Wei Caiwei was not surprised when she learned that Li Jiubao was to be sent to Prince Yu’s residence. Shang Qinglan and Li Jiubao, after going in circles, were both heading toward their respective destinies.

However, Shang Qinglan quickly accepted the fact that she could not take the “wealth” she had appropriated from the palace with her when leaving, so she bestowed everything upon her dear father. She then began touring her own palace. Her personality was such that no matter where she went, she would do her utmost to make herself comfortable.

But Li Jiubao was different. In her previous life, Li Jiubao had entered the palace to one day find the murderer and avenge Chen Jingji’s tragic death. But in this life, Li Jiubao entered the palace to be closer to Chen Jingji. However, Prince Yu’s residence was separated from the Forbidden City by several streets, and Prince Yu, being despised by the Emperor, was not even allowed to enter the palace. Li Jiubao would have even fewer opportunities.

Wei Caiwei knew that Li Jiubao was in despair at this moment, so she went to Chuxiu Palace to console her.

Li Jiubao sat on the large heated platform by the window in a daze. The room was piled high with various rewards, hoping she would soon bear children for the imperial family.

Nanny Song had favored Li Jiubao from the beginning, thinking Shang Qinglan would be eliminated. She never expected the opposite result—the one who was eliminated received great favor, being granted her own palace as its mistress with just the title of Beauty.

Yet Li Jiubao was to be sent out of the Forbidden City. Ah, truly there was no justice in heaven.

Nanny Song was about to comfort Li Jiubao when Wei Caiwei arrived. On the small table of the heated platform by the window were the three incense vessels: an incense burner, incense box, and incense bottle.

Wei Caiwei pointed to the incense burner and said, “This is the Forbidden City, the incense box is Prince Yu’s residence.” She placed the copper fire shovel used for adding incense from the bottle into the burner. “This is him.”

That is, Chen Jingji in the Forbidden City. He had been studying diligently in the Inner Academy of the Ceremonial Directorate. The Inner Academy held small examinations every ten days and major ones every month. If eliminated, there would be no chance for advancement—one could only do menial work in the palace.

Moreover, the Inner Academy was far away in the Twenty-Four Directorates, very distant from Chuxiu Palace, separated by countless palace walls. Since Li Jiubao entered the palace, the two had never met.

Having her thoughts exposed, Li Jiubao suddenly raised her head to look at Wei Caiwei.

Wei Caiwei placed the incense chopsticks from the vessels into the incense box symbolizing Prince Yu’s residence. “This is you. The fire shovel and incense chopsticks are separated by a realm—this is settled and cannot be changed. But this does not prevent the fire shovel and incense chopsticks from watching over each other. After three years of study, the fire shovel will be assigned duties and rise through the ranks. The incense chopsticks will also, after three years, help the incense box come here—”

Wei Caiwei placed the incense box on top of the incense burner, and naturally the fire shovel and incense chopsticks came together. “So hope always remains. You had the courage to steal your family’s household registration to sign up for the imperial selection. Surely future matters won’t be too difficult for you. There are no turning back arrows once the bow is drawn. Only by moving forward step by step can one carve out a path through the thorny ground.”

Li Jiubao stared fixedly at the incense burner and box, then put the three vessels back in their original positions, placing the fire shovel and chopsticks back in the bottle. “Thank you, Doctor Wei. I know what I must do.”

Only when Prince Yu became Emperor could she return to the Forbidden City.

That very day, Li Jiubao and eight other selected ladies were sent together to Prince Yu’s residence as concubines.

Li Jiubao was exceptionally beautiful, and unsurprisingly received Prince Yu’s favor that very night.

In the Forbidden City, at the West Garden.

As night fell, Emperor Jiajing performed his routine meditation but could not achieve tranquility. His mind was filled with the previous night’s passion at Guanghan Palace. It had been so very long since he experienced such pleasure—it was as if he had returned to his youth, when he had enfeoffed nine consorts at once and was a bridegroom every night.

Emperor Jiajing’s mind wandered restlessly. He simply gave up on meditation and ordered, “Summon Beauty Shang to attend.”

During the day, Wei Caiwei had already sent someone to inform the palace historian who specifically recorded the Emperor’s intimate life that Beauty Shang could not serve in bed for three days. The palace historian told Huang Jin, who hurriedly reported back, “Beauty Shang is unwell. The female physician in the palace has treated her with medicine and says we must wait three days to see if she can serve in bed.”

Emperor Jiajing’s old face reddened. “Oh, I see. Never mind then.”

After a while, Emperor Jiajing’s mind was still full of Shang Qinglan’s charming and innocent appearance. Restless, he said, “Prepare the imperial carriage to Yude Palace. I will go see her.”

“What?” Huang Jin thought he had heard wrong. After all, Emperor Jiajing had not set foot in the harem for nineteen years.

Emperor Jiajing said, “I want to see Beauty Shang.”

Huang Jin feared that when the Emperor reached the palace gates, he would be terrified and not dare enter, making it difficult to save face. He advised, “The West Garden is too far from Yude Palace, and with the late hour and heavy fog, Your Majesty must take care of your dragon body. This servant will send someone to fetch Beauty Shang. She can just attend you without serving in bed.”

If they couldn’t sleep together, holding hands and talking should be fine.

Emperor Jiajing said, “It’s already late, and Beauty Shang has injuries. It would be inconvenient for her to travel far. Let her rest. I will go see her.”

Having just broken the nineteen-year rule of not staying overnight with palace consorts last night, tonight he wanted to break the nineteen-year precept of not entering the harem?

This Beauty Shang was going to be on fire!

After a brief shock, Huang Jin immediately ordered his subordinates to arrange the carriage and guards. Emperor Jiajing thought for a moment and added, “Beauty Shang likes fireworks. Bring several cases of fireworks to give to her.”

Huang Jin complied with everything. When Emperor Jiajing’s imperial carriage reached the harem, the entire harem was in an uproar!

Nineteen years! The palace consorts had aged from maidens to old women. How many had not seen the Emperor for nineteen years, yearning desperately? Eyes that once sparkled like rippling waves had become fountains of tears. After waiting nineteen years, even the fountains of tears had dried up.

The palace consorts who were about to sleep all got up to dress elaborately, hoping that after nineteen years of separation from the Emperor, they might regain his favor.

However, the little eunuchs who went to gather news returned to tell their respective mistresses, “His Majesty has gone to Beauty Shang’s Yude Palace.”

Not only that, brilliant fireworks rose above Yude Palace, continuing intermittently until midnight.

That night, Emperor Jiajing simply slept holding Beauty Shang, staying overnight at Yude Palace—also his first time sleeping in the harem in nineteen years.

But that night, except for Emperor Jiajing and Beauty Shang, all the palace consorts suffered from insomnia.

Two days later, Wei Caiwei re-examined Shang Qinglan’s injuries and found they had healed. Wei Caiwei leaned close to her ear and taught her several methods to avoid injury easily. This made Shang Qinglan blush and her heart race as she coquettishly complained, “Oh my, how does Doctor Wei know such things? You’ve corrupted me.”

Wei Caiwei said, “This woman is a widow, an experienced person and a gynecological expert, so naturally I know these things. In bedroom matters, women are inherently more prone to injury than men. You must protect yourself.”

Shang Qinglan said, “Doctor Wei must miss your late husband very much.” Otherwise, how would Doctor Wei have such rich experience to pass on to her? She imagined that Doctor Wei and her late husband must have been harmonious as lute and zither, like fish in water.

This question stumped Wei Caiwei.

When she had just been reborn, she had indeed felt this way, thinking of her deceased husband Eunuch Wang from her previous life almost constantly, even dreaming of various intimate activities with Eunuch Wang.

But it seemed that ever since that night at Jishui Pond, when she had desperately jumped into the lake to save Wang Daxia but was instead saved by him, whether thinking during the day or dreaming at night, Eunuch Wang appeared less and less frequently. Wang Daxia gradually expanded unrestrained in her mind, overwhelming Eunuch Wang.

Seeing Wei Caiwei lost in thought, Shang Qinglan quickly said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up Doctor Wei’s sad memories.”

Wei Caiwei said, “Oh, it’s nothing. It has nothing to do with you, Beauty. I just remembered some past events and felt somewhat sentimental. This woman has been in the palace for nearly a month. Now that the selected ladies in Chuxiu Palace each have their destinies and your health has recovered, I should leave the palace.”

Though they had been separated for only three days, Wei Caiwei very much wanted to see Wang Daxia. She didn’t know how his injuries were healing or whether Prince Jing would retaliate against him.

Shang Qinglan’s expression changed dramatically. “Doctor Wei wants to leave? No, no! Li Jiubao has gone to Prince Yu’s residence. You’re my only acquaintance in the palace. If you leave, what will I do?”

Wei Caiwei said, “His Majesty is your support, Beauty. Your days in the palace will not be difficult. Moreover, my name is still registered with the Ceremonial Directorate. If you need me, you can summon me to the palace at any time. I think Nanny Song is quite good. You could have her transferred to Yude Palace.”

Shang Qinglan hesitated somewhat. “But Nanny Song has always disliked that I eat too much, talk too much, and vomit too much. She gave me the nickname ‘Shang Three-Much.’ She doesn’t like me—she only likes Li Jiubao. If she comes to Yude Palace to serve me, won’t she be unhappy?”

Wei Caiwei said, “How could that be? You are now a favored consort, solely receiving His Majesty’s grace. Many people are breaking their heads trying to get in. Nanny Song is an old hand in the palace. Though she clearly dislikes and disapproves of you, in treating you and Li Jiubao, she has always been fair. Whatever Li Jiubao had, you also had. She would never take your things to favor Li Jiubao. Most people in the palace are snobbish, flattering the high and stepping on the low. Honest people like Nanny Song are rare.”

Shang Qinglan followed Wei Caiwei’s advice and gave Wei Caiwei many gifts: silk textiles, fur-trimmed robes, jewelry and hair ornaments, precious medicinal materials. There were so many things that one carriage couldn’t hold them all, so the palace arranged another carriage to follow behind, escorting Wei Caiwei all the way to Sweet Water Alley.

Two little eunuchs thoughtfully carried the gifts into the house, and Wei Caiwei rewarded the drivers and eunuchs accordingly.

After nearly a month, the house was covered with a layer of dust. Wei Caiwei opened the doors and windows for air circulation, wrapped her hair with a handkerchief, and cleaned the house. On the incense altar in the main hall, the moon cakes placed as offerings before the spirit tablet of “Late Husband Wang Erlang” had surprisingly not spoiled. The pastry skin was intact, only harder than a month ago—they had become stone moon cakes.

While cleaning, Wei Caiwei used the moon cakes to crack open several walnuts to eat.

As Wei Caiwei cleaned, she kept her ears open for sounds at the door, especially the back door. Since she had returned home, Wang Daxia would surely come find her.

Indeed, as she was sweeping the stairs, there came knocking at the back door.

Wei Caiwei quickly put down the broom and took out the small Western mercury mirror that Shang Qinglan had given her from her purse to check her face. Discovering some dust on her chin, she cleaned her face before running to the back courtyard to open the door. “Wang—”

“Wang Qianhu?” It wasn’t Wang Daxia, but Daxia’s father.

Wang Qianhu held a food box in his right hand and led his youngest son Wang Daqiu with his left.

Wang Qianhu handed the food box to Wei Caiwei. “I heard our neighbor had returned, so I brought you some food.”

“Thank you very much.” Wei Caiwei accepted the food box. Wang Qianhu said, “Please continue with your work. I still need to take Daqiu out for a walk to digest his food—he ate too much at lunch.”

Since Wei Caiwei was a widow after all, Wang Qianhu brought his young son as a chaperone to avoid gossip.

Wang Daqiu had been contentedly sucking on his fingers. Seeing Wei Caiwei, he finally pulled his shiny, well-gnawed hand out and tilted his head to look behind Wei Caiwei. “Where’s my big brother?”

Even Wang Daqiu knew that big brother was missing and must be at Wei Caiwei’s place!

Wang Qianhu quickly glared at his son sternly. “Don’t talk nonsense. Your brother is still on duty in the palace. How could he possibly be at Doctor Wei’s house?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Caiwei felt something was wrong. Wang Daxia had left the palace three days ago—why had he never returned home? Why hadn’t he told his family? What had happened to him?

Though puzzled in her heart, Wei Caiwei maintained her composure outwardly. “It’s fine. Children say innocent things.”

Wang Qianhu quickly took his leave, leading away his troublesome child.

Wei Caiwei ate the lunch Wang Qianhu had sent, but her mind kept dwelling on Wang Daxia. After the meal, she washed the bowls and chopsticks clean, packed them back in the food box to return to the Wang residence, then hired a carriage to go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters to look for Wang Daxia.

Author’s Note: Caiwei: Three days without discipline, and he’s putting a green hat on me! Cut it off, quickly. Ban Xia is rushing to the scene wielding a thirty-meter broadsword.

Reading the comments, some readers wrote Chen Jingji as Chen Economics, or even Chen Manager! Yang Manager! His name is Chen Ju, ju as in torch. Since his ancestors were all in the brokerage business, everyone calls him Chen Jingji. Brokerage houses were like intermediaries. Real estate, goods, and even the buying and selling of slaves in ancient times were within the business scope of brokerage houses.