Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
The Dragon Boat Festival race in the palace was set for the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Wei Rao slept early and rose early. As usual, she practiced her sword forms for two quarters of an hour before going for a fragrant, petal-filled bath.
Pink and tender petals floated on the surface of the water. As the ripples stirred, the petals parted, revealing the fair and slender legs of the beauty beneath. Before one could get a clear look, the petals drifted back together, veiling the scenery beneath the water.
Wei Rao lay lazily against the edge of the wooden tub, eyes closed in contentment, her curled lashes damp and sticking together with water droplets. Her snow-white, delicate arms were not the weak, bone-thin style popular among women these days; they were slightly plump, yet not in a way that appeared bloated. Dressed, one could not tell she had any extra weight at all, but to the touch, her skin was firm and supple.
A bright red petal drifted alongside Wei Rao with the ripples, eventually floating onto her back, like a red plum blossom petal landing in the midst of snow.
Bitao gently brushed that petal away.
"Young Miss, it is time to wash the front."
The steam had turned Bitao’s cheeks a deep red, and Liuye, standing nearby, was in the same state.
Wei Rao was nearly asleep. Hearing this, she let out a sound of dissatisfied murmuring and turned over, squinting her eyes.
What a brilliantly alluring sight it was! Even though she had seen it many times, Bitao still felt her face burning, her heartbeat quickening, and her limbs turning weak.
The two maids wiped each side separately. Knowing their mistress was at the age where she was growing rapidly, she was delicate and feared pain, so Bitao and Liuye kept their movements extremely light, fearful of causing her any discomfort. However, for the sake of cleanliness, a bit of scrubbing was still necessary. When Bitao applied a little pressure, Wei Rao let out a soft cry and instantly ducked beneath the water, leaving only from her neck up exposed.
Wei Rao didn't speak, instead giving Bitao a reproachful look with her phoenix eyes.
Bitao’s forehead was covered in sweat. She handed the towel to her mistress and said, "Young Miss, please handle that part yourself. Every time, I can't quite gauge the right amount of pressure; it's uncomfortable for you, and I get nervous too."
Wei Rao took the towel and, hiding in the water, carefully scrubbed herself. Even doing it herself, she still had to gasp a few times.
"When will it stop hurting?" Wei Rao complained in a low voice. Whether she grew taller or not didn't matter much to her, but it was starting to affect her sword practice.
"In a year or two, I suppose. It will be less frequent after that," Liuye said with a smile.
Wei Rao pouted. Did she really have to wait that long?
After the bath was finished, Wei Rao wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the tub. The two maids skillfully helped her dry off.
Wei Rao’s hair was thick, soft, and fine. As there was a breeze in the morning, she sat on the lounge chair in the courtyard for a while after wringing her hair out, and it dried completely. The flushed glow from the steam of the bath on her cheeks also faded. Only then did she begin to dress properly, changing into the shirt and skirt prepared beforehand.
The shirt was a begonia pink—a pale, white-leaning shade of pink—with deeper-colored accents at the collar and cuffs.
The skirt was a bluish-white gauzy dress with exquisite lotus flowers embroidered along the hem.
This outfit had a simple design and didn't appear striking from a distance, but the materials were of the highest quality. When Wei Rao was still, the long skirt draped softly; when she walked, it was ethereal and light, making her look like a lotus fairy stepping out of the mist—delicate, beautiful, and vibrant, deliberately softening the more intense colors of her features.
Holding a circular fan embroidered with a landscape of lakes and hills, she walked with graceful, lotus-like steps to Old Lady Wei’s side. Before she had even said a word, Old Lady Wei’s eyes crinkled with a smile: "Beautiful. Rao'er truly knows how to dress herself."
Today they were going to watch the dragon boat race, not to compete in beauty, but her granddaughter’s outfit was just right—not overly flashy, yet capable of outshining other young ladies by virtue of her natural beauty.
Having received her grandmother’s approval, Wei Rao smiled and sat to the side.
A moment later, Lady Guo arrived accompanied by Wei Chan. Wei Rao tilted her head to look and saw that Wei Chan was wearing a white skirt embroidered with colorful butterflies amidst flowers—a combination of elegance and vibrancy that was quite fitting. Wei Chan’s appearance resembled Lady Guo’s—an oval face with apricot-shaped eyes—and she wore a newly purchased pearl hairpin. In terms of beauty, among the four Wei girls, she only lost out to Wei Rao, which was why she always harbored a sense of jealous resentment toward her, asking herself why, if she was born, did Wei Rao have to be born too.
Old Lady Wei looked at Wei Chan and nodded: "Chan-jie'er looks beautiful as well."
Wei Chan’s expression brightened. Glancing at the inexpensive begonia silk flower in Wei Rao’s hair, she felt confident that she would garner more attention today.
After breakfast, Old Lady Wei took her two granddaughters and set off by carriage. When they arrived in front of the Imperial City, a line of carriages was already waiting.
Old Lady Wei sat composed and calm in the main seat of the carriage. Wei Rao was occupied with her own thoughts, while Wei Chan was a bit nervous, her ears pricked to catch any movement outside. However, in front of the gates of the Imperial City, even the imperial relatives dared not make a commotion; there was only the sound of carriage wheels rolling and the incessant clatter of horses' hooves.
After an unknown amount of time, palace attendants came to notify the women to dismount and led them to form a line to one side.
The maids remained behind. The Wei sisters walked side-by-side behind Old Lady Wei, lining up in a position in the middle-to-back section. Those ahead of them were imperial relatives, families with titles higher than the Earl of Chengan’s mansion, and the families of third-rank high officials.
There were two lines: the right side for the women, and a distance of about a yard away on the opposite side were the officials.
These were all people of status, and no one would dare to gawk around at such a time; only those in the back could covertly observe those slightly ahead.
Each mansion generally sent only one male official, while the women could bring two, so there were fewer men and more women in the lines.
On the male line parallel to Wei Rao’s, the teams participating in the dragon boat race were already forming up. There were six teams in total, wearing red, gold, white, black, purple, and blue uniforms. They were all elites selected from the Upper Four Armies, the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial City Guard—all tall, strong, and spirited.
Wei Rao had to be mindful of etiquette and could not look back, so she kept her head still and glanced toward the front left. The first man she saw in a red uniform was none other than Lu Zhuo.
Wei Rao raised her eyebrows slightly, then understood immediately.
The Upper Four Armies of the capital were the Flying Eagle Army, the Majestic Tiger Army, the Dragon Soar Army, and the Divine Martial Army. Each controlled fifty thousand elite imperial guards and jointly defended the capital. Their status within the imperial guard exceeded that of the garrisons stationed in various regions, and among them, the Divine Martial Army held the highest position, having been led by men of the Lu family as the main generals for decades.
The current commander of the Divine Martial Army was Lu Zhuo’s grandfather, the Old Duke Lu.
The Old Duke would certainly not participate in a competition for young people. Lu Zhuo had just returned from training at the frontier and was using this dragon boat race to make a name for himself.
Wei Rao did not recognize the soldiers in red behind Lu Zhuo. The man in gold at the lead of the team almost directly parallel to her must have been the leader of the Dragon Soar Army.
The Marquis of Xiting led the Dragon Soar Army, and his heir, Han Liao, was also in it. Could this person be Han Liao?
She could not clearly see the man’s face in her peripheral vision, and she had no intention of looking. After sweeping her gaze over Lu Zhuo’s tall, upright figure, Wei Rao continued to keep her eyes lowered and her mind focused.
The two lines began to enter the palace simultaneously.
Eunuchs and court ladies were checking everyone’s identities with rosters. The men’s line moved faster. By the time it was Old Lady Wei’s turn, the two teams led by Lu Zhuo and Han Liao had already entered. The team being checked alongside the Wei family was the participating team from the Majestic Tiger Army.
Wei Rao kept her eyes straight ahead, not noticing that almost all the men on the other side were looking at her.
Entering the palace, the men and women walked separate paths.
The Imperial Palace was divided into Eastern and Western Gardens. Most of the palaces were in the Eastern Garden, where the emperors resided and handled affairs of state. The Western Garden was a vast, misty imperial lake with lush green grass along the shore. In the center of the lake was an island named Qionghua Island. Today’s viewing location for the guests was situated on Qionghua Island. From the top of the island down, there were pavilions and towers of various sizes, where guests were assigned viewing spots based on rank from top to bottom.
Old Lady Wei and her two granddaughters were arranged along with five other families of women in "Yuezhao Pavilion"—the place where the moon could shine upon. The view was excellent; looking up, one could catch glimpses of Emperor Yuanjia and the Empress Dowager in the Star-Plucking Tower at the island’s peak, and looking down, one could see the situation on the lake, as well as the six teams neatly lined up on the shore, ready to go.
This was Wei Rao’s first time watching the palace’s dragon boat race. She examined the arrangements on the grass with great interest.
Old Lady Wei whispered an explanation to her little granddaughter: "The dragon boat race is not just about the boats; horsemanship and archery are also tested. Look, Rao'er, there are six teams, thirteen men in each. Everyone must ride a horse through those obstacles while completing archery. These two scores will determine the starting order of the dragon boats. After the dragon boats depart, they will circle Qionghua Island, then land on the island to see the Emperor and receive his rewards."
Wei Rao understood. Such an arrangement of the competition was linked to the glory of the Upper Four Armies, the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial City Guard; it was no wonder that even Lu Zhuo had to appear in person.
Just as Wei Rao finished understanding the schedule, a young palace maid in green suddenly walked toward Yuezhao Pavilion. Under the gaze of all the women, she walked straight to Wei Rao, lowered her eyes, and said: "Fourth Miss, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
Old Lady Wei’s expression changed slightly, and her hand under her wide sleeve clenched tightly.
Wei Rao, however, was not afraid. In full view of everyone, and in the presence of Emperor Yuanjia, what could the Empress Dowager do? Even if there were some sinister plot, Wei Rao was no longer the powerless little girl she had been back then.
Wei Rao smiled at her grandmother, followed the little maid out of the pavilion with poise and composure. That demeanor made the elder ladies in Yuezhao Pavilion nod one after another, feeling that this Fourth Miss of the Wei family was not as unbearable as rumors suggested.
Yuezhao Pavilion was not far from the Star-Plucking Tower. Wei Rao walked up the neat and clean stairs for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and they reached the tower.
The Star-Plucking Tower was an octagonal pavilion structure with no windows on all eight sides, offering a panoramic view of the imperial city.
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager sat in the main seats. To their left were the Empress and three consorts, and to their right were the Prince Duan and his wife, Prince Jing, and Prince Fu.
To Wei Rao, there was not a single unfamiliar face among those present; she had seen them all four years ago, not to mention her cousin, the Princess Consort of Duan.
The rules of the royal family were already well-known to her. Wei Rao wore a faint smile and bowed to the nobles one by one.
Four years ago in winter, Wei Rao had been dragged out of an ice hole, frozen pale, her lips purple. She had been rescued after a day, and when she left the palace, she still looked like a terrifying, half-dead soul. The Wei Rao of today, however, stood tall and graceful, beautiful as a spring flower, her manners flawless; the lake scenery behind her merely served as a backdrop for the beauty.
Emperor Yuanjia glanced at Wei Rao’s face. After granting her permission to rise, his gaze shifted back to the men of the Imperial Guard on the grass.
The Empress Dowager, draped in a wind-shielding shawl, watched Wei Rao—who appeared before her like a fresh, delicate peony about to bloom—and a flash of hatred crossed her sunken eyes.
Having schemed in the harem for decades, she had basically eliminated anyone who was an eyesore to her. Only Old Madame Shou’an, the younger Lady Zhou, and Wei Rao had escaped her plots time and time again. Old Madame Shou’an and the younger Lady Zhou were deep in their schemes, so escaping was a testament to their abilities, but Wei Rao—a girl with nothing but beauty—how had she not been harmed by those two assassins?
There had been no news from those sent out so far. Did they fail and flee, or had something unexpected happened?
The Empress Dowager couldn't fathom it.
She had called Wei Rao over to see if she could discern anything from her face, but the little vixen acted as if nothing had happened at all.
"Four years have passed; has your health improved, Rao'er?" the Empress Dowager asked with a smile, beckoning Wei Rao to her side.
Wei Rao said gratefully: "Thanks to your blessing, I am fully recovered."
The Empress Dowager took Wei Rao’s hand. Those small hands were fair and soft, as white as mutton-fat jade, without a single blemish. By comparison, the Empress Dowager’s own hands were bony, covered in wrinkles and dark spots.
The Empress Dowager pulled her hand back as if stung. Coughing, she said: "That is good. Once in the palace, you are a guest of the royal family. If any harm were to come to a guest, it would be a dereliction of duty for the Empress and myself."
Wei Rao hurriedly said she did not dare presume.
The Empress Dowager smiled and looked at her son, the Emperor: "Your Majesty, look. The young girl grows more and more like her mother. Speaking of which, Noble Lady Li has performed a great service in giving birth to a prince; she deserves to be rewarded. My health has been better in the last two years; why don't you have them return? Let me see my little imperial grandson as well."
Emperor Yuanjia did not seem to like this topic. His voice sank slightly as he said: "Mother’s health is precious and cannot tolerate any risk. Let them continue to stay at the imperial villa."
The Empress Dowager pursed her lips and looked at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao lowered her eyes obediently, neither rejoicing at the Empress Dowager’s words nor looking disappointed by Emperor Yuanjia’s rejection.
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes.