Moma Liangshan

Chapter 158 A Letter from Jiaozhou, the Princess Shy

The goat milk soap and glass mirrors destined for Tokyo left Jiaozhou together, but because glass is fragile, they arrived five days late.

Five days ago, shortly after Emperor Huizong and Li Shishi had finished their romantic swim, Princess Roufu also received a gift, along with a letter from Wang Hao. The letter was brief, expressing Wang Hao's longing for Princess Roufu and explaining the uses and benefits of the glass mirror and goat milk soap. Life in the palace was already dull, and upon receiving the gift from Wang Hao, Princess Roufu couldn't wait to go see her close friend, Princess Chengde. Princess Chengde was only one year older than Princess Roufu, and because their mothers, Empress Zheng and Consort Wang, were extremely close, the two had been intimate since childhood. Princess Roufu lived in Consort Wang's Yaojin Palace, while Princess Chengde lived in Empress Zheng's Kunning Palace, the two palaces adjacent to each other. Two mirrors, one large and one small, ten bars of goat milk soap, and a letter, were sent by Wang Hao in a camphor wood box, and now Princess Roufu had taken them unopened to Princess Chengde's boudoir in the Kunning Palace.

There was no one else in the room, and Princess Chengde, no longer reserved in public, held the letter written by Wang Hao and wrote: "My dearest Huanhuan, it has been two months since we parted in Tokyo, and I miss you dearly! But a true man should stand between heaven and earth: he should wield a three-foot sword to protect the vast land; he should be well-versed in books to distinguish right from wrong. Jiaozhou is nestled between mountains and sea, with barren soil and scarce arable land. I have been deeply favored by the Emperor to govern Jiaozhou, and I should explore the boundless vitality hidden in the vast sea. Before April, I will travel south to Fujian to find a master shipbuilder to construct a massive warship. When the ship is completed, the nations of the sea will surely bow down in submission, and the coastal prefectures and counties will enjoy the benefits of maritime trade. The sunrise at sea is extremely beautiful, warming the lungs and purifying the soul. What in the world can compare to it is the Emperor's favor, the nurturing love of parents, and the lifelong love of husband and wife!" However, no one expected that an identical letter had also been placed on Emperor Huizong's desk. After Princess Chengde finished reading, Princess Roufu blushed and her heart pounded. She said, "Sister, why did you read it so expressively? It's so embarrassing!" Princess Chengde smiled and said, "Your future husband's family letter is indeed very frank!"

Princess Roufu snatched the letter and asked, "Sister, has Brother Xiang ever written you a letter like this?" Princess Chengde said with some envy, "I only saw him once at a banquet from afar, we didn't even brush past each other, let alone exchange letters!" Princess Roufu said with a smile, "Actually, sister, you can try to get Brother Xiang to write you a letter, it would be so much fun!" After saying that, she turned her head away with a blush. Princess Chengde sighed and said, "How can I, a young lady, hint to a man to secretly write to me, or write to him myself? If I did that, according to the Xiang family's etiquette, even as a legitimate princess, I'm afraid I would be rejected!" Princess Roufu slowly said, "Brother Xianmeng is only four or five years older than us, yet he travels to Liaodong and Fujian. Although it's been arduous, isn't it also been rich and colorful?" Princess Chengde said, "We live in the largest houses in the world, hold the highest status in the world, yet we are bound by the most rules in the world. As the sage said, 'You can't have your cake and eat it too.' Having the nobility of royalty means you can't enjoy the freedom of ordinary people, and besides, ordinary people don't seem to be truly free!" Princess Roufu asked, "Did Mother say all of this?" Princess Chengde nodded.

Princess Roufu took out a second piece of paper and said, "Brother Xianmeng said that a batch of even larger mirrors will be delivered soon, and they will be sent directly to Mother Empress. He also sent Father Emperor a hundred bars of goat milk soap!" Princess Chengde pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Xianmeng probably wants you to tell Mother Empress in advance, so that the palace will be prepared!" Princess Roufu nodded and said, "Let's go and inform Mother Empress together!" After saying that, the two picked up the camphor wood box and went to pay their respects to Empress Zheng.

Almost simultaneously, Consort Wang arrived. Empress Zheng asked, "What brings you here, sister?" Consort Wang replied, "His Majesty sent someone to inform me to receive him at Kunning Palace!" Empress Zheng looked puzzled and asked, "Is His Majesty coming soon?" Consort Wang nodded and said, "The eunuch who delivered the message said His Majesty recently received a batch of goat milk soap, which is very comfortable to use for washing." Empress Zheng was surprised and asked, "Sister, haven't you ever seen goat milk soap before?" Consort Wang was even more surprised than Empress Zheng and said, "His Majesty's things haven't been bestowed upon me, how could I have seen them?" At this moment, Empress Zheng ordered someone to bring over Princess Roufu's camphor wood box and said, "The goat milk soap and this glass mirror were both sent by Xianmeng. Right now, only Huanhuan has these in the palace!" Consort Wang said, "I know Huanhuan received a gift from Wang Hao this morning, but that girl hid it well and didn't let me see it!" Then she added sourly, "You're still biased towards outsiders!"

Princess Roufu was about to explain when Princess Chengde spoke first, "Princess Consort Wang, please don't be angry. The reason Huanhuan didn't let you see it is because Wang Hao wrote her a letter!" As a mother, she knew her daughter better than anyone and said, "So you, wild girl, know how to be ashamed now?" Then she continued, "Where's the letter?" Princess Roufu said, "Mother, please look at the gift, or I can give you a bar of goat milk soap. Can you please not look at my letter?" After saying that, she looked at Consort Wang pitifully. However, in ancient times, unmarried daughters had no right to be promiscuous in front of their mothers, only the virtues of womanhood. Consort Wang said, "Your father's reward is about to arrive, and I want to see what that boy Wang Xianmeng wrote for you!" Princess Roufu, seeing that she couldn't persuade her mother, had no choice but to admit defeat and handed over the box she was holding. At the same time, she looked at the palace maids and eunuchs around her and said, "None of you are allowed to listen!" Consort Wang looked at her daughter with affection and said, "Your mother and the Empress are just looking; we won't read it aloud!" Princess Roufu felt as if she had been granted a pardon and deliberately stuck out her tongue.

Emperor Huizong's entourage arrived, and everyone hurriedly bowed. Huizong placed a box of soap on the table, saying, "This is a new creation by Minister Wang. Use it while bathing; it gives one a feeling of complete transformation!" He then looked at Princess Roufu and asked, "I heard that Wang Hao specially sent you a gift?" Consort Wang immediately brought over a camphor wood box, saying, "Your Majesty, please see!" A copy of the letter had already been made and presented. Huizong had just finished enjoying the goat milk soap, but he had never seen this glass mirror before. Holding it in his hand and looking at his reflection, he said, "It's even clearer than a reflection in water!" Empress Zheng said, "According to Xianmeng's letter, he sent dozens of mirrors, each over a foot in size, but due to transportation difficulties, it was delayed for a short time!" Huizong nodded, saying, "Glass is more fragile than porcelain, and the larger the surface area, the more easily it breaks!"