Favoring Qie Over Wife (50)
"Wang fei was right, wang ye did stay in Bai shufei's courtyard last night."
When Song Jia heard Ruolan's words, she did not express her surprise. On the contrary, she looked self-satisfied.
Truth to be told, Song Jia was getting confused from Zhao Cheng's actions towards her lately. He was too affectionate, too doting, too sweet, and too...loving. There were many times Song Jia had mistaken his gaze at her to be filled with love.
Fortunately, this report of Ruolan's had managed to calm her heart down.
As expected, he was indeed in love with Bai Mei Lien. Li Jia was still the invisible main wife, just like her previous life. If Zhao Cheng had surprisingly fallen in love with Li Jia...well, Song Jia's plans needed to be changed. Whatever the monarch wanted, Song Jia would willingly give him. Since it was not the case, Song Jia would simply go with her plan A.
Divorce Zhao Cheng, find Li Jia a husband that would dote on her, and peacefully leave this world to get her salary from a job well done.
"From now on, tell the rest of the servants not to bother sister Bai and wang ye with troublesome matters. Whatever it is, just directly report it back to me."
"Yes, wangfei."
"Tell Minglan to bring a basket and a yixing clay pot of pu'er tea in the garden. I want to make some lotus wine."
"Yes, wangfei."
Today, Song Jia was wearing a light yellow robe with a dark four-season pattern of pomegranates, a translucent sash tied around her waist. Her make-up was light, only emphasizing her eyes and lips. Since it was autumn, Song Jia used a light blush to make her cheeks appear slightly flushed—it brought out a sense of youthfulness that blended well with the red, orange, and yellow cluster of leaves that spiralled in the air before piling up on the ground.
It was still early in the morning, so the breeze was cool and in some places, a very thin mist had formed to make the garden appear hazy. Before Song Jia arrived, Minglan and Ruolan were already there, waiting for her beside the koi pond. There was a wooden boat not far away, partly hidden behind a cluster of blooming lotus flowers.
Ruolan went into the boat first and held out her hand. Song Jia raised her skirt, grabbed her hand, and lightly stepped into the boat. It swayed slightly at her weight and the two of them took a moment to steady their footing.
"Wang fei, this kind of thing..." Minglan watched anxiously as Song Jia gracefully sat on the prow of the little boat. "Nubi thinks that it would be better to let us servants make the lotus wine."
Song Jia shook her head and smiled, "Half of the enjoyment comes from doing it yourself. That way, the wine will taste even sweeter."
With that, she instructed Ruolan who was at the back to slowly row the boat forward. Seeing that her mistress couldn't be persuaded, Minglan sighed in acquiescence and retreated.
"Then wang fei, please take care."
Song Jia put her basket on her lap and gathered the lotus flowers one by one. Although the koi pond was called a 'pond', the vastness of a qin wang's estate couldn't be underestimated. It was almost as large as the Hundred Flower Pond of Jinan. Song Jia made sure to pluck off the petals before putting it on her basket, enjoying the darts of koi fish that occasionally swam by.
"Wang fei, it's amazing that almost all of the lotus flowers are red," Ruolan said in amazement, pointing at them. "Aren't they supposed to be very rare?"
Song Jia nodded. The reason she came out to the garden often was because she loved seeing the red lotus flowers. Picking another one and putting it on her basket, she murmured absently, "A wine made purely from red lotus flowers...I wonder how it would taste? It's a shame I wouldn't be able to know if it's delicious."
After mixing the fresh petals of the lotus flowers with glutinous rice and jiuqu,it had to be put inside a large ceramic jar where it would be left fermenting for one month. Then there would be a second fermentation process before burying the jar in the ground and waiting a whole year for the fermentation to finish.
Song Jia actually didn't make this lotus wine for herself. She made it for Zhao Cheng, so that Li Jia could take it as her gift to him when he ascends the throne. It would only be a simple gift, but Song Jia knew that Zhao Cheng would appreciate it, far better than any expensive congratulatory gift coated with gold.
Song Jia hoped that he would take it as Li Jia's 'token of goodwill' and not bother his ex-wife and Prime Minister Li too much.
Your future Majesty, don't do a culling and purge too much of the powerful families, okay? This grandma made this wine with so much effort~
After thinking to herself that she had picked enough flowers, Song Jia was about to turn around to instruct Ruolan to go back when a droplet of water splashed on her cheek. She touched it with her finger and glanced up at the sky.
Eh?! Where did all these black clouds came from? Isn't this just thunder from a clear sky? [1]
Abruptly, the sky opened up and rain began to pour down, soaking them to the bone. Song Jia started to shiver uncontrollably, putting her arms around her own body.
"Wang fei!" Ruolan panicked, her hands trying to row faster.
"I'm alright, just feeling slightly cold." Song Jia hastened to reassure her.
Why are these people acting like she was made of porcelain? Even if this body of hers was weak, a little bit of rain wouldn't kill her. Song Jia snapped off a nearby lotus leaf, holding it over her head.
When the boat finally bumped against dry land, both Song Jia and Ruolan sighed in relief. Minglan was already waiting for them, carrying two oil-paper umbrellas.
"Wang fei, nubi encountered wang ye earlier while he was on his way to the palace, he said there was something urgent going on. He told nubi that as much as possible, wang fei should not leave the wangfu."
Song Jia frowned. "Did he bring an umbrella with him?"
"Answering wang fei, nubi didn't see wang ye bringing an umbrella."
"As soon as he gets back, tell the servants to prepare him a hot bath and a bowl of nourishing soup."
Song Jia lifted up her umbrella and stared at the droplets of water that dripped off its edges. She was already drenched from head to toe, which plastered her hair down on her forehead and neck. This umbrella was pointless.
Pā dā!
Ruolan saw that the handle slid out of Song Jia's hand, and the umbrella with ink-painted purple grapes fell to the ground. Rain immediately pelted the slim figure in front of her, the lotus flowers inside the basket slightly fluttering in the chilling breeze.
"Wang fei!" she cried out in shock.
Song Jia turned around and smiled, droplets of water sparkling like gems on her long and thick eyelashes. She tilted her head to the side and said, "Ruolan, storms will always pass. It's better if..."
Just before finished speaking, the heavy mourning bell rang out from the imperial palace.
Dāng!
Dīng!
Dāng!
Ruolan and Minglan's faces turned pale. They immediately knelt down, their faces grave.
Dīng!
Song Jia put aside her basket and also knelt with them.
Dāng!
"Five..." murmured Song Jia under her breath, counting each loud toll. "Six, seven, eight..."
Dīng!
"Nine."
Song Jia slowly stood up and looked back at her two kneeling maidservants whose faces were blank. They were still unable to believe what just happened.
"Put up white banners, instruct everyone inside the wangfu to stop what they're doing and change their clothes to those without any vibrant colors. Order the kitchens to cook only simple dishes from now on. Do both of you understand?"
It was Minglan who first responded.
She quickly became alert, "Wang fei, nubi understands."
Ruolan was still slightly dazed as Minglan pulled her up to her feet. She kept repeating, "How can this be...how can this be..."
Song Jia sighed as she looked at their retreating figures. It was easy for her to understand their reactions. However, she had already expected this kind of outcome.
Nine tolls of the mourning bell.
It meant that Hongwu Emperor was dead.
And now, a new Emperor will sit on the dragon throne.
[1] Chinese idiom for something completely unexpected.