Changle thought Hé Jiānghé was a very strange person. While others in the Yuan Academy might also think she was chubby, they would never say it out loud. Only he would shamelessly call her “little fatty.”
Don’t misunderstand; Changle didn’t find him unique because of this. Instead, she was particularly annoyed by him, resented him, and even ignored his handsome, chiseled face, beating him mercilessly during academy competitions.
How could such a fine person have such a loose tongue?
To make matters worse, his family was among the founding meritorious officials. His parents held first-rate positions, so the Emperor and Empress wouldn’t easily take action against his family. As a result, Changle began to avoid him whenever they met.
But this person, like a vengeful spirit, kept following her, suddenly appearing from various corners to float by her side.
“Little fatty, why so unhappy today?”
“Little fatty, Instructor Li isn’t a good person.”
“Little fatty, want some sweet potatoes?”
Changle was beyond irritated. She simply practiced creating a thick shield, dropping it whenever she encountered him. It not only blocked people but also sound.
Hé Jiānghé looked at this thing around her with disdain and immediately changed his nickname: “Little turtle.”
For a while, Changle frequented the Imperial Study so often that her father thought she had finally taken an interest in state affairs. In reality, she just wanted to see when the Hé family might make a mistake, so she could send Hé Jiānghé far away along with them.
Unfortunately, the Hé family remained loyal and diligent in assisting the Emperor throughout their lives, even receiving an imperial plaque to hang at their main gate.
However, when she later began showing favor to Instructor Li, Hé Jiānghé appeared less frequently. On the rare occasions they met, he would only glance at her and mutter, “Are all turtles’ tastes this bad?”
Changle didn’t think her taste was poor; she just felt she wasn’t good enough.
Li Shaoling was like the moon high above. Even if the moon broke her heart, she wouldn’t dare cry loudly, fearing someone might inform her father, and then the moon would suffer.
So she would secretly hide in secluded corners of the inner palace to cry.
As luck would have it, Hé Jiānghé had the privilege to enter the palace at will, and he happened to like that deserted courtyard with its ivy-covered walls and moss-patched stones. Pushing aside a cluster of bamboo, he could see the little princess crying, her eyes red and swollen.
Hé Jiānghé sighed helplessly, “You’re crying this much, and you still like him?”
Seeing him made Changle angry. She stubbornly replied, “I do like him. What of it?”
“What do you like about him?” Hé Jiānghé frowned.
“Unlike you, he never calls me little fatty! He even says I’m cute when I’m chubby!” Changle glared at him.
Hé Jiānghé rolled his eyes. “Young girls are so easily fooled.”
He crouched down, holding his robe, and looked at her helplessly. “I call you little fatty, but I bring you food. He says you’re cute when chubby, but he has slender beauties by his side. Can’t you see who truly doesn’t mind your appearance?”
“I don’t care!” Changle’s tears started flowing again. “I don’t want to be called little fatty!”
Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks like priceless glass beads.
Hé Jiānghé sighed deeply and gently patted her head. “I won’t call you that anymore then.”
Changle was stunned, looking at him in confusion, thinking how easily he had agreed.
She wondered why she had gone through so much trouble before; she should have just said it directly.
The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and she began crying loudly again.
Hé Jiānghé sat beside her, watching and handing her handkerchiefs. “Don’t try to blame this on me. You’re not crying because of me, so don’t pin it on me. Tell me what happened, and maybe your big brother can help sort it out.”
Changle pouted, “Instructor Li wants fame and career prospects. I can’t bear to see him become a prince consort and lose his chance to enter the court.”
Apart from her identity as a princess, she had no advantages. It was understandable that he would choose his career, but it tormented her. If you love someone, how can you watch them suffer for a lifetime? She couldn’t do it.
But giving him up was truly painful too.
Her tears soaked through his handkerchief. Changle tossed it aside and pulled his sleeve to wipe her nose. “Can you help me sort this out?”
Hé Jiānghé was silent for a long time before chuckling softly. “What’s so special about fame and fortune? In my opinion, being a prince consort is the greatest joy in life. You’d want for nothing, and even if you couldn’t attend court, fishing and flower-viewing aren’t bad alternatives.”
Changle frowned at him. “Instructor Li is a blue-veined fighter with lofty ambitions. You’re born with red veins; surely you have some thoughts about the court?”
It would be a lie to say he had no thoughts. As a red-veined individual, great expectations were placed on him from birth.
But…
He glanced at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed his difficulties. He only smiled and said, “I have no thoughts about the court, only some thoughts about Your Highness.”
Changle stared at him, dumbfounded.
As she slowly came to her senses, Changle became furious. “Are you trying to fool me?!”
Taking an unexpected blow, Hé Jiānghé grunted, caught between laughter and tears. “Shouldn’t a normal person’s reaction be feeling flirted with? Why would Your Highness say such a thing?”
“What’s there to flirt about with me? The palace is full of beautiful maids; flirt with them if you want to flirt,” Changle said, furrowing her brow. “Saying such things to me can only mean you’re trying to fool me, to mock me when I believe it, right?”
For the first time, Hé Jiānghé felt that his past loose tongue was coming back to haunt him.
He wiped his face and looked deeply into her eyes. “The Empress once said that while beauty has standards in this world, it’s not defined by being fat or thin. Slender women can be called graceful beauties, and plumper girls can be described as round and lustrous like pearls and jade. I don’t like those skinny ones; I prefer someone like you. Is that not allowed?”
Changle couldn’t help but laugh. “There must be at least a dozen, if not dozens, of female students in our academy who secretly admire you. They have both family backgrounds and looks. Why would you like someone like me?”
This ungrateful little one truly didn’t remember anything.
Hé Jiānghé sighed deeply. “We met when we were six years old.”
Of course, they had. He was from a meritorious family, and her mother often socialized with officials’ wives, so he must have come to the palace before.
“I mean, we met here,” Hé Jiānghé pointed at the moss-covered ground.
Changle was puzzled.
This place was secluded and deep within the palace. They wouldn’t receive guests here unless…
She remembered that when she was young, children from some official families liked to run around and play wildly together, using some remote palaces as their bases for playing house and hide-and-seek.
There was a particularly small and thin child, she didn’t know whose family he was from. Because he was a head shorter than his peers, he was often bullied by other children, pushed and knocked to the ground, his hands covered in scrapes.
She couldn’t stand it and stood in front of him to protect him, scolding those bullying children.
“So that little shorty was you?” Changle realized.
Hé Jiānghé snorted a laugh. “Your Highness won’t let me call you little fatty, but you’re quite comfortable using that name.”