I maintained that domineering posture, watching the trembling figures of all the ministers.

Until the Crown Prince said: “Let’s adjourn court for today. We’ll discuss this matter another day.”

After dragging on for quite a while, Chief Minister Zhao shouted “Long live!” and all the officials followed suit with loud cheers. Only after the Crown Prince and I swept our sleeves and departed did the ministers file out of the hall. The Crown Prince turned around the corner and smiled: “Imperial Sister, your imposing presence just now was truly extraordinary! Even I was intimidated…”

I stopped in my tracks under the corridor and called to him: “Crown Prince little brother, come here for a moment…”

The Crown Prince stepped back in confusion. I grabbed his sleeve: “It’s nothing serious, just that my legs went weak. Let me lean on you for support…”

Crown Prince: “…”

Only after my stiff limbs regained some strength did my body, which had been shaking like a sieve, finally settle down.

Fortunately, I managed to deceive everyone.

Thank goodness I had prepared in advance—

I am the dividing line for continued updates—

This morning, Song Langsheng gave me a stack of papers.

I looked at each paper which had a portrait drawn on it, with small script noting the person’s name, official position, and personality traits. “What is this?”

Song Langsheng said: “These are roughly all the officials at morning court. If the Princess memorizes these, you can recognize them one by one during court sessions and won’t easily make mistakes.”

I suddenly understood: “Did you draw these?”

Song Langsheng stood with his hands behind his back: “Correct.”

I said: “They’re really ugly.”

Since he was facing away from me, I couldn’t see his reaction.

I continued: “You actually drew yourself too. Please, do I really not even recognize you…”

I still couldn’t tell what expression he had.

I kept talking: “Speaking of which, how did you manage to draw yourself? Don’t tell me you usually hide in your room secretly looking in mirrors? Or did you hold up a mirror while drawing this portrait? Tsk tsk…”

Song Langsheng turned around, snatched away that stack of papers, and walked away with measured steps. I had no choice but to follow behind: “Alright, alright, Prince Consort, your brushwork is superb and lifelike…”

This was actually the truth.

Although these portraits couldn’t compare to masterworks by great artists, at least they captured both spirit and form. I thought that after seeing them once, I’d surely recognize the real people at a glance. I looked at them with a smile while eating breakfast, but froze for a moment at the very last one: “This person…”

Song Langsheng leaned over to glance at it and said: “This person is one of the Thirteen Circuit Surveillance Censors, named Yang Ruilin. Is there a problem?”

I said with some bitterness in my mouth: “He’s actually a censor and remonstrating official. This is really troublesome now…” Then I briefly recounted the incident of knocking down the old gentleman on the road. After listening, Song Langsheng asked: “The Princess didn’t recognize him, but did he recognize the Princess?”

I recalled for a moment and said: “Thinking about it now, at first he was cursing angrily, but when he saw my face clearly, he fell silent. However, I was focused on apologizing at the time and didn’t notice anything amiss…”

Song Langsheng put down his rice bowl and stood up: “Princess, please come with me to the study.”

In the study, he pointed to the memorials scattered on the desk and asked: “Are these what the Crown Prince had sent over for the Princess to review?”

I nodded.

Song Langsheng thought for a moment, then bowed slightly to me: “I wonder if the Princess would allow me to read them?”

I quickly nodded in agreement, then said: “It’s not such a big deal. Why perform such ceremony? When you act like this, I feel uncomfortable…”

Song Langsheng looked at the memorials and said: “This is overstepping my authority. Sometimes following proper protocol prevents mistakes.”

I felt uncomfortable hearing this, yet didn’t know how to refute it. After Song Langsheng looked through them all, he finally picked out Yang Ruilin’s memorial about “converting rice fields to mulberry” and said: “This proposal is probably not something Yang Ruilin could think up himself. He’s one of Minister Zhao’s people. This strategy should be Zhao Gengnian’s idea. However, Zhao Gengnian’s own memorial doesn’t mention this strategy at all, instead letting an inconspicuous censor propose it. It seems they want to catch you and His Highness the Crown Prince off guard in court. Combined with the fact that you didn’t recognize Yang Ruilin, regardless of whether Zhao Gengnian has suspicions, he’ll inevitably harbor thoughts of testing you.”

Whenever Song Langsheng spoke at length about these court intrigues, I found it dizzying to listen. This time I was even more confused and had to ask: “Do you mean that during morning court later, Zhao Gengnian will intentionally have Yang Ruilin make things difficult for me?”

Song Langsheng nodded: “It’s not impossible.”

Cold sweat broke out on me: “I’ve lost all my memories. If he asks about those court affairs and I can’t answer properly, won’t I be exposed?”

Song Langsheng raised an eyebrow slightly: “What does the Princess think of this ‘converting rice fields to mulberry’ matter?”

“You’re asking me? I… I’ve forgotten everything completely…”

Song Langsheng said: “Why don’t you give it a try?”

Since he asked this way, he clearly intended to test me. I rubbed my throbbing temples: “I… think it’s not very reliable. In this current period, natural disasters continue constantly, and we haven’t even solved the problem of basic sustenance, yet we hope to develop the silk industry to fill the national treasury…”

Song Langsheng’s face showed a smile, indicating I should continue.

I steeled myself and said: “Unless we wait for Daqing’s navy to eliminate the Japanese pirates plaguing the southeast and clear the sea routes, opening the Silk Road for trade with Western regions, then converting half the farmland to mulberry fields and driving the development of silk weaving, cotton spinning, and water and land transportation industries would be a truly meaningful national policy. These matters must proceed step by step—things work out when handled gradually.”

Song Langsheng looked up into my eyes, placed the memorial on the desk, and said: “It seems I was overthinking. Princess, even if this brain of yours forgot me, it couldn’t forget these principles of governance.”

I grabbed his sleeve and said: “You haven’t told me whether what I said was right or not. Will it be acceptable to say this later?”

Song Langsheng’s mouth curved slightly, and that upward curve carried a meaningful expression: “Princess, you need only trust yourself and reclaim the dignity that belongs to Princess Xiangyi. Then no one will be able to scheme against you.”

The Prince Consort left after dropping this seemingly profound but essentially meaningless statement. It wasn’t until Yang Ruilin actually attacked me in court that I suddenly snapped to attention and brazenly went all out with my bluff. Fortunately, I didn’t disgrace myself, though I was scared enough to feel a bit weak.

The Crown Prince supported me as we walked: “Fortunately Imperial Sister gave them a show of force. Yesterday I was still worried about how to refute Zhao Gengnian’s rice-to-mulberry conversion strategy.”

I sighed gloomily: “It was a risky move. Although it resolved the immediate crisis, offending that Zhao fellow will cause endless future troubles.” Only after saying this did I realize that the Crown Prince had already seen through Zhao Gengnian’s intentions yesterday. It seems this little brain of his shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Crown Prince said: “I had originally hoped Uncle could help say a word, but who knew that beneath his paste-like exterior hides an equally mushy heart—sticky and clingy, latching onto whatever’s convenient.”

I burst out laughing and grabbed the Crown Prince’s face, twisting it back and forth: “What do you mean ‘paste-like appearance’? You’re supposed to be the head of the Eastern Palace, yet you speak so carelessly.”

This face-pinching gesture felt completely natural. After doing it, I froze, and the Crown Prince also paused, then broke into laughter: “Imperial Sister, you… haven’t pinched me like this in a long time. I used to always worry you’d pinch my face out of shape.”

I awkwardly withdrew my hand and changed the subject: “How is Father Emperor’s health lately?”

The Crown Prince shook his head: “Still the same. Most of the time he’s unconscious, and when he occasionally wakes up, he can only lean against the bed and say a few words. Sometimes he says he wants to see memorials, but I can only select which ones to show him. The imperial physicians say he hasn’t recovered yet and cannot be overworked.”

I adjusted my sleeves and said: “Ever since you were installed as Crown Prince, Father Emperor’s illness has been unstable, sometimes better, sometimes worse. It’s not sustainable to keep things hanging like this. Can’t we change the imperial physicians? These senior officials in the Imperial Medical Bureau seek safety and self-preservation above all. The medicines they use are also conservative and safe, never able to cure stubborn ailments completely.”

The Crown Prince made a sour face: “Changing imperial physicians would be an extremely serious matter. If it goes well, that’s fine, but if the wrong medicine is used… In any case, Mother Empress would absolutely refuse. How about Imperial Sister goes to see Father Emperor again and speaks with Mother Empress about it?”

I don’t want to go.

Since losing my memory, I’ve only visited Father Emperor’s chambers twice to see him, and both times I ran into Mother Empress, and both times she made me nervous.

It seems Song Langsheng was right—Princess Xiangyi fears nothing under heaven and can even ignore the Emperor, but is somewhat afraid of her mother. Originally, having lost my memory and not recognizing anyone, I should have been fearlessly ignorant of everyone. But the moment I saw Mother Empress’s face, so serene it was almost expressionless, holding prayer beads and chanting constantly, I felt completely overwhelmed. In the end, she even invited me to accompany her to the Buddhist hall to kneel for an hour praying for Father Emperor’s blessing. Whether any blessings were received I don’t know, but spending time with Mother Empress and the Buddha statues brought me close to the next world.

I put on a compassionate expression like Guanyin and said to the Crown Prince: “You should go instead. You’re the Crown Prince—Mother Empress should listen to you more.”

The Crown Prince looked up at the sky: “Time is getting late. I suddenly remembered I still have many governmental affairs to handle. I’ll take my leave first…”

Court just ended, younger brother.

After walking two steps, he returned: “Also, about Han Fei’s matter—resolve it quickly. Imperial Sister, you understand…”

Me: “…”

After returning to the Princess Manor, I deliberated for about half the day before changing into men’s clothing and going out. I had come up with a plan—one way or another, I had to meet that Lu Lingjun. At this time and day, the Imperial Academy wouldn’t have much going on, so going to Yuelu Tea House to stake out the place might let me encounter him.

But after I had actually drunk two pots of Longjing tea and listened to a whole storytelling session at Yuelu Tea House without meeting anyone, my heart began to feel somewhat blocked.

It seems I still need to find another target to infiltrate the Imperial Academy.

So when I leisurely wandered back and knocked on the back door of the Princess Manor, I suddenly heard someone behind me say: “Brother Bai?”

For a moment I didn’t catch on, but when I turned around and saw a familiar figure, my heart skipped a beat. How did this fellow suddenly appear?

Lu Lingjun looked at my foot crossing the threshold with eyes full of doubt: “Why would Brother Bai be… here?”

This question was indeed difficult to answer. I laughed dryly and countered: “Why would Brother Lu be here?”

Lu Lingjun said: “Just now I saw someone in the distance whose silhouette looked very much like Brother Bai, so I followed to say hello. Indeed, I didn’t recognize the wrong person. But why is Brother Bai here? And why are you entering the Princess Manor through the back door?”

I stood by the door not knowing how to respond. Lu Lingjun blinked as he looked me up and down, then suddenly his expression changed dramatically. With trembling hands, he pointed at me and asked: “You… you are the Princess’s…”

I sighed. After all, I couldn’t hide it from him.

“…new male favorite?”

Me: “…”

Lu Lingjun showed a completely enlightened expression: “No wonder Brother Bai said you lived in the capital but weren’t a scholar. No wonder you were always so interested whenever the Princess was mentioned. So you were gathering information about the Princess’s reputation for her!”

Me: “…”

Lu Lingjun patted my shoulder with great satisfaction, speaking very brotherly: “I wondered how Brother Bai and I could feel such kinship at first sight. Turns out we really are kindred spirits. Brother Bai, you’ve kept me in the dark for so long.”

Me: “…”

He leaned over and asked: “Have you ever mentioned me to the Princess?”

Me: “…No.” What do you mean no? Does this mean I’m admitting to being my own male consort?! What’s this all about?!

Lu Lingjun glanced around, then simply pulled me along: “This isn’t the place for conversation. Let’s find somewhere else to have a proper chat.”

I was dragged by him to a small tavern next door to drink and eat.

Fine flower-carved wine, two jars.

He assumed a posture of wanting to drink with me until dawn, which really made me break out in a cold sweat. But what I found strange was—shouldn’t he see me as his romantic rival? Seeing that I wasn’t very willing and was frowning, Lu Lingjun laughed and filled both our wine cups: “Brother Bai seems quite hostile.”

Me: “…”

Lu Lingjun tossed his fan from left hand to right: “In the future, we’ll be living under the same roof anyway. It’s good to get to know each other better.”

I coughed: “Brother Lu jests.”

Lu Lingjun said rather suggestively: “Brother Bai understands my feelings perfectly. If there’s an opportunity, we can work together harmoniously to serve the Princess well in the future.”

His words hit my head like lightning, making stars burst before my eyes.

Perhaps under normal circumstances, I could take it as a joke, but now I realized the seriousness of this situation. This guy really considered becoming a male consort in the Princess Manor as one of life’s great aspirations. Life is short—if I don’t straighten him out in time, I mustn’t ruin his entire life.

I cleared my throat and said: “Since Brother Lu doesn’t blame me for deceiving you before, I should also treat you with sincerity.”

Lu Lingjun nodded with great satisfaction.

I said: “To tell the truth, life in the Princess Manor is not as carefree as Brother Lu imagines.”

Lu Lingjun started: “Oh?”

I put on a sorrowful expression and said sadly: “The current Prince Consort already possesses heavenly beauty and natural grace. Brother Lu, do you know why the Princess keeps recruiting male favorites again and again?”

Lu Lingjun’s whole body trembled: “Why?”

I kept shaking my head and sighing bitterly: “I didn’t want to speak of these things, but I can’t bear to see Brother Lu also fall into this irreversible abyss. Forget it, forget it. The Princess actually has serious psychological defects.”

Lu Lingjun said: “What defects does the Princess have?”

I suddenly raised my head and whispered ominously in his ear: “Actually… she ignores the Prince Consort because he… cannot satisfy the Princess’s desires.”

Lu Lingjun’s eyes widened, stammering: “You, you mean the current Prince Consort is… impotent…”

“Shh—” I theatrically put my index finger to my lips: “This matter must never be told to a third party…”

Lu Lingjun swallowed hard: “I never would have thought that despite his dignified appearance, he’s actually gilded jade with rotten stuffing inside…”

I nodded meaningfully, silently chanting “This is an expedient measure, Prince Consort please don’t blame me, Amitabha…”

Lu Lingjun asked again: “But… there’s no need for so many male favorites, is there?”

I narrowed my eyes: “Originally one would suffice, but the Princess underestimated the Prince Consort’s jealousy. The Prince Consort… sigh… I can hardly speak of it. In short… anyone who has spent a night with the Princess will never again have the chance to enjoy carnal pleasures in this life…”

Lu Lingjun’s eyes went blank: “Bai, Brother Bai means the Prince Consort… castrated them all?”

I kept sighing, sighing until Lu Lingjun’s whole face turned green: “So, so… Wei Qingheng, Zhang Xianyang, Fang Yachen, they’re all… all…”

I nodded: “Otherwise why haven’t any of them married to this day?”

I continued silently chanting: “This is an expedient measure, all you male favorites please don’t resent me, blessed be…”

Lu Lingjun’s face was deathly pale. His eyes glanced toward my waist: “Then, then Brother Bai, you…”

I said: “I haven’t been favored by the Princess yet, but… it will be tonight.”

Lu Lingjun sucked in a cold breath and said resentfully: “Doesn’t the Princess care about this at all? If the Princess doesn’t like the Prince Consort, she should just divorce him. How can she…”

“Brother Lu.” I said, “If this matter spreads, the Princess will become a laughingstock. How could she be willing to ruin her own reputation? She can only keep the Prince Consort publicly while secretly keeping male favorites. The Prince Consort is also helpless—if any male favorite got the Princess pregnant, how could the Princess Manor tolerate him?”

Lu Lingjun looked at me: “Then why don’t you leave?”

“The Princess has eyes and ears throughout the capital. There’s nowhere to escape.” I looked up at the distance in misery, trying to squeeze out tears: “After tonight, I, Bai Yujing, will no longer be a man. Heh, even if I achieve great success and fame, I’ll never feel happiness again in this life. So Brother Lu, I snuck out just to tell you—in the future, when passing by the Princess Manor, you must stay far, far away…”

“Enough!” Lu Lingjun cut off my words: “Brother Bai is so loyal and righteous, I truly… don’t know what to say!”

I solemnly cupped my hands: “Brother Lu, while I’m still a man and can drink with you, this isn’t without its regrets. Time is getting late—I must return. Take care of everything.” After speaking, I fixed my gaze, swept my sleeves, and turned to leave.

After I circled back to the manor and secured the door, I finally let out a breath.

I don’t know if the nonsense I spouted just now can dispel Lu Lingjun’s absurd thoughts. I expect he’s a sensible person who won’t go around spreading it. It’s just that after rambling for so long, I don’t seem to have gotten to the point at all. After going in a circle, I somehow forgot my original purpose for seeking out Lu Lingjun.

I wandered through the corridors, passing through layers of courtyards, until I came upon a figure. Looking up to see Song Langsheng’s clear, bright eyes, I smiled and greeted: “Prince Consort, you’re back…”

Song Langsheng looked at my outfit and asked: “The Princess dressed as a man again to meet whom?”

I just happened to run into someone on the road and chatted casually with him about Princess Manor secrets. Naturally, I wasn’t foolish enough to tell the truth, so I mumbled: “I was just feeling restless and took a couple turns around the neighborhood.”

Song Langsheng’s eyelashes moved: “After the scene you caused in court this morning, the Zhao faction probably went back and started plotting new ways to deal with you and the Crown Prince. Yet the Princess seems quite at ease, not worrying at all.”

I smiled: “Don’t we have our Prince Consort to support us? Song Langsheng, I’ve discovered you’re quite prophetic. Previously you told me about ‘governing with careful deliberation of pros and cons, enforcing laws without favoritism or leniency.’ Now it seems you possess both qualities—truly extraordinary, extraordinary.”

Upon hearing this, Song Langsheng’s expression suddenly changed. He gripped my shoulders: “You remembered?”

I froze. Remembered what? Ah yes, I hadn’t mentioned that previously recalled fragment to him.

I said: “Just a little bit.”

Song Langsheng’s gaze was sharp as a knife: “How much is a little bit?”

His stare made me inexplicably uncomfortable, so I simply broke free from his grip: “A little bit is a little bit. Why should I tell you? Besides, shouldn’t you be happy that I’m remembering the past? What kind of reaction is this?”

Song Langsheng seemed to want to speak but stopped, stopped but wanted to speak again. In the end, he still kept a straight face and remained silent. I shrugged, walked around him back to my room, thinking I should change back into princess attire before having a proper conversation.

But just as I had removed the fake beard from my face, I heard a cold voice outside the door: “Speak! Where is Bai Yujing!”

My little heart contracted with fear: This voice…

Then came Song Langsheng’s bland tone: “There’s no Bai Yujing here. You’ve broken into the wrong place, assassin…”

I pried open a crack in the window to look outside, only to see a person covered with a black mask and dressed in night-traveling clothes, holding a gleaming long sword to Song Langsheng’s throat, saying coldly: “Stop pretending. I’ve already heard about this Prince Consort’s many despicable deeds. Today I don’t want to argue about that—hand over Bai Yujing! Otherwise…” He pressed the sword blade closer to the Prince Consort’s neck.

Song Langsheng nonchalantly pointed at the sword with his finger, helpfully reminding: “The blade is on the other side. You’re holding it backwards.”

Assassin: “…”

I stared speechlessly at the wall beside me, feeling an urge to bash my head against it until I saw the heavens.

Oh dear Lu Lingjun, I still underestimated your courage… and overestimated your intelligence.

Song Langsheng, finding this assassin insufficiently enthusiastic, added fuel to the fire: “Since you recognize me, it seems you haven’t found the wrong place. But I don’t know this Bai Yujing. Why don’t you describe his characteristics, and I’ll help you look for him.”

Lu Lingjun snorted: “He’s a newly recruited male favorite of the Princess. How could you not know?” Then he vividly described all my male disguise characteristics.

With each sentence he spoke, Song Langsheng’s face grew darker, until finally he ground out through clenched teeth: “The person you’re looking for is currently in the Princess’s room.”

I sighed inwardly. Poor me, what did I do to deserve this? Now everything’s exposed.

Lu Lingjun shouted loudly toward my direction: “Princess—are you inside—”

Naturally I was.

Just as I put my hand on the door frame preparing to push the door open, Lu Lingjun continued: “I know that trespassing in the manor today is a great crime, but this is a matter of life and death. I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Princess, do you still remember me? Do you still remember the promise you made with me when we were young? Now, I want to use that promise to exchange for Bai Yujing’s freedom. Will you agree?”

Author’s Note:

I’m one day later than the promised update date—I’ll punish myself with three cups. I mainly forgot about having an exam on Saturday afternoon… Last night I rushed to write, but after finishing it was already past midnight. I felt the language was very rough, so I woke up this morning to polish it before posting. I bow in apology…

So I’ve updated with the most words in any single Yi Shou Zhe Tian Yi Shou Chui Di – Chapter in history! It’s like reading 2 chapters!!

Now everyone can comment to their heart’s content… Bury me with short, medium, and long reviews!!!

Hmm… It seems the Prince Consort faction has the most supporters now, followed by little Lu’s faction. There are all kinds of speculations, but I won’t spoil anything~~ Many people probably think since I haven’t brought Xu Fang out to wander around for almost ten chapters, he’s definitely cannon fodder… No!!! It’s just that the previous plot required it, so he can’t appear yet… I’ll try to bring him out within 3 chapters to confront the Prince Consort. Of course, I’m not saying the Prince Consort is cannon fodder either… Anyway, no matter who’s cannon fodder… (^__^) I won’t tell you, so keep guessing…

PS: Here’s a recommendation for a friend’s story. Those who feel tortured by my glacial update speed can click to read it while waiting. She updates n times more diligently than me. But remember not to abandon this story completely, ha, (^__^) teehee: “Don’t Speak, Don’t Love”