Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Sixty-Six:
Go to the Palace in the Afternoon

As everyone was panicked and stunned, it was Madam Xiao who reacted first and immediately began to issue orders –

“A’Qing, prepare the imperial crown for Master. Don’t eat anymore, go back to the room to change clothes and get ready. A’Zhu, get the light-colored curved train with the diamond brocade. Also, add a string of pearl shells and jade hairpins for Niao Niao.”

“Mother, that dress is old, what about wearing the bright red pearl satin that Third Aunt just sent me, it makes me look energetic…” To see the Emperor, don’t you need to be brave and spirited? This realization was still something that Shaoshang had.

“What do you know? His Majesty worships simplicity, and besides, you just withdrew from a marriage. Wearing red, green, gold, and jade all over your body is not good.”

“Niao Niao, listen to your mother’s words. You just lost a good marriage and you look even more desolate than He Zhaojun, who just lost her whole family. Fortunately, with the way you were born, wearing plain clothes will still look okay!”

Shaoshang didn’t say anything.

Old Madam Cheng was so excited that she chased Cheng Shi all the way to the second entrance. “Can we ask to have the marriage back when we enter the palace?” she asked with joy. “Can we?”

Cheng Shi stepped on the step stool and calmly replied, “Don’t think about it. This matter is over. In the future, someone will come to propose marriage to Niao Niao. Don’t ask anyone else, just look at my face and only my face.” This almost caused Old Madam Cheng to fall back in anger. The three brothers of Cheng Shi rushed to stay close to their grandmother’s massive body and watched as the palace envoy who came to announce the decree slowly walked away with the carriage.

In the carriage, Shaoshang was nervous and couldn’t help but inquire about the reason for the visit to the palace. In fact, Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao were also very nervous and couldn’t confirm the reason for being summoned. Madam Xiao had to vaguely say, “It’s probably related to the withdrawal of the Lou family, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. We always take into account the overall situation. Can His Majesty still punish it?”

Shaoshang let it go.

It took half an hour from the Cheng Mansion to reach the entrance of the palace. Shaoshang, in accordance to her old habit, lifted the curtains of the carriage and looked out. Her breath of excitement immediately choked in her throat – she saw the magnificent double story gate towers standing on both sides of the palace gate, like the feet of an ancient giant stepping on the ground. The people passing by during this time were as small as ants.

Shaoshang unconsciously put her head out of the window and nearly looked up at a right angle. It wasn’t until Madam Xiao’s voice of reprimand that she drew back. The little eunuch, who was riding beside her, said with a smile, “The young mistress of the Cheng family has never been to the palace. It’s no wonder that she is surprised. However, there are more than ten times from the south to the north of such gates.” Shaoshang was shocked.

Cheng Shi looked outside and was about to help his wife get off the carriage. Then the little eunuch said, “Commander Cheng, you don’t have to come down. His Majesty ordered that the female relatives walk slowly and didn’t know when they would arrive at Yongle Palace. He said to take the carriage first and transfer to an imperial carriage on the way.”

“…Are we going to the North Palace?” Cheng Shi was surprised. “Or the Empress’s palace?”

Madam Xiao also frowned in surprise. Shaoshang didn’t know what the North Palace was but she knew that Yongle Palace should be where the Empress lived.

The little eunuch politely nodded and affirmed. He yelled at the carriage and drove with him to go on. Along the way, they passed the Ming Tang Tower, which was guarded by light armored archers and heavy armored crossbow soldiers. Through a straight path like a soaring dragon in the sky, and then bypassed the massive Southern Palace complex. They finally arrived at a double track connecting the north and south palaces. Madam Xiao and Shaoshang went into a very solemn and square black palace carriage with a raised eaves design, while Cheng Shi insisted on going down to the ground and walking.

By the time they arrived at the entrance of the North Palace, all three members of the Cheng family had started walking, which took another half hour.

The Yongle Palace was not a palace, nor was the Northern Palace a palace. Instead, they were a collection of many palace buildings and offices. Shaoshang saw numerous palace gates and couldn’t remember how many gates and towers she had walked through. She finally arrived at a magnificent and beautiful palace with flying phoenix eaves. Shaoshang looked up and saw the plaque on the palace gate written in ancient and curved words, ‘Yongle.’

The little eunuch hurriedly passed the message to the palace maid guarding the gate, and then heard the bright and clear voice of the messenger, which was like an echo, penetrating layer upon layer until it was finally inaudible. Shaoshang was horrified. She didn’t know how deep the palace was.

After a while, someone came inside and invited the three members of the Cheng family to enter. It took nearly a quarter of an hour to reach the side hall. Shaoshang was a bit tired and panting, and when she saw Cheng Shi out of the corner of her eye, he was full of energy. Madam Xiao looked calm and she couldn’t help but secretly admire.

Looking up, she saw the Emperor she had seen in Tu Mountain that day sitting on the top of the daily bed in plain clothes, and another beautiful and elegant middle-aged woman sat on the same bed. Shaoshang was panicked and couldn’t determine whether this was an Empress or concubine.

Fortunately, the Cheng Shi couple came forward and kowtowed, saying ‘Your Majesty and Empress.’ Shaoshang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed suit, bowing in the same way as her parents. Looking at the clumsy posture of the girl below, the Empress frowned and glanced at the Emperor. He pretended not to see it, smiled, and asked the three of the Cheng family to sit, giving them a soft mat.

Cheng Shi finished his greeting and respectfully lowered his head. “I don’t know why Your Majesty is calling today. What can I do for you?”

The Emperor looked kind. “Official Cheng, there is no reason to be so polite. Today, I want to reward you and give your family a share of my worries. Your family’s ability to withdraw from the marriage with the Lou family on your own is truly an injustice.”

Cheng Shi lowered his head and exchanged a glance with Madam Xiao, both of whom had the meaning of ‘as expected’ in their eyes.

Shaoshang thought that the Emperor must have been covered in blood droplets of spies. They had left for lunch before being summoned to the palace, which was the speed of the information society.

“I don’t deserve it. General He was full of loyalty, protecting the people, and being loyal to the country. My whole family admires him greatly, and naturally want to satisfy the general’s dying words.” Cheng Shi pretended to be both aggrieved and moved, and his acting skills were excellent.

“This official is too humble,” the Emperor said with a smile. “The reward still needs to be given. This is your daughter? Come, sit over here and let me and the Empress take a good look at you.”

Cheng Shi trembled and his back bristled with sweat. Madam Xiao looked at her daughter with concern.

Shaoshang felt nervous but stood up and calmly took a small step forward. When she got up, she dragged the cushion forward, spread it out and sat down. She admitted that her demeanor was agile and graceful, but left the two palace maids who had been waiting to serve in her place.

Now the Empress furrowed her brows and went straight to the Emperor. Upon seeing this situation, Cheng Shi and his wife exclaimed in their hearts that this was not good. Sweat dripped from their foreheads, but they were struggling to speak up and guide their daughter in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor’s nerves were very strong, indicating that he had not seen the Empress’s surprised expression or the panicked appearance of the Cheng Shi couple. “Sit closer,” he said kindly, “how can you speak from so far away?”  As Shaoshang was about to get up again, the Emperor stopped her, “Don’t move!” Shaoshang stood up straight and stopped halfway, stunned for a moment and unsure of what the Emperor meant.

At this moment, the two palace maids finally had a place to work and quickly stepped forward to fulfill their duties. One supported Shaoshang to stand while the other bent over and placed the soft cushion three or four steps in front of the Empress. Then, they helped Shaoshang gently sit.

Shaoshang was moved like a doll. She realized that she had behaved improperly just now. She was sweating so much she felt like Niagara Falls. The primate at the top of the food chain was truly extraordinary!

Watching the little girl’s stunned expression, the Emperor smiled at her with relief and then looked to see the Empress who remained silent. The Empress looked at the Emperor with disapproval before speaking solemnly, “Young Mistress Cheng, what is your name?”

Shaoshang quickly regained her composure. “I, um, this offi… uh, people…um.” She wanted to vomit blood, why didn’t anyone train her in palace etiquette?! “Shaoshang.”

“Shaoshang is a good name,” the Empress paused. “How old are you this year?”

Shaoshang paused for a moment and asked herself, ‘How big is this body?’ Fortunately, she reacted quickly and remembered some family gossip. She quickly replied, “I still have five… um… I’m about to reach my coming-of-age in six or seven months.”

The Empress’s dignified face seemed to have some cracks, and the Emperor coughed softly beside her.

The Cheng couple, who were kneeling at the back, couldn’t have pounded their chests if they wanted to. Had they known that their youngest daughter would face the Emperor so quickly, they would have taught her court etiquette even if they had to skip meals and stay up all night!

The Emperor felt that he had to personally step forward, so he kindly said, “Today you resigned from the Lou engagement, do you feel sad in your heart?”

Shaoshang cursed that son of a bitch, thinking that the royal couple was hard to deal with. How could she answer that question?! If the answer was not sad, then she was too ruthless and cold. The answer was very sad, and the pain was unbearable. It didn’t seem that the previous Emperor’s commendation was built on the basis of force and difficulty.

She thought for a moment. “Replying to Your Majesty, although my family did not want to destroy our promise, we knew that this matter must be done.”

“How do you mean?” the Emperor asked with a smile.

Shaoshang took a breath and tried not to let her voice tremble. “This little girl once read in a book that ‘heaven and earth are not benevolent, and all things are like stray dogs.’ A few months ago, I saw the tragic situation of the people after the military disaster in Hua County, where my uncle was in charge. This little girl thought, ‘Because heaven and earth are merciless and indifferent to the world, I, as a human being, should cherish kindness and righteousness, and help and sympathize with others.’ Otherwise, focusing solely on my own interests and disregarding the tears and blood of others is no different from beasts.” After speaking that convoluted line, she felt that she didn’t have enough air in her lungs. She quickly lowered her head and sat down, afraid to make any unnecessary moves.

The Emperor chuckled lightly, but the Empress did not smile. When she looked at the young girl, her eyebrows showed a hint of surprise.

Madam Xiao closed her eyes and sighed in secret, ‘It’s over.’

After the Emperor smiled, he seriously expressed his satisfaction with those words and even praised Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao for their good parenting skills. Cheng Shi happily accepted them, but Madam Xiao blushed and dared not even mention them.

Without a word of praise, the Emperor asked the little eunuch to take the Cheng family to the side compartment for rest.

The Emperor advocated simplicity. Although the palace city was built tall, the decorations inside the palace was not actually luxurious. The decoration was only based on simplicity. Shaoshang and her parents stayed in this simple and clean side room without saying a word for a long time. Finally, Shaoshang broke the silence with gossip. “Hey, Father, the Empress is even more beautiful than Mother.”

“No nonsense,” Madam Xiao said with a frown. “How can you talk at will?”

“But it’s true. Recently, Father gave me a few pearls from the seaside. The Empress is as dazzling and beautiful as those pearls.”

“If you have the ability, mention it. Perhaps His Majesty and the Empress will reward you as soon as they are happy,” Cheng Shi said. “It’s very useful to say that.”

“If I say it to her face, it’s like patting a horse to greet them,” Shaoshang muttered. “I can’t say it.”

Madam Xiao endured for a while and finally cursed in a low voice, “You only know how to say those useless things. Usually, when you are asked to read more, you have many wrong reasons. ‘Heaven and earth are not benevolent, and all things are straw dogs.’ It doesn’t mean to treat all things as pigs and dogs indifferently, but rather that heaven and earth treat everything the same, and everything develops naturally! Did you know?”

“Is that what that sentence means?” Shaoshang was taken aback. “However, I’m also quite right. Indeed, heaven and earth do not care about the world, so people only need to help each other.”

“What Niao Niao said is not so outrageous,” Cheng Shi quickly chimed in. “I have heard the elder brother of Madam Sang discuss the scriptures at the Imperial Academy, and what is said in the classics depends on how you interpret it. As long as you can justify yourself, it’s not impossible.”

“Father, you’re right!” Shaoshang said happily and pulled her father’s sleeve.

“Oh, Commander Cheng seems to have some insights into ancient books,” Madam Xiao sneered.

Cheng Shi immediately ate the screw and stuttered, “This, this…”

“Father, don’t be afraid, there’s me!” Shaoshang confidently patted Father Cheng on the shoulder. “Let me take a guess.”

Cheng Shi didn’t give his daughter face and said, “‘Don’t try to show off your abilities. Knowing is knowing and not knowing is not knowing. Let your mother laugh a little.”

“Father, this is to sweep away the prestige of the family!” Shaoshang leaned forward and took a gamble. “Well, I will say this. First of all, I have read this sentence. Naturally, your daughter hasn’t read many books, and it’s just a few important things in Hundred Schools of Thought.” Science students also had elective courses in history and culture. Although, she was confused about the content, and couldn’t understand clearly.

“Confucius said benevolence, Meng said righteousness. Xunzi believed that human nature is inherently evil and ‘heaven and earth are not benevolent’ or something like that is not what these three people said. The Legalist school talks about pros and cons, while the Mohist school needs to love both. The former only cares about the pros and cons of the world, so there is no time to explore the benevolence of heaven and earth. The latter feels that heaven and earth are simply too benevolent, and people are so benevolent that they don’t cherish each other. So, it isn’t them, either! Finally, only Laozi and Zhuangzi are left now…”

Cheng Shi couldn’t help but smile and Madam Xiao looked at her daughter with a faint smile on her lips.

“This should be what Laozi said,” Shaoshang said firmly.

“Why isn’t it Zhuangzi?” Madam Xiao asked with a smile.

“Because out of the Taoist books, your daughter has only read Laozi,” Shaoshang said proudly. “I’ve never read Zhuangzi at all!”

In addition to the few lines in martial arts book such as ‘sucking wind and drinking dew,’ ‘life is also joyful,’ and ‘Zhuang Sheng dreamed of a butterfly,’ and half a line about a fish called Kunpeng in the Northern Underworld, she had never read any books by Zhuangzi.

Cheng Shi stayed quiet for a long time. “Is she right?” He turned to his wife and asked.

Madam Xiao glared at her husband and leaned over to acquiesce.

“You guessed it right?!” Cheng Shi was overjoyed, but dare not laugh loudly. He whispered, “I said you were clever and agile! Naturally, it’s all thanks to Madam. Your mother gave birth to such a smart and lovely child for me.” The desire for survival made him backtrack on his boasting halfway through.

Madam Xiao looked at the proud father and daughter. She couldn’t hold back and finally chuckled lightly.

…

The Emperor and Empress, who were standing quietly outside the wooden gate of the pavilion, walked away quietly while the eunuchs and palace maids behind them followed in silence.

As they walked to another palace, the Emperor finally burst out laughing. “I’ll tell you, Zisheng wouldn’t have a crush on a worthless woman. Although this young lady from the Cheng family lacks some upbringing, her character is upright, cheerful, and not bad either.”

The Empress smiled and sighed. “Your Majesty, stop pretending. It would be great if she could teach Zisheng to look at others differently.”

“She just boasted about the beauty of the Empress, so you can pretend not to care!” The Emperor said with a smile.

“When is Your Majesty planning to speak up? By the way, you just summoned Wan Songbai. Do you want him to pull some strings?”

The Emperor waved his hand. “It’s no good. It looks like Zisheng has been snooping on his fiancé for a long time, at least more than a month.”

The Empress thought to herself, ‘Is that a fact?’

The Emperor felt at ease and said, “Official Cheng and his family should be finished speaking. Send someone to pass them on. Let’s gather for a family dinner tonight.”

…

IT’S STARTING Y’ALL!

Next Chapter: And Then Betrothed Again