Moma Liangshan

Chapter 149 A Beautiful Dream, The Princess's New Clothes

That night, the Shu princess slept soundly, seemingly having cast aside all the troubles that had plagued her since the Jurchen uprising. After getting up, Wang Hao went to the bathroom to wash and groom himself, and inadvertently saw women's clothes hanging on a clothes rack. Wang Hao went to the front yard, called a maid, and said, "Go and get the clothes from the bathroom, then go to the largest clothing store in the city and have the owner pick out five sets of clothes of the same size for me!" The maid didn't delay at all and went with Wang Hao to the bathroom. However, when she saw the women's clothing on the rack, she couldn't help but glance at Wang Hao. Wang Hao, slightly embarrassed, said, "Go quickly and come back quickly, and don't say a word!" The maid, while wrapping her clothes in a bundle, replied, "Don't worry, young master, if I divulge a single word, may I be struck by lightning!" Wang Hao, observing the maid's quick movements and clear thinking, asked, "How many people live in your household?" The maid replied, "I am a widow with a fifteen-year-old son who works as an apprentice at the trading company!" Wang Hao was somewhat surprised and said, "The trading company requires apprentices to be literate!" The widow, having learned from her son that Wang Hao preferred literate people, quickly added, "Not only is my son literate, but I am literate myself!" Wang Hao was even more surprised and asked, "Judging from your build, you don't seem to be from a wealthy family..." "My daughter." The woman replied, "My father is an old scholar!" Wang Hao suddenly understood and said, "A young lady has moved into the manor. She has a special identity. Please take good care of her for me!" The maid had already wrapped the clothes and thought to herself, "It is said that this bathhouse cost three thousand strings of cash. A woman who can bathe in this bathhouse is definitely not an ordinary person!" After hesitating for a moment, she said, "You are the future prince consort. If someone asks what the purpose of the clothes in the manor is, how should I answer?" Wang Hao understood the meaning behind the maid's words and said, "Just tell them, 'Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!'" The maid said, "I understand!" After saying that, she picked up the clothes and hurriedly walked towards the door.

It was early morning, and the clothing store was not yet open. The maid stood in front of the door and knocked loudly. After a long while, a lazy voice finally came, calling out, "Why are you knocking so early in the morning?" The maid said, "My young lady was passing by and accidentally got her clothes dirty. Please help her, boss!" Although the shop owner was annoyed at being woken from her sweet dream, he still had to do business, so he opened the door a moment later. The maid entered the shop, opened her bundle, and said, "Five sets of your best clothes in this size!" The maid's imposing manner immediately intimidated the shop owner, who hurriedly replied, "Just a moment!" He then called out to the inner room, "Woman, get up quickly and serve the guests!" Soon, a middle-aged woman emerged from the inner room, glanced at the clothes the maid had brought, and said, "This doesn't look like clothing from the Central Plains!" The maid frowned and said, "Is it any of your business to concern yourself with our master's affairs?" In Jiaozhou, only Wang Hao was addressed as "Master." The proprietress, realizing her rudeness, quickly smiled apologetically and said repeatedly, "This humble servant saw nothing! This humble servant saw nothing!" The maid coldly said, "Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and bring the clothes!" Just then, the shop owner and his assistant brought in a clothes rack with over a dozen finished garments hanging on it. The proprietress pointed to the clothes and said, "These are the best clothes in our shop, all in the right size. Please choose what you like, esteemed guest!" The maid looked at the clothes in the bundle and thought, "The young master's esteemed guest, with her elite guards, is likely a barbarian judging from her attire. But her clothes are not flashy at all; she doesn't seem like a pampered young lady who has always lived in seclusion!" With that thought, those extravagant and flamboyant outfits were eliminated. The maid picked out five suitable outfits for the shopkeeper to pack and send to Wang Hao's residence. Just as they were about to depart, the maid added, "Take three more sets of silk undergarments and pack them too!" The proprietress didn't dare ask any further questions and immediately asked the maid to go to the storeroom to choose. The maid didn't dare delay, casually picked out three sets of clothes, packed them, and personally carried them on her shoulder.

The sun was high in the sky when the Shu princess finally woke up. However, she couldn't find her clothes anywhere in her small room. Reluctantly, she peeked through a crack in the door and saw Wang Hao sitting at the dining table eating breakfast. After a long pause, the princess finally mustered her courage and whispered, "Could you please bring me my clothes?" Hearing her voice, Wang Hao put down his chopsticks and said, "Your clothes are stained with water; you can't wear them anymore!" The Shu princess was furious and angrily retorted, "Even dirty clothes are better than this nightgown!" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "You're wearing Khitan clothing. Once you step outside this door, your identity will be easily exposed!" The Shu princess questioned, "Do you intend to keep me locked up here forever?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "You're judging me by your own standards!" The Shu princess's anger intensified, and she retorted, "So, I've misunderstood you?" Wang Hao said helplessly, "I've already sent servants to buy you new clothes; they'll be here soon!"

Not long after Wang Hao finished speaking, the maid returned. Wang Hao gestured for her to take the clothes directly to the Shu Kingdom princess's room. The clothes were still quite thick for early spring, and the maid had to carry them three times before finally getting them to the princess's room. She said, "These are new clothes that the young master asked me to buy for you, young lady. Please don't think I'm being pretentious!" The Shu Kingdom princess looked at the undergarments in the bundle and whispered, "Did your young master also ask you to buy these?" The maid replied, "The young master instructed me to serve you well, young lady!" The Shu Kingdom princess was suddenly touched and said, "Thank you for your hard work!" The maid said, "You're welcome, young lady. I'll go fetch you a basin of hot water!" The Shu Kingdom princess said, "Thank you!"

Soon after, the princess of Shu finally changed her clothes and finished washing up. The maid packed her things and took her leave. Wang Hao, who had eaten half of his breakfast, said, "Would the princess like to have breakfast with me?" The princess, her stomach empty, readily sat down. Wang Hao picked up a porcelain bowl, filled it with rice porridge, and offered it to her. The princess accepted the porridge and ate it quietly with steamed buns and side dishes. Wang Hao suddenly thought that if Liao hadn't fallen into chaos, and if the princess hadn't been sent to Liaodong by Emperor Tianzuo, perhaps this woman would also be a gentle beauty! After breakfast, Wang Hao said, "The military camp, the shipyard, the workshops, the streets—which would you like to go to first?" The princess answered without hesitation, "The military camp!" Wang Hao seemed to have expected this, saying, "My total force is less than a thousand men. Don't be disappointed!" The princess said, "A man rich enough to rule the world, yet you have less than a thousand soldiers? I'd like to know what's so special about the soldiers you've built with mountains of gold and silver?"