After moving to the Eastern Palace, both the Crown Prince and Li Yuniang became busier—one had to participate in state affairs, while the other managed all the palace maids in the Eastern Palace. Even little Afu was assigned a talented Su family maid by the Crown Prince to begin her education.
Li Yuniang specifically instructed Maid Su to teach Afu the rules of the palace, especially regarding the Crown Prince. Afu needed to learn to show respect and no longer treat him like a neighbor's older brother, bothering him whenever she pleased.
Six-year-old Afu had grown much more sensible than before. Under the dual influence of Li Yuniang and Maid Su, she indeed stopped disturbing the Crown Prince.
When the Crown Prince had adapted to life in the Eastern Palace and passed the busy initial period after his appointment, he stood by the window on a rainy day and suddenly thought of Afu.
He summoned Eunuch Kang: "What has Afu been doing lately?"
Eunuch Kang replied: "She has been studying with Maid Su and hasn't left Yiran Residence."
The Eastern Palace contained multiple courtyards. Since the Crown Prince had not yet married, he allocated a small courtyard near the main hall to Li Yuniang and Afu, naming it Yiran Residence.
Having nothing urgent to attend to, the Crown Prince took an umbrella and went to Yiran Residence with only Eunuch Kang accompanying him.
Afu had just finished an hour of studying and was taking a break, standing before a large water vat in a corner of the courtyard. The vat contained planted water lilies and two small red carp.
Liu'er stood beside her holding an umbrella. Noticing the Crown Prince's arrival, Liu'er quietly reminded Afu.
Afu turned and, along with Liu'er, curtsied to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince paused mid-step—this was the first time he had seen Afu greet him with such formality. Her curtsy posture appeared practiced, flawless in every detail.
After a brief hesitation, the Crown Prince signaled Eunuch Kang to stay behind while he approached Afu and her maid alone with his umbrella.
Though Afu knew the proper etiquette, her familiarity with the Crown Prince made genuine reverence impossible. She beamed at him brightly, as if looking at her own brother.
The Crown Prince's mood lifted instantly.
He moved closer to Afu, shifting his umbrella to cover her.
Liu'er tactfully withdrew to stand with Eunuch Kang.
"Is Afu watching the fish?" the Crown Prince asked, facing the water vat.
Afu turned back and nodded.
Fine raindrops continuously pattered on the water surface. The two small red carp, seemingly startled, swam restlessly, chasing each other—sometimes hiding under the broad water lily leaves, sometimes emerging again.
After watching silently for a while, the Crown Prince turned his gaze to Afu's face: "If Afu likes them, I can have more red carp added here."
Instead of answering, Afu posed a question: "Does Your Highness know where these little carp originally lived?"
The Crown Prince didn't know specifically, but since carp were fish, their habitats couldn't differ much. "They likely lived in ponds or lakes," he answered.
Afu gazed at the swimming carp and murmured as if to herself: "I've never seen ponds or lakes. Are they very large?"
The Crown Prince nodded: "There's a lake in the Western Garden. If Afu wishes to see it, I can take you."
Afu's eyes shone with longing, but she shook her head: "No, my mother said I'm not allowed to wander off."
Understanding her nurse's cautious nature, the Crown Prince didn't insist. He wanted to be good to both the nurse and Afu, but needed to consider what they truly needed. Forcing a gift that would only make them anxious would defeat its purpose.The Crown Prince suggested again giving Afu a few more of the little red carps.
Afu shook her head and said, "This water vat is so small. They must be stifled being confined inside every day. Your Highness should just release them."
Although Afu enjoyed watching the little red carps, she also felt sorry for them.
As she spoke, one of the little red carps swam to the edge of the water vat. Its fragile fins touched the hard wall of the vat and immediately retracted before it turned and swam away.
The Crown Prince silently watched that little red carp. At first, he felt that his wet nurse and Afu were like little red carps confined by his father and mother consort at his side. Then it occurred to him that he was no different.
The palace walls, layer upon layer and thick, trapped so many people.
In the autumn when the Crown Prince turned eighteen, Emperor Jiande passed away from illness. The Crown Prince ascended the throne and became Emperor Yuanjia.
When he was first appointed Crown Prince, he had been busy enough to run around in circles. Now, with the weight of state affairs on his shoulders, Emperor Yuanjia was even busier, working from dawn till dusk.
The former Consort Zhuang was enfeoffed as Empress Dowager.
After using the authority of the Empress Dowager to deal with a group of the late emperor’s consorts, and having a bit of free time, the Empress Dowager suddenly remembered Li Yuniang.
One day, when Emperor Yuanjia came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, she mentioned that two imperial consorts had committed suicide to accompany the late emperor in death, and then brought up Li Yuniang: "When the late emperor was alive, his favor toward Lady Li was no less than that toward some consorts. Unfortunately, Lady Li did not appreciate it. After the late emperor passed, she ate well and drank well, showing no sign of grief."
Emperor Yuanjia looked at his mother, now the Empress Dowager.
Still in the national mourning period, the Empress Dowager’s makeup was simple yet dignified. The corners of her eyes and brows were filled with the pride of being honored as Empress Dowager—where was there any sign of sorrow?
Emperor Yuanjia could only remain silent.
Seeing that he did not respond, the Empress Dowager quickly changed the subject.
After a busy day with state affairs, Emperor Yuanjia found a moment of leisure in the evening and made his way to the Eastern Palace.
Having been so occupied, he had not thought of his wet nurse and her daughter, who were still living in the Eastern Palace.
Li Yuniang had long wanted to see Emperor Yuanjia, but she also knew how busy the new emperor was after his ascension, so she did not dare to disturb him and patiently waited for the emperor to remember her.
The Eastern Palace was very quiet. Eunuch Kang and the others had followed the emperor when he left, so Li Yuniang and Afu lived quietly and properly in Yiran Residence.
When Emperor Yuanjia suddenly arrived, Li Yuniang was taken aback for a moment before quickly bringing Afu to greet him.
Mother and daughter knelt on the ground, performing a full kowtow.
Emperor Yuanjia curled his fingers slightly and smiled as he asked them to rise.
The three of them entered the Hall.
Emperor Yuanjia was now eighteen. Even before he became Crown Prince, he had long stopped confiding his worries to Li Yuniang, and she no longer dared to treat him as a child. Now that Emperor Yuanjia had become emperor, though young, he carried the majesty of the royal family. Li Yuniang kept her head bowed timidly, not daring to look directly at him.
Afu stole a few glances at him.
Emperor Yuanjia also did not know what to say to his wet nurse. Noticing Afu stealing looks at him, he smiled and said, "Afu, when I was the Seventh Prince, I allowed you to move freely within Yunhai Residence. When I became Crown Prince, I allowed you to move freely within the Eastern Palace. Now that I am emperor, I grant you the freedom to move anywhere within the Great Qi, including the imperial palace. Are you pleased?"
Afu was, of course, delighted.
Li Yuniang raised her head slightly, hesitating to speak.
Emperor Yuanjia immediately said, "Wet Nurse, if you have something to say, speak freely."
Li Yuniang knelt down again, looking frankly at the young emperor: "Your Majesty, when you were young, you still needed this humble woman to attend to your daily needs...""Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, surrounded by talented individuals and especially with Eunuch Kang's care, this humble woman feels completely at ease. Having served in the palace for nearly twenty years and advancing in age, I find myself increasingly missing my children at home. I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission to leave the palace and return home to enjoy the joys of family life."
Seeing her mother kneel, Afu followed suit and knelt as well.
Emperor Yuanjia looked at the two women before him—the ones who had shared his daily life—and his first instinct was to refuse.
But then he recalled the Empress Dowager's sarcastic remarks about his wet nurse that morning, and thought of the little red carp in the large water vat.
With the Empress Dowager's vindictive nature, keeping his wet nurse in the palace would only bring her harm.
Afu yearned for freedom, and the capital was vast—why should he confine her within these narrow palace walls?
Emperor Yuanjia smiled and granted their request.
The next morning, while Emperor Yuanjia was presiding over the court session, Li Yüniang took Afu and left the palace.
It seemed as if Emperor Yuanjia had forgotten about the mother and daughter, until half a year later when he bestowed upon Li Yüniang the Secluded Manor that he had ordered the Imperial Household Department to build near Cloud Mist Mountain. He also conferred upon her the title of Shou An Jun. In addition, Emperor Yuanjia granted Shou An Jun ten thousand taels of silver, a thousand acres of fertile land, and several palace attendants, including Liu'er and Gonggong Li whom she was accustomed to.
Li Yüniang knelt to receive the decree, tears streaming down her face.
Shou An Jun moved to the Secluded Manor with her son and two daughters. While her children might still visit the capital for lantern festivals and temple fairs, Shou An Jun never set foot in the capital again. When she was first granted the title, some official families attempted to socialize with her. Shou An Jun received them politely, but as rumors about her and the late emperor increasingly circulated in the capital, no more capital officials paid her any attention. Shou An Jun didn't particularly mind.
When Emperor Yuanjia married, Shou An Jun prepared a feast at the Secluded Manor as her way of congratulating him.
Her children gradually reached marriageable age.
Shou An Jun arranged for her eldest son to marry Wang Shi, the daughter of a modest family. Wang Shi was beautiful and naively charming, with some minor flaws that were harmless. Having experienced life in the palace, Shou An Jun found Wang Shi's small calculations rather endearing.
For her eldest daughter, Shou An Jun found a handsome scholar. Unfortunately, despite numerous meetings, she failed to see that her son-in-law was a hypocritical beast who would turn violent when drunk. For the first few years he concealed it well, treating her daughter gently and considerately. But as the marriage progressed, the brute eventually raised his fists against her daughter.
Shou An Jun brought the imperial guards bestowed by the emperor to his door and demanded a divorce agreement, severing all ties with her former son-in-law.
Emperor Yuanjia appeared unaware of the matter, yet not long after, Shou An Jun's former son-in-law was found at fault by his superior and demoted.
The following spring, when flowers bloomed in the warm weather, Emperor Yuanjia, having sat too long in the palace, decided to travel incognito.
Without informing the Empress Dowager, he took two imperial guards and summoned two sons of the Upper Four Armies to accompany him out of the capital.
The two young masters Emperor Yuanjia selected were Qi Ping, heir to the Marquis of Pingxi, and Lu Mu, heir to the Duke of Yingguo.
All three were exceptionally handsome. Emperor Yuanjia carried himself with noble elegance, unable to conceal his imperial majesty. Qi Ping had bold eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, bearing the demeanor of a great general. In contrast, Lu Mu appeared refined and handsome, easily mistaken for a civil official.
Once outside the capital, Emperor Yuanjia took the lead, heading directly toward Cloud Mist Mountain.
The Secluded Manor was built along the essential route leading to Cloud Mist Mountain.Emperor Yuanjia hadn't seen Shou An Jun for several years. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but court affairs kept him too busy, and with the Empress Dowager being narrow-minded, he didn't want to cause trouble for Shou An Jun. However, last year when Big Zhou's divorce became the talk of the capital, Emperor Yuanjia had been constantly concerned about Shou An Jun, wondering if his wet nurse had been upset by the matter.
"To the Secluded Manor," declared Emperor Yuanjia, leading the way onto the path to the manor.
Shou An Jun had just dismissed a matchmaker.
Her eldest daughter had indeed been married once before and was even rumored to be infertile, but she would rather support her daughter for life than casually marry her off to some worthless scoundrel. Some people clearly coveted the Secluded Manor and her thousand acres of imperial farmland, yet they came with condescending proposals—simply asking to be cursed!
Liu Momo was even angrier than her. How could those vulgar men be worthy of the young lady's exceptional beauty!
As mistress and servant were muttering about this, Gonggong Li sent someone rushing to announce that the Emperor had arrived!
Shou An Jun immediately pushed the marriage proposal from that scoundrel to the back of her mind and hurried out to receive the Emperor.
Flustered with mixed joy and worry about appearing impolite, she knelt abruptly upon seeing Emperor Yuanjia. The Emperor quickly stepped forward to stop her. After helping Shou An Jun to her feet, he examined her carefully. Noting her rosy complexion and unchanged appearance—though she had filled out slightly since her palace days—he couldn't help laughing: "Wet nurse, your contentment shows in your figure, while I've been worrying for nothing."
Shou An Jun's old face flushed red. With her comfortable life and fewer worries, how could she not gain weight?
This lighthearted banter bridged the years of separation, making it seem as if they had returned to their former closeness.
Emperor Yuanjia introduced Lu Mu and Qi Ping to Shou An Jun.
Seeing their distinguished bearing, Shou An Jun felt relieved. With such outstanding ministers assisting him, Emperor Yuanjia's rule would be smoother.
The group moved to the Hall.
Lu Mu and Qi Ping were merely accompanying guests, while the main conversation flowed between Emperor Yuanjia and Shou An Jun.
The Emperor inquired about Big Zhou's divorce.
Much more relaxed than during her palace days—and having aged somewhat—Shou An Jun didn't hold back in cursing her former son-in-law. Without using a single vulgar word, she managed to thoroughly insult him. Her eloquence had always been remarkable; back in the day, she could even praise Emperor Yuanjia extravagantly without basis.
The Emperor both wanted to laugh at his wet nurse's verbal skill and felt furious about the man's mistreatment of Big Zhou.
"Don't anger yourself, old madam," said Qi Ping indignantly. "When I see that bastard, I'll give him a beating."
Shou An Jun laughed: "No need, no need. Since they're divorced, there's no connection anymore. Why dirty Young Lord's fists with him?"
After sitting for a while, Emperor Yuanjia thought of A Fu. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed since he last saw A Fu, and he wondered what she looked like now.
The Emperor still remembered A Fu from childhood.
He once had an elder brother. After his brother's death, Emperor Yuanjia couldn't regard other princes as siblings—until A Fu appeared. It was as if he had gained a sister again, one he could completely trust. He would be good to A Fu, and she would care for him, neither needing to fear betrayal from the other.
But this year A Fu would be fourteen. Girls grew up, and he couldn't casually suggest meeting her.
It was Shou An Jun who proactively mentioned her three children: "My eldest son has taken a position at the Ministry of Works. The A Fu sisters went to play in the mountains. Those two girls—it's like they were born in the wrong bodies, each less ladylike than the other."Shou An Jun spoke in a rather helpless tone.
Emperor Yuanjia did not believe it; the A Fu in his memory was very sweet and adorable.
After drinking a bowl of tea, Emperor Yuanjia announced his departure.
Shou An Jun accompanied them all the way out of the Secluded Manor.
Emperor Yuanjia mounted his horse and rode a long distance. As if sensing something, he turned back and saw Shou An Jun still standing at the gate, like a mother seeing off her child, gazing longingly in his direction.
Emperor Yuanjia’s eyes warmed with emotion.
Time may change many things, but some people and some matters remain unchanged no matter how much time passes.
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