror every day and pouted, feeling unhappy. So her father took advantage of her birthday to ask her grandfather for the title of XipingHairpin Star for her.

“It’s a star that fell from the sky and was pinned on Li Huo’er’s forehead. It’s unique in the world and others cannot get it even if they want to.”

She would never forget the words that her father whispered in her ear that day to cheer her up.

But her father, he must have completely forgotten about it.

Her eyes wandered beyond the mirror and went toward the faint waning moon in the morning sky outside the window. She stared at it for a long time until she vaguely heard the last sound of the night watch, waking her up.

Still no response from Yumian.

Today was the fifth day.

Her hopes had actually been dashed on the third day. That day, Yuwen Zhi met her in the palace and asked about the result. She had already told him that the other person was not the old friend she was looking for.

After calming down, she would continue to work in the palace today.

By taking small steps, she would get closer and closer to what she wanted.

Inside the box were several small bottles a few inches long, containing different kinds of makeup powder, including clay used as a base for murals, lead powder used by women to paint their faces, snow-white incense ash, and pig pancreas powder, which was essential for palace ladies to make skin cream. She skillfully pinched a little of each, mixed them in a small bowl, added a few drops of water, and made a paste. Finally, she dipped a fine brush in the rich paste, brought her face to the bronze mirror, and carefully filled in the scar on her forehead.

When it was daybreak, she went to the palace. The scar on her forehead had been completely covered with paste, blending into the skin on her forehead, as smooth as flesh. Even if people got close, they wouldn’t be able to see any trace of makeup.

This day was the same as the previous few days, she was still shuttling around the literature and history pavilion. In the evening, she walked back to the inn with tired steps, and unexpectedly received a piece of news that she had no longer dared to expect.

Madam Yumian from Jinfeng Tower quietly sent a servant to wait for her there.

“Madam said that if it is convenient for you, you can follow me now.

“She wants to meet you.”

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