CH 91.2

Rong Xia stayed at Ban residence for almost 3 shichens. When he walked out of the gates, a guard waiting outside approached  him, “Master Count, someone from the Board of Astronomy is here to see you.”

* 1 shichen = 2 hours.

The Board of Astronomy’s primary duty was in astronomy and geography, they predicted weather change by observing cloud and stars, but in time of major natural disasters they also conducted prayers to the Heaven. Noone was really sure of the efficacy, but from dynasties to dynasties, from generations to generations, the heads of people working at the Board of Astronomy have been rolling to the ground.

Those were the heads of unlucky people serving superstitious mad rulers who thought it was the Board of Astronomy’s responsibility to make the rain fell.

There were all sorts of officers serving at the Board of Astronomy were of all sorts, some observed stars, some researched a kind of seismograph. They were not high-ranked, their position at the Court was terribly ordinary, they only time they were sought after was for reading bazi.

* 生辰八字 = Bazi / Four Pillars of Destiny. Chinese astrological concept that a person’s destiny or fate can be divined by their birth year, month, day, and hour (see Wikipedia). 

If truth be told, the officers of the Board of Astronomy resented this. Being competent at astronomy and weather forecast did not translate to the ability to tell fortune.

However, one must be multi-skilled to survive at the Court, thus the officers of the Board of Astronomy had gradually became well-versed in bazi and numerology too. Accuracy was an afterthought, cozening to the nobles was more important.

Hu-daren, the Director of the Board of Astronomy was only a ninth-ranked dropped out academician, but he used to follow a high-level divination master in his youth so many nobles believed him. In just ten years he had become the most senior member of the Board of Astronomy, and many called him Teacher Hu.

T/N – The raw is 胡先生, which in our modern time means merely a ‘Mr Hu’. However, in ancient times 先生used to refer to teachers or educated people, so I use Teacher Hu.

He was very glad when Count Cheng’an requested him to read the bazi, but after crunching the numbers, he wondered whether his eyes had issues or the bazi was wrong.

No matter how he calculated, the bazi clearly belonged to someone extremely noble but fated to die young.

As noble as a flying phoenix, and yet having a short life. The sign for a short life was very strong, while the sign for a flying phoenix was obscure.

How could a dead phoenix be flying?

And what did being an empress have to do with Fule Junzhu? The Crown Prince was already married, and when he ascended it was his wife who would be the empress. Even if it was the Second Prince to sit on the throne, with his level of disgust towards Fule Junzhu, there was never a possibility that she would be the empress.

That left the second part to be the destiny of this Junzhu.

The short life.

There was still one more possibility, but he dared not entertain it, or perhaps he was not willing to.

After sighing in secret for some time, he mulled over it and decided to see Count Rong. At any rate, this was Count Rong’s person, he should not keep it hidden from him.

—

Rong Xia received Hu-daren at his own residence. He walked up to the main seat and sat down, “Teacher Hu, has the bazi been calculated?”

“Master Rong, my ability is lacking, I am afraid…..”

“I have never doubted Teacher Hu’s ability. If there is anything, please just tell.” Rong Xia said, “The date that I asked you to set before, is there a problem?”

“That date is good for the wedding, but …..” Hu-daren looked at Rong Xia with difficulty, “It’s Fule Junzhu’s bazi.”

Rong Xia frowned at this, “What’s wrong with her bazi?”

“Fule Junzhu’s bazi is distinguished, but with a sign of a broken life.” Worrying that Rong Xia did not understand, Hu-daren added, “She….. will die under a blade.”

Rong Xia’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes abruptly froze, “Teacher Hu, I’ve never believed in these things, you should know that.”

Hu-daren’s heart trembled under Rong Xia’s eyes, he busily stood up, “Actually Fule Junzhu’s fate can be changed, zaixia knows Master Count doesn’t believe, but……”

“Say it. How to change?” Rong Xia interrupted.

“The auspicious phoenix. As long as Junzhu fulfills the phoenix fate, the fire will be quelled and the life span is guaranteed, no blade is to be feared.” Hu-daren bowed, “But zaixia thinks this path is not possible. Master Count, please reconsider.”

“Are you talking about Fule Junzhu, or about me?” The smile on Rong Xia’s face disappeared. His fair fingers rested on the icy cold surface of the table. His eyes slightly lowered, he said, “One’s destiny is up to self, not the Heaven. Whether Fule Junzhu can fulfil fate of a phoenix, she has me in this life, not anyone else.”

“Master Count!” Hu-daren could not bear it anymore, “Zaixia doesn’t understand. Master is one for greatness, why would you be with a woman of this fate?”

“Teacher Hu,” Rong Xia looked at Hu-daren askew, his eyes chilled, “Are you interfering with my personal life?”

“Zaixia has no such intention,” Hu-daren’s face went pale, “The Second Prince’s and the Crown Prince’s factions are currently on the move, and also the unpredictable Changqing-wang, zaixia is worried that you…..”

T/N – (Reminder chapter 29-30) Changqing-wang was Emperor Yunqing’s cousin, a refined idler with the love of beauty, the one who was almost implicated by a myna bird singing ‘long live Your Majesty’.

“Changqing-wang is the grass on the fence.” Rong Xia laughed coldly, “Ambitious, but without guts. He thinks he has it hidden well, but the desire is plain to see.”

* 一颗墙头草 (lit. grass on the fence) = an opportunist who sways whichever the wind blows.

Noone who was a able to live a good life in the Capital was a fool.

“A great matter such as this, a success means fame through eternity, a failure means dishonour to no end. Master Count, please really consider.” Hu-daren did not wish for Rong Xia to walk down that path.

“Teacher Hu,” Rong Xia stared at him, “Not long ago, the Abbot also said the same thing.”

Hu-daren went silent, he knew who Rong Xia was talking about.

“I am grateful to everyone willing to follow me, but there’s one thing I wish for Hu-daren to understand.” Rong Xia picked up the teacup, his tone was very cold, “The thing I dislike the most, is people telling me what to do.”

Hu-daren’s palms were damp of sweat, “Zaixia has overstepped.”

Rong Xia nodded, “If Ban family asks, tell them that the 26th of the second month next year is a good date. As for anything else, never bring up.”

“Yes.” Seeing Rong Xia’s expression has softened, Hu-daren mustered up his courage, “Perhaps Master is the person destined for Fule Junzhu.”

Rong Xia’s expression cleared up a little, his fingers rubbed the cup gently, “It is not a perhaps, it can only be me.”

“Yes.” Hu-daren found his legs were shaking, he had been too nervous to realise it.

—

After Hu-daren left, Rong Xia picked up the red paper with the bazi written on it. He scrutinised it for a long time, in the end his fingers tugged at it tightly. He has never believed in supernatural things, never believed in fate either. He believed only in himself.

“Someone come!”

Du Jiu walked in, “Master.”

“The Second Prince, you can lend him a hand.” The red dye from the paper has stained Rong Xia’s palm, he spread his hand, stared at the bright redness on the palm and slowly said, “I think the Second Prince would like my gift.”

“Yes.”

—

The Second Prince lived in a west building of the Western Palace area. It was smaller and narrower than the mansions of princes of comparable rank, and whatever said and done were constantly under the watchful eyes of people. Two teenage little brothers born by concubines were also living in the same place, but since they never entered Jiang Luo’s sight, their being there or not made no difference.

Jiang Luo had been throwing tantrum since the building was put under heavy guarding. Only when he learnt that his father was very ill and that the Crown Prince had been appointed to oversee the Court that Jiang Luo realised the seriousness of the situation.

If anything happened to his father and the Crown Prince ascended, his life would be miserable. Everyone said the Crown Prince was kind and generous, virtuous, modest and courteous, but Jiang Luo did not think so.

The virtuousness was only for show, the Crown Prince must have secretly lusted after many women. Only brainless girls like Ban Hua thought that he took them as sisters, played with him in their childhood, mistook him as a good person.

“Your Highness,” An inner attendant eunuch entered in a hurry, “Yan family sent a message.”

“Give me.” The Second Prince took the note from the attendant’s hand. It was a short note of only 10 words, but for the locked up Second Prince, this bit was a precious news.

Crown Prince oversees. Court unstable. Crown Prince fails to control.

Finished reading, the Second Prince tore it up to pieces, dipped it into the tea and poured it into a flower pot. “Interesting.”

The attendant sunk his head in shock. After being locked up so long the Second Prince could still laugh loudly, maybe he had gone mad.

“Your….. Your Highness?”

The Second Prince looked up, “What is it?”

The attendant shook his head, “Nubi thinks, perhaps Your Highness can approach the 4 officials.”

“You mean Rong Xia and 3 others?” The Second Prince let out a cold mocking laugh, “Don’t dream. They are Imperial Father’s loyal dogs.” Otherwise why only them were summoned when His Majesty fell terribly ill.

“They are loyal to His Majesty, but not necessarily to the Crown Prince.” The attendant whispered, “If the Crown Prince does a disappointing thing, according on the 4 daren’s conducts, he won’t be as acceptable as the future emperor.”

“Disappoint…….”

The Second Prince frowned. The Crown Prince was an old-hand in pretending. He only had the Crown Princess and a concubine, with just one daughter, but he was still relaxed and unbothered. The scholars seemed to like his unaffected air, they kept on singing praises on how good he was.

How good the Crown Prince was……

Right, since they loved to praise, then let them praise. Praise him slowly, praise him to death, praise him until everyone on Earth said he was the best, that even the Emperor could not compare.

He wanted to see if Imperial Father would tolerate a Crown Prince whose ‘goodness’ was more than his own.

“Your Highness, nubi isn’t a real man, but whenever nubi sees pretty palace maids, nubi still wants to keep on looking.” The attendant eunuch whispered, “Your Highness the Crown Prince is a real man, how come he is so indifferent to beauties?”

“You are right.” The Second Prince became happier at once, “A man who is indifferent to beauties was either pretending, or he was Liu Xiahui.”

T/N – Liu Xiahui was an ancient politician who was heralded to be very virtuous. I think it means Jiang Luo thought the Crown Prince’s virtuousness was a myth.

The attendant eunuch bowed, fawningly said, “It is nubi’s duty to share Your Highness’s worries.”

In general, people measured others by their own standard, such as the case with the Second Prince.

—

In midst of the gushing tides from the hidden undercurrent of the Palace, Ban family remained the only spot unstirred. Apart from less frequent outings, their lives continued as normal. Summer was coming, the Bans were busy taking measurement for new clothings, preparing themselves to conjure up 108 styles of plain-coloured garments.

It was easy to be sweaty during summer, golden jewelleries were no longer suitable, last years accessories were too colourful for the current year. What could they do?

Buy. Buy everything new.

Glass ones, mutton fat jade ones, sombre-coloured crystals, these they could wear.

Money did not grow on the body, one was not born with money and one could not bring money into the grave. Better to spend the money now whenever they could, because in the future their house would be raided, so no point in leaving money for others to take.

According to the Bans, things should be consumed rather than wasted. It was not their style to pile things up gathering dust in the storage. They replaced all of the mosquito nets, window screens, sun shades with top quality plain-coloured gauze new ones so everything were both airy and comfortable.

The books in the storeroom were taken out to be aired under the sun. Ban Hua was lying in the gazebo, seeing the books airing in the garden, she could not resist getting sleepy.

Ban Heng was not much better. As he leaned on the fence yawning, he said, “Sis, these books are troublesome to keep, can’t be eaten or used for anything, and in a few years they will belong to someone else. How about having Rong Junpo here when he’s on break, he can choose for himself, and the ones he likes can be put in your dowry.”

“Who wants these as dowry,” Ban Hua was extremely disgusted, “Better give me more hamlets or shops.”

“That’s fine.” Ban Heng generously nodded, “Hamlets and shops will certainly be plenty. But books is also necessary, in case my future nephew likes to study, won’t we get one more talent in the family?”

“What nephew. Things haven’t even started yet. You better think of your own future children, have some talented sons and daughters.” Ban Hua’s eyes narrowed in a squint, “It’s getting hotter and hotter, everyday is a sleepy day.”

“Isn’t it. Once it is hot, I don’t feel like going anywhere.” Ban Heng said, “I get dizzy when when sun is blazing white.”

“Shizi, Junzhu,” A pageboy running over in a rush, he even stepped on the books being aired on the ground. “Big problem.”

“What happened?” Ban Hua and Ban Heng sat up straight. Seeing the pageboy was in such a panic, their expression turned serious.

“A news outside, Count Cheng’an and Minister Yao, have angered His Majesty for something. His Majesty ordered them to be beaten with planks.”

“What?” Ban Hua’s eyebrows furrowed, “How is it now?”

“Count Cheng’an has been sent back home, heard his condition isn’t very good. Cheng’an residence servants are running around looking for a doctor.”

An esteemed Count, and his servants had to run around for a doctor. Was the resident doctor useless, or the imperial doctor did not dare to come?

How serious it must had been, that the situation turned this way?

“Have our resident doctors sent over to them,” Ban Hua did not pause, “Hurry.”

“Yes, going now.” The pageboy immediately answered, he turned and ran away.

Ban Heng turned to her, “Sis…….”

“Go to Cheng’an residence.”

Ban Hua’s face was grave as she turned and stepped out under the sun.

Ban Heng followed her without the slightest hesitation.