Princess Zuo Shan'er smiled tenderly as she checked her appearance in front of the large bronze mirror.
Satisfied with her flawless appearance, she turned her slim frame to take a look at her appointed room closely. It was much smaller than her courtyard in the Imperial Palace, but at least it was clean. And during her stay in Hui Lin sect, although she had to be somewhat self-sufficient, all meals would still be provided for by the sect.
To convince Lady Mei Gui to bring her along to Hui Lin sect, Zuo Shan'er had to sacrifice bringing her own private maids along. Even Lady Mei Gui did not bring maids.
All the maids and eunuchs that were brought along with the entourage, belonged to the Emperor.
Nevertheless, Zuo Shan'er would gladly choose this inconvenience all over again. She knew that if she did not take matters into her own hands by throwing bits of tantrums, acting spoiled, and utilizing some connections, she would not have been able to come along.
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Although Zuo Shan'er did not come from the direct lineage of the Emperor's bloodline, she was still a member of the extended Imperial Family. As a Princess, she was given the privilege of being able to visit the inner courtyards and somewhat maintain cordial relationships with some younger Royal Princes and Princesses.
She was smart enough to be patient and observe the politics and different characters involved in the harem. She watched and heard how a number of smaller Imperial Concubines lost their lives because they wanted the Emperor's favour. Zuo Shan'er knew, ever since the Empress passed, the best course of outcome was for those women to lay low. Who asked them to be too eager, too early, to climb the branch to be a Phoenix. Zuo Shan'er thought, those foolish concubines only had themselves to blame.
For a period of time, Zuo Shan'er did not know what to do to establish a connection with Zuo ZhouLei who had left the Palace. He had not even returned for Lady Shuan Bing's and Empress Yun Ying's death anniversaries afterwards.
Nevertheless, ever since she was small, she knew that he was the only person she had hung on to. It was for a very simple reason.
When she was four years old, she was brought by her mother to the Imperial Inner Courtyard to greet the Empress. Because her father was the Emperor's one of many step brothers, her family could be said to be closely related to the Emperor, and hence the whole clan could not afford to offend the Imperial couple. Monthly visit was a compulsory norm.
After their initial greeting, along with other ladies from officials' households, some selected concubines, and maids-in-waiting, Zuo Shan'er and her mother followed behind the Empress' entourage to walk around the expansive Imperial Garden.
Zuo Shan'er's father's house was not shabby by any standard. Being an idle Prince who had lost his chance of the throne of his generation, he and his family could still live in riches as a portion of the state taxes was still granted to him.
However, the main structure of the Palace, as well as the Empress' abode, and the beautiful Imperial Garden, everything inside the Imperial Palace was more dazzling than the most well-known high-end streets and shops in the capital city.
Amidst the blooming flowers, rare rocks and jades that must be worth thousands of gold - sporadically placed and landscaped around the garden for mere ornaments. Amongst the glitter and glitz of the inner Palace, Zuo Shan'er quickly lost her mother's hand as she ventured off by herself.
When she finally had to admit that she was lost, her small feet had grown tired and her toes blistered due to the new shoes she wore that day. None of the passing maids and eunuchs could understand her mumbling her mother's name as she sobbed and asked for them to take her to her mother.
For the maids and eunuchs, a small Princess playing in the many courtyards of Imperial Palace was quite normal. And despite the little girl crying, was that not quite normal if some sort of issue during her playtime had caused her to be upset?
The more astute ones could tell that she was lost, but although they were willing to help, they did not know who this "Lady Min" Zuo Shan'er kept telling them to be her mother was.
Every passing minute made the little girl more upset. Some maids were still cajoling her and wanted to bring her to the Palace's Department of Household Affairs. Perhaps, there they could find out which prestigious official's family this little girl belonged to. After all, the eunuchs in charge of the Department were resourceful. Infinitely, it was better than to sit on a rock, with her small feet swollen and red with blisters and face full of tears.
Zuo Shan'er was still sobbing then, when she suddenly realized that her surroundings suddenly grew quiet. She lifted her head slowly to see a proud straight figure of a boy, looking down at her with his own face devoid of emotion.
The maids who were cajoling her before were already kneeling.
Zuo Shan'er realized that this boy must have been one of the Royal Princes.
Despite his somewhat stoic expression, his voice was incomparably gentle sounding,
"Are you lost?"
Zuo Shan'er trembled and meekly nodded.
"Your name?" He asked further.
Like someone who had been entranced, Zuo Shan'er briefly forgot her grievance and answered him.
The young Prince mumbled her name to himself and seemed to be thinking to himself, her forehead slightly frowning. He asked again,
"Your father's name?"
"Zuo LiuDan," She obediently replied, still mesmerized by the flawless boy's face. Then Zuo Shan'er could definitely feel her own face burning as she saw the boy's lips upturn slightly in a smile,
"I know where your mother is. She is Lady Zhe Min, one of the esteemed guests who have come to the Palace today to greet the Empress."
The maids and eunuchs around sighed in relief and could not help to widen their eyes in admiration. They exclaimed their praise,
"Prince Zuo ZhouLei is insightful and wise!"
They knew from rumors that Zuo ZhouLei was exceedingly smart, despite his young age. But some of them only experienced first hand the capability of his brain that day.
It must be known that the Imperial Family was extremely large. The late Emperor, and the late Emperor before him had Empress, official Consorts, and concubines. Some of these smaller concubines also had sons, linking them by blood as step-brothers to the Royal Princes born from the Empress and higher-ranked official Consorts. The branches grew more complicated from that, and it was nearly impossible to recall all of the names of everyone bearing the surname 'Zuo'.
The Royal Princes and Princesses had to know their ancestry, so they had always been well-versed and familiar with their immediate family tree. However normally, none of them would bother knowing or recognizing anyone outside the immediate bloodline.
What Zuo Shan'er was enthralled about, was not only because of Zuo ZhouLei's perfect outward appearance, or his voice, or his smile.
It was also because he referred to her mother - Zhe Min - as a Lady and an 'esteemed guest'.
Despite being the Emperor's step-brother's daughter, Zuo Shan'er knew that Zuo LiuDan, her father, was born from a lowly concubine. She would be surprised if the Emperor even remembered which concubine Zuo LiuDan was birthed from. Not only that, Zhe Min was not Zuo LiuDan's official wife. Zuo LiuDan's wife did not have a child, and after taking Zhe Min as a concubine, they finally had Zuo Shan'er.
Therefore, not only was her father was not 'worthy' to be remembered, her existence should be even more obscure. Zhe Min could squeeze herself in the bouts of visits they had to make to the Palace because she had born Zuo LiuDan a daughter, but status wise, the pair of mother and daughter was lower than the Emperor's officials.
"Let's take you to see Lady Zhe Min," ZhouLei signaled one of the maids to help Zuo Shan'er to stand. However, the girl stood for a split second before falling on her butt, because her legs gave way due to the painful blisters she had.
She glanced at ZhouLei with her misty doe eyes and pitiful appearance. She had never failed to attract her own father's heart every time she got into trouble. Despite being young, she knew she was a little beauty and she decided then that she wanted to hold on to this Prince's legs.
Zuo ZhouLei only looked at her fixedly, his initial small smile disappeared off his face. Zuo Shan'er's heart skipped.
"Xiao Li, help Princess Zuo Shan'er!" He called a eunuch still kneeling nearby.
Xiao Li, the eunuch, was at a loss. Although Zuo Shan'er was just a little girl, she was still the Royal Prince's cousin, and most of all, a maiden. Although he was a eunuch, how could he afford the offense of making skin contact with a Princess?
Zuo Shan'er was also horrified at this turn of events and hastily tried to stand, only to wobbly fall into a maid and wince in pain. She initially wanted Zuo ZhouLei to carry her, how could she stand to allow a eunuch to touch her instead?
Zuo ZhouLei only let out a long sigh and ordered two maids to hold Zuo Shan'er's hands and assist her to slowly walk while they followed him towards where her mother was.
Zuo Shan'er was aggrieved then, but she still felt sweetness blooming inside her young heart, as Zuo ZhouLei deliberately kept his steps slow to wait for her.
Ever since then, she took every chance she could to accompany her mother or her father to visit the Palace. She got to know Lady Shuan Bing as well, and had even treated the latter as her own mother, much to Shuan Bing's bewilderment and ZhouLei's chagrin.
However, much to her disappointment, although ZhouLei gradually warmed up to her presence, he had not truly opened up to her and accepted her.
Then the time for Zuo ZhouLei to leave the Palace came, and Zuo Shan'er was left just like that. She was aggrieved then, but she thought that as long as they both still lived, there would still be a day where they would see each other again. Surely Zuo ZhouLei would return to the Palace at least a few times afterwards, to visit the Emperor, to burn incense for Lady Shuan Bing, to visit herself?
She waited and waited, but he never came. She sent letters to Wu Shan sect; his replies could only be said as occasional. Nevertheless, they had been enough for a while to send her to the heavens. But soon, she grew restless.
She slowly grew into a young woman in her teens, and with the natural growth and her womanly instinct, she became more sure than ever that she wanted to be with Zuo ZhouLei. She immersed herself in skills a woman would need to be a partner a Royal Prince would be proud of. Luckily, she was the only daughter that Zuo LiuDan ever had, so her whole family spoiled and spared no effort to find the best tutors for all skills that she wanted to learn: poetry, way of speech, qin... . She wanted to be ZhouLei's partner. She wanted to occupy his mind and heart.
She blossomed into a beautiful young woman whose name was well known throughout the capital city. Some older Princes - the Emperor's nephew-in-laws from his concubines or extended family - wanted her hand in marriage. Every one of them was as elegant and handsome as the next, each one's family was bountiful and their future boundless.
Zuo Shan'er only wished for one person to smile at her again. And perhaps to hold her hand.
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"Princess, this one is really sorry to disturb, but this one wants to inform that the banquet will be ready in the second half of the hour of the rooster." A gentle female voice broke Zuo Shan'er off her recollection of the past.
She stood and slowly straightened her back, patting her robe to smoothen out the creases. She looked at the smiling female Hui Lin practitioner still standing demurely at the door.
Qing Lian.
Zuo Shan'er had a good first impression of this young woman. Qing Lian was older and definitely a skilled Martial-Artist. Despite that, Qing Lian was amiable and respectful, always speaking gently towards Zuo Shan'er.
It was as if she was acting like an older sister that Zuo Shan'er never had.
"Thank you, Miss Qing." Zuo Shan'er smiled back. Qing Lian fidgeted a bit, and the Martial-Artist's beautiful face reddened a shade darker in fluster.
Zuo Shan'er finally realized that it was not only Qing Lian's gentle attitude that made her like the latter.
When Qing Lian smiled, Zuo Shan'er could see the late Empress in the young woman. They were at least two to three points similar.
Years ago, when she first saw the Empress, Zuo Shan'er thought there would never be another woman who looked more outstanding and more elegant than Empress Yun Ying. In Zuo Shan'er's opinion, Qing Lian still fell short of course. But the resemblance was there, and Qing Lian's gentle nature and soft spoken words won the Princess over. As soon as the Palace's women settled in their appointed rooms in Hui Lin, the two young women bonded quickly.
Qing Lian fidgeted with her fingers, her lips trembling a bit, seemingly wanting to say something.
"Miss Qing, if there is anything you want to tell me, please do so." Zuo Shan'er chuckled. Qing Lian was clearly older, but Zuo Shan'er thought the Martial-Artist was very pure hearted and adorable.
"Then, please forgive this one if I offend Princess," Qing Lian bit her lower lips as she darted her eyes towards the floor, "It's just that, this one feels uncomfortable that Princess kept referring to this one as 'Miss.'. This one is just a lowly Dao practitioner, devoid of any worldly desire."
She slowly raised her head to look at Zuo Shan'er and bravely advanced a couple of steps forward,
"With BingTan-shiong and JinHai-shiong... ." Qing Lian hastily clamped her hands over her own mouth, "Ah, this one doesn't mean any disrespect by not referring them as Royal Princes... ."
"Not to worry, Miss Qing," Zuo Shan'er laughed softly behind her sleeves at the other's fluster, "The Royal Princes are also Dao practitioners and I am sure they would not be concerned with such a matter. Nor will I."
Qing Lian nodded, "BingTan-shiong and JinHai-shiong have always had good relationships with this one, guiding and treating this one as their own family. And although JinHai-shiong hails from Wu Shan sect and is younger than this one, his cultivation is higher. Despite that, both of them are magnanimous and always treats this one as their own kin. They always call me as 'Lian-er'"
Qing Lian walked a few more steps forward, finally reaching where Zuo Shan'er was standing. Zuo Shan'er felt Qing Lian's hands trembling in anxiety as the latter reached for her hands.
"Princess, this one thinks that Princess is someone this one can be friends with. Would it offend Princess if Princess also just calls this one with just this one's name?"
Zuo Shan'er blinked, and then laughed. She then squeezed the other's hands assuringly,
"Lian-jie!"
Qing Lian was visibly relieved and blinked her teary eyes.
"Lian-jie! I am more than proud to have you as a friend. Why are you crying?"
"Nothing, it is just truly it is this one's fortune to have Princess' favour." Qing Lian stammered.
"Nonsense. If Prince BingTan and Prince JinHai think of you as family, then so will I! You will have to call me 'Shan'er'. I forbid you to call me as a Princess from now on." Zuo Shan'er smiled and thought that this Martial-Artist was truly simple minded and too pure-hearted.
The two women did not let go of their hold on each other and conversed with good mood.
"Lian-jie... . Do you also have a good relationship with Zuo ZhouLei?" Zuo Shan'er cautiously asked.
Qing Lian blinked and smiled, "Yes of course. He already calls me as 'Lian-jie' as well."
Zuo Shan'er's heart swelled and she proceeded to ask a few more questions about Zuo ZhouLei to Qing Lian, all which the latter answered wholeheartedly.
(Zuo Shan'er and Qing Lian)
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As the day passed slowly and approached closer to the banquet's time, Qing Lian bid farewell to Zuo Shan'er.
The night's banquet was only intended to the Sages of Hui Lin sect and the members of the Imperial Family. The Emperor, Zuo Shan'er, Lady Mei Gui, and some of their maids would attend. Zuo Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, Zuo JinHai, and Zuo ZhouLei would undoubtedly attend as well. The Martial-Artist called Xiao Zi from Ping sect would also be there as she was Lady Mei Gui's daughter.
"What a naïve Princess... ." Qing Lian took one glance at the now closed door of Zuo Shan'er's room.
"Pretty, young, but brainless. How could I ever miss your sparkling eyes whenever Zuo ZhouLei's name was mentioned?"
She had already planted the seeds, she just had to sit back and watch the show.
"Lady Mei Gui is too guarded, as expected from an ex Martial-Artist who has been living in the Palace for too long. She would have already seen all schemes that could have been seen. She would doubt me if I tried to intrude further. But this Princess... . This kind of person... . Simple, just, and pure. These are the easiest."
Qing Lian chuckled to herself and walked away.
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-------Runexi's notes-------
Does anyone remember Zuo Shan'er? The little girl in chapter 2.7? She's back... . For good or for worse... we shall see.