Chapter Eight
Since the imperial edict had already been faked, we could not afford to fail now.
I looked straight at the general and said calmly,
\u201cGeneral, what do you mean? Do you intend to take charge of those close to the emperor as well?\u201d
He seemed to hesitate.
I bowed again and said,
\u201cI serve in the palace under Miss Shangguan’s orders. If the general believes I have acted improperly today, you may refer the matter to Miss Shangguan for judgment later. I carry the imperial edict today and must beg your pardon for not being able to stay.\u201d
No matter what, a mere garrison commander could not easily move against me; for now I shifted the burden onto Wan’er \u2014 he probably wouldn’t dare to verify.
After hearing this he narrowed his eyes and studied me, then suddenly turned his head and whispered to the man beside him.
Could it be that he truly intended to stop me from meeting Li Longji and was sending someone to confirm?
I drew a quiet breath and forced myself to remain composed. As long as the audience in the Zichen Hall wasn’t over, no one here would recognize me.
Li Longji at my side had already knitted his brows tightly, impatient, about to scold him again; I tugged his sleeve before I could.
He looked at me in surprise; I quickly shook my head.
There were also guards outside the Zichen Hall\u2014if a conflict broke out here, it would surely arouse suspicion, and things would become even more uncontrollable.
For now I could only gamble on the general’s nerve. Even if he had doubts, he wouldn’t be one hundred percent sure; as long as he hesitated even a little, there would be a chance to turn that into fifty percent apprehension\u2014
The more I calculated, the less certain I felt.
Just as I was about to speak and urge him again, a figure in pale lotus-colored attire came running from afar.
She was another young palace maid. She lowered her head, hurried up, and knelt, saying,
\u201cYour servant greets the Prince of Linzi.\u201d
Li Longji glanced at me in puzzlement, then said to her,
\u201cRise. What urgent matter do you have?\u201d
I was still puzzled when the maidservant stood up and looked up.
Seeing her face, I felt a thrill of joy\u2014she was the palace maid I had called out to serve tea at the banquet that day.
She also stared at me intently and said,
\u201cI came looking for you, sister.\u201d
Her words were ambiguous; I guessed she had been watching the standoff from afar and didn’t know what was happening…
I suspected she had come to help and asked hurriedly,
\u201cDid Miss Shangguan send you?\u201d
She nodded urgently and said,
\u201cYes.\u201d
I let out a silent breath and said,
\u201cI’m about to take the Lord of Linzi to the Penglai Hall. This general seems worried someone might forge an imperial edict and endanger the Lord of Linzi\u2014\u201d
She immediately understood my meaning, fumbled for her waist token, and handed it to the general, saying,
\u201cWe are palace maids from His Majesty’s side; this token proves it.\u201d
The commander examined it closely, saw that it was indeed a specially made waist token, and had no excuse left to block us.
He could only bow and step aside to let us pass.
The little palace maid and I exchanged a glance; the guide led the way, entering through the Fengyang Gate, avoiding the Zichen Hall and heading straight north.
It wasn’t until we reached the inner court of the Daming Palace that I finally exhaled.
To the northwest of the Taiye Pool stood the Penglai Hall.
I glanced back instinctively \u2014 no one was paying attention \u2014 and signaled the little palace maid to stand to one side, then lowered my voice and said to Li Longji,
\u201cMay I speak with the Prince of the Commandery alone for a moment?\u201d
Li Longji motioned for the young eunuchs who had been following to step aside, then looked at me with a smile and said,
\u201cI’ve been waiting to hear you say that; been waiting a long time.\u201d
His dark eyes were full of triumphant amusement.
I looked at him in resignation and asked,
\u201cWhen did you realize I was lying?\u201d
He thought for a moment and replied,
\u201cWhen you tugged at my sleeve. I couldn’t believe a palace maid serving the Empress Dowager would have the nerve.\u201d
I smiled at him and pressed on,
\u201cIf you saw through me, why didn’t you expose me?\u201d
He shrugged and answered,
\u201cYou helped me \u2014 why would I expose you?\u201d
There was still a touch of childishness in his handsome features, yet he insisted on holding himself like a prince of the commandery, which made me suppress a laugh.
When Li Longji saw me staring and smiling, he looked at me puzzled.
I quickly wiped the smile away and said,
\u201cThe commandery prince isn’t wrong about that. Whether I’m one of the emperor’s attendants or not, I’m indeed here to help you. Today is the day the Wu princes pay their respects; if you make a scene at the Fengyang Gate you’ll surely bring trouble, so I dared to forge an imperial edict to stop you.\u201d
Li Longji frowned at me and shook his head.
\u201cWhat you did wasn’t just daring \u2014 it was courting death.\u201d
I nodded and said,
\u201cSince the lord understands the danger, heed a maidservant’s advice.\u201d
I lifted my chin and pointed at the young palace maid.
\u201cThat maid is indeed from the imperial household. I will have her escort the lord to Penglai Hall. If the emperor asks, the lord should say he was delayed, and that he had a minor misunderstanding with the gate commander at Fengyang Gate, so he couldn’t make it to Zitan Hall in time to greet the Wu clan princes.\u201d
The matter at Fengyang Gate can’t be completely hidden; it would be better for him to say it himself.
With none of my uncles present in the Penglai Hall, naturally no one would make trouble for him, and I reckon the Imperial Ancestress wouldn’t say anything after hearing it.
He’s a half-grown child and an imperial grandson; some clashes with servants are forgivable.
He pondered for a moment, then nodded and said,
\u201cI understand that reasoning. If I speak of it myself, the Imperial Ancestress won’t order an investigation, and this matter won’t reach the young lady’s ears.\u201d
He truly was a perceptive one.
I thought of the earlier scene and watched him with a smile, sighing,
\u201cIf the Junwang were really that perceptive, he shouldn’t have acted as he did earlier, and I wouldn’t have had to clear things up at the risk of losing my head.\u201d
Li Longji snorted lightly and said,
\u201cPerceptive or not, the illustrious Li family can’t be humiliated by some gate guard. Besides, he compared himself to Wu Chengsi when confronting me.\u201d
I had said almost everything that needed saying, then added,
\u201cPenglai Hall lies northwest of Taiye Pool. Right now the Emperor is in a council with the princes of the Wu clan; Your Highness can enjoy the view of Taiye Pool first, and when the time is right go to Penglai Hall for the audience. I won’t stay long.\u201d
He turned his head to glance at the vast expanse of water and murmured,
\u201cBig brother mentioned strolling around Taiye Pool last night; today I’ll follow the same route.\u201d
When he said \u201cbig brother,\u201d I understood he meant Li Chengqi.
Last night he had left the palace later than the Prince of Hengyang, and unexpectedly, after returning to the mansion he had specially mentioned it to Li Longji…
For a moment I found myself a little restless and accompanied him in silence before saying,
\u201cThere are many eyes in the palace; I won’t stay.\u201d
He called out to stop me, then after a moment’s thought said,
\u201cNever mind. If I ask your name you would no doubt worry I’d let it slip. Thank you for your help today.\u201d
I shook my head and smiled, then whispered a few words to the little palace maid and bowed before taking my leave.
A few days passed without anyone at court speaking of it in private\u2014what could have been alarming turned out harmless.
Imperial Physician Shen came to follow up again, and seeing that I had been complying with his orders, he smiled and gave a few admonitions, then handed me a prescription on the spot.
For some reason, ever since our first meeting, I had thought there was something odd about him.
He never seemed to mind that I was a commandery princess; his words often had a teasing edge, and even Yiping privately wondered whether this physician was unusual.
Uneasy, I had Yiping quietly try to find out about his background.
The physician’s family name is Shen and his given name is Qiu; he also has an elder brother at the Imperial Pharmacy Bureau named Shen Nanliao.
The two brothers hold exalted positions there: the elder brother enjoys the emperor’s favor, while Qiu himself is famed for having studied in childhood under the \u201cmedical god\u201d Sun Simiao.
Only after Yiping had carefully recounted everything did I finally understand completely.
That night I had told Yiping to find someone young, just someone who could keep a steady hand so there wouldn’t be any whispered gossip in the palace.
Only now did I learn that that accidental night had led me to a physician both highly skilled and of exalted standing.
No wonder he seemed so indifferent to my status whenever we talked\u2026
At dinner I couldn’t keep it to myself and told Wan’er, who covered her mouth and laughed,
\u201cNo wonder you haven’t been seen outside the palace for days \u2014 turns out you’ve caught a drinking sore.\u201d
She sighed in admiration and said,
\u201cEven the Princess Taiping, when she asks Little Shen the imperial doctor to see a patient, has to hope he’s in the right mood that day. You’re really lucky\u2014your drinking sore even gets a prescription from the Divine Physician’s own closed-door disciple.\u201d
I added more food to her plate and said sullenly,
\u201cSister, don’t laugh at me. His brother \u2014 Shen Nanliao, wasn’t he truly favored by the Emperor? How have I never seen him?\u201d
The Emperor is quite fond of the princesses and dukes living in the palace; whenever they fall ill he always has the more senior physicians from the Imperial Medical Office attend personally.
If he were really favored, then during that high fever I had in the first month last year, when many of the middle-aged chief doctors consulted, why wasn’t this man there?
Wan’er looked me over rather obliquely, making me feel inexplicably uneasy.
After a long moment she sighed and said,
\u201cI didn’t want to tell you this, but it’s better you know, so you won’t offend him later.\u201d
She cast a quick glance toward the door and added,
\u201cShen Nanliao is the emperor’s new favorite; now, even that monk Xue Huaiyi isn’t on his level.\u201d
New favorite?
I lifted my eyes to her and saw her nod again.
These past two years in the palace, thanks to Wan’er’s hints, I had gradually learned that the big, broad-shouldered man who often wore monk’s robes was Xue Huaiyi\u2014the emperor’s kept lover outside the palace\u2014but she had never once mentioned the imperial physician Shen Nanliao\u2026
A flash of memory struck me: the scene by the Taiye Pool a month ago.
Could that man have been Shen Nanliao?
She continued,
\u201cThis man is far more cunning than Xue Huaiyi. Xue is arrogant in public but shallow at heart, whereas he\u2014\u201d
She fell silent for a moment and said,
\u201cHe entered the palace the same year as I did and has managed, step by step, to reach his current position. Just thinking about it makes me feel something’s off.\u201d
I listened without replying, then took another piece of flaky pastry from the warmed golden tray and set it in front of her.
Wan’er suddenly remembered something, smiling as she looked at me.
\u201cWant me to tell you some things related to him? Would you like to hear?\u201d
My hand paused slightly.
Seeing the hint of teasing in her smile, I immediately knew what she meant, and merely smiled.
\u201cSister, didn’t you tell me to let him go? Why bring him up on purpose?\u201d
Wan’er said,
\u201cTo me, you are all still children; your innocence and confusion are sincere and easily forgotten. Telling you a few things about the prince’s circle might help you avoid trouble later.\u201d
My heart warmed.
I looked at Wan’er earnestly and said,
\u201cThank you for taking care of me all this time.\u201d
Wan’er raised an eyebrow and shook her head with a smile.
\u201cMaybe it’s because I get along with you, or because your surname is Wu. In any case, if I point things out to you, it’s also for myself.\u201d
\u201cI entered the inner court from the prime minister’s residence, and later the Penglai Hall from the inner court, solely on the emperor’s word. But what about after the emperor? You have blood ties with him\u2014if you remember what I’ve done, it might one day be a lifeline.\u201d
Nearly three years of acquaintance\u2014I’ve gone from a nine-year-old child to who I am now.
Can all the things she’s done really be only for herself, as she says?
Her blunt remark today left me momentarily at a loss.
After quietly eating another piece of pastry, I smiled and said,
\u201cSister, why turn nine parts sincerity into ten parts calculation?\u201d
Wan’er propped her chin on her hand and looked at me.
\u201cI’ll put the ugly part up front \u2014 you’ll remember my good side better,\u201d she said with a shake of her head and a smile.
\u201cAlright, get on with the story. Did you hear about the incident the other day when the Prince of Linzi entered the palace?\u201d
I pretended not to know.
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
Wan’er wasn’t much concerned with my act and continued,
\u201cThe Prince of Linzi was stopped at the Fengyang Gate and got into a verbal clash. Standing on his carriage, he actually shouted, \u2018What does my Li dynasty have to do with you!\u2019\u201d
I quickly chimed in,
\u201cDidn’t the prince’s entry to the palace coincide with the day the uncles were there to pay respects?\u201d
She nodded.
\u201cLuckily, the emperor learned of it in the Penglai Hall while the Prince of Linzi was apologizing \u2014 if it had come out during the audience, it would have led to a severe punishment.\u201d
\u201cRight now it’s a hot issue; with all the princes present, the emperor certainly won’t cover for him.\u201d
I nodded in agreement, and she went on,
\u201cThat day both Taiping Princess and I were in Penglai Hall and we were startled to see the Prince of Linzi kneel and beg forgiveness.\u201d
\u201cBut can you guess how the emperor responded after hearing it?\u201d
That’s exactly what I most wanted to know.
I hurriedly asked,
\u201cWas His Majesty furious?\u201d
Wan’er smiled softly and said,
\u201cNot a bit of anger\u2014only joy.\u201d
I truly didn’t understand this time, staring at her waiting for the rest of the story.
She took a sip of tea and said,
\u201cThough he scolded him a few words on purpose, he immediately laughed and praised him, saying the Prince of Linzi is young but ambitious, with the bearing of a royal.\u201d
Wan’er’s expression was one of wonder as well; she likely hadn’t expected such a reaction from the Emperor.
I had never imagined such a joyful outcome either.
Remembering that youthful, spirited boy, I couldn’t help feeling happy for him.
\u201cSo it seems the Imperial Grandmother truly dotes on this grandson.\u201d
Wan’er nodded and said,
\u201cThis matter has surely reached the ears of some of your uncles. How much of the emperor\u2019s favor is genuine and how much is feigned, no one can see through it, but at least the status of these grandchildren in her heart is not that low.\u201d
After she finished speaking, she did not continue on that topic and instead talked about going to Luoyang’s Fengxian Temple to burn incense.
I made casual replies as I listened, while carefully pondering her veiled words.
Now, amid the struggle between the Lis and the Wus for the crown prince\u2019s position, my imperial grandaunt\u2019s attitude toward Li Longji this time might perhaps be an indication about the crown prince\u2019s post?
\u201cYongan,\u201d Wan\u2019er called to me, \u201con this trip to Luoyang, several of the Crown Prince\u2019s princes will be attending; you need to be more cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udcd8 The complete novel is available for download in PDF via the link below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n