Consort Li tactfully conveyed Feng Jing’s meaning to the Emperor. Seeing that Feng Jing refused to accept, His Majesty temporarily set aside the matter of Jujing Garden without further mention.
Recently, Consort Li had regained some spirit and actually began doing needlework, even working by candlelight late into the night. Zhenzhen saw that she was stitching a pair of men’s shoe insoles, her technique skillful and her craftsmanship quite good. She calmly and unhurriedly flew the needle through the fabric, and the exquisite auspicious patterns gradually appeared on the insoles.
Initially, Zhenzhen thought these insoles were being made for His Majesty, but after they were completed, Consort Li summoned her and ordered her to deliver the insoles to Qinghua Pavilion where Second Prince lived.
Seeing Zhenzhen’s surprised expression, Consort Li explained: “When Second Prince was young, all the insoles he used were personally stitched by me. Later, when he grew up, his clothing was often custom-made by the Wardrobe Department. I lacked energy and my eyesight wasn’t very good, so I stopped making them. A few days ago, I heard him complaining that current insoles weren’t as comfortable to wear as the ones I stitched, so I casually made him a pair… It’s been so long since I’ve done this that my skills have grown quite rusty. Tell him to make do with these for now, and next time I’ll stitch him a better pair.”
Zhenzhen received the order and went to Qinghua Pavilion. Since it wasn’t mealtime, Feng Xian wasn’t in the pavilion. Zhao Ai was reading when he saw Zhenzhen arrive, appearing quite delighted. After receiving the insoles, he invited her to sit and rest for a moment, then ordered tea to be served. Once the tea implements were arranged, he waved his hand to dismiss the serving maids and sat across from Zhenzhen, personally preparing tea for her.
Zhenzhen was preoccupied with Feng Jing’s matter and wholeheartedly wanted to inquire on her behalf about the reason for the Crown Prince’s decisive severing of emotional ties. She asked Zhao Ai if he knew about this matter. Zhao Ai replied: “Although the Crown Prince and I were born of the same mother, and elder brother treats me with great affection, because I’ve been raised by Consort Li since childhood, he and I don’t share everything, and he certainly wouldn’t discuss Consort Li’s family members with me. Regarding the hidden circumstances between him and Feng Jing, I may not know more than you do.”
Zhenzhen fell silent, then sighed after a moment: “Now Feng Jing is burdened by rumors and her situation is poor. Her past with the Crown Prince has become a knot in her heart, and she’s melancholy all day long… You men always want to pursue pretty girls when you see them, pestering them relentlessly when interested, then leaving without a word when you lose interest, causing the girls to be mocked and ridiculed. Do you ever feel even a little bit guilty?”
While whisking the tea, Zhao Ai said: “In this matter, he is he, and I am I. How did you lump me together with him as ‘you men’?”
Zhenzhen smiled coldly: “If we’re talking about steadiness, you’re far inferior to the Crown Prince. If we’re talking about the potential for causing chaos and then abandoning someone, I’m afraid you might even surpass him.”
Zhao Ai couldn’t help but laugh: “I haven’t even caused any chaos yet, and you’re already worried about being abandoned in the future?”
Zhenzhen frowned and glared at him: “Don’t drag me into this. You and I haven’t…”
“I understand, I understand,” Zhao Ai said while creating patterns in the tea foam. “You’ve seen what happened to Feng Jing, so you’ve come to test my intentions. I don’t know elder brother’s thoughts, but I can promise you that I won’t treat you the way he treated Feng Jing…” He smiled again suddenly, “I don’t know why, but seeing you so worried actually makes my heart feel rather sweet.”
Zhenzhen looked up at the sky speechlessly, wondering how there could be such a shameless person in this world.
Zhao Ai completed the tea art, presenting the tea cup to Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen saw that the tea foam displayed green mountains on both sides of a valley.
“May you and I be like these facing green mountains throughout this life, gazing at each other without growing tired,” he said with a smile.
Zhenzhen was hesitating whether to drink this cup of tea when suddenly someone outside the pavilion gate announced that the Crown Prince had arrived. As soon as the words fell, the young eunuch outside the hall where they were sitting loudly announced once more, indicating that the Crown Prince had already walked into the courtyard.
Zhao Ai and Zhenzhen both stood up simultaneously, silently exchanging glances. Both felt inexplicably uneasy about the Crown Prince’s sudden visit. Moreover, a palace woman sitting and drinking tea with a prince was indeed improper.
Zhao Ai glanced at the screen to one side, indicating for Zhenzhen to hide behind it. Zhenzhen complied, retreating behind the screen.
Before the Crown Prince entered, Zhao Ai went out to greet him, and the two brothers exchanged formal greetings. Zhao Xi smiled and told Zhao Ai that he had just come from Funing Palace, and thinking that he hadn’t conversed with his younger brother for a long time, he had made this special visit. Zhao Ai expressed his thanks and led his elder brother into the hall.
Zhao Xi saw the cups and saucers on the table and asked: “Does second brother have a guest?”
Zhao Ai replied: “No. I was just sitting alone practicing tea art, so I set out some tea implements.”
He then ordered fresh tea cups to be brought and personally prepared tea for his elder brother. After the serving maids withdrew, Zhao Xi exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhao Ai, then put away his smile and asked: “I’ve heard that second brother has been associating closely with the palace woman Wu Zhenzhen recently, frequently visiting Laifeng Pavilion to see her. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, you even left the Yanguixiang banquet and took her to Phoenix Mountain to admire the moon.”
Zhao Ai was astonished, then smiled: “How did elder brother learn of this?”
Zhao Xi didn’t answer, but said: “Although you haven’t established your own residence yet, you’re not young anymore. When associating with palace women, you must always avoid suspicion. If you meet privately frequently, it will damage both your reputations. You might be criticized as ‘lacking discretion in small matters, frivolous in conduct,’ and she… will have her virtue questioned. For an unmarried girl to suffer such rumors could ruin her fate for half a lifetime.”
Zhao Ai rose and went to the door, dismissing the young eunuchs outside, then returned to sit down. After pondering for a moment, he smiled lightly at Zhao Xi: “So elder brother understands this point.”
Zhao Xi’s face flushed slightly, understanding in his heart that his younger brother was referring to Feng Jing. He didn’t deny it, and after a long silence, said seriously to Zhao Ai: “Don’t make the same mistake I made.”
Zhao Ai replied: “Elder brother needn’t worry. If her reputation is damaged because of me, I will naturally take responsibility and give her proper status.”
“That would be excellent,” Zhao Xi said indifferently. “I’m sure Consort Li would be delighted to see it happen.”
“So elder brother treated Feng Jing that way to go against Consort Li’s wishes.”
Zhao Xi hadn’t expected his younger brother to mention Feng Jing so directly and said unhappily: “What nonsense are you talking?”
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Zhao Ai stopped his tea preparation and looked directly at his elder brother. “Elder brother met with Feng Jing multiple times. Given elder brother’s thoughtful nature, how could you associate intimately with her without investigating her background? The palace rumors that you decided to abandon her only after learning Feng Jing was Consort Li’s niece are impossible.”
Zhao Xi avoided his gaze and didn’t refute.
“Therefore, I can only draw one conclusion: you deliberately used Feng Jing to take revenge on Consort Li.” Seeing Zhao Xi remain silent, Zhao Ai couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Does elder brother hate Consort Li so much? She never harmed mother. Even if she gained father’s favor before and after mother’s death, was that something she could refuse? She has always carefully served father and raised me with devoted care. All these years she has remained respectful, frugal, and humble. Can’t you see? She’s not the type to use fox-like charms to curry favor.”
Zhao Xi said: “What kind of person she is may not be written on her face.”
“It may not be written on her face, but I can see it with my heart.” Zhao Ai replied. “When mother died, I was still young with only vague impressions. Most of the maternal love I felt came from Consort Li. After mother’s death, she brought me to her side, personally handling everything from adding clothes to feeding me, doing even more than my wet nurse. She would test the temperature of every drink before giving it to me; she would personally inspect and alter every new garment until it fit perfectly, even cutting off every loose thread before letting me wear it.” He then showed Zhao Xi the insoles he had just received. “And these insoles… have you ever seen which consort would humbly stitch insoles for someone else’s child? Consort Li would. Most of the insoles I’ve worn since childhood were made by her, and just because I once praised them, she still works by lamplight to sew them for me despite her frail health… I also heard from my wet nurse that Consort Li once conceived a child. When the child in her womb was several months old, she went to the back garden to watch me play… It was winter then, just after snow had fallen. I was running back and forth in the snow when I suddenly slipped and was about to fall. Consort Li rushed anxiously to help me, but ended up falling heavily herself. She lay in bed for a long time trying to preserve the pregnancy, but sadly the child couldn’t be saved. It died the day it was born, and Consort Li was never able to bear children again afterward.”
Zhao Xi opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhao Ai raised his hand to stop him and continued: “But she treated me as her own child. Does elder brother remember when I was eleven and fell seriously ill, nearly dying? Consort Li kept vigil by my bedside day and night, filled with worry. When I was awake, she would always comfort me with smiles, thinking of every way to persuade me to eat and drink medicine. When I closed my eyes and she thought I was asleep, she would weep quietly… Once I woke up in the middle of the night and saw her praying to the moon at the window, asking the spirits not to take me away and saying she would give me all the remaining years of her life. From then on, I completely regarded her as my mother… Elder brother is two years older than me and refused the care of the palace women, growing up under the care of wet nurses and attendants, so you never witnessed Consort Li’s genuine affection. Over the years, Consort Li has managed the affairs of the six palaces and may have offended some people. If someone has sowed discord, elder brother might easily develop prejudices against Consort Li, and I can understand your dislike of her. But no matter what, you shouldn’t have used innocent Feng Jing to vent your resentment toward Consort Li. Please forgive younger brother’s frank words: everyone calls the Crown Prince benevolent and virtuous, but elder brother’s current treatment of the weak woman Feng Jing truly doesn’t live up to those two words.”
“The facts are not as you speculate,” Zhao Xi said, meeting his younger brother’s scrutiny directly after hearing this speech, speaking clearly word by word. “And the real Consort Li may not be the same as the one you’ve known for over ten years.”
Zhao Ai responded: “Very well then. What is the truth? What is Consort Li really like? Please enlighten me, Your Highness.”
After careful consideration, Zhao Xi finally nodded slowly: “Fine. Since you want to know, I’ll tell you…”
He turned to look at a yellow leaf spinning and falling from the tree in the courtyard. The anger that had been stirred by his younger brother’s sharp words began to disappear from his face, and his gaze gradually softened: “As you said, when I was associating with Feng Jing at Jifang Garden, I already knew her identity… Actually, I had seen her before… The first time I saw her was two years ago, in autumn like now, with yellow leaves piled everywhere on the ground.”
Zhao Ai was somewhat surprised but quickly understood: “Consort Li often invites Feng Jing to the palace to play. I’ve seen her frequently since childhood. Elder brother would have no reason to meet with Consort Li and wouldn’t know Feng Jing, but since she often moved about the palace, you two were bound to encounter each other sometimes.”
Zhao Xi acknowledged this tacitly, then continued after a moment: “Jinyan Gallery connects the back garden with the Eastern Palace. One day after the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago, I was going to Funing Palace to see father. Just as I stepped from the Eastern Palace into Jinyan Gallery, I saw a young woman in a red dress walking slowly toward me along the long corridor… She held an album and measuring cord in her left hand, and a lead pencil in her right hand, stopping from time to time to examine and measure details within the gallery, then recording them in her album…”
He remembered her eyes from that time – bright and clear, cutting through the strips of light and shadow cast by the latticed wooden windows onto her face, persistently seeking the details and data she wanted to find. She was beautiful, but what moved his heart at that moment was not so much her appearance as those eyes full of curiosity for knowledge. He had never imagined that a woman concentrating on something that seemed so dry and uninteresting could be so captivating.
“I stopped in the gallery, waiting for her to approach step by step. She was absorbed in measuring and recording, completely unaware of my presence. It wasn’t until she finished drawing a diagram and turned around that she bumped into me, startling herself and quickly bowing to apologize.” Zhao Xi recalled the scene, unconsciously revealing a slight smile. “I said it was nothing and asked if she needed my help with anything. She said she had reached the end and didn’t need help. She bowed again, then turned and left happily with her album full of recorded results… She was completely immersed in the joy that surveying Jinyan Gallery brought her, only glancing at me hurriedly. I think she didn’t care who I was at all and didn’t remember what I looked like… This assumption was later confirmed when we met at Jifang Garden – she looked at me then as if I were a complete stranger.”
Zhao Ai listened with fascination and asked with a smile: “So elder brother found out her background right after that first meeting at Jinyan Gallery?”
Zhao Xi nodded: “How many women in the palace could do such things? I found out with one inquiry. Some time later, I also saw the results of her surveying at father’s place: father showed me a architectural painting that Feng Jing had drawn, depicting scenes within the palace. Jinyan Gallery was especially exquisitely painted – whether the length from end to end or the dimensions of the window lattices, everything was drawn perfectly to scale without the slightest error. The entire painting was also vivid, with every object and scene possessing spiritual elegance, not at all stiff like the works of court painters.”
Zhao Ai understood: “Elder brother greatly admired her talent but was troubled by her being Consort Li’s niece, so you never contacted her until meeting at Jifang Garden.”
“Yes,” Zhao Xi admitted. “Her relationship with Consort Li made me hesitate. But during those six months, almost every time I passed through Jinyan Gallery, I would involuntarily think of her – her bright eyes, her every smile and frown in the light and shadow of the gallery… Later, when I encountered her again at Jifang Garden, it took great willpower to maintain a calm expression under everyone’s gaze and not let my joy show. That irrepressible joy also made me understand my own feelings. Finally, when we parted that day, I made the request to see her again, and she gladly agreed.”
Zhao Ai pressed further: “Elder brother overcame your reservations to arrange meetings with her, which means you were prepared to accept her. That should have been good – why did you later…”
Zhao Xi closed his eyes, suppressing the various emotions gradually surging up from his heart like an undercurrent, and slowly continued: “During our last meeting, I kissed her and also decided that I would spend the rest of my life with her… But when I returned to the Eastern Palace and told Wang Muze about this, asking him to help me think of how to propose this to father, he suddenly knelt before me and said with unusually firm, unquestionable tone: ‘Your Highness, this absolutely cannot be!'”
Zhao Ai asked in confusion: “Still because of Consort Li?”
Zhao Xi lowered his eyes sadly, staring at the tips of his boots. After a long while, he said: “You mentioned earlier that Consort Li once gave birth to a child who died immediately after birth… Do you know that child’s birthday?”
Zhao Ai shook his head: “Consort Li never spoke to me about this child. The people in her pavilion probably feared making her sad, so they never mention it either.”
Zhao Xi’s hands on the table gradually contracted, his knuckles protruding, his voice trembling slightly: “This child’s birthday was the same day as Feng Jing’s.”