Chapter Six

  There are two attics, south and north. The southern one is for Beile A Ge to rest in, while the northern one is where the ladies take a break. My sister told Qiao Hui to accompany me to the northern attic first, and then come back to call me when it's time to watch the play. After saying that, the eunuchs and maidservants accompanied them directly.

  As we entered the attic, two beautiful girls around 14 or 15 years old were chatting and laughing. When they heard our footsteps, they stopped talking and looked up at us. The girl in the light green palace dress looked at me with a surprised expression, then she glanced at me for a moment before turning her head away with a pout. Chao Hui went forward to greet her, but she ignored him and continued talking to herself. It was the younger girl next to her who felt a bit embarrassed and said "excuse us".

  I thought to myself, what kind of trouble is this? I went up to the second floor and found a seat by the window, then asked Cui Hui: "What's going on?" Cui Hui replied in a wronged tone: "It's because of the grudge between Second Miss and someone else, but unfortunately, it's me who's affected. Guo Luo, Ming Yu, also known as Ming Yu Ge Ge, is the younger sister of Di Fu Jun." I thought about it for a moment and roughly understood what was going on. In the past, Ruo Xi had been reckless and lawless, probably because she felt her own sister wasn't favored, so she found fault with others. But the other person's mother was He Shuang Gong Zhu - the daughter of An Qin Wang Yue Le, Kang Xi's cousin, and the younger sister of Di Fu Jun. How could Ruo Xi have possibly gotten away with it?

  Qiao Hui whispered in my ear, "When the young lady fell from upstairs, only she was present. She said it was the young lady who slipped and fell by herself. We privately thought that she must have been involved." I nodded, thinking that as long as she didn't offend me, I would never provoke her again.

  Let Cuihua bring some snacks to eat, and look out the window to see the eunuchs surrounding three people heading towards the South Pavilion. One of them is indeed the handsome Fourteenth Prince, walking alongside a person about the same height as him, wearing a blue robe with a proud expression, but with an air of recklessness that surpasses the Fourteenth Prince by two degrees. I guess it's probably the Thirteenth Prince. The one leading the way, wearing a dark green long gown, has a slightly pale complexion, but his eyebrows and eyes are cold and stern, and should be the famous Fourth Prince! I get up and stick my head out of the window to try to get a clearer look at the future Yongzheng!

  Eighth Brother came out to greet him, bowed to Fourth Brother, and then stepped aside to let Fourth Brother go first. Fourteenth Brother, who was lagging behind, suddenly stopped, looked up, and Thirteenth Brother also followed his gaze. They saw me holding onto the windowsill, with half my body leaning outside. I quickly pulled back and stood up straight. The two of them had expressionless faces, staring at me intently without blinking. I leaned forward slightly at the window, making a bowing gesture. Fourteenth Brother's mouth curled up into a smile, and Thirteenth Brother also smiled. The two of them turned their heads and entered the house.

  ――――――――――――――

  The sky was pitch black, and the palace lanterns were lit one by one. Although they weren't as bright as electric lights, they added a hazy beauty to the scene, like "admiring flowers in the fog". Everyone had gathered downstairs, leaving only me and Cui Hui sitting upstairs. The sound of laughter drifted up from below. I leaned against the window frame, gazing idly at the busy servants below, chatting sporadically with Cui Hui.

  "Miss!" Qiao Hui called out in a low voice. I responded with an "uh-huh" and turned my head to look at her, only to see her standing behind me with her head bowed respectfully. I looked back at the front, puzzled. I saw Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother standing side by side by the window, their faces flickering in and out of sight as the candle flames danced. Unconsciously, I stood up, thinking that these beautiful men would one day be enemies on the battlefield, fighting to the death. Though surrounded by beauty, a hint of sorrow rose from my heart. Qiao Hui tugged at my sleeve from behind, and I realized I had been staring blankly ahead. I forced out a smile and bowed to greet them. The two brothers simultaneously raised their hands in response, and I slowly stood up, standing beside Qiao Hui with my body angled slightly to the side.

  A young servant hastily walked to the side of Eighth Prince and whispered something in his ear. Eighth Prince then spoke a few words with Fourth Prince, who nodded in agreement. The two of them went down one after another. After a while, the maid came to say that dinner was served. I asked: "Isn't the Crown Prince still not here?" She smiled and replied: "Just now the Crown Prince sent someone to say that he had just finished some business and would come after changing his clothes, so let's not wait any longer and start dinner first!" I nodded and followed her downstairs.

  The two girls sitting at the same table as me were about my age. When I arrived, they were chatting and laughing, and when they saw me, they both bowed slightly. After I sat down, I looked around and saw that the front center table was empty, which I guessed was reserved for the Crown Prince. On the left side were the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 14th Princes, and on the right side were the 4th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Princes.

  A eunuch held a wooden tray, covered with a large red satin cloth, on which was placed a playbill. He stood beside the table of the Fourth Prince, who did not look at him but merely spoke a few words to him. The eunuch then walked over to the table of the Tenth Prince and repeated his message. The Tenth Prince listened without responding, merely nodding his head, took a quick glance at the playbill, picked up a pen and marked it with a stroke, and handed it back to the eunuch. The eunuch then turned back to the Fourth Prince's table, who also made a mark on the playbill. The little eunuch held the tray and asked the Eighth Prince to choose a play, but he waved his hand and told him to go away.

  In a short while, the opera stage had already begun to sing. At this time, Peking Opera had not yet been born, and Kunqu was being sung. Unfortunately, more than 300 years later, Kunqu was no longer so popular, and all I knew were the famous plays "The West Chamber" and "The Peony Pavilion", plus "Mago's Birthday" which I had just learned with Dongyun last night. However, looking at the playbill, I also knew that this play was "Wu Song Fights the Tiger", a secret passage, and it was the tenth prince who had ordered the play, just to make things lively. Just as Wu Song was riding on the tiger's back, raising his fist to strike, a eunuch shouted loudly: "The Crown Prince has arrived!" In an instant, everyone on and off stage fell to the ground, and I looked over from the crowd, a man wearing a yellow satin robe, with a dignified face, walked slowly towards us.

  As the crowd stood up and sat back at their tables, the eunuch brought over the playbill again. The crown prince said loudly, "Today is the tenth brother's birthday, let Shouxing make the first choice!" The tenth brother stood up and replied, "The first one has already been chosen, just waiting for the second brother to choose." Only then did the crown prince take the bill and examine it carefully.

  Now I have no idea what they are singing about up there, but the two girls next to me seem to be completely absorbed in it.

  Several older brothers, occasionally chatting and laughing, didn't drink much wine. But from the tenth brother down, they were pouring wine like water. The tenth brother and several other brothers stood by the thirteenth brother's table, urging him to drink, he didn't refuse, raised his cup and drained it. After finishing, he said loudly: "We must give tonight's birthday star a few more cups!" The crowd of brothers again raised their cups to the tenth brother! I thought to myself, this is truly courting disaster.

  I had eaten my fill, and the play on stage had changed to a new act, but I still didn't know what they were singing about. I saw Tenth Brother get up and leave his seat. I glanced over at my sister, who was watching the play while chatting with other consorts. I got up and followed Tenth Brother out. Cai Hui wanted to come along, so I said, "You just wait here, I'll be right back." A small eunuch led the way, carrying a lantern, and Tenth Brother walked unsteadily, making me think that indeed he couldn't hold his liquor as well as Thirteen, who was still clear-headed. It wasn't until we reached the front of the house that I realized he wanted to relieve himself. I quickly turned around and walked back outside for a bit.

  After a while, the little eunuch accompanied him out. Seeing me standing there, he walked up quickly and asked, "What are you doing standing here?" I said, "I came to give gifts to the birthday star!" He looked at my empty hands and asked, "Where is the gift?" I glanced at the little eunuch beside him, and he instructed, "You go back first!" The eunuch nodded and left.

  I walked ahead, with Tenth Brother following behind me. He asked again, "What about the gift?" I ignored him and continued walking, and he followed me into the waterside pavilion by the lake. It wasn't far from the stage, and over there, the lights were shining brightly, and we could still see people on the stage, although the music was only faintly audible, since there were no speakers at that time. I stopped and pointed to the wooden bench attached to the railing, telling Tenth Brother, "Sit there!" He looked puzzled and a bit annoyed, but he walked over and sat down against the railing. Facing him, I bowed respectfully. The pavilion was dimly lit, with only a half-moon hanging in the sky above. He sat in the shadows, making it hard for me to see his face clearly. All I heard was him asking, "Is your gift just a bow?" I cleared my throat and sang softly:

  ……

  Incense smoke rises high, candle shadows stretch far.

  A jade cup of wine increases longevity and good fortune.

  Today's dish is Longevity Peach

  May your good fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea and may your longevity be as enduring as Mount Nanyue.

  Green deer presents auspicious grass

  May your longevity be elevated.

  The painting hall is bustling with people on the birthday of Shu's longevity.

  A strong foundation for longevity is solid and firm.

  The capital's longevity is vast and endless, a boundless joy.

  Everyone is laughing and having a good time at Zhang Shou's birthday banquet.

  Wishing you a wonderful birthday and a long life full of joy and happiness.

  The sound had just faded away when the applause came from outside the pavilion. "I was wondering where tenth brother went! It turns out a small stage was set up here." Fourteenth brother clapped his hands as he entered the pavilion, followed by thirteenth brother with a smiling face. I greeted them and felt a bit awkward for a moment, not knowing what to say. Tenth brother, however, was unusually quiet and didn't retort, but instead stood up and said: "I'm feeling a bit tipsy, so let's sit down and head back!" Fourteenth brother walked around me in a circle, sizing me up as he spoke: "When can I get you to sing for me?" I felt a bit angry at being looked at like that, "On fourteenth master's birthday, if you don't mind, I'll definitely sing." He laughed twice and was about to say something else when tenth brother suddenly spoke up: "Fourteenth brother!" Fourteenth brother hastily waved his hand and smiled as he said: "Alright, alright! Let's go then!" The three of them left the pavilion one after another. I sat down with a thud, thinking what was going on?