On the nineteenth of the third month, rain began falling early in the morning—like every spring rain of previous years, pattering steadily.
Yao Huang knew this was auspicious rain. Only after several spring rains could the common people properly cultivate their fields. But still—
Yao Huang sat by the window, looking toward the painting she had hung on the opposite wall. When family and sisters saw this painting, they would only see her. Yet Yao Huang could always see through this painting to that refined and handsome young master kneeling on the grass, holding a brush and painting.
“My nature is solitary and aloof. I’m taciturn and speak little.”
“I can listen to you talk.”
With a creak, A’Ji pushed open the door and entered. Turning her head, she saw her young lady once again gazing at the painting in infatuation, her cheeks flushed red, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as if savoring some beautiful matter.
A’Ji deliberately coughed.
Yao Huang came back to her senses, glared at the annoying A’Ji, and lowered her head to continue flipping through her storybook.
A’Ji: “Why hasn’t Miss gone out to find other young ladies to play with?”
This little bit of rain couldn’t possibly stop Miss’s interest in playing.
Yao Huang had no way to explain to her.
After watching the rain all day, by dusk the rain showed no signs of letting up. Yao Lin returned from the martial academy first. About two quarter-hours later, Yao Zhenhu also returned from the Eastern Camp. Yao Lin had borrowed an umbrella from somewhere. Yao Zhenhu had gotten directly drenched in the rain. He wiped his face and, seeing his daughter looking at him with worry, felt warm inside: “Don’t be afraid. This bit of rain can’t hurt your father.”
Yao Huang took another look at the large black mule already tethered in the shed, similarly soaked through.
Yao Zhenhu went inside to change clothes. Yao Lin sat down beside his sister and said quietly: “Li Ting—”
Yao Huang shot him a sharp look: “Don’t mention him to me.”
Yao Lin awkwardly closed his mouth.
His sister couldn’t see Li Tingwang’s repentant appearance, but he could see it every day these past ten days. The person had lost a whole circle of weight, stumbled over reciting texts, as if he’d lost his soul.
Yao Huang huffed: “The matter of accompanying me to Fragrant Mountain Temple tomorrow morning—you haven’t told anyone else, have you?”
Her brother often made appointments to play polo with people. Yao Huang didn’t want her brother to break appointments because of her, so she could only inform her brother in advance to keep this rest day free. But she had already laid down harsh words earlier—if her brother let it slip and caused her to run into Li Tingwang at Fragrant Mountain Temple or on the way there, she would forbid her brother from coming home on rest days for an entire year. If he did come home, he would only receive broom beatings from her and their mother and wouldn’t get any braised pork.
Yao Lin: “No, I don’t want to be unable to return home.”
Yao Huang stared at her brother for a long time. Seeing his gaze frank without a trace of guilt, she believed him.
After bathing at night, Yao Huang selected from her wardrobe the clothes, skirt, shoes, and socks she would wear when going out tomorrow. She even set out the jewelry she would wear in advance on her dressing table. But as soon as she burrowed into the quilt and listened to the pattering rain outside, Yao Huang’s heart filled with worry again. What if it was still raining tomorrow morning? Should she go or not? If she went and Prince Hui didn’t go, he might think her refusal that day was all said against her will, that in her heart she was actually quite willing. If she didn’t go, but Prince Hui did go, she would become the one who broke the appointment.
Yao Huang tossed and turned frequently.
A’Ji poked her head out from the neighboring quilt: “What’s wrong, Miss?”
Yao Huang: “The rain is too noisy.”
A’Ji: “…”
Prince Hui’s Manor.
Zhao Sui listened to the rain for half the night. Only when the sound of rain outside the window completely ceased, only when he pushed open the window and reached out his hand for a long time without catching a single raindrop, did he finally lie down to sleep.
In the early morning, Yao Huang woke up. After being lazy for just a moment, she suddenly crawled out of the quilt and lifted the topmost window to look outside.
Cool air carrying the scent of earth rushed toward her face. Gentle, bright morning light already filled the courtyard. Although the ground was wet, it had gained some firmness—she wouldn’t end up with a shoe full of mud with each step!
The weather was good. Yao Huang quickly got off the kang. Wearing only her inner garment with her hair loose, she ran to the mule shed in the back courtyard. Seeing that both mules also looked fine and were eating fodder mixed with bean cake in their troughs, Yao Huang patted each mule’s neck. Humming a little tune, she turned around, only to see her mother standing in the back doorway, having watched her for who knew how long.
Yao Huang felt guilty and pretended to walk back as if nothing had happened.
Luo Jinhua looked at her daughter and asked: “Going to Fragrant Mountain Temple today—have you arranged to meet someone else?”
Yao Huang: “No.”
Luo Jinhua: “Fine, then Mother will accompany you. Mother happens to want to worship Buddha as well.”
Yao Huang: “…”
Her guess confirmed, Luo Jinhua immediately pulled her daughter farther away and asked in a low voice: “Which family’s young man? Does Mother know him?”
Yao Huang knew she couldn’t hide it from her mother. She could only say with some embarrassment: “Just that pedantic Lord Zhao that Brother complained about—the one who lent him the divine steed. We met again last time at Jinxiu Garden. That painting was also painted by him for me. He even directly asked me if he could send a matchmaker to propose marriage. I was afraid his family standing was too high and he’d regret it after marriage, so I said let’s have more contact today to try things out.”
Luo Jinhua quickly summarized several pieces of information about Lord Zhao: young official, quite wealthy family circumstances, accomplished in both civil and military arts, knows and observes propriety!
“What family standing?” Luo Jinhua wanted to understand more. After all, this was a son-in-law candidate—she needed to help her daughter evaluate him.
Yao Huang: “Very high. I’ll tell Mother when I return. If today I discover he has bad points, or if he dislikes me, then I won’t even need to mention it.”
Luo Jinhua wanted to speak but hesitated.
Yao Huang smiled: “Alright, I have Brother accompanying me. Lord Zhao is also thin-skinned—when painting me, he didn’t dare stare at me for too long. Mother can rest assured.”
Her daughter was clever enough, her son was young but could fight, plus that Lord Zhao even managed the matter of young men taking off their clothes to play polo. Luo Jinhua indeed felt fairly reassured.
After eating breakfast, the ground was even drier. Yao Huang mounted a mule and left home with her brother.
When leaving the city, Yao Huang discreetly looked all around, wondering if Prince Hui would be waiting here early. After searching around and not finding him, Yao Huang didn’t know whether to feel relaxed or disappointed.
Fragrant Mountain Temple was over thirty li outside the southern suburbs of the capital. The siblings ran for half an hour facing the refreshing spring breeze before arriving. At the foot of the mountain was a large courtyard specially for taking care of visitors’ carriages and horses. The siblings entrusted their mules, had just received tokens from the courtyard steward and were about to leave when Yao Lin suddenly pointed at a horse stable: “Look, Lord Zhao’s horse!”
Yao Huang hadn’t yet seen that divine steed, but her heartbeat quickened first. After confirming her brother hadn’t misidentified it, Yao Huang knew Prince Hui was more sincere than she had guessed—he had actually entered the temple early to wait.
The siblings walked shoulder to shoulder up the stone stairway leading to Fragrant Mountain Temple. The road surface had apparently been swept in advance by monks—there wasn’t a single place with standing water.
Fragrant Mountain Temple was halfway up the mountain. To accommodate some elderly pilgrims, three pavilions had been built along the stone stairway for pilgrims to rest temporarily or avoid rain.
Approaching the second pavilion, Yao Lin, who was taller than his sister, recognized Lord Zhao sitting in the pavilion before she did. The young man happily raised his hand: “Lord Zhao!”
Yao Huang was too embarrassed to look directly at Prince Hui, so she noticed that there were several other people in the pavilion. Four robust individuals stood at the four corners of the pavilion, quite imposingly guarding it to prevent others from entering. On the three long benches inside the pavilion, Prince Hui sat facing this direction. On the bench opposite him, with his back to the siblings, sat another figure.
Yao Huang felt something was strange. Had Prince Hui brought four guards and encountered an acquaintance while waiting for her here? Or had Prince Hui come alone, but when passing through here encountered someone of equal status and nobility who could sit with him as equals?
In any case, her brother had already greeted him, and Prince Hui had also stood up. Yao Huang could only follow her brother over.
The two plainclothes guards standing outside the pavilion each stepped back somewhat—a gesture allowing the siblings to enter the pavilion.
Yao Lin looked at these two people, including the two guards standing outside the other end of the pavilion, and asked curiously: “Lord Zhao, are they your guards?”
Zhao Sui looked toward Yao Huang and explained: “They are my father’s guards.”
Yao Huang: “…”
Yao Lin was also startled. At the same time as his sister, he looked toward the other person sitting in the pavilion.
What Yao Lin saw was a male elder of about forty years, with a regular rectangular face and a pair of phoenix eyes very similar to Lord Zhao’s. But this person’s official position was definitely higher than Lord Zhao’s. Casually glancing at him once, Yao Lin felt a bone-chilling sensation, as if all his private thoughts could be seen through.
Yao Lin rubbed his arm and smiled awkwardly: “Uncle has such imposing presence. You’re an official, aren’t you?”
So what if he was an official? He was Lord Zhao’s student, not a criminal. Why be so serious?
Yao Huang was also shocked by Prince Hui’s father’s imposing presence. Her legs felt somewhat weak. But hearing her brother’s foolish words, Yao Huang knew she must steady herself. Otherwise, if her brother became startled and flustered, he would definitely commit more follies. The ignorant weren’t to be blamed—after all, when Prince Hui made introductions, he used “my father.”
“Greetings, Lord Zhao. Greetings, Uncle.” Yao Huang curtsied in greeting.
No need to guess—Prince Hui must have let something slip in front of the Emperor. This emperor wanted to personally come see her, this centurion’s daughter, to see whether she was qualified enough to become Prince Hui’s princess consort.
This counted as a viewing meeting, right? A viewing meeting was a private matter. Yao Huang made up her mind—unless Emperor Yongchang wanted to display imperial airs, she would only treat him as the father of the man being viewed for marriage!
So what if he was the Emperor? If he was satisfied with her, Yao Huang would need to consider him as her future father-in-law. If he was high and mighty and looked down on her entirely, no matter how respectful, deferential, and flattering Yao Huang was, she would only be increasingly looked down upon by the incomparably noble emperor. Rather than being trembling with fear and looked down upon, better to act according to her nature. After all, she insisted on having more contact with Prince Hui precisely to understand each other clearly.
Emperor Yongchang understood. This young lady hadn’t told her family about his son’s true identity, proving she indeed hadn’t become complacent just from receiving his son’s favor.
“You may dispense with the formalities.”
Emperor Yongchang dispensed with the young lady’s courtesy, then smiled at Yao Lin: “This old man has indeed been an official at court all along. I may have accumulated some official dignity. You siblings need not mind it.”
Yao Lin: “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. What a coincidence—Old Master Zhao, Lord Zhao, are you also here to offer incense?”
Emperor Yongchang: “Indeed. Unfortunately, getting on in years, I’m tired after climbing just this bit of mountain road.”
Yao Lin: “Then you must be a civil official. My father is about the same age as you, and climbing these few steps doesn’t make his legs sore or leave him out of breath.”
Emperor Yongchang, who had already thoroughly investigated Yao Zhenhu’s background through Eastern Camp Commander Jiang Qu and was exactly ten years older than Yao Zhenhu: “…”
Yao Huang, worried her brother would say something disagreeable, was surprised to meet the faint smile at the corners of Emperor Yongchang’s mouth.
Emperor Yongchang: “Alright, I’ve rested enough. Let’s continue upward. How about you siblings travel together with us?”
Yao Lin agreed without thinking.
The stone steps could only comfortably accommodate two people walking side by side. Emperor Yongchang had Yao Lin walk together with him and asked: “I still don’t know what you siblings are called?”
Yao Lin: “I’m called Yao Lin—the Lin from qilin. My sister is called Yao Huang—Yao Huang from the Yao Huang peony.”
Zhao Sui looked toward the young lady beside him.
Yao Huang’s face felt hot. Her name could be considered nice when said nicely, but could also be considered rather common when said otherwise.
Emperor Yongchang looked back and glanced. Not mentioning family standing or status, this Miss Yao truly didn’t fail to live up to her flower king name. No wonder his son, who usually never understood such matters, felt joy in his heart upon seeing her. Including himself—originally eighty percent opposed, seeing her in person, his heart had softened by half.
After entering the temple, Emperor Yongchang said to his son: “The scenery here is quite nice. You accompany the siblings to tour around. I’ll go play a game of chess with the abbot. After finishing, I’ll leave first.”
Zhao Sui: “Yes.”
Yao Huang steeled her heart and spoke up: “Uncle, may I ask you a question?”
Emperor Yongchang smiled: “Speak freely.”
Yao Huang asked him to step aside a few paces. Lowering her head to look at her feet, she said softly: “Before asking, please forgive the crime of us siblings not kneeling in worship. This commoner daughter truly didn’t expect to have the fortune of seeing you. Just now at the bottom, I was completely flustered. To kneel later would seem deliberate.”
Emperor Yongchang: “No harm. I didn’t come here to watch you kowtow.”
Yao Huang blushed and took the opportunity to ask: “Then are you satisfied with this commoner daughter? If you’re not satisfied, then take Prince Hui with you to see the abbot. This commoner daughter and my brother will freely enjoy the scenery.”
Emperor Yongchang found it interesting: “If I am satisfied, you’d be willing to marry Prince Hui?”
Yao Huang: “Originally I was somewhat hesitant, but if even you don’t disdain this commoner daughter, what reason does this commoner daughter have to not dare marry Prince Hui?”
Emperor Yongchang was stunned, then burst into loud laughter. Well done, second son! Though you yourself are dull, the princess consort you’ve chosen is actually so clever and knows how to be pleasing!
“Go ahead. I will make the decision for you both.”