Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 15

Puyang’s luck was good. She galloped back to the capital without encountering any rain on the way.

Returning to the Hall of Containing Light, she took the small jar of wine from a palace eunuch and personally went to put it away. The wine jar was not large and could be held in one hand. The liquid inside, if poured into a pot, would fill at most two pots. The body of the jar was porcelain white, its color lustrous and pure, and smooth to the touch. It was rather similar to the flute she had gifted Wei Xiu.

Puyang walked into her inner chamber, found a cabinet, and placed the wine inside, treasuring it carefully. She thought of bringing Wei Xiu to the capital in the future and drinking it with her. But just as she had put it away, Puyang remembered that Wei Xiu did not drink. She was skilled at brewing wine, but she herself could be said to be a teetotaler.

When a new ruler ascends the throne, the status of those around him rises as well. Ministers who had not previously aligned themselves with the new ruler would be eager to curry favor with these close confidants. To curry favor, one naturally had to cater to their preferences. The most outstanding person by Xiao Dewen’s side was Wei Xiu.

The distinction between scholar-officials and commoners was like the difference between heaven and the abyss. A person from a humble background, even if they became an official, might not even be offered a seat when visiting an aristocratic family. Wei Xiu’s origins were unknown, but she possessed a certain air that made those from prominent families feel she was “one of them.” Therefore, not a few aristocratic clans invited her. The fact that she did not drink became common knowledge.

Drinking can easily lead to mistakes. When Puyang heard of this, that was her first thought. Wei Xiu probably did so to maintain a clear head. At that time, she was annoyed with her, finding her disagreeable no matter how she looked at her. After concluding from this matter that although this person was cunning, she was quite self-restrained, she then went to discuss with her advisors how to set a trap to sever this right-hand man of Xiao Dewen.

Now, the situation was different. Wei Xiu was one of her own, and Puyang felt it was quite a pity that she could not drink and make merry with her.

As she walked out of the inner chamber, she saw a young eunuch from the Emperor’s side running over. Seeing Puyang, the young eunuch bowed respectfully and then said with a grin, “Your Highness is back. Please hurry to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue. His Majesty has been waiting for you all afternoon.”

Puyang naturally agreed. She washed away the dust of her journey, changed her clothes, and went.

By the time she reached the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the sky had already darkened.

The Emperor was not reviewing memorials. He stood before a map about one and a half times a person’s height, his gaze fixed on the Yangtze River region. This was no ordinary map; it was marked with the encampments of the Wei army, as well as some of the military defenses of the Song and Qi states.

It was dark, and the hall was lit by candlelight, but the map was drawn with such fine detail that it was still a strain on the eyes to look at it. Dou Hui held a candlestick close to the map to illuminate it for the Emperor. After a moment, the Emperor personally took the candlestick and waved for him to step aside.

Puyang entered without a sound and gestured for the palace attendants in the hall not to bow. She walked forward and stood not far from the Emperor, waiting where he would see her as soon as he turned around.

The nearby lampstands cast the Emperor’s silhouette, which fell slanted upon the floor. He was engrossed in his viewing, his hand stroking the map as if he were still calculating something. After a long while, he reluctantly passed the candlestick to the side. As he did so, he sensed that the atmosphere in the hall seemed somewhat unusual.

Turning around, he saw Puyang looking at him with a gentle smile.

The Emperor smiled as well, walked over, and said, “Not making a sound, what kind of behavior is that?”

It was clearly a reprimand, yet his tone was very indulgent. Puyang was not afraid of him and said with a smile, “Your child saw Father was engrossed and couldn’t bear to disturb you.”

The Emperor smiled and shook his head, his gaze loving. Others might not have noticed, but Puyang clearly saw the trace of melancholy he was forcing himself to suppress in the depths of his eyes.

He walked to Puyang’s side but did not stop. Puyang turned and followed him. Behind them, Dou Hui personally took down the map and carefully put it away for safekeeping.

Arriving at a side hall, the Emperor said, “Have the kitchens serve the meal.”

A eunuch immediately left the hall to relay the order.

Puyang helped him sit down and asked in surprise, “It’s so late, why hasn’t Father eaten yet?” After speaking, she added worriedly, “Is it a poor appetite?”

The Emperor was nearly fifty and paid great attention to his health. Unless he was too busy with state affairs to get away, he always ate his meals on time. Seeing Puyang’s puzzlement, Dou Hui, who had followed them in, smiled and stood beside the Emperor.

The Emperor said, “It’s because of you. I expected you would be late returning from your trip and waited for you, fearing you would be hungry.”

He knew how long it took to travel from the palace to Mount Mang. Calculating the time, he knew Puyang would likely miss the mealtime on her return, so he kindly waited for her.

Puyang smiled. “I knew Father was the best.”

The Emperor gave a light scoff, but he thoroughly enjoyed her compliments and her dependent, wheedling tone.

The food had been prepared in advance, and in a short while, the palace attendants brought it in.

There was no talking during the meal; the hall was silent.

The Emperor and Puyang ate at separate tables. Puyang had been traveling all day and was already hungry. Furthermore, the dishes the Emperor had ordered were all her favorites, so she ended up eating one more bowl of rice than usual.

The elderly are fond of children with good appetites. Seeing Puyang eat with such enjoyment, the Emperor also ate a little more.

After the evening meal, Puyang did not hurry to leave. She accompanied the Emperor for two laps around the hall, then brought up the matter of her own residence.

Throughout the dynasties, princesses lived in the palace until they were married, at which point they would be granted a residence.

Not only was Puyang not yet married, she didn’t even have a candidate for a prince consort, so naturally, she had no residence.

The Emperor was displeased. “Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

Puyang said nonchalantly, “Just asking casually.”

The thought that Seventh Lady would one day become the bride of some unknown brat infuriated the Emperor. This was likely the regret of all fathers under heaven. Fortunately, a princess was a princess, after all. If she acted assertively enough, taking a prince consort was no different from a man marrying into his wife’s family.

The Emperor had already been looking at potential locations for Puyang’s residence a few days prior. Now that she asked herself, he said, “I’ve looked at a few places. You take a look too. Whichever one you like, I will bestow it upon you.”

After Puyang left, Dou Hui said flatteringly, “The places Your Majesty has chosen are all excellent locations. I’m afraid the Princess will have a hard time deciding which is best.”

The places the Emperor had chosen were all residences close to the imperial palace, spacious, and surrounded by good neighbors. Hearing Dou Hui say this, the Emperor did not smile. Instead, he sighed, “Seventh Lady is a princess, after all. No matter how much We give her, it is still too little.”

She was clearly his favorite child, but unfortunately, she was a princess. No matter how much a princess received, how could it compare to an imperial prince? The matter of fiefdoms alone was a vast difference. An imperial prince had a certain degree of administrative authority over his fiefdom, as well as troops numbering from over a thousand to tens of thousands. A princess, however, only collected the taxes from her fief.

The human heart has its biases. The Emperor was dissatisfied with all his sons, so his affection for them was less. He had practically raised Puyang himself, and since she was a princess, there was no need to be overly strict, so he doted on her even more. He knew that no matter how much he gave Puyang, it was, in fact, limited.

Dou Hui knew of the Emperor’s regret and offered comfort with a smile, “The Princess is filial. She understands Your Majesty’s affection.”

The Emperor shook his head. “I am getting old. There are many things I will not live to see, and the princes are…” At this point, he stopped, his eyes showing vexation and resentment that the princes were not living up to his expectations.

The mention of the princes implicitly touched upon the matter of the succession, so Dou Hui did not dare say more. The palace attendants in the hall were also all reverently silent, as if they had heard nothing. Nothing that happened in this hall could be spoken of outside. If even a single sentence were leaked, no one would escape punishment.

Puyang returned to the Hall of Containing Light. Behind her, a palace attendant carried a box containing documents for several locations suitable for building her residence. The Emperor had obtained them from the relevant department and now gave them to her to choose from. In any case, as long as she wasn’t so spoiled and willful as to demand the residence of a high court minister, or to have their residence torn down to build her own, the Emperor would grant her wish.

Naturally, Puyang would not do such a thing.

However, she was tired today and lacked the energy to look them over, planning to make her selection tomorrow.

The moonlight tonight was exceptionally beautiful.

“The distant sun is like a mirror, the full moon like a jade disc.” Tonight’s moon was as bright and pure as jade.

She wondered if the moon, seen from the mountains, was even brighter.

Puyang thought back to the day’s events.

She had asked Wei Xiu how she should proceed. Wei Xiu had answered.

“Your Highness is different from the imperial princes. A prince who gains a certain level of prestige, wins the support of the ministers, and satisfies His Majesty might have a chance to become master of the Eastern Palace. But for Your Highness, this path is not viable.” She gazed at the heavy rain falling continuously outside the eaves and explained slowly, “What Your Highness must do is gather power, gradually bringing great authority under your own control. At the same time, you must install your confidants in the court. When the day comes that the majority of the court consists of ministers who owe their allegiance to you, no one will be able to stop you from doing whatever you wish.”

In her words, she had laid out a path for her. Puyang understood. Since ancient times, there had never been a female ruler. Her desire to sit on that throne was contrary to ritual and law; no one would agree to it. Only by making the majority of the court share a common destiny with her, only when no one dared to say no to her face, would it be convenient for her to act.

But it was easier said than done.

She couldn’t help but say, “I’m afraid it will be difficult.”

“It is difficult. But what Your Highness schemes for was never going to be easy.” Wei Xiu looked at her, a gentle smile on her lips. “It’s not something to be achieved in a single step. Your Highness still has plenty of time. Why not first consider, what does your esteemed lord wish to do? And what are your esteemed lord’s troubles?”

Puyang was silent. She knew what the Emperor wanted and what was obstructing his path. In her past life, it was only during the latter half of the struggle for the succession, when the position of heir was about to be decided, that she had gradually begun to see the signs.

The Emperor was not a man whose thoughts could be easily fathomed. Even Dou Hui, who was by his side day after day, would not dare claim to always grasp His Majesty’s intentions. How did Wei Xiu know? At this time, the conflict between the Prince of Zhao and the Prince of Jin was still private. The atmosphere at court was tense, but it had not yet reached the point of open confrontation. How, in this remote mountain wilderness, could she possibly have discerned the Emperor’s thoughts?

Puyang was filled with shock and uncertainty, but she did not reveal her feelings in the slightest. Feigning incomprehension, she asked with curiosity and respect, “What does Sir think it is?”

Wei Xiu did not answer, but gazed into the distance and said with a smile, “Your Highness wants me to follow you to the capital. Where, then, will you have me stay?”

Puyang was still thinking about what she had said—”what he wishes to do, and what his troubles are”—but hearing Wei Xiu ask this again, she couldn’t resist the urge to tease. “Sir is a perfect beauty. I fear an ordinary place would not be worthy of your eyes; only gold and jade would be fitting. What if I build a golden house to await you, Sir?”

Author’s Notes:

Puyang: I’m going to build a golden house to keep you!

The Lofty Scholar: …

Puyang (not stopping until she gets an answer): Okay?

The Lofty Scholar: …

Puyang (on the verge of tears): Is it not okay?

The Lofty Scholar: …Okay.