Thereafter, His Majesty still frequently summoned Ju’an. They would compose poetry and practice calligraphy, drink lightly and sing softly, or simply sit side by side under the eaves, quietly watching flowers bloom and wither without speaking, peacefully listening to time slip quietly by with the wind. She always tried to make their time together last as long as possible, but he strictly maintained his principles. Once dusk arrived, he would have someone escort her back and never let her stay overnight.
Such days were already beautiful enough compared to her life before meeting him, but she still felt anxious about gains and losses, vaguely uneasy. To her, he was the first ray of light she had obtained after fifteen years of dark living. She basked in his gentle care with surprise and joy, yet reaching out her hand, she couldn’t grasp him. When leaving him, her mood would sink back into boundless darkness with the deepening twilight. She looked forward to reuniting with him like anticipating the dawn’s sunlight.
He had many beloved consorts, such as Grand Consort Liu and Lesser Consort Li, who could accompany him day and night. She considered her beauty, character, and talents no less than theirs – on beautiful nights when adding fragrance to the chamber, why couldn’t there be one more her?
One day she was summoned to Funing Hall again. She wielded her brush in slender gold calligraphy while His Majesty stood beside her, commenting from time to time. Soon the Empress entered and, seeing the characters under her brush, was startled but quickly recovered and curtsied to His Majesty.
His Majesty exchanged pleasantries with the Empress, then had her sit nearby to observe while he continued instructing Ju’an in calligraphy.
The Empress watched silently for a while, then said with a smile: “I knew it. Director Ju has always been studious, especially fond of researching calligraphy and ink. His Majesty loves talent and is happy to instruct. This is originally a beautiful thing that could be told as a fine story, but there are some idle busybodies in the palace who wag their tongues about it, saying Director Ju frequently comes to Funing Hall because she wants to use her beauty to seduce the master and join the ranks of imperial consorts. Next time I hear such rumors, I’ll certainly punish the rumor-mongers severely to restore Director Ju’s reputation.”
His Majesty said: “No need for such drastic measures. Unimportant rumors should be treated like wind passing through ears – just listen and let them be.”
But Ju’an stopped her brush, glanced at the still-smiling Empress, and said lightly: “What if it’s not a rumor?”
The Empress’s smile froze. She couldn’t speak for a long while, then rose to take her leave, claiming she had an appointment with a consort to tour the gardens, and hurriedly left Funing Hall.
After the Empress’s figure disappeared, His Majesty sighed to Ju’an: “Why do this? She’s the master of the rear palace. If you offend her, your future days may not be pleasant.”
Ju’an said: “I don’t care… you’ll protect me.”
His Majesty smiled and patted her shoulder.
Ju’an took the opportunity to embrace his waist, looking up at him earnestly, and posed the question that had troubled her for so long: “Why won’t you make me your consort?”
His Majesty held her hands, pushed her away to arm’s length, then smiled at her and gently said one sentence: “I treat you like a sister.”
“Lady Ju…” Suddenly hearing someone call her, Qiuniang came back to her senses and felt her cheeks were cold. Touching them, she discovered tear tracks left at some unknown time.
She wiped her tears, turned to look at Cheng Yuan who had called her, and resumed her previous cold expression.
Suppressing her emotions, she said to Cheng Yuan in as peaceful a tone as possible: “Master Cheng’s care for me over the years, I naturally remember in my heart. Now that the late emperor has been gone for many years, to the Empress Dowager, I’m merely an insignificant entertainer. If you don’t mention it, she probably wouldn’t even remember. Why must you confine me here and waste so much fine clothing and food? If you would show mercy and let me return home, I would be grateful for your kindness all my life and pray for your blessings every day.”
“You’re only safe here,” Cheng Yuan said softly with a soothing smile. “You yourself know that you’re different from others in the Empress Dowager’s eyes. After the late emperor’s death, the Empress Dowager immediately sent people to escort the various consorts out of the palace, ordering them to become nuns and spend their remaining lives thus. Only toward you and Food Service Director Liu could she not let go, saying that since you were the palace ladies the late emperor treasured most, surely the late emperor couldn’t bear to abandon you and leave you alone in this mortal world, so she ordered your capture… This order is still in effect today. Though you’ve spent these years without makeup, wearing simple clothes and hiding in the countryside, you can only avoid detection temporarily. But that Wu Zhenzhen is growing older and acts rashly – revealing your whereabouts is only a matter of time. So I presume to invite you to take refuge here. Please settle here peacefully. Your clothing, food, and expenses will certainly not be inferior to when the late emperor was alive, and I will do everything possible to ensure your lifelong safety.”
“Zhenzhen…” Hearing him mention her daughter’s name, Qiuniang’s eyes misted over again. After pondering briefly, she turned to bow to Cheng Yuan: “That you brought me to the capital instead of handing me over to the Empress Dowager shows you have some tender feelings for me, for which I’m very grateful. I still hope you’ll take pity and allow me to return home. I’ll naturally take my daughter away from Pujiang and find some sparsely populated place to live under assumed names.”
Cheng Yuan moved two steps closer and told her in a voice low as a whisper: “It’s too late. Wu Zhenzhen has already come to Lin’an searching for you and entered the Royal Kitchen as a palace lady…”
Hearing this, Qiuniang stared at him wide-eyed, her breathing growing rapid.
“What’s more unfortunate…” Cheng Yuan looked at Qiuniang with eyes that seemed to contain pity, though his lips curved in a cold smile, “by now, she should already know of Food Service Director Liu’s existence.”
Qiuniang looked at him angrily, her chest heaving, a trembling hand groping on the nearby table until she found a azure porcelain incense burner, which she immediately grabbed and hurled at Cheng Yuan’s face.
Cheng Yuan sidestepped to avoid it. The incense burner struck his right shoulder, then fell to the ground with a harsh shattering sound, spilling incense ash over half his body.
Cheng Yuan showed no anger, dusted off the ash from his body, retreated to the door, made a respectful bow of farewell, then turned to leave.
Under Zhenzhen and others’ careful care, Yinqi gradually returned to normal, though he became more dependent on Zhenzhen, wanting her to stay by his side all day. Seeing this, Lady Chen Guo again brought up the matter of taking a concubine, persuading Zhenzhen several times, but Zhenzhen still didn’t agree. Lady Chen Guo was helpless and left in frustration, but didn’t forget to instruct Yinqi’s wet nurse and surrounding servants to watch Zhenzhen closely and not let her leave the prince’s residence even half a step.
Zhenzhen soon heard rumors that Lady Chen Guo was secretly having people prepare for the concubine-taking ceremony, telling the prince that at worst they would report to the Empress Dowager and have her personally approve Yinqi taking Zhenzhen as a concubine, so Zhenzhen couldn’t refuse.
Seeing this was inevitable, Zhenzhen couldn’t help but worry frantically. She considered escaping from the prince’s residence, but the surveillance was now very strict everywhere, and she ultimately couldn’t break free.
One day, she suddenly heard a servant report that the Second Prince had personally come to the prince’s residence to visit the eldest young master. Yinqi brought Zhenzhen to the main gate to welcome him, and indeed saw Zhao Ai dismount and enter, with several palace ladies following behind him and several eunuchs carrying a large wooden chest, presumably gifts for Yinqi.
Zhao Ai saw Zhenzhen behind Yinqi, and a smile floated in his eyes. However, he first exchanged greetings with Yinqi, and the two walked shoulder to shoulder making small talk, not saying anything to Zhenzhen yet.
Zhenzhen followed them inward when suddenly one of the palace ladies Zhao Ai had brought hurried to catch up, approached Zhenzhen, and called her softly.
Zhenzhen turned to look and was delighted to discover the palace lady was actually Feng Xian.
Upon reaching the hall, Zhao Ai had people take the gift from the wooden chest – it was a marble flicking board carved from jade.
Ordinary marble flicking boards were square with a bulging middle and flat edges like a battlement, but this one was rectangular with the middle jade carved into mountains, rivers, and valleys with considerable grooves. The pieces were round and wooden, black and white, with recesses in the four corners of the board. Players would use silk scarves to flick them, and the pieces could roll along the grooves into the recesses.
Yinqi praised the board as extremely ingenious, with mountains, peaks, and valleys of extraordinary appearance. Zhao Ai laughed: “People of our dynasty mostly don’t enjoy marble flicking, finding it simple and boring. So I had people modify the board design. This appearance is more beautiful, and it’s also harder to play than ordinary ones. Since you’re often at home, you can use this for entertainment.”
Yinqi thanked Zhao Ai, and the two immediately set up the pieces with great interest, each holding silk scarves, taking turns flicking their own pieces to strike the opponent’s, trying to make the opponent’s pieces roll into the recesses.
After playing for a while, Zhao Ai stopped and said to Yinqi: “Playing chess like this is somewhat boring. How about we set some stakes?”
Yinqi agreed. Zhao Ai immediately had his attendants bring out various jewels and place them in the hall. Seeing this, Yinqi pointed to the coral and gold bottle fragrance mountains displayed in the hall: “If I lose, you can take whichever of these hall furnishings catches your eye.”
The two continued their match. Yinqi’s skills were clearly not as practiced as Zhao Ai’s, and he quickly lost one game. Zhao Ai pointed to the crimson coral in the hall: “May I take this?”
Yinqi didn’t even lift his eyelids, having people quickly take the coral and place it in a brocade box for Zhao Ai’s eunuch, then urged Zhao Ai to start the second game.
Yinqi still lost the second game and again let Zhao Ai choose a fragrance mountain without even looking.
In the third game, Yinqi rallied and battled intensely with Zhao Ai, persisting until the final moment when only one piece remained, isolated on the mountain peak. Zhao Ai smiled slightly and flicked his silk scarf lightning-fast at one of his own black pieces. The piece shot out responsively, flying toward the mountain peak to collide with Yinqi’s piece, which fell with a sound, rolling down the valley into the recess.
“Sorry, this game is still my victory,” Zhao Ai said with a smile to Yinqi.
Yinqi indicated he should take another prize. Zhao Ai slowly surveyed the people in the hall, finally fixing his gaze on Zhenzhen.
“Give me this maidservant,” he made this request with an implied tone of command.
This time Yinqi looked up, seriously examining both Zhenzhen and Zhao Ai, and quickly refused: “No.”
Zhao Ai laughed: “I am the Second Prince. Shouldn’t you obey my commands?”
Yinqi answered calmly: “I am the Second Prince’s uncle. You certainly wouldn’t take what an elder loves.”
Zhao Ai laughed loudly and couldn’t continue insisting on this, no longer mentioning stakes but only inviting Yinqi to play another game.
After a while, Zhenzhen saw the two were absorbed in playing and gently tugged at Feng Xian’s sleeve, indicating she should follow her out.
Zhenzhen brought Feng Xian to her room, where the two embraced, crying and laughing as they expressed their joy at reunion. Speaking of their recent situations, Feng Xian briefly mentioned her assignment to serve the Second Prince, then pressed Zhenzhen about her current circumstances. Zhenzhen told her most of what had happened since entering the prince’s residence, including Yinqi’s illness and Lady Chen Guo’s proposal about taking a concubine, only omitting the matter of Food Service Director Liu. Not deliberately concealing it, but feeling the matter was cruel and complex, she didn’t want to bring it up at this time.
After listening, Feng Xian asked Zhenzhen: “So you’re really going to stay here and marry that hysteric?”
Zhenzhen shook her head: “Young Master Yinqi is a good person, but I have no romantic feelings for him. With my wish to find my mother unfulfilled, I won’t marry anyone.”
Feng Xian said: “The Second Prince has also heard of this matter, so today he brought me to take a look. From what I can see now, Yinqi has quite an obsession with you and probably won’t easily let go. We can only figure out a way to get you free.”
Zhenzhen sighed: “Lady Chen Guo has people watching my movements. It’s not easy to escape. Moreover, Young Master Yinqi is very good to me – leaving without saying goodbye wouldn’t be proper either.”
Feng Xian frowned: “This is a serious matter. You can’t let your whole life be buried here because of momentary soft-heartedness.”
She paced slowly in the room. After thinking for a while, she asked Zhenzhen again: “Earlier you said Yinqi can’t see wontons, or he’ll go mad?”
Zhenzhen confirmed this.
Feng Xian asked again: “Do people in the palace know about this?”
Zhenzhen said: “According to Yinqi’s wet nurse, this is a closely guarded secret of the prince’s residence that hasn’t been revealed to outsiders.”
“That’s good…” Feng Xian pondered, then as if making a decision, said to Zhenzhen: “In five days it’s the Crown Prince’s birthday. The Eastern Palace will certainly invite Yinqi to attend the birthday banquet. You must persuade Yinqi to attend and bring you along. During the banquet, watch Yinqi’s actions constantly and don’t let him hurt you. As for the rest, I’ll figure out a way.”