They set off for the Xian Prince’s mansion. The Prince sat in a cooling sedan chair, while Ding Yi, not qualified to support the chair, followed alongside at a short distance. Official lanterns with black backgrounds and gold characters led the way, their faint glow illuminating half of Chun Prince’s face. She stole a glance—such a person, both near yet distant. Despite exerting all her strength to establish a connection, she still felt unable to reach him.
Xia Zhi’s matter was settled, and she began pondering the words she had heard earlier. Hadn’t Guan Zhaoking mentioned that the Chun Prince was heading to Ninguta? Her offer to dedicate her life to his service wasn’t an impulse—she had harbored ulterior motives all along. Who knew that things wouldn’t unfold as she wished? It seemed that having too gentle a disposition could indeed be quite troublesome at times!
Looking up at the sky, a crescent moon hung dimly. She wanted to inquire further, but couldn’t engage the Prince in conversation, and Chief Eunuch Guan wouldn’t even look her in the eye. It seemed everything would have to be discussed later.
Fortunately, the Seventh Prince didn’t retire early. By the time they arrived at the Xian Prince’s mansion, the theater performance of “Phoenix Returns to the Nest” had just ended. The head steward led the Twelfth Prince into the reception hall, and shortly afterward, the Seventh Prince arrived, dressed in Buddhist-head blue plain Hangzhou silk. The satin was fine, and as he waved his fan, a shimmer of light undulated across his body with every movement.
“Why have you come at this hour?” Hong Tao asked, then glanced to the side, raising his eyebrows. “Hah, it’s you again, boy!”
Ding Yi stepped forward with a solemn expression and made a deep bow. “Mu Xiaoshu pays respects to Your Highness.”
Without needing to speak, he already understood—Hong Ce was soft-hearted and had been persuaded to intercede. Thinking about the dog was exasperating. A perfectly purebred animal, ruined in a few careless moves. Badger dogs had their class, but he was of superior grade, kept for its beauty.
He was grief-stricken. As Hong Ce was about to speak, he held up his hand to stop him. “Don’t say it. The more you speak, the more I resent it. I even feel like killing that little whelp. You don’t raise dogs, so you don’t understand the art of selecting badger dogs. There’s a saying in the trade: ‘Black dogs are reliable, blue dogs are fierce, raccoon dogs are clever, and yellow dogs are steady.’ My slender one was a raccoon dog, white in color—a white raccoon dog appears once in a decade, understand? Have you ever seen a white dog catching badgers on a pitch-dark night? These rustics, blind as bats, just ruin things for me.” He paused, feeling stifled, then gestured outward. “Go, bring the dogs in. Let our Twelfth Prince have a look.”
The eunuch responsible for the dogs received the order and led in two dogs, chains jingling. The one in front had its ear tips cut, with only stumps remaining, standing stiffly upright. Its tail, originally with twisted joints, had been straightened and several inches cut off, resembling a skyward-pointing spear on a halberd rack. It indeed couldn’t compare to the dog behind it.
Hong Tao was obsessed with dogs, treating them better than women. Now filled with bitterness, beating the culprit wouldn’t be enough to vent his anger. Pointing at the dogs, he said, “See? A matching pair, both with squirrel tails and jade-stone eyes, the finest of the finest. One is still beautiful, while the other has been ruined like this! I went to great lengths to acquire this dog from the Direct Prince, caring for it more meticulously than a child. The dog is playful. That day, Hongshao insisted on taking it out. Fine, let it go out, but ask anyone in the capital—who doesn’t know this dog is mine? It had been out for hours, and no one dared touch it, yet it encountered that blind fool who ruined it like this. You’ve come to plead for him, but it’s not that I won’t give you face. I’m simply too angry to let it go.” He glared at Ding Yi. “Why did you seek out the Twelfth Prince? Did you get addicted to being rescued last time? Think the Twelfth Prince is easy to talk to, like picking the softest persimmon to squeeze?”
Seeing the dog, Ding Yi felt ashamed and stammered: “Please don’t get angry. Summer heat is bad for the liver… We truly didn’t know the dog was yours. If we had known, as you said, we wouldn’t have dared even to look at it, let alone touch it. Now that this has happened, it’s too late for words. My brother is young and disrespectful, but he must surely regret it now. Please be kind and take pity on us, give him a chance to redeem himself… How about this—whatever price you paid for the dog, we’ll borrow money to compensate you. Would that be acceptable?”
“Could you afford it? Selling yourself wouldn’t cover its value!” Hong Tao dismissed him with contempt. “Last time you didn’t deliver the medicine, claiming you didn’t know it was my intention. The next day you mess with my dog and again claim you didn’t know it was mine?” He poked Ding Yi’s forehead. “Is this just for decoration? Don’t you do any research? Am I so easily fooled?”
Ding Yi protected her head, dodging, but couldn’t escape completely. Her scalp burned with pain. What to do? She quickly ducked behind the Twelfth Prince for protection.
Hong Ce had come to mediate after all and had to speak up. “Seventh Brother, if you really can’t part with it, I’ll find a way to get you another one. Fei Xin, the Shandong Provincial Governor, is a bondservant under my banner. I’ll write him a letter—whether you want a banner dog or a slender one, I’ll have him select the best in all of Shandong and send it to Beijing by express courier. It’s not worth making such a fuss over a dog. Please, consider my position, Seventh Brother!”
Interventions come in various degrees—a few perfunctory words just for show, or taking full responsibility, which shifts the matter to oneself. Further action then depends on the face of the intercessor. Hong Tao clicked his tongue. “Raising slender dogs is heartbreaking. Let’s try something different this time—I hear Shaanxi fine dogs aren’t bad either.”
Hong Ce nodded. “I’ll figure something out. If finding a phoenix is impossible, finding a dog shouldn’t be difficult.”
Hong Tao smiled sideways. “You’re searching the world for a dog for me—aren’t you afraid the higher-ups will accuse you of forsaking your duties for trivial pursuits? For an insignificant nobody like this, you’re the one who’s truly wasting effort! I’m curious what connection you have that made him seek you out for such a matter.”
Before Hong Ce could respond, Ding Yi jumped in: “I intend to join the Twelfth Prince’s service in the future. I’ll be his guard, his vanguard.”
Hong Tao was utterly disdainful. “With your physique? Become the Twelfth Prince’s guard, then make him clean up your messes every day? Let me tell you, don’t think this dog matter is over. This isn’t the end! I can spare your brother’s life, but someone must answer for this. Since you’re so good at maneuvering, begging this one and that one… well then, your leg will be compensation.” He raised his voice to call the guards outside. “Come in! Hold him down and cut off one of his legs at the root.”
The guard acknowledged and two burly men entered, dragging and pinning her leg across the threshold, drawing a knife ready to chop. Ding Yi screamed in terror, “No, no…” She turned to look at Hong Ce, pleading, “Twelfth Prince, save me…”
Though usually gentle, Hong Ce was a trained fighter. When he was a Beile, he would play “buku” with others, easily taking down seven or eight opponents at once. He hadn’t expected Hong Tao to be so relentless—once a leg was cut off, it could never be reattached, ruining someone’s life forever. Without hesitation, he kicked the knife from the guard’s hand. The blade spun several times before embedding itself in the huanghuali wooden table leg, its handle still vibrating. He was genuinely angry and said coldly: “Seventh Brother truly shows no consideration for your younger brother. If you want to cut off his leg, don’t do it in front of me. The sight of blood makes me uncomfortable.” With that, he brushed his sleeves and headed for the exit.
Seeing Hong Ce’s displeasure, Hong Tao realized he’d gone too far, putting his brother in an awkward position, and his aggressive stance immediately diminished. Brothers formed factions among themselves—the third and fifth were one group, the sixth, and thirteenth, and the Emperor were another. Since he didn’t serve on the Grand Council, he relied on the Twelfth Prince for much of his intelligence, so he couldn’t afford to alienate him. Leave room in relationships, and future encounters will be easier!
He went to stop him, smiling. “I was just teasing him. How could I cut off his leg? I might ignore others’ pleas, but since you’ve interceded, how could I disregard your wishes?” He turned to nod at the managing eunuch, “Release that Xia fellow.” Then he pointed at the person on the ground, “And don’t trouble this ‘righteous hero’ either.”
Now he was a “righteous hero.” Ding Yi got up awkwardly, bowing at the waist. “Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness. You are a good person, and good deeds bring good fortune.”
Hong Tao was reluctant at heart but didn’t want to make a scene again. His expression remained unpleasant. “Don’t cross my path again. Next time, I’ll have you tied to a flagpole at the training ground!”
Phrases like “if there’s a next time…” —he remembered warning them before, but it had no effect whatsoever. Now repeating the warning, he felt like thunder without rain, losing face in the process.
With this, the matter was satisfactorily resolved. It was getting late, and everyone should return home. Hong Tao displeased, yawned repeatedly to dismiss his guests. Hong Ce was perceptive and said with a smile: “Seventh Brother is magnanimous—spreading the word of this would be an admirable tale. Give me half a month; within that time, I’ll surely have a dog delivered to your mansion. It’s late now, so Seventh Brother should retire. Tomorrow, I invite Seventh Brother to visit my newly established garden. I’ve set up a menagerie there and collected several novel creatures.”
For princes in the capital, acquiring land and property was a hobby—money gives one courage, after all. Hong Tao scratched his scalp with his fan ribs. “That’s easily arranged. What concerns me is that after September, the road to Shengjing becomes increasingly difficult to travel. What will happen then?”
Hong Ce had spent over ten years in Khalkha, where the climate was so harsh that princes raised in the comfort of Beijing couldn’t imagine it. However cold Beijing’s winters were, commoners could survive wearing cotton-padded jackets. In Khalkha, it snowed every day throughout winter, and without fur-lined robes, people would freeze to death. Having experienced true cold, the name Ninguta no longer frightened him. It didn’t concern him directly. “The court has its plans. It seems impossible to change the date. In any case, we brothers will look after each other on the journey. Why should men like us fear wind and snow!”
Hearing him speak so lightly of it, Hong Tao tilted his head in thought for a while, still not comprehending. He could only hastily instruct his steward, “Na Jin, see the Twelfth Prince out.” Then he turned and headed for the rear courtyard with his hands behind his back.
Ding Yi left the mansion with the Chun Prince. With the Seventh Prince promising not to trouble Xia Zhi, she could finally relax, though hearing them discuss the northern journey still made her heart flutter. She kept glancing at the Twelfth Prince, drawing closer and closer until finally gathering the courage to tug at his sleeve. He noticed and looked down at her. Because of his hearing disability, his gaze seemed extremely intense. Meeting that gaze, the words she had prepared wouldn’t come out. They rolled under her tongue and were swallowed back as she blurted out: “Thank you so much today. You are like a second parent to my martial brothers and me.”
Hong Ce had done his part and was now tired. On such a hot day, he should have been cooling off under an awning but instead had gone through all this trouble. Not wanting to talk much, he simply said: “Let’s hope there won’t be a next time.” After all, it was best to minimize helping with such dubious matters. Petty theft couldn’t bear scrutiny, and as a prince, he had to maintain his dignity and reputation.
Ding Yi acknowledged awkwardly, hesitating before probing: “This humble one has heard that Your Highness is heading to Ninguta. That place is a harsh, cold land for exiled criminals. Your Highness should take great care on the journey… My wish to join Your Highness’s service wasn’t a lie—it came from a genuine heart. You’ve saved me and my marital brother. This debt can only be repaid by serving you. Why not keep me? I can lead your horse, be your stirrup—anything.”
Hong Ce looked her over. “Those employed in the prince’s mansion all belong to the Banners. You’re Han, aren’t you? It’s complicated for Han people to enter the Banners. Besides, I don’t lack attendants. I appreciate your sentiment.”
Guan Zhaoking took the opportunity to tease her. “The Seventh Prince was right about one thing—with your physique, you’d barely make decent firewood, let alone a stirrup. You’d probably collapse under one step. Go home and serve your master well. The way you keep creating trouble, if I were your master, I’d have died of anger long ago. The Prince performs daily good deeds without expecting your repayment. Be grateful you didn’t fall under the saying ‘misfortune never comes twice but thrice.'”
These remarks made Ding Yi flush with embarrassment. Seeing her discomfort, the Twelfth Prince gave a slight smile—a kind smile, full of humanity. She stepped forward respectfully to see them off. Outside the Xian Prince’s mansion, the Prince boarded his sedan chair. As Guan Zhaoking lowered the curtain, she felt a sense of melancholy. Today’s encounter had ended here, and if she wanted to reach the Changbai Mountains, she would have to make other plans.
A night watchman in blue cloth walked over from the stone steps, striking his small gong, its echo reverberating through the empty street. Hong Ce looked out through the fine bamboo strips. The young person stood with hands hanging down, appearing lost. As the sedan chair was hoisted onto their shoulders, Ding Yi quickly kowtowed, her narrow frame resembling the newly placed arched-tip fish in the blue-and-white porcelain tank.