Chapter 16: The Sachet
It was just getting light when Tang Wu was urged out of bed by Shuang’er. Today was the first time she would be serving tea to the Princess Consort, and it was a day she absolutely couldn’t be late.
But Tang Wu had always loved to sleep in. Even though she had been pushed out of bed, her eyes were still closed.
Shuang’er stood in front of a four-panel wardrobe, holding up an orange-colored skirt. “Madam, are you going to wear this one today?” she asked.
“Shuang’er, I don’t want this Shu brocade one. Change it to the white one, yes, the one on the far side!” She was going to serve tea, not to compete in beauty. If she didn’t show some restraint, she’d be the first one to be disciplined.
After changing her clothes, she deliberately tied a dark purple sachet from under her pillow to her waist. Perhaps, she thought, the contents of this sachet were her real life-saver.
The night before she left Junmeng Garden, Yuniang had secretly come to see her.
Yuniang was a very special person in the garden. She was the second-in-command but never got involved in the household affairs. Very few people even knew about her. She wore a veil every day and, except for when she was teaching dance and could exchange a few words with the other top-tier girls, she kept everyone at a distance.
She was different with Tang Wu, though. Tang Wu remembered a time when Gu Jiuniang hit her particularly hard, and it was Yuniang who stepped in front of her to block the blow. Otherwise, Tang Wu’s face would have been scarred.
That night, Yuniang gave Tang Wu a purple sachet as a farewell gift.
She held Tang Wu’s hand and said earnestly, “Wu’er, this sachet contains musk and yulanzi, which are specially used by girls for contraception. Since you’re entering the Prince’s residence, you will definitely have a use for it. I’m giving it to you today because I hope you will always carry it with you. You must remember never to become arrogant from favor. Before your main mistress gives birth to a son, you must not have any thoughts of bearing a child. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died. Yuniang asks for nothing else from you but that you stay safe and sound.”
Tang Wu weighed the sachet in her hand, Yuniang’s words still echoing in her ears. By wearing this sachet today, the people in the Jiao Yue Hall would naturally understand her intention.
When Tang Wu arrived at the Jiao Yue Hall, Concubine Su was already there. Their eyes met, and they secretly sized each other up. Tang Wu hadn’t been in the residence long, and Concubine Su was always sickly, so this was the first time the two of them had met.
Concubine Su was wearing a sky-blue pleated skirt. Although not plain, it was very proper. She had a graceful and beautiful appearance with slender eyebrows and pearly-white teeth. However, the sadness between her brows was too prominent, making her seem rather gloomy.
After waiting for about another quarter of an hour, Nanny Lu from the Jiao Yue Hall opened the large doors. Seeing the two concubines standing politely and looking neat and obedient, she smiled and said, “The Princess Consort is up. The two of you may enter.”
The Princess Consort sat on a square chair at the head of the room. In front of her were three sets of tea utensils and various fruit plates and snacks. In terms of beauty, she was certainly a little less than Tang Wu, but in terms of dignity, she was a little more.
An Ru’er looked at the two graceful women and felt a lump in her throat.
Knowing he had concubines was one thing, but seeing them in person was another. She couldn’t help but think of the suffering and hardship she had endured over the past three years. At that time, he was probably enjoying himself in the land of gentle comfort.
Nanny Lu, knowing the Princess Consort was upset, leaned in and whispered a few comforting words to her.
According to etiquette, Concubine Su should go first to greet and serve tea to the Princess Consort, followed by Tang Wu.
When Concubine Su served her tea, An Ru’er’s expression was still manageable, but when it was Tang Wu’s turn, she couldn’t help but start breathing heavily.
An Ru’er cursed under her breath, The Emperor is truly capable. A girl so pitifully charming, he must have dug three feet into the ground to find one like this! Why would he send a vixen like this to the Prince of Ying’s residence instead of keeping her in his own palace?
…
After the two finished serving tea, An Ru’er composed herself and spoke slowly, “It’s the first time I’ve met my two younger sisters, and as your elder sister, I am naturally happy. I am a few years older than you, so I should take better care of you. Today is an exception, but from now on, you don’t need to come here to serve tea every day, except for the first and fifteenth of each month. In the Prince of Ying’s residence, the main thing is to work together to serve His Highness well.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration, Princess Consort,” they said in unison.
An Ru’er picked up a cup of tea and took a sip. When she looked up again, her gaze fell on Tang Wu. Tang Wu was wearing a white dress, but she had a dark purple sachet tied to her waist, which looked especially conspicuous.
“What’s that tied to your waist, younger sister?” An Ru’er asked.
“Replying to the Princess Consort, this concubine is wearing a sachet.”
An Ru’er put down her teacup and her expression shifted to one of interest. “Oh? I just came back, and I’m also thinking of preparing a sachet. What kind of fragrance is in yours, younger sister?”
Tang Wu slightly turned her body, trying to block An Ru’er’s view, and replied, “This concubine’s sachet is filled with just some random bits and pieces. With your vast knowledge, Princess Consort, you naturally wouldn’t think much of it.”
Nanny Lu saw the interest on the Princess Consort’s face and said to Tang Wu, “Madam Tang, you are mistaken. A peony has its fragrance, and a wild chrysanthemum naturally has its own. Our Princess Consort has always enjoyed tinkering with these spices, so you don’t need to be so modest.”
The words were polite, leaving Tang Wu no room to refuse.
Tang Wu could only lower her head, take off the sachet, and hand it to Nanny Lu.
“Then I’ll just have to be a little presumptuous.”
Nanny Lu first looked at the embroidery on the sachet, then opened the seal and poured out a few of the small spice packets. First she looked, then she smelled, and after pondering for a while, her eyes widened.
When she handed it back to Tang Wu, both her tone and her actions were much more polite than before.
“Madam’s sachet is truly exquisite. Not only is the design pleasing, but the scent inside is also very nice. Do you often carry this with you, Madam?” Nanny Lu asked.
“Madam doesn’t know, but this concubine often suffers from insomnia and has many nightmares at night, and my heart is always uneasy. I specifically sought out a doctor to give me a prescription. After using it, I felt the effects were really good, so from then on, I’ve kept it with me at all times.”
A nearby Su Jin might have been confused by these words, but Nanny Lu understood perfectly.
The true meaning of that paragraph was: Because she had gained favor, she often felt uneasy. To uphold her duty, she specifically sought out this contraceptive prescription.
Clearly, there was no more sincere offering of tea than this.
After examining the sachet, Nanny Lu’s smile toward Tang Wu was noticeably warmer. She even walked all the way to the door when seeing them off.
“Nanny, what was in that sachet that made you treat her with such special care?” An Ru’er was completely confused. If she hadn’t known that Nanny Lu was a woman of discretion, she would have gone to see what kind of a strange thing was inside that sachet herself.
Nanny Lu smiled and said, “The Princess Consort is so curious, why don’t you guess?”
“Nanny, stop being coy and just tell me.”
“As soon as this servant got the sachet, I smelled a familiar scent, but because I wasn’t sure, I opened the sachet’s seal. I never expected that the young lady’s sachet wasn’t filled with incense at all, but with musk and yulanzi! These two medicinal herbs are used for contraception. She’s willing to keep it on her at all times, doesn’t that deserve this servant’s high regard for her?”
Hearing this, An Ru’er couldn’t help but let out a sneer. “Today, she wore a white skirt but deliberately carried a mismatched dark purple sachet. This was clearly intentional. I think even your reaction today, Nanny, was already within her expectations. This action of hers seems to be following the rules and understanding proper etiquette, but we’ve all been completely calculated by her! With this kind of intelligence, you must not underestimate her, Nanny.”
“The Princess Consort’s lesson is well-received, but this servant has one more thing to say, and I don’t know if I should say it.”
“There are no outsiders here, Nanny, feel free to speak.”
“Even though this Madam Tang is not an easy person to deal with, after all, a clever and sensible person is much better to use than those who are truly or feign stupidity. Now there’s still some rift between His Highness and the Princess Consort. It would be better for the Princess Consort to treat this Madam Tang well, so that His Highness can see how the Princess Consort acts now.”
An Ru’er bit her lip, frowning. “Is Madam telling me to use her to vie for favor? No, no, I am the Princess Consort, and she is just a concubine. I have already shown them great care today, which is more than enough. If I get any closer to her, wouldn’t I be a laughingstock?”
“This servant went to inquire early this morning. The things they eat and use in the Xitong Courtyard are all of the best quality. Even the new maids were specially bought by His Highness from outside. With this, does the Princess Consort see anything?” Nanny Lu said.
Before, the entire Prince of Ying’s residence was managed by Side Consort Chu, which meant that the people in the courtyards were all Side Consort Chu’s people. The fact that the Prince of Ying could separately send her a few people to serve her was undoubtedly a sign of his protection.
“That’s absolutely impossible! Brother Yanzhi has never been one for beauty. In the past, the fourth daughter of the Dai family fell in front of him countless times, but Brother Yanzhi always walked around her. And before I married him, he didn’t even have a single concubine!” An Ru’er retorted.
“Princess Consort, think again. Three years have passed, so how could there have been no one serving His Highness? This servant has heard that His Highness has already gone to the Xitong Courtyard twice this month.”
At these words, tears welled up in An Ru’er’s eyes.
If she were to count the days, she had been married to him for three years, but as for her? She was still a virgin.
“Then, Nanny, what do you suggest I do?”
“Right now, Side Consort Chu is confined to her quarters, and Concubine Su claims to be ill and doesn’t go out. Only the one in the Xitong Courtyard is left. If even she were to get sick, where does the Princess Consort think His Highness would go?” Nanny Lu had met many people in her life and naturally knew that the Prince of Ying was an exceptional man, but no matter what, he was still a man.
It was impossible for him to wait for them to recover when he needed someone to serve him.
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The author has something to say:
Author: My heart aches for my Wu’er, who has to struggle for survival in the cracks of the residence.
Prince of Ying: +1
