Chapter 007
Long Had Wanted an Opportunity to Deal with Zhang Heng
Minor Princess Matters
(1) Adultery
The pear blossoms bloomed, and compared to the desolate scenes in other palaces, the scenery in Shu Yun Palace was at its peak.
I was playing hidden in the stone cave of the artificial mountain in Hundred Flowers Garden when I heard unusual sounds of wind coming through the cracks—sometimes strong, sometimes gentle.
Amidst those two intertwined sounds of wind, I recognized my mother’s voice. So I moved closer to the cracks in the mountain rocks to look. The wind brushed through the long, scattered strands of hair on her forehead, with a rhythm that felt fragile and unsteady.
They say people don’t remember much from their childhood when they grow up, but the image of my mother I saw through the mountain rock cracks that year was like an indelible ink wash painting, deeply imprinted in my mind.
I hated the light that appeared in her eyes, yet was deeply drawn to it. Later events made me realize that such light would never appear in my mother’s eyes when she faced me or Father Emperor.
For a time, I wished I could gouge out those eyes.
When I was seven years old, the daughter of Li Zhen Wang entered the palace as the princess’s study companion. My mother blatantly gave all her favoritism to her.
Because of that memory, I had already formed my own interpretations of many things. Even though adults habitually concealed their actions, I could easily discern that my mother favored Li Yuan far more than me.
I was the esteemed Third Princess of Daliang, while Li Yuan was merely the eldest daughter of a concubine from the Li Zhen Tribe leader. She was three years older than me, yet because of my mother’s favoritism, she could overshadow me in every aspect within Shu Yun Palace.
My mother’s dislike for me became increasingly apparent, to the point where even the old maids who had served in the palace for years couldn’t bear it and often complained to the Empress.
After I caught cold and fell ill yet again, running a high fever that nearly cost me my life, Father Emperor finally reluctantly sent me off to the Empress.
Whether it was fortune or misfortune was unclear, but from then on I was registered under the Empress’s name and lived in the side hall of Changxin Palace, Liu Chang Hall.
Passing through a bamboo grove from Liu Chang Hall led to the East Palace, so I spent my days clinging to the Crown Prince’s side, practically becoming his little shadow.
I always harbored a secret and sinful thought in my heart—that there was an illicit relationship between my mother and Li Zhen Wang, and that Li Yuan was born from their secret affair.
If this matter were exposed, everyone in Shu Yun Palace would lose their lives. That I didn’t expose them before Father Emperor was already honoring our mother-daughter bond.
Everyone in the palace knew that my birth mother didn’t favor me. Fortunately, the Empress was benevolent and generous, willing to take on the mother’s role and care for me in every way.
Life in the side hall of Changxin Palace was simple and fulfilling, which could be summarized in one sentence: I was doing my utmost to cling to the future ruler’s coattails.
When the Crown Prince practiced calligraphy, I would grind ink beside him; when he studied, I would serve tea and water; when he dozed off, I would gently fan him…
I thought I had chosen the right person to follow and that my life would finally be stable. Who could have predicted that Li Jing would turn out to be an ungrateful and heartless wolf.
When I was fifteen, Father Emperor fell gravely ill, and the entire weight of the nation fell upon the Crown Prince’s shoulders.
Father Emperor’s illness persisted from spring to autumn, intermittently without signs of recovery.
During this time of national mourning, my maternal Sima Family became unusually excited as if injected with adrenaline.
My two uncles, skilled in social maneuvering, gathered several powerful families to jointly oppose the Crown Prince.
A year later, when the Empress passed away, the Eldest Princess’s in-laws, the Cui family of Donglin, nearly wore out the threshold of the East Palace with their frequent visits.
Yet I remained carefree and stubbornly lingered in the East Palace. Surprisingly, my mother sent people multiple times to bring me back, but I refused each time.
After the Empress’s passing, I visited the Crown Prince in the East Palace even more often. We would talk to pass the long nights together.
But the gentle, humble, and principled Crown Prince I knew gradually vanished.
He grew increasingly stern, resolute, and enduring in his actions, with a complexity in his eyes that I could no longer decipher.
No matter how chaotic the outside world became, he never once suggested I return to Shu Yun Palace, nor did he mention anything about the Sima Family to me.
Over the years, I had resolved to bury the secret of my mother’s affair with Li Zhen Wang deep within me, as a way to repay her for giving me life.
This way, when I cross the Naihe Bridge in the future, I wouldn’t be tormented by regret and self-reproach.
But one day, the Crown Prince personally told me that Li Yuan was engaged to Jin Shilang.
The entire imperial city knew that I, the princess, had feelings for that boy Jin Cheng.
The Empress had even promised before her death that once I turned fifteen, she would have the Jin family’s son brought to me to be my consort.
It wasn’t that I was determined to marry him, but why did it have to be Li Yuan?
Someone who was utterly unworthy of comparing to me, yet fatefully stole all my mother’s love.
I detested her, I detested my mother and Li Zhen Wang, and I loathed the barbaric northern lands—the setting of countless nightmares that haunted my midnight dreams.
However, with the Empress’s passing, the palace observed a three-year mourning period during which no joyous events were allowed, so their wedding would have to wait three years.
When discussing this, the Crown Prince once again wore that gentle expression, softly patting my head as he asked, “Does my little sister like that boy from the Jin family?”
I shook my head vehemently, holding back the tears in my eyes.
My tears weren’t for Jin Cheng, but for my mother, who had once again plunged a dagger deep into my heart.
The Crown Prince must have misunderstood, for he tenderly wiped away my tears and sighed, “The Jin family upholds a noble reputation, and he is an exceptional young man. I must strive on your behalf, little sister.”
“Imperial Brother, I don’t like him anymore, and I’m not ready to marry yet,” I stubbornly tugged at his bright yellow wide sleeve, the vibrant color making me feel secure, as if Father Emperor were by my side.
The Crown Prince said no more on the matter, merely rubbing his tired forehead before turning back to the piles of memorials on his desk.
He needed to finish all the accumulated state affairs before dawn and likely had no time to chat with me.
I thought the matter was over, but half a month later, the Crown Prince suddenly allied with Zhenbei Wang and launched an attack on the Li Zhen Tribe in the southwest.
The Li Zhen Tribe was a royal clan of the southwest, and overnight, Li Yuan’s position in the capital became extremely awkward.
As a respected family in the court, Grand Tutor Jin openly declared his refusal to allow a barbarian woman hostile to Daliang into their household, going on a hunger strike to emphasize his stance.
Left with no choice, my mother had no option but to announce the cancellation of Li Yuan and Jin Cheng’s engagement.
I heard that later, Li Yuan wept bitterly before my mother, claiming that the Crown Prince’s military campaign was utterly unjustified and that the Li Zhen Tribe had never harbored rebellious intentions.
I didn’t know what agreement the Crown Prince had reached with Zhenbei Wang, but during that time, he avoided my gaze and no longer allowed me to stay overnight in the East Palace.
Over the past year, with Father Emperor gravely ill, the Empress deceased, and my mother preoccupied with shielding Li Yuan from gossip, I found myself alone, excluded from the Crown Prince’s life.
Faced with the Crown Prince’s growing distance, I felt somewhat saddened, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Yet I visited Chengqian Palace daily to see Father Emperor, kneeling devoutly before his dragon bed to promise that I would do anything if only he could recover.
In what should have been the most vibrant years of my youth, I couldn’t feel any trace of my existence in this world. Everything around me seemed utterly meaningless.
During that period, I actually missed my mother dearly. I wished she could speak to me gently, just as she did with Li Yuan.
I had once witnessed her embracing Li Yuan under the osmanthus tree with its dense branches. The autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm glow upon them, like a tender watercolor painting.
My birthday falls on the fourteenth of December, the coldest time at year’s end.
On the night of my sixteenth birthday, Du Ruo brought me a bowl of longevity noodles, forcing a smile uglier than tears as she said, “Shu Fei Niangniang must have been overwhelmed with duties today. She will surely come tomorrow to make up for missing your birthday gift.”
I glanced at the colorful silk dress draped over the perfume burner but didn’t respond, simply eating the noodles by myself.
With Father Emperor still ill, celebrations were forbidden in the palace. I had thought my coming-of-age ceremony would be skipped entirely. But halfway through the noodles, a palace attendant announced in a shrill voice from outside: “The Crown Prince has arrived!”
Du Ruo’s face showed panic. I immediately put down my chopsticks, lifted my skirt, and hurried out to greet him.
I saw a slender shadow lengthened by the setting sun on the ground. Looking up, I called out with both delight and grievance, “Imperial Brother.”
The Crown Prince gazed at me gently, reached out to pat my head, and led me by the hand into the inner chamber.
In that moment, I almost believed the familiar Imperial Brother of old had returned.
To my greater surprise, Imperial Brother personally dressed my hair.
According to Daliang customs, when a girl turns sixteen and comes of age, she may tie up her hair into various styles.
“Your Highness, let this servant do it!” Du Ruo flustered, her hands suspended comically in mid-air as she tried to take the comb from the Crown Prince.
I couldn’t help but smile, feeling an indescribable joy, and seized the opportunity to ask, “I heard that among the tributes sent by Zhenbei Wang this time were many interesting trinkets. Imperial Brother, will you take me to see them?”
The Crown Prince’s hand sank slightly. The teeth of the jade sandalwood comb pricked my scalp, the slight pain making me uncomfortable. I pushed his hand away angrily and said, “Imperial Brother, you’re hurting me!”
“I’m sorry.” Li Jing apologized softly, his tone somewhat strange.
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize then that the Crown Prince wasn’t apologizing for the present moment, but for what he would do to me later.
(2) Gifts
Changxin Palace was hung with white funeral banners. The sound of mourning music mixed with the howling wind, faintly accompanied by women’s weeping.
In a corner, Zhang Heng, the chief eunuch of the East Palace, was instructing his adopted son Anshun, who worked in the Imperial Household Department, on how to serve tea to the inner court ladies in the lowest possible whisper: “This is no occasion for enjoyment. While other noblewomen may be overlooked, the Sima Family must absolutely not be neglected.”
With the Empress deceased, Shu Fei now dominated the harem. Even influential eunuchs like Zhang Heng had to declare their stance early.
Especially while the Sima Family’s influence was at its peak, it was crucial to curry favor with them properly to pave the way for his own future.
“Aye, your son remembers,” Anshun, a sly young man, had already planned to ingratiate himself with Madame Sima.
When his godfather said this, he immediately put on an obsequious expression that couldn’t be more exaggerated and eagerly went to serve tea with the teacup.
Zhang Heng watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes.
After the funeral ceremony concluded, he went alone to Liushang Hall carrying a lantern.
Six or seven maids in black clothes stopped him, saying that the Third Princess was feeling unwell today and had already retired for the night, and no one was allowed to disturb her.
Zhang Heng sneered inwardly, thinking that servants resemble their masters—the maids in Liushang Hall were as arrogant as their mistress and never regarded eunuchs like him with any respect.
Under normal circumstances, he would never bother with such a cold reception, but today’s task assigned by the Crown Prince must not go wrong.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has a message for the Third Princess. Please be accommodating, sisters. I’ll leave as soon as I deliver the message,” Zhang Heng said, taking out a handkerchief-wrapped bundle of jewelry from his bosom. Just as he was about to unfold it, he heard a clear, crisp voice.
Hearing this voice, the maids blocking the hall entrance lowered their eyes and heads, automatically parting to stand on both sides.
Zhang Heng looked up and saw the slender, graceful figure, his mood lifting slightly as a genuine smile appeared on his face. “Aunt Su Zi, good evening.”
“Good evening, eunuch,” Su Zi approached and, noticing the item in his hand, chuckled. “Eunuch, what kind of place do you think Liushang Hall is? There’s no need for such methods here.”
Zhang Heng smiled awkwardly and tucked the handkerchief-wrapped jewelry back into his bosom.
Coming from a poor family, he naturally carried the stench of money about him, while this was Liushang Hall—where the young princess had been raised with the finest treasures since moving in, courtesy of the Empress.
Apart from the Emperor’s frequent rewards, the Crown Prince would have gladly gathered all the treasures under heaven for his precious younger sister.
But that was all in the past.
Led by Aunt Su Zi into Liushang Hall, Zhang Heng caught whiffs of a sweet fragrance that was neither overpowering yet refreshingly pleasant. He wondered where such distinctive incense came from—more elegant than what he had smelled during his last visit.
“They didn’t mean to block you intentionally. The Third Princess truly isn’t in good spirits today,” Su Zi said, a faint trace of worry between her brows.
Zhang Heng naturally knew the reason for the Third Princess’s low spirits but pretended ignorance. “What has upset the Third Princess? Could it be exhaustion from attending the funeral ceremonies these past days?”
Su Zi turned and gave him a measured look.
Zhang Heng’s throat tightened inexplicably, nearly choking on his saliva, then added as if to make amends, “The Third Princess is benevolent and filial—truly righteous.”
Disliking these fawning eunuchs, Su Zi felt somewhat irritated. She had him wait in the side hall while she went to the bedchamber to inform the Third Princess.
The incense inside the room was even lighter than outside. On a glass-framed floral and bird screen hung several plain white sleepwear pieces. The fabric of the young girl’s intimate garments was soft and emitted a faint milky scent, blending with the floral aroma from the perfume burner, creating an indescribable sense of comfort and tranquility.
Su Zi was startled and hurried around the screen. Sure enough, the Third Princess was already awake, sitting on the bed hugging her knees in a daze.
The princess had even changed her own intimate sleepwear… Su Zi silently scolded herself for her negligence, stepped forward to drape a silk shawl over the young princess’s shoulders, and gently coaxed, “Your Highness, why are you up already? It’s still early.”
Li Youqing, just awakened from sleep, gazed with moist eyes like an unweaned lamb, utterly pitiable.
Su Zi dared not speak further and turned to pour a cup of iced milk, placing it gently on the bedside table upon returning.
After finishing the milk, Li Youqing sat back on the bed to collect her thoughts.
“Didn’t I say not to disturb me at night? What is it?” The girl’s cool tone didn’t match her delicate, harmless face.
Her voice alone evoked dew dripping in mountain forests, brimming with intoxicating sweetness.
“Your Highness, Eunuch Zhang Heng has come to deliver a message from the Crown Prince.” Noticing the misaligned pearl button on her mistress’s collar, Su Zi bent down to adjust it meticulously, adding, “That wretched creature is up to something—egging his subordinates to show excessive courtesy to Lady Sima. It’s quite conspicuous in Changxin Palace.”
Su Zi was the confidante maid assigned to Li Youqing by the old duke, surpassing ordinary palace maids in insight and skill, with deeper knowledge of the Sima Family’s affairs than most.
“That dog of a servant treats everyone else as fools.” Li Youqing frowned slightly.
Lately, she had been staying secretly at the East Palace almost every night out of concern for the Crown Prince. During the day, she had encountered the old eunuch several times, each interaction leaving her deeply uncomfortable.
He seemed to be hinting, both overtly and covertly, that she should maintain distance and avoid troubling the Crown Prince.
She had long wanted to discipline Zhang Heng, but he conducted himself flawlessly and had the Imperial Brother’s backing, leaving no room for criticism.
Su Zi straightened the lace on the young princess’s collar, remaining bent as she continued, “That dog is merely seizing the chance to avenge the late Empress. No matter how upright and fair the Crown Prince is, seeing the petty eunuchs of the inner court sway with the wind would surely vex him further.”
Li Youqing lowered her eyes, her tone composed. “Auntie, go keep him company with a cup of Biluo Tea. Ask what message the Imperial Brother sent—I won’t be going out.”
“Understood.” Su Zi curtsied, her expression turning worried as she turned away.
She never dared to disobey the Third Princess’s orders, but the Biluo Tea hadn’t been served in a long time. Was it really appropriate at such a critical juncture?
As if reading her mind, a light, clear voice came from behind: “Auntie need only carry out my tasks. If Grandfather or Mother Consort blame anyone, I will bear it.”
The voice sent a chill down Su Zi’s spine. She knew the consequences of displeasing this young mistress and hurried away with quickened steps.
After a while, Li Youqing finished dressing and leisurely made her way through the corridors reserved for servants to a small chamber behind the side hall, settling in quietly to await the spectacle.
She had long noticed Zhang Heng’s interest in Su Zi. Today’s arrangement wouldn’t be beneath him.
Su Zi executed tasks with perfection.
The side hall was deliberately dimly lit, with three or four beautiful palace maids surrounding Zhang Heng to refill his tea.
Watching the dark currents in the wretched eunuch’s eyes, Li Youqing picked up a grape from the crystal plate before her with slender, jade-like fingers and slowly ate it.
Having grown up in Shu Yun Palace until the age of nine, Li Youqing had seen all kinds of rotten persimmons. There was no need to bother with a few dogs.
Perhaps her eyes had adjusted to the gloom—even through a peephole in the dark wall, she could clearly see the small tear mole beneath Zhang Heng’s left eye.
Since this man enjoys Imperial Brother’s trust, he must possess some strategies and capabilities.
His mistake lies in allowing worldly desires to stir within him.
After three cups of Biluo Tea, Zhang Heng was already dazed and confused.
The melody of string instruments accompanied by drumbeats, along with the soft whispers of women, would weave an exquisite dream for him.
In this lingering dream akin to spring rain, he would unite with the woman he admired—everything unattainable in reality would come true in this illusion.
“Men, even when they become eunuchs, still dream of tasting swan flesh,” Li Youqing chuckled softly, wondering how long this beautiful dream of his would last before rising and leaving the secret chamber.
Tao Yan carefully held up the hem of her long gown trailing on the floor to prevent her from stepping on it, while flattering, “When Eunuch Zhang awakens later, we servants will have quite the spectacle to laugh at.”