Chapter 32
Not wanting to let Prince Wei catch her out on a petty fault, Cui Lanyin headed straight for the accounts room right after leaving the study. She worked at her usual pace without slacking off at all, poring over the ledgers for one and a half full hours, and did not return to her Spring Stream Courtyard until the 10th hour of the night.
She had rushed back in such a hurry during the day that she had no time to take the fabrics and jewelry bestowed by Empress Xu and Empress Dowager Chen with her. Thinking that her family would be hosting guests the next day, and while she did not care much about what others thought, she did not want Lady Xiang to be looked down upon by outsiders, bringing shame to the whole household.
The ten bolts of fabric gifted by Empress Xu were suitable for making clothes for both men and women, while most of the fabrics from Empress Dowager Chen were styles that suited her, with only a small portion usable for other members of the family.
The next day, right after finishing her breakfast, Cui Lanyin had Aiye and Sangzhi pick out all the fabrics and accessories that the family could use, and sent Sangzhi back to the Cui Manor with the load on the family's carriage.
With everyone hurrying to work on the clothes, the whole family would be able to have a set of brand new garments by the next day, and Lady Jiang and Cui Lanzhi would also have decent hair ornaments and jewelry sets to wear.
No sooner had Sangzhi left than Buyan came back to report that the Yao family had sent a visiting card, saying they would come in the afternoon to pay their respects to Prince Wei, and Prince Wei had already granted them permission.
Cui Lanyin immediately began to think that it would be awkward for her to be here when the Yaos arrived. Besides, she had offended Prince Wei the day before and had not yet made it up to him. If he made a cold face at her in front of the Yao family, she was far too thin-skinned to act as if nothing was wrong.
She thought of hurrying back home right after Sangzhi, but anyone with a discerning eye would realize that she was deliberately avoiding meeting the Yaos, which did not seem appropriate.
Just as she was hesitating, Buyan came over and said, "Second Miss, Eunuch Qi'an is here. He says Her Majesty the Empress Dowager misses you. He also told you to take your time getting ready, there's no rush at all."
It was exactly the pillow she needed when she felt sleepy. Cui Lanyin quickly changed her clothes and did her hair up again.
Thanks to the fabrics they had received a couple of days earlier, Aiye and Sangzhi had worked nonstop for two days to sew two new sets of clothes for her, and now was the perfect time to wear one.
She put on a crimson waistcoat, paired with a color-blocked skirt woven with aqua green and moon-white panels. A jade magnolia blossom hairpin sat in her hair, and a pair of white jade bead pendants hung from her ears. She looked so fresh and delicate that she resembled a pear blossom blooming in the misty rain of the Jiangnan region, so lovely that people could not help but stop and gaze at her again and again.
Leaving Aiye to watch over the courtyard, Cui Lanyin brought Buyan with her to the front of the manor to meet up with Qi An.
Only a day had passed, but Qi An treated her differently now. He regarded her as if she was his own child, no longer being polite in his speech, but full of the care and nagging of an elder.
"At this time of year in the south, rain can pour down without warning. Second Miss, you should have brought a cape with you..."
When they arrived at the Palace of Blessed Peace, no sooner had they rounded the front hall than Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia hurried over and hugged her. "Our Second Miss is here! The Empress Dowager has been asking us to send for you since dawn. We thought little girls need their sleep, so we persuaded her to let you rest well, and only had Qi An go to fetch you at the eighth hour."
After walking a little further, Qian He came out from the side hall and pointed toward the front corridor. "Second Miss is here. Go see if those over there are to your liking."
Cui Lanyin looked in the direction he was pointing and exclaimed in surprise, "Parrots?"
Along the corridor in front of the palace hung a row of perches, on which stood parrots of all kinds, their feathers bright red, yellow, blue, and green, a truly dazzling sight.
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia pushed her from behind, saying, "Go take a look."
Cui Lanyin had just stepped up the steps to the front corridor when a strange, croaky voice called out, "Greetings, Second Miss."
She followed the sound and saw that it came from the most unassuming, gray-feathered large parrot in the whole row.
Noticing that Cui Lanyin was looking at it, the gray parrot craned its neck and called out again, "May Second Miss have smooth days and all her wishes fulfilled."
Cui Lanyin was instantly charmed by it. She smiled and stepped closer, "May you also have smooth days and all your wishes fulfilled."
Before heading into the main hall, Cui Lanyin turned back to the gray parrot and said, "I'm going in to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager first, I'll come back to play with you later."
Behind her, Qi An, Aunt Gao and the others shook their heads and smiled as they watched her talk to the parrot as if it were a person. "She truly is a child at heart."
"Yin!" Empress Dowager Chen called out from inside the hall.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Cui Lanyin said, stepping briskly into the hall, with Aunt Xia and Aunt Xia following slowly behind her, no longer in any hurry.
She was just about to curtsy when Empress Dowager Chen raised her hand to stop her. "There's no need for formal greetings when there are no outsiders around. Make this place as much your home as your own manor."
Cui Lanyin tried to bend her knees to curtsy anyway, but Aunt Xia lifted her up from behind and pushed her toward Empress Dowager Chen. "Her Majesty has been looking forward to seeing you since dawn. Go on, now you can spoil her as much as you like."
Empress Dowager Chen laughed. "What, are you jealous?" She patted the seat beside her and said to Cui Lanyin, "Sit here. That brocade stool can't be very comfortable to sit on."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Cui Lanyin really did sit on the heated kang right next to Empress Dowager Chen.
"You did such a great thing for me. All the pent-up frustration I've held in for years has finally melted away. You have no idea how light and happy I feel now, I've even woken up laughing in my sleep these past nights. Good child, I owe you this favor. From now on, if there's anything you want to play with or anything you desire, just tell me, don't ever feel constrained."
Aunt Gao, who was standing to the side, added, "The Empress Dowager has already given orders to the palace guards. From now on, Second Miss can come to the palace whenever she wants, no longer needing to wait around at the palace gate like last time."
"I only ran a small errand for you, it's not nearly worth all this."
"It is absolutely worth it. Second Miss, do you know that Her Majesty says all those years of copying sutras to calm her mind never worked half as well as that one trip you made? These past two days she has slept well, eaten well, and felt light and at ease all over. She says she doesn't need to copy sutras to keep her mind peaceful anymore."
Cui Lanyin grew flustered from all the praise, and tried to change the subject. "That's wonderful. Your Majesty, you haven't sunbathed yet today, right? Let's go sunbathe now."
"Are you the one who wants to go play with the parrots?"
"Are you going to come with me or not?"
"Since our Second Miss has asked, how could I say no?"
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia even chimed in playfully to back her up. "We all know that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager listens to Second Miss the most. The rest of us have long been pushed to the back of the line."
"I just told my uncle that with him backing me up, I could walk around Yingcheng as if I owned the place. When I came back from the Chen Manor the other day, he even teased me that I was waddling around like a crab. Now with Your Majesty spoiling me like this, I feel like the whole city of Yingcheng isn't big enough to hold me anymore. If people start gossiping about me being arrogant and overbearing later, it will all be because Your Majesty has spoiled me. When someone comes to complain to you, you have to stand up for me."
Empress Dowager Chen did not hesitate at all. "Walk however you like, strut or stroll, I will shield you from all trouble."
When they got to the front corridor and helped Empress Dowager Chen sit down on a chair, Cui Lanyin still felt it was not comfortable enough. "Your Majesty, you should get a rocking chair to sit in. You can rock back and forth while sunbathing, and listen to the parrots talk. That's the life of immortals."
Qi An winked at her, and Cui Lanyin immediately understood that Empress Dowager Chen would never agree to such a thing.
Empress Dowager Chen was extremely strict about proper manners in every aspect of her life, from sitting to standing to resting. Even in her own bedchamber she maintained perfect poise. Asking her to sit half-reclined in a rocking chair out in the open was like asking her to abandon all the principles and standards she had lived by for decades.
Cui Lanyin stepped forward and used the same cajoling, pestering manner she used to get her way with Lady Tan. "Your Majesty, a person's life is only a few short decades long. It would be such a waste not to enjoy yourself while you can. I only came to realize this after going through so many things lately. I would much rather other people disapprove of me than make myself uncomfortable. If I can lie down, I will never sit; if I can sit, I will never stand; if I can walk boldly, I will never hunch over and shrink back."
Empress Dowager Chen listened and nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I am already at this age..."
Cui Lanyin quickly turned her head and urged, "Then Eunuch Qi'an, hurry up and get everything ready for the Empress Dowager!"
"Everything is already prepared, I'll go bring them out right now," Qi An said, scurrying off with quick, light steps.
Before long, he returned with two other eunuchs carrying over two rocking chairs. Cui Lanyin clapped her hands and laughed, "This is exactly how it should be! One for Her Majesty to sit on, and the other left empty - that's the proper way to show the grandeur of our Empress Dowager."
Qi An halted in his tracks. "I was actually thinking of letting the Empress Dowager try both to see which one is more comfortable, so I can go bring a few more for her to pick from later?"
"This child can twist black into white, you know. If you really believed what she said, she'd lead you straight into a pit," Empress Dowager Chen called out with a laugh.
Qi An even spoke up in her defense. "I quite like Second Miss Cui's personality. Young folks ought to be this lively and spirited."
Cui Lanyin covered her mouth and laughed until her sides ached, then turned to help Empress Dowager Chen settle into the rocking chair. She placed a couple of pastries on a small plate for the Empress Dowager to nibble on. After a few moments of adjusting, Empress Dowager Chen grew accustomed to the gentle swaying, and sighed emotionally, "I've truly wasted all these years of my life without ever trying something so nice."
Cui Lanyin then stood up and walked to the porch to tease the parrots. The big grey parrot was by far the most endearing, as the rest of the flock had not yet learned to speak.
Qian He came over and reported, "We were a step too late. All the well-trained talking parrots had already been claimed by others. The ones left are all new to the garden, and they'll need quite a bit of training before they can speak. This grey one here was left behind because everyone thought it was too ugly to take home..."
"You're the ugly one, you hideous monster!" The grey parrot snapped, staring daggers at Qian He with its beady little eyes.
Qian He poked its wing in exasperation. "See that, Second Miss? It's never been a docile creature, it was just pretending to be quiet earlier. That's the other reason no one wanted it - everyone is afraid its sharp tongue will get people into trouble, so the garden steward didn't dare assign it to any guest. Since there weren't any other talking parrots left, I thought having one that could speak would encourage the others to learn. Liu the Fifth knew no one here would bother arguing with a feathered creature, so he dared let me bring it along."
The big grey parrot seemed surprisingly human-like. After Qian He pointed out all its flaws, it didn't snap back, but it didn't back down either. It just turned its head away and looked around, exactly like a person trying to hide their embarrassment after an awkward moment.
This parrot with such human-like quirks was far too charming. Cui Lanyin couldn't resist reaching out to stroke its wings gently, one stroke after another. To her surprise, the big grey parrot didn't flinch away. It even leaned forward a little, clearly inviting her to keep petting it.
Qian He smiled and said, "If Second Miss likes it, you can take it home to amuse yourself. You can pick a few more of the other parrots to bring along too."
"I don't have anyone at my place to look after them, I'd just end up neglecting them and making them sick," Cui Lanyin said.
"There are people already assigned to care for birds, Second Miss. You can just take them home, and you won't have to worry about a single thing," Qian He assured her.
Empress Dowager Chen also chimed in, "If you like it, just take it to play with. If you want more later, just tell Qian He to pick some more out for you."
The grey parrot seemed to understand every word. It hopped closer to Cui Lanyin and squawked, "Greetings, Second Miss!" It looked almost frantic, as if afraid Cui Lanyin would choose a different parrot instead.
"Look at that, it's already accepted you as its master!" Empress Dowager Chen laughed.
Cui Lanyin had truly grown fond of the clever bird, so she didn't refuse the offer anymore.
After they finished their lunch and were sitting around to let their food digest, Empress Dowager Chen said, "Qi An has sorted out a few more nice things these past two days..."
Cui Lanyin knew Empress Dowager Chen was referring to the promise she'd made earlier about giving her more treasures. She quickly cut in, "That cart of things you gave me the other day was already more than enough. I won't be able to wear or use all of them for ages. Let's wait a while before you give me anything else."
"You told me not to treat you like an outsider," Cui Lanyin said, shaking her arm playfully in a spoiled, affectionate way. "If you keep showering me with gifts all at once like this, what does that make you? You should keep all the nice things for yourself, and give me a little bit every now and then. That way I'll always have new surprises to look forward to - that's how you properly spoil a child. Otherwise, people will say I'm just a hanger-on who never leaves your place empty-handed, without even a shred of tact."
"Look at her, she won't even let me finish a sentence. I simply can't argue with her," Empress Dowager Chen said, laughing helplessly.
"Then you'd better do whatever Second Miss tells you to," Qi An teased.
When Cui Lanyin had arrived that day, she only had Buyan by her side. But when she left, she brought back five parrots and a personal eunuch who specialized in caring for birds. She really hadn't been exaggerating - every time she visited Empress Dowager Chen's palace, she never left empty-handed.
Even on days when there were no formal gifts to give, the Empress Dowager would have her pack two boxes of pastries and candies made in the imperial kitchens for her to snack on at home.
When their carriage pulled into Yongjia Lane, Buyan leaned out the window and turned back to say, "Second Miss, the Yao family's people have already arrived."
Cui Lanyin had already thought this through. She was only staying at Prince Wei's residence as a guest, and without the master of the house explicitly asking her to, there was no reason for her to go out and receive guests. She'd gotten into a huge fight with Prince Wei the night before, and he was clearly annoyed by her presence right now - there was no way he'd ask her to help entertain visitors.
She'd heard before that whenever the womenfolk of the Yao family came to visit, they were always seated in the front guest hall for visitors. She could easily pretend she didn't know they were there at all.
"Stop the carriage inside the second gate, and we'll go straight back to Chunxi Pavilion," Cui Lanyin ordered.
Buyan acknowledged the order and directed the coachman accordingly. The carriage turned and entered the second gate, but before Cui Lanyin could step down, the chief administrator stepped out from behind the ornamental hanging gate. "Second Miss, you've finally returned! The ladies from the Yao family have been waiting in the eastern side hall of Yi'an Hall for quite some time, they've been expecting you to come and receive them."
"I'm just a guest staying in this residence, it's not proper for me to host the guests," Cui Lanyin said. She knew that now that the guests had been brought into the inner quarters, she couldn't very well pretend she hadn't noticed. "I'll go over in a moment to pay my respects and chat with them for a little while, but that's all I can do." She still intended to head back to Chunxi Pavilion first.
The chief administrator wouldn't let her leave. "Second Miss, you're practically one of the family in this residence, how could you possibly be just a guest?"
Just as the two of them were at a standstill, Buyan came trotting over. "Second Miss, where have you been? I told His Highness Prince Wei that you'd be back by early afternoon, and that's why he ordered the Yao family's ladies to be brought to the inner quarters. He's been waiting for you to return to host them."
Since Prince Wei had personally given the order, Cui Lanyin had no choice but to follow the chief administrator toward Yi'an Hall in the inner quarters.
The chief administrator hurried to give her instructions along the way. "In a moment, Second Miss, you should invite them to move from the eastern side hall to the main room on the east side of the principal hall. That's the proper area for the master of the house to receive honored guests."
"But I thought none of the inner quarters had been tidied up and decorated for visitors?" Cui Lanyin asked, confused.
"All the other areas are still unarranged, but I tidied up Yi'an Hall in advance, just in case His Highness decided to come back to the inner quarters for a visit," the chief administrator explained.
Cui Lanyin still thought the whole situation was rather strange - what sense did it make for her, a mere niece by marriage, to be hosting guests in her great-uncle Prince Wei's inner quarters? But when you're living under someone else's roof, you don't get to pick and choose your obligations.
When they reached the entrance of the eastern side hall, the chief administrator stopped, as it was improper for him to enter the inner quarters where the female guests were. "If you need anything at all, Second Miss, just call for a eunuch to pass me word."
Cui Lanyin nodded, and stepped into the eastern side hall with Buyan following her.
The ladies of the Yao family had already seen the chief administrator escort her in with a wide smile through the colored glass window. The three madams of the Yao family exchanged a knowing look, and then gestured for all the young ladies of the Yao family to stand up and greet her.
After the entire Yao family had returned home from Prince Wei's residence that day, all the men and women of the family gathered in the courtyard of Fourth Elder Lady to talk over the visit.
"How did it go?" Fourth Elder Lady asked.
Third Master Yao replied, "It was much better than the last few visits. His Highness Prince Wei even sat with us and chatted for a while."
"We were even led all the way into the inner quarters this time," Third Madam Yao added. "But it was that Second Miss from the Cui family's main branch who came out to receive us. She even led us to the main guest room in Yi'an Hall, the one reserved for the master of the house to host guests. Logically speaking, we are Prince Wei's real blood relatives, but today an outsider got to play the part of the host right in front of us. To be perfectly honest, it stung a little."
Fifth Madam Yao also remarked, "None of the people in Prince Wei's Manor seem to be acting by accident — they fawn over Second Miss Cui at every turn. Even palace eunuchs follow her when she steps out, and the chief steward never stops addressing her as 'Second Miss this' and 'Second Miss that'. When we arrived, Second Miss was just coming back from Empress Dowager Chen's palace. Empress Dowager Chen gave her several myna birds, and even assigned a dedicated palace eunuch to tend to them. Anyone who did not know better would truly mistake her for a princess of the imperial house."
Fourth Master Yao, who was the most observant of the group, added, "At first, the Prince intended to have Third Sister-in-law and the rest of us wait in the side hall at the front of the residence. It was only after he was told that Second Miss Cui would be returning from the palace any moment that he changed his mind and had us all led to the inner rear quarters instead."
Once Fourth Master Yao said this, all the female relatives of the Yao family felt even more sour and aggrieved. It turned out that when Second Miss Cui was not around, they did not even qualify to step foot in the rear courtyard of the manor.
Fourth Elder Lady could not help but heave a long sigh. "That child still remembers. Back then, we really should not have all left in a rush. We could have at least left one person behind in Yingcheng to look after the mother and son."
Fourth Master Yao asked, "Mother, are you saying the Prince still bears a grudge over what happened all those years ago?"
Fourth Madam Yao cut in, "That must be it. He goes out of his way to elevate Second Miss Cui, and never so much as spares Yu'er and Ying'er a glance. The message could not be any clearer."
Third Master Yao said, "Which is why we have to come up with a way to smooth things over. Eldest Brother also wrote in his letter that no matter what happens from now on, our Yao family will stand firmly on the Prince's side."
Fourth Master Yao nodded in agreement. "Eldest Brother is absolutely right. The future holds so many uncertainties, and the wisest choice for us is to stand right behind Prince Wei, and meet all changes with unwavering steadiness."
"Then about the banquet the main branch of the Cui family is hosting tomorrow..." Fifth Master Yao trailed off with his question.
Fourth Elder Lady gave the final order, "We will go. All of you will attend. Since the Prince is set on elevating Second Miss Cui, we must show our full support and grace the occasion with our presence."
