Wanwan was somewhat stunned. This was Prince Nanyuan? How was he different from what the legends described? Or perhaps, living deep within the palace, the information she received wasn’t the most accurate. Some people beautified him while others vilified him. The Yuwen clan occupied Daye’s most prosperous and strategically valuable territory, making them a major concern for the court and a target for impeachment by other princes. Since they couldn’t find evidence of him maintaining private armies or proof of his exploitation of the people, they demonized him through other means. Sometimes rumors couldn’t be entirely trusted—hearing was deceiving, only seeing was believing.
When foreign officials entered the palace, their identification plaques had to be verified. Only when the person matched the plaque could they pass through the gates. The Palace Ceremonial Department sent an experienced old eunuch to escort visitors—someone who had served in the palace for decades and could recognize princes and commanders with his eyes closed, so there would be no mistakes. Wanwan served at his side, holding the umbrella handle high as flying raindrops struck her shoulders. After just two steps, a eunuch wearing a trailing robe with slumped shoulders and collapsed posture came forward to pay respects, as if greeting an old friend after years of separation, filled with the joy of reunion.
“Your Highness! I was looking this way from afar, thinking it might be you, and it really is! Ah, it’s been seven years since we parted in the southern city. Back then Your Highness was still the heir apparent, and this servant has a good eye for people—I knew Your Highness would achieve great things. Last time those monkeys went south to supervise silk production, they said Nanyuan under Your Highness’s rule was even more prosperous than under the old prince. This servant’s ears tingled with envy hearing that, wishing I could go to Jiangnan to see you. What a pity these two legs aren’t up to it—I injured them building a house last year and still can’t travel far distances… Seeing you today brings the same joy. I’ve come especially to pay my respects. I trust Your Highness has been well.”
Fortunately, Prince Nanyuan had good patience. Being tall, he even bent down slightly to accommodate the short, fat man. Seeing the other person bow to him, he quickly offered a modest gesture of support: “I truly don’t deserve such courtesy. I was young then and acted rashly—I’m grateful for the Inner Minister’s care. In private, Inner Minister, there’s no need to address me as Your Highness. Just call me Liang Shi. These years I haven’t been summoned by the Emperor and had no opportunity to come to the capital. When the Inner Minister was promoted, I couldn’t congratulate you in person—truly remiss of me.”
The eunuch smiled like a chrysanthemum, waving his hands: “Not at all, not at all! The person Your Highness sent didn’t even have a cup of wine before leaving. If anyone was remiss, it was me who lost face. I don’t know if you’ll have time this visit, but if Your Highness would honor me, please come sit at my humble residence. I’ll prepare a feast to properly entertain Your Highness.”
Prince Nanyuan indeed had a gentle and serene demeanor, saying warmly: “We’ll see when the time comes—I’m afraid I won’t be free. The Emperor’s edict arrived mid-month, and from departure to arrival in the capital took only half a month. The journey was hasty with no time to prepare properly. I hurriedly had people prepare two southern specialties beforehand—I’ll send someone to deliver them to your residence later. You have an old injury in your leg that’s just healed; that medicine will have miraculous effects on your leg wound.”
The eunuch thanked him profusely: “Ah, such a minor injury, yet you still remember and worry about me! Today time is pressing—Your Highness should enter the palace first. When there’s leisure time later, we can talk at length.”
Wanwan didn’t understand that in this exchange of pleasantries, several thousand taels of silver had essentially been arranged. She only knew that this Prince Nanyuan was modest and courteous even to these flattering old eunuchs. She had been curious to see what a Xianbei person looked like, never expecting she would be the one assigned to serve him. Having just heard his words, she thought his character must be noble, which didn’t disappoint her earlier fears and worries.
She led him toward the Huangji Hall. The light rain had dampened the green bricks on the ground, creating patches that looked like the maritime maps hanging in her elder brother’s study. There were too many eunuchs in the palace for her to recognize them all. She didn’t even know who that extortionist from earlier was, but she was very familiar with the paths of the front and rear courts. Leading him through the Middle Right Gate, she imitated Wuqi’s usual tone and kindly advised: “Please watch your step, Your Highness. On rainy days the paths are slippery—the palace bricks have all been worn smooth, don’t stumble.”
The words left her mouth without thinking, and she secretly stuck out her tongue afterward. Actually, once she delivered him, she could slip away back to Yude Palace, but she had to speak out of turn at this moment. If he responded, she wouldn’t even know how to reply.
What she feared came to pass—she heard his leisurely voice: “Originally thirty zhang wide and fifteen zhang deep, compared to now, it’s truly far inferior.”
Wanwan swallowed and didn’t respond. He paused slightly, probably thinking this little eunuch was ignorant, and deliberately turned to ask her: “The lightning strike in the sixth year of Longhua that set the hall ablaze—I heard the craftsmen completed the new hall within half a year?”
Wanwan was very nervous and didn’t dare look at him, keeping her eyes down on her toes as she answered yes: “It took six months and nine days. The construction was grander than before—eleven bays wide, five bays deep, with seventy-two large columns and 4,718 gold bricks… Your Highness will know once you enter the hall.”
Actually, answering too thoroughly was also taboo. He had only asked about the construction time, yet she introduced every brick and column in such detail. After finishing, she regretted it and anxiously looked up at him with worry.
But strangely, he wasn’t angry. His lips still held that smile—a kind she had never seen before, different from Junior Supervisor Xiao’s. Junior Supervisor Xiao’s smile carried spring at his brow tips, while his was broad and refined, with clear winds and bright moon reaching the depths of his eyes, making that golden halo even more distinct.
He walked slowly across the imperial avenue and gradually let out a long breath: “Is Eunuch Cao still in power in your Palace Ceremonial Department?”
Wanwan thought for a moment and said no: “Eunuch Cao doesn’t manage much anymore. Many decisions are made by Junior Supervisor Xiao. Junior Supervisor Xiao is a Secretary Eunuch and also serves as Eastern Depot Commander this year. The position of Chief Eunuch will certainly be his in the future.” Her tone carried a pride she wasn’t aware of.
He nodded and fell silent, walking forward with hands behind his back, his back straight as a pine or bamboo. Looking at his figure alone, he really resembled Xiao Duo somewhat. Wanwan was momentarily distracted, and perhaps because of this groundless similarity, she felt this person wasn’t so strange after all.
She calmed herself, walking briskly with good spirits, not finding the umbrella burdensome. The misty rain swept toward them, cool and refreshing. She turned to wipe her shoulder, when suddenly a gust of wind blew. The yellow lacquer umbrella was too heavy and she couldn’t control it properly—the handle tilted over and struck heavily against his ear.
She was startled and saw his shocked face, the golden ring in his eyes flashing with somewhat frightening depth.
“I, I, I…” she stammered incoherently, “I didn’t mean to… did I hurt Your Highness?”
His brow slowly furrowed as he examined her carefully: “You’re so careless. It doesn’t matter for me, but I’m afraid you’ll be punished.”
Wanwan knew no one would dare punish her, but not wanting to draw attention, she had to bow halfway: “If you don’t report me, this matter will just pass. Your Highness, this is my first time serving, and I’m clumsy. You have great magnanimity—please forgive me!” After speaking, she saw redness appear near his ear and awkwardly pointed: “There… does it hurt?”
Actually asking was pointless—since it was red, how could it not hurt? Fortunately he was cultured and, as she suggested, didn’t report her or make a scene. He just raised a hand to touch the spot, frowning: “The Qi people excel at archery and horsemanship—this small bump is nothing. But I’ve heard people spreading rumors everywhere, saying the Yuwen clan are monsters with bear faces, hair all over their bodies, looking like demons.” He paused slightly, his gaze lightly passing over her face: “In your opinion, are these rumors true?”
Wanwan’s heart jumped again: “Who’s spreading such nonsense? How could Your Highness possibly look like a demon…” She remembered her own bold pronouncements in the bedchamber and felt guilty, her face involuntarily reddening.
He seemed quite satisfied, his smile deepening at the corners of his mouth. Turning away, he resumed his unattainable demeanor and said calmly: “Serve well. It would be unfortunate if you fell into someone else’s hands.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” She nodded and bowed, her attitude sincere: “Thank you for Your Highness’s tolerance. You are a good person and will surely receive good fortune.”
Just as she was chattering away expressing her gratitude, someone took the umbrella from behind her. Looking back, she saw Junior Supervisor Xiao. He didn’t even glance at her directly, smiling at Prince Nanyuan: “I was busy arranging the banquet earlier and couldn’t properly receive Your Highness—please forgive me. This servant was impertinent and affronted Your Highness. I’ll severely reprimand her later. Since Your Highness has arrived here, it’s the same for me to serve you.” He handed her the umbrella he’d brought and said indifferently: “Go back. Today is busy, so I’ll set this matter aside for now. I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”
Wanwan was so frightened her hair stood on end. Not daring to say more, she took the umbrella, clutched it to her chest, and ran out of the Middle Right Gate without looking back.
Even outside the gate she was still panting, but her feet suddenly stopped. Despite the sideways glances from the Brocade Guard on duty, she grabbed the door frame and peered toward the front of Huangji Hall.
From here to the banquet hall was very far. Those red and white figures gradually blurred in the twilight. Taking the side path up the vermillion steps, the white marble columns blocked half their bodies. Lanterns were already lit under the hall’s eaves, and they walked into the warm band of light—two such similar people standing shoulder to shoulder at the same height. If not for their different facial features, they could have been brothers.
Wanwan straightened up to think, her mind filled with mist like a bewildering maze, something trying to emerge yet remaining elusive.
“Why are you still here?” Xiao You, who had been waiting for her for ages, popped out from a corner. “Come on, let’s go back quickly. If we’re late, there’ll be trouble.” She was almost in tears. Earlier when she was wandering around Huangji Hall, she encountered Junior Supervisor Xiao, and when he saw her, he nearly devoured her alive. Under pressure, she revealed her master’s whereabouts—not because she was disloyal, but because facing that bone-crushing demon from the Eastern Depot, she was so scared she forgot her own surname and naturally answered whatever was asked.
Xiao You pulled her along while Wanwan remained dazed: “I feel like I’ve seen this Prince Nanyuan somewhere before.”
“Never mind whether you’ve seen him or not—let’s talk about it when we get back, alright?” Xiao You crouched down halfway: “I’m finished this time. Please remember me, and burn some paper money for me next Qingming Festival. That won’t waste my devotion to you.”
Wanwan was dragged back to Yude Palace, where they encountered Nanny Li at the entrance. Wuqi had been kneeling by the wall for quite some time, and seeing her, couldn’t stop wailing: “Master, master, what did I tell you? I said not to go, but you wouldn’t listen to my advice. Now Nanny wants to send me to the Palace Ceremonial Department for punishment, and I’ll lose my life if I go there! Please save me quickly!”
The wrinkles on Nanny Li’s face were almost entirely stretched out with anger. Glaring with the disciplinary ruler in her hand, she struck Wuqi’s bottom: “How dare you complain? It’s your good fortune Her Highness returned—if she’d been half a step later and this was reported to Cining Palace, let’s see what would happen to you! Shut up properly. Even begging to heaven won’t help you. A perfectly good princess, led astray by you lawless troublemakers until she doesn’t know north from south. Look—wearing eunuch clothes, standing foolishly at Xihua Gate—where’s even a trace of imperial family propriety! I’m responsible for education and discipline here. If I can’t control you, it’s my dereliction of duty. I’ll go to Cining Palace with a bundle of thorns on my back to accept punishment—whatever beating I deserve, I’ll take it. But before I go, I must deal with you all, or leaving you two disasters here, who knows what greater troubles you’ll cause!”
The ruler pointed at Xiao You: “Kneel down!” Her voice was so loud it startled Wanwan into silence.
Xiao You immediately dropped to her knees with a thud, sobbing as she looked at Wanwan, not daring to breathe heavily.
Naturally Wanwan couldn’t let them take the blame for her, pleading softly: “Nanny, please spare them. This time it’s not their fault—it was my own idea…”
Before Wanwan could finish, Nanny Li cut off her words: “My master, every time you cause trouble, don’t you say it was your own idea? Always indulging them like this—what will we do in the future? You are pure and kind-hearted. Whatever bad schemes they devise, they drag you along, and you muddle-headedly take responsibility for them. What do they rely on? They rely on knowing you care for those close to you and can’t bear to see them suffer! Now look what’s happened—servants don’t act like servants anymore, daring to treat such serious matters as games. What kind of place is the front court? And who was entering the palace today? If word gets out, do you still care about Your Highness’s reputation? I have no way to control you anymore and can only trouble the Palace Ceremonial Department. If they implicate me in the punishment, this old face of mine is forfeit—let them beat me as they will.”
Nanny Li’s machine-gun-like scolding made Wanwan lower her head, her nose stinging with tears. If she examined her heart, these stern nannies were like invisible executioners, severing her freedom and her human nature. But ancestral decrees required them to educate princes and princesses, giving them great authority. Even if she asserted her status, sometimes it was helpless. However, no matter what, she needed to establish some discipline—even if ineffective, intimidation would be good.
“The Factory Minister already knows about this matter. Nanny, don’t rush—let him handle it tomorrow.” She sniffled and sat down in the round chair: “You two stop kneeling. Wuqi, bring dinner. Xiao You, help me change clothes and wash my face.” Her voice gradually lowered as she muttered: “The master wears eunuch clothes but they won’t help her change, won’t let the master eat, won’t let the master wash—yet they talk about propriety… Damn propriety!”
This left Nanny Li dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time.