The First Jasmine - Chapter 101
Chapter 101 - Princess Changle
Early in the morning, Ye Li received an imperial summons from the Empress in the palace. In truth, she was already somewhat impressed by Mo Jingqi's restraint in not calling her into the palace for questioning the moment they returned to the capital. Given Ye Li's current status, aside from the Emperor, Empress, and Dowager Empress, no one else in the entire capital could casually demand an audience with her. However, the Dowager Empress could now be said to be under virtual house arrest by Mo Jingqi. When Ye Li had last entered the palace, such a major incident had occurred, and the Prince of Ding could entirely refuse the Emperor's summons for the Princess Consort of Ding, which was why the summons had been issued in the name of the Empress instead.
The Empress's stated reason for summoning Ye Li was to appreciate flowers. It was said that the begonia flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, so the Empress had issued an order summoning the wives of the various royal nobles and high officials of the capital to welcome the Princess Consort of Ding and enjoy the flowers at the same time. Seeing the riot of colorful blossoms in the Imperial Garden, Ye Li faintly remembered that this year's Hundred Flowers Festival had already passed. She could not help but smile with amusement. Busy day in and day out outside, how could she still remember whatever grand festival the young ladies in the capital obsessed over? Since Ye Li had to enter the palace, Mo Xiuyao did not care whether he had received the Empress's invitation or not, and simply followed along, making it abundantly clear that he did not trust the royal family. Even if Mo Jingqi's face turned dark with anger, there was nothing he could say. After all, the matter of the Prince Consort of Ding's Consort going missing back then still had not been fully investigated.
"Prince of Ding, the Princess Consort will certainly not be lost here in my palace. Could it be that you still don't trust this Empress?" Empress Hua watched the two of them arrive side by side and could not help covering her mouth with a smile. Looking at Ye Li with a few more traces of admiration and envy in her eyes, she began to teasingly joke with the couple. The relations between the Mo family and the Hua family were originally close, and Mo Xiuyao clearly held no ill will toward the Empress either. He smiled faintly and said, "A-Li has never cared for noisy crowds, and our estate has no elders to guide her, so there are inevitably many matters she is unclear about. Since I happen to have nothing to do today, I accompanied her here. I must ask the Empress not to take offense." Such public intimacy made Ye Li feel somewhat uncomfortable, causing her to glance at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao's expression, however, remained as calm, warm, and refined as jade. It drew gasps of admiration from the noble ladies and young maidens present, and there was no telling how many more envious and jealous gazes landed on Ye Li. Ye Li clearly saw Hua Tianxiang, who was following closely beside the Empress, wearing a gloating and mischievous smile, and she couldn't help shooting her a fierce glare in secret.
"For the Prince of Ding to honor us with your presence makes even this palace shine with brilliance. However... today's gathering is strictly for female family members, and if the Prince of Ding stays here, I'm afraid they might feel rather ill at ease." The Empress smiled with a half-smile as she looked at the two of them. "Therefore, the Prince of Ding would do better to stroll elsewhere and not disrupt my flower banquet." Princess Zhaoyang, sitting to one side, also chimed in with a smile, "What the Empress says is true. Back when the Second Young Master of the Prince of Ding's Estate first appeared, a good half of the young maidens in the capital lost their souls. Xiuyao, you had better not stay here and attract too much attention. With the Empress and me here, are you still afraid your Princess Consort will suffer any harm?" Princess Zhaoyang, who was normally somewhat cold and aloof, was clearly in a remarkably good mood as she actually began to joke around. Her words caused the delicate faces of the young maidens present to blush with bashfulness, lowering their heads one after another and not daring to look any longer at the peerless figure standing before the Empress.
Seeing the varied expressions of the people present, Ye Li could not help but laugh inwardly. She looked at Mo Xiuyao and said softly, "If Your Highness has matters to attend to, please go ahead first. I will be fine."
Mo Xiuyao nodded and said in a soft voice, "I will go see the Emperor first and wait for you to return to the estate together in a little while."
Ye Li nodded. Only then did Mo Xiuyao bid farewell to the Empress and the Grand Princess and turn to leave. Hua Tianxiang, standing beside the Empress, made eyes at Ye Li with an ambiguous expression. Being all lovey-dovey in public was truly enough to draw resentment...
Having sent away the eye-catching Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li took her seat in the first vacant chair to the lower left of the Empress. Directly opposite her, Grand Princess Zhaoyang smiled kindly at her, though Princess Zhaorun and County Princess Ronghua beside her were not nearly as amiable. Ye Li felt somewhat helpless about this. She held neither particular fondness nor hatred for County Princess Ronghua, but this County Princess seemed to hold the utmost disdain for her, the Princess Consort of Ding. Back when Ye Ying was around, County Princess Ronghua's firepower had mostly been concentrated on Ye Ying, but now that Ye Ying was gone, the County Princess's attention had clearly returned to her. Looking at that gaze filled with the utmost contempt, Ye Li chuckled inwardly: Did this County Princess have any idea that a large part of her future was likely held right in the palm of her hand?
"Consort Yun has arrived! Consort Zhao has arrived!" Just as the Empress was about to speak, the somewhat shrill announcement of palace eunuchs drifted in from outside. The Empress could not help but frown, clearly showing little favor toward the newcomers.
Before long, two women in luxurious robes walked in with graceful, flowing steps. The leading woman possessed a charming and delicate appearance, her brows and eyes exuding a hint of allure. The woman following closely behind her possessed merely clean and pleasant features, yet a pair of long, slender phoenix eyes outlined a certain enchanting charm. The two stepped forward and bowed gracefully, "This concubine pays respects to the Empress." Both of them were favored consorts of the Emperor, and Consort Yun even held the rank of one of the Four Consorts. Aside from Ye Li and the two princesses, everyone else present had to stand up and bow in greeting. The Empress swept a glance over the two of them and said indifferently, "Rise. Why have Consort Yun and Consort Zhao come here?" Consort Yun smiled and said, "This concubine has intruded upon Your Majesty's elegant mood, and begs for your forgiveness. It's just that... this concubine and Sister Zhao heard that the Princess Consort of Ding is also here today. We have long admired the reputation of the Princess Consort of Ding, and since it was so difficult to get this opportunity, we specifically begged the Emperor to let us come pay our respects to the Princess Consort." Consort Yun's words sounded innocent and charming, yet they also made it clear to everyone that she had come with the Emperor's decree and was here specifically to see the Princess Consort of Ding. Ordinarily, when the Empress summoned noble matrons, even imperial concubines could not casually drop by without an invitation. Her words both washed away the crime of showing disrespect to the Empress and highlighted the Emperor's deep favor toward her.
"Respects are unnecessary; this is Ye Li greeting Consort Yun," Ye Li said with a faint smile, making no move to stand up or return the courtesy. The Yun family and the Wang family were loyal to the death to Mo Jingqi. Since the Empress did not have Mo Jingqi's trust and Consort Liu possessed a cold and indifferent temperament, if Mo Jingqi wanted to test Ye Li, he naturally had to send Consort Yun.
Consort Yun was slightly startled, turning her head to appraise Ye Li sitting to one side. Most women naturally harbored a degree of hostility toward other women who were more outstanding than themselves. Previously, Consort Yun had not been heavily favored, so naturally she had never met the Princess Consort of Ding. However, over these past few days, she had heard plenty of talk regarding the Princess Consort of Ding. The Yun family originally pledged loyalty to the Emperor; now that the Emperor had abandoned the Ye family and turned to support the Yun family while simultaneously showering Consort Yun with immense favor, although Consort Yun was not arrogant enough to provoke the Empress and Consort Liu, she tended to look down on ordinary people. Naturally, she paid even closer attention to Ye Li, whom the Emperor seemed to hold in great apprehension. She had expected to see a woman as poised and noble as the Empress, or a peerless beauty standing as aloof as Consort Liu. Yet upon turning her head, Consort Yun saw that the woman seated to the right of the Empress wore a pale green dress patterned with silver silk peonies. Her jet-black hair was pinned up somewhat casually, adorned with two bright pearl-tasseled hairpin ornaments. Compared to the lavishly attired and exquisitely made-up noble matrons present, she possessed a far greater air of gentleness and ease. It was difficult for anyone to connect her with the legendary woman who commanded two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry and guarded the border fortress. It was even harder to imagine that, according to rumors, the Prince of Ding held this Princess Consort in extremely high favor. Consort Yun had also seen Su Zuiedie; the Princess Consort of Ding before her eyes was beautiful indeed, yet compared to the peerless beauty of Su Zuiedie, she still seemed to fall a little short.
"So this is the Princess Consort of Ding? Empress, might this concubine sit next to the Princess Consort of Ding? I have long admired the demeanor of the Princess Consort and would love to have a proper chat with her." Suppressing the puzzlement in her heart, Consort Yun wore a bright and radiant smile that made it impossible for others to refuse. The Empress glanced at her and said indifferently, "Since that is the case, you and Consort Zhao may take your seats below the Princess Consort of Ding."
A flash of light crossed Consort Yun's eyes, but on the surface, she happily acknowledged the command, pulling Consort Zhao to sit in the vacant spot beside Ye Li. Although sitting below Ye Li left her feeling somewhat resentful, she also knew that the Princess Consort of Ding would never yield her seat to her. Or rather, even if the Princess Consort of Ding really stood up and offered her seat, she might not actually dare to sit in it.
Gatherings among noble matrons were generally much of a muchness, except that today many people harbored various hidden agendas. Once everyone had more or less arrived, the Empress personally stood up and led the crowd toward the Imperial Garden to view the flowers. Sure enough, the Imperial Garden was a riot of colorful blooms; although it was early summer, the scenery was not the least bit inferior to spring. The noble ladies sat together in twos and threes to chat and admire the flowers, while those of higher status, such as Ye Li, naturally followed closely behind the Empress. After taking a stroll through the garden, the Empress led everyone to sit inside a pavilion within the Imperial Garden, whereupon she asked with a smile, "The Princess Consort of Ding rarely enters the palace. How do you find the scenery here?" Ye Li smiled and said, "Naturally, it is opulent and magnificent, resembling a celestial paradise." The Empress swept a glance at her and said, "You're even using polite formulas with me now. 'Opulent and magnificent' is true, but 'resembling a celestial paradise'... which celestial paradise looks like this?" Her tone carried a slight trace of weariness and nonchalance. She shook her head with a smile and said, "If you ask me, it's better to just let things follow their natural course. The scenery in this palace is exquisitely crafted to the extreme, but with this cluster here and that patch there all lumped together, it actually makes one's head spin a bit. I've been to the Prince of Ding's estate, and I imagine it must be very much to the Princess Consort's liking?"
The Prince of Ding's estate was massive, yet its arrangement was extremely comfortable and secluded, making it very much to Ye Li's liking. Princess Zhaoyang also nodded in agreement with a smile, "What the Empress says is true. When I was younger, I also frequently loved to linger at the Prince of Ding's estate, and every time, I was always reluctant to come back."
Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty and Your Highness flatter me too much. The generations of the Prince of Ding's estate have all been military generals, so it is inevitably a bit crude and rough. Neither the Prince nor I care for noisy crowds; we merely sought a place of peace and quiet."
Consort Yun sat beside Ye Li and asked with curiosity, "This concubine heard the Emperor say that the Princess Consort of Ding once guarded Yonglin in Yongzhou, assisting the garrison commander in resisting the rebellious forces of Prince Li to ensure the safety of the Suiyue Pass. Might the Princess Consort tell us about what happened back then? Turns out the Princess Consort actually possesses martial arts skills; no wonder you were able to use the might of a single arrow last year to frighten the Western Liang princess out of her wits." Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "Consort Yun jokes. It was merely because the Prince worried about my safety that I learned a few superficial moves. Those who guarded Yonglin were the frontier soldiers, not the merit of Ye Li." Consort Zhao smiled and said, "The Princess Consort is far too modest. This concubine has also heard the Emperor mention it. The Emperor even said that if not for the Princess Consort's deeds, I'm afraid Suiyue Pass would have fallen long ago. The Princess Consort has rendered great service to the rivers and mountains of Great Chu. It's a pity that we concubines live deep within the palace and cannot contribute to Great Chu like the Princess Consort; it is truly a lifelong regret."
"Oh? Does Consort Zhao also wish to contribute to Great Chu? How about I go beg Imperial Father to send you to the borderlands to contribute to Great Chu? Since Consort Zhao is so loyal to Great Chu, Imperial Father will surely be very glad." A crisp, childlike voice rang out from outside the pavilion. Everyone turned their heads to see Princess Changle, dressed in a pink dress, blinking her bright eyes and smiling broadly as she looked at Consort Zhao.
Consort Zhao forced a smile and said, "Princess is joking. This concubine... has no strength to truss a chicken..." Even with imperial favor and a family newly valued by the Emperor, Consort Zhao still did not dare to provoke this Princess Changle. Princess Changle was the Empress's only daughter, and also the only legitimate offspring of the entire Great Chu imperial family. Although Mo Jingqi did not favor the Empress, he held her in high respect, and he doted even more on this innocent and lovable princess. If Princess Changle really ran to the Imperial Study to spout nonsense, she would be in serious trouble.
Princess Changle rolled her eyes, cast a disdainful glance at her, and said, "Then you were just talking a bunch of nonsense. This Princess thought you were just too shy to speak to Imperial Father about it. Coincidentally, Imperial Uncle Ding is also in the Imperial Study right now; this Princess will go help you beg Imperial Father, and perhaps Imperial Father will see your loyal heart and agree to it."
"Changle, cease this unruliness." Seeing Princess Changle's unseemly behavior, the Empress frowned in displeasure. Princess Changle pulled a playful face, stepped into the pavilion, and executed a proper, meticulous bow. "This daughter pays respects to Royal Mother, greets the Princess Consort of Ding, and greets the two Grand Aunties." Princess Zhaoyang reached out to pull Princess Changle over and smiled. "It's been a long time; the little princess has grown into a big young lady." Ye Li smiled and took the lead; it had only been a year, but Princess Changle had indeed grown much taller than when they had last met outside the Yaohua Palace. At least she didn't look like someone who would still go diving into shrubbery. Princess Changle clearly still remembered Ye Li; she leaned against Princess Zhaoyang's embrace and blinked her eyes at her. Ye Li was slightly startled and returned a faint smile.
Consort Yun looked at Princess Changle, who was acting coquettishly in Princess Zhaoyang's arms, and smiled. "Princess, we were just wanting to hear the Princess Consort talk about leading troops and fighting battles in the border cities. Does the Princess not want to hear it?"
Princess Changle's eyes rolled, and a bright smile bloomed on her face. "This Princess is a lady; I would never go prying into other people's private matters. Only bad women who spend all day plotting and scheming to frame others would go to all lengths to pry into other people's privacy. Consort Yun, don't you agree?" The gentle smile on Consort Yun's face stiffened somewhat, and she forced a smile. "Naturally, the Princess is a lady."
Princess Changle let out a soft huff, turned back to the Empress, and said, "Royal Mother, may this daughter invite the Princess Consort of Ding and Cousin to go play?"
The Empress smiled faintly. "That depends on whether the Princess Consort has the time to accompany you to play. You're not a child anymore; what kind of sight is it to pester people to play all day long?" Princess Changle smiled. "I like the Princess Consort." The Empress turned her gaze to Ye Li and said with a smile, "This child doesn't know any better; the Princess Consort must find this amusing." Ye Li smiled. "How could that be? The Princess is pure and lovable; having the Princess like me is Ye Li's honor. I wonder where the Princess wishes to invite me to play?"
Princess Changle happily broke away from Princess Zhaoyang's embrace, grabbed Ye Li with one hand and dragged Hua Tianxiang with the other, and bolted outside. "You two, follow this Princess!" Ye Li was agile and didn't mind, but Hua Tianxiang, on the other hand, was dragged along by Princess Changle in a stumbling rush. The Empress behind them helplessly instructed her attendants to follow closely and keep an eye on them.
Princess Changle dragged the two of them twisting and turning through the Imperial Garden, running all the way until they reached behind the rockery in the northwestern corner of the garden before stopping. She turned back to check that the palace attendants behind them had not followed closely, and only then did she let out a relieved frown and complain softly, "These people are so annoying, following us everywhere we go."
Ye Li smiled and said, "They are only acting on the orders of the Empress and the Emperor. If they lose track of you, they might be punished." Princess Changle waved her hand and said, "Rest assured, my Royal Mother is a good person; she would never arbitrarily punish palace attendants. But those people are so annoying; they like to tell Imperial Father whatever I say, and go tell the other concubines too. This Princess hates them. Come with me."
With a face full of smiles, Princess Changle scrambled up the rockery, turning back to say to the two of them, "It's very big here, if we climb up they won't be able to find us."
Ye Li took a look; this group of rockeries was indeed quite large. If one hid inside without searching carefully, it really might be hard to find them. Only... "Princess, why are we climbing up?"
Princess Changle turned back to look at her, patted her own pearl-strung double buns, and said, "Imperial Uncle Ding said there are bad women making you unhappy, and told me to find a place to hide you so he can come pick you up later. Oh... and isn't Cousin saying she has something to tell you?"
Ye Li was left between laughter and tears—hide her? She would bet anything that Mo Xiuyao had certainly not phrased it that way to Princess Changle. Turning her head to look at the equally astonished Hua Tianxiang, she saw that Hua Tianxiang was also staring at Princess Changle. Princess Changle let out a soft huff and turned to continue climbing upward. "Who does this Princess think she is? Imperial Father wants to marry Cousin Xiangxiang off to Northern Rong. I asked the wet nurses, and Northern Rong is a terrible place—people are crude and savage, it's freezing cold, and there's no good food. I went to beg Imperial Uncle Ding about it, and Imperial Uncle Ding said the Princess Consort of Ding has the final say in this matter, so now we can talk about it. Come on up, you two."
With no other choice, the two of them could only follow her up. Sure enough, halfway up the rockery, there was a concealed spot large enough for people to hide, and judging by its quiet state, it was clearly a place people frequented. Sitting upon the rockery, Ye Li smiled slightly and said, "So, the Princess wants to ask me not to let Tianxiang marry into Northern Rong?"
Princess Changle looked at her with pleading eyes and asked, "Will you agree?"
Ye Li smiled with amusement. "What's in it for me if I agree?"
Princess Changle pondered for a moment. "This Princess can give you all my treasures; I have lots of treasures, you know. They were all given to me by Imperial Father, and Royal Mother said those things are extremely precious. Can I?"
"Changle..." Hua Tianxiang's eyes grew slightly red. Naturally, she didn't want to marry into Northern Rong either. But whether it was her, her father and mother, or her grandfather and grandmother, they all knew clearly that the Emperor claimed the Princess Consort of Ding had full authority, but if they truly wanted her to go on a matrimonial alliance, even A-Li would be powerless to stop it. It was merely an attempt to saddle the Prince of Ding's estate with the reputation of offending the Hua family. Therefore, neither her grandparents nor she herself had ever intended to go look for A-Li to speak of this from the very beginning, lest they cause her needless difficulty.
"Princess, why don't you want Tianxiang to go on a matrimonial alliance?"
Princess Changle bit her lower lip as she looked at the two of them, hesitating for a long moment before speaking again. "Royal Mother said... only princesses can go on matrimonial alliances. But right now we don't have a suitable princess, so we have to choose someone else to go. Royal Mother said these things... are matters of the imperial family. I... this Princess is still young, otherwise I would go on the matrimonial alliance myself... Cousin Xiangxiang is leaving, and Grandmother, Uncle, and Aunt will be sad. Aunt was even crying in front of Royal Mother..." Princess Changle's words came out in fragmented pieces, yet both of them understood completely. Princess Changle believed that Tianxiang was going to take her place in the matrimonial alliance and suffer, which was why she was in such an anxious rush to come beg Ye Li. Having finally finished speaking, Princess Changle looked at her hopefully, "Princess Consort of Ding, can you make sure Cousin doesn't have to go on the matrimonial alliance?"
Ye Li smiled faintly, nodded, and said, "I can. I promise you."