Chapter 86
After Xing Kun left, the midwife spoke to Lady Jiang, saying she wanted to ask Cui Lanyin to sit right outside the delivery room.
Though Cui Lanyin found the idea a little amusing, she thought to herself that as long as it could put her elder sister's mind at ease, even stepping into the delivery room itself would not be too much. She therefore took a seat outside the door, and whenever Cui Lanzhi cried out in pain from inside, she would call out a few comforting words.
The midwife then said to Cui Lanzhi from within the room, "Our Second Miss is a person of immense good fortune. With her sitting right here at the door to keep watch and ward, I guarantee you and the child will both be safe and sound. You just do as I tell you and push properly, there is no way this will not go well."
Whether it was truly Cui Lanyin warding off ill fortune, or the midwife's words that calmed Cui Lanzhi's nerves, less than half an hour after Cui Lanyin sat down by the door, the loud wail of a newborn baby rang out from the delivery room.
Right after that, the midwife shouted out with a booming voice, "Everyone, rest easy! It's a fine young master, both mother and child are perfectly well in every way."
"So soon?" Court Physician Cao was so startled he nearly jumped. After offering his congratulations to Cui Sheng and Hong Ji, he jested with Hong Ji, "You owe Second Miss a huge red envelope for this. I have never seen a first-time mother go through childbirth with so little hardship."
Hong Ji was so overjoyed he spun around on the spot, "Of course, of course I will."
He then bowed repeatedly in Cui Lanyin's direction, "Yin, you have worked so hard."
"I know my brother-in-law is too delirious with joy to think straight right now, so I won't stand on ceremony with you," Cui Lanyin said, keeping her post at the door, eager to be the first person to hold her newborn nephew.
It was only recently, after Cui Lanyin returned from her last trip, that this talented young scholar Hong Ji had finally settled on formal names for the child. A boy would be named Hong Fen, and a girl would be named Hong Ying.
A single incense stick's worth of time later, Lady Jiang came out holding Hong Fen to show him to everyone. Even though it was impossible to tell yet who the little red, squirming sleeping baby looked like, Cui Lanyin felt her heart melt the moment she laid eyes on him.
Since her elder sister's confinement was a special matter, Cui Lanyin had already asked the Emperor for permission to stay a few extra days before this.
But once she stayed, she soon found there was very little she could do to help. Little Fen was fast asleep even when he was nursing, and since they did not want to spoil him so that he would not stay awake fussy at night, no one dared pick him up much, leaving Cui Lanyin nothing to do but watch.
Lady Jiang, with Nanny Luan and Nanny Song, took such meticulous care of Cui Lanzhi that even Lady Chang could not find a gap to step in and help.
Since unmarried young ladies were not supposed to enter the post-childbirth confinement chambers, Cui Lanyin and Cui Lanting could only talk to Cui Lanzhi through the door once in a while.
After they finished their evening meal, Lady Jiang finally found a spare moment to speak to Cui Lanyin: "The 18th is Zixun's wedding day to Miss Seven of the Yao Family. Aunt Xian has brought it up to me several times, insisting that you absolutely must attend. What is your thought on this?"
Cui Lanyin shook her head, "It's enough that the rest of the family goes. I will send a suitable wedding gift, but I will not attend in person."
Lady Jiang had already been very careful ever since Cui Sheng and Hong Ji explained to her that the Cui family's main branch should not get too close to the Yao family, so when Cui Lanyin said she would not go, Lady Jiang did not press her with a single extra question and simply agreed.
After the whole family discussed it, they decided that the little one's third-day bathing ceremony would be held only for their own close family, and they politely explained this to everyone who came to inquire about attending.
By mid-afternoon, gifts had already arrived one after another from the Tan family, the Prince Duan's Mansion, Princess Yongjia's Estate, and the palace from Empress Dowager Xu, Consort Dowager Shu, Dowager Concubine Wan, and others. All the gifts were items suitable for the little boy to wear and use, following proper kinship etiquette.
None of the items were overly fancy or improper; they were all meant to bring good fortune to the child, and since they were sent with genuine good will, the family felt perfectly at peace accepting them.
The gifts from Grand Empress Dowager Chen were brought by Aunt Xia, who arrived with a whole cart full of things. Apart from children's clothing, socks, shoes, and quilts, there were all kinds of nourishing supplements for Cui Lanzhi's postpartum recovery, including top-grade bird's nest that would last her half a year without running out.
Right after Aunt Xia left, Gufeng arrived. The Emperor had apparently developed a fondness for gifting golden bowls, and this time he bestowed upon little Fen a tiny golden bowl no bigger than the palm of a newborn baby.
Hong Ji held the golden bowl and could not bear to put it down, "Little Fen was literally born holding a golden bowl. I have to work even harder from now on, or else I won't be able to hold my own as his father in the future."
Just when everything was filled with such warm, happy atmosphere, someone had to come along and spoil the mood.
Not long after Gufeng left, palace eunuchs from Fu'an Palace also arrived bearing gifts. They made sure everyone on the street noticed them, carrying the gifts out in the open one palanquin load after another, just like a wedding procession.
All the items were extremely valuable. For the little baby, they brought a full set of solid gold neck rings, a golden lock, gold bracelets, and gold ankle bracelets, as well as three pendants carved from white mutton-fat jade: one depicting bamboo for the "bamboo heralds peace" motif, one showing a monkey on a horse for the "immediate promotion" motif, and one with pine, bamboo, and plum for the "three friends of winter" motif.
For Cui Lanzhi, there was a full set of gold head ornaments inlaid with precious gems.
Even the rest of the main Cui family members, including Hong Ji, were not left out, each receiving a precious gift of their own. The most valuable of all was the set of pearl-and-kingfisher-feather head ornaments made specially for Cui Lanyin.
Compared to the pearls on this head ornament set, the half bag of pearls Princess Yongjia had given her last time paled in comparison. Each pearl on this set was so large and fine that even finding a single one of such quality would be a rare feat, and yet there were eighteen of them in this one set.
What was Grand Empress Dowager Li up to?
No matter what she was scheming, Cui Lanyin had no intention of playing along.
Did Xing Kun really think that just by not showing up himself, Cui Lanyin would accept all these gifts?
Cui Lanyin immediately ordered the gates of the residence to be fully opened, and told the Fu'an Palace eunuchs to carry all the gifts back the exact same way they had brought them.
The eunuch leading the group must have received secret instructions from Xing Kun, for he dropped his load and tried to leave right away, only for Cui Lanyin to stop him and say, "If you leave these things here, I will have my uncle's men carry them all the way back to the palace for you. I'm afraid that would make Grand Empress Dowager Li lose a lot of face."
The eunuch thought over the situation for a moment, and reluctantly agreed to load all the gifts back onto their palanquins and carry them out.
Worried that something might go wrong in the middle of the journey, Cui Lanyin sent Geng Dayou to follow them out, with orders to watch until every single item was carried back through the palace gates untouched before he returned.
The next day, Cui Lanyin had finished her breakfast at the imperial prince's manor, and was just about to head back to her family home, when a female officer sent by Princess Yongjia arrived, saying the princess had something important to discuss with her.
Ever since the banquet the Cui family hosted last time, every time Cui Lanyin left the palace, Princess Yongjia would invite her over to her estate to watch song and dance performances, and always had Li Yijin there to keep them company. After spending time together again and again, the three of them had grown extremely close, becoming close friends who shared every thought with no secrets between them.
Princess Yongjia had a straightforward, candid personality; if she just wanted to invite Cui Lanyin over for fun, she would say so directly. So Cui Lanyin told Sangzhi to go back to the Cui family home and explain her change of plans, then set off for Princess Yongjia's estate with her attendants Buyu, Chiyun, and Chiyue, while Geng Dayou drove the carriage.
When she arrived, Li Yijin was nowhere to be seen. Only the princess's personal lady-in-waiting Aunt Liu was in the princess's private living chamber, and that was when Cui Lanyin knew for sure the princess really did have something serious to talk about.
There was no need for formal pleasantries between the two of them anymore, so Cui Lanyin asked directly, "What happened?"
Princess Yongjia first glanced over at Aunt Liu. When Aunt Liu gave her a small confirming nod, the princess waved her hand and said, "Aunt Liu, you may step out for now."
"Even Aunt Liu can't hear this? You're making me nervous," Cui Lanyin said, picking up her tea cup and taking a sip.
Princess Yongjia then laughed, "It's not actually some huge catastrophe. I just want to interrogate you. Here I thought I was your closest, most trusted friend, but you've been keeping a secret from me. Now you have to tell me every single detail. Is this your secret lover a strikingly handsome beauty, or a tall, strapping, imposing man?"
After the incident where they shared the same daybed, Cui Lanyin had gotten much better at keeping a straight face even when she knew a secret was out. She pushed her tea cup away, acting as if she had no idea what the princess was talking about, and said, "Your Highness, whatever are you rambling on about?"
Princess Yongjia pointed a finger at her playfully from across the table, "You can still pretend with me now? Early this morning, my mother sent someone over to pass me a message. She said that yesterday evening, one of the eunuchs in her palace went to pick up meals, and heard everyone whispering and gossiping all over the palace. Some experienced old ladies who know these kinds of things have noticed that you have already... known a man, and they are guessing that all those trips you keep making outside the palace are to meet your secret lover."
Cui Lanyin realized then that Princess Yongjia had not made up the story out of thin air. Having lived in the palace for a long time, she knew very well that the elderly eunuchs and palace ladies who had spent years in the imperial court all had incredibly sharp, observant skills that let them pick up on even the tiniest details.
That was why Aunt Liu, who knew all there was to know about matters of the bedchamber, could tell when a woman had experienced intimacy with a man—it was more than plausible that she could see it.
Sure enough, Princess Yongjia went on, "I didn't believe it at first this morning, and thought someone in the palace just resented you for your recent prominence and made up the rumor. But Aunt Liu knows how to tell these things. She told me you can't spot it after just one or two encounters. It's only when a couple is intimate regularly that a woman's bearing and looks shift from the inside out, a change impossible to hide. People like her can tell at a single glance. Did you see her nod at me just now?"
If Aunt Liu could tell, surely many others in the palace and out in the capital could too. There was no way for Cui Lanyin to deny it now.
Cui Lanyin had already sorted out her thoughts. She gave a bitter smile and said, "I never wanted to get married, and I had no idea how to talk my family around to that idea. So I resorted to this desperate trick."
Princess Yongjia looked at her with full understanding and sympathy. "I get it. What ordinary parents would ever let their daughter stay unmarried? If I hadn't been widowed, I would never have this kind of freedom either."
If Consort Wan could pass word to Princess Yongjia, there must be other people leaking news out to their families outside the palace. In all likelihood, every respectable household in the city would hear about this in a day or two.
Thinking of her family, Cui Lanyin's face clouded over. "My parents are going to be upset for a while."
"There's no helping that," Princess Yongjia consoled her. "If you ask me, it's really better for you not to marry at all. Why don't I go to your place and explain everything clearly to them for you?"
Cui Lanyin leaned back and slumped against the couch. "Let me think it over carefully first."
"You still haven't told me what sort of man he is. With your pride, he must be outstanding in every way to catch your eye."
This whole mess started because the Emperor had taken a fancy to his own niece, yet he didn't have to take any responsibility for it at all. Everyone even thought he was so pure-hearted and detached, almost as if he were about to leave the mortal world behind.
Cui Lanyin was feeling rather bitter at the moment, so she deliberately tried to paint a less flattering picture. "Don't think too highly of me. I simply couldn't think of any other way to convince my family, so I just picked a random man. He's passable in looks, but he's quite a bit older, and his temper is very odd and eccentric. He's really nothing to write home about. Let's drop the subject for now. I'll tell you all about it later once I find someone better."
"Is he a widower?"
"No, not that. His family never arranged a marriage for him, and he spent all his younger years wandering around without a fixed home, so things just never worked out for him."
Princess Yongjia immediately pictured a down-at-heel, middle-aged man in her mind, and lost all interest in hearing more. She looked at Cui Lanyin with obvious regret. "You should have come to me for this! Why did you have to pick someone like that? It's like a beautiful flower planted in cow dung. You should break it off with him as soon as possible."
Cui Lanyin wove half-truths into her story. "It'll be over in a year at most. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble. I'll just leave the palace less often after this."
Princess Yongjia assumed that Cui Lanyin probably had some kind of leverage held over her by that man, and she wasn't afraid for herself—she just feared that the scandal would affect her younger brother's upcoming marriage prospects.
She figured that man would be assigned to a post outside the capital in a year. Once he was far away, if they broke it off, all would be well. Even if they didn't, Princess Yongjia knew she had the means to smooth things over for Cui Lanyin.
Princess Yongjia then changed the subject. "Will His Majesty scold you for this? And what about Grand Empress Dowager Chen?"
"My royal uncle won't," Cui Lanyin said, bumping her head lightly against the cushion behind her a few times. "But Grand Empress Dowager Chen will definitely be furious. Ugh... how am I supposed to explain this to her when I get back?"
Thinking of Grand Empress Dowager Chen's unyielding, stern temperament, Princess Yongjia started to worry for her too. "Does Grand Empress Dowager Chen have family rules you'll have to face?"
"Only my royal uncle has set family rules for me. Grand Empress Dowager Chen never has."
"His Majesty set family rules for you? You have to tell me what that's like." Princess Yongjia couldn't imagine the Emperor, that quiet, reserved man of few words, laying down any sort of family rules for Cui Lanyin.
"Making me stand facing the wall to reflect on my mistakes. If I moved even a little, he'd throw a chess piece at my hand."
Everyone in the capital knew that the Emperor had once hit Grand Secretary Han with chess pieces so hard that the old court official couldn't walk for three days. No one expected that he would treat his precious, delicate niece the same way, showing no mercy at all.
So for Cui Lanyin, the Emperor doted on her and spoiled her, but when she made a mistake, he really did punish her.
Princess Yongjia said, "With His Majesty's temper and disposition, even if he took empresses and concubines, I doubt things would be any different. He's been on the throne for so long now, and none of the court officials even dare to bring up the matter of him taking a wife anymore. I think he's dead set on remaining a lonely bachelor for the rest of his life. Don't tell me he actually plans to keep you by his side to take care of him in his old age?"
Cui Lanyin remembered how she had even told Grand Empress Dowager Chen a few times before that she would take care of the Emperor when he grew old. Hearing Princess Yongjia say that now, she felt completely mortified—how naive she had been back then!
Princess Yongjia didn't care much about the Emperor's private affairs. Suddenly, she remembered something and nudged Cui Lanyin to sit up. "Someone has a crush on you, and he even came to me to beg for help, wanting me to pass a message to you on his behalf."
Cui Lanyin propped herself up and leaned back against the couch. "Which family is it, that they would go so far as to trouble you with this?"
"Their family status isn't all that high," Princess Yongjia said. "At the banquet your family held last time, didn't I point it out to you? The mother of Commander Meng kept staring at you the whole time. It wasn't Lady Luo who had taken a fancy to you—Commander Meng himself has been pining for you this whole time, and he wants to marry you as his wife."
The scene of running into Meng Huaizong at the entrance of Yongjia Lane flashed through Cui Lanyin's mind. She looked a little surprised. "Meng Huaizong?"
"Oh, you even know his name! Don't tell me you have a little soft spot for him too? Honestly, I didn't expect him to be so good-looking. There are so few military officers as handsome as he is. You have great taste, you know that?" Princess Yongjia said earnestly. "Let me tell you, Meng Huaizong originally planned to ask His Majesty for your hand in marriage directly. But that day he saw Grand Secretary Yao get chased out of the Western Pavilion just for bringing up your marriage to the Emperor. He was terrified that if His Majesty turned him down, he would never get another chance. He found out that you and I are close, so he asked my husband Wei Lang to connect him to me.
He even promised to stay true to you for the rest of his life, to be your one and only. He knows your health isn't the strongest, and he said that if you want, you can adopt a son from your two younger brothers when the time comes.
At first I didn't want to get involved, but seeing how sincere and devoted he is to you—true love like that is worth more than gold. I didn't want you to miss out, so I agreed to ask you about it."
If this had happened back in March, Cui Lanyin might have been swayed. But now, she had long since lost any desire to get married.
She said casually, "With my reputation now, Commander Meng must have changed his mind about me."
"I don't think so," Princess Yongjia said, looking her up and down carefully. "It's true what they say—intimacy is better than any beauty cream. You look absolutely stunning right now, so beautiful you take my breath away. You're more gorgeous than any fairy.
I think he's far too smitten to let this go. If you ever do decide you want to get married, he's the perfect match for you. I can have Wei Lang go sound him out if you want."
