Feng Jiu’er froze.

She looked at the young eunuch’s hands, reddened where she had struck them. The turbulence within her stilled completely.

Yes — she had only stepped out the door, and Imperial Father had ordered a palace maid to her death.

If she injured herself, all the palace maids and eunuchs in this hall — would they all be punished?

In the imperial house, there was no greater indifference. The lives of servants who worked for the imperial family were regarded as of no consequence by anyone.

She had almost caused more trouble just now.

“Does that mean I cannot set a precedent and give this maid who committed an offense a proper burial either?”

The young eunuch and the palace maids exchanged glances. Observing that this newly arrived princess did not appear to be the cruel and ruthless sort, everyone thought for a moment before the young eunuch finally spoke: “Your Highness, if you wish for this matter to pass quickly, the question of burial — it would be best if Your Highness… does not intervene.”

The Emperor had ordered the young maid killed to make an example of everyone — to let them all know what could and could not be done going forward.

It was not that they felt no compassion. It was simply that in a palace such as this, everyone lived in fear for their own heads — those heads felt as though they might fall from their necks at any moment. How could they afford to think of others?

“And not only must you refrain from intervening in her burial — even burning extra spirit money for her is not something you can do.”

Another palace maid knelt on the ground and bowed her head to Feng Jiu’er: “Your Highness, please… let this matter go.”

Feng Jiu’er took one last look at the body wrapped in white cloth, then rose from the ground, turned, and looked away.

“I understand. I will not interfere with this matter again.”

She walked away. Once she retreated into her bedchamber, for the entire night that followed, she did not emerge again.

Everyone was worried about the Princess, but each time a palace maid crept cautiously inside to check on her, she was only seen standing before the window, gazing blankly at the dark of night beyond.

They had urged her to rest properly, but the Princess simply would not listen.

No one knew what she was thinking, nor what she intended to do. But while the Princess would not sleep, no one dared to sleep either.

One by one they kept watch outside. The Princess stood through the entire night, and they kept watch through the entire night — not one daring to be negligent.

It was not until the following morning, when the Third Prince arrived, that all of them were still standing there with dark circles beneath their eyes, keeping watch outside Feng Jiu’er’s chamber.

“What are you all doing standing here?” Feng Jiang strode over quickly, and seeing this formation, he felt a surge of unease. “Where is the Princess?”

“In reply to the Third Prince — the Princess is inside.” A young eunuch bent into a bow as he answered.

Feng Jiang waved a hand. “Prepare breakfast for the Princess. All who have no duties — go and rest.”

One look at these people made it plain that they had stood watch here throughout the night. There was no purpose in continuing.

The maids and eunuchs at last dispersed. Feng Jiang raised his hand and knocked on the door.

No answer came from inside. Feng Jiang called through the door: “Little one, are your clothes in order?”

Still no response. Feng Jiang hesitated a moment, then finally pushed the door open.

Feng Jiu’er’s slight figure was still standing at the window. Only the view before her had changed — the pitch-black of night had given way to the bright brilliance of dawn.

Was it all over? No — only the night had passed, and the morning had come.

In truth, none of this had passed at all.

“Why are you standing here?” Feng Jiang’s chest ached at the sight of her.

“Don’t tell me, Third Imperial Brother, that you’ve been standing here the entire night!”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er gave a nod. She hadn’t noticed before, but now she was finally aware that both her legs were terribly uncomfortable — aching and numb, barely able to move.

Her body swayed, and Feng Jiang stepped forward immediately to steady her and help her sit down in a chair.

“What is the point of this?” He let out a helpless sigh, wanting to say something to her, yet not knowing where to begin.

He had heard all about what had happened in the Princess’s hall last night.

Seeing that no one was keeping watch outside, he lowered his voice: “Last night — were you truly only meeting that man who is fond of you?”

Jiu’er glanced up at him, but the question in her eyes was gone in an instant.

In this palace, there were no secrets to speak of.

She gave another nod, this time without even a word in reply.

“What sort of man is he? Someone you met while at the detached palace?”

Seeing that Feng Jiu’er appeared to have not the slightest inclination to converse, Feng Jiang thought for a moment before asking carefully, “Could it be you are still grieving over the palace maid from last night?”

“Should I not grieve?” Feng Jiu’er fixed him with a stare.

Why was it that everyone who mentioned that palace maid spoke as if they felt absolutely nothing?

That was a living life! A day ago, she had been alive!

Jiu’er knew that feeling distress over it now was entirely futile.

But the ease in Feng Jiang’s tone genuinely made her heart feel wretched.

“It is not that you should not grieve — it is that grief serves no purpose whatsoever. Moreover, you will be living in this palace for the rest of your life. Events like this will soon become something you grow accustomed to.”

Seeing her glaring at him, Feng Jiang explained: “I am only trying to tell you that rather than grief, it would be better to think about what can be done going forward — how to do what you wish to do while preventing the same kind of thing from happening again.”

When he was young, he too had caused a great many eunuchs and maids to suffer because he did not understand the palace’s rules.

Gradually, he had come to understand what could be done and where their Imperial Father’s limits lay — or at least he could roughly make that judgment.

But the saying that serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger — it had always been true.

Even if you could anticipate where Imperial Father’s limits lay, by next time, those limits might very well have shifted again.

In any case, Imperial Father’s mind was changeable and not something they could predict.

“But I cannot simply stay locked inside this palace forever, out of fear of implicating others.”

In truth, there was not a single moment she wished to remain here any longer.

But as things stood now, if she did not stay — those she might implicate might not only be the palace maids and eunuchs.

It was entirely possible that even those people out there could be drawn in by her, and lose their lives because of it.

“I understand how you feel.” Feng Jiang let out a long breath.

He understood because he, too, did not wish to remain within these palace walls.

Even though he was a prince, and even though he had lived here for as long as he could remember.

Everything about the palace only left him feeling cold, with not the slightest sense of security.

Though he still had two elder Imperial Brothers, in truth, the three of them rarely had any contact at all.

Each lived in his own quarters, each occupied with his own affairs. Aside from occasionally dining together in attendance to Imperial Father, they seldom saw one another.

So whatever brotherly sentiment could be said to exist between them was negligible at best — twenty-some years as brothers, and still not as close as this little girl who had returned only a few days ago.

Feng Jiang sat down beside her, looked at her for a moment, and suddenly smiled: “If you are truly so dissatisfied with this palace — then find a way to change it. Make it into the kind of place you yourself would like it to be.”