Chapter 14 of Volume 4: The Green Grass by the River

  I chose a fine day with high spirits, and took "Changxiangsi" to the back mountain on foot. There was a white horse standing outside the door, with a red tassel ball hanging from its neck, leisurely eating the tender grass. I took a look, and suddenly a thin cloud of joy rose in my heart, it was "Yu Feng". It saw me and let out a happy neigh.

  I stroked its ear, and Huan Bi couldn't wait to push the door open. Inside, there were joyful voices chatting, which temporarily stopped due to Huan Bi's push. I picked up my clothes and entered, already hearing Huan Bi's clear voice saying "Wang Ye".

  My gaze fell upon him, who was wearing a moon-white shirt, standing beside the noble Empress Dowager with his hands behind his back. His eyes, which turned to look at me upon hearing my voice, were filled with surprise and even more so, delight. He said: "Just now, Mother Empress Dowager had just mentioned you..."

  I nodded in understanding, then bowed to Empress Shu Gui. The empress smiled and helped me up, saying, "It's really 'speak of the devil' - you can't talk about someone behind their back." She pointed at Xuan Qing and said, "He just returned from Sichuan, and hasn't even had a chance to return to the palace yet. Your timing is quite coincidental."

  I smiled and said: "Since the weather is nice today, I'll bring 'Chang Xiang Si' to the imperial concubine. The trouble I've caused will have to be made up for by the imperial concubine."

  The empress dowager said with a warm smile: "Silly child, you keep talking nonsense and making people worry."

  I pointed at Fen Bi and said: "This is my personal maid, I brought her here today specifically to pay respects to the Grand Consort."

  With a gentle and dignified pace, she walked down and paid her respects, saying: "I wish to pay my respects to the Grand Princess and the Prince."

  Xuan Qing smiled and said: "Even Xuan Bi rarely pays me such great respect. Today is all thanks to the Empress Dowager's influence."

  The Empress Dowager beckoned Bi Xi to come closer, holding her hand and examining it carefully: "Her eyebrows and eyes are perfectly proportioned, with delicate skin and tender flesh." The Empress Dowager smiled at me and said, "Especially these eyes, they look just like yours."

  I don't want to be stared at by her sharp eyes, so I hurriedly smiled and said: "Yes."

  Xuan Qing also smiled on the side: "In the past, I didn't look carefully and didn't think so much, but now listening to Mother's words, it really does have a few similarities."

  With a blush, she lowered her head and handed the zither to Jiyun, then they sat together sipping tea. Xuánqīng's warm gaze fell on me as he said, "This is newly picked 'Snowy Peak Emerald', just brewed, you've always liked it."

  The teacup is snow-white new porcelain, which sets off the tea water in the cup to be full of life and green. My likes and dislikes, he is clear in his heart. It's just that I suddenly saw this tea that I often drank in the palace, and I couldn't say whether I was sad or happy, but only felt a sigh. The teacup is new, the tea leaves are also new, only I, the one who tastes the tea, am still the same person as before.

  Xuan Qinggang returned from afar, and Shu Gui Taifei's love for her son was heartfelt. She couldn't help but hold his hand, asking about the cold and warmth, inquiring about everything.

  The Empress Dowager Shu Gui spoke a few words with Qing Yu in the Pai language, I didn't quite understand, and I couldn't help but frown slightly and lean my ear to listen carefully.

  Miss Hui saw me frowning, and whispered in my ear: "Shu Gui Taifei was speaking to the king in Paiyi language, reminding him to be careful and cautious in the palace, and also to take care of himself. It's best to be peaceful and obedient every day."

  Huāng Bì spoke in a low voice, but Shū Guì Tàifēi was close by and still heard her. She couldn't help but look at Huāng Bì, her two beautiful eyebrows curved like jade, and asked: "Do you understand the language of the Pai people?"

  She hesitated for a moment and said, "I understand." She composed herself, "Because my mother was a Pai woman."

  I was shocked, no wonder Qing Bi insisted on following me today, it turns out that her birth mother is also a Paizi woman.

  The Empress Dowager Shu smiled and said: "Really?" She then asked a few questions in the Pa-i language.

  Without hesitation, she responded fluently in the Pai language and then asked after the well-being of Empress Shu with the etiquette that the Pai people used when meeting their elders.

  The Empress Dowager Shu smiled and beckoned him over, saying: "Come here, let me take a good look at you."

  Yu Yu walked closer, and with the etiquette of the Central Plains, she bowed her head and said: "Greetings, Noble Consort Shu, may you be at peace."

  The Empress Dowager Shu Gui lifted her chin with her hand, examining her carefully for a long time, and asked softly: "Are you a slave in the mansion of Zhen's wife?"

  She nodded subconsciously, her voice barely audible, "Yes. It was the former Minister of Justice Zhen's residence."

  The princess slightly hesitated, suddenly her eyes lit up and she asked: "Is his name Zhen Yuandao?"

  She nodded slightly, "Exactly."

  I asked my father, and it's not good to keep silent, so I told him: "Zhen Yuandao is indeed my father, and Huan Bi has been serving me since childhood. Although she is called a slave, in fact, we are like sisters."

  Xuan Qing's warm and gentle smile was like a white cloud on the horizon. "Huan Bi has been growing up in the Zhen Mansion since childhood, and when her mother was in the palace, Huan Bi accompanied her everywhere. Now they share the same joys and sorrows."

  The Empress Dowager Shu remained silent for a moment, gazing at Huan Bi before suddenly asking: "What is He Mianmian to you?"

  Her body suddenly shook, and a pair of autumn water eyes suddenly floated up with a layer of thin mist. Her eyes were already rolling with pearls of tears, and her voice was slightly trembling: "It's really my mother."

  I was also startled, this is the first time I heard the name of Yuanyu's birth mother. All along, I only knew that Yuanyu was my sister, and no one told me anything about her mother, I was also ignorant.

  But then, Meng Meng, with such a delicate and charming name, was born into the humble family of a peddler, how could she be a beautiful and alluring woman?

  The Empress Dowager let out a sigh and revealed a relieved expression, saying: "Indeed, the mother and daughter look so alike, just like they were carved from the same mold." She then asked with concern: "Is your mother doing well?"

  Yu Yu couldn't answer for a moment, her throat choked with sobs, and tears had already rolled down her face. She could hardly speak, so she turned around to wipe away her tears. I answered on her behalf: "Yu Yu's mother passed away when she was born. So, Father brought her back and raised her in the mansion since she was a child."

  The Empress Dowager sighed, and after a moment said: "It's settled then. As Mianmian is also the daughter of a guilty minister, she was forever relegated to the status of a slave and cannot marry into an official's family as a wife or concubine. No wonder she calls you 'Miss'. " She spoke with tears in her eyes, hanging her head and sobbing: "Mianmian is really pitiful." Then she beckoned to Yuanyuan to come forward, stroking her forehead and saying: "Good child, I have wronged you."

  I also felt a pang in my heart, and when I looked up, I saw Xuan Qing's gaze fixed on me, so I quickly turned away and didn't look at him. Instead, I asked Shu Gui Taifei: "Is the mother of Huan Bi acquainted with Your Highness?"

  The Empress Dowager patted Biyu's shoulder with one hand, while speaking to me with the other: "In the past, when I left Baiyi, I was together with Jiyun. At that time, the army was in chaos and people were panicking, and we happened to meet Mianmian, who also surrendered to the Great Zhou from Baiyi." The Empress Dowager was very emotional, "At that time, she wasn't called Mianmian, but rather Baozhuer. Mianmian is the name she changed herself later." As she spoke, the Empress Dowager only silently looked at me, not speaking a word, with only her clear and deep eyes gazing into the distance.

  In that instant, my heart lit up, as if a flash of lightning had struck, illuminating everything clearly. I blurted out: "The green grass by the river, the distant thoughts are endless! Because Father's name is Zhen Yuandao, so she changed her name to Mianmian, right?"

  The Empress Dowager nodded heavily, sighing: "That's right. Mianmian had a deep affection for your father, so she changed her name to express her profound feelings and unwavering determination. Although she was on the list of those to be punished, her emotions probably moved your father greatly as well."

  I gazed at Huanbi, her face crying like a pear blossom in the rain, so delicate and weak. Shu Gui Taifei said that Huanbi resembled her mother, except for her eyes which looked similar to mine, everything else about her was inherited from her birth mother - the gentle facial features, small chin, soft temperament. So naturally, Mianmian would also be as elegant and beautiful as Huanbi. Moreover, Bai women are skilled in singing and dancing, with a boldness and passion that Han women of the Central Plains do not possess. This can be seen from her renaming by Father.

  Yu Fu knelt on the knees of Shu Gui Taifei, sobbing: "Father said that when Mother died, she was still calling Father's name, and only then did she take her last breath."

  The turmoil in my heart is like the turbulent clouds rolling across the sky.

  Actually, Father and Mother were just ordinary official couples, not particularly loving. However, after raising children together for many years, they did have some feelings for each other, at least in our eyes as children, they always treated each other with respect. Moreover, Father also had a concubine named Yiniang who was brought into the household about ten years ago from Jiangnan. At that time, Mother would say that since Father was an official, having one concubine wasn't too bad, and she didn't want others to say she was jealous and intolerant, so she took charge of buying her for Father. However, Yiniang was just a decoration, and in a year, she wouldn't see Father more than a few times, but instead would often serve Mother, teaching my sisters and me how to play the sheng or flute during leisure time. Yiniang had no favor with Father, nor did she have any children, so she couldn't shake Mother's position at all. Therefore, whenever Mother mentioned it occasionally, she would say that she was lucky to marry Father, who didn't like women and didn't take multiple wives, and thus lived a peaceful life.

  However, his wife was such an innocent and unaware person. She didn't know that after a lifetime of quietness and tranquility, there was such a deep affection hidden between her husband and another woman.

  The green grass by the river, the distant road is so long!

  The cypress trees surrounding us have a thick, distant, and pungent scent that makes people dizzy. My mind is racing with thoughts, and suddenly a strange idea pops up. If... if Meng Meng hadn't died so early, or if she would one day become Father's concubine, or if she would surpass Mother due to Father's favoritism, or even be promoted to the position of wife. Then, would I still be the respected and noble eldest daughter of the Zhen family? Perhaps today, I should exchange positions with Huan Bi. Thinking of this, I involuntarily glance at Huan Bi, forcing myself to swallow a mouthful of saliva to calm down, but my back is already covered in cold sweat.

  The soft voice of Shu Gui Taifei came from beside her ear, "Daddy? Are you calling Zhen Yuandao Daddy?" She thought for a moment and then said with certainty: "It's true. How could Mianmian's child not be Zhen Yuandao's? Because your mother is the descendant of a guilty minister, you naturally cannot be acknowledged as his daughter. So you call your sister 'Miss', and she treats you like a younger sister, right?"

  Miss treated me very well indeed.

  Shu Gui Taifei nodded repeatedly and said, "Mian Mian's childhood nickname was Bi Zhu Er, your father gave you the name Huan Bi, it must be because of this reason."

  Xuan Qing felt a bit surprised, looking at me and then at Huan Bi, finally fixing her gaze on our eyes, saying: "No wonder your eyes are so alike, it turns out you're sisters with the same father but different mothers. When I first met Huan Bi before, she said she was your personal maid, I just thought you two grew up together since childhood and were always together, that's why even your eyes look so similar."

  She raised her head and looked at him, a sorrowful smile on her face. "Although Miss and I share the same father, my mother... wasn't even considered a concubine. I'm just... a bastard daughter."

  I never knew that there were so many entanglements between my mother and father, and Father never mentioned it to me. Only I know that Huanbi is my sister. This matter, even Mother has never known, thinking that Huanbi and Liu Zhu are both adopted daughters from outside.

  I feel even more pity for Huan Bi, if it weren't for her humble origins. I suppose in the past at home, Huan Bi was also a proud and arrogant second young lady of the Zhen family. Her age is originally only one year younger than mine.

  Xuan Qing pulled her up and comforted her with kind words: "There's nothing private or not private to say, in the hearts of us few people, we would never think that way."

  She clenched her fists, lowered her head and bit her lip, stuttering: "Now... you all know..." She suddenly raised her head, her bright eyes filled with tears, and burst into tears, whispering: "Your Highness, don't look down on me."

  Xuan Qing slightly stunned, looked at me for a moment, then gently turned to Huan Bi and said: "Of course not, your mother and my empress dowager were old friends, and also from the same clan. The blood flowing through our veins is that of the Bai Yi people, how could I possibly look down on you?"

  The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she couldn't believe it, and asked: "Really?"

  Xuan Qing smiled and said: "Of course I'm telling the truth. When have I ever lied to you?"

  She nodded slightly, and a gentle smile like the intoxicating spring breeze slowly spread across her face. She lowered her head, and I was suddenly startled to find that her beauty at this moment was as captivating as the dew on jasmine flowers and the glow of precious stones. I had never realized that she could be so beautiful. But seeing Xuan Qing softly comforting her, I felt like a distant observer, separated by layers of veils, unable to reach her. A faint sense of desolation and loneliness arose in my heart.

  I tried to turn my head away and not look at them, only towards Shu Gui Taifei: "Father knew Mianmian... was He Yiniang first, or did he know my mother first?"

  Shu Gui Taifei sighed and said, "This matter of fate, how can it be that some come first and others later? Mianmian and Zhen Yuandao didn't meet until after they were married. I suppose Miss Zhen also knows that your father and mother hadn't met before their marriage, let alone talked about it. They agreed to the marriage arrangement simply because of the words of their parents and matchmakers, as is customary in Han official families."

  My face slightly flushed, I said in a low voice: "Yes."

  "So your Han family is not like our Bai family, where one husband and one wife are the norm, and you can take concubines, right?" I nodded again, and the imperial consort said: "Although we met later, didn't your father also want to take Mianmian as a concubine to be together forever? It's just that Mianmian was unfortunate and pitiful, suddenly offending someone in her household, and thus lost the opportunity to be with your father."

  "Doesn't the Empress Dowager think that my mother is also pitiful?" I smiled vaguely and met the gaze of Shu Gui, saying: "My mother, she was Father's wife for a lifetime, but never knew that Father's heart had always belonged to another woman. Although Father couldn't give Aunt He a name, he must have often thought of her in his heart because of guilt, nostalgia, and also because of Huan Bi. Compared to Mother, I don't know who is more pitiful."

  Xuan Qing turned around and stared at me, her eyes gleaming with tears. I lowered my head, pretending not to notice. Empress Shu Guifei remained silent for a long time, her gaze on me also gradually filled with pity and affection. She sighed: "In this world, there are always countless pitiful people."

  "I owe a debt of gratitude to the Empress Dowager. She speaks the truth. My aunt has been gone for many years, and my father and mother were exiled to Sichuan. The dead are already ancient history; we can only care for the living. Xuanbi is my younger sister, and even if I have fallen to this state today, I will not abandon her. There is one thing that is beyond my power, so I can only do my best and ask the Empress Dowager and the King to assist me."

  The Empress Dowager Shu said: "You go ahead and tell me."

  I slowly said: "Huan Bi is not young, I don't want to delay her lifelong happiness because of me. Please, Your Highness, take charge and choose a good family for Huan Bi to marry into, it can also be considered as fulfilling one of my wishes."

  The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "You're indeed a good child who thinks of your sister's well-being. I didn't expect you to have such a heart." She then turned to Xuan Qing with a smile: "Qing'er, as the Empress Dowager is here, she naturally wants some peace and quiet, and it wouldn't be right for her to interfere in this matter either. Huan Bi is the orphan of an old friend and also the younger sister of the person you want to protect with all your heart. The Empress Dowager can entrust this matter to you, and you must find a good family for Huan Bi."

  Xuan Qing smiled lightly and said, "Mother's words of advice, son will definitely remember them in his heart."