RATMOFANF: Chapter 13

 Character Glossary

· Shen Jingxiu / Lady Shen (沈静姝/沈氏): The female protagonist, Li Ling's wife.

· Third Young Lady, Jin Yan (三姑娘瑾嫣): Li Ling's younger sister.

· Grand Princess Fu Xi (福熹大长公主): Li Ling's mother.

· Ziyun (紫云): Jingxiu's personal maid.

· Danzhu (丹朱): Another of Jingxiu's maids.

· Zhou Ning (周宁): The guard captain of the Grand Princess's procession.

· Old Madam Li (李老夫人): Li Ling's grandmother.

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Chapter 13: Xi, the Light

Jingxiu brought the Third Young Lady back to Qingfeng Yuan. She instructed the maids to retrieve the snow satin previously bestowed by the Old Madam and had them fetch two additional bolts of high-quality soft satin from the small storehouse. Then, she and the Third Young Lady took a carriage and left the manor.

They went all the way to the West Market and entered the tailor shop Jingxiu had mentioned. They had the seamstress take their measurements and carefully selected the styles, a process that lasted until noon before they finally emerged.

The Third Young Lady rarely had the chance to leave the manor. Faced with the bustling, colorful world of carriages and crowds, she was as excited as a little bird freed from its cage.

"Second Sister-in-law, look over there! What are they selling? So many people are gathered around."

Jingxiu looked over and explained with a smile, "Those are mì jiān yīngtáo (honey-preserved cherries)." As she spoke, she signaled Ziyun with her eyes and instructed, "Go buy some."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Moments later, Ziyun returned with a package of honey-preserved cherries wrapped in oiled paper. Jingxiu took it, opened it, and revealed the glossy, red cherries coated in golden honey, emitting a fresh, sweet aroma. Holding the oiled paper, she handed the cherries to the Third Young Lady. "This is a famous folk sweet. Give it a try."

The Third Young Lady had already been salivating over this unknown delicacy. She took it, put a cherry in her mouth, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly in praise. "This is really delicious!" With that, she began eating them one after another.

Seeing her eat with such relish like a little greedy kitten, Jingxiu pointed to the other two packages Ziyun was carrying and said with a laugh, "Eat slowly. There's plenty more here."

The Third Young Lady gave Jingxiu a sweet smile. "Those can be taken back for Grandmother to try."

Jingxiu strolled through the West Market with the Third Young Lady. The lively Third Young Lady found everything novel. In no time, Ziyun and Danzhu's hands were filled with packages of all sizes.

Ziyun suggested, "Why don't we go back to the carriage first to put these things down, and then continue shopping?"

The Third Young Lady's purchasing power was too strong; they truly couldn't carry any more.

Jingxiu nodded. The mistress and her three servants started walking back along the street. They hadn't gone far when they saw a procession of bright yellow imperial carriages slowly approaching from a distance.

The leading guards rode on tall horses, shouting as they advanced: "The Grand Princess is passing through! All commoners, make way!"

The bustling pedestrians consciously moved to the sides of the road.

After a while, the procession drew nearer. A bright yellow imperial carriage, several zhang high, adorned with gold inlay and jewels, slowly appeared on the originally lively street. Preceding the carriage were two teams of elite cavalry clearing the way. The carriage was surrounded by six teams of vermilion phoenix-embroidered canopies, followed by a retinue of foot guards numbering four to five hundred people.

The display was luxurious, the spectacle grand.

"It's Mother," the Third Young Lady said, turning her head to look at Jingxiu.

Jingxiu nodded. The two waited quietly by the roadside. When the procession reached them, the Third Young Lady called out to the guard captain riding at the front of the procession, "Captain Zhou, where is Mother going?"

Zhou Ning, seeing she was the Grand Princess's beloved daughter, halted the procession, dismounted, and replied, "Replying to the Third Young Lady, the Grand Princess is going to the Lù Yuán outside the city to escape the summer heat."

A close attendant had already informed the Grand Princess Fu Xi inside the carriage. Fu Xi summoned the Third Young Lady and Jingxiu to her carriage.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

A eunuch opened the carriage door and partially lifted the inner curtain. The two curtsied and greeted the Grand Princess: "We pay our respects to Mother. We greet Mother."

Fu Xi asked, "Where are you two headed?"

The Third Young Lady replied respectfully, "Your daughter and Second Sister-in-law have just been to the tailor's to order some clothes."

Fu Xi nodded and said no more.

The Third Young Lady asked, "Is Mother going to Lù Yuán to escape the heat?"

The weather was hot. While strolling earlier, maids had been holding umbrellas for them, but now, in the presence of the Grand Princess, it was improper to continue using them. In the short time they had been speaking, they had already begun to sweat lightly under the scorching sun.

Fu Xi looked at her daughter and daughter-in-law below the carriage, their cheeks flushed red from the heat, and asked, "It has been extremely hot in the city lately. Would you like to accompany me to Lù Yuán to escape the heat?"

The Third Young Lady had been to Lù Yuán before. The place was nestled between mountains and water, remaining cool and refreshing even during the hottest summer days. Furthermore, the garden had many fun spots. She naturally wanted to go. However, she had been raised by the Old Madam since childhood, and coupled with the Grand Princess's aloof nature, she wasn't close to her princess mother.

The Third Young Lady very much wanted to go but also felt somewhat apprehensive about her mother. This apprehension wasn't exactly fear, but rather an awkwardness born of distance. She always felt ill at ease in her mother's presence.

Seeing her daughter was tempted, Fu Xi said, "If you want to go, get in the carriage."

The Third Young Lady didn't answer her mother directly. Instead, she looked at Jingxiu beside her and said in a low voice, "Second Sister-in-law, please come with me, alright?"

The Third Young Lady wanted to go but didn't want to be alone with her aloof mother. She wanted her gentle-natured sister-in-law, Jingxiu, to accompany her.

Jingxiu understood her thoughts but was concerned that her mother-in-law might not necessarily welcome this new daughter-in-law. Moreover, it would be improper to take the Third Young Lady to Lù Yuán with the Grand Princess without first informing the Old Madam and Li Ling.

She smiled and replied, "I'm just worried that Grandmother will be concerned if we go like this. How about this: you go with Mother first. I will return to the manor and inform Grandmother, then we can decide further."

The Third Young Lady pouted, tugged at Jingxiu's sleeve, and pleaded, "We can just have the servants go back and deliver a message. Please come with me now."

Jingxiu found herself in a difficult position.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Fu Xi was seeing her daughter act so familiarly with someone other than the Old Madam for the first time. A trace of softness appeared on her face. She said to the two of them, "You should both return to the manor first. Inform the Old Madam and Boyue. I will send someone to pick you up tomorrow to come together."

Boyue was Li Ling's courtesy name.

Although Fu Xi held deep resentment towards the Duke, she held great respect for her mother-in-law, the Old Madam Li.

Earlier, seeing her daughter was inclined to go to Lù Yuán with her, she had thoughtlessly considered taking her directly. Reminded by Jingxiu's words, she realized that bypassing her mother-in-law and son to take her daughter and new daughter-in-law away directly was somewhat discourteous.

The Third Young Lady was very satisfied with this arrangement. She said to the Grand Princess with a smile, "That works well. Then Second Sister-in-law and I will come to Lù Yuán tomorrow to keep you company."

The Grand Princess nodded. The inner curtain fell, the carriage started moving, and the long, luxurious procession slowly moved forward again, taking a good while to gradually disappear from sight.

In the Great Qi royal family, not all princesses could enjoy the treatment accorded to the Grand Princess. Although women of the royal family were noble, upon marriage, they were either used for political marriages to form alliances or married off to win over subordinate officials. Very few led happy lives.

Yet, Fu Xi's marriage to the Duke of Zhenguo was her own decision. Not only that, but all her provisions and honors far exceeded those of other royal princesses.

Take this procession, for example. Its scale was second only to the current Emperor and even surpassed that of the Crown Prince.

There was a reason the Grand Princess could enjoy such treatment.

When Emperor Wen, the previous emperor, was still the Crown Prince, he was over thirty and still had no offspring. Rumors spread that he seemed to have a hidden ailment. Because of this critical weakness, his position as Crown Prince was nearly lost.

It was said that the Grand Emperor Wu had even drafted an edict to change the heir apparent. At this critical juncture, the Crown Princess Consort Wu was diagnosed with pregnancy. It was because of this that the previous Emperor Wen narrowly managed to retain the throne. Before Empress Wu even gave birth, the Grand Emperor Wu passed away, and Emperor Wen smoothly ascended the throne.

The child Empress Wu gave birth to was this Grand Princess. Although she was a daughter, Emperor Wen's throne was indeed secured because of this eldest daughter.

Because of this, Emperor Wen particularly adored this daughter. Before she was even a month old, he bestowed upon her the name Fu Xi: Fu, meaning auspiciousness and smoothness. Xi, meaning beginning, brightness, and light.

This shows how much the previous Emperor loved this daughter.

Even more remarkably, after the birth of the Grand Princess Fu Xi, the imperial harem consorts became pregnant one after another. From then on, the lineage of the previous Emperor flourished with many descendants.

Emperor Wen became convinced that all this good fortune was brought by his eldest daughter. The degree of his favor and affection for her far exceeded that for his other children.

During Emperor Wen's lifetime, the treatment the Grand Princess enjoyed was even on par with that of the Crown Prince.

After Empress Wu passed away early, and the current Emperor was still young, the Grand Princess, relying on her father's favor and her own exceptional wisdom, navigated the treacherous and sinister imperial harem and steadily supported her younger brother, the current Emperor Ming, onto the position of Crown Prince. Until the previous Emperor passed away, she overcame all difficulties and dangers to help her younger brother secure the throne.

Emperor Ming naturally would not forget his elder sister's contributions.

Therefore, under the protection and favor of two generations of emperors—her father and her brother—the status of the Grand Princess Fu Xi was unparalleled in Great Qi.

Among the common people of Great Qi, there were even rumors: "When the Grand Princess waves her sleeve, the Yangtze River flows backward; when the Grand Princess stamps her foot, the court trembles three times."

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's note:

"Lù Yuán" (鹿园) translates literally to "Deer Park" or "Deer Garden."

In the context of this historical novel, it refers to a royal or aristocratic deer park estate used as a summer retreat.

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