Cuihua had a delicate, pretty appearance, but she had never been one for quiet composure.
As a child, she had often run wild across the mountains with the village boys—wading into rivers to catch fish, climbing hills to hunt wild game, and crafting things like animal traps with effortless skill. Her knack for carpentry had originally been honed in just such pursuits.
She had been eyeing Li Jing's horseback riding with barely concealed longing just moments ago, so Pei Huaiche was hardly surprised that she had taken a similar interest. He said gently, "The Third Prince's horse is still wild and untamed—it takes someone with his strength to keep it in check. If you want to learn, have the servants prepare a gentler mount."
Seeing that he had agreed, Cuihua's eyes sparkled as she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Pei Huaiche frowned slightly in exasperation, his gaze flicking to the distance as he murmured, "Don't be silly—the Third Prince and Xiaobi are still here."
Cuihua, however, paid it no mind, a bright smile still curving her rosy lips. "That's no trouble at all! I just told Third Brother—I've come back from the common folk, and he doesn't stand on such empty formalities either. If we still insisted on court etiquette when we're alone together, wouldn't we just be making things awkward for each other? So we'll do whatever feels comfortable."
Pei Huaiche said nothing more in response. He had heard every word of her idle laughter and conversation with Li Jing just now.
Li Jing had been showing off the intricacies of his heavy sword to Cuihua—the front of the blade inscribed with "Wielding my sword, I roam the world," and the back carved with "Spurring my horse, I tread the rivers and lakes."
He had basked smugly in Cuihua's genuine admiration, explaining that the only reason he had yet to chase his grand dream of wandering the martial world was that he could not let go of Sang Qingci, to whom he had been betrothed since childhood.
The young prince's voice rang out clearly: "I'm fond of her, and it's not because of any parental decree or matchmaker's word. After that Red Lotus Pattern fell on my face back then, no one brought it up for years, and I'd forgotten all about it myself—until three years ago…"
At the time, Li Jing had been thirteen and Sang Qingci twelve. He had been utterly absorbed in a martial arts novel featuring a protagonist who obtained a secret manual from the belly of an old ape.
He had heard that apes also dwelled in the royal hunting grounds south of the capital, so he had snuck off there to try his luck. But instead of finding an ape, he had run straight into a man-eating tiger.
Fortunately, it had been just before the Empress's annual autumn hunt, and Sang Qingci had happened to be there with her elder sister, overseeing the defensive arrangements. He had first heard the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air, then watched as someone shot the tiger straight through the eye, snatching him from the jaws of death.
When he turned around, what met his eyes was a young woman in battle garb atop her horse, her hunting robes snapping in the wind, her bow hand still lowered. The morning light pooled in her eyes, blazing so brightly it seared into him.
He had fallen for that beautiful girl—bow in hand, reins in the other, her movements swift and dashing—at first sight. After returning to the palace, he had sent Xiaobi to make careful inquiries, only to learn that she was none other than Sang Qingci, the very girl he had been betrothed to in childhood—a true tiger daughter of a general's house.
Li Jing said it had to be fate written in the stars.
That was how it always went in the novels: a chance meeting in youth, a reunion in adulthood, with a touch of hero saving beauty thrown in. Except Sang Qingci was the hero, and he—bearing that hideous branded face that everyone loathed—could hardly be called the beauty.
Cuihua laughed out loud at that. "Third Brother, you're plenty handsome! Look how similar our features are—I'm not bragging, but back in Baishi Village, I was the renowned beauty for miles around."
She then launched into her own tale of the day she had found Pei Huaiche.
It had been an early spring morning shrouded in mountain mist. She had finished gathering firewood and thought the season was just right to pick some mushrooms for soup on the way back. It was those few extra steps she took toward the cliff crevice that led her to spot Pei Huaiche, covered in blood, barely even breathing.
Her dimples brimmed with tender affection as she spoke. "It was love at first sight for me too! By the time I'd wiped his face clean, I'd already planned out how many children we'd have. It seems liking pretty people runs in our family—Mother Empress is the same, you and I are the same, and though Fourth and Fifth Sister are still too young to tell, judging by Brother-in-Law's looks, Crown Princess Sister is probably the same way."
By the end of her speech, she remembered how she had once provoked a whole jar of jealousy from Pei Huaiche by praising her brother-in-law's handsomeness, so she deliberately lowered her voice in a clumsy attempt to cover her tracks.
In short, the siblings spoke to each other with no reservations whatsoever.
Li Jing made no attempt to hide his feelings for Sang Qingci, and Cuihua spoke just as plainly, declaring that she would one day make Pei Huaiche her rightful consort.
Pei Huaiche and Xiaobi had initially felt it was improper, but seeing that one dared to say and the other dared to agree—clearly a pair of fools cut from the same cloth—they simply let them be.
In the days that followed, Li Jing naturally came running to the princess's residence every day.
During that time, Cuihua also went back to the palace once more, five days before the banquet, having promised Li Chan and Li Yuan that she would make them tofu buns to try.
Li Jing, being closest to the source, got to taste his second sister's cooking earlier than either of his younger sisters. He happily wolfed down ten in one sitting, nearly draining the filling Cuihua had prepared.
On the day of the palace banquet, had Pei Huaiche not feared that too meticulous instructions might arouse her suspicion, he would have written pages upon pages of reminders for her to memorize, and stationed Baodian in her carriage to quiz her on the way to the palace.
Cuihua, however, remained composed. To put his mind at ease, she first repeated his instructions one by one, then coaxed him softly: "Don't worry. Mother Empress dotes on me. She knows I've only been brought into the capital for a month—there's no way I could have mastered all those intricate court rules. Even if I do breach some protocol, she won't punish me."
Pei Huaiche's brow remained furrowed: "Ties within the palace are not like those among common folk. Though His Majesty and you are mother and daughter, you are also sovereign and subject. If you—"
He had said this many times already.
Cuihua blinked and finished his sentence for him: "I know. That's why Mother Empress's affection for me will always be tinged with other considerations. But that's no great matter. At worst, she'll find me unpromising and treat me the way she treats Third Brother!"
She said it so lightly and frankly that Pei Huaiche was taken aback: "You don't mind? You only just reunited with Her Majesty after all this time. I've seen these past days… you truly have been happy."
Cuihua nodded, the bright daylight reflected in her eyes: "I am happy, yes. But I'm happy because I finally have a mother—not because my mother happens to be the Empress of Liang."
Her words were not heavy, yet each one rang clear, as if this was simply how things ought to be: "If she dotes on me, of course I'll want to be filial to her and be a good daughter who brings her joy. But if no matter how hard I try, I can never become what she wants, and if she values the so-called dignity of the imperial house more than our bond as mother and daughter—then I'll simply regard her more as the Son of Heaven and show her due reverence."
Cuihua had no particular awareness of it, but she was naturally gifted at distilling complex matters into simple truths, and she almost never made things difficult for herself.
In this, she was utterly unlike Pei Huaiche, who strove for thoroughness in all things. He often marveled privately that his little wife, though she had never read many books, understood life far more clearly than many who had spent their lives buried in texts.
Cuihua likewise had instructions for him: "I won't be able to spend the festival with you this year. Don't spend all your time worrying about whether I can win Mother Empress's favor. While you're alone in the manor, make sure you eat properly."
Pei Huaiche agreed.
He always remembered his promise to her that he would take proper care of his health, but whenever something weighed on his mind, he would unconsciously exhaust himself with worry. Thus, more often than not, it was she who had to remind him.
According to court regulations, aside from the Empress's imperial carriage and the Male Empress's phoenix carriage, no one else's vehicles were permitted to travel within the palace grounds.
Thus, on occasions like today, imperial relatives and powerful ministers would transfer to small palanquins carried by their own servants at the palace gates, which would then bear them to where the banquet was held.
Cuihua naturally did not need to arrange any of this herself—the Empress had already prepared a palanquin waiting for her at the palace gate, as if to display this affection and favor openly for all to see.
Yet what drew the most attention at this palace banquet was not the Empress's undisguised partiality toward her.
Rather, it was the fact that Third Prince Li Jing—who had not appeared at such gatherings for a full eight years—had accompanied her to the banquet with an exceptionally deferential manner.
Li Jing had arrived earlier than Cuihua. Finding the palanquin the Empress had sent to receive her, he stood quietly nearby in his dark crimson ceremonial robes, seemingly oblivious to the varied gazes cast his way from all around.
Only when Cuihua's carriage drew near did he straighten his sleeves and personally extend his hand to help her down.
Cuihua, showing no reserve whatsoever, took his hand and stepped down from the carriage, then promptly boarded the four-bearer princess palanquin, allowing Li Jing to follow alongside with Xiaobi in tow, escorting her step by step. Occasionally she would turn her head, lean down, and exchange a few words of light banter with him, her expression perfectly at ease.
This scene was witnessed by all who passed by, and looks of astonishment appeared on every face. Whispers spread like rustling leaves.
And small wonder.
The Empress had only recently found her long-lost daughter from among the common folk. It was only natural that she would shower her with extra affection out of pity for the hardships she had endured in years past—this did not necessarily mean this returned princess possessed any remarkable qualities.
But the person she was chatting and laughing with so amiably—that was the notorious Third Prince Li Jing.
Not only had he borne the prophecy of the Natural Born Demon Pill since childhood, but his temperament was so violent and unapproachable that aside from Xiaobi at his side, he had scarcely been seen speaking kindly to anyone.
Had Princess Li Shu been back in the capital for barely a month?
When had she become acquainted with the Third Prince?
Even more inconceivable was that the Third Prince appeared before her in the manner of a dutiful younger brother observing his proper place. Even Her Highness the Crown Princess had never received such courtesy from him.
As the palanquin settled smoothly to the ground, Cuihua keenly noticed that the gazes around her had changed.
The eager looks that had previously seemed ready to approach and strike up conversation had now all transformed into cautious scrutiny and curiosity. No one dared come forward rashly anymore.
She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Though Pei Huaiche had taught her plenty of phrases for socializing and dealing with these people, expecting her to transform overnight from a plain-spoken country girl into a polished, graceful palace princess was truly asking too much.
Her arrival alongside Li Jing had also made Li Chan and Li Yuan, who had originally intended to come out of the hall to greet her, hesitate in their steps.
It was not until Cuihua had taken her seat beside them that Li Yuan could contain herself no longer. She leaned in and whispered: "Second Sister, you really brought that demon seed… I mean, Third Imperial Brother—here?"
Five days prior, when Cuihua had brought tofu buns into the palace, she had already given her two younger sisters a hint of what was to come.
She omitted the part about Li Jing galloping his horse through the marketplace, only saying that the two of them had met by chance.
Perhaps because she herself had grown up in the countryside and had seen all manner of people from every walk of life, she didn't find this third brother of hers all that unbearable—just somewhat blunt in his speech, not very good at saying pleasant things.
Afterwards, as his elder sister, she had taken the initiative to invite him to a meal, and upon returning to the residence, had sent over a welcome gift as well.
And Li Jing, feeling that there was nothing in his residence worthy of returning the favor, had decided to come to this palace banquet, hoping to win a prize for her as a gift in return.
Li Yuan had been so startled at the time that she nearly choked on her bun. Fortunately, Li Chan, who had always eaten in small, delicate bites, was merely dumbfounded for a good while, not losing her composure like Li Yuan had.
Otherwise, Cuihua would truly have been at her wits' end, not knowing which younger sister to pat on the back and hand water to first.
Li Chan said, "Second Sister, his problem goes far beyond not being able to say pleasant things! Back when he was still in the palace, even passing dogs would get glared at by him. He went around all day looking like he wanted to devour people. The servants in the imperial kitchen wished they could draw lots every day just to decide who would have to deliver his meals."
Li Yuan, having finally caught her breath, nodded vigorously in agreement: "Exactly! He also often did things that we found utterly baffling. Once, for some unknown reason, he climbed up a palace pillar onto the roof beam, tied a rope up there, and insisted on sleeping on it, claiming he was practicing some kind of divine skill…"
In short, the consensus between the two sisters was that while the prophecy of the Natural Born Demon Pill might be mysterious and arcane, the fact that Li Jing's brain was defective was as certain as certain could be.
Clearly born human, yet many of his behaviors were even less sensible than the cats and dogs kept by the male consorts of the harem for amusement.
Having seen Li Jing with her own eyes today, Li Yuan could only be grateful that his seat had not been arranged near theirs. Seeing that no one around was paying attention, she couldn't help but whisper to Cuihua, "Second Sister, when you were among the common folk before… did you happen to learn animal taming?"
Li Chan also lowered her voice in agreement, casting a glance at Li Jing with poorly concealed astonishment: "But credit where credit is due—he does look somewhat human-like today."
Cuihua could only respond with a helpless, faint smile. Though she had every intention of mending the relationship between her younger siblings, Pei Huaiche, who had seen through her intentions, had told her that this matter could not be rushed.
Ever since Li Chan and Li Yuan could remember, the claim that Li Jing was the Natural Born Demon Pill had already spread throughout Xiangjing, known to all. So the fact that they could form their own judgment and not view him as an evil spirit was already quite rare.
Moreover, their distant attitude toward Li Jing, born of following the crowd, might well be a form of self-protection.
They shared the same father as Li Jing after all. Though for now it was said that the Empress had only given birth to the demonic seed as her first child because she had broken the Step-Empress's primordial yang, if someone in the future wished to harm them, seeing them keeping company with Li Jing would make it all too easy to seize upon that pretext and claim that all three siblings were demons cursed by the gods.
Pei Huaiche said that what Cuihua was doing now was already the best course of action—using her favored position with the Empress, playing the fool while knowing full well what she was doing, and giving Li Jing an opportunity to show his strengths without leaving a trace.
Having spent several days in the company of Cuihua and Pei Huaiche, Li Jing seemed to have learned a thing or two about human sensibilities. He vaguely understood that since Cuihua had publicly shown closeness to him, his every move no longer concerned only himself.
Thus, contrary to his usual behavior, he did not recklessly do as he pleased as if throwing caution to the wind. Even when the pre-banquet competitions began and he drew the gazes of onlookers simply for participating in them for the first time, he did not respond with the same hostility he had once shown, returning like for like.
Following Pei Huaiche's earlier advice, he walked before the imperial presence and bowed deeply to the Empress and the Step-Empress.
Though his voice was somewhat stiff, his wording was unexpectedly thorough: "A few days ago, this son inadvertently offended Second Imperial Sister. Thanks to her magnanimity, she not only refrained from reproach but instead bestowed generous gifts upon this son's residence. This son is deeply grateful, yet finds nothing in his residence worthy of returning the favor. As it happens, I have recently gained some proficiency in horsemanship, and I wish to contend for a prize, to respectfully offer to Imperial Sister."
The moment he finished speaking, the entire hall was astonished. Not to mention everyone else—even the Empress and the Step-Empress had never seen Li Jing speak so properly before.
The Empress's dignified countenance relaxed, a flash of surprise quickly crossing her face.
And in the Step-Empress's compassionate brows and eyes, which were ordinarily as calm and unruffled as still water before an ancient Buddha, a faint trace of a smile actually melted through.
This clearly indicated that not only did the two bear him no resentment for "ruining the mood," but they were rather gratified by his various actions today.
Li Yuan, seated beside Cuihua, once again surreptitiously tugged at her sleeve, her voice trembling slightly with shock: "Second Sister, did you see that? Father-Consort just smiled at you, and even took Mother-Empress's hand when she invited him to take his seat!"
Cuihua was momentarily stunned.
She had only met the Step-Empress once before, and her only impression of him was that he was indeed a man of solemn, majestic beauty—no wonder the Empress had insisted on bringing him into the palace despite his devotion to Buddhism.
So she didn't think that smile of his was directed at her. And even if it were, she didn't see anything remarkable about such a casual, faint smile from him.
Seeing this, Li Chan added softly from the side, "Second Sister may not know this, but Li Yuan and I are Father Empress's own daughters. It's been years since we've seen him smile, and aside from the two scheduled nights of service each month, Father Empress still strictly adheres to the precepts of a monk, keeping his distance from all women—even Mother Emperor… is no exception."