Spring Message in the Snow – CH 020

Chapter 20

As the Princess spoke, she carefully observed Surou’s expression, hoping to glean some insight into her true thoughts from a blink or a lowered head.

However, she seemed unmoved by these words, simply smiling serenely and saying softly, “Consort Zheng flatters me. I am but a humble person; how could I be worthy of such a title? When I served in the palace before, I merely did my best to please Consort Xiuyuan. Consort Xiuyuan, considering my young age when I entered the palace, allowed me to return home to reunite with my family. I have always remembered this kindness and will never forget it.”

This was a tactic of feigned retreat, implying that since the favor had been granted, there was no reason to take it back. The imperial harem had strict rules; the conduct of the concubines was an expression of the Emperor’s favor, and naturally, one could not go back on one’s word.

However, these words caused the Princess some difficulty. She pondered for a moment and then said, “We can ignore Consort Zheng’s words. There are so many noble ladies in the palace; the Emperor can favor whomever he wants. Even flowers do not bloom for a hundred days, let alone her. But I met with the Emperor, and he also mentioned you to me. He said that when Consort Zheng let you leave the palace, even the Junior Palace Attendants were kept in the dark. Consort Zheng’s actions were truly absurd, greatly displeasing the Emperor. The Emperor said that the previous dynasty decreed that your father should be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and your status is vastly different from before. Originally, he intended to elevate you, but the merit could not keep up with Consort Zheng’s verbal command. By the time the Emperor wanted to summon you, you had already left the palace.”

The Princess wore a regretful smile, but this smile sent a chill down Surou’s spine.

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Since she had already left the palace, what did it mean to bring up the old matter again? Did she really intend to summon her back to the palace? If a person had lost all hope and resigned themselves to rotting in one place, they would remain trapped there for a long time without feeling any pain. But if someone deliberately gave you a breath of fresh air, let you see a glimmer of hope, and then pushed you back down into the water, that was truly cruel; it was not a favor to the descendants of a meritorious official, but a form of persecution.

Taking a deep breath, a layer of sweat broke out on her back, the heat rising from her collar. Her heart was surging, but she could not lose her composure. Surou could only force a smile and said evasively, “The court’s commendation of my father is due to his merits. What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve such protection from him? I am deeply grateful for the Emperor’s kindness, but my grandmother is old, and my father has not been able to care for her all these years. If I can fulfill my filial duty to my father, it will comfort his spirit in heaven.”

She spoke with impeccable precision, appearing humble yet leaving no opening for anyone to exploit. The Princess, her mouth parched, drank half a cup of water. Reluctantly, having been asked to do so, she continued her persuasive efforts, “I heard your father later remarried, and that wife gave birth to twins. Even if you were not home, your siblings could still fulfill their filial duties. I was thinking that since you grew up in the Forbidden City, your sudden return might be somewhat inconvenient. I like you as much as Sujie does, and if you are willing, I can try to help you regain your place in the Forbidden City. Of course, entering the palace now…”

“It’s not just about becoming a minor palace attendant; a title of ‘Talented Lady’ or ‘Beauty’ would not be an exaggeration. Having a lady-in-waiting in the family is an honor for the whole family. Not only will you enjoy future blessings, but your sisters’ marriage prospects will also improve. If you can gain the Emperor’s favor, that would be even better; it will even help your brothers’ careers. You see, such an opportunity is hard to come by, young lady; do not let it slip away.”

Surou remained noncommittal. She understood the Princess’s meaning: sacrificing herself for the benefit of the whole family. But her family already had Shangrou; should she also follow her example of self-sacrifice? She felt she probably did not have such noble sentiments. Now that she had left the palace, she no longer dared to return.

But why would the Princess say such things to her? Was inviting her to her residence to teach just to test her intentions? Strange, she was clearly an insignificant person; how could she have attracted such a great deal of attention from royalty? After much thought, it seemed the Princess wanted to cultivate her own trusted confidante within the palace. The current noble ladies were all difficult to win over; if she could find someone who would not forget her original intentions, that would be ideal.

Seeing her silence, the Princess glanced at Sujie, who then said to herself, “I know, Sister, you must be tired of being confined in the palace for so many years. A perfectly good noble lady, spending ten years in the business of serving others.”

The Princess had originally hoped she could help mediate, but the girl had only made things worse, so she gave up on her. Regarding why she had remained a lowly palace attendant for so many years, the Princess offered her explanation: “Originally, a descendant of a meritorious official like Lady Zhang should not have been a palace attendant. It was only because the Empress Dowager passed away in haste, and Lady Zhang was not among the palace servants, that she was overlooked when the Inner Palace Secretariat submitted the list. That’s why she’s been relegated to a minor post all these years. The Emperor also told me yesterday that he regretted his oversight; if he had known earlier, Lady Zhang would not have been buried among the palace servants.”

So, the most terrifying thing was being caught in the middle, with no one making arrangements for you. However, Surou understood this perfectly. In the early years, no one paid attention to her, but later, when she was promoted to a lowly palace attendant, the Emperor could not have been unaware. It was simply a matter of avoiding trouble; if the Emperor favored her, he would promote her; if not, letting her serve those noble ladies for the rest of her life would not be a problem. The only unexpected thing was that twelve years later, when her father was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he hurriedly discovered her, but Zheng Xiuyuan had already released her from the palace, leading to all this idle talk.

Surou, sleeves tucked in, gave a slight bow. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, and I appreciate His Majesty’s generosity towards the families of meritorious officials. However, since I have already left the palace, returning would likely invite criticism from His Majesty. After all, releasing palace servants is a great act of grace; to grant such favor today and then retract it tomorrow would render the strict rules of the palace meaningless.” She smiled subtly. “Therefore, it’s not that I do not want to return, but that I cannot. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Well, this time she was silenced. The Princess sighed inwardly. “Cannot return” was merely an excuse; ultimately, she did not want to go back.

Surou, knowing it was best not to linger, turned to look at the sky and said, “Your Highness, it’s getting late. I will take my leave now.”

“Oh…” the Princess hesitated before responding, then changed the subject, smiling. “What I said earlier was just my humble opinion. Young lady, please do not take it to heart. It’s almost noon, young lady; why not have lunch here? I will have the kitchen prepare some of their specialties.”

Sujie tugged hopefully at her sleeve, “Sister, please stay for a simple meal!”

But Surou still shook her head. She smiled and said, “This is the first time I’ve demonstrated flower arranging to the county princess. My grandmother must be worried about whether I can handle it; she’s been waiting for me at home. Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness. I will trouble you again another time.”

She insisted on leaving, and the Princess, not wanting to stop her, said, “Alright, see Lady Zhang out.” She then said to Surou, “You’ve worked hard today, Lady Zhang. We will prepare the flowers ourselves tomorrow. Inviting you to come and teach us has been too much for you; it’s truly our fault.”

These were minor matters. Surou exchanged a few more polite words before leaving the inner courtyard.

Sujie, having received her orders to escort Surou, worried that Surou might be displeased and anxiously asked, “Did my mother’s words offend you, sister? Will you come again tomorrow?”

Such a powerful and wealthy family could not be treated with disrespect. Surou replied, “Yes, I will. Tomorrow we will arrange flowers, and the day after, we will make incense. The incense sticks from the summer solstice will be stored away, and we will take them out to use at the beginning of winter—the timing will be perfect.” However, she also wanted to glean something from Sujie, so she tilted her head and asked, “You were so certain earlier that I would be rich and powerful in the future; was that because of this?”

Sujie’s heart skipped a beat. Of course, she could not admit to such a thing; to do so would be to accuse her of plotting against Surou. So she waved her hands repeatedly, “No, no, no, elder sister, please do not misunderstand. I said you’d be very wealthy and powerful in the future because…because I can read faces. Besides, Elder Sister comes from a respectable family and has high moral character. Does such a person not deserve to enter a noble household and be the mistress of the house?” She finished with an awkward dry laugh and pointed ahead, “Is that not Elder Sister’s carriage?”

Surou looked in the direction she was pointing, about to nod, when she realized the carriage was unfamiliar and did not belong to the Zhang family.

Quelan exclaimed in surprise, “I bought flowers at Sun Yang’s shop earlier, and I had Si’er park the carriage across the street to wait for us.”

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But their own carriage was definitely not there. Looking around outside the gate, there was nothing else across the street from the mansion except for that one carriage. Surou sighed and said to Quelan, “Anyway, it’s not far. Let’s walk back.”

Before the words were even finished, Sujie called out, “Uncle!” Following her gaze, they saw a figure had appeared beside the carriage, dressed in a dark robe with a jade belt. Being a prince, the robe was embroidered with layers of taotie and cloud patterns, the gold and silver threads intertwining and sparkling in the bright sunlight.

It was Helian Song again! Was it because they lived so close? They were practically running into each other all the time! But in terms of manners, he was absolutely impeccable; he would not intentionally be abrupt. He smiled at Sujie and then nodded to Surou in greeting.

Although Surou felt they were on different paths and should not associate with each other, she had no choice but to bow in return and said to Sujie, “Then I will head back now. Thank you for seeing me off, Princess.”

But just as she was about to descend the steps, she heard Helian Song say, “The linchpin of your carriage has come off and is broken in West Yulin Lane. If you do not mind, young lady, please take my carriage.”

A linchpin was a pin that secured the wheels, like a key—each carriage had one, and it was not easy to find if lost. It was broken in West Yulin Lane; it seemed they had not gone far from Sun Yang’s shop before it became unusable. On such a hot day, the sun was no longer as gentle as it was on the way there; it hung high overhead, scorching hot. Walking in the shade was alright, but without shelter, the blazing sun would be unbearable.

Surou disliked sunbathing, but she also did not want to deal with the heir apparent, so she politely declined, “Thank you, Your Highness. I am just going to the market to buy some things; I can walk back slowly. I would not dare trouble Your Highness.”

Sujie, who was standing nearby, naturally could not let the female tutor go back so easily and stopped her, saying, “It’s several miles from here to your residence. How long would it take to walk? Why not wait a little longer, Sister? I will have our carriage take you back.”

It was rather stingy to trouble someone to prepare a new carriage when there was one readily available. Surou said it was not necessary, “Actually, it’s not that far…”

Sujie said that would not do and raised her voice to give the order to those inside. Surou had no choice but to turn around and look at Helian Song and finally relented, “Then I will trouble Your Highness.”