Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 85

After a blissful spring night, the morning came, and she rose late.

When Puyang opened her eyes, the sky was already bright. She turned to look at the pillow beside her, but the person who had been there was gone.

Six or seven paces away, bright morning light streamed through the window. Puyang looked over, squinting against the glare.

Wei Xiu was there. Already fully dressed, she was tying up her hair before the dressing table under the window. Her jet-black hair hung straight down, a stark contrast against her moon-white robes, creating a uniquely gentle and moving sight.

Outside the window were three peach trees, which Wei Xiu had specially arranged to have transplanted. The brilliant peach blossoms were perfect for her new home and family. It was the peak of their blooming season. By the window, the flowers were a riot of color, like fire, like a sunset cloud. They were swept up by the warm spring breeze and scattered through the air.

Wei Xiu fashioned her hair into a bun and picked up a jade crown to put on. A peach blossom, carried in by the spring breeze, drifted down and landed in the deep hollow beneath her eye. The brilliant petal rested against her snow-white skin. Puyang was lost in the beautiful scene before her, forgetting where she was.

After setting the jade crown in place, Wei Xiu took a jade hairpin and inserted it into her hair to secure it, thus completing her coiffure. Only then did the gentleman, as handsome as jade, slowly raise his right hand to pluck the petal from his face. In her fingertips, the petal looked like a red plum blossom that had fallen onto snow, its beauty startlingly vivid.

Puyang gazed at the petal, at her fingertips, at the moon-white robes. Wei Xiu turned her head, and seeing that Puyang was awake, she smiled. “You’re awake.”

In that moment, the petal, the jade crown, and the robes all seemed to vanish. Nothing could compare to the beauty of that smile. As if in a daze, Puyang threw off the brocade quilt, rose, and walked barefoot across the cool floor toward Wei Xiu.

A smile played on Wei Xiu’s lips, her gaze soft as she watched her approach.

Puyang raised her hand, her fingertip landing on the spot beneath Wei Xiu’s eye where the petal had just been. The memories of last night’s passion slowly flooded Puyang’s mind. She pursed her lips and smiled. Wei Xiu looked up at her, and seeing her suggestive smile, a faint blush of peach appeared on her own face. Yet, she did not act shy, merely glancing at Puyang before saying, “I will go have them set out the meal. Your Highness might wish to wash up first.”

But Puyang’s smile only widened, and she did not leave immediately. She leaned down and whispered in Wei Xiu’s ear, “From now on, I shall serve you, my lord, by combing your hair and setting your crown.”

Her voice was soft and alluring, so bewitching it sent a shiver of delight through Wei Xiu. She looked up, about to say something, only to see Puyang run off with a smile. As her graceful figure receded, swaying elegantly, Wei Xiu first stared in surprise, then broke into an indulgent smile.

When two beauties are together, whether intentionally or not, they are constantly in a state of seducing, being seduced, and mutually seducing.

An unintentional gesture from Wei Xiu could make Puyang’s heart race, while a coquettish glance from Puyang could leave Wei Xiu utterly captivated.

Newlywed life was always like this—innocent and beautiful.

Everyone in the mansion knew that the Princess and the Prince Consort were as inseparable as glue and lacquer. No one dared to rashly disturb them when they were alone.

Puyang and Wei Xiu visited many more households, both to fulfill family obligations and to strengthen relationships. Xiao Dewen came several more times. At first, he was anxious and restless, but after a few conversations with Wei Xiu, he would leave as if he had found his pillar of support. He began to treat the various princes with respect and humility, and the court officials with courtesy and reverence. He also visited the Emperor frequently. When his opinion was occasionally required, he no longer hesitated, daring to speak his mind directly and revealing his intelligent and benevolent side.

The Emperor was also recovering from his illness, and Puyang often went to visit him. Seeing her living well made the Emperor happy. He would often chat with her, reminding her that now that she was married and had a family, she needed to be sensible, be considerate toward her Prince Consort, and that mutual respect, compromise, and understanding were the way for a couple to get along. However, if the Prince Consort was disobedient, she shouldn’t be too meek either, and she must not forget her status as a princess. Puyang naturally agreed to everything.

After living at the Wei residence for a full month, Puyang and Wei Xiu moved back to the Princess’s mansion. The mansion had a clear layout, divided into front and rear courtyards. Many of Puyang’s retainers worked there, and she often had important matters to discuss with them. Living at the Wei residence was, in truth, inconvenient.

Wei Xiu knew this as well. She had never cared much about where she lived, always prioritizing Puyang. But upon returning this time, she had become a master of this mansion. She was to live with the Princess in the main courtyard and could no longer stay in the small courtyard in the bamboo grove. Yet she truly could not bear to part with that grove. Traces of the past had faded with time, becoming fewer and fewer. This bamboo grove was almost the only tangible connection Wei Xiu could find. So, she converted the small courtyard into a study and went there every day. When she had nothing to do, she would spend the entire day there.

Everyone in the Princess’s mansion came to know that the Prince Consort had few interests, her only obsession being that bamboo grove. Puyang, of course, would not say a word. If Wei Xiu had wanted mountains of gold and silver, she would have found a way to get them for her to win her smile, let alone a mere bamboo grove. Besides, the reason this location was chosen for the Princess’s mansion in the first place was the thought that Wei Xiu might like it here.

Chancellor Wang also came to visit once, specifically to pay respects to his old friend, though he never mentioned it. The Emperor did not like people bringing up the Grand Marshal. Chancellor Wang simply assumed Wei Xiu frequented this place because she admired the noble integrity of bamboo, and Wei Xiu pretended not to know why he had come. The two sat in the bamboo grove, discussing casual, elegant matters, and also touched upon some of the current measures in the court. The more they talked, the more they found common ground. Chancellor Wang had been in charge of government affairs for many years and knew the state of the Great Wei inside and out. Wei Xiu had also studied state affairs for years, and having traveled to many places, she had a clearer understanding of how the common people of Wei truly lived than Chancellor Wang, who sat high in the court reading official documents. With firsthand experience came insight, and her views naturally hit the mark.

Before leaving, Chancellor Wang sized her up several times and said with regret, “There is nothing wrong with you cultivating your character in tranquility and avoiding conflict. It is a pity, however, that the court has lost a great talent.”

The Great Wei looked powerful, but it was not yet stable. If Qi and Song were to harbor ambitions like tigers and wolves, the borders of Wei would be set ablaze by the flames of war. Someone like Wei Xiu was precisely what the court lacked. In extraordinary times, extraordinary methods were needed. If Chancellor Wang were to speak honestly, with her foresight, even the Nine Ministers would be too low a station for her; she was fit for nothing less than one of the Three Ducal Ministers.

Wei Xiu chuckled softly. Gazing into the distance, her tone was as gentle as a spring breeze and fine rain. “The court has its own worthy talents.”

She refused to yield in the slightest.

Chancellor Wang smiled helplessly, but he could say no more.

The mansion gate was just ahead. Seeing the Chancellor emerge, the servants at the gate immediately brought the carriage forward.

“Zhongmeng, you need not see me any further. This is far enough,” Chancellor Wang said with a wave of his hand. Supported by a servant, he boarded the carriage.

The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly moved forward. Wei Xiu bowed in salute and only straightened up after the carriage was far in the distance. She turned to return to the mansion, glanced up at the sky, and then bade the servant pushing her wheelchair to stop. She asked the household manager, who had hurried over, “It is nearly noon. Has Her Highness sent back any word?”

Puyang had gone to visit the Prince of Zheng’s mansion in the morning. It was now almost noon. If she wasn’t returning for the meal, a message should have been sent.

The household manager was just about to report to her. Hearing her question, he quickly and respectfully said, “A messenger from Her Highness’s side came just now. He said that she was summoned to the palace on her way and has gone there. She asks the Prince Consort to have lunch on your own.” He paused, his old face blushing as he glanced at Wei Xiu with some embarrassment. “Her Highness said… that the Prince Consort should eat more, as she will be checking upon her return.”

As the weather grew warmer, the Prince Consort’s appetite had waned, which worried the Princess greatly. Even when she was out, she didn’t forget to send back a message. The household manager was an old man; being happy to see the Princess and her consort so harmonious was one thing, but feeling embarrassed to witness the young couple’s displays of affection was another.

To his surprise, the Prince Consort was very calm. “I understand.”

The household manager was astonished. He looked around and saw that no one else seemed flustered. Only then did he realize that after nearly two months of marriage, the Princess and the Prince Consort had always been this affectionate. Everyone had long since grown accustomed to it.

Summoned midway, Puyang had gone to the palace.

The Emperor who had summoned her was in the Hall of Ancestral Worship.

The Hall of Ancestral Worship was where the ancestors of the Xiao clan were enshrined. The hall was filled with the lingering scent of incense and candles, solemn and majestic. The eunuch following closely behind the Emperor kept his eyes straight ahead, daring not to make a sound as he lit the incense and respectfully presented it. The Emperor took it, sincerely bowed to the ancestors, and placed incense for each one, offering silent prayers in his heart. He finally stopped before the newest tablet—the spirit tablet of the late Empress.

Dou Hui silently lit more incense and handed it over. The Emperor took it, bowed three times with perfect propriety, and personally inserted the bundle of incense into the censer. He did not leave, but stood before the spirit tablet, speaking silently in his heart.

“I should have come to see you sooner, but I fell ill, and it has been delayed until today. Sanniang, Hong’er is married now. Her husband is of a gentle and good-tempered character; he will treat her well. You can finally put this matter to rest and be at ease.”

“It is I who have encountered a difficult problem. This illness has finally forced me to admit that I am old, not like I used to be. Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Sixth Brother—they have no virtue, no ability. I have worried myself sick over them, and after all these years, they show no improvement. I often think, if you were still here, if we had a son, he would surely be as sensible as Hong’er and would not cause me such distress.”

Dou Hui quietly withdrew, taking everyone else in the hall with him.

The Emperor gazed at the late Empress’s spirit tablet. Through the swirling smoke, he looked at the few characters inscribed on it, which represented the entire life of the woman he had cherished.

When Empress Wang passed away, she was in the prime of her youth, beautiful and gentle-tempered. She had never had a single disagreement with the Emperor. Her passing left a cinnabar mole on the Emperor’s heart. He would never forget that year, when the Empress was gravely ill, on the verge of death, the look she gave him was filled with helplessness, reluctance, and apology. He also remembered how he had wept uncontrollably, losing all heart for state affairs for months.

The Emperor’s heart softened again. He stared at the spirit tablet and said in a low voice, “Rest assured, with me looking after Hong’er, I will never let her suffer.”

The Hall of Ancestral Worship was dim. Coming out into the scorching sun, the Emperor suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Dou Hui hurried forward to support him. Without mentioning anything about what happened in the hall, he simply reported, “Your Majesty, Princess Puyang has arrived and is waiting for you in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.”

The Emperor paused for a moment to adjust to the light outside before grunting in acknowledgment. “Return to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.”

Dou Hui respectfully complied, quickly ordering the eunuchs to bring the imperial palanquin.

Puyang waited for a while in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue. She happened to encounter the imperial physician who had come to take the Emperor’s pulse, so she asked him a few more questions. The Emperor’s illness seemed to have suddenly broken his health. The ministers might not see a difference, but Puyang could tell. The Emperor’s once sharp and vigorous eyes seemed to have suddenly dimmed, becoming softer. The silver threads in his hair had also multiplied.

The imperial physician couldn’t say for sure. People inevitably grow old, and the elderly especially cannot afford to fall ill, as an illness can easily damage their fundamental constitution. The Emperor was no longer young; at fifty, it would not be surprising, to put it disrespectfully, if he were to pass away suddenly.

Puyang questioned him for a long time but couldn’t get a straight answer. She knew that further questioning would be fruitless, so she began to plan in her mind to find an opportunity to enter the palace with A-Xiu and have her examine him personally, only then could she be at ease.

Just as she was thinking this, the Emperor returned.

The imperial physician breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to greet His Majesty alongside the Princess.

The Emperor was very happy to see Puyang. He helped her up while saying, “I estimated the time. I can have lunch with you.” Then he frowned at the imperial physician. “You may leave.”

The physician bowed and was about to withdraw when Puyang quickly said, “Since he is already here, don’t let him make a trip for nothing. Father, please let him take a look.” Although the imperial physicians were cautious, they would not dare to be anything but diligent regarding the Emperor’s health. They had to do their utmost, if only for their own safety.

Puyang genuinely wished for the Emperor to have a long life. Even if she, like the other princes, had her eyes on the throne, she still hoped the Emperor could live to a hundred. Many things in this life were already different. For instance, she was married. For instance, the Emperor had not fallen ill like this in her previous life. And for instance, Xiao Dewen had started to get close to the Emperor a full seven or eight years earlier than in her past life. Since so many things were different, it was not impossible for His Majesty to live longer than he had in her previous life.

Meeting Puyang’s sincere and concerned gaze, the Emperor’s heart warmed. He joked, “Being a wife has certainly changed you. You’re more considerate than before, and also more of a nag.”

Puyang blushed, pretending to be displeased. The Emperor quickly placated her, “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to Seventh Lady.”

Only then did Puyang’s expression brighten.