chapter 6
Early the next morning, the princess asked where Father’s wedding robe had gone, wondering why it was nowhere to be seen.
Father quietly ate his meal and replied indifferently, “I got up in the middle of the night and accidentally fell, so it got dirty. I threw it away. You know I have a habit of cleanliness, Princess.”
The Third Princess was somewhat dissatisfied, but did not press further.
That wedding robe had been torn and burned by Father last night. In the blazing firelight, Father’s white clothes were whiter than snow, and the bright flames illuminated his face. I saw the twisted, disgusted look in his eyes, like a snarling hound lurking in the darkness, ready to snap the enemy’s fragile neck at any moment.
The princess sighed, “It’s a pity the Emperor thinks I’m a disgrace, so the wedding was hastily arranged. I only get one wedding in my life, Brother Pei.”
She looked at Father with pleading eyes, her meaning clear without words.
When Father married Mother, he was just a penniless scholar, living by gathering herbs in the mountains and copying books for young masters and nobles.
Mother was a famous courtesan in Quzhou, so many noble sons and princes spent fortunes just to catch her glance.
But she didn’t want the glory and wealth of high-born families; she wanted true affection.
She gave Father all her savings and asked him to redeem her freedom.
Mother was actually afraid in her heart, afraid Father would take the silver and run, leaving her behind.
She was gambling, gambling on whether Father truly cared for her.
Mother’s friends had given all their silver to their beloveds to redeem themselves, but in the end, those men absconded with the money, and Mother’s friend, unable to bear the blow, drowned herself in the lake.
Mother was luckier than her friend; she won her bet. Father, the poor scholar, had nothing but his books and his sincere heart.
The white silk Mother had prepared for suicide was never used. Father cut it into several pieces, and on each piece, he painted Mother’s face.
Under Father’s brush, Mother was lively and beautiful, like a fairy from the heavens.
After Father redeemed Mother, the two of them simply bowed to Heaven and Earth as their witnesses.
Mother minded her own status and did not want to invite anyone; she was afraid of embarrassment.
She never said it, but Father understood.
Later, Father passed the imperial exams and received an official salary. He began saving money, wanting to give Mother a dignified ceremony and marry her again.
He knew that even though Mother never spoke of it, she longed for it in her heart.
Father had never intended to hold a grand wedding with ten miles of red bridal procession; he feared more than anyone that Mother would be gossiped about.
But at that time, the Third Princess exposed Mother’s past as a courtesan and spread it everywhere. Father nearly lost his position, and Mother became the laughingstock of all Shangjing.
They all said Mother was low and shameless, that a woman of such status dared dream of being an official’s wife, forgetting her own origins.
The Third Princess, with her Close Female Friends, would lead Servant Boys and Maids outside the residence every day, deliberately saying filthy things for Mother to hear.
Father held a grand wedding to tell Mother, and all the onlookers in Shangjing, that the woman they called lowly was the one he loved most, the best person of all.
He spent all his savings to hold a new wedding for Mother at the height of the slander. The wedding robe was the finest, even the mandarin ducks entwined on the wedding quilt were drawn by Father himself, and the large pearls on the phoenix crown and bridal robe were all personally collected and strung by Father.
No one expected Father’s actions; the Third Princess was so furious she refused to leave her room.
Those who mocked Mother fell silent, then began to curse Father even more viciously, saying he was blinded by lust.
They despised and looked down on Mother, yet envied her more than anyone.
Now, when the Third Princess mentions the wedding, it is only to hint that Father should hold another ceremony for her in the future, one even grander than Mother’s.
But she miscalculated; how could Father ever agree?