Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 98
Shen Zhen received an invitation.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15, Empress Xu suddenly changed the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet that was supposed to be held at Furong Garden into a polo match[mfn](a ball game played on horses. polo is still the favorite of royal nobles and leaders of various countries; polo is called the “sport of kings”. This sport requires the unity of man, horse and pole, and skill is supreme)[/mfn].
It would have been fine if it was just a chrysanthemum viewing banquet, after all, Empress Xu would invite her ladies to visit Furong Garden every Mid-Autumn Festival, but the sudden change to a polo match was really thought-provoking…
Because Princess Fu’an has a beloved daughter who is not yet married, namely Princess Kangning.
At the beginning of last month, Princess Fu’an was discussing the marriage between Kang Ning and Xu Wei with the Xu family. But who would have thought that Xu Wei was suddenly beaten and his life root was gone. Losing the life root was not much different from losing one’s life. In a blink of an eye, the marriage between the two families was called off.
This polo match was nothing more than a disguised way for Princess Fu’an to select the princess’s Fuma[mfn](the husband of a princess is called a fuma)[/mfn].
The window was blown open by a gust of wind, and the invitation in Shen Zhen’s hand flew into the air, then made a circle and fell to the ground.
The families of officials above the sixth rank were all invited to this banquet, and Shen Wenqi had just been appointed as the fourth rank Chief River Defense Envoy.
Therefore, Shen Zhen was also among them.
Qingxi frowned and said, “Whether it’s the chrysanthemum viewing banquet or the polo match, you can’t go! After what happened to Young Master Xu, Empress Xu must be resentful of you. If Princess Kangning and Princess Fu’an are involved, who knows what kind of trouble will arise.”
The autumn wind lifted the veil in the room, making it feel desolate.
Shen Zhen frowned.
She knew exactly what Qingxi means.
Although the case of Xu Wei being attacked at night was closed and the “drunkard” who injured him was also sentenced to death by hanging, who in Chang’an didn’t know the twists and turns involved?
Finding a half-crazed drunkard to take the blame, Xu Wei’s plan was in vain.
The most widely circulated saying among the people is: The eldest son of the Xu family fell in love with the third daughter of the Shen family, and when he couldn’t get her, he took action, which made General Su very angry.
Shen Zhen’s appearance in front of the Xu family at this time was tantamount to asking for trouble.
“Or else…young lady can just pretend to be sick.” Qingxi said.
Shen Zhen shook her head slightly and whispered, “Empres Xu is smart, pretending to be sick definitely won’t work, Qingxi, go buy me two crabs.”
Hearing this, Qingxi was stunned.
She knew that Shen Zhen was allergic to crabs.
But even so, Shen Zhen still couldn’t avoid the polo match. The reason was simple: when Empress Xu heard that Shen Zhen was ill, she actually sent the imperial physician to Shen’s house in person.
She sent them under a nice pretext: Lord Shen had worked hard outside and made great contributions, so it was her job to take care of Shen Zhen.
It has to be said that the medical skills of the Imperial Medical Bureau really vary from person to person. The Crown Prince’s illness could not be cured after several years of treatment, but Shen Zhen’s rash, which usually takes a month to heal, recovered within three days.
Shen Zhen looked at her fair and smooth arms and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Since there was no way to avoid it, she could only face it head-on.
The next morning, Qingxi stood behind Shen Zhen, adjusting her hair in front of the bronze mirror, “Miss, what do you think of this gold and jade hairpin? The style is not complicated, and it looks exquisite.”
Shen Zhen shook her head and said, “I want the most common looking one.”
Recently, the Jin Dynasty has suffered from disasters one after another. Not to mention the plague in Luoyang, the Yellow River burst its banks this time. Thousands of houses were washed away by the river, and the fertile fields were damaged to such an extent that they could not be cultivated next year. The people were displaced and had nowhere to turn to. The court could only open its warehouses to provide relief food and send troops to the disaster areas to build some temporary huts to avoid the wind and cold.
The money, food and 30,000 soldiers that Shen Wenqi took away had already severely damaged the national treasury.
If I wear gold and silver at this time, I will definitely be criticized.
“It’s still young lady who is thoughtful.” Qingxi said.
Shen Zhen pinned a silver needle into her sleeve and stepped onto the carriage.
——
The autumn wind blew over the Wei River, and fallen leaves filled Chang’an.
The banks of the Qujiang River on August 15th were as beautiful as a painting falling from the sky.
The laws of the Jin Dynasty were much more relaxed than those of the previous dynasties. For example, the number of days for rest.
During spring, winter solstice and Qingming Festival, there are seven days off; during Mid-Autumn Festival and summer solstice, there are three days off; and during major festivals such as the Lantern Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival, there is one more day off.
The pavilion on the riverside was filled with people early on, and the officials who worked hard on weekdays also changed into their regular clothes.
On the men’s side, some began to drink wine by the stream, recite poems and compose essays early in the morning; others wore Hu clothing[mfn](Hu clothing is a general term used by the ancient Chinese people to describe the clothing worn by the Hu people of the western and northern ethnic groups. It is quite different from the wide and belted Han clothing of the Central Plains at that time. Later, it was also used to refer to clothing of ethnic minorities other than Han clothing. [1 ]Hu clothing usually consists of a short coat, long trousers and leather boots. The clothing is tight and narrow.)
[/mfn] and a fu hat[mfn]
[/mfn] and mounted their horses.
As for the young women, most of them gathered in groups of two or three, laughing and joking.
From time to time, she would cover her face with a palm-leaf fan and look at the handsome and mighty men in the audience.
Wang Ru picked up a grape and put it in his mouth, mumbling casually, “Why are there so few seasonal fruits at this banquet?”
Xu Yiqing frowned and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Qingqing, how am I talking nonsense?!” Wang Rui whispered, “In previous years, we couldn’t even finish eating all the grapes on the table, but look at what we see today.”
Xu Yiqing lowered his eyes and whispered, “You have to know what time this is. There is a flood right now, and the expenses in the palace are being reduced. The Empress took the lead and even gave away her hairpins. You are lucky to have grapes to eat! How dare you be picky?”
Wang Ru covered her mouth.
As they were talking, a few beautiful ladies with graceful figures came over from a distance.
Only one person was white and dazzling.
Shen Zhen was wearing a blue-green satin Bixia Luo Yi[mfn]
[/mfn], holding a peony gauze fan, with a gentle and charming demeanor. Her ankle-length jacket danced with her unhurried pace.
Her beautiful hair, without any decoration, shone like pearls under the sunlight.
It really fits the saying: When you look at it from afar, it is as bright as the sun rising in the morning glow; when you look closely, it is as bright as a lotus emerging from the green waves.[mfn](From ” The Goddess of Luo River ” by Cao Zhi of the Han Dynasty. The author uses romanticism to describe the sincere love between man and god through a dreamlike realm, but in the end, they are separated because of the “different paths of man and god”.)[/mfn]
After passing several pavilions, Shen Zhen still heard the rumors coming from the surroundings. Of course, this time there were also more speculations, as well as feelings mixed with sighs.
There were whispers coming from the seats of the women on the right: “Ah, it’s true that things change over time. The daughter of a guilty minister has suddenly become the daughter of a fourth-rank official in the court. Who could have thought of that?”
“Tell me, did Young Master Xu’s beating have anything to do with her?”
“I heard… it was the Marquis of Changping who did it.”
A woman lowered her voice and said, “She is a disaster. Do you still remember what happened between her and Sun Mi?”
“But what about the time when the incident happened in Jingzhao Prefecture?”
“That was the time when I heard… That day in Jingzhao Prefecture, Shen Zhen hired the lawyer Chu Xun, the eldest son of the Chu family in Yangzhou.”
As soon as the voice fell, someone interrupted quietly and said, “Everyone knows what kind of family the Chu family of Yangzhou is. Without some special feelings, who would intervene?”
How low the tone of the women’s side was, was how high the enthusiasm of the men’s side was.
The sixteen-year-old Shen Zhen, with her pure yet lustful face and slender waist, can make people feel pity and excitement at the same time.
Not to mention this girl who was even more plump but still unmarried.
In men’s eyes, Miss Shen was like a ripe fruit in autumn, waiting for a man to pick it.
Seeing that the men on horseback were all attracted by Shen Zhen, the outspoken Second Lady of the Bai family could not help but snort, “When Shen Shu came just now, those married people followed and watched. Now that Shen Zhen is here, some people can’t sit still again.”
To be frank, it’s no wonder that the girl from the Shen family has bad relationships with people.
Although there were many children of nobles in Chang’an, there were only a few who were outstanding and good-looking.
Su Heng, Marquis of Changping, Sui Yu, the son of Marquis of Xuanping, the descendants of the military secretary, Xu Wei, the eldest son of the Xu family, and Chu Xun of the Chu family of Yangzhou…
In the eyes of the young lady in Chang’an, each of these men was worth a thousand.
If Shen Shu had not married down, and Shen Yao had not gone to marry a foreign prince, I’m afraid that some of those who love to compare and contrast would be ripping their handkerchiefs to pieces behind their backs.
“Young Lady, I see Madam Li is on the far right.” Miao Li said.
Shen Zhen nodded.
Each person can only bring one maid to the banquet. Since Qingxi doesn’t know kung fu, Shen Zhen brought Miao Li with her.
However, before she reached the far right, she was stopped by a palace maid.
“Are you the young lady of the Chief River Defense Envoy’s family?”
Shen Zhen paused, “Yes.”
“Please follow me. The Empress is waiting for you.”
Shen Zhen took a deep breath.
She didn’t expect that Empress Xu would act so quickly.
Shen Zhen walked to the middle of a row of pavilions in Furong Garden, bowed down and greeted the Empress and the imperial concubines, then greeted the two Grand princesses, and lastly, greeted County Princess Kang Ning.
Then she heard a light hum.
“Is your illness better now?” asked EmpressXu.
Indeed, the Xu family members all have first-rate acting talent, just like the way Empress Xu cares about her at this moment, without showing any trace of hard feelings.
Every gesture, even the smile in the corner of her eye, reveals the love and care for the younger generation.
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s concern. I feel better now.” Shen Zhen said.
Empress Xu smiled, nodded, and said softly, “Your father is working hard for the Jin Dynasty. So I should take care of you. Now that you are well, I am relieved.”
Empress Xu put down the teacup in her hand, took a sip, and then continued, “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you for a year. I heard that you went to Yangzhou to stay for a while. I didn’t expect that you would become more beautiful than before.”
“Your Majesty, over praise.” Shen Zhen bowed.
Empress Xu patted the seat beside her and said, “Come here quickly. Accompany me to watch a polo match before going to play.”
Shen Zhen responded with a smile.
She gritted her teeth and walked over.
She knelt beside Empress Xu, but after she had sat there for a while, Concubine Meng’s[mfn](Concubine Meng’s Zhaorong. Zhaorong.” In the Southern Dynasties, was one of the “Nine Concubines,” next to the Empress and the Three Consorts.)[/mfn] expression at the back suddenly changed.
Concubine Meng was the daughter of the Meng family, Meng Suxi, who has been enjoying the emperor’s favor recently.
Her pupils trembled slightly and she turned her head to look at Shen Zhen.
The fragrance emanating from the Shen family’s daughter was something she can never forget!
Meng Suxi clenched her fists and whispered, “Can you take a look at Third lady Shen’s sachet?”
