Chapter 205: Empress Dong
The heat of June was oppressive.
The Grand Princess invited Madam Wen to the mountains to escape the summer heat.
On this day, Madam Wen was washing the Princess’s hair under the maple tree in the courtyard. By chance, the fragrant bean flour was insufficient, so she asked Sang Er to fetch some.
“I like it when you wash my hair,” the Grand Princess said, lying there with her eyes slightly closed. “Yuhú and the others, they can’t help but pull out any white hairs they see when they wash my hair. I tell them, what’s the point? Everyone gets old.”
“Your Highness is in the prime of your life; I haven’t seen any white hairs on you yet,” Madam Wen said as she combed her hair.
“Of course there are, and there will only be more. Life is but a season for a plant, a year for a blade of grass. Thinking about it now, how many people can live longer than plants?
Take this tree, for instance. It’s two to three hundred years old. Who knows how many people have walked beneath it, and what became of them in the end? Weren’t they all subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death, generation after generation?”
“Yes, when I was young, I read poetry that said life is like morning dew. I thought it was an exaggeration then. No matter how short life is, how could it be like morning dew that dries up at sunrise? But now, I think ten or twenty years pass in the blink of an eye,” Madam Wen couldn’t help but sigh.
“You mentioned yesterday that you were preparing to go to the palace. Do you want me to introduce you, or the Princess Consort Zhao?” Perhaps the topic was too somber, and the Grand Princess didn’t want to continue.
“A while ago, at Prince Zhao’s Mansion, the Princess Consort Zhao hinted at something,” Madam Wen said. “Your Highness’s introduction would naturally carry more weight than the Princess Consort Zhao’s, but I thought it would be better for her to speak first, to avoid implicating Your Highness.”
“You don’t need to have any reservations because of me. Wu Chou spoke to me about you and repeatedly begged me to lend you my assistance.
What you are undertaking is by no means easy, and he is not in the capital city. Furthermore, it concerns the imperial bloodline. Although I live in seclusion, it’s only because I don’t want to get involved in useless trivialities. For matters of such importance, I naturally won’t stand idly by,” the Grand Princess said.
“I understand Your Highness’s intentions. Since that’s the case, why don’t you tell me about the Empress, so I can be prepared in advance?”
“Dong Xiangning. Her father, Grand Tutor Dong, wielded immense power in court, twice deposing emperors. People compare him to Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty. You must know this, so I won’t elaborate.
Although Dong Xiangning is a woman, she possesses a disposition akin to a man. At the beginning of His Majesty’s reign, she indeed contributed significantly.
However, she was perhaps too autocratic, being the sole authority in the Imperial Harem and even extending her influence to the court.
She has a fondness for sweets, especially preserves, which she always keeps close.
She enjoys listening to plays, with her favorite being the 《Embroidered Mandarin Ducks》. The court musician Fan Wenzhao is greatly favored by her.
She does not drink alcohol but enjoys fermented rice. Her favorite color is crimson, and her preferred clothing pattern is phoenixes dancing among peonies.
She dislikes studying and is mediocre in literature, detesting pedantry.
Furthermore, she is extremely intolerant of heat and often seeks coolness during the summer.
There is also another peculiar ailment she suffers from, which is a strong aversion to long fingernails. You must pay attention to all these details.
Initially, she and His Majesty had a harmonious relationship, and His Majesty greatly respected her. If she had known when to advance and when to retreat, the subsequent rift would not have occurred.
Later, Consort Shen entered the palace. Their personalities were vastly different. Consort Shen was naturally respectful towards her, never daring to compete with her, and even never wearing the same color clothes as her.
It was precisely because of her low-key and gentle demeanor that the Empress tolerated her.
However, being tolerated for a time does not mean forever. She was inherently a person of exceptional quality; no matter how low-key and reserved she was, her outstanding qualities would eventually surface.
One year, a plague broke out in the palace, causing widespread fear. Only Consort Shen remained calm and composed. She not only personally attended to His Majesty’s sickbed but also worked with the Imperial Physicians to develop an effective prescription to curb the plague.
This quickly brought the epidemic in the palace under control, a great service for which His Majesty valued her even more, bestowing upon her the title of Consort.
But in this world, fortune and misfortune are always intertwined. The Empress began to resent her because of this incident.
When Consort Shen later became pregnant, she became an even greater thorn in the Empress’s side.”
“I have noted everything Your Highness has said,” Madam Wen replied. “The saying goes, cater to their likes and avoid their dislikes. Especially with someone of her esteemed status, I cannot afford a single mistake when I meet her.”
“Knowing oneself and the enemy always leads to better outcomes. I also heard that in recent years she has developed a recurring ailment, frequent headaches, and unstable thoughts. When I visited the palace in the first lunar month this year, I noticed she seemed somewhat gaunt. She dislikes bitter medicine; the prescriptions from the Imperial Hospital, she can only take for three days at most.”
“This is similar to the Princess Consort Zhao; neither of them likes bitter medicine,” Madam Wen couldn’t help but smile.
“However, they also have their differences. The Empress is not particularly concerned with beauty. She doesn’t strive as hard as the Princess Consort Zhao to maintain her youthful appearance, so you must think about what will impress her,” the Grand Princess advised.
At this moment, Sang Er brought the fragrant bean flour, and Madam Wen, along with her, carefully washed the Grand Princess’s hair.
“Oh, right. I heard that the Old Madam of the Gong Family passed away and was buried with the sutras you wrote with your own blood. That item is extremely rare; I’m amazed you managed to write it,” the Grand Princess remarked.
“When the Old Madam was alive, she mentioned more than once to the First Madam that she wanted those sutras to be buried with her after her death. Although her passing was sudden, her family will surely honor her wishes,” Madam Wen said. “It took me five to six years to write those sutras. At the time, I thought that if I were to return to the Gong Family, I would need her approval, and I needed something to impress her.”
“These scars on your arm must be from writing the sutras, I presume?” the Grand Princess said, looking at her arm where her sleeve was rolled up.
“Yes, and also to remind myself not to be complacent,” Madam Wen replied. “It’s a pity that I still haven’t even entered the palace gates.”
“It is already remarkable that you have come this far. Things in the world are often like this. Take seeds, for example. You see no movement in the soil, but once they break through the earth and see the sun, they change day by day.”
“Thank you for your auspicious words, Your Highness. I hope I can also break through soon,” Madam Wen said, carefully drying the Princess’s hair several times with a large towel until it no longer dripped.
“Madam Wen, someone from Prince Zhao’s Mansion just delivered an invitation,” Cui Zhen said, walking over with an invitation in hand.
“Thank you, Aunt,” Madam Wen said, accepting it with both hands. “The Princess Consort Zhao has invited me to her mansion the day after tomorrow.”
“Then you should go,” the Grand Princess said. “The Empress places great importance on family ties. The Princess Consort Zhao is her biological younger sister. Although she was raised by another family from a young age, she has treated Prince Zhao and his wife very generously over the years. If you maintain a good relationship with the Princess Consort Zhao, you won’t have trouble meeting the Empress.”
