บท 160: A glimmer of hope
บรรณาธิการ: Translation Nation
Grand Princess Mansion
The Canton Princess was seated at the dressing table, and was concentrating on drawing her painting.
"Stop playing around Xiao Yun." The Canton Princess eyes were wide open. She knew that the young serving maid Xiao Yun enjoyed teasing her and playing with her. The Canton Princess extended a hand to push her away, without looking up.
The little Canton Princess pushed the person, and yet she didn’t budge. She then spoke irritably, "Aiya, I already guessed that it’s you, and you still wish to bother me. Be careful that I tell my mother about how you’ve been disturbing me, and you shall have to be spanked for that."
The little Canton Princess pushed her away harder this time. When she looked up, she noticed that it was her mother, the Grand Princess.
So her mother had come to tease and play with her. The Canton Princess was taken aback. She hurriedly bowed her head in reverence, "So your Excellency Mother is here!"
"You silly fellow, why would you greet your own mother with so much formalities?" The Grand Princess pressed a finger to her forehead and pushed gently.
"Mother, that hurts." The little Canton Princess pouted and clutched her forehead.
"You little silly, I didn’t even use much strength, why would you feel pain?" The Grand Princess pretended to be angry as she spoke.
"Mother I was only pulling your leg." The Canton Princess tugged on her mother’s arm as she spoke.
The Grand Princess looked at her daughter behaving so endearingly, and could not help but let out a laugh. She then looked over her daughter’s shoulder to see the drawing which she had been so conscientious about. She was drawing a pair of ducks frolicking lovingly in the pond, like a couple. Their necks were entwined lovingly.
When the Grand Princess saw the drawing, she let out a huge sigh, "You ah, you still haven’t managed to forget about him?"
As she spoke, her expression turned to one of sorrow. She had coaxed and advised her own daughter countless times, and yet it seemed like her heart had still been captivated by him.
"No mother, that’s not true. I was just drawing some ducks. You’re reading too much into this matter. Ever since that day he left on the boat, I haven’t thought of him at all. Why do you have to come and counsel me again?" The little Canton Princess brushed her aside.
"You are my flesh and blood. I raised you up myself since you were a tiny thing, do you not think I know you inside out?" The Grand Princess inched closer and grabbed her daughter’s face by the chin and spoke.
"Look at you, you’ve lost so much weight over the past couple of months. Just looking at you makes mother’s heart ache." The Grand Princess gazed into her daughter’s eyes as she spoke.
"Mother, stop teasing me." The Canton Princess was starting to feel upset again and hurriedly said to her mother.
"Recently, I’ve obtained a poem written by him." The Grand Princess retrieved a scroll from her robes.
"Mother, let me see!" Hearing this piece of information, the Canton Princess’s eyes lit up at once.
She eagerly reached out a hand and read the poem composed.
When she read the part ‘Suffering brings out tears in the vast sea, that under the moonlight glowed like pearls’, she started choking with tears, as if she was the subject of the poem. Tears started to well up within her eyes.
"All emotions have become memories, what could not will never be, forever gone are the old times."
"Did he write this to his childhood sweetheart? Does he mean he that he wished to break up with her?" The Canton Princess looked up at her mother and asked, her eyes were full of hope and expectation. The poem was describing how a pair of lovers had met their expiration date and could not longer see each other. It also expressed the sorrow of how they felt.
When the Grand Princess looked at her daughter, she spoke out, "I know what you’re feeling deep down, and I know what you’re thinking. But this poem wasn’t written for his lover. It was composed for the aunt of her lover. It’s been rumored that her aunt was an extremely picky person, and so Pei Zi Yun wrote this poem to antagonize her."
"Hm, he’s such a good person, what reason does she have to be picky?" When the Canton Princess heard this, she broke free from her mother’s embrace and stood up. Her expression was somewhat unstable.
"Didn’t you say you’ve forgotten him? Your tongue is loose, and just a little prodding, and you’ve revealed everything." The Grand Princess spoke out, she was frowning. Her own daughter had only met this person a few times, and yet her feelings for him ran deep. How could this ever be something good?
"Mother what happened after that? Tell me." The Canton Princess started pushing her mother’s hips in endearment.
"Soon after, the aunt of his lover permitted them to be together, and stopped picking on him."
"When the Emperor heard about this matter, he remained speechless for a long time." When the Canton Princess heard this, she burst out in a fit of giggles.
She remained giggling for some time before regaining her composure. Looking into her mother’s eyes, she asked, "Mother, are you here today to tease me? You have never agreed to help me whenever I wanted to find out more about him. Why have you told me this piece of news today? Are you trying to make me stop thinking about him?"
"You’re getting thinner everyday. And my heart is aching for you." The Grand Princess pulled the Canton Princess into her embrace, "He has someone whom he loves, and he has his own life. You have never really made an impression on him. No matter how much you think of him, he wouldn’t ever know of it anyway."
"Mother, stop speaking. You’re making me extremely upset." The Canton Princess started weeping, and couldn’t hold back the tears that streamed down her face. It could be because she hasn’t slept properly in a long while, or it could also be that this piece of news brought her a great sense of happiness for him, and yet was a sad piece of news for her. She cried for some time before eventually falling asleep.
Seeing her daughter asleep in her arms, the Grand Princess and the old serving maid gently placed her atop a bed.
"The next few days, I want you to prepare some nourishing and replenishing food for her. And talk to her more, spend more time with her, do you hear me?" The Grand Princess started shouting loudly, her face was extremely fierce as she spoke to the serving maids.
"Yes, your Highness Grand Princess." The serving maids fell to the ground and started trembling after they had responded.
Within the room, the Canton Princess opened her eyes, She then stood up and retrieved the drawing of Pei Zi Yun which she had drawn some days back. She looked at his face, as her eyes welled up with tears. She was not careful, and allowed a teardrop to stain her painting, and blurred the contours of his face. When she saw this, she starting weeping silently.
When the Grand Princess turned around the corner, she was holding a letter, which she handed over to the female official beside her. "Hand this poem over to Count Zhong Qing, let him read it and see what he thinks and says."
"Yes, your Highness Grand Princess." The female official received the poem and turned around towards the Count’s mansion to deliver it.
"Grand Princess, why did you have to bring up the matter once more? The Canton Princess was already heartbroken. To be so upset for so long is extremely bad on her health." The old serving maid who was following the Grand Princess asked.
The Canton Princess had been raised by this old serving maid. Before the Emperor had rebelled to take over the entire dynasty, they had been familiar neighbours. She had a deep attachment toward this family. At this point, seeing how the Canton Princess was often so upset, she was worried and sad too.
When the Grand Princess heard this, a look of pity and helplessness flickered past her eyes. "Temporary pain is better than long term pain. Although it was good for Pei Zi Yun that the Crown Prince wishes to bestow him with a title, this might not necessarily be a good thing for Pei Zi Yun. It seems like this person is doomed. When the day comes and my daughter hears the news, I wouldn’t know how to break it to her. At this point, if I can get her to give up her hopes, it would be better for everyone in the future."
"If Pei Zi Yun ends up surviving this time until the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, he would be greatly rewarded for his work and might receive an official title. Then, they might end up together."
"For better or for worse, she has to get rid of her feelings for him."
"Ai, as for the affairs of the royal household, so what if you know of it? There’s nothing anyone can do about it. Do not speak of this." The Grand Princess sighed before walking off.
"Yes, your Highness Grand Princess, this old subject understands." The old serving maid responded.
Count Zhong Qing’s Mansion
"Is Count Zhong Qing in?" The woman official got off outside the mansion and asked.
"You are?" The gates of the mansion opened and a man stepped out and bowed.
"I am a woman official belonging to the Grand Princess’s mansion. She had ordered me to deliver this here." The woman official showed the tile which was hanging from her waist before handing the letter over. The man hurriedly checked the tile to see if it was authentic before receiving the letter and delivering it in.
Within the Count’s mansion, the faint sound of someone playing the flute could be heard. This person seemed to know of the Count’s exact location. He hurriedly ran past the garden and through the spiralled corridors. When he looked across, he saw a water pavilion which had white marble tiles on it. Under the huge willow tree was a stone table and bench.
"Master Count, a woman official from the Grand Princess’s mansion delivered this letter." The man stepped forward and handed the letter over.
The Count who was feeding the goldfishes in the pond looked up, his eyebrows were raised. He then asked curiously, "Isn’t the Grand Princess doing fine, why has she sent a letter?"
Count Zhong Qin received the letter and read it once.
"Coincidentally, this zither has fifty strings, each string, each fret reminds me of a year that has gone by."
He then read the entire poem once more. Count Zhong Qin whose eyebrows were raised seem to be critiquing the poem. When he finished the poem, he read the words written enclosed on top, which said that this poem had been written by Pei Zi Yun. He had composed this after the Sect Leader of True Element Sect caused him so problems. When finished writing, he sighed, "Each string each fret reminds me of a year that had gone by. There hasn’t been a single day which I don’t think of what happened between us. Indeed, I’ve let Su Yue down."
These words were strange and caused the man to be confused.
"Master? Did the Grand Princess write something important? You seem somewhat troubled?" The butler asked after seeing his master react so strangely to this matter.
"It’s nothing much. Just that the Grand Princess sent this poem over, and caused me some grief after reading this." Count Zhong Qin answered after hearing the question.
"Master Count, who wrote the poem? Just listening to you read it out made me realize how impressive it was. Won’t master Count give it some critique?" The butler tried to make some small talk.
"There’s no need." Count Zhong Qin replied this way, his tone was final and clear. When the butler heard this, he still felt strange about the whole matter. On a normal day his master Count enjoyed reading poems. Of late, a scholar named Pei Zi Yun had been composing fantastic poems, which his master had been collecting and reading. Why had he reacted this way after reading the poem?
The butler stood at his side, somewhat worried, and yet didn’t dare to ask further.
'King Lu is enraged. He had sent a special group of highly trained soldiers after him. This man is a dead man walking. There’s no need to critique his poem. Although I wonder what’s the intention of the Grand Princess for sending this poem to me?' Count Zhong Qin thought to himself.
'Could it be as simple as to make fun as me?'
'Hang on, unless the Grand Princess still harbours a glimmer of hope? Could it be that she feels Pei Zi Yun stands a chance against King Lu, and is able to hold out and survive until the Crown Prince ascends to his throne?'
Count Zhong Qin had a sudden inspiration, as thoughts came into his head. He then burst out in laughter. He was a Count of the country and thus knew a great deal about military and war affairs. Under such a circumstance, when King Lu has sent out an order to kill Pei Zi Yun, nobody would stand in his way. Not the Emperor, not the Crown Prince, not the Grand Princess. Truly nobody would stop him. It didn’t matter if Pei Zi Yun’s poems had reached such a high reputation.
Pei Zi Yun’s only hope would be to avoid being killed in this chaos, and wait for the Crown Prince to ascend to his throne. Only then would the Crown Prince reward him handsomely and hand him an official title. When that happens, she could then allow her daughter to marry him. It was somewhat strange?
No, this is what politics was all about.
'The Grand Princess is after all a woman, and she still harbors a glimmer of hope for her daughter. She is soft-hearted when it comes to her daughter.'
'However if Pei Zi Yun truly does survive, what will my own recommendation matter? He would still obtain favors from the Grand Princess, the Crown Prince, the Royal Concubine, and even the Emperor’s grandson.'
'If that’s the case, you should struggle and do your best to survive!'
As Count Zhong Qin remained deep in thought, he tossed the letter into the pond. The goldfishes in the pond assumed that it was some food and all gathered around, tearing pieces of the paper. Soon after, the entire piece sank deep into the pond.
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