The Red Mansion

Chapter 185 Yuan Chun: My husband is a prince?
Jia Zheng had not yet considered the matter of Jiang Nian being granted the title of prince, let alone the matter of Yuan Chun becoming a princess.

Upon hearing Lady Wang's words, Jia Zheng was taken aback and said, "Even if Nian-ge'er is indeed of imperial blood, the Emperor may not be willing to announce it to the world. If it is kept secret, then the matter of bestowing a title upon him will naturally be out of the question."

He then said solemnly, "I drank a few too many cups today, and this matter is shocking. I was momentarily agitated, and thinking of the bond between husband and wife, I decided to tell you this. You must remember that this matter concerns the imperial family's dignity and is a top secret. It must not be revealed lightly."

Madam Wang couldn't help but say, "In my opinion, we should quietly ask Yuan Chun about it. Who knows if Nian-ge'er has whispered something to her? If we get the truth, we'll have a better understanding of the situation."

Jia Zheng stroked his beard in silence, then nodded slightly after a moment: "That works."

How could he not want to find out the truth?
Seeing that he agreed, Madam Wang's eyes flickered, and she said softly, "There is one more thing—such an important matter, if we do not inform the old lady, it will be against etiquette and make us seem unfilial."

As he spoke, he traced a thin line on the table with his fingertip.

She secretly thought: Since the Wang family's downfall, although the old lady hadn't imprisoned her in the Buddhist hall, her attitude towards her had deteriorated significantly, and even the servants looked down on her as the mistress. If she told the old lady about Jiang Nian or the prince, the old lady would surely value her again—that's what it means to rise in status through one's daughter!

Jia Zheng stroked his beard in silence for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Very well."

Suddenly he became alert and said urgently, "We can only talk to the old lady and Yuan Chun. As for the others—even the master and mistress—we absolutely cannot utter a single word about them!"

Madam Wang quickly replied, "Of course."

The jade bracelet in her sleeve touched her wrist bone with a soft sound, as if echoing the secret joy in her heart.

……

……

It was still the hour of the Rooster (酉).

Jia Zheng went to his study, while Lady Wang walked along the bluestone path straight to Rongqing Hall. Her steps were three times faster than usual, startling the maid who was accompanying her. She hurried after her, but dared not openly advise her, only whispering, "Madam, be careful. The stone slabs are damp; be careful not to slip."

As they approached Rongqing Hall, they saw Yuanyang leading several maids to hang glass embroidered ball lanterns, the lantern shadows resembling a string of agate beads hanging under the eaves.

When Yuanyang saw Madam Wang arrive, she quickly stepped forward to greet her: "Second Madam, the Old Madam has just had ginseng soup and is resting in the warm pavilion now."

Madam Wang nodded slightly, glancing at the maids standing around her out of the corner of her eye, and said indifferently, "I will go and speak with the old lady myself. You all wait outside."

Yuanyang was taken aback upon hearing this, and thought to herself, "Even I, his personal servant, have to avoid this. I wonder what kind of secret it is?" Although she was suspicious, she did not show it on her face and simply lowered her head and replied, "Yes."

The warm chamber inside the hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Grandmother Jia was reclining on the lacquered kang (a heated brick bed), with a large pillow with gold-threaded python patterns behind her. Two young maids in red silk jackets knelt on the edge of the kang, one gently massaging her legs and the other carefully rubbing her shoulders.

Suddenly, Lady Wang entered alone to pay her respects. Grandmother Jia paused slightly, her hands holding agarwood prayer beads, and looked up, saying, "Having come at this hour, is there something you need?"

Madam Wang said, "In reply to the old lady, there is indeed an important matter that needs to be reported to her privately."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the two maids.

Grandmother Jia understood and slightly raised her hand, and the two maids quietly withdrew. She then pointed to the round-backed chair, and Lady Wang quickly sat down, leaning to one side. Still uneasy, she glanced twice at the scarlet felt curtain before leaning forward and lowering her voice, saying, "Master heard a strange story from General Feng Tang today, which is related to Nian-ge'er."

Then he began to recount in detail the secret that Jiang Nian might be a prince.

Before she finished speaking, Grandmother Jia's dull old eyes suddenly cleared, becoming as bright and piercing as if she had become ten years younger. She straightened her back and lifted herself off the python-patterned pillow: "Is this... a reliable statement?"

Madam Wang hurriedly said, "How could I dare to lie to the Old Madam about such a serious matter? Master instructed me that it concerns the imperial bloodline and is a top secret that must not be revealed." She deliberately paused here before continuing, "But I told Master that if we kept such an important matter from even the Old Madam, wouldn't we appear unfilial? So Master allowed me to come and inform her."

Unconsciously, Grandmother Jia's hand caressed the mother-of-pearl inlay along the edge of the kang table, the sharp corners of the peony pattern digging into her fingertips without her noticing. Although she was an old noblewoman who had lived a life of wealth and had seen her share of storms, she was stunned as if struck by lightning, speechless for a long time.

Jiang Nian is actually a dragon's offspring?

Is it truly a dragon's offspring?

……

……

The next morning, the sky was overcast with low-hanging leaden clouds, as if it were about to snow but hesitated to do so, only letting the cold seep into one's bones.

A thin layer of frost covered the blue brick floor of the Jiang family's inner courtyard. Several maids swept it lightly with palm brooms, their breath forming a fine mist around their lips.

The study was warm and inviting, with Jiang Nian engrossed in reading a book, accompanied by Yuan Chun.

Suddenly, Madam Feng entered and knelt before Yuan Chun, saying, "Lin Zhixiao's wife from the Rong Mansion has arrived and says she wishes to see you, Madam."

After the Lai family's downfall, Lin Zhixiao, who had previously served as the second steward of the Rongguo Mansion, unexpectedly rose to the position of chief steward. His wife, Lin Zhixiao's wife, also benefited from this rise, becoming the most powerful stewardess in the mansion.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun paused slightly in her book, realizing that it was most likely sent by Grandmother Jia. She then said softly to Jiang Nian, "Master, I'll go take a look." With that, she went to the east side room.

Before long, Madam Feng led Lin Zhixiao's wife into the east wing.

Lin Zhixiao's wife, dressed in a dark blue satin vest, with her silver hairpin perfectly in place, respectfully bowed to Yuan Chun upon seeing her, saying, "Greetings to the eldest young lady."

Yuan Chun ordered a seat to be offered, but Lin Zhixiao's wife declined several times before finally sitting down with her body slightly askew. She then said, "The old lady and the madam instructed me to invite the eldest young lady back to the mansion, saying that there is something important to discuss."

Yuan Chun asked, "Do you know what this is about?"

Lin Zhixiao's wife shook her head: "I really don't know. It's just that the old lady repeatedly instructed that if the eldest young lady has time, she should come back to the manor with me immediately." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Yuan Chun's expression out of the corner of her eye.

Yuan Chun's heart tightened suddenly, her subconscious thought that her family had gotten into trouble again. It wasn't surprising that she was overreacting; her family was indeed unreliable…

The handkerchief was crumpled from being squeezed, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Please wait a moment."

Back in her study, Yuan Chun forced herself to remain calm and consulted Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian smiled and said, "Since the old lady has summoned you urgently, you may go."

Yuan Chun hurriedly changed her clothes, wearing a satin jacket embroidered with gold butterflies and flowers, and over it a cloak with a sable collar, before quickly boarding the carriage. ...

……

The carriage rumbled along Ningrong Street in the western part of the capital. Several servants from the Rongguo Mansion were sweeping the street with bamboo brooms when they saw Yuan Chun's emerald-canopied, pearl-embroidered, eight-treasure carriage. They hurriedly retreated to the base of the wall and bowed their heads to avoid it.

The carriage entered the Rong Mansion through the West Corner Gate and proceeded directly to the hanging flower gate of Grandmother Jia's courtyard before coming to a steady stop.

Yuan Chun, supported by Bao Qin, got out of the carriage. Suddenly, she noticed that the paint on the hanging flower gate was already somewhat mottled, making it look more weathered than when she left home.

Entering through the hanging flower gate and passing through the hall, one arrives at Rongqing Hall.

Yuanyang had been waiting in front of the hall. When she saw Yuanchun, she hurriedly lifted the curtain and said, "The eldest young lady has finally arrived. The old lady has been waiting for her for a long time."

The heated floor in the warm pavilion was quite warm. Grandmother Jia, dressed in a simple crimson cotton-padded jacket with a swastika pattern, was sitting opposite Lady Wang on the lacquered kang (heated brick bed). When Yuan Chun entered, the two of them stood up to greet her.

Grandmother Jia grabbed Yuan Chun's hand and pressed her down onto the brocade cushion beside her. Tea, which Yuan Chun usually loved, was prepared on the low table.

After exchanging only a few pleasantries, Grandmother Jia suddenly waved her hand to dismiss everyone, even sending Yuanyang away, leaving only herself, Lady Wang, and Yuanchun in the warm pavilion. The absence of a fourth person in the entire Rongqing Hall aroused everyone's curiosity: what secret matter did the Old Madam and the Second Madam discuss with the eldest daughter?

Yuan Chun's heart tightened, and she unconsciously clenched the apricot-colored silk handkerchief in her hand—could this commotion have really caused some trouble again?
Grandmother Jia, wearing her reading glasses, gazed at Yuan-chun, took her hand, and said in a low voice, "My child, I urgently summoned you here today because I have an important matter to ask you." She then exchanged a glance with Lady Wang, "Tell your grandmother honestly, has Nian-ge'er... has he ever mentioned his true background to you?"

Yuan Chun was startled, and then noticed that the hand holding hers was trembling slightly, and the veins on the back of the old hand were like coiled earthworms.

In truth, Yuan Chun had long harbored a suspicion that her husband might be the illegitimate child of the Thirteenth Prince. However, this conjecture was too alarming, and she never dared to speak openly to her husband, even in their private conversations.

Seeing how seriously Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were taking this, her heart pounded: "Could it be that the eldest master is indeed the thirteenth prince's bloodline who was lost among the common people? And have Grandmother and Mother already received conclusive news?"

Thinking of this, Yuan Chun forced herself to remain calm and asked in return, "Grandma, have you heard any rumors?"

Grandmother Jia did not respond, but pushed her reading glasses up her nose. Her cloudy old eyes suddenly revealed a sharpness as she stared straight at Yuan Chun and said, "Good child, just tell your grandmother honestly, has Nian-ge ever mentioned his true background to you?"

Yuan Chun could only whisper, "I only know that Master is from Jiangning. He took his mother's surname Jiang from childhood. I don't know who his father is. His mother passed away after raising him to adulthood, and he has no brothers or sisters."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia sighed deeply, her sigh tinged with disappointment.

Seeing this, Yuan Chun was even more surprised and suspicious, and couldn't help but ask again, "What exactly did the old lady hear?"

With a solemn expression, Grandmother Jia said, word by word, "We've heard rumors—that Nian-ge'er, he..." She choked up, her throat bobbing twice before continuing, "...he might be the emperor's child who has been living among the common people!"

Yuan Chun was stunned by these words, her ears ringing and her heart filled with shock: "My master is not the son of the Thirteenth Prince... but is actually a royal descendant?!"

After regaining her senses, Yuan Chun hurriedly asked Grandmother Jia, "Where did you hear about such an earth-shattering thing, Grandmother?"

Grandmother Jia did not answer, but only nodded slightly to Lady Wang.

Madam Wang understood and explained the situation in detail, lowering her voice to very low when she got to the crucial points.

After Lady Wang finished speaking, Grandmother Jia solemnly instructed her: "Go back and try to find out what Nian-ge'er is saying, but be very careful. This concerns the imperial family's dignity and is a top secret. It must not be leaked to anyone else. If you find out the truth, come and tell me and your mother."

Yuan Chun responded in a daze, and then left Grandmother Jia's courtyard in a daze.

Just as they were about to get into the carriage, Baoqin suddenly exclaimed softly, "Miss, look! It's snowing!"

Yuan Chun looked up blankly, only to see snowflakes falling softly under the leaden sky, and a crystal of ice landing squarely between her eyebrows.

Snowflakes appear between my brows again!
She froze, suddenly recalling the day last December when she bid farewell to the Empress Dowager at the palace. As she walked out of Yonghe Palace, snow suddenly fell from the sky, and a snowflake appeared between her brows...

On that day, she bid farewell to the royal family and prepared to marry Jiang Nian, a commoner.

Today, she learned that her commoner husband might be a royal prince!

She suddenly felt that fate was playing tricks on her, and murmured to herself: "Last year, Meixue left the palace, today Meixue meets the imperial family?"

Seeing Yuan Chun standing blankly in the snow, with a thin layer of snowflakes already covering her sable-collared cloak, Baoqin gently urged, "Grandma, it's snowing. Let's get in the carriage."

Yuan Chun then seemed to wake from a dream, and, holding Bao Qin's hand, she climbed into the carriage, with Bao Qin following closely behind.

After the carriage drove away, Baoqin handed over a chased bronze hand warmer and said softly, "Grandma, warm your hands..." But Yuanchun's eyes were unfocused, and she did not even notice the hand warmer that was handed to her.

"Grandma!" Baoqin called out again, pushing the hand warmer forward. A few specks of scarlet glowed through the lotus pattern holes on the top of the warmer, reflecting off Yuanchun's fair fingertips.

When Yuan Chun came to her senses, she took the hand warmer and was shivered by its warmth.

Startled, Yuan Chun suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain. Outside, snowflakes danced like cotton wool on the long street, pedestrians hunched their shoulders and hurried along, and several peddlers carrying loads were sheltering from the snow under the eaves. In the distance, a procession of official sedan chairs hurried past, the white breath of the porters mingling with the snow mist. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Among these busy people on the street, who could have imagined..." Her fingertips unconsciously traced the cold, intricate carvings on the window frame, "that hidden within this magnificent carriage lies a secret concerning the very foundation of the imperial family!"

A snowflake slipped into the car and landed on her eyelashes. She closed her eyes, trying to listen carefully to the sound of the falling snow, but the snow fell silently, and she could only hear the creaking of the car wheels over the street.

Seeing her like this, Baoqin didn't dare to say anything, but quietly covered her knees with the mink blanket.

When I returned to my home in the eastern suburbs, the snow was falling heavily, swirling and dancing in the air, turning my home into a fairyland.

Yuan Chun stepped into the hanging flower gate and suddenly saw Jiang Nian standing under the eaves of the main house, wearing a moon-white silk jacket and a dark blue silk crane cloak. He was looking at her with his hands behind his back, and a smile instantly spread across his face, like a spring breeze melting a frozen spring.

Yuan Chun unconsciously curved her lips into a smile, and without caring about the slippery snow, hurried across the courtyard. By the time she reached the eaves, her hair was already streaked with white fluff, but she didn't care at all. She simply looked up and asked, "It's so bitterly cold outside, why are you standing in the wind, sir?"

Jiang Nian didn't answer, but reached out to brush the snow from between her eyebrows. Then she saw a snowflake land on her eyelashes, so she gently blew on it, making her blink. Jiang Nian gazed into her eyes, which were like autumn water, and smiled, "I heard you were home, so I came out to greet you."

Yuan Chun felt a warmth like spring in her heart.

(End of this chapter)