Chapter Sixty-Six: The Elder Princess

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Elder Princess

Fan Xueyao, having consumed the hangover soup in a timely manner and after a thorough bath and grooming before going to bed, woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated. After breakfast and a period of digestion, she noticed a pot of jade hairpin flowers in the courtyard, their icy elegance and snow-like purity complemented by the delicate green leaves that resembled a wispy cloud, an indescribable charm. The flowers were in full bloom, and on impulse, she had them brought into the hall.

The leaves of the jade hairpin plant are delicately emerald green, and its buds resemble hairpins, white as jade, with a pleasant fragrance. Although the flowers are small and lack flamboyance, their elegance is extremely beloved by women.

Pluck a blossom and tuck it into the coiffure; the pure white flower against the dark cloud-like hairdo brings forth an air of elegance and tranquility.

Fan Xueyao, on a sudden whim, spread out her drawing paper and began to paint.

In the rock garden, amidst the verdant grass, a cluster of jade-like white flowers bloom, half-opened in their buds. Their greenness is so vivid it seems to drip, and their coolness is palpable. Delicate and luminous, they rise from the soil untarnished. The sense of elegance and purity they exude is as if magical, capable of piercing through the canvas and touching the soul.

The painted screen didn't understand poetry or painting; even the few characters she recognized were taught by Fan Xueyao. However, upon seeing the scene in the painting, she felt a fondness for it and praised it repeatedly.

Fan Xueyao finished painting the last emerald leaf, pondered for a moment, rolled up her sleeves, and inscribed on the blank space at the lower left of the painting:

Fairies of the Jade Pond feast on flowing rosy clouds, in their drunkenness a forgotten hairpin turns into a flower.

A thousand measures of rich fragrance, like the musk of the mountain deer, drift with the wind and fall to your home.

Examine the entire scroll of poetry and painting, nod slightly, very satisfied. "Bring me my seal."

She would usually burn any casual writings or drawings she made, but she was very pleased with this one. When she painted something that satisfied her, she wanted to keep it, to preserve it well, so that in the future she could look back on her own literary grace from the past, which would be quite interesting.

Hua Ping originally thought that this painting should be burned again and felt a bit regretful. Upon hearing Fan Xueyao say that she wanted to keep the print, she knew that the painting would no longer be burned, and immediately laughed with joy, hastily asking Beads to fetch the seal.

Dipping into the red clay, she stamped her seal, and Fan Xueyao picked up the painting to admire it closely. As for the pot of jade hairpin flowers, recalling that Hua Ping liked them, she said, "Take this flower out, it's blooming beautifully, and you may pick two to wear."

The painted screen was brimming with joy, exclaiming, "Thank you, madam, for your generous gift!" As she carried the flower pot outside the hall, she contemplated which bloom was the most beautiful and how it would look when adorned upon her head.

The fresh jade-like orchids are universally adored, and it's currently fashionable to wear them. Not just women, but even men are donning these flowers. A group of young girls huddle together, each vying to ask for a blossom from the painted screen to adorn themselves with.

Fan Xueyao had her painting framed but did not show it to Chu Nan to flaunt her talent. Painting was not her forte; she only dabbled in it occasionally to cultivate her sentiments and for the sheer pleasure of it. To parade it around would be to fall into the common place.

Thus, the painting, once framed, was always kept in the study, and it was only after a long time that Chu Nan discovered it by accident. After looking at the painting and carefully savoring the poem, he was deeply impressed by the simplicity and freshness of the poetry and painting, as well as their exquisite and vivid expression, and he could not help but admire them. Later, Fan Xueyao gained the nickname of a little talented woman at Chu Nan's place, and he would sometimes jokingly but also seriously call her like that, and she, in turn, felt that she deserved it.

She, a person who has endured thirty years of rigid education in the twenty-first century, how could she possibly integrate the ancient methods of poetry and lyric composition without a bit of talent, no matter how hard she studied? As for this, mind-reading won't be of any help to her.

Watching her son grow day by day, Fan Xueyao remembered how he used to struggle with a flushed face just to lift his hand to chase a colorful ball while lying in bed. Now, he could take a few steps on the ground with her support. Having never been a mother before, she now found herself overwhelmed with maternal affection that she couldn't express enough, sometimes feeling that even planting fierce kisses on her son's soft cheeks wasn't sufficient.

No wonder they always say love is so intense that one would want to swallow it whole and blend it into one's flesh; it truly is a vivid description.

Chu Nan couldn't stand the way she was always clinging to their son, so he had the wet nurse take the boy away. As soon as they were alone, he immediately approached her and said sourly, "Xu'er is with you all the time, every hour of the day. You should be satisfied by now. I've finally come, and you're still talking about Xu'er all the time."

Fan Xueyao chided him, "One can never tire of looking at their children, and it's not that I didn't invite you. You simply chose not to come." It had been five days since Chu Nan's last visit, and she wasn't in her menstrual period, which was indeed unusual. Had she not known that he hadn't summoned anyone else to his bed during the days he hadn't come to her, she might have started to worry.

Upon hearing this, Chu Nan quickly embraced her and earnestly explained, "I've been swamped with affairs lately, busy from dawn till dusk, and haven't had a moment to spare to visit you. As soon as I had a bit of free time, I came straight to you."

"Really?" Fan Xueyao asked doubtfully.

"Really, I've been so busy these past few days that I can't even remember what I've eaten. Look, have I lost weight?" If there was anything that had been bothering him lately, it was not seeing her. Second to that, the food from the Imperial Kitchen wasn't as good as hers, and he found it hard to swallow.

"Hmm..."

Fan Xueyao cupped his face and looked at him from all angles, nodding in a mix of seriousness and jest. "You have lost some weight. I'll have the kitchen prepare something delicious for you to regain your strength. It's autumn now, time to nourish yourself."

"The lotus root we've been getting recently is quite tender and tasty. How about a lotus root and pork rib soup?" Fan Xueyao thought about the various dishes suitable for autumn and suggested.

"Sure, I've been feeling a bit overheated lately. Something cooling would be good."

"Then let's have a cold mixed eggplant dish. We won't be able to eat eggplant much longer, so we should enjoy it while it's still available." Thinking of cooling dishes, Fan Xueyao remembered eggplant. Normally, eggplant is best with chili or fried into stuffed eggplant rolls, but without chili, a cold mixed eggplant dish would also be nice.

"Now that crabs are in season, crab meat and winter melon ball soup sounds good too." Fan Xueyao took a sip of tea and put down her teacup, asking Huaping, "Do we have any crabs in the palace?"

Huaping replied, "The kitchen has eight pairs."

"Then use two male crabs for the crab meat and winter melon ball soup, and two female ones for the three-grain crab congee. Remember to remove the ginger after sautéing." Fan Xueyao instructed, knowing Chu Nan shared her taste—dishes could contain ginger, but he didn't like eating it outright, except in dumplings and wontons.

"Yes."

After giving a few more instructions, Fan Xueyao paused and then resumed talking with Chu Nan.

Starting with their daily routines and warmth, the conversation naturally turned to Chu Nan's recent work. If it were state affairs, Fan Xueyao would normally be cautious, but she observed that Chu Nan seemed willing to discuss it.

So, Fan Xueyao demonstrated her understanding nature, showing concern and softly asked, "It seems you're troubled. Is there something on your mind?"

Chu Nan did not answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "It's about Jinping."

Hearing this unfamiliar name, Fan Xueyao was taken aback.

Empress Dowager Wei raised two daughters and one son. Jinping was her eldest daughter and Chu Nan's full sister. Jinping had been married for many years and moved to Shu with her husband when she was still young, so Fan Xueyao hadn't heard much about her since then.

Still, as the emperor's full sister, her status was naturally high.

"What happened to Princess Jinping?"

Fan Xueyao was surprised. "As far as I know, Princess Jinping went to Shu with her consort over ten years ago. I've heard she is gentle and never causes trouble. Could it be her consort...?"

She had a reason for asking. After all, although princesses held a high status, they had no real power in the current dynasty, unlike in previous dynasties. With the prevalence of Confucian teachings, even a princess would face criticism if she frequently ventured outside.

This "matter" shouldn't involve Princess Jinping.

Chu Nan sighed and began, "It's about Jinping and her consort. Jinping has always been gentle and obedient, and because the empress is unwell, she only sends good news from the palace. Her marriage to Xiao Shi was arranged by the late emperor, and things have been peaceful for years. I thought, given her status as a princess, everything would go smoothly even in the distant Xiao clan in Shu. But Xiao Shi keeps beautiful concubines and openly flirts with them in front of the princess, behaving shamelessly. The concubines often offend Jinping, causing her distress and illness. Now, her wet nurse has written to inform me of this."

Fan Xueyao was stunned by this revelation.

In the current era, Neo-Confucianism strictly governed women's behavior, guiding them with virtue and restricting them with propriety. As a royal woman, a princess was subject to even stricter rules.

To prevent the chaos of previous dynasties, princesses were forbidden from interfering in politics. Not only were they barred from political involvement, but their consorts were only granted honorary titles without actual power. Even their children were similarly restricted. Officials were prohibited from privately visiting the princess's residence, and even the consort's associations with officials were illegal. As the saying goes, "There is a ban on guests at home, and no way to associate with scholars."

It has long been said that the current princess is very rule-bound and turns a blind eye to her consort's scandalous affairs. Being a consort means having no future in politics, yet those who become consorts are usually from noble families and have bright prospects ahead. For ancient men, the termination of their political careers is indeed a humiliating matter, and it’s only natural for them to indulge in excesses out of resentment. However, such an arrogant consort is quite rare.

This Jinping is too naive. No matter how prevalent Neo-Confucianism is, can it surpass the current emperor? Neo-Confucianism thrives only because the emperor upholds it. As long as the emperor supports her, what does a consort matter? There have been remarried princesses in our dynasty!

While shocked, Fan Xueyao didn’t forget to probe Chu Nan’s thoughts.

Naturally, Chu Nan would side with his own sister on this matter. But the difficulty lies in the prevailing national customs. This Xiao Shi makes it hard for him to handle. Other royal women also live like this, surrounded by beautiful concubines and maids. If Chu Nan were to deal with it strictly, he might appear too harsh, leading others to think he is biased.

But if he doesn’t deal with Xiao Shi, not only will it be hard for Princess Jinping to accept, but he himself won’t be able to swallow this indignity.

Fan Xueyao pondered slowly. In fact, this matter isn’t difficult to handle. It is, after all, a family affair. If the consort is unvirtuous and allows a concubine to offend the princess, causing her distress and illness, then dealing with it would be justified. The ministers wouldn’t say much. A princess and her consort, though husband and wife, are also ruler and subject. The relationship between ruler and subject supersedes that of husband and wife. As long as Chu Nan acts based on this principle, he will stand firm.

However, dealing with Xiao Shi is for Princess Jinping’s sake. If Princess Jinping is weak and clings to traditional virtues, willing to suffer silently, then Chu Nan’s strict punishment of Xiao Shi would make him look bad. Therefore, the key to handling this matter lies in Princess Jinping’s attitude.

“I wonder if Princess Jinping knew about the letter from her wet nurse?” Fan Xueyao asked after some thought.

Chu Nan replied, “She must have known. One of Jinping’s guards personally delivered Wang’s accusation.” Wang was Princess Jinping’s wet nurse.

In that case, this accusation must have at least had Jinping’s tacit approval. Fan Xueyao nodded slightly, feeling more assured.

Just as she was about to speak, another thought suddenly came to mind.