“It was clearly done on purpose.”
Third Prince naturally paid his respects as well, “Imperial Noble Consort Mother, I trust you are well.”
Since Donggo held the title of Imperial Noble Consort, neither calling her “Imperial Mother” nor “Noble Mother” would be proper—”Ema” being the Manchu colloquial term for mother, too informal for solemn occasions. Weighing the options, the princes in the palace all addressed her by the formal title “Imperial Noble Consort Mother.”
Anning, meanwhile, performed the full grand salute.
“No need for such formality.” The Imperial Noble Consort raised her hand languidly, smiling faintly. “I had heard that Princess Hesheri was frail of health—there was no need for such a grand salute.”
Anning rose in a daze, instinctively patting down her little qipao.
The Imperial Noble Consort’s gaze paused briefly. She drew out a handkerchief and leaned down to dab at the corner of Anning’s mouth, glancing toward the dining table. “What delicious things have you been eating? Your lips are all greasy.”
Anning’s cheeks flushed crimson on the spot, her head feeling hot and flustered. “Cold-shredded chicken—it’s very tasty.” She couldn’t help stealing a glance at the beautiful face so close to her, yet worried that staring directly at such an esteemed person would be disrespectful.
“Sour and spicy in perfect balance—truly appetizing.” The Imperial Noble Consort was amused by the little girl’s furtive glances.
Anning nodded like a pecking chick, delighted to discover that the beauty shared her taste. A smile curved across her small face.
The Imperial Noble Consort removed her nail guards and gently stroked Anning’s cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Third Prince, who had been standing to one side, suddenly stiffen. She paused, then lowered her hand after all. “Is the Prince resting today?”
“Yes.”
“Though it is a day of rest, you should not grow lax. A prince must remain diligent, so as not to disappoint the Emperor and the Empress Dowager’s expectations.” She replaced her nail guards with deliberate slowness, the carved phoenix wings on her fingertips glinting brilliantly. “Though I am not the Empress, I now oversee the six palaces, and with that comes the duty of urging and watching over the princes and princesses.”
Third Prince kept his gaze lowered. “Xuanye understands.”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense and stagnant; even the opera performers fell silent.
Seeing that the Imperial Noble Consort’s tone had cooled considerably, Anning hastily spoke up, “It was I who begged the Prince to come out and play, and I who wanted to hear the opera. Please don’t blame him, Your Highness.”
“Anning.” Third Prince immediately pulled her behind him, scolding her, “Do not speak nonsense!”
The courage Anning had mustered on impulse to speak up for Third Prince was instantly deflated by his tug. She dared not say another word.
The Imperial Noble Consort did not grow angry. Instead, she smiled and asked, “Princess Hesheri’s given name is Ningyin, and her childhood name is Anning. The name Ningyin carries the meaning of peace and tranquility in Manchu—her childhood name suits it well. Was it Lord Suo who chose it?”
“Yes.” Anning nodded cautiously.
“It’s getting late. You may return now.” The Imperial Noble Consort waved her hand lightly. “I came to the opera stage to review the repertoire for the New Year’s banquet. They can no longer perform—there is proper business to attend to.”
The two young ones obediently withdrew.
Once they were out of the opera stage, Anning let out a huge sigh of relief and muttered, “That scared me to death.”
“Third Brother is already diligent enough as it is—he only gets one day of rest in ten days, and still Her Highness felt the need to urge him on. Which prince could endure that?”
Third Prince was silent for a moment. “She wasn’t urging me. She was mocking me.”
Anning was confused. “Huh?”
“The Empress Dowager holds great hopes for me—that is hardly a secret throughout the palace.”
Third Prince said only this, and Anning understood at once. She felt a little at a loss. “Then… is the Imperial Noble Consort a bad person?”
On the way here, she had remarked that the Imperial Noble Consort’s features resembled those of a Guanyin bodhisattva, and upon seeing her just now, she had nearly been struck dumb by her beauty.
“Is there anyone in this world who is purely good or purely bad?” Third Prince asked her if she was cold.
She said she was a little, so he took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. “Good or bad depends on whom you ask. If you have someone you despise and you do them harm, that alone doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“Then Third Brother is a good person.”
“How so?”
“You gave me your cloak.”
A faint smile crossed his face. “I’ll warm your hands.”
“Alright.” Anning felt a surge of attachment and slipped her small hands into his palm.
They hadn’t walked far when Gu Wenxing returned with the palanquin. Talu also tucked two hand warmers inside, and only once Anning was seated in the palanquin did she feel much better.
Gu Wenxing lowered his voice, “The Prince has grown much closer to the Princess. The Princess was willing to speak up for the Prince just now—he’ll remember her kindness.”
He hadn’t failed to notice that after they left, Third Prince had taken the initiative to ask if she was cold and offered to warm her hands—something that had never happened in the past four months.
Talu pressed her lips into a smile. “Our Princess is kind-hearted but not particularly bold. She simply didn’t think things through, and besides, the Prince has always looked after her. If there’s a next time, she certainly won’t dare again.”
Gu Wenxing could hear plainly that Talu was making excuses to humble the Princess on her behalf.
Who among those serving at close quarters wasn’t sharp as a blade?
He smiled as well and said no more.
Winter days were short; by the time the palanquin came to a stop, the sky had already dimmed to dusk.
Anning was eager to see the bird, but first went to the main hall to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager before returning.
The grayish-blue bird was sitting quietly in its cage. At the sound of movement, it shot up, craning its neck long, its reddish-brown beak opening and closing rapidly. “I don’t want it, I don’t want it, I don’t want it.”
Anning was overjoyed, crouching before the cage. “You still remember what I said?”
A ring of black feathers grew where its head met its body, and from a distance, it formed a curved line on both sides with its beak, like a mustache.
Hearing Anning speak to it, it pecked at the cage with a rapid ‘bang bang bang.’
“Princess, this bird hasn’t yet accepted a master—it’s quite wild. Please don’t let it out, lest it hurt you.” Talu pointed at the cage, coaxing her in a gentle tone.
Without turning her head, Anning said, “Once I keep it for a few days, it will come to know me.”
What she was actually pondering was another matter. “What name should I give it?”
Thinking about naming the bird kept Anning from sleeping soundly that night, and she woke before dawn the next day.
She fussed until someone attended to her dressing and washing, then grabbed a cloth sack of millet and ran to see the bird. “Last night before bed, did you have someone change the bird’s water? I noticed the water in the bowl was dirty.”
Talu sighed helplessly. “It was changed. How could I be careless with anything you’ve instructed, Princess?”
The moment she finished speaking, Anning let out a miserable cry. “My bird!”
The commotion in the side hall was considerable and alarmed the Empress Dowager.
Third Prince hurried back at noon and heard Xiao Gongzi say, “The bird Princess Hesheri brought back yesterday has died.”
“Died?” Third Prince frowned deeply.
Xiao Gongzi hesitated slightly. “The Princess has cried until her eyes are swollen. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had a sweeping eunuch punished.”
Third Prince looked at him, then after a long moment, averted his gaze.
Entering the main hall, Third Prince first paid his respects, and upon being bid to rise, heard the Empress Dowager say, “Have you gone to see Anning?”
Third Prince replied, “Not yet, Grandmother. I have just finished my studies and came first to pay my respects to you.”
The Empress Dowager sighed, patted his head, and muttered with a slight furrow in her brow, “Anning is good in every way, but her temperament is far too willful. It’s just a bird—how many could she want if she wished?” She fell into thought, as if pondering something.
Third Prince quickly said, “That parrot was one I accompanied her to pick out yesterday.”
“So she’s crying over your bond, then?” She snapped back to attention and laughed. “Enough, enough. Then why don’t you hurry off and comfort her?”
After a few more words, the Empress Dowager sent Third Prince on his way.
Coming out of the main hall, he felt a slight relief and stood still for a moment before heading to the side hall.
Just as he reached the doorway, Anning’s sobs drifted out faintly.
Seeing him arrive, she rushed over with a tear-streaked face, looking utterly wronged. “Third Brother, the bird you gave me was killed by someone!”
Third Prince instinctively wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders. Before he could say anything, she eagerly poured out her grievance. “It was perfectly fine last night! After one sleep, it was dead in its cage. The servants say it froze to death from the cold, but I don’t believe it—how could it freeze? Someone did this on purpose!”
His expression darkened as he gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t cry. I will certainly get to the bottom of this.”
Hearing this, Anning pouted in anger. “What did the little bird do wrong? Why should it be killed? That person is truly wicked.”
Third Prince agreed that she was right, then cast a thoughtful glance at Gu Wenxing, who kept his head slightly lowered in silence.
He felt that Anning was simple-minded and kind-hearted, and thus full of emotion—to her, a bird was not merely a bird. He liked that about her.
But the Empress Dowager might not see it that way. Excessive kindness, in her eyes, could be seen as weakness of character, unfit for great responsibility.
Listening to her sadly ramble on, she told him she had given the bird a name but hadn’t even had the chance to call it once before it was gone.
Third Prince consoled her, suggesting they go to the aviary and pick another just like it.
Anning pouted, disappointed and dissatisfied. “I don’t want to. Even if I found ten thousand more, they wouldn’t be my bird. What meaning would that have?” She turned her head away in a huff. “It’s dead. I’ll never keep birds again—otherwise, wouldn’t I be betraying it?”
This was difficult to handle. Third Prince hesitated. “Then what do you want to do?”
She took his hand, looking up at him with eager hope. “If someone deliberately killed it, you must avenge it.”
“Of course.” Third Prince affirmed, then wiped her little face. “Don’t cry anymore. Your eyes are swollen.”
“I feel unwell.” Seeing his concern, she whined coquettishly and raised her hand to rub her eyes.
“Don’t rub them.” He pulled her hand down and turned to instruct, “Gu Wenxing, go summon a physician.”
Gu Wenxing moved quickly and soon returned with a physician skilled in eye ailments. While the physician examined the Princess’s eyes, Third Prince stepped out of the room, and Gu Wenxing followed closely behind.
It was after mealtime, and the palace servants were eating in the quarters.
Third Prince glanced at him. “Speak.”
Gu Wenxing did not speak immediately, seeming to hesitate, then heard him sneer, “The servants below all have their own agendas. On the surface, they appear respectful to their masters, but in truth? Hah!”
Gu Wenxing quickly lowered his voice. “Your Highness, this matter is actually easy to guess.”
“That parrot was hung so high, yet the Princess still spotted it and insisted on having it…” He lowered his head.
Servants always spoke in half-truths, hiding more than they revealed, and many masters were played for fools by them—just like when Xiao Gongzi reported the bird’s death moments ago, the words carried far more meaning than they seemed.
It was simply that the Empress Dowager had searched thoroughly but found no culprits in Cining Palace, and being irritated by Princess Hesheri’s incessant crying, she casually disposed of a eunuch to settle the matter.
Third Prince needed only a moment’s thought to understand the reason behind it all.
When they went to see the birds yesterday, although the head eunuch acted briskly and efficiently, when Anning asked whether the bird could curse, he paused for a brief moment.
That bird must have picked up something from what it had heard.
Author’s note:
Here we go.
I’ll go distribute red packets in the previous chapter~