CH 48

Ban Hua loved it when people looked with astonishment, it was the best compliment they could pay her.

She put a well-maintained hand into a momo’s hand, stepped on the vermillion lacquered wooden stool to get off the carriage. Nodded to the palace attendants who were greeting her and asked the welcoming momo, “Is His Majesty’s birthday still held at Zhaoyang Palace this year?”

“Replying to Junzhu, yes it is.” The momo released her hand, drew back bowing, “Nubi is here on the Empress niangniang’s order to escort Junzhu.”

* -niangniang 娘娘 has multiple meanings, but mainly to express respect to noble women and female deities.

“Empress niangniang is always so kind to me.” Ban Hua’s face showed some affection, “Then let us go quickly, I have missed niangniang too.”

It had been snowing heavily but the paths where nobles would walk were always swept clean. Ban Hua’s long skirt glid on the path with servants following behind without a sound, the imposing majestic authority made people awed. Grandmother once told her majestic authority couldn’t be seen or touched, the display of servants in procession, luxurious wardrobe and fancy fares would naturally led to admiration.

Noone cared whether you were easy to get along with, as long as you could make them understand you were someone they couldn’t afford to offend, they would feel your authority.

The eunuchs on road moved to the side to give way, none of them dared to look directly at her.

“En?” Ban Hua suddenly stopped, she was looking at a little eunuch standing outside the corridor. The little eunuch was wearing a grey palace attendant robe, the person was thin and small, the hands placed in front of his stomach were red and swollen, a sharp contrast to his thin wrists.

“Junzhu, that is a rough-job eunuch,” The momo added, “Their family committed crimes, they entered the Palace as criminals.”

Ban Hua remembered what would happen in five years, her eyes lowered, “Looks like a child.”

Momo smiled, “Junzhu is right.”

Just as the momo thought Junzhu would display her benevolence by ordering the little eunuch to go back to rest, the Junzhu unexpectedly did no such thing, she instead beckoned to the little eunuch.

“Little child, come here.”

The little eunuch was probably freezing too much that his two legs were shaking uncontrollably. Hearing a call from a master, he almost fell down to the snow. Using all his strength to suppress his fear, he stumbled over to the master, his mind went blank.

Was he unpleasant to the master’s eyes, or had he done something wrong?

“Raise your head let me see.”

His teeth were shaking so hard that they almost fought with each other his mouth, but he dared not disobey, lifted his head to show a not-very-clean face.

“What a cute child.” Ban Hua smiled, she said to the welcoming momo, “If his face was a little rounder, what do you think he would look like?”

The momo looked carefully and shook her head, “Nubi doesn’t know.”

“Like the singing bird in His Majesty’s aviary. If his face was a little rounder then it would be more similar.” As if she remembered something, Ban Hua’s face turned dark as if she was upset.

The welcoming momo remembered three years ago there was a singing bird called Yuanyuan in the aviary that Fule Junzhu liked so much. The Empress had said the bird was to be sent to Jingting residence but it died of some sickness, after that Fule Junzhu didn’t visit the aviary very much anymore.

The momo couldn’t recall how the bird looked like, especially as His Majesty’s aviary wasn’t open to just anyone. Whether this little eunuch really resembled the bird wasn’t important, if Junzhu said he did then it must have been.

With a face full of enlightenment, the leading momo said, “If Junzhu didn’t mention it, nubi wouldn’t have remembered. On closer look, they do look similar, only that the face was thinner.”

“Yes, I thought so.” Ban Hua looked happy again, she casually handed a hand-warmer to the little eunuch, “Go back and take care of yourself, I will come again to look at you.”

The hand-warmer wasn’t much decorated, it looked like something that Junzhu’s servants would use. The welcoming momo saw the little eunuch had made Junzhu happy, she said, “Nubi think this little eunuch is fated with the singing bird, it is better if he works at the aviary so the birds there will look good too.”

Holding the hand-warmer, the little eunuch felt his limbs and joints came back alive.

This noble lady was really beautiful, even more than the niangniangs in the palace. Not sure which noble family she was from that even the Empress’ personal servants were very polite to her. Low level eunuchs need to have good eyes to survive, he saw the two momo’s following this noble lady wore the uniform of the Empress’ palace.

Standing with bowed head, he could only see the snow white cloak, and the red peony flowers under the cloak.

“Respectfully seeing off Your Highness.”

As the nobly lady walking away, he moved back a step to salute deeply.

When the procession was no longer seen, he turned to the snow covered ground with the hand-warmer still in his clutch. He had to put it down on the ground and continue the sweeping, but he was quite reluctant. After thinking, he was going to put the hand-warmer in his clothes when the steward came over.

The little eunuch thought he was going to be scolded again, who knew the steward smilingly told him to go back to rest.

“You are lucky, little brat.” He heard the steward said.

—

“Junzhu, please walk this side.” The welcoming momo stood at the bottom of the steps. “Nubi is too lowly and can’t step up, Junzhu please proceed.”

“Thank you.” Ban Hua smiled at the two momo’s and walked up the steps.

“Respectfully seeing off Junzhu.” The momo’s looked at the woman in luxurious clothing stepping on the jade steps, as if in a trance they felt they saw … the image of immeasurable regality.

Ban Hua had calculated that the jade steps outside Zhaoyang Palace was white, so climbing the steps clothed in white and red would look terrific.

In midst of drifting snowflakes, a few clusters of crimson was most eye-catching.

Shi Jin was standing on top of the jade steps, the hand gripping the ceremonial sword tightened at the sight of the woman who was walking up step by step. A few snowflakes fell into his eyes, he blinked, his eyes were still a little blurry but that woman was exceptionally clear.

Was that peonies on her skirt?

Peony was both brilliant and vulgar, very few noble ladies wore peony patterns. Most of those few looked more vulgar than brilliant because the person was crushed by the overwhelming beauty of the flower.

Shi Jin had never expected to see a woman who was so well-suited with peonies, dignified, bright, beautiful.

As he took a step forward, the woman on the steps raised her head at the same time.

Shi Jin moved back in silenced, lowered his head and bowed a salute towards her.

The footsteps came closer, he could see the shoes on her feet, the red rubies embedded on the shoes were tiny and pretty, matched the person so much.

The footsteps stopped in front of him. The peonies on her skirt were vivid, excellently embroidered as if really bloomed on the skirt, they were so red that it pierced into his heart. He could hear the sound of the blowing wind, the sound of the falling snowflakes, and the sound of his own beating heart.

“Shi-daren.”

He raised his head, his gaze avoided her lips, and fell on the forehead pendant between her brows. It was a fiery red lotus, either the skin was so fair that the lotus looked so red, or the lotus was so red that the skin looked so fair.

“Zaixia greets Fule Junzhu.” His voice was as calm as the snow on the ground, not showing any of the ripples in his heart.

“You have been promoted?” Ban Hua remembered Shi Jin was the Commander of Guards at the Court of Judicature and Revision. He was wearing a silver armour today, it seemed to be a promotion.

“By His Majesty’s grace, zaixia is now the Deputy Commander of Imperial Guards.”

Ban Hua blinked, calculating in her head what rank Deputy Commander of Imperial Guards was. She eyed Shi Jin, with his straight back, a face as fine as a woman’s and a silver armour on his body, he looked so good that Ban Hua had to check him out again.

“Junzhu,” Shi Jin thought Ban Hua was nervous because she stood there without moving, he whispered, “The Grand Princess, the Marquis and Marchioness, and the Shizi are all inside.” After thinking he added, “It’s almost the time now.”

The nobles of the Court had mostly arrived, she was a little late.

“Thank you.” Ban Hua knew he was reminding herself, gave him curtsey, “The wind is cold, please Daren take care.”

Shi Jin silently clasped his hands. As Ban Hua walked past him, he raised his head to watch the ends of the skirt gently swayed on the gate.

The peonies were dazzling, as dazzling as her smile.

—

“Why is your Sister not here?” Ban Huai asked Ban Heng in a lowered voice, “Didn’t you two enter the Palace together?”

“The momo’s who picked up Elder Sister were from the Empress’ Palace, she should be fine.” Ban Heng stretched his neck towards the Palace gate, helplessly said, “Her palace skirt today is very elaborate, it will be strange if she can walk fast.”

“She’s here.” Ban Huai saw the person who apparead on the gate, smiled widely as he thought his daughter was so beautiful as expected.

As a father Ban Huai felt his daughter was the most beautiful girl in the world, no other girl could match that even His Majesty’s princesses were lacking in front of his girl.

Since Ban Hua was young, he had loved to tell her she was so pretty and so cute that noone in the whole Capital could compare. So much so that Ban Hua grew up…. immodestly confident.

Ban Heng had always thought his sister’s narcissism was his father’s fault.

“Hibiscus can’t measure to adorned beauty, the wind breezes through water palace with the fragrance of pearly jade…..”

The gongzi next to Rong Xia suddenly started to recite poetry, and it was one with …. indiscreet words. Rong Xia smiled and turned to the gongzi, but that gongzi was staring in a trance-like state to the gate, as if he was bewitched or had lost his soul.

Rong Xia curiously looked at the gate and saw the woman in luxurious clothing.

Red jade beads, splendour garments, vibrant tiny steps.

The smile on Rong Xia’s face faded into a daze. As the woman slowly made her way towards the hall, his brain was stumped by the brilliant red and white peerless beauty.

So many times he had envisioned how this set of blood red jade would look like, but he had never imagined there would ever be a face to suit it.

So it was her. And only her was worthy of such beautiful and flamboyant set of jewelleries.

Something filled into his heart. Like in his childhood when he wanted something so much and he finally got it, he found it was even more beautiful than he had imagined.

The voices in the hall rose a little. Some people had lost their countenance like that gongzhi who recited an implicit poem, while some others concealed their mishaps by drinking their wines.

Their eyes might no longer be looking at her, but their hearts were gaping countless times.

Rong Xia lifted his wine cup, he gently raised it towards Ban Hua then tilted his head to drink.

Ban Hua’s steps paused, she sent him a smile.

T/N – So Ban Hua wasn’t as callous and self-centered as I thought, she still had compassion in her heart to see that little eunuch’s misery. She couldn’t do much because it’s the palace and the little eunuch had criminal status, and there must be a lot of other little eunuchs in the palace… sad…… So she made up a story about him resembling a favourite bird to get him a better treatment. Anyway, my heart ached to think of how cruel ancient people were (not just in China, everywhere in the world).