“But what am I supposed to do when I miss you?”
As night fell, voices finally drifted in from outside the hall.
Anning scrambled off the couch and rushed over, throwing open the heavy felt curtain. She cried out urgently, “Third Brother, are you really moving to the Princes’ Quarters?”
Third Prince paused briefly, instinctively reaching to pat her head, then stopping when he noticed her thin clothing. “Go inside first.”
Anning obediently welcomed him in, imitating Talu’s manner as she ordered the servants to warm him up and help him out of his coat.
Once he had shed his heavy outer robe, she could no longer hold back. “Is it true?”
Third Prince adjusted his collar slightly and looked at her with a strange expression. “You came to see me today, just for this?”
Wasn’t this important enough? Anning found it unbelievable.
Of course, she wouldn’t admit that she’d come to see him to avoid her duties. “Yes!”
He fell silent for no apparent reason.
If he wouldn’t speak, she would. She talked fast and endlessly, leaving no room for anyone else to cut in.
“Say something!”
“You don’t want to talk to me—you’ve been wanting to move out all along, haven’t you!”
“And here I brought you good food and drink to visit you, but you don’t even care about me at all.”
“You must have found other playmates you get along with better, so you’re kicking me aside. That’s just how imperial princes are!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she got. She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, her little mouth rattling off one sentence after another until she was practically shouting at the top of her lungs.
“If that’s the case, then just send me out of the palace! I don’t want to be all alone here anyway—it’s not like any prince actually cares about me!”
“…” Third Prince was speechless.
All thunder, no rain, was she?
“This is the Emperor’s decree. All princes who have turned six are to pack up and move into the Princes’ Quarters in half a month.”
Now that her noise had gotten him to talk, she immediately pressed her advantage. “But what am I supposed to do when I miss you!” Accompanying the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace was no simple task—she always had to worry about saying the wrong thing. Keeping company with Third Prince brought her some comfort and kept loneliness at bay. Hearing suddenly that he was leaving, she panicked. Was she going to be alone now?
Third Prince looked at her directly.
“We haven’t seen each other for three days, and I don’t see that you missed me.”
“I did miss you.”
“Doesn’t show.”
“Missing someone is silent!”
Third Prince frowned. “Where did you get such nonsense?”
“Whatever you figure out on your own is wisdom, but whatever I figure out is nonsense!” Anning felt her words were perfectly reasonable and said so with full confidence. “You’re bullying me.”
“How am I bullying you?”
“I just miss you, that’s all!” Why did he have to deny what she said?
“…” Miss him, his foot.
Third Prince opened his mouth, then held the words back.
But looking at her small figure—so self-righteous, yet so full of grievance—the irritation in his heart gradually faded. After a long moment, his tone softened. “I’ll keep my routine as usual. I’ll still take my meals at Cining Palace, only sleep at the Princes’ Quarters at night, and spend my rest days with you.”
Anning’s heart brightened. She snuggled up to him, hugging his arm while pretending to decline. “That’s not good, is it? The Princes’ Quarters are far away. What if Third Brother gets too tired?”
“For the sake of the Princess’s longing, what’s a little hardship?” he said with a deadpan expression.
A flicker of guilt rose in her. “I’ll miss Third Brother in the future—every day… I’m scared if you leave, I’ll be alone.”
“I want to live in the Princes’ Quarters too.”
“How could that work? The Princes’ Quarters are for princes—for boys.” Third Prince helped her up and placed the hand warmer from beside him into her arms, his tone casual. “I won’t let you suffer alone in Cining Palace.”
“It’s not suffering, though.” Anning touched the hand warmer. “Third Brother is the one who’s suffering. It’s all Consort Ning’s fault for having the head eunuch of the Flower and Bird Office beaten to death.”
She was still young and naive, only knowing how to speak of things on the surface.
Third Prince lowered his eyes to the embroidered pattern on the hand warmer’s cover. “He killed your bird. Didn’t he deserve to die?”
At this moment, no servants were in the hall—only Third Prince and Anning.
Anning hesitated. “Has it been fully investigated?”
“Mhm.”
“He… why?” She was puzzled.
“That Moon-Wheel Parrot was originally kept at Xianfu Palace, and no one had taught it to mimic speech.” Third Prince was concise. “First Prince is the eldest son, of noble standing. Consort Ning holds great hopes for him. Unfortunately, he’s truly mediocre in his studies—years back in the palace with no improvement at all. Consort Ning can hardly help but feel frustrated, restless, and unable to sleep well.”
Anning was slightly stunned.
“The bird was indeed noisy, so after it was sent back to the Flower and Bird Office, the head eunuch overheard it mimicking things it had learned at Xianfu Palace. Since the bird was raised by the Flower and Bird Office, and before it could be dealt with, you picked it to send to Cining Palace. He feared the Empress Dowager might hear it and, in her anger, implicate the Flower and Bird Office.”
“So he decided to finish it off completely—he dosed it with poison before sending it over. The poison was slow-acting; it should have taken seven days to kill it. But a cleaning eunuch at Cining Palace took it out in the middle of the night for some air, and the cold got to it, killing it that very night.”
“The bird died too quickly, which was bound to arouse suspicion among the masters.”
Third Prince looked into Anning’s eyes. “The head eunuch in charge hadn’t anticipated this either. In his panic, he sent word to Xianfu Palace for help. Consort Ning, in a fit of anger, used First Prince’s bird having diarrhea as an excuse to punish the head eunuch, warning him not to speak of it carelessly. Naturally, she never intended to take a life—after all, she wasn’t sure whether the eunuch had already told other servants. A beating followed by a show of mercy is the standard method palace people use to control servants. Nothing unusual about it.”
Anning instinctively finished his thought, “His old ailment flared up again…”
Third Prince nodded. “So much so that he couldn’t survive the beating. Consort Ning never got the chance to show her mercy.”
“Would an old ailment flare up that easily? Did someone interfere?”
“There were traces left by someone from Imperial Noble Consort’s side.”
“Imperial Noble Consort?”
Anning was stunned. The pale yet beautiful face surfaced in her mind.
Imperial Noble Consort’s methods—this was what Third Prince had planned to do himself. He had indeed intended to kill two birds with one stone, but she had beaten him to it, and deliberately left a trace for him to see clearly.
By the time he went back to confirm, the traces had been completely cleaned up.
She was helping him, for reasons unknown.
Third Prince was utterly perplexed.
Anning said sorrowfully, “It wasn’t him who killed my bird—it was me. If I hadn’t chosen it that day, it would still be hopping around right now.”
There was an indescribable ache in her heart.
Before the bird died, it had squawked loudly, “I don’t want to, I don’t want to, I don’t want to,” pecking desperately at its cage.
Anning had thought it was just mimicking her speech and hadn’t paid attention.
“Without you, that bird wouldn’t have survived either.” Third Prince gently patted her back. “Do you think it could have lived after learning to say such things?”
Anning looked listless, poking at his palm. “Then Third Brother, now that you’re moving to the princes’ residence, are you familiar with First Prince? Will he bully you?”
“No one can bully me.” Third Prince revealed a faint smile and touched her little face. “You’re afraid of being lonely—why not get another bird to keep you company?”
“I don’t—” Anning instinctively refused.
Then he said, “I’ll get one. I’ll leave it at Cining Palace for you to look after. How about that?”
She rolled her eyes, clearly tempted, but still tried to play coy. “Fine then.”
The two quickly made up. The next day, during the midday rest, they went together to the bird and flower quarters to pick another parrot. This time they chose a dark green one. The newly appointed head eunuch was cautious and careful, not daring to be negligent.
Anning pitied him, so she had Talu give him double the reward money, and comforted him, saying, “Once this bird is given to me, it’s mine. If it makes a mistake, it’s my failure in training, not yours.”
The head eunuch showed gratitude on his face, but inwardly he didn’t take her words seriously. What this Princess Hesheri said didn’t count—only the highest authorities in the palace had the final say, and that meant the Emperor, the Empress, and Imperial Noble Consort.
On the way back, Anning was beaming with joy. “Third Brother, can I name your bird?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“How about calling it…” She looked at the bird’s dark green feathers, then quickly glanced at Third Prince. “Little Leaf!”
The servants around them immediately covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Third Prince raised an eyebrow but wasn’t angry. “You’re quite bold.”
Anning: “You can get another one and name it Little Ning. I wouldn’t mind!”
“Never mind that,” he said. “One Big Ning is already noisy enough.”
“…” She launched her unstoppable iron fist at him.
Third Prince sidestepped to dodge, then precisely caught her fist.
The next moment, his scalp tightened. “Sss.”
She had grabbed his hair with her left hand. “I have two hands,” she boasted triumphantly.
The golden tassel fell into her palm—something others dared not even glance at had become her plaything.
Third Prince laughed in exasperation and raised his hand without hesitation.
Anning was terrified, clutching her head and dashing off. “No no no!”
Can’t take a joke. Stingy.
It wasn’t like she’d actually hurt him.
Half a month passed quickly. Third Prince officially moved to the princes’ residence. He left Gu Wenxing at Cining Palace to serve Anning, taking Xiao Gongzi with him instead.
Gu Wenxing, though terrified beyond measure, didn’t dare ask questions, afraid of being forgotten by the prince. He could only do his utmost to please Anning.
On the long crimson palace path, Xiao Gongzi was drenched in cold sweat, silent and afraid to speak.
“You’ve been quite devoted to Princess Hesheri.”
Third Prince didn’t even look at him, but the coldness in his voice seeped straight into the bones.
Xiao Gongzi dropped to his knees with a thud. “Forgive me, Your Highness. This servant overstepped—I had already begun treating the princess as my mistress and leaked Your Highness’s affairs. This servant deserves death.”
He acted decisively, slapping himself across the face again and again, shouting “This servant deserves death” between each slap.
Third Prince watched coldly until his face was swollen and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Enough.”
Xiao Gongzi kowtowed hard. “Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life.”
“Eloquent and quick-witted—you’re no simple one.” Third Prince studied him for a moment. “What’s your name?”
“This servant’s family name is Liang, with no given name.” Xiao Gongzi was cautious and deferential. “After entering the palace, my master gave me the name Xiao Gongzi.”
“Hmph.” Third Prince curled his lips in a cold sneer. “I’ll note this down for now. You may rise.”
Xiao Gongzi scrambled to his feet, steadied himself, and stole a glance at the prince.
Ever since he had nearly lost his life in the snow that time, he had become more adept at reading people. The prince’s face was expressionless, betraying neither joy nor anger—a smile didn’t necessarily mean he was pleased, and a cold face didn’t always signal anger.
He pondered that there must be a reason the prince hadn’t punished him this time.
He had leaked the prince’s affairs, telling Princess Hesheri every detail without omission. No proper master would be pleased by that, and the prince was surely no exception.
If so, the key lay with Princess Hesheri.
These past few days, the prince seemed to be in a sulk with Princess Hesheri, not speaking to her for days and even avoiding mealtimes with her.
The princess had grown reliant on the prince lately… Could it be that when she heard he was going to stay at the prince’s residence, she set aside her sulking and ran to persuade him to stay, thereby coaxing him back into good humor?
If that were the case, although he had leaked the prince’s affairs, he had also rendered a service!
Xiao Gongzi’s mind cleared in sudden realization.
This wasn’t a mark against him—it was clearly a mark of merit!
Author’s note:
Here it comes.