Spring Message in the Snow – CH 014

Chapter 14

Mianmian knew immediately that this was just a perfunctory response and pouted, saying, “I’ve looked at the portraits of emperors throughout history, and it seems like very few of them are handsome.”

Surou said awkwardly, “Emperors usually only have their portraits taken after they’ve reigned for many years and achieved some political success. In their youth, who was not radiant and spirited? But as they age, their expressions become weary, their eyes droop, and naturally, they do not look as good anymore.”

Mianmian thought about it and seemed to agree, but she still felt sorry for her cousin. With a sigh, she began to question the Emperor’s judgment, saying earnestly, “Actually, I am not one to back down from anyone, but I have to admit defeat when it comes to my elder sister’s beauty. Are all the women in the Forbidden City celestial beings? Why did the Emperor not keep such a beautiful woman like you? If you could become a Noble Consort, would all of us not become much more valuable?”

Grand Madam Zhang listened to the sisters’ conversation for a long time, then frowned. “You are getting more and more absurd. Is becoming a lady-in-waiting really that good? Everyone says everyone has their own destiny. Your second sister’s fortune is not in the palace; it’s outside.”

But was fortune outside the palace simply attracting widowers to seek her hand in marriage? Mianmian could not see what was so good about this fortune; it was all just the Grand Madam Zhang’s comforting words.

Mianmian looked at Surou with a hint of pity. Surou understood; she still believed that a woman’s greatest achievement was marrying the Emperor and becoming a high-ranking noblewoman in the Forbidden City. Those like herself, released from the palace midway, were considered losers. This sentiment was not unique to Mianmian; many noble ladies in the capital probably shared it.

Surou smiled, quite philosophical about it. After all, among the countless women in the palace, how many could truly win the Emperor’s favor? Even in defeat, there was no shame. But Quelan felt indignant for her, muttering on the way back, “That Lady Shen, she always brings up the most sensitive topics. She’s stingy, short-sighted, and obsessed with money and power. I wonder what kind of husband she will marry!”

When Surou first returned home, she did find her cousin overly mercenary. But after spending a few more days with her, she made some new discoveries. While undeniably materialistic, she was also straightforward and honest, never resorting to underhanded tactics. As for herself, she never wallowed in self-pity for not being favored by the Emperor; instead, she was grateful for the opportunity to leave the capital. Was the outside world not big enough? Was the market not bustling enough? Were your own clothes not beautiful enough? Why insist on staying in the Forbidden City, living like a puppet?

The mistress and servant returned to Qiandui Xue. Upon entering, they saw Jiao Yue and Jie Lu busy preparing the mourning clothes for the next day. Turning around and seeing her enter, Jiao Yue said, “The Second Madam just sent someone to deliver the clothes, saying they were made to your measurements. Please try them on, and if anything does not fit, we can alter them immediately.”

Surou said, “Alright,” and had them help her remove her outer garment and change into the mourning clothes.

Standing before the mirror, she saw a narrow-sleeved, reed-gray robe and a plain jade belt around her waist. Because she was to be enshrining the spirit tablet, the woman had to dress as a man, and others addressed her as “Noble Lady.”

She gazed silently at her reflection in the mirror, vaguely recalling the scene of her father’s funeral. She was only six years old then, and while her memories were rudimentary, many childhood experiences were now forgotten. But that sudden turn of events remained a terrifying memory, one she could never forget. The entire household was draped in mourning. A large, black coffin was brought in from outside and placed in the main hall. Her stepmother immediately fainted. She stood there, bewildered and helpless, amidst the deafening cries of mourning. No one paid her any attention. Finally, her grandmother helped her change into mourning clothes, took her hand, and led her to the altar, making her kneel.

The maids, unaware of her thoughts, busied themselves adjusting her clothes and belt. Jie Lu squatted at her feet, examining the hem of the robe, muttering, “A bit too long… The old women doing needlework are getting increasingly careless. They were even gossiping last time, wanting the manor to raise their wages.”

“A wage increase? We bring it up every year,” Jiao Yue said nonchalantly, helping Surou change out of her mourning clothes and handing the robe to Jie Lu. “The old lady is kind; she really intends to raise each of them by twenty coins. The Second Madam is more ruthless, saying not a single coin. Those who want to stay can stay; those who do not can go to the kitchen to collect swill. They only deserve the Second Madam’s discipline.”

“But now they just try to get away with things, and they are not really focused when they are doing their jobs. When I have some free time, I will definitely report them.” Jie Lu turned and found needles and thread in a small drawer under the window. She sat under the lamp, holding the robe, and threaded the needle, muttering, “I am not going to rely on them anymore. I will just fix it myself.”

Surou listened to their hushed conversation but did not inquire. She moved into the inner chamber to wash up. Quelan dipped a toothbrush in salt and handed it to her, sincerely advising her while she was distracted: “Young lady, you absolutely must not agree to that marriage proposal from the Kong family. If you ask me, you should firmly refuse. But you, on the contrary, said being a widower does not matter. If people find out about that, then anyone will dare to come knocking on our door to propose marriage.”

Surou listened to her rambling, slowly rinsing her mouth and wiping it with a towel before saying, “Official families have connections; we see each other all the time. It’s not good to offend others. I also want to find a young man in his early twenties who has not been married before, but there are not any.”

She spoke casually, as if marriage had nothing to do with her. Quelan stood there blankly, hesitating for a long while before finally saying, “How could there not be? It’s just that our fate was not right; we just did not meet.”

Surou sat in front of the mirror, applying face cream. Looking at Quelan’s reflection, she saw her childhood playmate, who had been with her until she was eight. Even as a child, Quelan had been a worrier, and after all these years, she remained the same.

Actually, she did not want to concern herself too much with marriage. For a girl, life was not just about getting married when she reached a certain age. Her situation was different from that of other unmarried girls in the capital. She had seen too many ups and downs, too many dramatic events. Compared to that, marriage seemed insignificant, as small as a soybean. What was the point of making a big deal out of something as small as a soybean?

Quelan, worried, was instead comforted by her: “Do you remember when Princess Huayang sent someone to invite me to be the county princess’s tutor? Ten years in the palace, plus my frequent visits to the Duke of Wen’s mansion—with such experience, I can run a girls’ school. Today I am Young Lady Zhang, but in the future, everyone will respectfully call me Nanny Zhang.”

Quelan was dumbfounded and said in astonishment, “Your wish is to become a nanny in the future?”

She thought for a moment, then laughed. “That’s right, the tutor for all the noble ladies in the capital. Ten years from now, all the noble ladies will have married into high families. Can you imagine what my connections will be like then?”

Quelan was speechless. Although she did not understand, the young lady’s blueprint seemed to promise a bright future. After all, in the magnificent capital, status and fame were ever-changing; only stable connections were a lasting foundation. Just as a good man aspires to travel far and wide, a good woman could also have extraordinary ambitions and not settle for mediocrity.

In short, it was very profound and impressive. Quelan, bewildered, watched her get into bed and lower the bed curtains.

Perhaps the benzoin incense in the room was a bit too strong, because she instructed through the blue gauze curtains, “Open the window three fingers wide.”

Everything within the Forbidden City was governed by rules, even the precise regulations governing the width of a window opening. Quelan responded with a “yes,” walked to the window, picked up the small stick used to prop it open, carefully measured how wide three fingers actually were, adjusted several times until she felt it was about right, and then withdrew from the inner chamber.

However, a light rain began to fall in the latter half of the night. Raindrops pattered on the crabapple tree outside the window, creating a soft rustling sound. Surou vaguely heard someone come in to close the window. Seeing that it was still dark, she closed her eyes again for a while. By dawn, the window paper was covered with a layer of green paper. She opened the window again to look at the sky; the rain had stopped, the leaves were a glossy green, and the damp coolness of the air brushed against her face. Everything was new; everything was vibrant with life.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of earth after the rain. Just then, a clear, youthful voice rang out from the courtyard, calling out, “Sister… Sister…”

Jiao Yue, from the front hall, hurried out to greet him, smiling warmly, “Young Master, why have you arrived so early?”

Jiezhi, full of vigor, strode into the main room. “I was afraid Sister would oversleep, so I came to wake her.”

Surou, listening from inside, felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Before, in the palace, she was Female Official Zhang, diligently leading a dozen or so palace attendants every day. Now, back home, someone actually cared for her; this was what home truly felt like. So, through the screen, she replied, “I am already up. Please wait a moment.” She had Jie Lu help her change into plain clothes and had her hair styled with a wooden hairpin.

Emerging from the inner room, she had just washed her face; strands of hair, still damp, fell softly to her cheeks. She smoothed them with her hand and turned to ask Jiezhi, “Have you had breakfast?”

Jiezhi shook his head, saying, “I dare not eat. Today is such an important occasion; it would be embarrassing if I needed to use the restroom.”

Surou nodded, gesturing for him to remove the food pouch from his waist and fill it with a piece of wheat cake.

Jiezhi, being a boy, did not understand the girl’s intentions and asked curiously, “Why are you wearing this, Sister?”

Surou explained, “An incident happened in the Forbidden City a while ago. A young palace attendant suddenly fainted in front of the Emperor while serving at a grand banquet, giving him quite a fright. Later, to prevent such incidents from happening again, an unwritten rule was established: palace attendants serving at banquets exceeding two hours are allowed to carry a piece of cake for food, just in case.”

She spoke in a gentle, calm tone, neither arrogant nor impatient, exuding composure and attentiveness.

Seeing his sister’s earnest explanation, Jiezhi smiled and said, “Was this how you taught the young palace attendants when you were in the Forbidden City, Sister?”

Surou then realized that sometimes it seemed she could not shake this habit—always needing to explain the reasons behind everything she did. She chuckled to herself, rubbing her forehead, and asked, “Was I too long-winded?”

Jiezhi said no, “It would be worrying if my elder sister had nothing to say to us.”

He spoke from the heart. His elder sister was three years older than him and Zhirou. When she entered the palace, they were just beginning their education. Being separated at a young age was secondary; the most important thing was that they were not born of the same mother, and he feared there might be a distance between them. The day the palace sent a eunuch to announce that their elder sister had been granted permission to return home, they were overjoyed but also worried, afraid that they were too dull to please her. Later, after discussing it with Zhirou, they mustered their courage and went to fetch her themselves. Looking back, they realized that the decision was right. If you were willing to take the first step, your elder sister would treat you with sincerity.

Surou glanced at her younger brother’s childish face. A natural affinity existed between close relatives, and she jokingly said with a smile, “It’s settled today, so do not dislike me later.”

Just as Jiezhi was about to agree, a servant came forward to announce that the time was approaching. Surou quickly straightened her hair, adjusted her robes, and went to the front courtyard with Jiezhi.

In the front courtyard, his uncles had already arrived, dressed in solemn official robes, standing together with their hands tucked in, casually discussing the war situation at court.

Zhang Ju sighed, “Gao Tingxian was truly a valiant general. During the great battle between the Western Army and the Jin Army in Shanzhou, he led five thousand soldiers in open field battles, city battles, and street fighting, fighting until Wang Duan led his troops to reinforce them. In the end, only five men were left breathing.”

Zhang Zhi’s gaze fell on the top of the tallow tree in the front courtyard, his eyes vacant as he said, “I remember Gao Tingxian was the military commander under my second brother. If he had accompanied and protected my second brother back then, perhaps he would still be alive today.”

The three brothers in the family had lost one; no matter how many years had passed, it would be a tremendous regret.

Zhang Ju nodded. “Today, the Prime Minister is the chief envoy, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Prince of Wukang are the deputy envoys.”

The siblings Surou and Jiezhi, standing to the side, looked up in a daze upon hearing this.

“The Heir Apparent of Wukang?” Zhang Zhi was also somewhat surprised, but after a moment’s thought, he said, “My second brother was attacked while protecting him back then. Today, at the ancestral sacrifice, it’s only right that he offers three cups of wine.”