Chapter 85 Small Ying Zhou

Among the five islands in Tai Ye Pool, Small Fang Hu and Small Ying Zhou occupied the largest areas. As roads in Small Fang Hu twisted and turned and the land was not spacious, it was not a suitable place for holding grand banquets.

In contrast, Small Ying Zhou was endowed with a flat ground which was big enough to accommodate those people participating in the summer banquet.

When people and Empress Dowager arrived at the pier not far from Yan Fu Palace, several pleasure-boats had been waited for a long time. It could be seen that those boats were not used for a long time and were dressed up temporarily. The paint was bright and some incense were used for covering the odor of the paint. At this moment, though they did not approach, they already smelled a strong aroma of the incense.

As Empress Dowager was older, she frowned slightly.

Queen Mother Ji also covered her nose with a veil and looked at the Empress reproachfully, “Even if the summer banquet is suddenly decided, since you have already decided to hold it on the island, why haven’t got the boats ready in advance? Before getting on, I feel dizzy.”

“I started to prepare it when I received the order.” Empress Ji quickly apologized and then explained, “It’s just that we have not visited here for a long time, and the servants have also slacked off, so, except the small boat used by Minghui and other princesses for play, the rest boats all need to be repaired… How about bringing the boat over?”

“Nonsense!” Queen Mother Ji said unpleasantly, “How many people can be accommodated by the small boat that Minghui used? They are young and can stand the jolt, but we can’t.”

Empress Dowager sighed, saying, “Forget that. As I asked this suddenly, the Empress was bothered. Well, let them extinguish the incense on the boat, open the curtains for ventilating, and then we get on.”

Empress Ji felt relieved and saluted, “Grandma, thanks. I will ask them to do so soon.”

So, after a delay at the pier, they landed on Small Ying Zhou one after another.

Small Ying Zhou was covered in lush green vegetation, and a slope was there in the northeast corner. Because the slope was clothed with pine forests, it was called Pine Hill.

Although the rest of the area was not flat, it was slightly rough. Looking around, they could see flowers, trees, and the meandering stream from somewhere murmuring. As the path was wide and even, they took a few steps along the way. Probably because the royal family didn’t visit there for a long time, many birds and small beasts were there. Seeing people coming, they looked at them curiously, and gathered on nearby branches to observe from time to time.

Empress Dowager looked around, being touched. Holding the hand of her maid and looking sideways at Queen Mother Ji, who was half a step behind her, she said, “The late emperor liked Small Ying Zhou most in his life and always took me here… in a blink of an eye, so many years have passed.”

The late emperor she mentioned was not Xiaozong, but Emperor Shenzong.

Hearing that, Queen Mother Ji also sighed, “I remember that you like Shi Cui Building most at that time. This time, the Empress specially arranges the banquet in front of Shi Cui Building.”

“Really?” Empress Dowager nodded slightly, saying that the Queen Mothers and the Empress were filial-hearted. She then asked, “Has Heng Yun Pavilion been cleaned?”

“Since that was the place the late emperor visited most frequently every time when he came to Small Ying Zhou, how could we forget it?” Queen Mother Ji said, “It was cleaned up. Will you go there? How about I accompany you?”

Empress Dowager felt a bit upset for a while, and then said, “Wait for another time, for there is a business right now.”

As they talked, they arrived at Shi Cui Building, a small courtyard at the foot of Pine Hill, surrounded by different trees but no flowers. There was a small waterfall hanging on the side of the Building, which was as high as around 3.5 meters. The water was clear, which made people cool when seeing it. In the small water pool under the waterfall, there were many green leaves floating and more than a dozen koi fishes swimming.

Being colorful, the scene was very pleasant.

The koi fishes were not surprised to see people coming, but gathered to the shore, seeming to beg for food.

Empress Dowager stood for a while by the water, picked up a pebble that was cleaned and rounded off by the waterfall. She said that she loved to pick all kinds of stones here when she came with Emperor Shenzong to the island in the past and she was always happy and showed off those stones to Shenzong and Xiaozong when finding beautiful ones… As she told that, the smile in the corner of her eyes disappeared, “Later, when I found that there were more and more beautiful stones, I realized that the maids put them here deliberately for pleasing me. Then I lost interest.”

After seeing the situation, Queen Mother Ji hurriedly changed the topic, saying something else to please her. Then they went into Shi Cui Building.

… Well, only Empress Dowager and the three Queen Mothers, the Empress, the hostesses, three princesses, an infanta, and their trusted attendants came in.

The others were all waiting outside.

For fear of bothering them, the concubines who stayed outside walked around and occasionally talked in a low voice. Although they did not line up silently, they dared not to be too presumptuous.

Yun Fenghuang looked around for a while and then went to Yun Qingman. However, Yun Qingman who was not far away just now, had left. Xue Xiaoge who watched her walk back and forth told her, “I saw her just now. She seemed not to be very comfortable. She asked the maid to support her and went over there, probably trying to find a quiet place to have a rest.”

“What’s the matter?” Yun Fenghuang thanked her and chased in the direction as she said. She found Yun Qingman behind a tall camphor tree soon. Yun Qingman leaned most of her body on the maid, covering her chest and vomiting.

There was a sour smell around them, and a lot of vomitus that had not been completely digested was on the ground.

Yun Fenghuang quickly stepped forward to help the maid to support her, and asked in surprise, “Did you eat something bad?”

“… I was not very good on the boat.” Yun Qingman raised her pale face, with her forehead filled with fine sweat beads, saying weakly, “My sister and the maids kept pinching my Hegu acupoint (the part between one’s thumb and index finger) until I got ashore. If Empress Dowager entered in later, I am afraid that I would vomit… It seems that I got seasick.”

Although she was born rich, as a baseborn girl who was destined to marry for the sake of her family, she was not allowed to show up in the public. Since she had never been on a boat before, she didn’t know she had such a problem.

At this moment, being weak, she felt regretful, “I should have asked my sister for telling my absence. I don’t know if I could bear the coming trip.”

“Who could think of this?” Yun Fenghuang and the maid helped her to sit down on the clean grass nearby, comforting, “Don’t worry. There are so many people, so maybe the Empress has plans. You can have a rest here and I will send someone to ask. Let someone clean up your vomitus first, in case someone who walks around feels bad. Then let someone look for the medicine for seasickness… If you really can’t bear, I can quietly send you back.”

Yun Qingman worriedly asked, “Will it be okay? Today, there are full of joy and Empress Dowager and Queen Mothers are here…”

“Since here are so many people, we can do it more easily, for they have no mood to care about us.” Yun Fenghuang didn’t think this was a difficult thing to do. After all, neither she nor Yun Qingman was an indispensable person for the summer banquet. People would not care about their absence, would they?

She ordered Xi Le to do that and Xi Le took two eunuchs back for cleaning up soon. Xi Le also took back the Empress’s words, saying that the Empress didn’t expect anyone would be seasick. The key was that she didn’t expect that Yun Qingman would be so serious in such a small pool. For there was no seasickness medicine on the island, if Yun Qingman couldn’t bear it, she could return to Tong Xia Palace to have a rest.

Yun Qingman hesitated for a while and decided not to go back immediately. One reason was that she felt better after she vomited. Another was that she didn’t want to miss today’s opportunity to meet with her family.

So, Yun Fenghuang accompanied her to sit under the tree for a while. They didn’t leave until Xi Le came over to remind that the furnishings of the banquet such as tables, chairs, and tableware had been prepared and the concubines had already gathered together in the open space in front of Shi Cui Building and that Empress Dowager and others would come out soon.

When they arrived, the empty space, which could accommodate the procession of Empress Dowager and others, had been paved with colorful carpets, and the seats were well prepared. Many folding screens were displayed, dividing the entire banquet venue into two parts.

Judging from the styles and colors of the tables, chairs and tableware, men were arranged at the left side and women right side. And on the female side, royal women were on the left, and other titled madams on the right.

At the center of the banquet, a small space was left, with a stand of one person tall, which was supposed to be used for singing and dancing.

At this time, the courtiers should had landed on the island, but they hadn’t shown up yet. They probably waited in other places for avoiding to be inappropriate.

Not long afterwards, a eunuch holding a fly whisk walked out of Shi Cui Building and hurried away. Soon, another person came out, greeting the concubines to line up and have a seat.

The eunuch who had left not long ago brought a large group of titled madams out of the forest and sat down in the seat, and their jade pendants made sounds.

The two parties hurried to greet each other, but when they only said a few words to their relatives and friends, one eunuch coughed, reminding everyone to keep quiet.

Immediately, seeing from the screen voile and the engraved gaps, they could see that the courtiers who were invited to the summer banquet lined up according to their identities and walked slowly from the trail behind Shi Cui Building.

They were seated right in front of the screens, and only their shadows could be seen on the side of the women’s seat. Yun Fenghuang glanced at the shadows for a few moments, and was uninterested. She picked up the glass cup in front of her, and took a small sip of rose julep.

Yun Qingman looked at the shadows without blinking, and suddenly fell to her ear, whispering, “I saw my father.”

Yun Fenghuang hummed and didn’t raise her head, saying, “Well, you should have a chance to meet later.”

Yun Qingman wanted to say more but when she saw her mother’s gesture of “hushing” towards her, she sat square, pretending to be very demure and ladylike.

When the courtiers greeted each other in a low voice and sat down, some people entered Shi Cui Building to inform them. A moment later, as Empress Dowager and the rest came out, people all rose from their seats and knelt to greet them.

Empress Dowager let them rise up after sitting down and asked everyone to sit back. She said a few words to the relatives and important courtiers and greeted some old loyal officials. Seeing it was not early, she ordered to start the banquet.

The dishes for the banquet and people for singing and dancing came in at the same time, so the original tranquil place immediately became lively.

After drinking a while, Empress Dowager and others left on the pretext of changing clothes, leaving the place to the juniors.

Seeing this, Wei Hengyan immediately came over and took Yun Fenghuang and Yun Qingman, suggesting everyone walk together.

When she said so, she gave Yun Fenghuang a wink.

Yun Fenghuang understood, saying, “Qingman just saw her father and brothers, and you will look for your family, right? There are so many people here, so I don’t know if I can find you later. How about we look for them together?”

Wei Hengyan agreed immediately, because it was not good for her to directly visit Deng Chengzhai, for he was not her relative or friend. However, Yun Qike, Yun Qingman and Yun Fenghuang’s brother, was a reading partner of the Emperor as Deng Chengzhai, so he would be a suitable person whether for telling her Deng Chengzhai’s morality and deeds or introducing her to Deng Chengzhai.

Otherwise, she would not hurry over to find Yun Fenghuang and Yun Qingman as she saw Empress Dowager and others leave.

However, at this moment, a maid came across the way, saluted, and looked at Yun Qingman, saying, “Fourth Miss, Madam wants to see you.”