Chapter 19: On the Lantern Festival Night, a Chance Encounter Becomes a Date…
With palace attendants all around, Zhao Yuanjia couldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard. He had no choice but to stop and turn back, asking with a distant and polite tone, “What is it, Lady Fu?”
Fu Tangli gracefully walked over. Just as she approached, before she could speak, she caught sight of a young eunuch standing beside Zhao Yuanjia, pressed particularly close to him. Especially when the eunuch saw Fu Tangli coming, he deliberately leaned against Zhao Yuanjia’s shoulder.
Behind them, the main hall was as bright as day with candles. Palace attendants stood around holding hexagonal glazed lanterns. The night was fine, and everything could be seen clearly.
The eunuch had a delicate figure. Despite wearing the standard eunuch’s uniform, a graceful and shapely curve was still visible. Furthermore, her face was beautiful, with eyes like peach blossoms and lips like vermilion, exuding an indescribable charm and grace. It was none other than the Crown Prince’s beloved, Lin Wanqing.
Indeed, on this Lantern Festival night, it was the perfect time for lovers to meet after dusk. What a fine pair of sweethearts, so inseparable that even mandarin ducks would be outshone by them.
Fu Tangli inwardly cursed her bad luck, but her face showed no sign of it. Instead, she became even more serene. She nodded, bent her knees, and gave the Crown Prince a slight curtsy. “The lantern displays everywhere are lively tonight. I wish to go and admire them. May I have the Crown Prince’s permission to accompany you?”
Zhao Yuanjia took a step, discreetly moving in front of Lin Wanqing to shield her. As for Fu Tangli, he had no more tenderness to spare and simply said perfunctorily, “Gu is on imperial orders to inspect the city’s defenses. It is official business and will inevitably be dull. If Lady Fu wishes to see the lanterns, please feel free to go on your own.”
Behind him, Lin Wanqing secretly tugged on Zhao Yuanjia’s hand, peeked out, lifted her chin, and gave Fu Tangli a smile. Her gaze was contemptuous, clearly provocative.
Fu Tangli had only intended to make a token effort to satisfy Empress Shen. But now, her interest was piqued. She furrowed her brow slightly, a look of distress on her face. “But just now, the Empress Dowager instructed me to serve the Crown Prince with all my heart, and Her Majesty the Empress also gave me a thousand instructions to follow you closely. Now, the Crown Prince will not allow it, which puts me in a very difficult position. Why don’t I go back and ask for the elders’ instructions?”
As she said this, she made a move to turn and leave.
Zhao Yuanjia knew this was not good. His mind raced, and he called out to her, “Wait.”
Fu Tangli stopped and raised an eyebrow. She was always so composed and elegant that even this expression was done with a graceful air, holding a hint of a smile.
Zhao Yuanjia felt a little agitated. He frowned and said reluctantly, “Very well, then you may come with gu.”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqing’s face immediately changed. She pouted and shot Zhao Yuanjia a resentful glare.
Zhao Yuanjia’s expression became a little unnatural. He pressed a fist to his mouth and coughed. “However…”
“However, it would be best for this eunuch beside Your Highness to withdraw.” Fu Tangli unhurriedly cut him off. “The streets are crowded tonight. When the Crown Prince goes out, he naturally needs capable people to guard him. This eunuch is of such a slight build that she will likely need others to take care of her, which would delay the Crown Prince’s official business. Would that not be a crime?”
“You!” Lin Wanqing stomped her foot in anger and bit her lip. But tonight, she was disguised as a eunuch to secretly meet with the Crown Prince and didn’t dare to make a scene. Although she was furious, she didn’t dare to raise her voice and could only grip Zhao Yuanjia’s hand and shake it twice.
Zhao Yuanjia’s face darkened. “Lady Fu, why must you be so aggressive?”
“Does the Crown Prince think I am wrong?” Fu Tangli’s face was sincere. “My only thought is for the Crown Prince’s well-being. Perhaps there are some inadequacies in my thinking. Why don’t I go back and ask for the elders’ instructions?”
That line again! Does she know anything else besides tattling?
Zhao Yuanjia was furious. He barked, “Lady Fu!”
“Mm,” Fu Tangli replied softly, her expression elegant, even innocent.
A nearby attendant stepped forward to remind him, “Your Highness, it is about time.”
Patrolling the capital on the Lantern Festival night was an order from Emperor Yuanyan. The Grand General of the Right Jinwu Guard was already waiting with his troops outside the Vermilion Bird Gate. Zhao Yuanjia didn’t dare to delay any longer. After all, he held the esteemed position of Crown Prince and had to act decisively. He immediately turned to Lin Wanqing and said, “You should withdraw first.”
Lin Wanqing’s eyes widened, and tears welled up. “Your Highness…”
Zhao Yuanjia had no intention of getting entangled further and hardened his heart. “Go.”
Lin Wanqing’s lips trembled. She covered her face, let out a soft sob, and stumbled away.
With things having come to this, Zhao Yuanjia was furious. With a stern face, he didn’t spare Fu Tangli another glance and strode away.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s anger, the eunuchs didn’t dare to get too close and fell back a little. Fu Tangli, however, quickened her pace and followed.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger.” Her voice was gentle, but her words were fast, clear, and crisp. “Lady Lin’s appearance is such that I can recognize her at a glance, let alone others. I know the Crown Prince is open and aboveboard, but tonight, the city is full of eyes and mouths. If someone were to use this to spread gossip, the Crown Prince passing off a young lady as a eunuch would inevitably lead to suspicions of disorder in the palace. If it were to spread, would it not harm the Crown Prince’s reputation?”
Zhao Yuanjia did not stop walking. He said coldly, “Gu‘s reputation is not for you to worry about.”
Fu Tangli was perfectly composed. “Since I am betrothed to the Crown Prince, our fates are intertwined. If the Crown Prince’s good name is damaged, then my own face will be lost.” She gave a faint smile and said softly, “How can I not worry?”
Zhao Yuanjia looked back at her and snorted. “Flowery words, just excuses. Gu does not wish to hear them.”
Fu Tangli let out a long sigh. “Could it be that the Crown Prince would only be satisfied if I were to see you and Lady Lin being so intimate and remain indifferent?”
Zhao Yuanjia finally stopped and sneered. “Indeed. You’ve finally admitted it. Your words are so high-sounding, but in reality, you are just jealous.”
Fu Tangli raised her hand, her fingers like an orchid, and drew them across her lips. It seemed to be a gesture for silence. She said nothing, only smiled faintly.
Was that an admission?
Zhao Yuanjia grew angry, but at the same time, a strange feeling arose in him—perhaps a touch of indescribable pride. He had drunk too much at the banquet just now, and his heart began to pound. He felt a little hot and didn’t want to look at Fu Tangli any longer, so he quickened his pace.
On the Lantern Festival night, when the moon was full, the night was as clear as if it had been washed. The palace city was magnificent. The chiwen perched on the high eaves cast shadows on the red walls, creating a mix of light and dark. A gentle breeze blew, seeming to carry the scent of incense from the depths of the forbidden palace, hazy and intoxicating.
Zhao Yuanjia walked quickly. Not far ahead, the Vermilion Bird Gate was in sight. The Grand General of the Right Jinwu Guard, Sun Cheng, was waiting there with his subordinates. Seeing the Crown Prince approach, they all bowed. “Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince. Our men are all ready and await Your Highness’s command.”
Zhao Yuanjia gave a slight nod, pretending to be nonchalant, and glanced back with a reserved air.
Fu Tangli was some distance away, her hands tucked into her sleeves, walking at an unhurried pace.
Zhao Yuanjia suddenly realized that no matter when, her waist was always perfectly straight, her posture always so elegant. The gentle breeze swayed her skirt, and as she walked in the moonlight, she looked as if she had stepped out of a fine-line painting.
He coughed twice and said stiffly, “Why are you dawdling so? Must gu wait for you?”
Fu Tangli looked over, her eyes flowing like the gentle moonlight. Her voice was respectful and soft. “Since the Crown Prince does not like me, I will stay a little further away from you. You see, I am actually quite understanding. Please don’t be angry anymore.”
So be it. Since she is the Crown Princess chosen for him by Empress Shen, tonight I will just consider it a show of respect for Empress Shen’s feelings. Zhao Yuanjia quickly found a reason for himself. He stood there and said in an arrogant tone, “How are you worthy of gu‘s anger? Less idle talk, hurry up.”
When Fu Tangli drew near, Zhao Yuanjia still wore an impatient expression, but he reached out his hand, naturally wanting to take hers.
His fingers touched her sleeve.
Fu Tangli seemed to pause for a moment. With a flick of her sleeve, she slipped from his grasp. She suddenly quickened her pace, looked straight ahead, and walked right past him.
Zhao Yuanjia was surprised. He frowned and said with displeasure, “What is the meaning of this, Lady Fu?”
The Fu family’s carriage and servants were all waiting outside the Vermilion Bird Gate. Fu Tangli walked quickly toward them, only glancing back once. Her eyes were as nimble as a startled swan, but her tone carried a nonchalant laziness. “Oh, I suddenly remembered seeing Lady Lin and Your Highness standing together just now, such a perfect match. It made me feel uncomfortable. Forget it, I’m not going. Please go on your own.”
Zhao Yuanjia was dumbfounded, then furious. “How dare you trifle with gu like this?”
But Fu Tangli turned and left, paying him no more mind.
The soldiers of the Jinwu Guard stood by with their long halberds and bows. Behind them, the eunuchs stood with their hands clasped, all waiting for the Crown Prince’s orders. Zhao Yuanjia could not lose his composure, nor did he have time to argue with Fu Tangli. He gritted his teeth, swung himself onto his horse, and thought to himself that all the young ladies in the world were the same—jealous and annoying.
But as he thought this, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
…
Fu Tangli got into the carriage and practically slammed the curtain shut. She had always been proper and graceful, and it was rare to see her so agitated. Fortunately, there were no outsiders to see.
Dailuo and Yanzhi followed her in. Seeing Fu Tangli’s face ashen and extremely unpleasant, they asked with concern, “What’s wrong, My Lady? Did you drink too much?”
Fu Tangli quickly took off the crabapple cloud brocade outer robe she was wearing, tossed it aside, took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and said with a look of disgust, “He touched my clothes. It’s truly nauseating.”
As she said this, she remembered the scene from just now and couldn’t help but clutch her chest and retch. “So detestable, so frivolous and promiscuous, and he still dares to think so highly of himself. How can such a vulgar person exist in this world? Strange, truly strange.”
Dailuo and Yanzhi exchanged a look, more or less understanding. Dailuo sighed, while Yanzhi, after a moment’s thought, dutifully tried to comfort her mistress.
“Never mind the Crown Prince’s character, his looks are still outstanding. He can’t be considered vulgar. Why doesn’t My Lady just make do? Perhaps after looking at him for a while, you’ll get used to it.”
“Make do? How can I make do?” Fu Tangli’s mouth twitched. With a thud, she knocked her head against the carriage wall and said weakly, “I thought I could, but I can’t. I can’t, I really can’t. What should I do? This is killing me!”
Yanzhi began to worry seriously. “He is your future husband. If it’s like this now, how will you get along in the future?”
In the future, even closer? At this thought, Fu Tangli’s scalp tingled, and she couldn’t help but shiver.
Dailuo was worried that Fu Tangli would get cold. She quickly took off her own plain silk, lotus-purple padded jacket, draped it over Fu Tangli, and forcefully changed the subject. “Forget it. What’s the use of thinking so much? It’s the Lantern Festival today. Be happy. My Lady, do you want to go and see the lanterns?”
Fu Tangli’s mood eased a little. She calmed down and nodded. “Dailuo is right. It’s useless to think about it, so I won’t. Let’s go and see the lanterns. We shouldn’t let worries about the future ruin this fine day.”
Since she was wearing a maid’s clothes, Fu Tangli simply took off the floral hairpins and other accessories in her hair, let down the exquisitely and elaborately styled peony chignon, took one of Yanzhi’s flat silver hairpins, and casually tied her hair into a knot, letting it hang down.
She was, after all, of a cheerful disposition. After changing her appearance, she quickly regained her lighthearted mood and even looked around, asking, “How is it? Do I look like the two of you now, like an ordinary maid?”
Dailuo and Yanzhi both laughed. “Only the household of a celestial immortal would have a maid like you.”
The Fu family’s coachman, having received his instructions, drove the carriage to the liveliest intersection of Anren Square on Vermilion Bird Street and stopped.
Fu Tangli got out of the carriage and took Yanzhi to see the lanterns. Dailuo, missing an outer robe, was not presentable and waited in the carriage.
The streets were crowded. On this night of the east wind, there were a thousand trees of blossoming flowers. Carriages with fine horses and fragrant scents passed by. Young ladies of sixteen rolled up their curtains to look, their fragrance filling the air. Young gentlemen waited under the trees, their heads raised in anticipation, each finding their own joy.
All sorts of silk-embroidered, tasseled lanterns, shadow-play revolving horse lanterns, ten-thousand-eye gauze lanterns, Fuzhou white jade lanterns, and so on, hung from the eaves, doorways, and treetops. A huge, decorated lantern mountain stood in the center of the square. The streets of Chang’an seemed to have fallen into a world of glazed glass, a dazzling array of colors.
Fu Tangli and Yanzhi followed the crowd, wandering aimlessly.
Yanzhi looked around. “I also heard that the government has arranged for a fireworks display tonight. Where is it?”
“It’s in Chongye Square, up ahead. No hurry. We’ll get there in time if we walk slowly,” Fu Tangli said casually, looking at the lanterns by the roadside.
She was in high spirits, finding everything interesting. As they walked, she bought a hand-held lantern, a folding fan, fragrant medicine, pine nut candy, rose cakes, and all sorts of other things, all of which she had Yanzhi hold.
The things piled up, and gradually, Yanzhi began to feel the strain. She complained to Fu Tangli coquettishly, “My Lady, let’s rest. It’s so heavy. I can barely hold it all with both hands.”
Fu Tangli couldn’t help but smile at this. Seeing a teahouse ahead, she was about to go and sit with Yanzhi for a while when she suddenly caught sight of a figure out of the corner of her eye. She let out a soft “Yi?” and stopped.
Yanzhi, not paying attention, almost bumped into her back. “What’s wrong, My Lady?”
Fu Tangli suspected her eyes were playing tricks on her. She suddenly turned back and looked again.
At the corner, under a tall tree, at the end of the dim lights, a person was standing there.
He was wearing a gray, old Daoist robe, hidden in the shadow of the eaves. He wore a bronze mask, obscure and indistinct, making it impossible to even see his face. But his figure was so tall and straight. All around him was the mortal world, yet he alone stood aloof from it.
No need to ask, no need to say. Fu Tangli recognized him at a glance.
Countless people came and went here. Everything seemed to be in a state of flux.
In just a fraction of a second, he also spotted her and looked over.
The lights were brilliant. Their eyes met, and a fleeting shadow passed between them.
Fu Tangli unhurriedly walked through the crowd to him. She was always so composed. Encountering an acquaintance on the street, she greeted him gracefully. “The Daoist Master usually lives outside the world. Why have you set foot in the mortal realm today?”
Xuanyan seemed to let out a soft laugh, but under the mask, it sounded particularly low. He raised his hand and made a gesture.
Only then did Fu Tangli notice that there was a middle-aged man standing behind Xuanyan. He was dressed plainly, like a commoner, but his build was powerful and his bearing noble, which was unusual. Seeing Xuanyan’s signal, he bowed respectfully, withdrew without a sound, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Xuanyan brushed his sleeve, his tone nonchalant. “A worldly person repeatedly disturbed my cultivation and insisted on inviting me here. It was most vexing. I was just about to return.”
Fu Tangli smiled faintly and said in a prim and proper tone, “What an unfortunate coincidence. In the Daoist Master’s eyes, I am also a worldly person. I should probably keep my distance.”
Xuanyan was very tall. She had to tilt her head up to speak to him. This posture unconsciously gave her a gentle, charming air. The lights fell into her eyes, like the reflection of a startled swan, splashing up waves of spring.
Perhaps it was because the night of the mortal world was too splendid, making one lose one’s way. It was inexplicable, but a soft feeling slowly grew in Xuanyan’s heart. Ten thousand lights, a reunion in the mortal world. And she was right here, before his eyes.