She had been sending people to inquire about the Fourth Prince ever since she arrived in the capital.Last month, when the Kangxi Emperor celebrated his birthday, the Fourth Prince presented a rare stone. Though he had gone to great lengths to procure it, it unfortunately clashed with the Ninth Prince's gift. The Ninth Prince, being a merchant, naturally had more lavish resources. Though both were rare stones, the Fourth Prince's was clearly inferior in color, style, and size. Though the Emperor did not reproach him, he was still outshone.The Fourth Prince said nothing outwardly, but he had secretly sent people to search for novel and interesting trinkets. With the imperial family's boundless wealth, and the Emperor being the master of all under heaven, there was nothing fine he hadn't seen—naturally, the rarer the item, the more it would capture his attention."You only need to spread the word again, saying that the Spirit Fox is pure white all over, with only a touch of crimson between its brows, and that it has been nurtured by the Buddhist scriptures at Sanqing Temple—clever and spirited, and only those with sincere hearts will be able to find it."Banxia was momentarily stunned, but Ye Nanyuan's hand had already moved to stroke the Buddha-Lotus Jade Bead on her wrist. Seeing this, Banxia quickly hurried out.Only after the room fell quiet did Ye Nanyuan let out a breath. Her slender fingers hooked around the Buddha-Lotus Jade Bead, tracing each bead one by one along its grain. When she reached the last bead, her slightly cool fingers paused.The Buddha-Lotus Jade Bead slipped from her wrist, revealing a lotus tattoo on her snow-white wrist. Against her skin, smooth as congealed cream, the lotus appeared pure and elegant.Ye Nanyuan gently closed her eyes, and the hand bearing the lotus mark touched the pear blossom placed on the table. The next moment, a few drops of flower dew gathered in her palm—crystal clear and exuding a faint pear fragrance. The pear blossom on the table seemed to bloom even more brilliantly, yet it also showed faint signs of withering.The lotus mark on her wrist had been with her since childhood. Each day, the lotus would condense a drop of spiritual essence that her body absorbed. Moreover, she could condense any flower into flower dew.Ye Nanyuan had experimented several times and concluded that this was something good. When men used it, it strengthened their bodies; when women drank it, it naturally nourished their beauty and skin.She had been nurtured by this lotus since childhood, and now her skin was smoother than a peeled egg by no small margin.Ye Nanyuan condensed a full cup of pear blossom dew and brought it to the back mountain.At the back mountain, there was a fox den where a large and a small fox lay. The mother fox was nursing her cub, but immediately raised her head at the sound of footsteps. Seeing it was her, she relaxed her vigilance somewhat.Ye Nanyuan had long noticed that this fox was highly intelligent. It was a size smaller than ordinary foxes, pure white all over, with a vermilion flame mark on its forehead. Half a month ago, she had saved its dying life with flower dew, and since then she had fed it spiritual essence water daily. By now, the two had grown somewhat familiar.Thinking of her plan, Ye Nanyuan bent down to meet the mother fox's slightly wary eyes. "I know you understand me." She smiled as she offered the cup forward. "Let's make a deal—how about helping me with a favor?"
The Spirit Fox at Sanqing Temple had originally been a rumor—many had heard of it but paid it no mind. Recently, however, quite a few people had actually encountered it. The fox was indeed spiritual, deliberately appearing before wealthy and influential ladies. Word spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, until the tale of the Spirit Fox became known throughout the entire capital.At the Fourth Prince's Beile Mansion—When word reached the Fourth Prince's ears, he was still practicing calligraphy at his desk. His Imperial Father had left the palace for the frontier, leaving the Crown Prince to oversee state affairs. But the Fourth Prince's name was not on the list of princes accompanying the Emperor.This trip to the frontier was to discuss matters with the Mongol princes. All the princes had gone—the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth included. Among the adult princes, aside from the Crown Prince who remained to oversee affairs, only he had been left behind.What did Imperial Father intend by this?The Fourth Prince kept his head down, practicing calligraphy, his wrist moving like a swimming dragon as he held the brush—but his mind was not on the writing.Had he noticed that he was too close to the Crown Prince?No… that wasn't it. Imperial Father had always doted on the Crown Prince. Even when officials under the Crown Prince embezzled disaster relief funds during the Sichuan floods, Imperial Father had not uttered a single word of reproach.Imperial Father's affection for the Crown Prince was genuine.So if the Crown Prince was left to oversee affairs, why was he left behind as well? To assist?The Fourth Prince's wrist paused, and a perfectly good piece of calligraphy was instantly ruined, smeared into a blob of ink. But he didn't even look at it, only shook his head.Though he followed the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince trusted him considerably, this second brother of his was no simple man. Even while Imperial Father was still in the palace, the Crown Prince's reach had extended far. Now that Imperial Father was gone and no one in the palace could restrain him, who knew what the Crown Prince might do.If he was left in the palace and the Crown Prince did something—would the Crown Prince listen if he tried to advise him? But if he didn't advise him, and something went wrong later, he couldn't stay clean himself either.This was rather troublesome…The Fourth Prince closed his eyes. At that moment, Su Peisheng approached from the side, offering tea: "My Lord, the Consort has sent a maid to ask whether you will dine at the main courtyard this evening?"The Fourth Prince tossed aside his brush and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "I promised Side Consort Li yesterday that I would accompany her tonight."Su Peisheng knew exactly how to respond upon hearing this and smiled.Then he heard the Fourth Prince ask, "The things I asked you to find earlier—have you found anything new?" When the Empress Dowager celebrated her birthday, he gave a pair of jade bracelets, only to clash with the Fourteenth Brother's gift.Last month, when the Emperor celebrated his birthday, he gave a rare stone, which again matched what the Ninth Brother gave.Although the Emperor said nothing, the fact that he wasn't taken on this trip beyond the frontier might not be entirely unrelated to this. Besides, if someone with ulterior motives made an issue of it, they might say he wasn't being thoughtful enough.He needed to find something novel to delight the Emperor.The Fourth Prince curled his fingers and tapped them on the table.But how easy was it to find something novel? Su Peisheng hung his head with a worried expression. Over the past month, five or six cartloads of treasures had been gathered from all over, yet none could catch His Highness's eye.When he saw His Highness ask this way, his eyelids began to twitch."This… this thing…" The Fourth Prince looked down at him with no expression. Su Peisheng's heart nearly leaped out of his throat. He racked his brain for a moment, and then his eyes lit up."Well, there is a rumor spreading throughout the capital these days.""They say there's a Spirit Fox in the back mountain of Sanqing Temple—pure white all over with a crimson flame mark between its brows. This creature is highly attuned to human nature; only those with sincere hearts can see it. If…"Su Peisheng stammered, "If one were caught and presented to the Emperor…""Spirit Fox?" The Fourth Prince picked up a damp cloth from the side and wiped his hands. Su Peisheng's heart skipped a beat. The Fourth Prince was tall with a well-proportioned figure, though in summer his appetite waned and he grew somewhat thinner.At this moment, he stood before the window, head lowered, wiping his fingers one by one with the cloth.His expression was hidden behind his lowered eyelids, impossible to read.Su Peisheng grew uneasy and was about to kneel and confess his fault when he heard a soft chuckle. The Fourth Prince tossed the damp cloth back into the basin and smiled at the rippling water: "Sanqing Temple?""Master Liao Kong of Sanqing Temple plays chess exceptionally well. Since there's nothing pressing these days, I'll go stay at the temple for a while and contemplate the Buddhist path."
A noble personage had taken residence in Sanqing Temple—Banxia found this out the very next day.She lived nearby and often went over to play. The sweeper monk there happened to be from her hometown, and over time, she learned of any news from Sanqing Temple earlier than others.Seeing Ye Nanyuan practicing calligraphy, she chattered away on the side: "I wonder what background this noble person has—they say even Master Liao Kong received them personally."Ye Nanyuan kept her head down, painting, ignoring her.Banxia was used to her mistress not speaking and kept on chattering. Her mistress never talked while painting, but she could go on by herself for ages."There are so many nobles in the capital—officials are a dime a dozen. I wonder what rank this one holds, and whether they outrank the prefect of Jiangnan."The highest official Banxia had ever seen in her life was the prefect of Jiangnan, and even then from afar, without even making out his face.She didn't need Ye Nanyuan to respond; she just kept rattling on by herself. It wasn't until Nanny Zhou brought over some pastries and quietly pulled her aside that she stopped: "Miss is painting—why are you disturbing her?"Though Nanny Zhou was kind, she did look rather fierce. She was Miss's wet nurse and held a special place in the household. When she spoke, with her face set and brows raised, she was quite intimidating.Banxia stuck out her tongue and dared not say more."Miss, have something to eat and rest a while." Nanny Zhou set down the freshly made lotus pastries, and Banxia drooled on the side.Ye Nanyuan was fairly obedient to this nanny and indeed put down her brush, asking, "Nanny, take a look at this painting." Nanny Zhou stood on her toes to glance at it, then picked up her tray and made to leave."Miss, I don't understand these flowers and paintings of yours. There's chicken soup simmering on the stove—I need to go check on it."With that, she scurried off and vanished in no time.Once she was gone, Banxia quickly grabbed a lotus pastry and took a bite, calling out to Nanny Zhou's retreating back: "This is 'Two Egrets on a Snowy Beach'!""Well, I underestimated you—you actually recognize it."Ye Nanyuan set down her brush and gave her a careful look. Banxia immediately stuck out her tongue: "Miss has painted this every day, all day long for the past month. If I didn't recognize it, I wouldn't deserve to serve at your side.""You do have a bit of cleverness." Ye Nanyuan lowered her head to look at it a few times before saying, "Hang it up once it's dry.""Miss, you're finished?"Banxia's eyes lit up at the words. Her mistress had been in the capital for nearly three months now, and this painting was finally complete."It may not reach the point of passing for the original, but it should be enough to fool people." Ye Nanyuan dipped her hands into a basin filled with rose dew to wash them, then asked, "Did you take care of the matter I asked you to handle last time?""All done." Banxia stuffed her mouth full of lotus pastries, cheeks bulging: "The trap is very deep, with sharpened iron spikes planted at the bottom. Whatever falls in will either break its legs or get riddled with holes from the spikes.""Very good."Ye Nanyuan nodded, rubbing the paint on her hands vigorously.The basin, which had held clear water, was now dyed a deep red, as striking and dazzling as the blood in her dreams.Her dark eyes were filled with hatred as she struggled to close her eyelids.When she turned around again, a trace of sorrow lingered in her misty eyes, and her frail voice sounded delicate and innocent: "But we must warn those who pass by to be careful. If they accidentally step into a trap and lose half their lives, what would we do then?"