These past few days, Old Zou had scarcely rested.
At his age, a man either grows thick‑skinned or becomes fiercely protective of his dignity. Old Zou was the latter. After a lifetime of ups and downs, he longed above all for a name that would endure after death.
Standing before the stone stele of Lord Yang in the Eastern Palace courtyard, his eyes brimmed with tears. Lord Yang had passed away at fifty, yet the people still remembered him with reverence. Old Zou himself had lived into his seventies, but left no mark.
Once, as the top scholar of the imperial examinations under Emperor Shizong, he had been full of youthful pride, dreaming of fame that would echo through history. But the times had changed: clouds obscured the sun, the emperor was healthy yet lost in Daoist pursuits, while the Crown Prince’s faction dominated the court. How could two suns shine in one sky?
Old Zou had been a loyal minister, a voice of remonstrance. He had retired years ago partly to oppose the Crown Prince’s overreach. Yet his descendants proved disappointing, squandering the protection he had earned. Forced to abandon his life of leisure, he returned to court. He had hoped to stand as a clear stream amid corruption, but instead the Crown Prince tasked him with tutoring a common‑born princess. Was this not using an ox‑cleaver to kill a chicken? Old rivals in court surely mocked him for it.
Still lost in melancholy before the stele, he was startled by a cry: “Her Majesty the Empress arrives!”
The Empress’s sudden appearance shocked many in the Eastern Palace. Yet the attendants, trained to strict decorum, betrayed no disorder. All stopped their tasks and bowed in welcome. Eunuch Jin Yun had already dispatched word to the Crown Prince and now led the Empress into the courtyard. At her side walked Chun Feng, chin lifted proudly.
The Empress had already learned that Li Xuan had assigned Zou Huan to teach Chun Feng. As the former tutor of the Crown Prince, she knew him well. Her voice was sharp, her tone severe: “Zou Huan, do you know your crime?”
Old Zou bowed deeply. “Your Majesty, this minister knows of no crime.”
“The princess is of noble blood. Her hands must be protected. Yet you dared to punish her with copying a hundred sheets of large characters! Her right hand is so sore she cannot move it!”
Old Zou froze, glancing at Chun Feng behind her. The girl raised her right hand and waved it pitifully. So that was it! She had brought the Empress to press him down.
Old Zou’s anger flared. “It was not cruelty, but the princess’s own unruly defiance of her elders!”
The Empress turned back. Chun Feng lowered her head, clutching her hand with a look of grievance.
Old Zou added, “When I taught the Crown Prince himself, I too punished him with copying. His Highness never uttered a complaint.”
Chun Feng’s eyes lit up. “Really? How old was my royal brother then?”
Old Zou hesitated, but with the Empress present, he had no choice. “Six years old.”
The Empress’s anger ebbed. She realized she had no memory of this. Life in the palace passed like a finger‑snap; sixteen years blurred into fragments. At that time she had been locked in battle with Consort Lin, too consumed to notice whether the Crown Prince was punished in his studies.
Chun Feng was about to ask more when a voice rang out: “His Highness the Crown Prince arrives!”
Li Xuan came swiftly, surrounded by attendants. He wore a narrow‑sleeved robe of deep purple patterned with rippling waves, a belt gleaming with gold and silver, his jade‑like face set off by the subtle shimmer. His eyes, however, were fathomless, betraying no emotion.
On his way back to the palace, Chang Ying had already briefed him on the situation. Seeing the three in dispute, he first addressed the Empress: “Mother.”
The Empress replied softly, “Mm.”
Chun Feng quietly avoided his gaze. Zou Huan, feeling diminished in the Crown Prince’s presence, dared not argue.
Seeing this, Li Xuan ordered that Chun Feng and Zou Huan be taken to rest, while inviting the Empress to enter the hall and take her seat.
A silence fell in the main hall. The Empress tapped her finger lightly on the table and said, “I intruded into your Eastern Palace only because of the grievance Yuning suffered. I had no other intention.”
Li Xuan replied, “Your son understands.”
Softening her tone, the Empress continued, “She is someone you brought back from outside the palace. You should show more care. Even without asking around in Xingning Palace, I already know what has happened to Yuning lately. From now on, make sure the servants hold their tongues. Just because Yuning came from the common folk doesn’t mean they can gossip freely.”
Li Xuan said, “I will issue the order today.”
The Empress then thought of Chun Feng’s injured right hand and frowned. “She has no mother to watch over her. Why not let her live with me? That way you won’t have to worry, burdened as you are with state affairs.”
Li Xuan tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. “Father would never permit it.”
The Empress gave a cold laugh. “If you hadn’t mentioned him, I’d have thought he had ascended to immortality.”
At the mention of the Emperor, the easy flow of their talk about Chun Feng collapsed, like a dream suddenly plunging into harsh reality. Mother and son both fell silent.
Side Hall.
Chang Ying personally served Chun Feng tea. Seeing that she wouldn’t drink, he teased, “Little Ancestor, is your right hand still uncomfortable? Shall I summon the imperial physician now?”
Chun Feng shook her head. “No, no.” The tea in the Eastern Palace was always either bitter or salty—she disliked it.
Zou Huan couldn’t bear Chang Ying’s fussing and said, “The Princess’s hand is perfectly fine.”
By now, Chun Feng no longer cared if her secret was exposed. Instead, she was curious about the old story of Zou Huan punishing Li Xuan. Nowadays, the entire palace revered Li Xuan, yet he too had once been punished to copy large characters. That was sixteen years ago—she had only just been born then.
She asked, “Old Zou, how many sheets did you make my royal brother copy?”
Arms folded, Zou Huan replied, “One hundred sheets.”
Chun Feng pressed, “And did he finish them?”
Old Zou said, “Of course.”
Chun Feng asked, “He didn’t get angry?”
Old Zou replied, “The Crown Prince honors his teachers and respects the Way—how could he be angry?”
Chun Feng admitted honestly, “Then he treats you pretty well. If it were me, I’d make you copy a hundred sheets of big characters every single day.”
Old Zou: “…”
Pointing at her, he ground his teeth. “Ungrateful little wolf! I copied them for you for nothing!”
Chun Feng shot back, unwilling to be scolded: “Old traitor!”
Chang Ying was stunned. The two of them had suddenly started trading insults!
Chun Feng was still a child, so perhaps that was forgivable—but Zou Huan? Was this really the same stern, hard-tempered Minister Zou he remembered? Not quoting classics, but bickering like a child with another child!
He quickly stepped in to stop them: “Princess, oh dear, don’t say that—and Master Zou, please take it easy!”
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside. Chun Feng hurried to sit properly, and Zou Huan put on a grave, long-suffering expression. As if the quarrel just now had been nothing but Chang Ying’s illusion.
The footsteps belonged to Li Xuan and the Empress, entering the side hall one after the other. They had come to resolve the “teacher–student dispute.”
Truth be told, the Empress was in the wrong. In this dynasty, filial piety and respect for teachers were paramount; even as a princess, Chun Feng ought to honor her tutor. Yet Zou Huan should not have privately struck a bargain with her over The Treatise on Rivers and Mountains. Both lowered their heads, listening to Li Xuan’s reprimand.
At last, Li Xuan pressed his lips into a thin line and said, “Let’s wipe the slate clean. What do you think, Master Zou?”
Zou Huan yielded: “Yes, I obey.” He glared at Chun Feng—this little girl somehow had the upper hand over him.
By then, Chun Feng had already nestled close to the Empress.
Li Xuan turned to her. “As for you,” he paused, “next time, don’t fan the flames (Shānfēngdiǎnhuǒ).”
Chun Feng heard the words and nearly burst into laughter. Covering her mouth, she leaned toward the Empress’s ear and muttered something.
The Empress coughed, but the curve of her lips betrayed her amusement.
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes. “Speak it aloud.”
Taking courage from the Empress’s presence, Chun Feng smiled, her brows and eyes sparkling, and said softly: “It wasn’t Shanfeng fanning the flames—it was Chunfeng fanning the flames.. ”
Li Xuan: “…”