Chapter 143: Fleeting Years (Part One)

Shaoshang hadn’t expected that five years would pass by so quickly.

Outside the window, the flowering trees budded, bloomed magnificently, then withered, repeating the cycle endlessly. The ice on the lake surface froze and thawed, and the fish grew increasingly plump and lazy. Yet sometimes, looking at her still youthful appearance in the bronze mirror, Shaoshang felt as though not much time had passed at all.

She had always been someone who refused to do things half-heartedly. Whenever she decided to undertake something, she would give it her all.

After taking charge of Yong’an Palace, Shaoshang felt like a connection-based appointee parachuted into a large enterprise. Managing these hundred or so people and arranging an elegant and interesting palace life was truly no small challenge—one misstep and everything could fall apart. Shaoshang no longer dared act willfully. Before every measure, she would consult Cen Anzhi—whether it violated palace regulations, whether it touched upon taboos. After inquiring, she would also establish trial implementation sites.

Being so cautious and careful, over these years she had earned a reputation for being experienced and magnanimous—this time it wasn’t the Emperor Uncle inflating her reputation but genuine acclaim. Many regulations that initially sounded wildly fanciful actually produced quite good results.

Shaoshang had no prior work experience in this area, but though she hadn’t eaten pork, she had seen pigs run—in a vast, enclosed environment, if there was no regular and orderly rhythm of life, it was easy to breed negligence, weariness, and other resentful emotions. So beyond implementing responsibilities and arranging work assignments, she issued two new orders: first, any palace maid with a proper place to go could be released from the palace after reaching age twenty-two, depending on circumstances; second, every year besides the three sacrificial ceremonies and five festivals, Shaoshang would also hold various competitions—whether in needlework, cooking, gardening, or even cultivating greenhouse plants—those who excelled could receive substantial rewards.

The Empress served as the ready-made judge and referee for all these activities, and her various refinements and cultivation finally had a place to be used—which dish was more pleasing in color, aroma, and flavor, she was a first-rate gourmet; which potted flower arrangement or garden section had more artistic conception, she possessed the highest level of aesthetic taste; which embroidery pattern was more exquisite, transcendent, elegant, and refined, she was a top-tier connoisseur…

Though the sparrow was small, it had all five vital organs. After a year or two, everyone in Yong’an Palace seemed to have grown accustomed to this orderly life alternating between work and leisure.

“Princess Shaoshang, Princess Shaoshang.” A young palace maid entered with a smile. “Young Master Yuan has arrived and is waiting for you outside the Linglu Gate.”

Shaoshang was concentrating intently on reading a medicinal cuisine recipe book, carefully planning next month’s menu for the Grand Empress Dowager. Hearing this, she was displeased: “Didn’t I tell him to use the side entrance? What if people see him coming through the main gate!”

The young palace maid covered her mouth and laughed: “I imagine Young Master Yuan precisely wants people to see him openly and honestly.”

Shaoshang slapped her brush down on the desk, tidied her appearance in the mirror, then went out with a stern face.

Outside the Linglu Gate stood a young gentleman of twenty-six or twenty-seven with his back turned, still graceful and elegant, tall and jade-like, displaying a genial smile even to the crowd of young eunuchs and palace maids. Shaoshang acted like a thief, first leaning against the doorframe and looking around, and only after seeing that no one from outside Yong’an Palace was present did she step out.

“Young Master Yuan, what brings you here?” Shaoshang wore a reserved expression.

Yuan Shen was still handsome, though his temperament had matured considerably. Two years ago, he had originally wanted to grow a beard, but sensing the girl’s disdainful gaze, he had shaved off the short mustache on his lip clean overnight. Now, he would no longer mock her when she put on airs, but instead spoke harmoniously: “His Majesty has summoned you. I happened to be nearby, so I specially came to deliver the message.”

Seeing that the two were about to talk, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs very tactfully withdrew completely.

Shaoshang frowned: “Have all the people under Cen Anzhi died? Does delivering a message require troubling you, Scholar Yuan! You must have deliberately contrived to be before His Majesty again—didn’t I say that you and I should avoid each other more? The Cai family…”

“Lord Cai Yun plans to accept me as an outer-circle disciple, and in my spare time I’ll go listen to his lectures on classical learning.” Yuan Shen smiled broadly.

Shaoshang exclaimed in surprise, a feeling of admiration rising spontaneously in her heart: “Although I know you’ve always been capable, to actually persuade even the great Cai clan patriarch to change his mind is truly remarkable skill! Tell me, how exactly did you manage it—these past years whenever the Cai family saw you, they either shouted to beat you or kill you. How could they be willing to let it go just like that?”

“Let’s talk as we walk.” Yuan Shen glanced at the sun. “Starting tomorrow, aren’t you going to stay at home for a few days? If we’re any later, it won’t be good for you to leave the palace.”

Shaoshang agreed.

Yuan Shen walked on the girl’s right side, brushing aside the soft willow branches along the way for her: “Recently someone impeached Minister of Works Cai for having an old grudge against the Governor of Shangdang, deliberately concealing his achievements and exaggerating his faults during evaluations—His Majesty was furious and immediately threw Lord Cai Yun into the great prison.”

“Was this true?” Shaoshang asked curiously.

Emperor Uncle was very skilled at employing people, emphasizing a balance of internal and external, intimacy and distance in proper order.

Those meritorious officials who had established great achievements following the dragon were often given positions that weren’t particularly prominent, but were granted tremendous wealth instead. From among these, he would select a few true confidants to make decisions at the Imperial Secretariat. As for the conspicuous positions of the Three Excellencies like Grand Marshal, Grand Minister of Education, and Minister of Works, he instead appointed famous classical scholars renowned throughout the realm.

When granting these appointments, Emperor Uncle was naturally very respectful toward these learned scholars. However, once he discovered their errors, his punishments were exceptionally severe—completely different from his soft and lenient treatment of the meritorious officials from the Jing’e campaigns.

Yuan Shen said: “Would Lord Cai Yun be mad enough to take revenge so blatantly? I investigated the matter thoroughly for him—it wasn’t deliberate retaliation, just carelessness and failure to investigate properly, believing biased reports, which gave someone with ulterior motives a handle to use against him—His Majesty relieved him of his position as Minister of Works and gave him a scolding, that was all.”

Shaoshang looked at him with a smiling expression but said nothing.

Yuan Shen felt very comfortable under this gaze and smiled: “You’re badmouthing me in your belly again.”

“Well then, I won’t say it in my belly, I’ll say it with my mouth.” Shaoshang laughed. “Be honest with me—how long have you been waiting for the Cai family to have difficulties?”

Yuan Shen laughed heartily: “The Cai clan disciplines its children very strictly, and the several Cai family elders in office are all careful and cautious—if they didn’t make mistakes soon, I was thinking of taking action myself.”

Shaoshang suddenly felt apologetic toward him and sighed: “Why must you go to such lengths?”

Yuan Shen bowed to her respectfully and sighed: “This humble one is already twenty-seven this year. If I don’t marry and have children soon, I fear I’ll have the worry of being without descendants!”

Shaoshang looked up at the sky: “Actually, marriage really isn’t that wonderful. Look at the Fifth Princess—when she married out, she had more splendor than the first four princesses, truly worthy of being called ten li of red dowry, magnificent canopies filling the city. But since completing the wedding, she and the young son of the Marquis of Yue quarrel and fight every other day. Last month they nearly set the Marquis of Yue’s residence on fire…”

“This is evil people having evil people to grind them down.” Yuan Shen said. “The Fifth Princess and the Prince Consort—one arrogant, extravagant, and debauched, the other tyrannical and cruel—I think these two are a match made in heaven. Haven’t you noticed that since the Fifth Princess married over, even the young Marquis of Yue has no energy to stir up trouble?”

“Of course he has no energy!” Shaoshang lowered her voice. “Half a year ago, I went to Changqiu Palace to report a matter and just happened to run into Empress Dowager Yue summoning the Fifth Princess and her husband for a scolding! You didn’t see it—the Fifth Prince Consort had three long bloody gashes on his face…”

“What about the Princess?” Yuan Shen also wore a gossipy expression.

“I heard a large tuft of hair was pulled out, her scalp was bleeding!”

Yuan Shen clicked his tongue twice, his face full of schadenfreude. Shaoshang knew the reason for this—several months after her marriage, one day when the Fifth Princess entered the palace to give thanks, she happened to encounter Yuan Shen and fantastically wanted to summon him as her lover. At that time, Yuan Shen’s face turned green.

Later, Yuan Shen used some unknown means to expose the Fifth Princess’s private keeping of male favorites. The Emperor was furious to half-death and immediately reduced a large portion of the fiefdom that had been added to the Fifth Princess’s dowry!

—Even if you were going to keep male favorites, you couldn’t start right after the wedding! At least wait until you’d borne children and reached middle age! Even if you didn’t consider Empress Dowager Yue’s feelings, the Yue family was still a meritorious external relative family with distinguished achievements. This was too disrespectful to the meritorious officials!

“This dynasty’s princesses aren’t as splendid as the previous dynasty’s!” Shaoshang shook her head.

The previous dynasty’s princesses not only kept male favorites but repeatedly left distinct marks at famous critical moments in history. As for this dynasty, Emperor Uncle seemed very averse to princesses interfering in politics, so the princesses’ anecdotes were limited to romantic entanglements.

“Shaoshang.” Yuan Shen stopped walking and looked at the girl with burning eyes. “The Cai and Yuan families have reconciled, and the young lady of the Cai family to whom I was engaged has long since married and had children. After your father’s birthday banquet, I’ll ask my elders to come to your door with a marriage proposal.”

Shaoshang said with some vexation: “Why must you marry me specifically?”

Five years ago, when she had shut herself away in Yong’an Palace covered in wounds, this blind Yuan fellow had stumbled along following her all the way. When she wouldn’t open the palace gate, he stood outside for hours upon hours, creating so much discussion that Shaoshang had no choice but to let him in to talk.

“I’m going to marry you! Remember this—once I break off the engagement with the Cai family, I’ll come to marry you as my wife. Don’t hastily agree to give yourself to someone else this time!”—Yuan Shen had shouted this at her, his face still bearing bloody marks from being beaten by the Cai family.

“My temper is so bad—if others don’t know it, don’t you?” Shaoshang said helplessly. “Why must you bring suffering upon yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to find a virtuous and gentle wife who looks up to you as heaven?” In her confusion, she seemed to have said this sentence to another person as well.

Yuan Shen stood before the girl and looked at her teasingly: “You clearly want to marry—could it be you just don’t want to marry me?”

Shaoshang recalled an embarrassing matter: “Speak properly, don’t bring up irrelevant things.”

Yuan Shen suppressed his laughter and plucked a lakeside willow branch: “After my mother’s first husband died, she firmly determined never to marry again—she wouldn’t marry for any emperor or deity. And you?” He turned his gaze back to the girl. “You’re still willing to marry, aren’t you?”

Shaoshang reluctantly nodded: “…I should marry at least once.” At worst, if things didn’t work out, she could divorce. She was determined not to let past events affect her future life.

Yuan Shen smiled. Seeing that Changqiu Palace was already ahead, he quickly said: “Actually, if you think about it carefully, our marriage would be the best possible—you and I both understand each other’s temperaments clearly. No one needs to put on airs, and sometimes quarreling and bickering can also be quite interesting. Shaoshang, honestly speaking, we’re the same kind of people. Have you ever seen leopards and deer dwelling together? Only people of the same kind can live together for the long term.”

Shaoshang was somewhat stunned.

Actually, she understood that what Yuan Shen said was all true. She and Yuan Shen were most suitable as husband and wife, perhaps even more suitable than marrying Lou Yao. They were both cunning, vigilant, highly defensive, even naturally carrying three parts coldness. Over the long years they would bear children, share common interests, and trust each other.

—Yuan Shen would never rush out in the middle of the night for revenge. He would hide in the shadows and slowly deal with the Ling brothers, while she as his wife might offer devious suggestions from the side.

“It’s already been five years. Some things, once they’ve passed, should be let go.” Yuan Shen didn’t head toward Changqiu Palace but instead stepped aside several paces. “In a few days it will be the Lantern Festival again. At that time, I’ll take you to see the lanterns.”

He suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled like the spring breeze: “—What I just said about reasons for marrying you were all nonsense! I want to marry you simply because I like you.”

“The first time I met you at the Lantern Festival gathering, I was secretly attracted to you, but you seemed stubborn and headstrong, truly not a good choice for a wife. Later, because of Madam Sang’s matter, you and I met several more times, and I thought, you’re still young—with gradual guidance you could become a proper clan wife—who knew that this hesitation would make me too late.”

Yuan Shen stood more than ten paces diagonally in front of Shaoshang. The light blue brocade robe embroidered with mountains, rivers, and crane feathers was more beautiful and elegant than the lake scenery and mountain colors. The expression on his face seemed both sad and happy. “Over these years, I’ve watched you gradually grow up, learning to be steady and thorough, learning to be watertight. I suddenly missed how you used to hit people at the Yin family at the slightest disagreement. Then I thought again—you never growing up, forever covered in thorns, that would also be fine.”

Cheng Shaoshang was the most vivid and radiant girl he had ever seen. No matter what adversity she faced, she would stride forward bathed in the freshest sunshine and rain and dew. Even if she stepped out bloody marks on the thorns, she would ultimately forge a path.

“Shaoshang, I like being with you, hearing you secretly badmouth people, watching you contentedly do as you please. Days and months stretch long, years extend far—you and I will ultimately grow old together with white hair and be buried in the same place.”

Having finished these words, he once again performed a refined bow, smiled, and departed, leaving only Shaoshang standing dazedly in place.