Wanwan’s cold lingered for seven or eight days, with coughing and fever that just wouldn’t improve. She couldn’t sleep at night either—from her nose up to her forehead, everything was filled with the sourness of tears and mucus. Lying down didn’t work as she couldn’t catch her breath, so she had Tonghuan bring a mattress, roll it thick into a cylinder shape, and stuff it behind her back to lean against. Only then could she barely feel settled.
Yin Lou came to visit her, bringing many things she herself liked, and knowing Wanwan kept squirrels, she often brought pine nuts and similar treats to bribe them so she could pet the squirrels’ heads a couple times. Wanwan was truly bored to death. The weather had turned cold these past few days, and it wasn’t good to go outside and catch a chill, so Yin Lou had someone bring a small kang table and the two sat on the bed playing backgammon.
Wanwan was a mess of tears and snot. After blowing her nose, she apologetically said to Yin Lou, “You came to visit and I’m making you see me like this.”
“What’s the matter with that? People eat all kinds of food—who doesn’t have some trivial troubles!” Yin Lou didn’t take such things seriously at all. The upbringing Wanwan received from childhood was different from hers. Yin Lou was an unwelcome concubine’s daughter who grew up lacking and wanting, crawling through reed marshes and sleeping by streams. As for Wanwan, wherever she went she carried an air of refined nobility. The only princess in three generations of Daye, the emperors and empresses were dedicated to molding her into a model for all imperial women. She had to be dignified and magnificent, had to be unreachably lofty—it would be best if she could even abstain from normal human eating, drinking, and bodily functions. So for her to blow her nose in front of others was quite unseemly. Fortunately, Yin Lou didn’t treat her as an outsider, otherwise Her Highness the Grand Princess would be in agony again.
Because Wanwan had grown close to Yin Lou, she had absorbed some of her temperament. Previously she hadn’t dared show her emotions much—no matter how rich her inner feelings, she looked like a wooden doll. In this lifetime, good guidance was very important. Nanny Li, who managed her education, had been severely scolded by her twice and now behaved herself, no longer hovering around her. Wanwan felt she had been constrained for over ten years, like a bottle gourd grown in a mold—the shape was already set, and how to polish and wax it from now on was entirely up to her.
She leaned against the hidden pouch. When they tired of chess, they cleared it away and brought up a small table of snacks. Her bed was a canopy bed, much larger than those used by young ladies in common households, like a small wooden house with railings carved in crabapple flower patterns and treasure compartments on the inner sides decorated with porcelain and curios. This canopy bed had one advantage—when the curtains were drawn, the two people inside were almost isolated from the world. The space was roomy enough to sit or lie as they pleased.
Wanwan poured tea for Yin Lou. “I haven’t been able to visit you these past few days. What have you been busy with?”
Yin Lou frowned deeply. “My sister comes to see me every day, but she has nothing to say and just sits there blankly in the room while I have to humor her. Back when the late Emperor was critically ill, the palace selection was originally to prepare palace ladies for the journey to heaven—they had me substitute for her, and I could die for all they cared. Now things have turned around and she’s envious seeing me in the palace. Actually, if His Majesty were willing, I could switch places with her.”
Wanwan immediately rejected this. “If you went with Prince Nanyuan, what would happen to the Factory Minister?” The words slipped out before she realized she had spoken carelessly, and she immediately froze.
Yin Lou was greatly embarrassed, awkwardly stealing glances at her. “Our affair… you already know? You won’t report us, will you?”
If she were going to report them, would she have waited until now? Wanwan said she wouldn’t. “You’re both suffering people who can keep each other company. I used to think that as long as I was in the palace, I could often accompany the Factory Minister to relieve his boredom, but I’ll eventually have to leave. How lonely he would be then! Now it’s good—you can talk heart-to-heart with him. Even when I’m gone, I can rest easy.”
She spoke earnestly, but Yin Lou heard a note of helplessness in her words. Someone like Xiao Duo, that great demon, hardly needed her care. Actually, after spending time together, Yin Lou had vaguely sensed something—Wanwan’s feelings toward Xiao Duo were rather complex. She herself had interfered, and Wanwan felt wronged but couldn’t say so.
“Wanwan, you like him too, don’t you?”
Hearing this suddenly, Wanwan blushed furiously, frantically denying it. “What rumors have you been hearing!”
But Yin Lou just smiled. “I don’t need to hear it from others—I can tell just by looking at your eyes.”
Suddenly exposed, she felt inexplicably embarrassed. Sweat broke out on Wanwan’s nose tip, and the heat cleared all her passages. After fidgeting for a long time, she realized there was no point in denying it. Wringing her fingers, she pleaded quietly, “Don’t tell him—it’s all my one-sided wishful thinking. He used to manage Yude Palace affairs, and one of my wet nurses committed an offense that should have been punishable by death, but he quietly saved her. I’ve always been grateful to him, and over time that turned into affection.” She bent down and shook Yin Lou’s arm. “You must keep my secret, otherwise I’ll have no face to see him again. You two be happy together and don’t worry about me. If there’s anything you need my help with, just ask. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Looking at her, Yin Lou suddenly felt her nose sting. She reached out to embrace Wanwan, stroking her hair and sighing. “You’ll definitely meet a good marriage match in the future. Someone as wonderful as you…”
Outside the curtains, Tonghuan looked at Director Xiao’s multicolored face and truly felt a helpless sense of being unable to assist.
But Wanwan felt very comforted. Knowing the inside story, Yin Lou didn’t blame her or deliberately distance herself. Wanwan felt this friendship was very worthwhile—even her melancholy over the missed opportunity had faded.
After another couple of days, her health had mostly recovered. She put on a thick cloak and went for a walk in the Imperial Garden. She and Tonghuan walked slowly along the winding stone path, with stacked artificial hills on both sides and the ornately decorated Imperial Scenery Pavilion ahead.
Tonghuan helped her up the ascending path. After a few steps, they heard giggling laughter from behind Duixiu Hill. Curious at the time, Wanwan followed the sound. Just past the corner, she saw two embracing figures in Fubi Pavilion—one was the Emperor who should have been sitting behind his imperial desk, and the other was Yin Lou’s sister who should have been properly following rules.
Wanwan was momentarily stunned and couldn’t avoid them in time. Yin Ge spotted her first, hurriedly tugged at the Emperor’s sleeve, and stepped aside herself.
Only then did the Emperor see her, looking sheepish. “Little sister, are you feeling better? It’s not warm today—be careful not to catch cold from the wind again.”
Wanwan had always been disgusted by the Emperor’s indiscriminate behavior, and having witnessed it today, she couldn’t hold back. Glancing at Yin Ge, “Madam… according to Qi people’s terms, you should be called Secondary Consort. You’ve entered the palace again today? Have you seen Empress Bu?”
Yin Ge looked ashamed and curtsied to her. “Greetings to Your Highness the Grand Princess. In response to Your Highness, this servant encountered His Majesty just after entering the palace and hasn’t had time to visit Jiluan Palace yet.” As she spoke, she glanced at the Emperor. “This servant takes her leave.”
The Emperor gazed wistfully at her departing figure, then remembering his sister was still there, he rallied his spirits. “Are you still feverish? Has the cough completely cleared up?”
Wanwan ignored these inquiries, frowning. “If I remember correctly, that’s Yin Lou’s sister, isn’t it? How can you behave this way, Brother? Never mind family connections—even without them, she’s still Prince Nanyuan’s concubine. Your behavior is improper.”
The Emperor choked, trying to defend himself. “It was just a chance encounter.”
“Even chance encounters require avoiding suspicion. If you have questions, summon her openly to Yangxin Hall. Behind these artificial hills and rocks—how would it sound if word got out?”
The Emperor was practically dumbfounded. Strange indeed—he didn’t even regard the Empress Dowager or Empress as authorities, yet he was intimidated by this sister alone. Wanwan was still young, only fifteen, but sometimes she spoke like a scholar. Though a young lady, she had the world in her heart and dared to speak righteously when she saw him doing wrong. Since he couldn’t do anything about her, he gradually came to feel his head ache when facing her.
He scratched his scalp. “Brother did wrong. I’ll be more careful in the future. Don’t stand in the wind—come into the pavilion.”
She slowly stepped up. “I shouldn’t criticize you originally, but I hope Second Brother will be an enlightened ruler. Our Daye’s finances and political situation are currently strained—you need to turn the tide. If you put all your thoughts on such matters, how will things be in the future?” She wanted to argue further but was constrained by being an unmarried woman—some things weren’t appropriate to debate. After thinking, she only said, “Yin Lou’s sister is Prince Nanyuan’s concubine. Your behavior toward her is improper. I won’t say more—Second Brother knows himself.”
Again wearing an unhappy expression, she pouted and left. The Emperor watched her go and only breathed a sigh of relief after she was far away. Eunuch Chongmao approached to receive instructions. “Your Majesty, how should that Secondary Consort be handled? The sedan chair is still waiting in the passageway.”
The Emperor thundered in rebuke: “No perception! How else should she be handled? Send her out of the palace!”
So she returned empty-handed. Yin Ge was resentful, coming out through Shunzhen Gate and still in a foul mood when she reached the princely mansion. When a maid came to take her cloak, she pushed her away with a sweep of her hand, sending the person flying. Yuwen Liangshi was holding a watering pot, watering flowers. Seeing her condition, he knew the mission had failed. When she approached, he didn’t even lift his eyes. “How did it go?”
“That Princess Hede is truly a formidable character! Originally His Majesty and I were talking in Fubi Pavilion and everything was going smoothly. I don’t know where that troublemaker appeared from, but a few words left His Majesty stunned. I couldn’t stay there anymore and had to return to the mansion first.”
He had initially maintained an indifferent attitude, but hearing her mention Wanwan, his face showed a gentle expression. Not hurried, he asked with interest, “What did the Grand Princess say?”
Yin Ge grabbed a handful of leaves and threw them viciously on the ground. “She was being sarcastic, saying ‘Isn’t this the Secondary Consort? How are you here? Have you seen Empress Bu?’… His Majesty was standing right there and completely helpless.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Who told you to be so conspicuous in the garden? That she didn’t bring a whole crowd to watch the excitement was already her grace. What did His Majesty say? Any instructions?”
Yin Ge shook her head, even more dejected. “With the Grand Princess causing such a disturbance, His Majesty lost interest. What instructions could there be! I now suspect His Majesty fears that young lady. What kind of brother exists in this world—one word from his sister and he doesn’t dare breathe loudly. I’m out of hope now. Whatever happens in the future depends on fate.”
Actually, one shouldn’t blame the Emperor but should be amazed by that young lady. One thing conquers another—that’s the principle. Logically, the Emperor held supreme power—what could make him hesitate? Yet it was just this strange—he was wary of his sister, though perhaps it couldn’t be called wariness but rather affection. This Grand Princess was born to handle emperors. Force against force only produces war, but her combination of fragility and stubbornness left people at a loss.
He was in good spirits, no longer watering flowers, and strolled around the courtyard with his hands behind his back. Because her plan had failed, Yin Ge followed closely behind him. “What should we do next? Please instruct me, Your Highness.”
He turned back with a glance, golden light flowing and clouds stirring in the ninth heaven. “You still don’t understand men. Unless you haven’t caught his eye, there’s absolutely no letting go. You can still enter the palace to see Consort Duan—who would dare stop you? As for His Majesty’s side, someone will provide support, which will naturally be enough for your benefit.”
So he had already made arrangements—at least the imperial presence needn’t be worried about.
“Your Highness once said we each take what we need. Then what do you want? This servant dares to guess…” Thinking of his smile, Yin Ge bit her teeth and probed, “Is it Princess Hede?”
His eyes gradually grew cold, looking at her with such indifference. Yin Ge’s whole body trembled with fear, so frightened her heart nearly shattered. Just as she was regretting her big mouth and wanting to slap herself, she heard his desolate tone, word by word: “Your guess is correct. What I want is precisely her, so you can only succeed, not fail.”