Chapter 47: Embrace
The First Imperial Princess was kneading dough in the small kitchen.
She had rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, revealing the blue veins on her forearms, which were tense from exertion.
The Second Imperial Princess said with a gentle smile, “I didn’t know that Imperial Eldest Sister had such skills.”
“To share the joy with the people,” the First Imperial Princess said. “When I’m at home and have free time, I often sneak into the kitchen and help the cooks, right?”
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at the attendants who were standing by her side.
The attendant who was being looked at directly shivered and hurriedly said, “Yes, yes!”
…What help? The kind of help that blows up the kitchen while you’re at it, and then you get angry and dock everyone’s monthly salary?
The attendant thought to herself, but she didn’t dare to say it out loud. She just thought that kneading dough probably wouldn’t blow up the kitchen again.
But she had overestimated her master’s cooking skills and underestimated her master’s creativity—
After a cup of tea’s time, the dough had already run into the furnace. The attendant was greatly alarmed and was about to say, “The dough is brushed with oil, I’m afraid it’s not good to roast it directly with fire,” but the First Imperial Princess raised her hand and stopped her, “I know what I’m doing.”
So, after two cups of tea’s time, the furnace… exploded.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. It was just that the ash from the furnace had exploded out, and everyone present had a big painted face.
The First Imperial Princess was the first to be hit, and her head and face were covered in ash, so much so that her original appearance was almost unrecognizable.
The First Imperial Princess: …
The attendant: …
The attendant was afraid that the First Imperial Princess would be unhappy and dock their monthly salary again, so she hurriedly took out a handkerchief and went up to clean the First Imperial Princess. Just as they were in a mess, a clear and bright inquiry came from outside—
“What’s wrong?”
It was Little General Shen’s voice!
As she spoke, Shen Zhishu had already lifted the curtain and entered.
As soon as she entered, she couldn’t hold it in—half of the ash on the First Imperial Princess’s face had been wiped off. The lower half of her face was clean, and the upper half only had her eyes exposed; the Second Imperial Princess and the Seventh Imperial Princess were covered in mottled ash, like Indians in a jungle.
Shen Zhishu, after “pfft-ing,” felt that it was impolite and managed to hold back her laughter. She cupped her hands at the First Imperial Princess, “What’s wrong?”
The First Imperial Princess: “…My subordinate was careless and blew up the furnace.”
“Is that so!” Shen Zhishu smiled. “That attendant should be ordered to never be near the kitchen again.”
“That’s right,” the First Imperial Princess grabbed a handkerchief and pointed at the attendant who was wiping her face, “You, get out.”
The attendant was not docked her monthly salary and was very happy.
The First Imperial Princess had found a scapegoat and was also very happy.
She wiped her face idly and raised her head to ask Shen Zhishu, “Why is the General here at this time?”
“The Emperor and the Eldest Princess have something to discuss, so it is not convenient for this subordinate to stay there,” Shen Zhishu said teasingly. “I heard a ‘bang’ like a firecracker from somewhere, so I followed the sound and came over. I didn’t expect it to be so lively here.”
The First Imperial Princess let out a dry laugh twice and waved her hand, “Forget it, forget it, it’s a mess here, let’s not stay here. Let’s go out and have tea.”
“Still having tea?” Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow. “You should go and wash up. It must be very uncomfortable with so much ash on your head.”
**
So the three imperial princesses all went to the bathroom, leaving her to sit outside alone.
—A joss stick’s time ago, Jiang Chu had asked her to leave the flower hall on the grounds of “having a final heart-to-heart talk with the Eldest Princess.”
What are Jiang Yu and the Emperor talking about now? Shen Zhishu thought.
Probably some past events that she had no way of knowing.
She walked leisurely to the pavilion and happened to come face to face with Lantiao, who was sitting inside.
Shen Zhishu was surprised, “Why are you sitting here alone?”
“Alas,” Lantiao sighed and shook her head. “I’m worried.”
“What are you worried about?” Shen Zhishu asked.
“I’m afraid Her Highness is unhappy. Every time Her Highness is alone with the Emperor, she is not very happy afterwards.”
Shen Zhishu took a step forward, sat down in the pavilion, and casually picked up the teapot, pouring herself a cup, “It’s alright. If she’s sad, you can just call me over.”
Lantiao said, “Hey,” and her face immediately broke into a smile, “That’s right, how could I have forgotten the General? Times are different now. Her Highness doesn’t listen to us, but she will definitely listen to the General. With the General as a friend, we are much more at ease.”
“Don’t be at ease yet,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “If I take the wrong medicine one day, it’s not impossible that I’ll fall out with your Highness.”
“The General is joking,” Lantiao shook her head. “The General’s character is so outstanding, and Her Highness is also a calm person. You two will not have any conflicts. It’s more likely that Rongju and I will fall out.”
“Even if we don’t fall out because of a conflict, but the world is unpredictable, and many former close friends have gradually drifted apart and eventually become strangers,” Shen Zhishu took a sip of tea and said. “Think about it, if one day in the future I go on an expedition again and don’t return to the capital for ten or eight years, will your Highness and I still be so familiar?”
“How could we not be?” Lantiao smiled. “Although we can’t meet, letters can also convey thousands of words. Even if one day we can’t even communicate by letter, as long as we think of each other in our hearts, the ends of the earth are also within reach.”
Shen Zhishu thought for a moment, “Actually, that’s not the case. For example, my Mother He said that after she got married, she and her former best friend were not as close as before—after all, they had to avoid suspicion. If they were too close, my Mother Shen would definitely not be happy. Although I plan to not get married for the rest of my life, your Highness will eventually get married, and at that time, it will probably be a different situation.”
Lantiao took a light breath, “I haven’t thought of that. The General is indeed far-sighted.”
Shen Zhishu: “So—” So there’s no need to think about the future. If you think too much, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Lantiao: “So Her Highness and the General should get married!”
Shen Zhishu: …???
As Lantiao spoke, she became excited, “Her Highness’s family ties are thin, and she has no friends. I can’t even imagine the scene of Her Highness getting married. She will probably be respectful to the other party, but indifferent and silent. Her Highness has a lot to say to the General, so why not marry the General? After marriage, you can still get along as friends. Wouldn’t that save a lot of trouble?”
“Wait, I—”
“Anyway, the General also said before that you will not have a sweetheart, so this should not hinder the General’s marriage. Isn’t this an excellent idea? I’ll go and tell Her Highness now and have her ask the Emperor to bestow a marriage—%#￥@*”
Shen Zhishu grabbed a handful of pastries and stuffed them into Lantiao’s mouth.
She looked at the little girl, who was stuffed like a hamster, with some amusement, “How do you know that your Highness doesn’t have her own fate? What’s the point of hastily marrying me? Besides, my Mother Shen also doesn’t want me to get too close to your Highness. These past few days of being together day and night are already a transgression.”
Lantiao took a gulp of tea and chewed for a long time before she swallowed the pastries, muttering, “Isn’t Minister Shen just unaware of the inside story? She’s worried that the General and Her Highness are too close and will be suspected of forming a faction, which will displease the Emperor. But the General and Her Highness are already as close as they can be in front of the Emperor.”
“What, do you expect her to know the inside story?” Shen Zhishu stood up. “Alright, let’s end this topic here. You are not allowed to mention it in front of Her Highness.”
Lantiao said, “Oh,” aggrievedly.
Shen Zhishu walked out of the pavilion with her sleeves tucked in and walked along the covered walkway towards the garden. Halfway there, she stopped.
The outline of the distant mountains was gradually swallowed by the darkness and became blurry. She watched as an attendant walked gracefully from a distance, lit the lanterns, and greeted her.
The sound of people suddenly rose in the distance, and then fell silent.
Although there were walls and railings on all four sides, Shen Zhishu suddenly felt an indescribable sense of desolation.
Perhaps it was because she had been at the Eldest Princess’s Manor so many times, and she was rarely left alone in the night for so long. Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t seen a certain person for a long time—
She suddenly heard a familiar and cool “General” from behind her.
“General,” that person called again.
Shen Zhishu suddenly turned her head and saw Jiang Yu standing alone under the corridor.
The lights were scattered, and the white jade hairpin on that person’s head had a smooth sheen, but her face was hidden in the shadows.
So much so that Shen Zhishu couldn’t see her expression clearly.
They were separated by the railings, and they were silent.
A large clump of accumulated snow rolled down from the bent plum blossom branch with a thud.
Shen Zhishu blinked, leaned against a pillar of the corridor, and got a little closer to Jiang Yu.
She lowered her head and asked, “Have you… had dinner?”
She had originally wanted to ask, “How was the chat,” but for some reason, it came out like this.
Perhaps it was because the night was too quiet, and Jiang Yu was too cold, like a thin piece of ice that could break in the north wind at any time, so she didn’t want to ask any sad questions. She thought.
Perhaps because “Have you eaten” was so nonsensical it was a little stupid, Jiang Yu raised her eyes and looked at her, without a word.
Shen Zhishu looked down and tucked the stray hair from her forehead behind her ear.
When she touched the side of Jiang Yu’s face, Shen Zhishu felt a faint wetness.
Only then did she suddenly realize that Jiang Yu was not answering, not because the question was stupid, but because… she was crying.
When she shed tears, she was exactly the same as Jiang Chu, and she would not make a sound. So only when you looked carefully could you find the clue.
And the lights were really too dim now, so you couldn’t even see it when you looked carefully.
Shen Zhishu was silent for a moment, then leaned forward a little more, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and gently tucked it on Jiang Yu’s face.
The handkerchief was easily soaked, and the tears then stained the hand behind the handkerchief.
Shen Zhishu was suddenly a little at a loss.
It was not the first time she had seen someone cry, and Jiang Yu was not the one who cried the most in front of her, but she felt flustered for no reason.
Perhaps it was because Jiang Yu was usually too indifferent, so when she had a slight emotional fluctuation, it would seem extremely special.
The tears soaked a whole handkerchief.
Shen Zhishu suddenly remembered what someone had told her, that the calmer a person was in their daily life, the more turbulent their emotions would be when they came.
The three words “don’t cry” rolled around in her mouth, and then she swallowed them back.
She spread the handkerchief on the long bench, suddenly grabbed the railing, and with a leap, she jumped over to the outside of the corridor.
Her movements created a gust of wind, which blew away Jiang Yu’s untied stray hair.
She stood in front of Jiang Yu, lowered her head, and looked at the smooth top of Jiang Yu’s head.
She wanted to say, “Let’s go back to the room, the wind is strong outside, be careful of catching a cold,” and she also wanted to say, “If you have anything, just tell me, don’t keep it to yourself,” but in the end, she still didn’t say it.
She wanted to speak, but she held back.
She couldn’t see Jiang Yu’s lowered face, but she could feel that Jiang Yu was still crying.
When she shed tears as a child, how did her mother comfort her? Shen Zhishu thought.
She would hug her.
Shen Zhishu paused for a few breaths, raised her hand, and covered the back of the person in front of her’s head, gently pulling her into her arms.
It was like hugging a living cedar tree.
In her ear was the sound of another person’s breathing. The other palm, which was on Jiang Yu’s back, felt a living heartbeat through the cloth.
Jiang Yu’s head slowly rested on her shoulder, paused for a moment, and then sank down relaxedly.
“General,” she said. “I’m so sad.”
