I Am This Type of Woman

11

NOTES:

头冠 (tóu guān) – a crown
福袋 (fú dài) – "blessing bag"; Cloth bag symbolizing good fortune worn or kept under the pillow to ward off bad luck and evil spirits. Usually red coloured and often embroidered with symbols for good fortune.
弟 (dì) – younger brother; junior male
龙凤胎 (lóng fèng tāi) – dragon and phoenix twins; twins of mixed sex
文 (wén) – Copper coins used in ancient times; 1 liang of silver = 1000 wen
升 (shēng) – Unit of volume used to measure dry grains in ancient times
王妃 (wáng fēi) – princess; legitimate wife of a royal prince
纱帽 (shā mào) – gauze hat (I've chosen to translate this as veiled hat.

Chapter 11 (Part 1) – The Hunting Grounds

Ban Heng had long known that his sister had gathered a pile of things from east and west in preparation for this autumn hunt such as all kinds of crowns* and riding boots and so on. He didn't at all understand how his sister could turn something simple like going on a hunt into such a song and dance.

But seeing his sister's appearance in fiery red clothes, Ban Heng's chest swelled with pride. In the whole of the capital, only his sister had the ability to carry such a gorgeous red hue. With such a beautiful elder sister he had developed one good habit from an early age and that was precisely to view beauty as something as transient as floating clouds. Anyway, his sister's beauty beat everyone else.

The two siblings walked to the main courtyard where Yin Shi was waiting for them. When she saw them come out, she stuffed the blessing bag* that she had personally requested a few days ago into their hands saying, "The sword has no eyes. You two should be careful."

"Rest assured, mother. I will take care of Heng di*." Ban Hua took the blessing bag, hung it around her neck and cautiously tucked it into her clothes. "Are you really not going with us?"

"You go. I don't like all this horse riding and archery. Even if I do go, I can only sit in the camp in vain. Instead it's better to sit comfortably in the Houfu with people to serve me." Yin Shi smiled and touched the gold leaf crown on Ban Hua's head. "This looks beautiful like it's made just for you."

Ban Hua looked at Yin Shi's smiling face and bowed toward her cupping her hands like a man, "Mother, wait for me to hunt and bring back a few good furs and make cushions for you. "

"Just in time for winter. I was just thinking that the cushions at home were not soft enough." Yin Shi laughed. "Now, leave quickly or you will be late."

The two siblings said goodbye to their mother and followed Ban Huai out of the house.

It was also interesting that though Ban Huai was the descendant of a military family, he was not good at riding and archery. Usually he could manage riding a horse at a trot but when it came to  pulling a bow and shooting arrows, it was simply embarrassing. Fortunately, he didn't take it to heart, no matter how other people scolded him for shaming the name of the general's family. He didn't go out and show off because of this. Noone knew who he had inherited such a good attitude from.

In the western suburbs of the capital, there was a large royal hunting ground with all kinds of animals in it. Even those animals which should not exist in the region of the capital would appear on the hunting ground obediently during the Emperor's hunts.

"This year's weather is favourable for crops, the grass is fertile and the horses are strong. It must be a bumper harvest year," Emperor Yun Qing turned to his two sons who were behind him. "Do you know what the price of grain is this year?"

The Crown Prince's cheeks flushed bright red. How would he know the price of grain? Recently, his favorite concubine had given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins*. He was so happy that he didn't even know east from west and how could he still care about these things?