Yu Zi Heng

CHAPTER 12:

62

Let me tell you about the gifts I received for my coronation.

Shú Pín presented me with a painting she had done when she was thirteen years old, framed and ready for display. The painting depicted a vast, starry wilderness, with a low-hanging sky and a lone figure walking along a road, carrying a bundle on their back. The figure stood tall amidst the wind and snow.

The inscription was in a graceful hand, reading ‘Ting Tong.’

Ting Tong said, “When I was thirteen, I thought I could travel the world with a pack on my back, recording the world's beauty. You'll probably laugh at me, Zi Heng. Back then, I thought; I won't marry a man, I'll marry my poetry, my art.”

She pointed at the figure in the painting, “Look at this back, doesn't it look like you in your kirin robe?”

“It does resemble me, I like it very much.”

This is the renowned talented woman of Jiangdong, Ning Ting Tong, whom I had long admired.

Xián Fēi gave me a copy of ‘Biographies of Exemplary Women.’

Ever since she had openly confronted the Emperor, Xián Fēi had been completely uninhibited. She told me directly, “This book caused me no small amount of trouble, but it's a rare treasure from the previous dynasty, the only copy in the world. I'm giving it to you, you can tear it up, throw it away, whatever you want.”

Good for you, Xián Fēi. You are truly fearless after having gone against the Emperor.

Shū Fēi gifted me a twelve-panel embroidered screen depicting ‘A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains.’

The colors were vibrant, the lines exquisite. Just having it in my room made me feel more open-minded.

“It was something my family searched for a long time, intending to please the Emperor. But now it's not necessary, so please accept it, Your Majesty.”

Heh, I guess this counts as intercepting the Emperor's gift? I felt inexplicably happy, even wanting to tell Shū Fēi grandly that she should just follow me from now on.

Thankfully, I restrained myself, maintaining the composure and elegance befitting an Empress.

Compared to the gifts from the harem, the gifts from the court were far more diverse.

My uncle sent the jade ruyi that the late Emperor had bestowed upon the Yu family. “The late Emperor said this jade ruyi can be used to make a wish to the royal family. If the Emperor ever acts foolish again, you can use this to beat him. He wouldn't dare to say anything.”

This is good, this is good…

Shen Ying sent a suit of golden scale armor in a child's size. “This was made when the late Emperor was young, and he insisted on wearing the golden scale armor of the Imperial Guards. He asked his father to make it, and later gave it to me. I'm giving it to you now, Your Majesty, hoping you will give birth to a legitimate son for Dà Yè.”

Shen Ying, still the same Shen Ying…

My father's classmates from the National Academy compiled his poems and essays from his time studying there into a collection called ‘The Chongwen Anthology.’ Many of the articles I had never seen before. If I hadn't searched through decades-old stacks of paper in our home, I wouldn't have found such ancient things.

My father's writings from his youth were so passionate, I almost thought they were written by my uncle.

The Yu family, at their core, are all rough and tough.

Of course, speaking of rough and tough, we can't forget my rough and tough brother, Yu Zi Yu.

He returned to the capital, carrying the Turkic King's head.

To prevent the head from rotting and smelling, he had wrapped it in ice. He and his two other foolish brothers, carrying their wounds, raced back from afar, grinning as they presented it to me.

Delivering an ice-cold head from a thousand miles away, only Yu Zi Yu could do something so crazy.

When the young ladies (and their mothers, and their aunts, and their grandmothers) of the capital learned that Young General Yu was returning, they went wild.

As soon as he entered the city gate, the scarves and jewelry thrown at him almost buried him. Let alone entering the Imperial City, where he caused a traffic jam, with the streets impassable. Half of the officials were late for court that day. Those who weren't were those close to the palace, who abandoned their sedan chairs and carriages, fighting their way through the throngs of women to reach the court on time.

After he presented the ice-cold head to the Emperor, congratulating him on marrying such a perfect Empress, the Emperor was stunned.

The Emperor seriously suspected that Yu Zi Yu was adopted, otherwise, he shouldn't be so handsome.

Yu Zi Yu entered the palace in the morning, and by noon, the Empress Dowager had prepared a banquet in his honor.

The Empress Dowager smiled and held my hand, “They say Young General Yu is exceptionally handsome. I want to see for myself.”

Looking around, all the concubines of the harem were present.

Even when the Emperor was celebrating his birthday, there wasn't such a complete attendance.

I thought the Emperor probably wanted to discipline Yu Zi Yu as well.

63

Yu Zi Yu had gotten thinner, taller, and even paler despite the wind-swept, sandy conditions of Yan Yun Que—in short, he was even more handsome than he had been at twelve.

Yu Zi Ling and Yu Zi Xia stood beside him, the three brothers looking like a painting.

Even Ying Man couldn't help but say, “This servant always thought Your Majesty's brothers were all like Master Yu Zi Chen.”

I glared at Ying Man—my uncle said Yu Zi Chen resembled me, I think he has a grudge against me.

The Empress Dowager sighed, “If my daughters weren't all married off, I would have definitely tried to snag such a young man as a son-in-law!”

Then she looked at Shū Fēi and then at me, hinting madly.

Shū Fēi's eyes lit up. I pretended to be blind.

I still remember Yu Zi Yu saying he wanted to find a wife who was more beautiful than him. If he hadn't changed his mind, he would most likely stay single for life.

In the middle of the banquet, I excused myself to change clothes and snuck out. Yu Zi Yu also snuck out to find me.

The little rascal saw me and clicked his tongue twice, “Sis, is the food in the palace that bad? You've gotten so thin.”

“Don't be silly.”

“Your little brother here is naturally strong and skilled in martial arts, how could I possibly…”

I lightly tapped his shoulder, and he immediately winced in pain.

“Don't push yourself so hard next time. You got injured and still raced back a thousand miles. Do you want to end up with a body full of ailments like your Dad when you get old?”

“It wasn't for nothing, I was delivering you a head.”

“What do I need that head for? Put it in my room as a decoration or at the door to ward off evil spirits? I'll be grateful to heaven and earth if you just stay alive.”

Yu Zi Yu stealthily hooked my sleeve with his hand, “Sis… are you angry?”

He looked at me innocently, “Don't be angry… You married the Emperor, and we couldn't even block the door to stop you from being carried away in a sedan chair. You don't know, I was so pissed off in Yan Yun Que. I just wanted to give you a belated wedding gift.”

Yu Zi Yu's eyes dimmed, “Let the royal family understand what kind of family you have and what kind of dowry you brought!”

The thought of him being alone in Yan Yun Que, suddenly hearing the news of my entry into the palace, must have been difficult.

He was the first child I raised.

I shouldn't be dwelling on his injuries anymore. I pulled him into my embrace, stroking his head as I had when he was little.

“Sister is proud of you.”

64

Ultimately, Chen Xu Jia was not allowed to be raised by the Jìn Guìfēi, a result of the harem's various power struggles.

This meant finding a nursing mother for him.

Jìn Guìfēi had been deposed, but everyone could see the Emperor's affection for the Fourth Prince. If they chose a bad nursing mother, it could easily cause further trouble.

The Emperor didn't trust the harem's women to raise his son.

Well, that's not entirely true. Chen Xi and the others were also his sons, but he didn't care much about them. He genuinely favored Chen Xu Jia.

So, he took his son to see the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager asked the Emperor, “Are you sure about this?”

The Emperor said decisively, “Son has made up his mind. Please take the trouble, Empress Mother.”

Therefore, the Empress Dowager decided that after the coronation ceremony, she would take Chen Xu Jia with her on a pilgrimage to the famous mountains and rivers of Dà Yè.

The Emperor was dumbfounded…

This wasn't how he imagined it going.

“Mother is old. If you want to go on a pilgrimage, you can build a Buddhist temple in the palace. There's no need… no need to travel so far.”

“How can my heart be sincere if I don't go in person? My mind is set. You're such a filial son, sending Xu Jia to my side, easing my longing for my son.”

The Emperor said, “Mother, I've changed my mind. Xu Jia is still young, it's better to raise him in the palace.”

“Oh, then who are you planning to entrust him to?”

The Emperor thought for a moment.

Xián Fēi?

She completely despised Jìn Guìfēi.

Shū Fēi?

Forget it, she hated Jìn Guìfēi with a vengeance.

Shú Pín?

Shú Pín already had a daughter and might raise sons in the future, she wouldn't necessarily be devoted.

There were many women in the harem, many with grudges against Jìn Guìfēi. The rest were either of low rank or lacking in character.

After much deliberation, the Emperor ended up carrying his child to me.

Chen Xi happened to be on leave and had returned with his classmates to mooch off our food.

When the Emperor entered, Yu Zi Chen had just told a joke, making everyone laugh. Han Ran choked on his laughter, Chen Xi patted his back to calm him down, Chen Yang handed him a handkerchief, Jiang Changsheng was serving Chen Yang soup, and Chen Yuan had moved Yu Zi Chen's favorite dishes to his side…

Outside, the sky was getting dark, and the night wind was cold, but inside the palace, the lights flickered, and a peaceful atmosphere prevailed.

The Emperor's sudden appearance interrupted everything.

Everyone saw the baby in the nanny's arms, Chen Xu Jia. The laughter at the dinner table instantly died down.

I led Chen Yuan and the others to greet the Emperor.

The Emperor said, “I have something to discuss with the Empress. You…” He wanted to say, “You go out,” but probably thought the scene was too good to interrupt, “Empress, come with me.”

I followed him out. As we walked, he suddenly took Chen Xu Jia from the nanny's arms and placed him in my hands.

Chen Xu Jia was sleeping soundly, without a reaction.

The Emperor said in a low voice, “Please help me raise Xu Jia.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You… you raise the children very well.”

I didn't speak.

“I know I was wrong!”

…

When I carried Chen Xu Jia back, the expressions on Chen Yuan and the others were not good. Especially Chen Yang, who slammed his chopsticks down.

“What is this?!”

65

The coronation ceremony.

I donned the Empress's ceremonial robes, adorned with a pure gold crown, surrounded by ladies of the court, and under the watchful eyes of the officials, I walked step by step towards the Emperor.

He stood on the nine steps, enveloped by the intricate, heavy robes and crown, more like a symbol than a living person.

Just like me.

When he took my hand and declared in a solemn tone that I was his Empress, the mother of the nation, I truly realized that we had become husband and wife.

Or rather, our fates were intertwined.

As the Empress Dowager said, standing in a different position, you see things differently.

I can't afford to underestimate him anymore. That would be underestimating myself.

“Yu Zi Heng, congratulations,” he said.

Chen Lie, congratulations to you too, I thought.

66

After becoming Empress, my life didn't change much, except that the Emperor had to come sleep in my quarters on the first and fifteenth of every month.

He didn't want to, and I wasn't keen on it either, but the Empress Dowager was still in the palace, acting as a formidable presence, and we both dared not express any dissatisfaction.

So, I waited for the Emperor to go sleep with the younger concubines, and he waited for me to find an excuse for him not to come.

It's called being beholden to someone for their generosity. The Empress Dowager not only made the Emperor come, but also used a spring outing as an excuse to take all the princes and princesses to a spring hunt, leaving only the two of us to face each other.

Fine, since you're here, let's chat about something.

So, we started discussing the promotion and salary issues in the harem, the issue of having more children, the education of the princes and princesses, the harem's expenses…

Basically, whenever I brought out the account books, the Emperor would already be too sleepy to stay awake.

Ting Tong had recently been diagnosed with pregnancy. Along with the children the other concubines had given birth to, the Emperor now had four sons and four daughters, all taking after their mothers, and they were all quite beautiful.

It wasn't that the Emperor had a particular favorite, even his affection for Chen Xu Jia was due to him fulfilling the late Empress's wish to have a legitimate son. After all, he always wanted Jìn Guìfēi to be Empress.

In that sense, he truly loved the late Empress.

When he came to my palace again, I brought up this topic with him.

“The late Empress was beautiful, wasn't she?”

“Why are you asking this?”

“Curious.”

“Anyway, she's prettier than you.”

“I heard from Empress Mother that you two were childhood sweethearts?”

“I first met her when we were both two years old. Zhi Niang was the most gentle and kind person. Don't even think about comparing yourself to her.”

I went down and asked Ying Man, “Is that true?”

Ying Man arranged the stray hair on his whisk broom, “Love is blind. Two pampered lovers together, naturally, they have a good relationship. Just starve them for a meal, and they'll both come to their senses.”

Since Ying Man arrived, I finally have a sharp-tongued subordinate to hold down the fort. I signaled Fu Bao with a look, learn from Ying Man!

I decided to take Ying Man's advice and starve the Emperor for a few meals.

Spring plowing was approaching, but there hadn't been a single drop of rain in the north. This year's harvest was looking bleak. As Empress, I decided to set an example and fast to pray for a good harvest.

Ting Tong, being perceptive, immediately insisted on fasting with me.

“That's not possible,” I said. “Shú Pín is pregnant. It's fine, I'll fast for your portion too.”

That evening, the Emperor arrived, pointing at me angrily, “You only know how to fast! Don't think I don't know you're trying to drag me down! No way!”

“Oh, then let me pray for the people alone, Your Majesty. We are one flesh, the people will understand. Besides, the Imperial Observatory has already calculated that it will rain at the latest by the day after tomorrow. We won't be starving for long.”

The Emperor pointed at me, his hand trembling.

“You… you win!”

I wanted to ask him back, “Have I ever lost?”

Never mind, let's not provoke him.

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