Held in the Lonely Castle Chapter 12

 

 Held in the Lonely Castle  

 Chapter 12

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Brewing Plums

Returning to the pavilion, the two ladies were still inside drinking tea. Upon seeing His Majesty enter, they quickly rose to greet him.

His Majesty inquired about the princess's condition, and Consort Miao replied, "She was napping earlier and has woken up now, but she's still lounging in bed, unwilling to get up."

The princess was young, and His Majesty had always been close to her, with few reservations. Hearing this, he casually picked up a plate of newly presented Dragon Boat Festival sweet and fragrant candied plums from the imperial kitchen and said, "I'll go talk to her."

Consort Miao agreed and called me and a young maid named Jiaqingzi, instructing us to wait by the princess's door.

The name "Jiaqingzi" originally referred to a type of plum grown in the Jiaqing Lane of Luoyang during the Tang Dynasty, renowned for its sweet and fresh taste, hence called Jiaqing plums. By our dynasty, "Jiaqingzi" had become a beautiful name for candied plums. The princess had four young maids, all around seven or eight years old, named by her after her favorite foods. The other three were named Xiaoyan'er, Yunguo'er, and Xiangyuanzi.

Jiaqingzi had just arrived this year. When she first entered the pavilion, the princess was eating porridge. Lady Han asked the princess to give her a name. The princess looked at her and asked her surname, to which the little girl replied, "Jiang." At that moment, the princess was chewing a piece of spicy ginger and burst out laughing: "Then you shall be called Spicy Foot!"

Consort Miao, smiling, objected, "If she really takes that name, how will she ever face people outside?"

The princess didn't insist and said, "Then I'll think again."

I saw her eyes darting around the table, taking in all the side dishes—lettuce, sesame tofu, ginger-fermented beans, spicy radish, mustard melon, pickled papaya—and then glancing at the fish dumplings nearby. Worried she might give the little girl another shocking name, I took the opportunity to change the empty plates and placed a dish of Jiaqingzi in front of her.

Sure enough, this inspired her: "You shall be called Jiaqingzi. I love eating those."

The princess adored sweet snacks and candied fruits, but as she was losing her baby teeth, Consort Miao rarely allowed her to have them. His Majesty took the candied plums to cheer her up.

The princess was lying in bed, clearly awake. Hearing her father enter, she immediately turned away, pretending to sleep.

His Majesty sat by her bedside, held the candied plums under her nose, and called softly, "Huirou, see what Daddy brought you."

The princess remained motionless and silent. His Majesty smiled and added, "They're freshly made Dragon Boat Festival candied plums. The honey is seeping out of the plum skins. If you don't eat them soon, the flavor will spoil."

Candied plums were a seasonal sweet. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, people would slice calamus, ginger, apricots, plums, and purple perilla into strips, soak them in honey, and stuff them into plum skins. The result was a sweet, sour, and fragrant treat the princess had always loved. Moreover, they were only available around the Dragon Boat Festival, and Consort Miao rarely gave them to her, making His Majesty's offer a great temptation.

The princess's shoulders twitched slightly, clearly in painful struggle, but she held firm and remained unresponsive.

His Majesty sighed, seemingly to himself, "Sleeping so soundly..." Then he turned and called Jiaqingzi over, handing her the plate: "These candied plums are for you. Eat them yourself or share them with Xiaoyan'er and the others."

Jiaqingzi happily accepted, then remembered to bow in thanks. His Majesty waved his hand, laughing: "No need, no need. Go enjoy them."

He glanced back at the princess, who still showed no sign of opening her eyes, so he stood up and said, "Since the princess is still asleep, I'll take my leave."

As he spoke, he quietly stepped behind a curtain and hid.

After a long silence, the princess slowly turned over, first peeking with one eye. Seeing no sign of His Majesty, she opened both eyes, sat up, and confirmed her father was gone. She threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and ran barefoot to the door to peek outside.

Not seeing His Majesty, she turned to me and asked, "Daddy left?"

I smiled and lowered my head.

"Oh..." Thinking I was nodding, her expression dimmed with disappointment.

At that moment, His Majesty emerged with a loud laugh. The princess gasped, quickly ran back, leaped into bed, and pulled the covers tightly over her head. Only slight tremors under the blanket hinted at her emotions—whether she was crying or laughing.

His Majesty went over and tugged the blanket down. The princess's face was exposed, but she kept her eyes and lips tightly shut, refusing to speak.

"Don't laugh, whatever you do," His Majesty said, suppressing his smile and feigning seriousness. "Otherwise, your missing teeth will let the wind in."

The princess couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing, finally opening her eyes. She looked at His Majesty and retorted, "Daddy's missing teeth are the ones that let the wind in!"

His Majesty laughed and asked, "Not mad at Daddy anymore?"

"Hmm..." The princess hesitated before answering, "I need to think about it..."

"Ah," His Majesty brushed her bangs aside and said gently, "Huirou did nothing wrong today. Daddy raised his voice a little, but it wasn't scolding you. Your eighth sister is gone, and Lady Zhang is heartbroken, easily taking it out on others. If she says she doesn't want to see you, just go along with it for now and come back. When people lose someone dear, it's like being seriously ill—they can't bear the slightest annoyance. At such times, they won't listen to explanations. Every word you say might make them sadder, so it's best not to defy them. Avoiding them is always good."

The princess then asked, "If she didn't want to see me, why did you make me wear mourning clothes and go?"

His Majesty smiled helplessly and said, "Living in the imperial family, every move is watched by the world. Ordinary people can hide their joys and sorrows, but we can't. We must grieve and rejoice as our subjects expect and display these emotions for all to see. Whether Lady Zhang wanted you there or not, you had to attend the mourning rites and wear mourning clothes to show the world the eldest princess's deep sorrow for her younger sister. Even if Lady Zhang said she didn't want to see you, if you hadn't gone, she'd have been even more suspicious, thinking you guilty or arrogant. Besides, you wanted to go yourself, didn't you?"

The princess nodded sadly, "Yes, I'm heartbroken too that Youwu is gone..." She looked at her father, touched his eyebrows, and asked, "Are you feeling better, Daddy? Your eyes have been dark these past few days."

His Majesty sighed, "Daddy's fine. The saddest is naturally Lady Zhang, crying endlessly. I never knew a person's eyes could hold so many tears... So, don't upset her these days. Even if she says harsh things, bear with her. If you're angry, take a deep breath and think: if you were her, wouldn't you act the same? Thinking this way, you won't be as angry."

The princess agreed but suddenly asked, "Daddy, when those officials scold you, you never seem angry. Do you also take deep breaths, think, and then endure it?"

His Majesty was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter: "Yes, yes, often... But sometimes I can't help it and get so angry I feel like banging my head against a pillar."

The princess laughed too. His Majesty tapped her nose and asked, "Not angry anymore?"

The princess knelt up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered clearly in his ear, "Daddy, I stopped being angry long ago. I was just too shy to talk to you earlier... Even if you really scolded me, it wouldn't matter... I'd be sad if you scolded me, but if it made you feel better, I'd gladly take it... If one of us must be sad, let it be me."

These words moved His Majesty deeply. He hugged the princess tightly and said, "Daddy won't make Huirou sad... You're Daddy's good girl. Whatever you want, Daddy will give it to you, as long as it's within my power..."

"Then... I want candied plums! This, Daddy can surely give." The princess beamed, seizing the opportunity. "One plate isn't enough—I want at least two!"

His Majesty laughed and shook his head, immediately ordering me to fetch two plates.

The princess took one from me and ate the plums one by one, occasionally glancing at her father, who watched with a smile. Finally, she said, "Daddy, I want you to promise me one more thing."

"Oh? What?"

"Next time I'm angry and you bring me treats, if I ignore you or say no, don't give up. You must force-feed me."

(To be continued)