Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Just Happening to Run into an Old Acquaintance Other than entering the palace to visit her Aunt, Shaoyin had never wanted to set foot in the palace more than necessary. After hearing that the host of the palace banquet was Consort Yi Wei Jinshu, she was even less inclined to accept the invitation and attend. Shaoyin and Wei Jinshu did indeed have some old grievances between them. The two had never seen eye to eye since childhood. Both had been spoiled by their families and had consequently developed haughty, arrogant temperaments. They each prided themselves on their beauty and family background, looked down on everyone else, and naturally looked down on each other as well. When they were thirteen or fourteen, Shaoyin often competed with Wei Jinshu, striving to outdo her. Every time they met, they would fight to surpass each other in their clothing and makeup, neither willing to let the other steal the limelight. At the palace flower-appreciation banquet that year, the two of them, as usual, had dressed with great care and received unanimous praise from everyone present. But unanimous praise was not what either Shaoyin or Wei Jinshu wanted. They always wanted to determine who was superior. Yet one was the niece of the current Empress, while the other was the daughter of the Duke of Qi, one of the Son of Heaven’s most trusted officials. Anyone with the slightest bit of sense would not judge one superior to the other in person and thereby offend either Her Majesty the Empress or the Duke of Qi. But Shaoyin and Wei Jinshu both refused to let the matter go, insisting on asking. Thus, the hot potato of a question was passed from person to person until it finally landed on Crown Prince Xiao Heng. At the banquet that day, Noble Consort Shen of the late emperor said with a smile, “Let His Highness the Crown Prince judge. A few days ago, His Majesty praised the Crown Prince for his sharp eye. Surely His Highness will not be mistaken.” With that, Noble Consort Shen ordered a palace attendant to pluck a peony from a branch and have the Crown Prince present the gorgeous pink flower to whichever young lady he considered superior. The fact that Noble Consort Shen had specifically chosen the Crown Prince to judge, and specifically chosen a peony, made it perfectly clear to everyone present whom she favored. When Shaoyin heard that Crown Prince Cousin would be the judge, the corners of her lips secretly curved upward. She believed that Crown Prince Cousin would surely consider her superior. When Xiao Heng picked up the peony and walked toward her and Wei Jinshu, Shaoyin lowered her head shyly and happily, waiting for Xiao Heng to pin the flower in her hair before everyone. But from the corner of her eye, she saw him pause for a moment before walking to Wei Jinshu and placing the peony beside her temple. Shaoyin was naturally so upset that she wanted to cry. Yet she could not lose her composure in front of everyone—especially not in front of Wei Jinshu and let her laugh at her—so she forcibly held it in and silently waited for the banquet to end. But while Shaoyin endured it without making trouble, Wei Jinshu wore the peony throughout the rest of the banquet, smugly parading it back and forth before her eyes. Even when Shaoyin walked alone to the deserted edge of the clear pond in search of some peace and quiet, Wei Jinshu followed her and continued to flaunt her victory. If Wei Jinshu had only shown off the single peony, Shaoyin might have let it go. But Wei Jinshu had to gloat and tell her that the Crown Prince did not like her in the slightest. “…You’re talking nonsense!” Shaoyin could not bear hearing anyone say that. Her eyes reddened with anger as she snapped, “Cousin likes me!” “Am I talking nonsense, or are you the one who likes daydreaming?” Wei Jinshu raised her hand and deliberately touched the peony beside her temple. Looking at Shaoyin with casual disdain, she sneered, “If His Highness the Crown Prince liked you, why would he have given this peony to me?” “Only because he wanted to give it to you to cover up your ugliness!” “You!” Wei Jinshu’s face turned cold with anger, but then she smiled again. Her words grew even more cutting as she said that Shaoyin was merely furious from embarrassment, deluding herself. Shaoyin’s body trembled with rage. Clenching her teeth, she said, “Cousin likes me… Cousin… Cousin once saved me here… When I fell into the water here, Cousin risked his life to save me… Cousin likes me!” Wei Jinshu continued provoking her, the mocking smile on her face growing wider. “Anyone with eyes could tell whom His Highness the Crown Prince likes at today’s banquet. Watching you deceive yourself like this… you truly look pitiful.” “Just because he saved you, does that mean he likes you? It only shows that His Highness is kindhearted.” Wei Jinshu slowly approached her, each word she spat out stabbing into Shaoyin’s heart like a knife. “If anyone had fallen into the water at the time, His Highness the Crown Prince would have done his best to save them. Don’t flatter yourself! His Highness the Crown Prince likes me. It isn’t only this peony, either. Do you know how many times His Highness looked at me during today’s banquet? He even smiled at me!” Shaoyin did not know whether Wei Jinshu’s words were true. She only knew that the cold mockery had driven her almost completely out of her mind. Her feelings for Xiao Heng had begun when he saved her after she fell into the water as a child. She had believed that Xiao Heng liked her as well ever since he had risked his own safety and desperately rescued her. But Wei Jinshu’s words seemed determined to deny all of that. By then Shaoyin was furious. As Wei Jinshu advanced step by step and continued hurling those hateful words at her, Shaoyin angrily thrust out a hand. “Is that so? Would anyone save anyone else? You say Cousin likes you—then let’s see whether he’ll personally go into the water to save you!” As she spoke, she shoved Wei Jinshu into the pond beside them. Looking back now, Shaoyin knew that she had indeed gone too far. They had merely been two girls of marriageable age quarreling. No matter how much they disliked each other, they should have stopped at arguing. She truly should not have pushed Wei Jinshu into the water. Fortunately, the pond was very close to the flower-appreciation banquet, and the people at the banquet had been paying attention to her and Wei Jinshu all along. The moment Wei Jinshu fell into the water, someone at the banquet cried out in alarm. More than a dozen palace attendants hurriedly jumped in to rescue her, and Wei Jinshu’s life was never in danger. Thinking about it now, the two of them making such a fuss over a single peony had been unbelievably childish and ridiculous. In truth, Xiao Heng had probably not wanted to give the peony to either Wei Jinshu or Shaoyin. In his heart, he had wanted to give the flower to someone else at the banquet—the Eastern Palace maid Jiang Ningyan, who had accompanied him to the feast. As she recalled the past, Shaoyin sighed inwardly and felt apologetic toward Wei Jinshu. She knew that Wei Jinshu had probably never forgotten the incident and still resented her for it. On the first day after returning from Shuobei, when Shaoyin entered the palace to meet the various consorts, she had clearly sensed Wei Jinshu’s hostile gaze. It seemed Wei Jinshu still held a grudge against her. Since that was the case, Wei Jinshu’s sudden invitation today likely would not end with host and guests enjoying themselves. To avoid trouble, Shaoyin told the palace attendant that she was feeling unwell. After repeatedly thanking Consort Yi for her kind invitation, she courteously attempted to decline and remain outside the palace. However, the palace attendant who had been ordered to invite her insisted on bringing her into the palace, and also conveyed several words from Wei Jinshu. The palace attendant said, “Consort Yi has said that if County Princess Yongning refuses to come, this servant is to ask whether County Princess Yongning still remembers the unpleasantness of the past and is unwilling to make peace with Consort Yi.” The palace attendant bowed deeply to her again and continued, “Consort Yi has said that what happened before was merely the result of being young and ignorant. Now that she thinks back on it, she also finds it laughable and does not take it to heart. Consort Yi wishes to put the past behind her with County Princess Yongning and make peace, which is why she has specially arranged this banquet. She asks that County Princess Yongning honor her with her presence.” Given their respective statuses, Shaoyin had already found it difficult to refuse an invitation from a consort of the current emperor. After hearing these words from the palace attendant, she could no longer decline on either sentimental or practical grounds. Although Shaoyin still felt that this might be a banquet with no good intentions, she could not allow others to accuse her and the Xue family of being arrogant and discourteous, or of looking down on the Son of Heaven’s consorts. Thus, she could only thank Consort Yi and agree to attend. After changing her clothes, she set out for the palace with the attendant. The carriage traveled all the way to Xihua Gate, the entrance to the palace. After Shaoyin was helped down by a maid, she happened to run into an old acquaintance. They had not seen each other for five years, so when their eyes met, she did not immediately recognize him. Only after the palace attendants formally saluted Prince Chu did Shaoyin come back to herself. She lowered her eyes and, as etiquette required, bent her knees slightly toward him. “Greetings, Your Highness.” “No need for such formality.” Prince Chu Xiao Yu hurried toward Xue Shaoyin, but after taking two steps, he stopped again. His feet remained stiffly rooted to the ground, while his voice was filled with warmth. “Please, rise.” After thanking him according to etiquette, Shaoyin straightened and lifted her head. Prince Chu Xiao Yu stood five or six paces away from her. Across the span of five years, the boy of the past had grown into a handsome, refined young man. The youthful awkwardness had faded from his brows, eyes, nose, and lips, but his gaze remained as bright and clear as before. Prince Chu Xiao Yu was the son of Noble Consort Shen, the late emperor’s favored consort. Because his birth mother had been favored, he had enjoyed the late emperor’s affection from childhood. The late emperor often kept him at his side and frequently bestowed all kinds of precious gifts upon him. At that time, Shaoyin had been wholeheartedly in love with Xiao Heng. Naturally, she had worried that the favored imperial prince Xiao Yu might threaten Xiao Heng’s position as Crown Prince. For that reason, she had stubbornly disliked Xiao Yu and found him irritating no matter what he did. Thus, whenever she encountered Xiao Yu in the palace, she had always treated him with cool indifference. She would offer the required salute and leave, and in private she refused to take the initiative to play with him. Yet Xiao Yu, who was two or three years younger than her, seemed to enjoy playing with slightly older girls and often took the initiative to seek her out. Several times, Shaoyin had barely arrived at the Eastern Palace before Xiao Yu followed right behind her. He claimed he had come to ask his Imperial Older Brother for guidance in his studies, but he would always linger around her instead. Again and again, her displeasure deepened. She felt that Xiao Yu was preventing her from being alone with Xiao Heng, but because of his status as an imperial prince, she could not vent her anger on him. She could only force herself to endure it, growing more and more irritated the longer she did. Finally, one time, she vented all the anger in her heart on Xiao Yu. That day, her mood had already been terrible. She had happily carried a box of pastries she had made herself into the Eastern Palace, only to see Xiao Heng and Jiang Ningyan behaving intimately, seemingly holding each other in their arms. Her eyes nearly turned red at the sight. She rushed forward and demanded that they separate, refusing to let them continue like that. In response, she naturally received a cold laugh from Xiao Heng. Xiao Heng did not loosen the arm with which he held Jiang Ningyan. Instead, he coldly asked Shaoyin what her identity was and what right she had to interfere in his affairs. Flustered and furious, she stammered, “…I… I’m your cousin.” When Xiao Heng’s cold smile deepened, she remembered that the person he was holding at that moment was his actual cousin. Xiao Heng ignored her. Still holding Jiang Ningyan, he continued walking into the hall. Shaoyin could not bear to watch any longer. She turned and ran, her eyes reddening with tears in the wind. Just as she was about to run out through the Eastern Palace gates, someone happened to stride in. She collided head-on with that person. Not only did she fall to the ground, but the food box in her hands also went flying aside. The pastries she had stayed up late to make for Xiao Heng scattered all over the ground. That person was Xiao Yu, who often followed her to the Eastern Palace soon after she arrived. Xiao Yu was a boy with a sturdier build, so he was not knocked to the ground. He merely staggered back two steps. Once he realized it was her, he hurried forward to help her up, anxiously asking, “Sister Xue, are you all right?” She was furious—not because Xiao Yu had knocked her down, but because all the pastries she had personally made for Xiao Heng had been ruined. She thought of how much effort she had put into making them, how she had smiled while preparing them and imagined Cousin enjoying the taste and understanding her feelings. Then she thought of how she had seen Cousin and Jiang Ningyan behaving intimately when she entered the hall, of how Jiang Ningyan had occupied his entire attention while he had been exceedingly cold toward her. She was so upset that she was about to cry. All she wanted was to find an empty place and have a long, unrestrained sob. But Xiao Yu was still following her as he always did. Thus, she redirected all the resentment in her heart onto him and shouted angrily, “Don’t follow me! I hate you! I hate you! Don’t ever appear in front of me again!” That day, as she angrily ran farther and farther away, Xiao Yu seemed to remain standing rigidly behind her for a very long time. After that, Xiao Yu never again arrived at the Eastern Palace right before or after her to seek her out. Sometimes, when they happened to meet in the palace, he would also keep a certain distance from her—just as he was doing at this very moment. Author’s Note: Nothing. Close