Princess Hanzhu did not immediately agree. Instead, she first enquired after his health with concern. Receiving the expected answer, she said, half in complaint and half in indignation:
“Those people Ziyu took to the Meng residence were utterly useless. They could not even protect you. In my view, they should all be dragged out and executed! What use are they? Especially that Commander Liu. A mere eunuch who cannot even recognise his own station, yet he dared to provoke trouble at the Chancellor’s residence. That would have been bad enough, but he even dragged you into it. Being torn apart by five horses would not be too severe a punishment!”
Chao Yan’s smile faded. Calmly, he said:
“Aunt, Father has already dealt with this matter. Let us not bring it up again, lest it sour Father’s mood. I heard that Father set off for Cining Temple this afternoon, and afterwards several of my sisters and aunts went there as well. I thought you would be going too, Aunt, and was just about to send someone to ask what things you would need brought along.”
Upon hearing this, Princess Hanzhu said: “I would be no help there. Why should I go? To cause trouble for His Majesty?”
She shook her head with a smile.
“It is you who are truly worrying. Wan’er has been frightened ever since she heard what happened. Now that she can see you are unharmed, the girl is probably beside herself with joy.”
Princess Roujia looked at Chao Yan and softly called out: “Crown Prince-gege*.”
(*TN: ge = address for older brother/ older male relative/ unrelated older male)
Chao Yan smiled. “It has been some time since I last saw you. Wan’er-biaomei* seems to have grown quite a bit taller.”
(*TN: younger maternal cousin sister)
As they spoke, they walked towards the main hall of the Zheng Hall of Chaochun Palace.
Princess Roujia said: “Crown Prince-gege simply does not pay enough attention to Wan’er. Otherwise, you would not think at first glance that I have grown so much taller.”
Chao Yan replied: “That is true enough. I have many affairs to attend to, and biaomei rarely leaves her residence. Thinking about it now, it has already been several months since we last met.”
Princess Roujia therefore asked: “Crown Prince-gege, what happened to you some time ago?”
She did not believe that the Crown Prince had merely been confined to bed by illness and unable to receive visitors. Something must have happened to him. This was not merely intuition; it was a conclusion she had drawn from numerous unusual circumstances.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the Crown Prince turn back to look at her. A chill ran up her spine.
She stammered: “I was only asking casually. Crown Prince-gege knows that I have never been very good with words.”
She took out the sachet she had embroidered. “Crown Prince-gege, what do you think of this sachet?”
Chao Yan accepted it. The gold and silver embroidery gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
“I still remember when I first met biaomei. You were only a swaddled infant. Now you can embroider such an exquisite sachet. I wonder which young gentleman in the capital will be worthy of you.”
Princess Roujia smiled shyly. “Crown Prince-gege, I…”
Before she could finish, the sachet was placed back into her hands. “Crown Prince-gege?”
“Hold on to it properly.” The Crown Prince withdrew his hand, his smile gentle.
“Keep this sachet and give it to the young man you one day come to admire. It will make a wonderful gift.”
Princess Roujia said: “I…”
The Crown Prince continued: “And if there is no such young man yet, then when you eventually meet a good one, I shall cast aside my dignity and play the matchmaker. So long as biaomei lives happily, I can rest easy.”
Princess Roujia gripped the sachet tightly. Her eyes gradually reddened. “Crown Prince-gege, in your eyes, am I only your biaomei?”
The Crown Prince looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean by that, biaomei?”
He smiled. “Although I do not quite understand what you are trying to say, I can tell you clearly that you will always be my cousin. I will do everything within my power to protect you.”
To give the two of them room to speak, Princess Hanzhu had deliberately fallen several paces behind. She had even stopped the servants from following too closely.
Looking at their backs—one tall, one delicate—she thought they looked perfectly matched and was quietly delighted.
Then she suddenly saw her daughter run off. The maids hurried after her.
Princess Hanzhu immediately went to Chao Yan’s side. “Ziyu, did the two of you quarrel?”
Chao Yan replied: “Aunt, I do not understand it myself. We were talking quite normally, and then biaomei suddenly left.”
Princess Hanzhu’s expression darkened. She glanced at him and hurried after her daughter.
After only a few steps, she found Princess Roujia in a corridor, surrounded by numerous maids. Even from a distance she could see that the girl was quietly crying.
Princess Hanzhu asked: “Tell Mother what happened.”
Princess Roujia turned away to face the wall.
Princess Hanzhu signalled for the maids to withdraw, took hold of her daughter’s arm, and said: “Turn around and speak properly.”
Princess Roujia clutched her handkerchief, wiped away her tears, turned around, and sobbed: “Mother, Crown Prince-gege only sees me as his biaomei.”
Princess Hanzhu asked: “Did you confess your feelings to him?”
Princess Roujia replied: “Crown Prince-gege would not accept the sachet I embroidered. He even said he would find me a good husband. I could not help but test him and ask whether he only regarded me as a cousin. He understood what I meant. He told me yes. He even said he would protect me. How is that any different from rejecting me outright? I am so ashamed, Mother.”
Princess Hanzhu’s expression became extremely unpleasant.
Princess Roujia grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mother, I do not like Crown Prince-gege any more. I will not marry him.”
“Foolish!” Princess Hanzhu glared at her.
“He does not like you now. Once you are married and spend enough time together, he will discover your virtues and naturally come to like you. And even if he does not, so what?
Most married couples in this world are affectionate only in appearance while estranged in reality. Compared with those women, you would still have a far better life. You would be Crown Princess. Your sons and daughters would all hold titles. When Ziyu ascends the throne, you would become Empress. Your sons and daughters would become Crown Prince and Grand Princesses.
If you married someone else, could you possibly enjoy such a life? Everything must be fought for. Even your title as a Princess was something I obtained from His Majesty on your behalf. The daughters of the other Grand Princesses are merely ordinary members of the imperial clan.”
Princess Roujia’s lips trembled. Tears continued to stream down her face.
Princess Hanzhu said: “Stop crying. You are hardly behaving like my daughter.”
Princess Roujia wiped her eyes. “Mother, Crown Prince-gege does not like me, and Uncle refuses to arrange the marriage. How am I supposed to become husband and wife with Crown Prince-gege?”
Princess Hanzhu said: “You have not listened to a word I have said.”
Princess Roujia replied: “I have listened, but I truly do not know how to become husband and wife with Crown Prince-gege.”
Princess Hanzhu said: “In a few days, once that Miss Gu is formally welcomed into the Eastern Palace and invested as Secondary Consort, I shall find an excuse to summon her to my residence. You are to become close to her and learn from her properly.
I have heard that this Miss Gu is upright in character, beautiful and intelligent. Presumably she did not use any despicable methods to climb into the Crown Prince’s bed.
Once you have learned what you can from her, I shall find an opportunity to have her quietly killed. When Ziyu is grieving, you can comfort him. Nine times out of ten, the marriage will then be settled.”
Princess Roujia stared. “Kill her? Mother, no…”
Princess Hanzhu said coldly: “She is merely a concubine. If she can die for your sake, that is her honour.”
Princess Roujia said: “We could send her away from the capital and never allow her to return.”
Princess Hanzhu replied: “Why make matters so complicated? Which lingers longer in people’s minds: someone who vanishes, or someone who dies? Do not be like your father… indecisive and weak. Nothing can be accomplished that way! If you were capable of making people love you, would we have to resort to such measures?”
Her expression became somewhat frightening. Her chest rose and fell violently.
Although this was not the first time Princess Roujia had seen her mother like this, she was still frightened and instinctively stepped back.
Princess Hanzhu said: “Enough. Go and bid Ziyu farewell. We are returning home. I originally intended for you and Ziyu to spend time together and cultivate your feelings, but that clearly will not happen now.”
“Yes.”
“You must think about your future. Would I ever harm you?”
“Yes.”
Princess Roujia changed to a fresh handkerchief, wiped her tears dry, and raised her head.
She was just about to follow Princess Hanzhu when movement on a shaded path across from them caught her eye. As though it had been destined, she immediately noticed the young woman in pink leading the group.
The woman was running extremely quickly, while several palace maids behind her struggled to keep up, panting heavily as they ran. The woman wore surprisingly short black hair that reached only a little below her neck.
Even from this distance, Princess Roujia could keenly sense the vigorous vitality radiating from her.
Before now, among all the women she had known, she had only ever sensed such vitality in Zhao Xun. Yet compared with the woman before her, Zhao Xun seemed to lack something. Something that made one’s spirits lift the instant one saw her, like long-awaited rain after a drought.
Even so, Princess Roujia still liked Zhao Xun more. Unfortunately, Zhao Xun did not like her. She knew exactly why.
Earlier that spring, Zhao Xun had taken her butterfly-chasing in the Eastern Palace gardens. By accident, they had knocked over a precious peony that her mother had sent to the Eastern Palace.
The peony had been carried by a palace maid to the conservatory. The maid and Zhao Xun collided around a corner without warning. The peony slipped from the maid’s hands, crashed to the ground, shattered its porcelain pot, and scattered petals everywhere.
When her mother learned of it, Zhao Xun had come personally to apologise. Yet Princess Hanzhu had called her a wild girl who had parents to give birth to her but none to raise her.
Princess Roujia had been present at the time. She had wanted to speak up for Zhao Xun. But seeing her mother in such a rage, she had been frightened and remained silent.
Worse still, her mother had used her very presence to further humiliate Zhao Xun.
From that day onward, Zhao Xun no longer played with her. Whenever they met, there was only a polite greeting. Princess Roujia had written letters in an attempt to repair their friendship, but nothing came of it.
Eventually, having exhausted every possibility, she could only fall silent. In the end, it had been her fault.
The woman in pink and the palace maids soon disappeared from sight.
Princess Roujia withdrew her gaze, wondering who the woman might be, and hurried after Princess Hanzhu, who had already walked some distance ahead.
“Miss Gu really can run. I have never seen a young lady who can run so well.”
“Following Miss Gu around makes me eat an extra bowl of rice every day.”
“Fortunately, Miss Gu loves reading. Once she starts reading, she can sit there for half a day and does not wander about. Otherwise my legs would have given out by now.”
Several palace maids followed Gu Yun back to the pavilion where Xu Jingzhou was waiting. All of them were bent over, clutching their knees and dripping with sweat. Seeing this, Zhao He dismissed them to rest for a while.
After drinking a bowl of tea and recovering somewhat, they gathered together and began chatting quietly. After a few remarks, one of them laughed.
“Well, perhaps that is a good thing. It means Miss Gu is as healthy as Miss Zhao! We need not constantly worry about her, nor do we have extra trouble to deal with.”
“That is true.”
“Miss Gu is always giving us treats and never scolding us. Just like His Highness. I would happily serve Miss Gu forever.
“Still, I am somewhat worried…”
“What if Princess Roujia truly becomes Crown Princess?
“Would she target Miss Gu?
“After all, everyone knows that His Highness favours Miss Gu. Judging by his attitude, he will continue to favour her in future as well.
“And besides, Miss Gu is rather like Miss Zhao. Much of the time she is not at all like a proper young lady—always running, jumping, and bouncing about.”
While the palace maids worried about Gu Yun, Gu Yun himself was happily talking with Xu Jingzhou.
He told Xu Jingzhou that when he had provided Chao Yan with additional clues regarding Guo Yangquan, Chao Yan had said that in future, if the two of them wished to meet, they could use one of his private residences.
The two of them met frequently at Cining Temple, and sooner or later someone was bound to notice.
