Chapter 543: Looking at the Mountains, Looking at the Sea |
Palace of Earthly Tranquility during ordinary days retained twenty-some female maids listening and waiting for dispatch. Today only remained Aunt Yuanjin leading four female maids strictly close in front, appearing as if inside the palace was extremely deserted and quiet.
Bai Li realized, several months of scheming and plotting, finally arrived at the time to see the dawn (see the outcome). But she didn't yet know how she herself should depart.
This Forbidden City is a prison cage. Without imperial edicts or decrees one cannot exit the palace. Even the Empress and Noble Consorts also only during sacrificing to the Silkworm God, visiting the imperial tombs, receiving imperial edicts to visit relatives, or grand ceremonies... only then could they exit the palace. Letting alone palace female maids or female Daoist crowns?
Even Inner Official eunuchs, purely possessing Waist Plaques also lack methods to depart the Forbidden City. They necessitate being eunuchs who have been registered and recorded into rosters by the Trouble-Resolving Guards, possessing proper official dispatch duties requiring their exiting the palace for it to work. Trouble-Resolving Guards not only will register and record into rosters, they will also memorize the other party's appearance and features. Unfamiliar eunuchs even if their procedures are universally complete also cannot.
[Translation note: Skipped website advertisement message]
Bai Li looked toward the Empress: "Empress, how do I depart? Will it or will it not implicate you?"
The Empress froze slightly. Stepping forward taking her embracing her inside her embrace saying softly: "At this time still thinking of bystanders doing what. So long as you can depart here, even trampling all people under your feet is also worth it—"
Bai Li said in a low voice: "Cannot."
The Empress smilingly said: "Set down your heart. It will not implicate this Palace. The shichen hasn't arrived yet. First come accompany this Palace eating the Mid-Autumn reunion meal."
The Empress pulled her to sit down beside the desk, saying slyly and craftily: "This Palace during ordinary days manages them by no means strictly or harshly. Today merely was viciously like a wolf throwing a bout of temper. They simply quietly slipped out avoiding being implicated. When this Palace plots (seeks) peace and quiet I simply do it like this. Faking throwing a bout of temper, can enable Palace of Earthly Tranquility to be peaceful and quiet for an entire whole day."
Bai Li holding Wu Yun looked toward the desk.
Upon the table lacked the palace's exquisite dishes and delicacies. The dishes and delicacies also lacked mouthful-twisting names. Universally all were her liked home-cooked dishes: Braised Tofu, stir-fried bok choy, garlic water spinach, braised carp.
At this time, Bai Li paid attention to the table still possessing a single vat of wine. The Empress following her gaze looking over, smilingly peeling open the mud seal: "Ought to separate and part, how could there lack Sending Off wine? Sometimes I will also secretly drink inside Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Human life is a short, short several tens of years, Ignorance is Bliss. Official Honors, profits and stipends... drinking until drunk then simply don't think of anything."
Aunt Yuanjin stood guard before the doors. Slanting her eyes glancing inside the hall for a single look, yet speaking nothing.
The Empress started laughing faintly: "When I just entered the palace I was only seventeen. Still small. Must hide from Aunt Yuanjin to drink. Waiting until after twenty years old she only then entirely didn't manage these."
When the Empress poured wine for herself, Bai Li precisely was about to take the empty bowl before herself passing it to the other party to pour wine... the Empress actually set down the wine vat, clipping a chopstick of vegetables for her: "You cannot drink. You today still possess proper matters."
After she clipped vegetables for Bai Li, she again expressly from the fish belly location clipped a piece of meat setting it inside a bowl dish, pushing it before Wu Yun's face: "The reunion meal naturally also cannot lack you. Eat right, eat right."
Wu Yun leaped arriving upon the table lowering its head eating fish. The Empress also didn't take it as mind (didn't mind).
The Empress silently drank a single bowl of wine. Both cheeks in a spinning instant flew up red clouds (flushed).
She looked at Bai Li and Wu Yun, inside her eyes only possessing warm tender feelings: "What I longed for most in past days, precisely was being able to be identical to old hundred surnames (ordinary commoners), with family members properly eating a meal of home-cooked food. Yesterday Fengxian Hall's dishes and delicacies actually were exceptionally good-looking, the singing and dancing also brilliant. But they just absolutely when eaten possessed not much flavor. Universally all were cold. Serving them up also didn't know how many people had tested poison upon them... Merely these words cannot be spoken with bystanders. Otherwise I definitely would be belly-criticized (secretly cursed) as putting on an act and being artificially affected."
Bai Li said softly: "I understand the Empress's bitter depression."
The Empress faintly smiled: "Right. You didn't come to Palace of Earthly Tranquility yesterday. Haven't yet read these two days' newspapers."
Speaking, she toward the female maids behind her back beckoned waving her hands. A female maid fetched bringing a stack of newspapers passing them to Bai Li.
Bai Li set down her chopsticks, unrolling the newspapers meticulously looking over.
The Empress emotionally sighed: "This portion of newspaper established by the Baron of Wuxiang County actually is a good thing. This Palace in past days inside Palace of Earthly Tranquility was identical to a blind person. Toward the matters occurring outside the palace, lacking a single piece of knowledge. Now actually borrowing a single portion of newspaper completely entirely knows it all... Never expected the days outside the palace were that kind of interesting."
She drank a mouthful of wine. Seeing Bai Li was reading the second page, immediately teasingly said: "Looking at these bothersome items of Officials shifting and rising what meaning does it possess. Hastily look at the sixth page. That Squire Wang truly is an unlucky egg (bastard). For the sake of a wind and dust woman (prostitute) abandoning his wife of dregs and chaff (wife who shared hardship). The resultant outcome was the wind and dust woman rolled up all his lifelong savings, and again turned her head going to hook up with that surnamed Duan squire. However he also absolutely deserved it. Every single person possesses every single person's retribution. Who told him to abandon the wife of dregs and chaff. There is also that Squire Ma—"
The Empress chattered and nagged speaking of the novel and marvelous matters she herself saw coming from upon the newspapers. Not a single bit resembling the main master of the Six Palaces.
When she spoke to happiness she hoisted her bowl drinking it exhaustively. Again filling it up for herself. Her voice lightening and softening down: "Only after reading the newspaper did I know... originally ordinary commoners' families' young girls, now also form societies treading the green (spring outings). Paper kites can be released arriving as high as the city walls. They can listen to storytelling in teahouses. Can buy barbarian rouge in the outer city. Can also follow their fathers and elder brothers heading to the capital outskirts wading water to evade the summer heat."
Bai Li holding the newspapers, her finger tips slightly pinched tight.
What the Empress spoke of, was the world she was immediately about to rush toward, and the other party actually forever lacked methods to arrive at.
"The year this Palace at seventeen entered the palace," the Empress suddenly shifted topics. "My mother secretly stuffed a packet of osmanthus sugar at the deepest bottom-most layer of my luggage boxes. She said the Traditional Snacks inside the palace were exquisite, but might not necessarily possess this flavor. But that packet of sugar hadn't yet waited arriving at Mid-Autumn, simply being investigated and found out by Aunt Yuanjin. She said the Empress could not eat this kind of marketplace item. It didn't conform with Propriety strictures."
She tilted her head upwards again drinking a single bowl: "Later, this Palace learned to not eat, not look, not think. Palace of Earthly Tranquility is an exquisite cage. Woven of golden threads. Embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. Last year's Mid-Autumn, His Majesty according to precedent came to Palace of Earthly Tranquility sitting for a single cup of tea's effort (15 mins). On that day he asked this Palace what reward I desired. This Palace said... I wished to dress as an ordinary married woman, heading to the banks of Yongding River to release a single river lantern, simply a single lantern."
"His Majesty didn't agree. Only rewarding this Palace a paired set of South Sea bright pearls. As large as pigeon's eggs. But that paired set of pearls now is still gathered within the storehouses. This Palace hasn't even worn them a single time. He knows what this Palace desired was not this... This Palace lacks methods to speak with people of this Palace's unhappiness. An entire dynasty's Empress already, what is there still to be unhappy about? This Palace lacks the qualifications to be unhappy."
Bai Li urged and hindered saying: "Empress don't drink anymore."
The Empress actually didn't heed it. Again taking a single bowl of wine drinking it exhaustively in a single gulp. She stared at the empty bowl within her hands. Remaining silent for a long time afterward letting out a lengthy single sigh: "Not drinking anymore."
Wu Yun rubbed arriving at the Empress's hand side. The Empress lowered her head stroking its oily bright back fur: "Bai Li ah. Who this Palace envies the most actually is Second Miss Zhang. Don't be angry. The newspaper writing the stories of her and the Baron of Wuxiang County... this Palace secretly read them three times at night... She dares to barge into White Tiger Hall. She dares to follow the Baron of Wuxiang County going outside Chongli Pass and again killing their way back... This Palace guesses upon her face there are traces of wind and frost scraping past. Upon her hands perhaps still possessing calluses ground out from gripping reins. How good ah."
Bai Li shook her head: "Empress, I am not angry. I also envy her."
The Empress lightly stroked her cheeks: "Outside is that good. How could this Palace bear to part with you being identical to me trapped here? You ought to go out for a look."
Precisely at this time, Aunt Yuanjin lightly coughed a single sound.
Bai Li turned her head back seeing outside the hall stood two eunuchs. One person among them was the Directorate of Imperial Clothing primary rank-seven recording eunuch Xu Xi the Canal Transport Guild planted amidst the palace prohibitions. The other person she actually had never once seen.
Xu Xi leading the small eunuch stepped forward several steps.
The small eunuch lowered his eyelids. His brows and eyes clear and elegant. Below the moonlight he actually resembled Bai Li eight fractions. In the black night difficult to distinguish true from false.
Xu Xi said in a low voice: "Commandery Princess. The Guild Master spent five months to only then find suitable personnel selections. And again spent three months, to only then take this person soundlessly lacking breath planting her at the Directorate of Imperial Clothing. You momentarily later can disguise your appearance as this person. Led by this lowly one. Using the reasoning of contacting and consulting with imperial merchants to depart the palace prohibitions. Leaving from Black Tortoise Gate. People are concealed beneath Wansui Hill receiving and responding."
Bai Li suddenly with an open realization turned her head looking toward the Empress: "But simply leaving like this. After the matters they will definitely investigate arriving at Palace of Earthly Tranquility. You and this one—"
The Empress mischievously faintly smiled: "This Palace also possesses my maternal maiden family propping my waist (backing me up). Unless this Palace loses virtue damaging the Heavenly Family's majestic dignity, violating the Ancestor's Propriety strictures... otherwise, this tiny bit of small matter is still insufficient to take me deposing me away. At most merely being coldly neglected by His Majesty. But this Palace's Palace of Earthly Tranquility is already sufficiently freezing and deserted. Not afraid of being somewhat more freezing and cold. This small eunuch also won't possess matters. This Palace will protect him down."
Bai Li remained silently unspeaking.
The Empress's expression grew warm and tender: "Bai Li. People's single lifetimes are very brief and short. Ought not to be trapped here. This Forbidden City, took you and the Baron of Wuxiang County universally trapping you both."
At this time, outside Palace of Earthly Tranquility someone beat sounding the watch drum.
It was the Hai hour (9 - 11 PM).
The Empress suddenly grasped Bai Li's hands, grasping very tightly, her finger tips ice cold: "After going out acting as a proxy for this Palace go eat a bowl of street-side wontons. Must want hot soup. Extensively scatter cilantro and dried shrimp skins. Heard the old men carrying loads upon the night markets, the soup base uses chicken bones boiled sufficiently for three shichen (six hours). Act as a proxy for this Palace to go look at the mountain. Not the artificial mountains piled inside the palace courtyards. It is genuine, continuously stretching, growing wild trees blooming nameless flowers mountains. Again go look at the sea. Not that kind of small pool like Taiye Pool. It is a sea possessing seashells as large as cheeks, possessing whales as massive as houses—"
Bai Li's tears finally fell down: "Empress—"
The Empress gripped her wrists interrupting her words. Her eye sockets completely red, smiling warmly and tenderly: "Hastily go. If you still don't go there simply will be no opportunities—"
[Translation note: skipped typo]
Xu Xi pulled Bai Li walking outward. Right as they were about to walk out the main hall, the Empress suddenly called stopping her: "Bai Li."
Bai Li struggled open Xu Xi's hands. Stopping her feet turning her body: "Empress?"
The Empress paused a moment, again waving her clothing sleeves: "Hastily go. Don't turn back your head."
Bai Li departed away.
Inside Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The Empress hugging Wu Yun slowly sat down. Lowering her head using her nose tip bumping Wu Yun's head for a bit: "From here after simply only we two are left."
Wu Yun toward inside her embrace rooted and rooted.
The Empress picked up the chopsticks Bai Li had used. Clipping a piece of Braised Tofu that was already cold through and through. Placing it entering her mouth finely and meticulously chewing.
Aunt Yuanjin signaled the female maids taking the small eunuch severely and cruelly resembling Bai Li led arriving at a remote spot of the main hall. Only then saying to the Empress: "Empress. Old Master spoke. Only permitting you to be willful this single time. From here and heading later there cannot possess waving twists anew anymore. Prince Fu now Exerts Himself to Govern Well. He and that position only possess a single step's distance. You solely need to endure and endure again—"
The Empress with warm and gentle tractability hummed acknowledging down: "Good."
Aunt Yuanjin hesitated for a long time: "Empress. For the sake of this single small little girl, braving such a wind danger ultimately is it worth it?"
The Empress looked at that disc of bright moon outside the hall. Smilingly responding: "Aunt Yuanjin. I am not for the sake of her. It is for the sake of myself ah."
[Translation note: Skipped typo]
(End of this chapter)