The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Unfortunately, as a boat sails with the wind, the Grand Tutor’s furious scolding could not reach the vessel.
Because they traveled by water, the journey was smooth and unimpeded, and after ten days, they arrived in Jiangnan.
Perhaps because southern blood flowed in her veins, the moment Nie Qinglin stepped off the ship, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this place.
Pitter-pattering light rain carried a cool freshness, and what met her eyes was the prosperous, leisurely charm of the water towns.
Winter in the south was also somewhat cold and clammy.
Fortunately, the temporary lodge had long been prepared for the Princess’s arrival, with several new floor-heating flues added.
Once inside the house, a padded jacket became uncomfortably warm to wear, so she changed into a light gauze gown upon entering the inner chamber.
After settling the young princess, the Nanny ordered hot water to be brought in and poured into a wooden tub.
When Nie Qinglin stepped into the warm water and closed her eyes in comfortable relaxation, Nanny Shan presented a box and held it out before her.
“Princess, inside this jade tube is an aromatic salve brewed from milk and medicinal herbs. When placed into the water, the salve slowly releases through the gaps in the jade tube, allowing your skin to absorb it gradually, which is immensely beneficial for your cold-prone constitution.”
Nie Qinglin opened her eyes to look at the open box and saw a medicine tube carved into the likeness of a jade figure lying inside.
Pinching it with her fingers to take a look, she discovered that the jade figure was carved with extreme delicacy; its slightly upturned phoenix eyes and straight nose bridge were identical to that man’s in every way.
It was truly quite a task for the craftsman to be so thoughtful… With a slight flick of her wrist, a sharp clack rang out as the medicine tube was thrown far onto the floor, rolling back and forth a few times on the soft carpet.
What a joke.
Was he comparing himself to a jade figure bathing beside her? His skill in managing the inner palace faintly threatened to surpass her imperial father’s! His physical body was keeping company with the delicate flower of the northern frontier, yet he fashioned a figure carved from jade to console an old lover’s loneliness!
Nanny Shan had not expected the always gentle and agreeable Princess to throw a temper and shatter things.
She stood dazed for a moment, looking at the Princess and then at the jade tube on the floor, saying with a frown, “If you are feeling bitter in your heart, throwing a few things is one thing, but you should pick something cheap and coarse to smash! Throwing away such a precious and fine item that nourishes the body just to indulge a sudden whim…”
As she spoke, she bent down to pick it up.
Shan Tiehua came from a poor background and had been tempered in a military camp, possessing a naturally straightforward disposition.
Although she had bound herself with several layers of restraint to curb her uninhibited behavior after entering the palace, there were times when urgent situations arose and her true nature would surface once or twice.
Nie Qinglin was accustomed to the Nanny’s occasional lack of decorum.
Watching her carefully wash the jade tube with clean water with an air of heartbroken distress, her playful nature was stirred up again, and she deliberately teased, “No wonder Nanny always speaks with harsh words and a fierce face toward General Lu. It turns out he is the cheap and coarse thing, good enough for venting anger, but one still needs to encounter someone refined like jade to entrust one’s heart.”
Nanny Shan had not expected the young Princess to suddenly use her embarrassing personal affairs to banter.
For a moment, her face flushed red, while in her heart she secretly cursed that little trouble-maker Lu Yuda.
During those few days on the ship, his stubborn nature remained unchanged; whenever he found a free moment, he would slide over in front of her to flirt intentionally or unintentionally, which was actually seen through by this quick-witted Princess.
After Nie Qinglin finished speaking, she chuckled to herself in the bath.
Only when she saw Nanny Shan’s face turn red like a red-hot iron weight did she finally stop, holding back her laughter as she said, “Do not be annoyed, Nanny. There is no one else here, just you and me speaking a few private words.”
Only then did the Nanny walk over with a wooden face and, regardless of whether the Princess was willing or not, tossed the washed medicine tube into the wooden tub.
Nie Qinglin also felt that venting her anger on a lifeless object just now was indeed improper, so she let the medicine tube sink all the way to the bottom of the water, using a pair of fair, tender little feet to nudge and tread on it lazily now and then.
“Nanny, tell me, why do you never give General Lu a pleasant expression? This Princess sees that General Lu shows genuine feelings; even if Nanny treats him with cold words, his devotion remains unchanged!”
If anyone else were to ask, Shan Tiehua would not bother wasting her breath and would simply slap them across the face.
But the one asking right now was a delicate, soft, and tender young girl whose messy strands of hair were slightly wet and stuck to her cheeks, her fair face flushed a rosy red from the rising steam.
Looking at her put one’s mind at ease and lowered one’s defenses, so being asked in such a soft, gentle voice, mistress and servant actually began to slowly chat about gossip they had never spoken of back in the palace.
“A widow should keep to her proper place after losing her husband. I was not raised in a deep courtyard with so much leisure time. Besides, even if one were to remarry, one should find someone comparable. Have you ever seen a precedent of a forty-year-old widow remarrying a man who has just reached thirty? That man named Lu is frivolous and improper, making a laughingstock of myself before the Princess.”
Hearing this, Nie Qinglin caught the thread of her thoughts, “So if General Lu were also a forty-year-old widower, would Nanny consider it?”
Nanny Shan’s face turned so red it looked about to bleed, and she began scrubbing the young Princess’s smooth back with a towel,”This servant will not remarry! How could there be any sense in preserving one’s virtue to this age only to abandon it completely?”
Nie Qinglin leaned against the rim of the tub and comfortably narrowed her eyes, saying lazily, “The Great Wei dynasty abolished the precedent of awarding chastity plaques to virtuous women long ago. Why have such grand ambitions, Nanny? In this Princess’s view, the water and soil of Jiangnan nourish people well. I have looked carefully at General Lu’s features; they are quite handsome. If he shaved off his beard, he would be a pleasing fellow. Why not settle down peacefully here in Jiangnan and marry soon, so that young General Lu does not stretch his neck out waiting…”
The Nanny simply kept a wooden expression, applying force with her hands until the Princess’s back was scrubbed a soft pink…
Perhaps changing location allowed her to pick up the long-absent leisurely mood once again.
The scenery of southern gardens was exquisite, built upon generations of heritage, and the garden of the temporary palace was especially so.
Every morning, after putting on beautiful clothes and applying refined makeup, she could take a carriage to tour the mountains and rivers, enjoying the various temples and beautiful sights of Lin’an.
The Princess traveled to Jiangnan incognito.
When going out on excursions, she did not fly the banner of a Great Wei princess, but instead used the identity of female relatives from a prominent northern family to tour around.
Because the carriage was luxurious, the accompanying servants and maids were all dressed in silks and satins, and tips were given generously, they were catered to carefully wherever they went, without the timid cautiousness usually reserved for royalty, making the outings thoroughly enjoyable.
As for the Grand Tutor far away, various foods and clothing items were continuously dispatched by ships to Jiangnan.
Yet that man no longer possessed the leisurely mood of former days when he marched to the southern border and sent letters by wild geese; after more than a month, he had never sent a single word.
It was easy to imagine him intertwined in deep affection with his new bride, having no leisure to hold a brush, listen to the rain, and compose poetry.
Nie Qinglin was actually very understanding.
The Grand Tutor had always been single-minded; if he devoted his heart to a newcomer, he would have no time to attend to an old lover.
Moments of melancholy did exist, but in this world far from the imperial palace, there were simply too many things to amuse one’s heart.
Every day brought endless sights to enjoy and countless snacks to sample, so even if a bit of gloom arose, it was quickly drawn away by fresh novelties.
On this day, she had just sampled the signature small-casserole stew at the locally famous Anlan Restaurant.
The restaurant’s ancestral stone pot stove produced only one pot a day; ten casseroles of delicate ingredients were stewed over fine firewood and gentle heat for ten hours, cooked to exquisite perfection so delicious it made one want to swallow one’s tongue.
However, these stew casseroles were far too small, consumed in just a few bites.
Even someone with a small appetite like Nie Qinglin found that just as her appetite was whetted, the entire table was already empty.
Listening to Nanny Shan mutter, this meal added up to a hundred taels of silver, enough for an ordinary household to eat their fill of savory chicken and fat pork for three years, yet at Anlan Restaurant, it barely counted as half-full.
Furthermore, this dish at Anlan Bridge could not be paired with other delicacies; once this item was ordered, no other dishes could be ordered, which was said to be a rule set by the ancestors to prevent diners from confusing their taste buds and failing to appreciate the flavor of the century-old pot.
Nie Qinglin nodded.
The person who developed this dish was truly a genius, thoroughly exploiting the psychology of the wealthy seeking novelty and rarity.
Those who could afford this price to eat here were certainly not starving, and with a limited daily supply and such stingy portions, it left people with a feeling of wanting more.
Is not the beauty of all things in the world just like this? Obtaining something too easily, or being given too much satisfaction, will both give rise to laxity and contempt.
Unthinkingly offering one’s entire heart might not necessarily be treasured properly.
Anlan Restaurant, not bad at all! What it fried and simmered was not just gourmet food, but the insatiable human heart, stewed until every flavor seeped deep within.
After drinking a cup of clear tea, she lazily stood up, preparing to go to Suxiang Bakery not far ahead to try some freshly baked pastries.
Yet just as she stepped out of the restaurant doors, a burst of playing, singing, and fanfare echoed from not far away.
It turned out to be a wealthy local family taking a concubine, and the bridal sedan chair was parading through the streets.
Jiangnan produced many scholars as well as many merchants.
Although these merchants possessed vast wealth, they had no official titles, so in matters of food, clothing, and living expenses, they pursued the feelings of emperors and generals; the delicacy of pavilions and towers, as well as the extreme pursuit of fine cuisine, all stemmed from this reason.
Thus, this place differed from the capital, not paying much mind to strict ceremonial regulations.
Had it been a prince or noble in the capital, how could taking a concubine be celebrated with such grand fanfare? It would be nothing more than a soft sedan chair brought in through the back door of the manor, and even a concubine with status would at most invite three or five close friends for a meal to settle the matter.
Nie Qinglin had never witnessed common folk’s weddings or funerals, so watching this wedding procession pass by struck her as quite amusing.
It was clearly a merchant family, yet they used colorful tin and gold leaf to decorate several standing placards reading “Avoid” and “Silence”—the kind found only in official government offices—placing them before a noisy band that swayed their heads as they played, creating a truly incongruous feel.
The young master riding atop the tall, grand horse appeared to be in his early thirties.
Although handsome in appearance, the air of wine and indulgence beneath his eyes was far too thick, giving him a reckless and uninhibited look.
At this moment he looked triumphant, bowing his hands to signal to the surrounding onlookers from time to time.
“Such a fine Miss Lin, actually taken as a concubine by this rake; it is truly a fresh flower stuck in cow dung,” a young gentleman watching the spectacle complained indignantly from the side.
“Keep your voice down. Although Shopkeeper Lin of the medicine shop comes from a humble family, how could he be greedy for wealth? It is clearly this Third Master Pan forcing the marriage; Shopkeeper Lin was beaten to the point where he is still lying in bed even now… It was precisely because the Lin family aunt rejected him so fiercely initially, humiliating Third Master Pan, that he made such a grand spectacle, simply wanting everyone to know that the charming Medicine Beauty is already in his pocket!” an elder nearby chimed in.
Standing by the carriage, Nie Qinglin heard everything clearly, feeling slightly astonished in her heart: under the bright sun and in a prosperous, wealthy land, how could there still be such forced marriage schemes!
Just then, the swaying bridal sedan chair reached the front.
Perhaps because the bride was struggling too violently, the sedan bearers actually wobbled slightly as they walked.
Right at this moment, the curtain of the sedan chair was blown aside by the wind, revealing a face like a lotus drenched in tears.
Looking at her situation, she was clearly bound, her red lips pressed down by a piece of white silk to gag her tongue, choking her so she could not speak.
Nie Qinglin’s eyes gradually widened.
Had Nanny Shan not been supporting her from the side, she would have sat directly onto the ground: “…Eighth Imperial Sister?” Fearing her eyes were playing tricks on her, she grabbed Nanny Shan’s hand,”Do you… see that?”
Nanny Shan was also full of shock, looking at those features… they truly bore a few shades of Princess Shaoyang’s tearful demeanor.
Seeing the wedding procession about to pass by, Nie Qinglin immediately commanded Lu Yuda,”Go and stop that bridal sedan chair!”
Without waiting for the Princess’s voice to land, Lu Yuda flew over, leading several guards to block the wedding procession right in the middle of the street.
Raising his breath from his dantian, he shouted fiercely,”Halt!”
Lu Yuda’s loud voice was comparable to a roar at Changban Slope, directly suppressing the sound of the suona horns and freezing everyone on the street in place.
Third Master Pan was so startled he nearly fell off his horse’s back. Once he saw clearly that several burly men had blocked the way, he said in exasperation, “Where did you blind fools come from? Do you know who I am, to dare stop my bridal sedan chair!”
Supported by Nanny Shan, Nie Qinglin walked over steadily, saying in a cold voice,”Then please do tell. It truly makes one curious as to which master dares to commit the crime of forcibly taking another’s wife and daughter under the realm of Great Wei?”
Third Master Pan was originally blowing his mustache and glaring, yet unexpectedly, another charming young lady walked over from the side.
This was truly an endless sight of peerless beauty among flowers! He had thought the one inside the bridal sedan chair was already a rare national beauty, yet he had not expected that the one standing before his eyes at this moment was so enchanting that one could not bear to blink.
Seeing this, his lustful heart instantly expanded as large as a stone chime, and he said with a playful smirk, “This beauty must have come from out of town, right? To not even recognize me, Third Master Pan! I am the birth nephew of the current Emperor; Consort Li is my grandfather’s birth sister, and Princess Yong’an, who is about to marry the Marquis of Dingguo, is my aunt… Hehe, do you know who I am now?”
Nie Qinglin listened with her large eyes slightly widened, completely speechlessly choked.
Only after a moment did she digest the words and say, “Truly an incomparably prominent family background…”
Hearing the beauty’s apparent awe, Third Master Pan’s face instantly beamed with triumphant joy,”Since that is the case, could the beauty honor me with her presence and come to my manor to share a cup of wedding wine?”
Nie Qinglin felt her face burning in waves, never imagining that while she lived on thin ice in the palace with an anxious heart, her birth mother’s maiden family was living so comfortably and joyfully in Jiangnan, truly a life one would not trade even to be Emperor!
She laughed out of sheer anger, raising her voice to ask, “Then do you know who I am?”
