Chapter 1107: Chapter 267: Qingming (Part 1)
Qingming,
gentle rain.
The continuous rain seems like a tender waterside girl, stopping, gazing, pausing, waiting, and looking back;
it is also like a fine rain veil draped over the sky,
moistening a group of people, drenching a city.
Inside the Empress Dowager’s Yuxin Palace, the green in the pond is already prominent.
Unlike other nobles who love luxury, the Empress Dowager of Chu has always been of a frugal nature. Every winter, many grand noble residences in the Chu State invariably have one or two greenhouses, like spring throughout the year, yet the Empress Dowager of Chu doesn’t like it that way.
In her words,
a person,
as they age,
starts to pay more and more attention to the changes of the seasons;
when young, ignorant; when grown, insensitive; when older, busy; only upon reaching old age, turning back suddenly, one is shocked at having missed so much.
Each spring, summer, autumn, and winter, each cycle, seems to add another layer of carving on the stone column: a glance means one less, a gaze means one less, the greenhouse is comfortable, yet it’s like grasping sesame while losing watermelon, turning oneself into a fool trapped in the deep palace, so why bother?
The Empress Dowager sits under the flying eaves, holding a bowl of soup, occasionally picking up a spoon to have a couple of sips, then gazing at the misty courtyard.
Meanwhile, outside Yuxin Palace, Prince Xiong Tingshan stands in a red mang robe, occasionally glancing inside but not daring to enter. Behind him stands a woman in splendid attire.
Around them, none of the eunuchs or palace maids dare to speak or look too much, all lowering their heads, though it is broad daylight, as if they have concealed themselves behind a curtain of fine rain.
The title of Prince, is revered, still merely a newly titled duke, it’s not enough for these eunuchs and palace maids to be so cautious.
In reality, since the Fifth Prince has guarded Wutong County all these years, stories about him have been circulating in Ing Capital City.
Some say he has formed a blood alliance with the Shanyue and delights most in slicing the hearts of sixteen maiden girls to go with his drink;
Others say the women of the Shanyue tribe by his side need to find a Chu adolescent boy to favor every night, and afterward, cut off his privates to brew wine for eternal youth.
In short, these rumors are as disgusting as they can be, instilling fear as much as they can.
Yet no one deliberately spreads these,
for in great Chu,
the Chu people’s disdain for the Shanyue is already deeply ingrained in their bones.
Just like the Yan people see the Barbarians, the Jin people see the wild people, they see not humans, but animals.
Thus, the Fifth Prince, who fraternizes with and marries a Shanyue woman, naturally has a civilian image as scary as possible.
This moment, a little eunuch hastily arrives to greet Xiong Tingshan:
"Servant greets Prince, Your Highness, His Majesty’s decree, you are to enter to see the Empress Dowager first, as His Majesty is delayed in the southern study."
"Well..."
If not for being in the palace, Xiong Tingshan would have wanted to curse his Fourth Brother.
But there’s no choice,
Xiong Tingshan could only adjust his outfit one last time, then turn to help his wife adjust hers.
Unlike her husband’s "trembling fear," his wife appeared composed, this woman named Wu Tingting, hailing from the Wujiang Division of the Shanyue, with a population of seventy to eighty thousand, was among the stronger Shanyue tribes in Wutong County.
"When you see the Empress Dowager, you must mind the rules," Xiong Tingshan reminded cautiously.
"Husband, you’ve been saying that all night till now."
"Hehe."
Xiong Tingshan nodded, pointing to a nearby eunuch, signaling him to announce their arrival.
The eunuch promptly hastened in,
shortly,
a voice came from inside:
"The Empress Dowager decrees, summon Prince Ding for an audience."
Xiong Tingshan let out a long sigh of relief, leading his wife into the inner courtyard of Yuxin Palace.
On the steps of the inner courtyard, the Empress Dowager had already impatiently stood up, looking at Xiong Tingshan walking towards her.
"Minister Xiong Tingshan, pays respects to the Empress Dowager, may you be blessed and healthy!"
Wu Tingting also knelt down: "Blessings to the Empress Dowager."
"Come in to talk, lest your clothes get wet."
The Empress Dowager did not say much, directly entered the hall, Xiong Tingshan stood up, and everyone followed into the hall;
The Empress Dowager took the main seat, Xiong Tingshan and Wu Tingting sat to the lower right.
Palace maids served tea and snacks.
Wu Tingting had been waiting outside with her husband for a while, entering the palace early, had not eaten well at noon, and was genuinely hungry, unceremoniously beginning to eat the snacks on the platter.
This action was somewhat inappropriate,
after all,
in some settings, the food served is not meant to be eaten but is for decoration.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager smiled and said: "Seeing the Fifth son’s wife eat so sweetly, I feel a bit tempted too."
Then,
the Empress Dowager picked a piece of snack and took a small bite.
Sitting down, Xiong Tingshan’s eyes became a little red, he said;
"Empress Dowager, the Fifth son has missed you."
The Empress Dowager picked up a handkerchief, wiping her mouth corner, laughingly scolded:
"Miss me for what, want a beating?"
"Really, I want to be scolded by you."
"Always a glutton for punishment, just like when you were a child."
"That’s right."
When younger, Xiong Tingshan’s mother was of low status, usually not to mention disciplining children, sometimes she dared not even speak loudly.
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