Chapter 16

Chapter 16: It Could Already Be Called Unparalleled Imperial Favor As the end of the year approached, something happened in the palace. It was not exactly a major matter, but neither was it insignificant. It could be called a minor incident because all that happened was that County Princess Yongning, while strolling through the palace, accidentally lost her footing and fell into the water. She was rescued almost immediately. And yet it could also be called a major incident because the person who rescued County Princess Yongning was none other than the reigning Son of Heaven. Furthermore, the Son of Heaven vented his anger over County Princess Yongning’s fall on the Imperial Harem. Consort Yi, the host of that day’s flower-viewing banquet, was punished by being confined to her residence to reflect on her mistakes, while the other consorts who had attended the banquet were all docked a month’s allowance. People marveled at this, for who did not know that His Majesty disliked County Princess Yongning? In the past, when he was still Crown Prince, he had personally removed County Princess Yongning from the list of candidates. Later, when the late emperor ordered County Princess Yongning to marry into Shuobei in a marriage alliance, it was possible that His Majesty had also helped push matters in that direction. If His Majesty disliked County Princess Yongning, then why had he personally gone into the water to save her? And why had he vented his anger over her fall on the Imperial Harem? County Princess Yongning had accidentally fallen into the water herself. What did it have to do with anyone else? His Majesty’s punishment of the Imperial Harem was not only inexplicable, but also rather severe. Only Cheng An, the chief steward at the emperor’s side deep within the palace, knew that His Majesty’s punishment of the Imperial Harem had already been exceedingly lenient. If County Princess Yongning had not repeatedly insisted, in response to His Majesty’s questioning, that she had simply fallen into the water by accident, how could Consort Yi have gotten off with nothing more than being confined to her residence to reflect on her mistakes? She might well have been thrown into the Cold Palace by now. Although, over the past five years, His Majesty’s Imperial Harem had in truth been little different from the Cold Palace. The consorts in the Imperial Harem had not been personally selected by His Majesty. Back then, when he was still Crown Prince, His Majesty had personally crossed County Princess Yongning’s name off the list, but he had not personally selected a single woman afterward—not even his cousin Jiang Ningyan. It was the late emperor who, while gravely ill, had personally issued an edict selecting these daughters of prominent families for the Crown Prince. After ascending the throne, His Majesty had granted these Senior Palace Consorts and Palace Consorts the corresponding consort titles, but he had never truly favored a single one of them—not even Consort Shu Jiang Ningyan, who in the eyes of the world alone enjoyed His Majesty’s imperial favor. When Cheng An had served in the Eastern Palace, he too had believed that His Majesty disliked County Princess Yongning. But after these five years, he knew that His Majesty had never been close to any of the consorts in the Imperial Harem, and he also knew that His Majesty often looked through County Princess Yongning’s letters at night. What else could he fail to understand? Cheng An had originally thought that County Princess Yongning’s return from Shuobei would lead to a happy ending for everyone. He had not expected that His Majesty and County Princess Yongning would always be out of step with each other. In the past, when County Princess Yongning had loved His Majesty wholeheartedly, His Majesty had rejected her at every turn. Now that His Majesty loved County Princess Yongning wholeheartedly, her feelings had changed, and she resisted him in every possible way. His Majesty naturally would not force her. He merely “invited” County Princess Yongning to stay in Zichen Palace, doing everything he could each day to treat her well. All kinds of jewelry, fine clothes, and delicacies were sent before County Princess Yongning in a constant stream. As far as imperial favor went, such treatment could already be called unparalleled imperial favor. Yet County Princess Yongning remained unmoved. Every day, she did nothing but ask His Majesty to let her leave the palace. This had continued for several days. On this day, Shaoyin was alone in Plum Grove within Zichen Palace. Fine snow was falling outside the window. Leaning against the window, she gazed at the drifting snow in the courtyard beyond the grove. The sorrow in her heart seemed just like the snow, swirling and flying restlessly within her. It had been several days since Xiao Heng had taken her to Zichen Palace from Yichun Pavilion Boat. That day, Xiao Heng had said many wild, frenzied things to her. He had done everything in his power to prove his feelings for her, and to treat her well—determined to show it to her through one thing after another. Shaoyin naturally wanted nothing to do with it, but neither could she leave. Xiao Heng seemed to have fallen deep into some one-sided, feverish obsession from which no one could rouse him. No matter how much Shaoyin refused or explained, Xiao Heng stubbornly insisted that she was merely sulking with him. Shaoyin felt utterly exhausted, and the terror in her heart grew with every passing day. The Xiao Heng of today felt to her like a mass of fire burning violently. If that fire continued to burn with such reckless, obsessive fervor, regardless of all consequences, how far would things go…? Shaoyin was deeply uneasy, but she truly had no way to deal with it. There was no reasoning with someone who had deliberately closed his eyes and stopped his ears. What was more, that person was the reigning Son of Heaven, possessed of supreme authority, with the lives of all her relatives in his hands. If even a little of the Son of Heaven’s anger were to spill over, it could bring disaster upon the Xue family. Shaoyin could not accept Xiao Heng’s “feelings,” but neither could she speak carelessly and provoke the reigning emperor’s wrath. Every day, she could only repeat humble words of refusal and respectfully ask Xiao Heng, again and again, to let her leave. She and Xiao Heng seemed to be talking past each other every day. Xiao Heng could not take in her refusals and pleas, while she could not listen to Xiao Heng’s “passionate” declarations of love. Every time she heard Xiao Heng say that he had always secretly loved her, Shaoyin found it utterly baffling. In Shaoyin’s eyes, the Xiao Heng of today was extremely abnormal. For this reason, she had not told Xiao Heng the truth about Wei Jinshu pushing her into the water. If the abnormal Xiao Heng were to deal harshly with Wei Jinshu for her sake, the Xue family and the Duke of Qi’s household would surely become even more bitter enemies. And if, after the enmity between the Xue family and the Duke of Qi’s household deepened, Xiao Heng suddenly returned to normal and became as cold and heartless toward her as he had been in the past, how would the already fallen Xue family withstand the Duke of Qi’s household’s vengeance? Shaoyin sighed deeply inwardly and felt a headache coming on. This was the rare quiet moment she had each day since being brought to Zichen Palace. Only when Xiao Heng was attending court and handling state affairs could she be alone and quietly think through her troubles. Yet no matter how much she thought, her troubles remained impossible to resolve. She was powerless and helpless in the face of her circumstances. The only thing she could do was hope that Xiao Heng would return to normal as soon as possible. But even this quiet time alone never lasted long each day. When she heard the familiar sound of the door opening and approaching footsteps, Shaoyin knew that Xiao Heng had come again. She sighed softly, endured the faint ache in her head, and rose to her feet. Facing the arriving emperor of Daqi, she bent her knees slightly in a curtsy. Xiao Heng strode toward her with a smile, several flakes of fine snow still resting on his shoulders. “Rise quickly. Didn’t I tell you that you needn’t bow when you see me?” Xiao Heng was indeed smiling, his voice full of laughter. For some reason, he seemed possessed by the delight of a young man, and his usually dark eyes held a bright, cheerful gleam. He reached out toward her and said, “Come with me. I have a gift for you.” Seeing that Xiao Heng seemed about to take her hand, Shaoyin hurriedly moved hers behind her back. Xiao Heng did not press her. His outstretched hand froze in midair for a moment before he lowered it. His tone remained gentle and warm with a smile as he said, “Come with me, all right?” When one lived under another’s roof, one had to obey the master of the household—let alone when she had been confined by the reigning Son of Heaven within his imperial palace. Shaoyin could only answer, “Yes,” before following Xiao Heng outside. After they passed through a covered corridor, Xiao Heng stopped before a door. He lifted the curtain and gestured for her to enter. Shaoyin had taken only a few steps inside when she became completely dazed. Just moments earlier, outside the door, she had been in the depths of winter, with fine snow falling all around her. But after entering the room, it was as though she had suddenly stepped into spring. Not only was the room warm and filled with heat, it was also overflowing with fresh flowers—peonies of every color that should not have bloomed until late spring. Zuixian Yan, Yuyi Huang, Taohua Feixue, Yanzhi Dianyu… Peonies of every variety bloomed in a riot of color before Shaoyin’s eyes. It was as if a spring garden in full flower had suddenly crossed the biting wind and snow, its colors splashed across the world before her. Though she knew that this “miracle” had most likely been brought about by the palace’s heated greenhouses, Shaoyin could not help but stand frozen in astonishment when she suddenly faced this room in full bloom. Behind her, Xiao Heng slowly walked over. His voice fell beside her, carrying his remorse for the past. “Ayin, I owe you a peony.” Xiao Heng continued, “That year, at the banquet, I actually wanted to place that peony in your hair. But… but the more I wanted to give you the peony in my heart, the more I… ended up doing foolish things—the complete opposite of what I truly wanted… I wronged you. I wronged you in so many things in the past.” “I want to make it up to you. Every single thing I did in the past that wronged you—I want to make up for all of it properly. A hundredfold, a thousandfold.” Xiao Heng gazed deeply into her eyes. “Ayin, give me a chance. I’ll show you. Every single thing I did in the past that made you hurt and shed tears—I’ll do everything I can to make amends. Just give me time. Give me a chance.” If Xue Shaoyin had still been in her teens, then upon seeing this roomful of peonies sent to her by her Crown Prince Cousin in winter, she probably would have been so happy that she could not sleep for days and nights. She might even have shed tears of joy on the spot. But she was no longer the Xue Shaoyin of those days. Shaoyin met Xiao Heng’s gaze as well and let out a helpless sigh. “But, Your Majesty, there isn’t a single flower in this room that is the peony I wanted back then.”