Empress Yue’s banquets were always harmonious. Even the most discordant people had to be harmonious once on her territory. Even if you weren’t harmonious inside, you had to pretend harmony on your face.
Everyone in the hall treated the Fifth Princess’s departure as if they hadn’t seen it. When rising after bowing, each wore a smiling face, warm and friendly. Among them, the one who smiled most joyfully was still Qu Lingjun, who even playfully winked at Shaoshang when she saw her.
Empress Yue patted her hand, and she gracefully descended with lotus steps to pull Shaoshang over to sit together. Most of the ladies had known Qu Lingjun before. Seeing her again after many years, all were greatly shocked.
Six years of hardship—not only had Qu Lingjun’s appearance not changed much, her complexion was even rosier than before. When she smiled, her skin glowed luminously, her glances flew spiritedly, actually overshadowing all the ladies in the hall.
The Middle Lady Marquis Yue was first to laugh: “My heavens, Lingjun has undergone a complete transformation! If I met you on the street, I wouldn’t dare recognize you. Everyone ages year by year, but you grow younger and younger. What immortal medicine are you taking?”
The Princess Consort of the Heir of Ruyang deliberately winked: “What immortal medicine? Marrying an affectionate man works better than any immortal medicine! Alas, you can see—for a woman, marrying well makes her age slowly.”
Qu Lingjun smiled with pursed lips, tacitly acknowledging.
The Middle Lady Marquis Yue laughingly scolded: “You’re quite good at shirking responsibility. You were born looking old—at twenty looking like thirty, at thirty looking like an old mother. Now you’ve pushed it all onto the Heir with one rake—it’s all become his fault!”
The Princess Consort of the Heir of Ruyang laughed cheerfully, not angry at all. Since her mother-in-law, the old Princess Consort, was divorced and sent to a separate residence, her life couldn’t be more comfortable. At this moment, she happily contributed to the liveliness of Empress Yue’s banquet. The ladies followed with hearty laughter.
Even more shocked was the Second Princess. Seeing Qu Lingjun’s abdomen prominently swollen, she exclaimed: “Lingjun, you’re carrying a child—why rush to the capital? This journey must have been bumpy and exhausting…”
“Already five or six months along, quite stable.” Qu Lingjun smiled. “During my first pregnancy, I still accompanied the Prefect to the countryside to supervise well-digging. Besides, Yingchuan is close to the capital—the journey is only ten-some days. If not for supervising land survey matters, we should have been the first group to reach the capital.” Precisely because of the proximity to the capital, Prefect Liang’s implementation of the land survey decree was among the earliest of all prefectures and counties.
“Moreover, I missed Her Majesty. Look—as soon as we reached the capital, without seeing anyone else, I rushed straight to the palace gates.” Qu Lingjun smiled.
Shaoshang looked worriedly at her abdomen: “Actually, Madam could have come after giving birth. Her Majesty the Empress isn’t going anywhere.”
At these words, the ladies all laughed.
The Second Princess smiled: “These words—one can tell they’re spoken by an unmarried young lady.”
A lady seated beside Lady Marquis Xuan covered her mouth and laughed softly: “After giving birth, it won’t be the time for Prefect Liang to return to the capital to report on duties.”
Only then did Shaoshang understand—they wanted to travel together as husband and wife.
Qu Lingjun coughed lightly twice to cover up, then raised her cup first to toast Empress Yue, thanking her for years of care and concern. The second cup thanked Shaoshang, grateful for her tireless efforts six years ago to clear her of injustice.
The Third Princess couldn’t keep her mouth idle: “…You should also thank Shiyilang. Mmm, but unfortunately he’s not here right now.”
Shaoshang pretended not to hear, turning instead to chat idly with Qu Lingjun: “Counting this pregnancy, you and Prefect Liang have two children?”
Qu Lingjun was bashful, saying in a low voice: “The first year of marriage produced a son, a daughter the year before last.”
“Three babies in five years—Prefect Liang is quite capable.” Shaoshang couldn’t suppress her teasing tone.
Qu Lingjun was beyond restraining her shyness, explaining earnestly: “Actually only the first pregnancy was intentionally planned by us as a couple. The next two were both accidental… The Prefect says after this one is born, we’ll properly recuperate…”
Shaoshang pretended not to understand, but she actually could understand perfectly—her ears felt somewhat hot. At such an age, still constantly having ‘accidents’—did they need to make it so intense and frequent? The old terraced villa was on fire or what?
After three rounds of wine, the Second Princess brought her cup over and asked seriously: “Lingjun, does Prefect Liang treat you well?”
Shaoshang immediately wanted to deliver a treatise on Prefect Liang’s vigorous old age, but Qu Lingjun obviously understood the Second Princess’s question wasn’t taking the vulgar route. She pondered for a moment and said sincerely: “To speak presumptuously—since marrying the Prefect, I actually feel the previous twenty-some years were lived in vain.”
Shaoshang was startled by her passionate declaration. Was it really that exaggerated?
Qu Lingjun had been close to the Second Princess before marriage and didn’t avoid the topic now: “To be honest with Your Highness, I originally agreed to remarry for the sake of family and children. But these six or seven years, I’ve been happier than any time before. When with the Prince of Donghai, I knew he’d been betrothed since childhood—my heart was always anxious and uneasy. Later, following Liang Shang, even less worth mentioning. It was my fault, coveting someone else’s fiancé. So heaven punished me with ten years of living worse than death. I thought my life would be like that forever. Who knew now I’ve finally tasted the flavor of deep marital affection? Only now do I feel my feet on solid ground, my heart having a place to rest, no longer drifting about without support.”
She spoke emotionally. The Second Princess’s eyes moistened. Returning to her own seat, she saw the Third Princess had already torn through the third platter of dried meat. She scolded quietly: “You should eat less. Being too plump isn’t good!”
The Third Princess didn’t care: “What’s to fear? Even if I become a barrel of lard, the Prince Consort can’t divorce me. Besides, haven’t you seen my Prince Consort lately? He’s even more portly than me. Last time Father Emperor joked we’re growing to look more and more like husband and wife.”
The Second Princess choked. After a while she said: “Just now I heard Lingjun say she and Prefect Liang are an affectionate couple—truly enviable. Don’t you feel even slightly moved?” She hoped the Third Princess wouldn’t indulge in pleasure, at least having some aspirations.
The corner of the Third Princess’s mouth held mockery: “Marital affection is something you can encounter but not seek. Second Sister, you’re lucky, but others aren’t necessarily so. Qu Lingjun suffered over ten years before exchanging it for today’s good days. Mother Empress was relegated to concubine status for half her life. If not for the Prince of Donghai’s incompetence and Third Brother’s promise, who knows if she’d have the chance to hold her head high today…”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Her Majesty the Empress and Father Emperor never wronged Mother Empress.” The Second Princess refuted.
“Hehe, that’s true. Whether Mother Empress was Empress or not, she always had prestige.” The Third Princess laughed. “In short, your sister lacks that ambition. Living peacefully and freely is good enough.”
She glanced across: “Cheng Shaoshang looks all giggles and laughs, but she’s suffered plenty over these years too. Who knows what the future holds? I now have wine, meat, and amusements, calling servants and ordering maids with hunting dogs busy—living the first-class life of those above others. Why defy Father Emperor and bring suffering on myself? Fifth Sister just can’t see clearly. Worldly mortals should accept their fate and live worldly mortal lives.”
The Second Princess was helpless. Since she and Third Sister couldn’t see eye to eye, she went over to continue talking with Qu Lingjun. Seeing this, Shaoshang took the opportunity to excuse herself to use the facilities and left the hall.
She knew Changqiu Palace’s routes well. Even though the palace had changed masters, because she often came to make work reports, most palace maids and young eunuchs recognized her. After freshening up, Shaoshang was unwilling to immediately return to the banquet. She walked along the palace corridor to the courtyard behind the side hall, looking up to admire a flourishing tree covered in brocade-like blossoms.
Not knowing how long she’d stood there, Shaoshang exhaled wine breath, but her chest still felt stuffy. She disliked today’s banquet, disliked the noble ladies’ teasing and laughter, disliked Qu Lingjun’s happy, satisfied smile. Even the wine’s flavor was sour, astringent, and choking.
Alas, how wonderful it would be if people could live according to their own wishes—not smiling when you didn’t want to, flatly refusing when you didn’t want to socialize, taking out your heart to wash it clean and put it back when you didn’t want to feel bad.
Because the banquet in the front hall was in full swing and palace maids were busy serving, this courtyard was cold and empty, so quiet one seemed able to hear even the shallow sound of wind—though it might also be Shaoshang’s slightly tipsy misconception.
“Shaoshang…”
A voice came from the distance, as if someone was calling her. Shaoshang thought it might be a misconception.
“Shaoshang!” An indisputable male voice came. She turned around blankly.
Huo Buyi supported himself against a corridor pillar with one hand, smiling with clear eyes and brows: “So you’re here.” —Today he wore a set of clean, plain-colored brocade robes. Only a pair of white jade iron wrist guards with silver-threaded beast patterns beneath his sleeves glinted faintly in the pale golden daylight.
Shaoshang suddenly didn’t want to pretend anymore. Right now she and Huo Buyi simply couldn’t interact like old friends. Never seeing each other again was most appropriate. So she briefly performed a courtesy, turned her head to leave, hoping this person would be tactful.
Huo Buyi lightly pressed on the vermilion railing, vaulted down from the corridor like an arrow released from its bow, caught up to Shaoshang in two or three steps, grasped her wrist in one motion, then with a twist, his other hand swept up her sleeve to the upper arm—just as Luo Jitong had said, a very faint, very shallow circle of tooth marks. The scar had almost healed—his face suddenly darkened.
Shaoshang was startled, struggling to pry off his large palm while trying to maintain solemnity: “What do you want to do?!”
The girl beneath the flower tree was pale and delicate, soft tender cheeks flushed with warm tipsy redness, like rouge dyed on fine translucent white jade. Falling pink-white petals scattered somewhat on her black hair. Huo Buyi lowered her sleeve, looking at her unblinkingly, but the hand gripping her wrist didn’t move a fraction.
“I have something to say to you.” He said.
Shaoshang was furious: “Say it later! Let go first! Ow… let go… you release…” Not only did Huo Buyi not release her wrist, he pulled her into his embrace, his arm around her slender waist with such force he nearly made her gasp for breath.
“I’ll say it now.” His tone was calm. Shaoshang helplessly compromised: “Then we can’t say it here. Find another place.” Though her reputation was already quite bad, it hadn’t reached the point of complete abandonment.
Huo Buyi was also familiar with Changqiu Palace. Hearing this, he dragged Shaoshang toward the forest garden. Shaoshang quickly said: “No, no, no! Today the spring weather is perfect. After the banquet, the ladies will definitely go to the forest garden to walk off the wine… go to the side halls. There are several cold, remote palace rooms there…”
Huo Buyi raised an eyebrow but still did as she said.
Turning several palace corridor corners, the two arrived at an unoccupied palace room. Huo Buyi walked with great strides while Shaoshang stumbled along. Huo Buyi wanted to carry her several times but was firmly refused each time.
Entering the palace room, Shaoshang forcefully pushed the man away, walking several steps back: “Fine, if you have something to say, say it.”
Huo Buyi stood at the doorway, turned to shut with his backhand the exquisite lattice door newly papered with sheepskin, and like a gloomy deity slowly walked toward her. Shaoshang couldn’t help stepping back.
Huo Buyi lifted his right arm’s sleeve—on it was a circle of deep pink, delicate tooth marks: “Why is your scar so faint? I should have bitten deeper than you did originally.”
Shaoshang’s left hand slowly moved to her right upper arm, pressing that scar, saying coldly: “Over these years I’ve sought the best trauma physicians, used the best scar-removing ointments, just to completely erase this mark. It’s almost gone now. When I marry, this mark will fade completely clean!”
The girl stood there proudly, her expression cool and indifferent. Huo Buyi suddenly felt hatred. He was already terminally ill, beyond medicine’s cure, yet she wanted to completely withdraw, marry cleanly and freshly to another after healing—why should she?!
He’d practiced martial arts since childhood. The steps to subdue an opponent were deeply ingrained. Even drowsing on horseback, once engaged his body could naturally respond fluidly. This instinct had helped him overcome enemies when exhausted many times. But right now he couldn’t care about any of that. Taking one large step forward, without any method he twisted the girl’s arm, half-pressing her down, lifting her sleeve to bite.
Shaoshang was pressed sitting on the bright floor. After a shocked moment she reacted, like seeing a benevolent, kind deity remove its disguise to reveal the true face of a demon or monster.
Huo Buyi had always been very gentle with her. Even last time when they swore brotherhood by biting arms, it was after pleasant discussion and agreement before he bit. How did going to the border for six years cause him to regress from advanced developed feudal society back to the primitive tribal era of eating raw meat and drinking blood?!
Intense skin-breaking pain transmitted from her upper arm. Shaoshang’s right arm was gripped immobile. She could only fight back with her left hand, first clenching his thick black vigorous hair to pull backward. She thought with this much force at least his scalp would hurt, but Huo Buyi’s expression remained normal, his teeth continuing to apply force, only his cold fierce eyes glaring at her savagely.
“Let go, let go! Release me… it hurts hurts hurts… first release your mouth!” The sharp tooth tips tore through the outer skin penetrating the muscle layer. The pain became severe. Shaoshang wildly struck his shoulders and arms. In extreme hatred, she even went to scratch his perfect flawless face. The result was that her fingernails, carefully maintained in palace life, all broke. Her own fingertips instead showed threads of blood.
Huo Buyi finally released his mouth. Shaoshang cried while pulling back her arm. She saw that on her nearly vanished scar a new circle of fresh blood marks now overlay it, the tooth marks clear, the flesh and blood stark—very obviously, even if a divine physician descended to earth, she couldn’t hope to eliminate this scar without trace within a few months. Years of her hard work wasted in one morning.
Huo Buyi knelt on one leg on the ground, simultaneously fumbling for something in a brocade pouch at his waist.
Shaoshang looked at her blood-stained arm, unable to restrain her fury. She’d fought in the streets before—she wasn’t some gentle, respectful, frugal, yielding honest girl. Having suffered such a great loss, how could she let it go? She immediately pounced to bite and beat the man.
Huo Buyi’s cheek and jaw took several hits. He felt neither pain nor itch, not taking it seriously. However, now he remembered the steps for subduing enemies.
His right hand held a small white jade bottle. His left arm slightly bent, accurately gripping the girl’s right hand, reversing his hand to press her against his chest. Her slender back fit perfectly against his chest. The right hand holding the white jade bottle used fingertips to hook up the girl’s right sleeve, exposing the bloody wound, then bit her sleeve to prevent it from falling, his thumb pushing open the velvet stopper of the white jade bottle mouth, evenly sprinkling the powder inside onto the bite wound.
Shaoshang cried out miserably, like a skinned small beast. Where the wound was medicated burned fiercely with pain. She knew this medicinal powder could prevent the bite from becoming inflamed and festering. But last time when applying medicine he’d been so gentle coaxing and teasing her, his gaze loving and cherishing, like brother, like father. Why did he treat her this way now?!
She was trapped in his iron-hoop embrace, crazed with pain and struggling desperately, but his chest was hard, his arms strong. No matter how hard she struck with her left hand, it was useless. In desperation with reddened eyes, she discovered her right hand was still firmly held by Huo Buyi’s left hand. So she furiously bit down on his hand’s back.
Blood threads seeped between her teeth. The fair skin on his hand’s back instantly broke. Huo Buyi acted as if unaware, like an elegant gentleman trimming lamp wicks for his beloved, his expression focused and moving, carefully sprinkling medicinal powder on each blood hole on her arm.
Shaoshang tired of biting and furiously released her mouth, turning back to curse angrily: “You’re a madman!”
Huo Buyi’s expression didn’t change: “You’re not much better.”
“You’re a scoundrel!”
“Where are you any better—heartless and unrighteous, selfish and cold.”
The two glared at each other, like mortal enemies from a past life who’d formed a life-and-death grudge, neither willing to yield a step.
Shaoshang said viciously: “If I’m so bad, why do you keep pestering me?!”
Huo Buyi didn’t answer. Toward those curved pretty lips still carrying blood traces, he angrily kissed down deeply, fierce as biting a prey’s throat. Shaoshang cried out in muffled pain while pushing at his face. As always, he couldn’t be ruthless enough. He could only let her go.