For the sake of sleeping comfortably after bathing, the washroom was right beside the bedchamber.
The bath was in the spot closest to the bedroom. Behind it stood clothes racks, and only beyond another door was the tiger-shaped chamber pot used for relieving oneself.
Zhao Zheng dragged Jiang He toward the washroom, his movements rough, his strides long and swift.
She was still wearing last night’s wedding dress. Because the sash had been undone, she could only clutch the front of her robes as she walked. Even so, when she stepped into the steam-filled washroom, the train of her wedding dress dragging across the floor was still trodden underfoot. Jiang He staggered and pitched forward. Unwilling to let go of her collar, she could only use Zhao Zheng, who was gripping her arm, for support.
Fortunately, though Zhao Zheng was a bastard, his muscles were firm and his frame tall and broad; supporting the petite Jiang He was no problem at all.
Only, the floor was somewhat slippery.
After a sharp skidding sound, Zhao Zheng not only failed to steady Jiang He, but instead toppled toward her with his whole body.
It’s over.
Flustered, Jiang He reached out to grab Zhao Zheng, while Zhao Zheng, in order to steady himself, let go of her arm.
Her wedding dress spread open in the air like a fiery red phoenix. She fell backward, and in the chaos, her body did not strike the cold floor tiles. Instead, something warm enveloped her. Then the front of her robes was soaked through, and Jiang He sank into the water.
“Splash!”
After the panic and fright passed, Jiang He’s dripping wet head emerged from the water. She coughed violently, wiped the water from her face, and only then realized that she had fallen into the bath pool in the washroom.
The bath was as large as a carriage, the water reaching her chest. The hot water within the pool was scalding, with flower petals and fragrant herbs scattered here and there across the surface.
Jiang He’s wedding dress had already fallen away, and the undergarments on her body clung tightly to her skin.
She hurriedly sank down a little farther, leaving only her head above the water.
Zhao Zheng pressed both hands against the edge of the pool, leaning forward slightly, his lips pursed as he looked at Jiang He.
At some point, the anger on his face had dissipated, replaced by a hint of schadenfreude and mocking ridicule. Because his lips were very thin and pale, it only added a few more degrees of cold indifference.
The enormous sound of someone falling into the water drew many palace maids over. They knelt on the ground, terrified, and begged forgiveness.
“This servant had just finished preparing the hot bath and failed to come serve in time. May Your Majesty and the Queen forgive us.”
Zhao Zheng made a show of extending his hand slightly. “Are you not coming out? Did you not want to go…”
Jiang He’s nose was nearly submerged as well. She shook her head in refusal, clearly showing no interest in relieving herself together with him.
“No. Soaking like this is quite comfortable.”
Only then did Zhao Zheng give up. He slowly rose and left. When he reached the washroom door, he instructed the palace maids, “Serve the Queen well.”
The various feudal states had been warring for five hundred years, but as of now, no one had yet proclaimed himself emperor. The ruler of Yong called himself the King of Yong, and so Jiang He was the Queen of Yong.
There were roughly fifty palace maids serving the Queen of Yong.
Some held bath towels for drying her body, some carried incense burners in which medicinal herbs were being burned, and others cleansed her face and combed her hair. Palace maids holding silver trays presented hair ornaments, asking Jiang He to look in the bronze mirror and choose the ones she liked.
The bronze mirror was half a person’s height and was held in the arms of two maidservants.
Jiang He looked them over one by one. Among so many attendants, not a single one belonged to the Qi escort party that had accompanied her marriage procession, and not a single one had brought a food box.
It seemed she could only go hungry.
The bath water washed away last night’s fatigue and the makeup on her face. As she sat choosing her clothes and ornaments, she heard the Yong palace maids standing guard outside the washroom speaking in low voices.
“Chief Steward Li sent over some food. He said not to make a fuss, and to let the Queen pad her stomach before she goes out.”
Jiang He’s heart instantly warmed. She did not know who this Chief Steward Li was.
Where was the food? Why had they not brought it in yet?
Another maid said, “There’s such a big patch of blood on the bed!”
Someone immediately stopped that maid. “Silence! Hurry and clean it up! If you don’t understand, don’t shout nonsense. Be careful your tongue isn’t pulled out!”
Jiang He pressed her lips together and shook her head.
In the end, Zhao Zheng had forged the bridal blood himself, so the people of the rear palace would believe they had already consummated the marriage.
But what did they mean, such a big patch? Had he accidentally slit his throat?
Jiang He imagined Zhao Zheng lying on the bed with his throat cut, dead beyond saving, and could not help laughing.
However, with them busy cleaning the bed, she supposed she would not get to eat anything either.
Heavy makeup and splendid robes, yet hungry.
Jiang He followed Zhao Zheng to Dazheng Palace, where the Queen Dowager resided.
Along the way, Zhao Zheng sat on a shoulder carriage, with eunuchs holding fans to shield him from the sun, while Jiang He could only walk beside him. If not for her sturdy constitution, she probably would have suffered heatstroke already.
After finally arriving at Dazheng Palace, the eunuchs led them into the main hall and said the Queen Dowager was dressing and grooming herself, asking them to wait a moment.
The arrangements within the hall were lavish and magnificent to the extreme.
From the entrance of the hall to the low table where the mistress knelt, there stretched a distance of several zhang, along which a three-foot-wide and one-foot-deep “ice stream” had been built. Within a marble trench, crushed ice was piled neatly atop white pebbles. Cool moisture spread outward, and the moment Jiang He entered the grand hall, her mind instantly cleared and her spirits lifted.
Behind eight painted screens of beauties, court musicians were playing the konghou. The music was soft and soothing; between the smooth glides and trembling notes, it seemed to stir the ice stream into a slow flow, refreshing the heart and delighting the spirit.
The eunuchs guided them to kneel in the hall. In front of them were leaning tables, and on the tables stood a cup of clear tea and three small dishes of fruits and vegetables. Jiang He looked carefully. These fruits were the same as those from her homeland: a peach, a jujube, and a handful of roasted chestnuts.
Compared to the costly furniture and objects piled within the hall, using such simple things to entertain guests seemed far too shabby.
Jiang He picked up the peach, turned to look at Zhao Zheng, and asked softly, “Is it good?”
The season when peaches ripened had long passed. This one had presumably been picked before it was ripe and stored in an ice cellar. At this moment, it looked pink and smelled fragrant, and there was a faint fuzz to the touch. She did not know whether it would taste good.
Zhao Zheng cast her a sidelong glance and answered seriously, “It is.”
Jiang He was overjoyed.
In any case, there was no one else in the hall. She swiftly placed the peach into the ice stream, washed it clean with great care, then used the silk handkerchief she carried with her to wipe away the water before taking a tiny bite.
After the slightly firm skin was bitten through, sweet, tender juice lay within. Jiang He hurriedly took another bite, and in an instant, her entire mouth was filled with a clear, sweet, mellow fruit fragrance. She chewed carefully and swallowed. The peach juice and flesh were cool and refreshing, making her body, which had nearly suffered heatstroke, feel much better at once.
After eating down to a single peach pit, she ate the red jujube.
This jujube must have been selected from tens of thousands. It was large, round, sweet, and even had no pit.
After finishing the jujube, she ate the chestnuts.
The imperial chef who roasted these chestnuts must have been new. How could he not know to make a cut in the chestnut shells? Jiang He’s freshly manicured nails could not be dirtied, so she could only carefully place a chestnut beneath the leg of the leaning table, then pretend to lean on it unintentionally and crack the chestnut open.
After a faint cracking sound, fragrance filled the room.
The flesh was dense and sweet, likely soaked in honey. Even after she finished eating, a trace of nectar-like sweetness still lingered on the tip of her tongue. Jiang He lifted the tea and drank it down in one gulp, then contentedly wiped the corner of her lips clean with her handkerchief and sat upright.
From beginning to end, Zhao Zheng paid Jiang He no attention.
He had drawn a thick roll of bamboo slips from beneath the low table and was reading it with earnest care. When Jiang He washed the peach and splashed a drop of water onto the bamboo slips, he moved farther away in disdain. By the time Jiang He used the leaning table to crack the chestnuts, he had already left the table and placed the bamboo slips on his knees.
After Jiang He finished eating, Zhao Zheng raised his eyes to look and asked, “Was it good?”
“Good,” Jiang He answered in a low voice. “I didn’t marry you so you could starve me to death!”
Her father had taught her that if she wanted to live well, she first had to eat her fill.
Were all the people in this Great Yong palace immortals who did not eat?
Jiang He planned to build a small kitchen in her own palace.
Just as she was thinking about where to build it, a female official announced that the Queen Dowager had arrived.
Zhao Zheng tossed aside the bamboo slips and rose. Jiang He also hurriedly stood.
She lowered her delicate head slightly and stood with dignified grace. Her wide-sleeved brocade robes set off her gentle elegance, making her seem like an entirely different person from the one who had just washed a peach, eaten a jujube, and cracked chestnuts.
Zhao Zheng looked at her with great interest.
First came the quick yet orderly footsteps of eunuchs and palace maids, then the sound of skirts brushing the floor drew closer and closer. A soft, beautiful voice said gently, “The ruler of Qi is truly blessed to have raised such a princess of transcendent bearing.”
Jiang He hurriedly followed Zhao Zheng away from the leaning table and knelt beside the ice stream, kowtowing to pay her respects.
“Quickly, rise.” The Queen Dowager’s voice held concern, somehow making one feel at ease.
Jiang He then rose with Zhao Zheng, and only then looked toward the Queen Dowager.
The Queen Dowager of Yong, Ji Man, was forty years old and had given birth to two sons.
Her eldest son was the current ruler of Yong, Zhao Zheng. Her second son, Zhao Jiao, had been deeply favored by the late king and the Queen Dowager, and had been granted the title Lord Chang’an.
It was said that the Queen Dowager was skilled in schemes of power and very familiar with state affairs. After Zhao Zheng ascended the throne, the Queen Dowager had not relinquished all authority.
Although she had borne children, because she was naturally radiant and well maintained, at forty years old, she appeared only thirty-two or thirty-three.
Jiang He only dared to look carefully once, yet she was drawn in by those marvelous eyes of hers, both affectionate and imposing, and found it somewhat difficult to look away.
Because it was summer, the Queen Dowager wore a dark robe of gold and black. From the crossed collar downward were embroidered the sun, moon, stars, mountains and rivers, dragons and phoenixes. It looked splendid and solemn, exceedingly beautiful.
She slowly knelt behind the low table and lightly raised her hand. The sound of the konghou ceased at once.
The clear, bright, yet grand and majestic sound of bronze chime bells rang out. After a few measures, the Queen Dowager looked gently toward Jiang He.
The female official following the Queen Dowager stepped forward and said to Zhao Zheng and Jiang He, “May Your Majesty and the Queen step forward to offer tea to the Queen Dowager.”
At last, it was time to offer tea.
After offering tea, the banquet could begin and they could eat.
Offering tea naturally meant going to the Queen Dowager’s side.
Jiang He was about to step forward, but Zhao Zheng did not move.
She looked at Zhao Zheng in some confusion. Zhao Zheng’s gaze was fixed on the leaning table.
What did that mean?
The female official’s voice rang out again. “May Your Majesty lift the teacup from the leaning table and present it to the Queen Dowager. May the Queen peel the peach for the Queen Dowager, offer the jujube, and present the chestnuts. The peach tree is young and fair, abundant are its fruits. This maiden goes to her new home, fitting for her household…”
Jiang He no longer heard the rest of the female official’s blessing.
Offer tea, peel the peach, present the jujube, offer the chestnuts…
She had been careless.
Jiang He lowered her head, dumbstruck.
The leaning table was completely empty. Only a single peach pit lay there alone.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” she questioned Zhao Zheng in a lowered voice.
“I merely told you it was good. Oh, right. That peach was specially prepared for my wedding. There was only that one.”
If he told her it was good, did that not mean it could be eaten?
There was no expression on Zhao Zheng’s face, as though he had made it clear that this was trouble Jiang He had caused, and he had no intention of handling any of it.
Seeing that the two of them had not moved, everyone in the hall was already looking toward the leaning table.
The female official was merely astonished but did not dare say anything more. Instead, it was the Queen Dowager who took the initiative to ask.
“Where are the tea and the peach on the leaning table?”
Zhao Zheng stepped aside and made an elegant gesture, directing everyone’s gazes onto Jiang He.
“Mother, please listen to Madam Jiang’s explanation.”