Chapter 99 : Empress Dowager Yi De (Part II)
Trigger Warning: brief mention of suicide.
After some time had passed, the Empress finally rose and called all the furens and the young misses to the main hall to start the palace banquet.
In the main hall, the Emperor and the male guests had already taken their seats. Due to the recent flood, the imperial treasury was strained due to the need for disaster relief. Thus, the banquet was simple, not at all extravagant, which was in stark contrast to the splendours of the past. Therefore, the dishes and pastries being served were very ordinary.
The female guests took their places. The Emperor and the Empress sat on the high seats. Next to them was the present empress dowager, Empress Dowager Yi De.
Empress Dowager Yi De was now 60 years old with a few grey hairs at her temples. Near her neck was fastened a golden threaded chinese knot clasp with an auspicious cloud pattern, inlaid with turquoise and gold threads, thus giving off a luxurious aura. From her current appearance, one could see her natural charm. In the past, Empress Dowager Yi De was known as the first beauty of the Great Jin dynasty; her facial features were somewhat heroic. In her youth, she had two sons and one daughter with the late Emperor. When Eighth Prince seized control, she reversed the rebellion and kept the Emperor on the throne by sacrificing her eldest son, even marrying off her daughter, Princess Yuan Rong, to another country to borrow soldiers for the Great Jin and to assist the new Emperor’s ascent to the throne. It could be said that without Empress Dowager Yi De, the present Great Jin dynasty and the Emperor wouldn’t exist. Empress Dowager Yi De was not only an exceptionally resolute person, but even a little ruthless.
She looked faintly at the crowd below, the ruby nail guard[1] on her fingers emitting an intimidating glow. When she saw someone in the female seating area, Empress Dowager Yi De was suddenly jolted with shock. She couldn’t help but sit straight and look more closely at that person.
Vintage Photos Showing Chinese People Wearing Fingernail Guards From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries ~ Vintage Everyday
[1] 手指护甲 (shouzhi hujia) – Fingernail guard. The Chinese fingernail guard came from the time of the Qing dynasty. Having long fingernails was a sign of power and beauty and wearing fingernail guards protected the nails. Late Qing rulers pursued a life of great luxury, and a lady took great care to emphasise her nails, as they were a sign of her ability to rely on her servants and to show she did not perform manual tasks. Usually the nail guards were made of gold and gemstones and worn on the little finger and the ring finger.
It was a young woman. She couldn’t see her face clearly because she sat below. Only the jet black hair at the crown of her head was visible. Her hair was combed into a single bun with a dangling rose hairpin in brilliant colours on top. Her peach-pink attire was simple and warm, looking especially fresh and pretty amongst the meticulously adorned young misses of the noble families.
Even from a distance, one could sense Empress Dowager Yi De’s strong gaze and so she raised her head. When she saw the expression in Empress Dowager Yi De’s eyes, she didn’t panic. After a brief surprise, she returned the gaze with a smile. Her smile was pure and untarnished with a calmness and composure that didn’t match her age.
Unexpectedly, this young woman overlapped with another person in Empress Dowager Yi De’s memory.
She resisted the impulse to walk down and grasp that young girl. After the smile, the young girl had gone back to conversing with the young misses around her, as if she didn’t notice her at all. Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Yi De sat straight on her seat, looking slightly absent-minded.
As Jiang Ruan spoke with Dong Yinger, the corner of her lips curled up slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Empress Dowager Yi De sitting motionless. Jiang Ruan also sensed that the Empress Dowager’s gaze remained fixed on her body.
Jiang Ruan held the teacup in front of her with both hands and took a sip. Her first goal had been achieved. For this simple purpose, using such a simple act, she had been practising dozens of times in front of the mirror all night.
On the male guests’ side, it seemed the rewards had already been conferred. Seeing that Jiang Xin Zhi’s eyes were filled with smiles, the reward should have been very generous. Jiang Quan, however, didn’t look very well.
The male and female guests had separate seatings. It’d been a long time since Gu Yi had seen Jiang Ruan, but then he spotted her sitting in the female seating area. With each passing day, she had become more breathtaking; he looked at her with a scorching gaze.
Xuan Li had a gentle smile on his lips, which seemed to be no different from the past, but he rubbed his left hand unconsciously, which he often did when he was upset. It was evident that after the Grand Councillor fu’s case, he tried his best to appear unruffled, but he still could not hide the gloom in his heart.
Xiao Shao sat next to Guan Liang Han. The robe he wore today, black Kuanhua brocade with golden qilins treading on flames embroidered on its collar, made him look even more elegant and peerlessly handsome. Many unmarried daughters in the female seating area peered at him furtively.
Then, a pretty girl entered the hall. The girl was a teenager. She was dressed in a cerulean blue floral-patterned buttoned brocade jacket, with golden V-lapels and straight collars. Her pale rose-coloured dark-striped woven silk skirt glided on the floor. Over her shoulders was draped a kind of delicate chiffon fabric, adorned with a pattern of colourful flowers and plants and various kinds of beautiful and intricate embroidery..
While her attire was quite magnificent, not only did the combination not overpower her, she looked gorgeous. Her facial features were profound and exotic. She came forward with a smile. “Father.”
“He Yi, why are you arriving so late?” The Emperor reproached her, but with an affectionate tone. Princess He Yi was greatly favoured by the Emperor.
“This daughter was choosing from a dazzling array of clothes to wear so as not to disgrace Imperial Father.” Princess He Yi blinked at the Emperor. The Emperor burst out laughing. She then glanced at the male seating area. When she saw Xiao Shao, her heart palpitated. However, although the falling flowers were yearning for love, the heartless brook rippled on[2]. Xiao Shao never glanced at her, and disappointment flashed in Princess He Yi’s eyes.
[2] 落花有意，流水无情 (luòhuāyǒuyì, liúshuǐwúqíng) – lit. the falling flowers are yearning for love, but the heartless brook ripples on (idiom) / fig. one side is willing, yet the other one remains indifferent (usually of unrequited love).
Dong Yinger touched Jiang Ruan’s arm. “Ruan Meimei, is it true that Princess He Yi likes Xiao Wangye?” Dong Yinger had always enjoyed listening to gossip. Now that there was ready-made material, she wouldn’t let it slip by.
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. It was not a secret that Princess He Yi was infatuated with Xiao Shao in her past life, almost to the point where everyone in the Great Jin dynasty knew about it. Princess He Yi also swore that she would never marry anyone other than Xiao Shao. She even wanted Imperial Consort Shu to persuade the Emperor to confer the marriage. But when presented with the choice between his beloved Princess He Yi and Xiao Shao, the Emperor unexpectedly picked Xiao Shao. He first asked Xiao Shao’s opinion and Xiao Shao, true to his cold and aloof nature, refused. After hearing the news that Xiao Shao had rejected her, Princess He Yi repeatedly attempted suicide and even went to the Jinying Wang fu to get an explanation in person. But, the other party remained stubborn. At the end of the previous life, Princess He Yi never achieved any results with Xiao Shao.
Jiang Ruan dropped her eyes. What Princess He Yi went through made others feel pity, but she wasn’t one of them. In her past life, when she was in the imperial palace, Princess He Yi placed many stumbling blocks in front of her. Princess He Yi was narrow-minded and jealous. When Jiang Ruan entered the imperial palace, her appearance was the best amongst the group of beautiful women selected for the harem. She was beautiful and charming, and while Princess He Yi was also gorgeous she was unwilling to have anyone steal her limelight. Because of this, Princess He Yi often found people to make trouble for her. Once, Princess He Yi even slandered her servant girls for stealing, leading to all of the second-class palace maids in her courtyard being flogged to death. That scene appeared countless times in Jiang Ruan’s dreams, making her very frightened.
Truthfully, none of her old acquaintances in the imperial palace were kind to others.
But, at that moment, Empress Dowager Yi De suddenly asked, “Deputy General Jiang, didn’t you mention that tomorrow is your younger sister’s birthday?”
When she conversed with the male guests earlier, Empress Dowager Yi De had no reservations. She had a very good relationship with the Emperor and had no need to take precautions. When she brought up this topic, it caused everyone to ponder.
Jiang Ruan was slightly stunned. She had forgotten her own birthday. After entering the imperial palace in her last life, except for Xuan Li who came to see her on her birthdays, nobody had ever reached out to her. However, even that warmth was also just a pretence. Now, in another lifetime, Jiang Xin Zhi even mentioned her birthday to the Emperor, which made her have no idea what to think.
“To answer Empress Dowager, it is indeed so.” Jiang Xin Zhi stepped out and spoke.
“Where is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family?” Empress Dowager Yi De, after all, was a woman who had gone through the chaotic battles of the kings, and her tone was slightly dignified.
Jiang Ruan stood up and replied softly, “Your subject, Jiang Ruan, bows before the Empress Dowager.” With this, she went on to kowtow.
She behaved modestly and humbly, even with inexplicable piety. It was clearly an ordinary official family member’s courtesy when meeting Empress Dowager, but somehow it contained a kind of inexplicable emotion. It was very solemn, unlike a meeting ceremony, but having a taste of farewell.
Empress Dowager Yi De looked at her quietly. She saw the lowered white neck, the swaying rose hairpin, as well as the gorgeous and lively peach-pink attire. Such a charming and heart-stirring young girl actually emitted a calm aura all over her body. Very much like that person.
Her eyes fell into a trance.
Seeing Empress Dowager entranced, the Emperor coughed gently. Only then did Empress Dowager Yi De seem to come back to her senses. She looked at Jiang Ruan and said, “You may rise.”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager.” Jiang Ruan stood up. She tried to ignore the pressure from the Emperor and only looked at Empress Dowager Yi De with a smile. She was originally born excellent. With a painstaking effort, she kept a gentle smile on her lips. Her temperament was even more regal than the real princess.
Everyone around them became envious. Empress Dowager Yi De was unyielding and usually didn’t get close to others. Why did Jiang Ruan receive her good graces? People were puzzled.
Jiang Xin Zhi looked at Jiang Ruan nervously. Although he mentioned Jiang Ruan, he did not expect Empress Dowager Yi De to speak so suddenly. Who could easily guess the thoughts of the imperial family? His heart couldn’t help becoming tense.
Jiang Su Su and Xia Yan’s faces looked unsightly. First it was Imperial Consort Chen, then Empress Dowager Yi De. Jiang Ruan really stole the show. At the same time, they had a doubt in their hearts. Never mind Imperial Consort Chen, even Empress Dowager Yi De cared about Jiang Ruan so much. Did she really fancy Jiang Ruan becoming a prince’s consort ? Which prince: Eighth Prince or Fifth Prince? Or perhaps Fourth Prince?
“Jiang’s eldest daughter, aijia[3] has promised Deputy General Jiang to fulfil your birthday wish. If you have a wish for tomorrow, you can say it today. Aijia will satisfy it.” Empress Dowager Yi De said.
[3] 哀家(aijia) – I, me (self-referring by a widowed empress etc, used in historical novels and operas),
Regarding the birthday wish, Jiang Xin Zhi had originally raised this matter in front of the Emperor earlier in an attempt to exchange his merits for Jiang Ruan’s benefit. Whatever shelter Jiang Ruan desired, she could speak.
Xia Yan and Jiang Su Su breathed a sigh of relief. It was good as long as it was not to make her a Princess Consort. If Jiang Ruan really became a Princess Consort, she would definitely not give face to the Jiang fu.
There was something strange about Imperial Consort Chen’s smile. If Jiang Ruan seized this opportunity to propose a marriage with some family’s young master…
Jiang Ruan smiled with a desolate tone in her voice. “Empress Dowager is giving her favour, but Ruan niang has no request. She only wishes to see the blooming peach blossoms in the Ning Shui Valley with her mother. “
“However, this wish is impossible to realize.” She smiled sadly.
Empress Dowager Yi De suddenly looked up.