T/N: I changed Anping Princess to Princess Anping. This has also been changed in the previous chapters. Sorry I keep making little changes but as I translate more I realize certain things don"t work… Enjoy the chapter ^^
The Red Fades, the Fragrance Disappears; Who Will Pity It (6)
"Beloved subject doesn"t know?" The emperor looked at Liang Shao with surprise. "Princess Anping also found a husband. Zhen already bestowed a marriage for her two months ago."
The emperor looked pitying on behalf of Liang Shao, sighing and shaking his head: "Two months ago, Young Master Xie came into the palace to ask the empress for Xi Wen"s hand in marriage. Zhen sees Xie Fei has an unusually elegant manner, and is extremely suitable for Anping. Thus, zhen wrote an imperial edict for these two people."
"What!" Liang Shao cried out in alarm, looking at the emperor in complete disbelief.
Chen Bing"er, following behind Liang Shao with her head lowered, un.o.btrusively started to laugh. If Princess Anping had already been promised to another person, then Liang Shao was completely hers. There wouldn"t be Princess Anping, whose life, status, and behavior and appearance were all above her, pressing down on her head. There also wouldn"t be the imprisonment Liang Shao spoke of. She was very satisfied with this kind of outcome.
Seeing Liang Shao"s greatly changing expression, the emperor"s mood became much better without reason. He looked at the girl behind Liang Shao and decided to add fuel to the fire. He said soothingly, "Beloved subject Liang, don"t get too worked up. Zhen knows you greatly admired Anping, coming to propose time and time again before you left for battle. Seeing beloved subject so infatuated, zhen originally wanted to wait for you to return in triumph to bestow a marriage. Too bad you disappeared on the way back.
"But today beloved subject has also found a beautiful woman. Although she"s not as bright and beautiful as Anping, she"s still a delicate and pleasant person. Adding on that she is also the benefactor who saved your life, zhen thinks beloved subject must also be completely satisfied. This really is to everyone"s delight and satisfaction." The emperor raised his eyebrows, sighing and smiling with emotion.
As soon as the emperor smiled, the crowd also began to smile: "Exactly! Congratulations to the emperor"s perfect son-in-law, congratulations to General Liang Shao bringing a beauty back."
Congratulatory smiles came from four corners, but in Liang Shao"s ears, each word and each phrase was a taunt. They were jeering that he had eyes and didn"t recognize gold inlaid with jade, jeering that he threw away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed, jeering that…
"It— it"s not like this…" Liang Shao looked everywhere, his expression confused. The familiar faces were all filled with sneering expressions. He stammered lowly. He had already completely forgotten Chen Bing"er and forgotten what he said earlier; he only knew his unwillingness and embarra.s.sment. He followed the little voice in his heart and shouted, "Your Majesty! You obviously already bestowed a marriage upon this subject and Princess Anping, how could you betroth her to someone else?
"Everyone says the emperor has a golden mouth and pearly words that carry great weight. The words you say, how can you change them just because you said to change them? Wouldn"t this be the biggest joke in the world? In the future how can the thousands of common people believe the words you say!" Liang Shao became more and more impa.s.sioned as he spoke. In the end he was shouting, out of control.
The crowd was taken aback. Sure enough, this was a countryside boor who had the bravery to say anything. Luckily the emperor hadn"t betrothed his daughter to him, or how she died n.o.body would know.
Everyone looked at Liang Shao curiously. n.o.body noticed Chen Bing"er"s stiff figure standing at the side. Hidden in her sleeves, two hands were tightly clenched into fists, nails sinking deep into her palms. Blood seeped out faintly.
Hearing Liang Shao"s words, the emperor"s face became ashen. Staring sharply at Liang Shao, he grabbed the fruit tray on the table and forcefully smashed it towards him: "Why zhen withdrew the original edict to switch to a betrothal with Xie Fei, shouldn"t zhen be asking you? It was you, Liang Shao, who disappeared, causing Anping to suffer so much humiliation. Today, although you returned in good condition, you neglected the betrothal and privately chose a wife, not putting zhen"s imperial edict in your eyes in the slightest. Zhen not taking you in to ask for clarification is already giving a favor.
"Even going as far as saying zhen makes frequent and unpredictable changes in his words! Just who is it who is absolutely wild, disregarding the law and the heavens!"
Under the emperor"s bellowing, Liang Shao"s sense returned. His face immediately turned deathly white, forehead dripping with cold sweat. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but his mind was a blank slate, unable to think of anything.
Xie Fei watched from his seat a distance away, but his face showed a sliver of imperceptible laughter, but it was an illusion. Liang Shao was deeply involved; looking at it this way, this person"s mind was very fragile.
But that was also clear. Otherwise this person wouldn"t become arrogant to the point of complacence with the slightest success, wouldn"t think he loved Xi Wen because her beauty, wouldn"t fall deep in love with Chen Bing"er because of her unqualified seduction.
A perfectly good banquet was turned into a farce. The emperor, ashamed into anger, commanded: "Liang Shao was disrespectful in this hall. Have people come to detain him, wait until later to deal with him!"
When everything was quiet, the emperor already had no heart to continue the banquet. He turned to the empress and said, "Zhen will trouble the empress to host the banquet, zhen will take leave first."
Today, seeing a great show, the crowd"s energy was still very high. The empress once again arranged songs and dances, and before long, the great hall returned to a lively atmosphere.
Tang You and the others came up to Xie Fei"s side, laughingly discussing the farce from earlier. Xie Fei instead saw Xi Wen"s silhouette quietly leaving the banquet. He thought for a moment, and also quietly got up to follow.
From the side entrance of the great hall was a long, winding corridor. On both sides were lush trees. Not far from it was an octagonal pavilion erected in the middle of a lake.
The sky had already become dark, the moon hanging high in the night sky. Hanging around the pavilion were exquisite little lanterns. The warm candlelight pa.s.sed through the thin paper walls, spilling onto the lake"s surface. Placed on the stairs were pots of fresh and colorful tree peonies.
Xi Wen, face pale, sat alone on the stairs, two arms crossed over her chest and hugging her shoulders. Her forehead slightly lowered, chin resting on her fair arms, her emaciated shoulders shaking, she sobbed quietly.
Xie Fei silently walked into the pavilion, silent for a moment. He felt for a handkerchief from his sleeve and pa.s.sed it over.
A hand holding a silk handkerchief suddenly appeared in her misty view, its fingertips long and slender, joints prominent.
Following this hand, Xi Wen raised her head to look at the person who had appeared. This person wore a gold-threaded simple white robe, his plentiful appearance handsome and bright, brow gentle. She realized with astonishment that it was the banquet"s shockingly handsome Young Master Xie, Xie Fei.
Xi Wen gave a start, dumbfounded until she even forgot to cry, curled eyelashes sparkling with teardrops, her bright pupils dense with mist and eyes slightly reddened.
Xie Fei indescribably thought of the jade rabbit ornament in his breast. His eyes darkened. The hand holding the silk handkerchief reached out to Xi Wen again.
Xi Wen hesitated for a second, reaching out to take the handkerchief. She said in a quiet voice, "Many thanks to Young Master."
Xie Fei silently nodded, slowly climbing up the stairs, gently walking into the pavilion.
After Xi Wen finished wiping her tears with the handkerchief, she looked at Xie Fei with some hesitation. In that moment, she didn"t know whether she should follow him inside, or if she should return the handkerchief to him.
In this instant of difficulty, Xie Fei had already sat at the table and started to drink fine wine. She didn"t know where the wine came from. She also couldn"t remember if Xie Fei had brought the wine earlier.
As though he had detected her gaze, Xie Fei looked at her. His voice indifferent, just like his personality: "Want to drink wine?"
Xi Wen"s eyes shone, about to agree. But in the next moment, she lowered her eyes, shaking her head, voice quiet: "No thank you, my body isn"t suitable to drink wine."
She said this, but her longing expression didn"t match her words. The handkerchief in her hands was squeezed until it wrinkled. Clearly her internal feelings were completely longing.
"This wine is medicinal liquor, it will do no harm to your body." As he spoke, Xie Fei took another tea cup from the plate, pouring a cup of medicinal liquor. He pointed his chin towards it, indifferently saying, "Have a taste."
She hesitated for a second. In the end, unable to resist, Xi Wen walked to the table and sat, carefully taking the teacup and smelling it.
"So fragrant!" she praised. "But, this medicinal liquor, how does it have a little flowery, fruity scent?" Xi Wen said, puzzled.
"Flowers and fruit, both are originally types of medicinal ingredients. What"s strange about it?" Xie Fei said carelessly.
Xi Wen understandingly nodded, holding the tea cup and taking tiny sips. So sweet, with a hint of sourness mixed. The flowery and fruity taste lingered on the tongue, the fragrance filled her person. With a gulp, all four limbs and hundred bones had a kind of warmth.
"Really— really good." Xi Wen praised, her eyes sparkling at Xie Fei, unable to restrain her emotions.
"Is it?" Xie Fei said. "If you like it, then drink some more. This wine has benefits for you."
"En!" Xi Wen smiled beautifully, eyes curling up into moons, taking obedient sips from the teacup like a child.
Xie Fei smiled, turning to look towards the indistinct light shining on the lake"s surface and falling into a daze.
Not long later, Xi Wen delicate, soft voice sounded resentfully: "Why… why is there no wine? Where"s the wine?"
Xie Fie started, turning and seeing the wine jar on the table had been knocked over on the tabletop. The wine jar was empty. Xi Wen was currently half sprawled on top of the table, elbow propping up her body, holding his half-empty tea cup.
"You"re drunk." Xie Fei leaned forward to take the tea cup, one arm holding her waist to support her into a proper sitting position.
Xi Wen quirked the corner of her lip, body slanting, taking advantage to press against Xie Fei, half-lidded eyes looking afar. She quietly said, "I"m not drunk, I know what I"m doing…"
Xie Fei slanted his eyes to stare at her. Her white cheeks were lightly flushed, pink lips even carried little drops of wine, corner of her mouth slightly smiling, but her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, obviously hiding some worry.
"Are you very sad? Sad to the point of using wine to dispel your worries?" Xie Fei quietly asked, sighing
"Sad?" Xi Wen lifted her head and thought, hazy eyes darting towards Xie Fei. A long time later, she shook her head. "En, en~ I"m just a little confused."
As she spoke, Xi Wen used the table to help herself up, walking to the pavilion"s railing and taking a deep breath. Pressing next to the pillar, she continued: "Why is there a person who can say they don"t love and just like that stop loving?
"Before, he also promised to me not to turn his back on me in this life. How can he join with someone else with just a turn of his eyes? It was fine before he left, but in a few months" time, he forgot the promise he swore earlier.
"You look at her, mouth saying you love me, but embarra.s.sing me again like this."
As she said the last line, Xi Wen even started to laugh tauntingly, her tears overfilling and falling down, drawing a line over her reddened cheeks. They splashed on the ground, forming a flower of tears.
Xie Fei looked at her deeply, expression calm. "From the start, his love was only for your beauty."
"Not wrong." Xi Wen said, startled, and nodded. Immediately, she frowned. "If it"s like this, then why didn"t he love me, turning to a girl who was only delicate and pretty?"