Chapter 37.1 An Intergender Altercation
Pei Fei and Lin Yan leisurely walked out of Lin Residence.
"Alas——" Pei Fei shook his head and sighed for the thirtieth time.
Lin Yan completely disregarded him and continued walking forward.
Pei Fei followed with a grimace.
Pei Fei fled to his friend’s house to avoid a calamity— it was none other than a peach blossom disaster[1].
On the day it first snowed heavily, Pei Fei was in a rather elegant mood. He decided to brave the heavy precipitation with a bamboo umbrella and went to have a drink at a tavern in the East Market. By chance, he collided with the Princess Imperial of fuhui[2] who had just come out of Xingqing Palace[3], and by sheer coincidence, he had been taken notice of by this Princess Imperial. The next day, the Princess Imperial sent over an invitation, requesting Pei Fei in her residence to enjoy some tea, flowers, chat, and compose poetry.
Oh how Pei Fei wished he could go back in time and slap himself to death. What’s the point of being so inspirational?! What’s the point of drinking on a snowy day?! What’s the point of specially going to West Market for a drink?! Has the fact that the imperial gardens were close by been forgotten?
The act of grumbling was frivolous, thus Pei Fei had no choice but to feign illness and excused himself out of the predicament.
Shuddering at the thought of Princess Imperial hosting a ‘flower viewing banquet’ during the Winter Solstice, after nervously passing yesterday's court meeting and official banquet, Pei Fei didn't even bother to eat breakfast and fled to Lin Residence.
He often frequented the Lin Residence, but never had he visited as soon as the Lane Gate opened. Facing Lin Yan's baffled expression, Pei Fei hesitated. Did he have to disclose to him that Princess Imperial of fuhui seemed to have taken a fancy on him and wanted him to serve as her handsome male companion? How could he say such embarrassing words out loud? Conflicted, Pei Fei could only vaguely explain, "Entangled by infatuation, entangled by infatuation..."
Lin Yan snorted. Pei Twelve was an accomplished man, but he was too much of a socialite and was often entangled by others’ infatuation… best he stayed entangled! Therefore, when he heard him continuously sighing, Lin Yan completely ignored him.
Pei Fei was indeed in an unspeakable dilemma.
In fact, given the talents of the Princess Imperial, if not for the fact that she was a princess, Pei Fei might really have taken her into consideration. With such a dynamic, peony-like, and gorgeous appearance; when she spoke, she would smile before vocalizing, the twinkle in her expression; she was about twenty-seven, neither too old nor puerile...
However, as a man of character, of indomitable spirit; as a man who relied solely on his own skills in court, how can he taint his name, to be infamously known as someone who seeked connection through a married woman?
"Since you claim the hot pot served in my house is not delicious, then let’s dine where it is." Lin Yan said while looking at Shen Indelible Tavern in the near distance.
Pei Fei touched his rumbling belly and decided to forgo his problem at hand for a grand feast. "The fish balls that Miss Shen served last time were particularly delicious."
As soon as they walked to the entrance, a male voice echoed out of the door curtain, and then followed by Miss Shen's pleasantly lively voice.
From the brief few words heard, the two looked at each other, Pei Fei laughed while Lin Yan opened the curtain and went in.
***
Shen Shaoguang was having a verbal altercation with someone.
Speaking of which, she was actually happy on the second day of the Winter Solstice Festival. During the morning, in addition to the regular mutton and pork, the butcher also brought some wild pheasants. They were beautiful and had long tails, the butcher said that someone had caught them by chance. One pheasant was particularly fat, it was most likely born during the earlier part of the year; the others were a bit smaller and were probably young hen.
During the autumn, Shen Shaoguang received several quails, pigeons, doves, etc., but never any pheasants. What was especially rare this time was the fact that they were alive—of course, she was somewhat entangled because of this. It would be a pity to just kill them, especially this big one; such beautiful tail feathers were seldom seen, even in the inner court of the imperial palace.
The butcher seemed to have seen through Shen Shaoguang’s thoughts and said with a smile, "Best not to consider them as pets, Miss. Wild pheasants are timid and irascible; it’ll likely pass in a couple days. These are different from the pheasants raised in the gardens of noble people."
In this case, there was no choice but to drop her idea and cook it.
Most of the pheasants in the imperial palace were roasted. The skin would be roasted until golden, maybe a little burnt and glistening with oil; seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, the finished product would emit a tantalizing smell. Shen Shaoguang decided that the smaller ones would be prepared in this manner.
The bigger one… would be better brewed into a broth. Grandmother Jia, who had flourished in riches and honor all her life, praised Pheasant ‘Wild Chicken’ Soup for its delicious flavor. As for stew, the older one would produce a more flavorful broth.
Before the younger pheasant were finished roasting and while the soup still needed to be simmered for a little longer, the scholars from yesterday came again. Most likely, one of them wanted to offer a return banquet, among them was an acquaintance—Court Scribe Liu.
Shen Shaoguang greeted him without reservation, "Best wishes and good health during winter solstice, Sir Liu." She then turned to the other scholars, "What would you all like to order? Another round of hot pot?"
Huan Seven smiled and replied, "We’ll try something different today."
Shen Shaoguang handed over the menu. "Why of course, please take your time," she also added, "We’ve also received a few pheasants today. There’s roasted pheasants but also available as a soup, but both will take a while before it can be served."
"Then, how about some pheasant soup? It's very suitable for this time." Huan Seven looked at Liu Feng and then at the others.
The others naturally allowed the host to order as he pleased.
Shen Shaoguang smiled, nodded, and went to the kitchen to serve the red date and wolfberry beverage.
Huan Seven allowed the others to choose the dishes as they pleased.
One of them winked at Liu Feng and said, "Court Scribe Liu is familiar with this place, so it's better for Court Scribe Liu to order."
Liu Feng blushed at his words, but afraid that Shen Shaoguang would hear this awkward topic, so he refrained from answering.
The man, who had criticized Liu Feng for losing his head over lust yesterday, frowned. He looked at the kitchen door and whispered to Liu Feng, "There is something I have to say, please do not take offense, Liu Three. For what reason do you consider marrying this commoner as your wife? Fortunately, she still had some self-awareness and didn’t agree."
Huan Seven and the others were all faintly frowned. A couple of sentences in jest was fine, but how could Lu Two say it to the subject’s face? Although they are all of the same age, Liu Feng was currently serving as the Court Scribe in the capital city's government repository. While they all were either yet to pass the imperial examination or even though they passed the Metropolitan Examination, were stuck in the quality evaluation selection and were not yet appointed to an official position.
Liu Feng's face turned redder and redder. "Don't say that! She is from the Shen Clan of Luoyang."
Everyone was bewildered. Huh? She was actually a gentry? Then why open a store and sell wine in the haunts of the common people? Very soon, they all understood and concluded that her family was in decline. Afterall, every aristocratic family had their dried up branches and withering leaves.
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Footnotes:
[1] peach blossom disaster (桃花劫) - Peach blossom is Numerology representative of the relationship between a man and woman. There are two sides of peach blossom, one is blooming with sweet love while the other is rotten with misfortune. Peach blossom disaster is the latter. In modern terms, you can call it ‘toxic love’.
[2] Princess Imperial of fuhui (福慧长公) - I’ve mentioned that ‘Princess Imperial’ was a title given to the eldest legitimate daughter of the Emperor in chapter 17, but it can also be given to the Emperor’s biological sisters, or any daughters of royalties that have contributed a meritorious merit. Though it’s not a title many princesses hold, because this title’s status is synonymous to a feudal vassal lord.
[3] Xingqing Palace (兴庆宫) the residence of Emperor Xuanzong (685–762) of the Tang Dynasty when he was a vassal king. After Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, it was expanded on a large scale and became one of the three major palaces in Chang'an City.
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Pheasant ‘Wild Chicken’ Soup (野鸡‘崽子’汤) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BWS1udTMpo