Chapter 42: Chapter 42: On the Dragon Bed, Even 9 Lives Aren’t Enough
"Even if the Princess is the Emperor’s own sister, how would you know what His Majesty is like in private?"
Wei Chi Lianping used to be a fierce general under Emperor Wu Su.
They, his confidants, had followed him into battle, braved the elements with him, and even ate and slept side-by-side. What secrets could there be?
He said suggestively, "Your Highness might be mistaken. If you ask me, that man... he’s not someone an ordinary person can handle."
Wei Chi Lianping thought for a moment and gave a very crude example.
"Take that young lady who just came to check my pulse, for example. Her waist is so slender it looks like it would snap in one grasp. If she got on the Dragon Bed, nine lives wouldn’t be enough to survive it."
Princess Hua Chang threw the teapot at him, gritting her teeth.
"Get out of my sight!"
And so, Ji Qingwu and the ejected Prince Consort stood at the door, staring at each other in stunned silence.
A moment ago, she had left her brush on the table inside.
A physician grows accustomed to their own brush and is reluctant to change it. So, when she reached the door and remembered she’d forgotten it, she turned back.
She hadn’t expected to overhear such a conversation.
Then, following the woman’s furious roar, Wei Chi Lianping pushed the door open and came out.
Ji Qingwu had no time to hide.
Even someone as indelicate as Wei Chi Lianping could sense the awkwardness. His attempts to explain only made things worse.
"I was just giving an example. Besides, I was telling the truth. I didn’t exaggerate."
’What truth...’
’On the Dragon Bed, nine lives wouldn’t be enough to survive...?’
Ji Qingwu didn’t know how to react. With her eyes downcast in embarrassment, she gave a soft "mm."
"Don’t just take my word for it. You’ll know once you’ve tried it."
Leaving her with those words, Wei Chi Lianping strode away.
Ji Qingwu closed her eyes, then opened them. In the end, she couldn’t muster the courage to go back inside and retrieve her brush in front of the Eldest Princess. Her ears burning red, she left.
*
The Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.
As the Empress Dowager’s maternal relatives, the entire Ji Family was in attendance.
Ji Qingwu held Jiu Jiu in her arms, sitting in a corner of the banquet hall. She whispered, "Jiu Jiu, don’t speak out of turn later, and don’t be too loud when you eat. We’re going to be little ladies."
The waters of Lin’an City truly nourished people. In just a few months, the little girl had grown even more delicate and bright, with rosy cheeks like a peach. She was utterly adorable.
Jiu Jiu shook her head and recited, "Guan-guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river. A lovely, gentle Jiu Jiu, a fine match for our lord."
’A lovely, gentle Jiu Jiu?’
Ji Qingwu gently pinched the soft flesh of her little belly and laughed out loud.
A little while later, someone took a seat at the table opposite them, drawing a few stifled gasps.
’Who’s causing such a commotion...’
Ji Qingwu looked over as well and immediately raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was Li Chengxun. He had actually come to the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.
With such handsome features, he stood out even in the Imperial Palace, a place filled with the most exceptional people.
However, this was a small-scale family banquet. Li Chengxun had not yet taken the palace examination and held no official post. On what grounds was he here?
Ji Qingwu was puzzled. She met his gaze from several rows away, taking in his smiling eyes and the assessing glances of those around them. She turned her head away first. It wouldn’t do to be too bold at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.
Nestled in her mother’s arms, Jiu Jiu said in her childish voice, "Mother, that gentleman is so handsome."
Ji Qingwu’s lips curved into a smile. "Does Jiu Jiu like him?"
"I do! When Jiu Jiu grows up, I’m going to marry that handsome gentleman."
Ji Qingwu patted her little head and chuckled. "Alright. Later, you can go ask him yourself and see if he agrees."
Prince Yong and Princess Yong entered the hall.
Not long after, Princess Hua Chang also gracefully took her seat.
After all, it was the reigning Empress Dowager’s birthday. Even if the Eldest Princess disliked crowds, she had to attend.
"Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, arrives!" a eunuch announced in a long, drawn-out cry. Everyone rose and knelt in reverence.
The Empress Dowager was wearing a purplish-red phoenix robe, its skirt embroidered with gold thread depicting phoenixes, auspicious clouds, and other lucky patterns. As it was her Longevity Festival today, her attire was both dignified and magnificent.
Following behind the Empress Dowager was a young woman wearing a golden crown and a floor-length, pink palace gown embroidered with a hundred butterflies amidst flowers. She looked both noble and playful. This must be the most favored, Princess Qingyun.
Princess Qingyun said in a sweet voice, "Mother, your daughter wishes you a long life, as eternal as the heavens, and blessings as boundless as the Eastern Sea. May your radiance outshine the sun and moon, and may you remain forever young."
The Empress Dowager smiled. "Watching you grow bigger day by day, and so close to the age of choosing a husband... how could this grieving one not grow old?"
Princess Qingyun clapped her hands, and a little eunuch immediately presented a black-lacquered incense stand, gilded with a floral pattern and shaped like a *ruyi* scepter. Its base consisted of gilded spheres and was designed to hold an incense burner inside.
Prince Yong stood up, walked closer, and examined it carefully. "Only my Imperial Sister could find such an exquisite incense stand. It makes me, as her elder brother, feel quite ashamed."
"Third Brother, what birthday gift did you prepare for Mother? Quickly, bring it out and let me see."
Princess Yong also stepped forward, presenting an object with both hands. She said calmly, "His Highness and I have prepared a set of Tibetan Buddhist Scriptures embroidered in five colors for Mother."
Princess Yong was the daughter of an elder, a renowned talent. A gift from her hands would surely be exceptional.
"This grieving one knows you are all filial. These are all such thoughtful gifts." The Empress Dowager, her face full of delight, ordered Shixi to put them away.
Princess Qingyun glanced at the empty seat beside the Empress Dowager and asked, "Mother, why hasn’t Imperial Brother arrived yet?"
"There are many matters in the outer court. He must have been delayed."
The banquet attendees presented their birthday gifts one after another. Ji Qingyuan presented a beaded bracelet made of glazed incense ash, which had been consecrated and blessed by an eminent monk, and she also received a word of praise.
Soon, it was Ji Qingwu’s turn. She had Jiu Jiu sit properly in her seat, then gathered her skirts and walked to the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager," she began, "this subject has heard that you occasionally suffer from headaches at night and has specially prepared an effective remedy to alleviate the pain."
In her fair hands, she held a single, thin prescription paper.
While others had presented objects for admiration and amusement, this child had given something practical to relieve suffering. The Empress Dowager’s gaze softened with affection.
The Empress Dowager said, gratified, "Qingwu, you are so thoughtful. This headache of mine is an old ailment that started when I gave birth to Qingyun."
Shixi walked down the steps and took it from her.
Just as Ji Qingwu stood up to return to her seat, a man’s cold voice came from behind her.
"Miss Ji, are you presenting this prescription because you are dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager?"
Before Ji Qingwu could turn around, a wave of voices shouting "Long live the Emperor!" rose and fell around her.
She could only kneel down with the others once more.
Emperor Wu Su strode to the front of the hall. His silk felt boots, embroidered with cloud patterns, passed right by Ji Qingwu.
As he moved, his Dragon Robe stirred a gust of wind that rustled a few strands of her hair.
Though she did not raise her head, she already knew: His Majesty the Emperor was not in a good mood.
Emperor Wu Su took his seat, his posture tall and imposing. He said, "There was an urgent military situation on the Northern Border to attend to. I have arrived late. I hope Mother will forgive me."
The Empress Dowager smiled. "Your Majesty being busy with state affairs is a blessing for the common people. How could this grieving one be displeased?"
However, that first sentence he spoke upon entering seemed to express dissatisfaction with Ji Qingwu. Originally, after that palace banquet, everyone had wondered if the Emperor had taken a special interest in this woman.
But today, he had reprimanded her in front of everyone.
Seeing Ji Qingwu still kneeling in the hall, the Empress Dowager’s eyes flickered. She interceded, "Your Majesty, let Qingwu return to her seat."
"Bring the prescription to Us."
Shixi respectfully handed it over.
After looking at it, Emperor Wu Su said with an icy expression, "The Empress Dowager is in excellent health, yet you present a medical prescription on her birthday. What is the meaning of this? The Empress Dowager has shown great care for the Ji Family, and this is how you repay her?"
Since the Emperor had spoken thus, all the members of the Ji Family stepped forward in fear and trepidation.
They knelt in the hall alongside Ji Qingwu.
She hadn’t considered the layer of "meaning." She stealthily raised her eyes and got a clear look at Emperor Wu Su’s expression.
’His face was as dark as if he’d come to collect a debt...’
She lowered her head and immediately admitted her fault.
