EWRN - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Valentine's Day Special
In the second month of the new year, inside the Imperial Study.
"We have heard that the fourteenth of February is some sort of Valentine's Day for the people of the West. They say it rivals the Great Yuan's Qixi Festival." Huo Jinyu sat before her desk, sipping the fine Longjing tea she had "commandeered" from Wang Shu's estate and savoring the delicate pastries crafted by the palace maids of the Imperial Kitchen. She was quite content.
Eunuch Wang, who was reviewing memorials, replied, "To answer Your Majesty, this old slave also heard about this outside the palace a few days ago. When the Westerners celebrate this so-called Valentine's Day, they must give their beloved heaps of roses, confess their love aloud, dance with their beloved, enjoy beautiful scenery together, and even have something called a candlelight dinner."
As he spoke, Eunuch Wang seemed to recall something else and continued, "In my youth, this old slave read many books from the West. One book recorded a Western legend. On the fourteenth of February, pairs of lovers will transplant a spring branch with two unopened buds into a special pot. The first letter of the flower's name must match the first letter of one of the lover's names. A few days later, if the twin buds on the branch burst into full, glorious bloom, it foretells that the lovers will grow old together. If the buds bloom facing away from each other, east and west, the lovers are destined to part ways. If the flowers are large and brilliant, it signifies a future full of children and a happy family. But if one flower withers and dies, one of the lovers is in danger of an early death." Eunuch Wang spoke with great eloquence.
Huo Jinyu grew thoughtful. "What is the meaning of a flower name's 'letter'?" The legend was beautiful, and Huo Jinyu was somewhat moved. But how was she to find such a flower? She didn't quite understand what these Western "letters" were.
"This old slave ventures a guess that it should mean a character in the flower's name is the same as a character in the lovers' names," Eunuch Wang said, setting down a memorial and hazarding a bold guess.
"Excellent, that makes it easy to find," Huo Jinyu nodded in satisfaction and began to ponder.
Yan Xi, Yan Xi, Yan… A sudden flash of inspiration struck her. "We remember that the prefect of the southwestern region once sent several Tiger Lilies to the palace. Eunuch Li, go to the Imperial Garden at once and ask the senior maids there if any of those Tiger Lilies remain." Huo Jinyu immediately ordered Eunuch Li, who was standing nearby, to investigate. She then returned to pondering a flower that contained a character from her own name.
Before long, Eunuch Li returned to the study carrying a potted flower. The heart of the flower was a pale purple, its petals white, and its purple stamen was long and prominent. The entire plant had been exceptionally well-cared-for, and its blossoms were vibrant with life.
Huo Jinyu was completely satisfied. "Good! Excellent! Who is in charge of the Imperial Garden? Reward them! Reward them handsomely! Eunuch Li, take a thousand taels of silver from the treasury and bestow it upon the manager of the Imperial Garden." Huo Jinyu made sure to mention that it should be deducted from the national treasury.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this old slave has thought of a flower that would be an excellent match for Your Majesty's name," Eunuch Wang spoke up again.
"Quickly, tell Us," Huo Jinyu said, growing impatient.
"Your Majesty, this flower is white, shaped like a cylindrical funnel. Its emerald leaves are glossy and moist, and its form is elegant and tall. The color of the flower is like jade, and it exudes a subtle fragrance. Because it resembles a hairpin, it is called the Jade Hairpin Flower. The 'jade' in its name can match the 'jade' in Your Majesty's name, Jinyu." Eunuch Wang delivered the long description in a single breath, and Huo Jinyu couldn't help but admire his vast knowledge.
"Then does the Imperial Garden have this flower?" Huo Jinyu asked.
"To answer Your Majesty, as far as this old slave knows, the Imperial Garden does not have the Jade Hairpin Flower. It can only be found in the southeastern region of Guangyuan. Your Majesty could dispatch someone to go and pick it," Eunuch Wang replied dutifully.
"Excellent. We shall send someone to Guangyuan to retrieve it at once!" With that, Huo Jinyu summoned a guard, entrusted the matter to the captain, and had him assemble a team to accompany him.
Next was the matter of the roses. "We recall there is an estate outside the imperial city that specializes in growing roses. Eunuch Li, over the next few days, purchase more roses and bring them into the palace. Be careful not to let anyone from Jinxiang Palace see them. And there must be many roses!" Huo Jinyu instructed with a serious expression. "We are not short of money. Get as many as possible."
With the roses taken care of, Huo Jinyu thought, how should I handle the dancing and the candlelight dinner? And that confession business… it's mortifying. In any case… in any case, she was not going to say those words easily!
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was the fourteenth of February.
From the moment Yan Xi woke up, she felt the atmosphere was strange. All the palace maids had a sparkle in their eyes, as if they were trying to say something, but she couldn't quite understand it. Yan Xi had a strong feeling that the maids of Jinxiang Palace were hiding something from her.
After spending the morning in this stifling and peculiar atmosphere, Yan Xi found it all incredibly bizarre. Just then, a eunuch arrived with a message, saying that His Majesty wished to have lunch with her. Yan Xi breathed a sigh of relief and, with quick steps, left Jinxiang Palace, following the young eunuch toward the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon.
Seeing that Consort Yan Xi had been led away, the maids of Jinxiang Palace sprang into action. First, they gave the palace a swift cleaning, then moved a round table to the head of the main hall. Immediately after, a large group of eunuchs entered, dragging enormous cloth sacks into the palace…
While Jinxiang Palace was a hive of activity, Huo Jinyu was already waiting at the table in the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon.
Huo Jinyu was a little nervous. She wanted to give Yan Xi a wonderful Western festival. When she thought of the first requirement—the confession—her heart sank with worry. They were both women; how were women supposed to confess to each other? She wasn't sure. What she hadn't considered was that, in Yan Xi's eyes, she was still very much a man.
When Yan Xi entered the Hall of the Slumbering Dragon, she saw Huo Jinyu sitting stiff and straight at the table, which only added to her sense of strangeness. What was wrong with everyone today? One after another, they were all acting abnormally. After a simple greeting, the two began to eat in silence. There were no maids waiting on them today. Huo Jinyu nervously served Yan Xi some food, trying to think of how to begin.
In the end, Huo Jinyu didn't manage to say a single word by the time the meal was over. Seeing Huo Jinyu's expression, which suggested she wanted to speak but held back, Yan Xi felt a knot of frustration in her own heart. What on earth was Huo Jinyu plotting?
In the afternoon, Huo Jinyu didn't let Yan Xi return to her palace. After all, her rooms were still being decorated. If she went back now, wouldn't the whole surprise be ruined?
Under the pretext of teaching Yan Xi to play Go, Huo Jinyu unwittingly became engrossed in winning, and Yan Xi was utterly defeated. Yan Xi thought: What did I do to you people to deserve this today… cries (T_T)
The time they spent together flew by, and soon it was evening. Huo Jinyu still hadn't managed to confess. She decided to postpone it. Dismissing all the servants, she took Yan Xi's hand and walked toward Jinxiang Palace.
Yan Xi was full of questions, but she also had a premonition that something different was about to happen. Perhaps today's mysteries would finally be answered.
As they approached Jinxiang Palace, Yan Xi was met with a heart-refreshing floral fragrance. Even in the Imperial Garden, with its hundred blooming flowers, she had never smelled a scent so rich.
The moment she stepped into the main hall, her eyes were met with a thick carpet of rose petals covering the entire floor. White, yellow, and red petals were mixed together. Even through her shoes, she could feel the soft touch of the thick layer of petals. The hall was filled with vases, each overflowing with rose branches. The sea of red that filled the hall was a tremendous shock to Yan Xi. She suddenly felt moved, and a little… like she wanted to cry.
So all of this had been Huo Jinyu's doing. No wonder the entire imperial palace had felt off-kilter today.
"Xi'er, today is the Westerners'… the Westerners' Valentine's Day. It's like the Great Yuan's Qixi Festival. I wanted to give you a gift today, so I had people do all this without your knowledge." Huo Jinyu sounded a little embarrassed. After all, she was the one who wanted to celebrate a foreign festival, yet she had kept Xi'er in the dark while orchestrating so many things. She didn't know if Xi'er would like it.
"Jinyu is so thoughtful. Xi'er likes these roses very much." Yan Xi smiled secretly. This blockhead actually had the leisure and inclination to do all this for her. It would be a lie to say her heart wasn't moved.
"Xi'er, when Westerners celebrate Valentine's Day, the two must dance together. Why don't… why don't we dance with swords instead?" This was a perfect solution Huo Jinyu had wracked her brains to come up with. She couldn't dance, but the festival required them to dance together. In a flash of inspiration, she had thought, isn't a sword dance also a dance?
Yan Xi was stunned by her words. This was the first time she had ever heard of a festival that required the host to dance herself.
Seeing Huo Jinyu offer her a sword, she took it without thinking. Huo Jinyu raised her right hand, pointing her sword to the east, and made an inviting gesture with her left.
A gust of wind blew in from outside the hall, sending rose petals fluttering into the air, brushing against their robes. Their garments rustled in the wind.
Suddenly, Huo Jinyu began to dance. Her longsword swept through the air, her steps swift as the wind. An aura of energy emanated from her, swirling the petals at her feet. Seeing Huo Jinyu begin her sword dance, Yan Xi was astonished. She never imagined that the dignified ruler of a nation would perform a sword dance for her alone. Following Huo Jinyu's rhythm, Yan Xi, dressed in her long gown, refused to be outdone and began to dance with her sword as well.
Their longswords periodically swept across the ground, kicking up flurries of petals. For a time, the main hall of Jinxiang Palace was filled with a rain of flowers. The whistling sound of their blades was incessant. An unknown amount of time passed before the two finally finished their dance.
Another draft blew through the hall, and Yan Xi suddenly heard a phrase: "I adore you…" It drifted away on the air. When she looked at Huo Jinyu again, her lips were closed. Had she just misheard? Yan Xi secretly shook her head and didn't give it another thought.
She didn't know that Huo Jinyu's heart was about to explode with nervousness. She had finally borrowed courage from the wind to speak the words of confession, but Xi'er seemed not to have heard. Huo Jinyu couldn't help but feel a little dejected. But, there was always tomorrow.
After the exertion, both of them were a little breathless. Huo Jinyu clapped her hands, and a line of palace maids entered the hall. They extinguished all the lamps along the walls and lit several white candles on the table before departing in an orderly fashion.
Huo Jinyu took Yan Xi's hand and led her to the table, where they both sat down.
"Jinyu, is this also a custom for the Westerners' festival?" Yan Xi's eye twitched as she looked at the long, white candles. In the Great Yuan Kingdom, weren't white candles only used for funerals?
Yan Xi thought: The white candles and the darkened hall! How is this not terrifying?!!
"Xi'er thinks correctly. This is modeled after the Western candlelight dinner. Isn't it novel?" Huo Jinyu smiled with the grace of a jade tree in the wind, unaware of how unsettling her smile appeared in the flickering light of the white candles.
Yan Xi thought: Novel??? What in the world?? Are you kidding me.
In this bizarre atmosphere, the two finished their so-called candlelight dinner.
Huo Jinyu led Yan Xi to the garden in Jinxiang Palace. The small sapling that had been in the center of the garden had been moved elsewhere. Now, under the bright moonlight, two small flowers, one purple and one white, were planted in the soil.
"Xi'er, these are the Tiger Lily and the Jade Hairpin Flower, symbolizing our feelings. With the sky as their blanket and the imperial palace as their pot, if the flowers are large and brilliant, it signifies a future full of children and a happy family." Huo Jinyu selectively recited a line from the legend for Yan Xi. She thought to herself that when Yan Xi returned to the Northern Kingdom and found a suitable husband, she would surely be surrounded by children and grandchildren, living a life of joy.
Yan Xi was deeply moved by her words. She squeezed Huo Jinyu's hand tightly, thinking, Let it be just like this. Let us never be separated in this lifetime.
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