The feudal prince’s mansion was built on Zhuque Street, adjacent to the Yingtian Prefecture government offices and very close to Chengen Temple. Of course, it was quite a distance from Da Shamao Alley. From south to north, the imperial carriage traveled for three quarters of an hour, and by the time they reached the prince’s mansion, it was nearly noon.
Wanwan alighted from the carriage, originally thinking he would come to receive her, but unexpectedly he didn’t. The secondary consorts came forward to support her, being careful, attentive, and considerate. After all, she bore the title of princess consort, and these people made their living under her authority – keeping their tails between their legs was most important. She was quite displeased, so her expression was poor, making everyone anxious, not knowing where they had offended her. She also reflected on herself – she couldn’t indulge her temperament like this. Besides, getting angry with him really meant taking him seriously.
She lifted her skirts and climbed the steps. To show solemnity, the Dowager Consort had been waiting in the hall early. Hearing the ceremonial sounds from the gate, she hurriedly led the servant women out to welcome her, extending her hands from afar and smiling, “I’ve been waiting for so long – you’ve finally come.” She turned to dismiss a maid, “Tell the meal attendants to prepare – once Her Highness has rested, serve the meal.”
Wanwan curtsied to her, “I haven’t been able to come to the mansion to pay respects to Mother recently. Please forgive my inadequate courtesy.”
“What are you saying!” The Dowager Consort took her arm up the steps, patting her hand. “I know the reasons inside, and you can’t be blamed for being angry. Liangshi, he loves his wife dearly – if there were any shortcomings, please be tolerant. Men are sometimes like children, not caring whether you’re happy or not. We women should speak openly. Let me counsel you a few words – if you broaden your heart, nothing will be a problem.”
Wanwan still blushed – making such a citywide commotion was all because she had been too impulsive. If she had just driven him out that day, there probably would have been peace.
She couldn’t respond well to her words since people were around, so she just lowered her head and agreed, “I’m inexperienced and caused Mother to worry – it’s truly my fault.”
The Dowager Consort just smiled, pulling her to sit by the south window. After dismissing the secondary consorts to arrange lunch, she spoke quietly, “I was once a young lady too – I understand your thoughts. Men are like mud pigs and mangy dogs – when you’re not familiar with them, why should you let them get close? You’re ultimately husband and wife, not their servants, to be completely subject to their temperaments.” She paused, glanced outside, saw her son pacing in the corridor, then continued, “But I still must advise you – his presumptuousness shows he doesn’t understand people’s hearts. You can scold him or hit him, but you mustn’t hold grudges against him. Look at him – he’s used all eighteen martial arts and is now at his wit’s end, looking so pitiful. Don’t you feel sorry for him? Words can always be taken back – if he weren’t too concerned about you, he would never be so reckless. He’s been honest since childhood. When the late prince had the brothers handle affairs, others knew how to curry favor, but he was always precise and proper, suffering many hidden losses. Back then I thought the heir position probably wouldn’t fall to him, but his father loved him so much, saying he was the Yuwen family’s qilin child… These years I’ve been negligent. Since the late prince passed away, my heart grew cold and I stopped managing outside affairs. But if you young couple can’t get along, what will this mother do?”
She seemed about to cry as she spoke. As a mother, she always spared no effort to make excuses for her son, especially when the daughter-in-law had such special status. If this knot couldn’t be untied, perhaps it would continue for life. This Grand Princess was actually a very good girl – just from how she didn’t put on airs with anyone, if there was someone who could mediate and speak reasonably, this marriage still held great hope. So the Dowager Consort was also going all out, using tears to handle the matter, hoping to at least soften her attitude somewhat.
She wiped away tears and sighed, “Actually, when you married down, I was also worried – afraid you couldn’t adapt to our life here, and afraid that since he already had sons below, you’d feel uncomfortable. Good child, let me tell you – the Yuwen family is just this strange. Raising sons is like raising cattle and sheep – once you have offspring, you have foundation and can inherit the ancestral title. He was unwilling at first – several concubines sent into his room were driven out, causing commotion for most of a year. Later the late prince spoke harshly, saying if he didn’t comply, he wouldn’t acknowledge him as a son in the future. He had no choice but to take them in. I originally didn’t understand – young men are like greedy cats, which one doesn’t get ideas seeing pretty girls? I even thought he was ill, preferring men… Later I learned he had someone in his heart, longing for so many years, unable to reach her or let go – it was really difficult for him.”
Wanwan felt even more at a loss. That sweetheart referred to her. The girl was thin-skinned, her face so red it almost dripped blood, stammering, “Mother shouldn’t have to worry… the matter between us…”
Seeing she wasn’t completely unresponsive, the Dowager Consort secretly breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances with Nanny Ta beside her, signaling her to call in the person outside the door.
Wanwan lowered her head, seeing a pair of black boots approach. After a slight pause, she asked with difficulty, “Is Mother about to serve the meal?”
The Dowager Consort’s tone wasn’t good, “What’s so important about eating? Let’s discuss serious matters first. Tomorrow is your birthday – officials from the circuit will surely come to offer congratulations. If you don’t plan how to arrange things, what are you doing wandering around outside? And another thing – Her Highness honored you by supporting your occasion. Have you thanked her?”
The Dowager Consort’s tone was just like scolding a grandson – she probably resented his lack of progress too. As for Wanwan, she refused to look at him once. His heart felt heavy, yesterday’s events flooding back, pressing down until he couldn’t breathe. However, continuing this standoff wasn’t a solution. If he didn’t yield in such matters, could he expect her to lower her head to him? He could only cup his hands and give her a long bow, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
She stood up to return the courtesy, “Your Highness is too polite – this is originally my duty.”
The Dowager Consort observed for a long time, shaking her head. Looking at these two people, where was there any semblance of a married couple? Liangshi was usually quite clever, but in front of her he became hopeless – truly one thing conquers another!
She developed a headache, glaring at her son before rallying her spirits to play peacemaker again, “Well then… let’s talk about Lan Zhou. This time when he was ill at Your Highness’s place, thanks to Your Highness’s wholehearted personal care. When he returned that day, he lay on my knee saying ‘My mother is really good, I like her so much.’ You see, the child knows what’s good. Everyone in our entire mansion actually hopes Your Highness will stay in the mansion – after all, we’re one family and should look after each other. It’s not that the Grand Princess mansion isn’t good, it’s just too quiet. I originally thought when you married down, I could look after you by my side, but now this intention is completely unused. If this continues, I’ll have to move to your Grand Princess mansion like Lan Zhou.”
The Dowager Consort’s words made Wanwan very embarrassed. She wasn’t good at socializing – although she had come once the day after the wedding, she still felt unfamiliar with the people and environment here. After hesitating for a long time without being able to take a position, the person sitting across from her had a calm expression, but the melancholy in his eyes was so thick it couldn’t be dissolved. In the end, he couldn’t help but help her out of the predicament, “This matter can’t be rushed. Mother, don’t pressure her first – we’ll discuss it later and then decide. The banquet in the flower hall has been prepared properly – we can’t let it get cold. Please ask Your Highness to move over there first.”
This meal was tasteless for Wanwan. The prince’s mansion was like the palace – they didn’t have the whole family eating together. The secondary consorts were in their own courtyards, and the children had their own small kitchens. She shared meals with the Dowager Consort and Yuwen Liangshi. A eunuch served dishes to the Dowager Consort beside her, while he personally attended to all the plates and cups in front of her. He was silent, and to avoid making her uncomfortable, never urged her to eat more. She liked lily bulbs, so after serving her two spoonfuls, he didn’t add more, saying gently, “Just taste that for freshness – it’s better to eat less. If you can’t digest it later, your stomach will be uncomfortable.”
Wanwan’s ears felt somewhat hot. She quietly put down a piece that had been on her chopsticks. When he served her soup, she drank a few sips. When the Dowager Consort put down her chopsticks, this meal was finished.
After the meal, the Dowager Consort planned to take a nap, standing up and pacing around the room, self-deprecatingly saying, “Getting old and useless – after eating I get drowsy. I need to rest. Your Highness should also take an afternoon nap, right? Liangshi, escort Her Highness back to Longen Tower. Let the young couple talk for a while – wasn’t it nice like just now? In ordinary daily life, you yield to me a little, I yield to you a little, and in the blink of an eye it’s a lifetime. If you don’t cherish it when you’re young, how much regret when you’re old! Thinking of the late prince…” She sighed long and deeply, shaking her head as she went to her own bedroom.
Now it was even more awkward. Only two people remained in the room, without even someone to interrupt and resolve the situation. Wanwan had to make conversation, “Did Your Highness go to my mansion yesterday? I… didn’t know – it was the servants who told me.”
His thick brows gradually furrowed, “You truly don’t remember at all? We met yesterday.”
She looked completely bewildered, suspecting whether she had hit her head – how could she have no impression at all?
He was very disappointed. He had heard of men who, when disappointed in love affairs, used other women as consolation, but had never heard of women doing the same. How fallen was he, actually serving as Xiao Duo’s shadow? Thinking of it now, it was simply a humiliation.
He looked at her with sadness, “Your Highness, what exactly am I to you?”
She stared blankly. Because she harbored secrets in her heart, when he said this, she felt guilty. Just as she was thinking how to deal with him, he turned around and said indifferently, “I’ve already had people prepare everything. Let them attend to Your Highness’s rest.”
The attending nannies came in to receive her. As she walked out of the flower hall, she rather had the meaning of fleeing in panic.
Longen Tower was built by the lake, different from those scattered small courtyards – it was almost the hub of the entire feudal prince’s mansion. The mansion’s style imitated Suzhou gardens, with courtyards separated by partition walls. As she walked through the covered corridor, people on the other side of the decorative windows watched quietly, wearing ambiguous smiles. One turned to the child beside her and said, “That good deed you arranged apparently didn’t work. Look at the Grand Princess – she doesn’t appreciate it at all. And your father, that face is truly too foul to look at.”
Good intentions leading to bad results – sometimes life is just so unsatisfactory. It’s just that the little child still doesn’t understand. The intoxicating incense had made people so dazed, yet his father still couldn’t succeed – who could be blamed?
He sighed with hands behind his back, “It’s all my presumption. I originally wanted to help them get excited, but it turned out like this… I’ll find Father later and explain things clearly, so they won’t harbor resentment.”
Tala Shi was startled, “My child, when we say you’re clever, you become confused again. If you had helped your father successfully, you could even earn favor with him. This time you caused trouble – do you have the courage to speak up and rush to receive your father’s scolding? In my opinion, they’ve never been harmonious anyway, so one more matter isn’t a problem. Why bring trouble on yourself? When the whip falls on you later, it won’t be a game.”
Lan Zhou was still young after all and feared his father’s anger. Whether he should confess truthfully, he pondered repeatedly, unable to decide.
He looked up at his mother, “Mother, after the Grand Princess married down to Nanyuan, you weren’t very happy, were you?”
Tala Shi didn’t pretend in front of her son, crossing her arms and snorting with laughter, “Originally in this mansion, except for the Grand Consort, there were no other female masters. Although Zhou Shi, Chen Shi and I were on equal footing, relying on your favor, I was equivalent to half a mistress. I had thought that if your father’s legitimate consort position remained empty for another three to five years, perhaps someday he’d choose one to elevate, and with my son’s good fortune, I’d have at least a fifty percent chance. But now, some Grand Princess has appeared, rightfully suppressing me. I’m different from Zhou Shi – she only cares about having enough food and warm clothes. Chen Shi has no children and is timid, so promotion has nothing to do with her. Looking around, my loss is the greatest. Status is secondary – I’m afraid that if she bears a son, when the time comes for the child to gain nobility through his mother, your position as eldest young master will be in danger.”
So everyone had their own calculations, and those who had sons and were competitive made especially loud calculations. Even if his mother didn’t say these words, he knew them. He had once tested the Grand Princess’s intentions, and the result proved that even if you don’t covet others, others might covet you.
“Father treasures her, with his whole heart on her. Mother, don’t become enemies with her – that’s the way to protect yourself.”
Tala Shi glanced at him, “I carried you for ten months to give birth to you – you can’t spend a few days with someone else and forget even your birth mother.”
Lan Zhou smiled, “If I couldn’t distinguish between close and distant relationships, wouldn’t Mother have loved me in vain? In this son’s view, that great bodhisattva can’t be moved. No matter how much you think, it’s treating symptoms not the root. Better to get closer to Father – as long as Father has a place for you in his heart, no matter how capable the Grand Princess is, she’s still just an empty frame.”
These words struck right at Tala Shi’s heart. Who didn’t know that if you captured a man’s heart, you’d have everything? The crux of the problem was that despite using all her skills, that master was like a stone, not even glancing at you. Those few contacts they’d had – recalling them made her body go cold and her heart tremble. He covered your face with a handkerchief, wouldn’t let you make sounds, and had no tenderness or sweet words – just did what needed to be done. Sharing a bed with women was nothing more than to have children. If the Grand Consort hadn’t made the decision originally, people like them wouldn’t even have proper status! Speaking of status, what did the secondary consorts of the Qi people amount to – just a title for amusement. Not registered, without ceremonial robes, so they had to kowtow when seeing the Grand Princess, and even their sons didn’t call them “mother” because that title was reserved for the legitimate consort.
Women and men were truly different. Having borne him a son, you’d recognize this man for life. Even if he didn’t value you, your devotion to him wouldn’t diminish at all – this was women’s tragedy. But here with her son, he had the attitude of watching a play, which made her heart uncomfortable.
She looked down at him, “Don’t you know what your father is like? What, have you really sided with that one?”
Brothers Lan Zhou had been raised by the Dowager Consort since childhood, so the affection between them and their birth mother wasn’t that deep. To be honest, the time mother and son had spent together didn’t even add up to as much as these past few days with the Grand Princess. As for himself, his primary goal was to assist Father in creating a prosperous great undertaking. He didn’t like participating in women’s scheming – for example, the realistic problem of what if the Grand Princess had a son could be left for later discussion.
He bowed to his mother, “I just remembered – this afternoon I need to practice wrestling with the outer tutor, so I won’t delay here. Mother, please stay – your son is leaving.”
Tala Shi was so angry her eyes bulged, “Having given birth to you, I might as well have given birth to a wooden club! Look how Brother Ting treats his mother, then look at you!”
He turned around, backing away while grinning, “Didn’t Mother instruct your son to find a way to be recorded under the Grand Princess’s name? Your son is doing exactly as Mother said – why isn’t Mother happy?” Seeing his mother speechless, he bounded out of the courtyard in two or three leaps.
He went straight to Longen Tower. Xiao You had just come out of the building. Seeing him, she bowed respectfully, “In broad daylight, Young Master doesn’t rest – be careful of dozing off during afternoon studies.”
He peered inside, “Has Mother gone to sleep?”
Xiao You said no, “She’s copying scriptures.”
“Go ask for permission for me – say I’ve prepared kites and am waiting for her at the empty ground by Green Water Fragrant Pavilion, asking if she’ll come.”
Xiao You took the order to relay the message upstairs. Lan Zhou thought of the money-string kite Long Bao had made, said to have over twenty sections – he didn’t know how it could be flown, planning to prepare first so he could make the Grand Princess happy later. As he passed the artificial mountain, he was in high spirits, but just as he reached the covered corridor, someone grabbed him and pulled him over with such force that he staggered solidly.
He couldn’t help being furious and turned to scold, but what he saw was his father’s face.
His father’s expression didn’t change and his heart didn’t skip a beat, “You’re ill – I’m giving you half a day off. Go back to your room and rest.”
He struggled unwillingly, “Father, your son is clearly fine…”
His father narrowed his eyes, “If I say you’re sick, you’re sick. Where do you get so much nonsense! Rong Bao, take the young master back to lie down. If he doesn’t obey, summon the imperial physician to give him a couple of needles. And those hands – if they’re not honest and keep messing with incense burners again, tie them up and throw him in the dry well in the back to clear his head.”
Lan Zhou was shocked speechless, “Father…”
His father paid him no attention, took his flute, and went to Green Water Fragrant Pavilion to keep the appointment.