After the pleasantries were over, the Crown Princess settled Princess Anle at her side as well. Anle had only taken a few steps when she saw Li Shu sitting right beside her; the smile that had been blooming on her face immediately fell flat. The Crown Princess smiled slightly, took Anle by the arm and continued forward, then seated herself in the center — placing Anle to her left and creating a buffer between Anle and Li Shu.

The Crown Princess said, “Has my younger sister Anle recovered from her wind-cold ailment? You look a bit thinner…”

Anle said, “It was hot one moment and cold the next in recent days. I caught a chill, but it’s mostly better now.”

The Crown Princess listened and then laughed. Anle was puzzled. “Sister-in-law, what are you laughing at?”

The Crown Princess said, “Oh, I’m not laughing at you — I’m laughing at Prince Consort Yang.” She turned to address the assembled company. “You’ll never guess what happened. A few days ago Prince Consort Yang suddenly appeared at the Eastern Palace in a great hurry. My heart jumped — I thought something had gone terribly wrong. As it turned out, the Prince Consort said he needed to borrow the Eastern Palace’s kitchen maid for a little while. He said that Anle had come down with a wind-cold ailment and hadn’t been eating well for the past few days, and that he remembered from the last time he had come to the Eastern Palace for a banquet that Anle had said the red date lotus seed soup made here was delicious.”

Everyone who heard this laughed.

The Crown Princess said, “Just look at how devoted a husband-and-wife pair they are — truly enviable.”

Everyone then chimed in: “Indeed, indeed.”

Yet Anle showed no particular expression and even had a trace of disdain on her face. Restrained by the presence of so many people, she could say nothing, so she endured her feelings and changed the subject. “Sister-in-law, look — a piece of Jingshan jade I recently came by, made into a bracelet — isn’t it pretty?” She extended both slender wrists; a pair of lively, clear, pale-green bracelets hung from them, perfectly translucent.

Anle continued, “And there’s a matching hair ornament set, all carved from the same stone. I’ll have it brought around to you.”

Before the Crown Princess could respond, Princess Jincheng laughed and said, “Sister Pingyang was just saying she’d send Crown Princess a set of red carnelian agate ornaments, and now Sister Anle is saying she’ll send a set of Jingshan jade ornaments. Both sisters are so in perfect accord with each other.”

Li Shu, who had been silent since Princess Anle’s arrival, was suddenly and unexpectedly called out by Princess Jincheng. She looked up and cast a measured glance over Princess Jincheng where she sat on her stool.

Was this younger sister of hers hoping there wasn’t quite enough commotion, and decided to fan the flames herself?

But then, looking more carefully, Li Shu noticed that Princess Jincheng’s clothing and ornaments were all out of date — her dress, though clean and neat, was far too plain. In a room full of vivid color and brilliance, she stood out as conspicuously shabby.

Li Shu’s attention was almost entirely fixed on the court and rarely turned to the affairs of the rear palace. Now that she took a proper look, she recalled that Princess Jincheng was among the less favored — her mother had been no more than the lowest-ranked imperial consort. It seemed she had only just turned fifteen a short while ago, and was only now eligible to attend various banquets, in hopes of finding herself a good match for a husband.

Princess Jincheng had not yet realized she had said anything wrong. She only saw that after her words, Princess Pingyang’s pair of sharp and piercing eyes had fallen on her. There was no sign of displeasure in them, and yet that silent, still gaze alone was enough to make Princess Jincheng’s heart give a nervous lurch.

Li Shu concluded inwardly: evidently a younger sister who did not yet understand the rules. That was fine, then.

Li Shu might have let the matter rest, but Princess Anle was not willing to. Anle’s dislike of Li Shu ran to the marrow of her bones, and no one at her side ever dared so much as breathe a word about it. How could she now allow Princess Jincheng to speak of Li Shu and herself in the same breath?

Anle’s expression turned cold on the spot. With no thought of sparing Princess Jincheng’s feelings, she swept her a look and said, “I for one didn’t know I’d acquired such an ill-mannered younger sister. I was giving a gift to my sister-in-law, and my sister-in-law hadn’t even said anything yet — and already you’ve jumped in ahead of her.”

Princess Jincheng’s face went stark white in an instant.

Anle still would not relent. She cast an appraising glance at Li Shu’s red carnelian agate ornaments and let out a contemptuous laugh, addressing the Crown Princess: “Red carnelian agate is lovely, and I have several pieces in my residence too — only, I keep them as ornamental objects in the room. I don’t care to wear them as jewelry. They’re such a vivid, blazing red — so vulgar. Even the serving girls in my house are fond of wearing all manner of red and yellow and gaudy colors in their hair.”

Princess Anle was in fact quite beautiful herself, her voice pure and clear as water. Even married, she still had the air of a young girl who knew nothing of the world. But the things she said were not pretty at all.

As if that were not enough, Anle continued: “Sister-in-law, if you like them, I’ll have a few pieces brought over to you — mine are more than two feet tall, every one of them a vivid brilliant red. Place them in a corner of the palace, as decorative objects. That would do nicely.”

You see — Princess Anle produced several whole pieces of red carnelian agate all at once. How many hair ornaments and sets of jewelry could be made from those? Was this not an unmistakable slap in the face for Princess Pingyang?

A sudden hush fell over the gathering. Princess Jincheng stared wide-eyed, unable to understand how she had managed to ignite a powder keg. Her face was white as chalk.

Li Shu listened quietly to the end of Anle’s taunting. Her face showed no trace of anger. She smiled and said, “After all, it is Sister Anle who comes from a wealthy and distinguished family. My household has managed to accumulate only a single piece of South Sea red coral.”

She smiled, keeping her eyes on Anle. “At the end of last year, Cui Jinzhi was traveling to Jiangnan on official business and happened to bring one back as a chance find — it stands over a person’s height. I originally thought the same as Sister Anle: I don’t much care for such vivid red things either. But Cui Jinzhi said red coral has the effect of calming the mind and settling the spirit, which is good for one’s health. What could I do — it wasn’t for my own sake, but for his, that I’ve been wearing all this red.”

And at that, the gathering went even quieter. Anle’s face set rigid, her brows knotted, her teeth clenched. If Li Shu said “Cui Jinzhi” one more time, she looked as though she might either hurl herself forward or burst into tears.

Red carnelian agate against jade bracelets — what a tedious thing to squabble over. When Li Shu chose to wound someone, she always aimed straight at the vital point. Dead center.

The obsession at the bottom of Anle’s heart was always and only Cui Jinzhi.

Just as the room had grown very tense, a serving girl came in to announce that Grand Princess Kangning had arrived. The mood eased slightly. Grand Princess Kangning had barely set foot in the room before a junior eunuch arrived from the Crown Prince’s side with word that the feast at the waterside pavilion was ready and inviting everyone to proceed.

So the Crown Princess at once led everyone out, her left arm linked with Anle’s and her right supporting Grand Princess Kangning, chatting pleasantly about flowers and plants as they walked. Anle was gradually coaxed into a lighter mood.

Li Shu walked beside Grand Princess Kangning, yet she felt that all the laughter and conversation around her was very far away.

Before they reached the waterside pavilion, she could already make out the Crown Prince Li Qian in his bright yellow robes from a distance. He was speaking with Cui Jinzhi. The Prince Consort Yang Fang was stationed rather further from the Crown Prince, speaking instead with other officials.

Oddly enough, even though Yang Fang was the prince consort of the Crown Prince’s own full-blood younger sister and was as close a connection as a true younger brother-in-law, in comparison, his relationship with the Crown Prince was clearly not as warm as Cui Jinzhi’s. Although Yang Fang had taken Princess Anle as his wife and thus was in essence already on the Crown Prince’s vessel, the Yang family’s stance in court was always ambiguous and unclear — in factional struggles they essentially took no side.

Over time, the Crown Prince had come to grant Yang Fang less and less of his favor. In sharp contrast to Yang Fang was Cui Jinzhi — back when he had not yet married Li Shu, his attitude toward the succession struggle had been even-handed and neutral. Unexpectedly, after marrying Li Shu — an illegitimate daughter — he had become one of the Crown Prince’s most devoted supporters.

At court, Cui Jinzhi was practically the Crown Prince’s mouthpiece. Every word and deed of Cui Jinzhi’s was not his own but a reflection of the Crown Prince’s will.

The Second Imperial Prince Li Yan stood alone by the water’s edge. Today’s gathering for the Crown Princess’s birthday was attended exclusively by people belonging to the Crown Prince’s camp; the Second Imperial Prince felt entirely out of place and deeply uncomfortable here. Were it not for the hollow ritual courtesies of imperial family protocol binding him, he would have liked nothing better than to shake his sleeves and walk away.

The other imperial princes had all come as well. Whether born of the legitimate consort or not, whether on close or distant terms with the Crown Prince ordinarily, they were all here nonetheless — after all, it was the Crown Princess’s birthday, and everyone had to put on a show of fraternal harmony.

The Crown Princess led the female guests forward, and everyone exchanged bows. The Crown Prince saw that Anle appeared out of sorts and smiled, walking over to her side. “What’s the matter with Anle today — pouting?”

Unlike the Second Imperial Prince Li Yan, the Crown Prince had no interest in military arts and archery. He had the air of a benevolent and generous man — rather like a true benevolent ruler, in fact.

Anle said nothing, but tugged at the Crown Prince’s sleeve and then glared pointedly at Li Shu.

This was making a complaint in plain sight.

All the other imperial princes were watching. Not to mention Cui Jinzhi was right there at his back, as close as an arm or a rib. The Crown Prince could not very well take Anle’s side outright. If he truly showed favoritism toward Anle and dealt poorly with Li Shu, Cui Jinzhi might well distance himself from him. The Crown Prince was momentarily awkward, and with a smile offered a harmless pleasantry, addressing Li Shu: “Sister Pingyang.”

Li Shu replied, “Greetings to the Crown Prince.”

Anle saw this and was displeased, then glared at Li Shu once more and said to the Crown Prince, with a note of reproach: “Crown Prince, my brother!”

The Crown Prince patted her shoulder and murmured, “No making trouble — even for a temper there is a time and a place.”

Anle pursed her lips but said nothing more. Though guileless, she was not without sense.

The Crown Prince gave a signal to the Crown Princess, who led Anle and the other female guests ahead to take their seats at the feast. When the others had moved away, the Crown Prince smiled at Li Shu and said, “Sister Pingyang truly is my teacher in four words” — referring to the matter of “substituting grain for coin.”

Li Shu responded with polite humility: “Serving in whatever way I can — it is only right.”

The Crown Prince smiled as he looked at Li Shu, thinking how little he had expected — in all the years gone by — that this often-bullied, illegitimate younger sister, whom he had once not deigned to give so much as a glance, would one day earn a word of thanks from him.

The Second Imperial Prince Li Yan had been gaining ground too quickly in recent years. The Emperor seemed quite fond of him, and Li Yan had used that favor to draw in a faction of supporters, until he was genuinely able to stand on equal footing with the Crown Prince. In the years before, he had even wrested the Ministry of Finance away. The Crown Prince had grown anxious day and night, dreaming of ways to press Li Yan down — yet for all his struggles against Li Yan in the court, he simply could not think of a workable method.

By heaven’s grace, the great drought of Guanzhong had come, and thanks to Pingyang, a splendid scheme of “substituting grain for coin” had been presented to him. He was truly grateful for this drought.

As for the people suffering in the drought — they had never figured into the Crown Prince’s considerations. What political struggle didn’t cost lives?

Because Li Shu had helped the Crown Prince resolve the grain-for-coin affair, the Crown Prince naturally had to offer something in return. This was politics — interests intertwined, fates bound together.

The Crown Prince then said, “I hear you were censured recently? That new top examination graduate — what was his name — Shen…Shen Xiao, was it?”

Li Shu nodded. “That’s right.”

Li Shu glanced sideways at Cui Jinzhi, as though suspecting that Cui Jinzhi had been the one to carry this news to the Crown Prince. Cui Jinzhi glanced back with cool indifference, his expression carrying a trace of displeasure — the Crown Prince’s sources were extensive; did he need to go running to report it?

The Crown Prince gave a cold laugh. “Born of mud and common stock, after all.” He said no more.

In the court, one only ever spoke half a sentence.

“Born of mud and common stock” — not knowing even a little of the court’s rules. Did he not stop to think who stood behind Princess Pingyang? Even a dog deserves consideration for its master’s sake. Best to deal with Shen Xiao at the earliest opportunity — that could serve as a small token of gratitude toward Pingyang.