[The Palace Falcon]
The incident at Moon-Viewing Pavilion caused a great stir, but was finally de-escalated after the explanation of it being an “auspicious omen” spread. However, the news of Consort Ning being harshly rebuked and grounded by the Empress Dowager, and the Sixth Prince being temporarily kept at Cining Palace, still leaked out. Rumors spread rapidly among the palace attendants; Consort Ning had always been known for her approachable nature and enjoyed a fine reputation, yet no one expected her to be so negligent toward her own son that she would provoke the Empress Dowager’s wrath.
People were coming and going within the palace, and Cining Palace had been in a state of chaos for the past two days—first with the pavilion incident, then with the Sixth Prince. The Prince was gravely ill; the imperial physicians had to stay by his side for two consecutive days just to bring his fever down. Being young and physically frail, the fever had nearly exhausted his body’s reserves.
“Is the Sixth Prince really that ill?”
“Absolutely. He fainted on the spot after pleading for Consort Ning… Her Highness didn’t even notice the Sixth Prince’s lips had turned white from the fever.”
Outside Cining Palace, attendants frequently glanced sideways, whispering about a maid standing alone and waiting.
Seeing the gazes of those around her, Bi Zhu gave an awkward smile but continued to wait outside Cining Palace. Consort Ning was grounded and could not leave Weiyang Palace, so she had sent Bi Zhu to find the Sixth Prince. Only after the news of the “ill omen” reached the Ning family did her Highness realize her behavior at Cining Palace had been somewhat improper. Fortunately, the Sixth Prince was easy to manipulate; as long as they could persuade him to return, the rampant rumors in the palace would naturally dissipate.
“Auntie Yu, has the Sixth Highness awakened?” Bi Zhu asked, hurriedly approaching as she saw the female official from Cining Palace emerge.
Auntie Yu’s probing gaze fell upon Bi Zhu. “You should head back for now. The Sixth Highness will be recuperating at Cining Palace for the next few days.”
Bi Zhu had waited for ages for someone to come out and wanted to say more, but Auntie Yu had already walked away.
With no way to see the Sixth Prince, she had no choice but to return and report to Consort Ning. Upon returning to Weiyang Palace, she saw the servants who had been punished by her Highness kneeling outside the doors. These people had not only acted on their own initiative but had also failed to stop the Sixth Prince from running to the Empress Dowager, nor had they managed to deliver the letter to the Ning family properly. If not for her Highness’s usual “kind temperament,” these useless fools would have been dealt with long ago.
Bi Zhu listened to the group’s pleas for mercy with a cold face. Her gaze fell on a small eunuch kneeling nearby. She remembered him; he had been running errands and delivering medicine for her lately, doing quite a good job. “Song An, come here.”
The kneeling eunuch whispered, “Sister Bi Zhu.”
Bi Zhu’s mood softened slightly. This small eunuch was usually dull, but he spoke politely. “Her Highness is in a poor mood. Go to the small kitchen and prepare some heart-clearing tea.”
Song An said nothing more and went to handle the task quickly.
Weiyang Palace was dead silent. Inside, Consort Ning looked worried; seeing Bi Zhu return, she looked behind her but saw no other attendants. “Where is he?”
Bi Zhu had to explain that the Empress Dowager was keeping the Sixth Prince for a stay and he couldn’t return for now. “The Sixth Highness is still ill. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager likely didn’t think much of it; she has always been concerned when other princes fall ill. I’ve inquired, and only physicians have entered and exited these past few days. There is nothing unusual at Cining Palace; Her Majesty won’t discover anything.”
Consort Ning’s expression was grim. Being grounded for several days while hearing fragments of gossip had taken its toll. She would investigate who was plotting behind her back regarding the pavilion incident, but the priority was to stabilize the Empress Dowager’s side.
Seeing her mistress’s displeasure, Bi Zhu was about to offer more comfort when an attendant rushed in to report: “Due to the successful preparations at Moon-Viewing Pavilion, the Empress Dowager is delighted and is bestowing rewards upon the consorts of the harem.”
“Where are the rewards?” Bi Zhu asked.
The attendant answered timidly, “The portion for Weiyang Palace… didn’t come.”
“What did you say!?” Bi Zhu’s voice broke.
‘What did it mean that the portion for Weiyang Palace didn’t come?!’
The Empress Dowager had rewarded the concorts of the harem, even the low-ranking Lady-Attendants who had caught her eye, yet not a single gift was sent to Weiyang Palace. Consort Ning had always maintained a persona of being indifferent to competition, and without orders, the servants didn’t dare go out to investigate the situation.
“The eunuch delivering the Empress Dowager’s decrees… did not come to Weiyang Palace,” the attendant added.
Bi Zhu instinctively looked at her mistress.
Hearing this, Consort Ning’s composure nearly shattered. She almost crushed her cup, accidentally knocking over the heart-clearing tea that had just been served. Song An, who had brought the tea, was nearly splashed and hurriedly knelt in silence.
“What are you standing there for? Clean it up!” Bi Zhu barked, carefully checking if Consort Ning had been burned by the hot tea.
Song An lowered his head, masking his inner gloom as he cleaned up the shards. In his eyes, even though the Sixth Prince had acted for Consort Ning’s sake, the Prince simply did not exist to her.
On the surface, it looked as if Consort Ning was worried about the Prince’s health, but Song An—who had personally served the Prince for days—understood all too well. First, there were substances added to the medicine, then the Prince was barred from speaking to others for days. If her Highness truly cared for him, she wouldn’t have waited days to visit him. In her eyes, the Prince seemed less important than the rewards or her image before the Empress Dowager.
Cining Palace was peaceful as Ying Fusheng slowly regained consciousness. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, and warmth seeped into his very bones.
His stagnant gaze gradually cleared, and after a moment, his thoughts returned. He scanned the unfamiliar inner chamber with his peripheral vision. His gaze stopped when it landed on two rather conspicuous rosewood chests sitting in the corner.
A voice suddenly drifted from the inner chamber. Ying Fusheng shifted his gaze, looking toward a distant spot.
“His Highness is awake.” Someone lifted the curtain and entered, followed by two palace maids.
An older female official walked toward him. He quickly recognized who she was: Auntie Yu of Cining Palace, the head official who had personally attended to the Empress Dowager for years. The Empress Dowager entrusted her with almost every affair in the palace.
Noticing that the Sixth Prince seemed slightly constrained, being in an unfamiliar place for the first time, Auntie Yu spoke up: “Consort Ning has been grounded for the past few days—a small punishment from Her Majesty. Your Highness need not worry; focus primarily on your recovery.”
It was rare for a prince to stay at Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager did not like hosting people; the only one who had ever stayed here was the Crown Prince. One could tell this side hall had been tidied up in a hurry.
Ying Fusheng instinctively wanted to call for Song An, but the words caught in his throat. He sensed Auntie Yu’s probing gaze and remembered that since Consort Ning was in trouble, many eyes would be fixed on Weiyang Palace. At this moment, he could not show too much concern for Song An.
After the physician finished his examination, Auntie Yu did not linger and departed after delivering her message.
Ying Fusheng looked toward the rosewood chests in the distance. A palace maid noticed and reminded him: “Your Highness, those are rewards given to you by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“Rewards?” Ying Fusheng was somewhat surprised. When he saw a few books tucked among the gifts—items that felt out of place with the rest of the rewards—it occurred to him that they must have been added later. He looked out the window; Auntie Yu had already walked far away.
The chests were half-open, revealing high-quality treasures. Even from a distance, it was obvious they were valuable.
Before he could think further, the quiet atmosphere was shattered as the outside suddenly became lively. Vaguely, he saw a flash of a bright figure passing by—it was the Crown Prince, who came every day to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.
After a moment’s thought, Ying Fusheng used a servant’s hand to help himself stand. Forcing himself to endure the lingering pain of his illness, he said, “Help me change. I have stayed here for many days and received Grandmother’s rewards; I should go and pay my respects to her.”
Cining Palace was livelier today than usual. Upon stepping out of his quarters, the shift in atmosphere was palpable. Ying Fusheng looked up at the sky. The air was biting, and the cold seemed to seep into his lungs. He took a deep breath anyway, looking at the snowy path that had been trodden down.
The desolate palace roads of his past life were replaced by the sight of melting new snow. His vision swayed for a moment. Ying Fusheng stood still, steadying himself and breathing more deeply—there was a sensation, in each breath, of being reborn.
He walked out with composure.
Before long, he saw the archery targets set up within Cining Palace. This area held a small martial arts arena, complete with a full array of weapons and a training platform. Great Yuan valued martial prowess, and the Empress Dowager herself came from a general’s household; lifting weapons weighing a dozen pounds was nothing to her.
Passing the arena by the side hall, he entered the main courtyard of Cining Palace. His eyes met several grand paintings of galloping horses. Ying Fusheng pulled back his observing gaze and followed the sound of voices. A crowd had gathered, and servants were clearing an area. A few people stood by the arena railing. The Crown Prince, dressed in brocade and fox fur, stood beside the Empress Dowager. They were talking and laughing, a scene of great warmth.
Besides them, there was another person. A young prince draped in extravagant robes, followed by two servants, circled the Empress Dowager like a colorful peacock.
As he drew closer, Ying Fusheng recognized him: the Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince’s mother had passed away from a severe illness when he was very young, leaving him motherless. His maternal clan, the Zhao family, held a mediocre status at court. Out of pity, the Emperor had entrusted him to Empress Xu’s care. Having grown up by the Empress’s side, he respected her as his mother. In the future, he would become the Crown Prince’s right-hand man, and the Zhao family would be staunch members of the Crown Prince’s faction.
At this time, the Eighth Prince was only eight years old—an age of being pampered and relying on the Emperor’s favor. In Ying Fusheng’s memory, the Eighth Prince during this period was a constant tag-along to the Crown Prince.
He stood still for a moment. Only after a servant announced him did the Empress Dowager snap out of her focus. Seeing Ying Fusheng standing outside, she beckoned him over: “Why has Little Six come?”
At this, the eyes of both princes turned toward him simultaneously. The Crown Prince was warm and natural, while the Eighth Prince looked him up and down, his eyes filled with overt observation.
Ying Fusheng had experienced this kind of scrutiny many times. In his youth, it was the exclusion from brothers; as he grew older, it was the indifference and loathing of elders; later, it was the reprimands of an Emperor and the mockery of servants in the Cold Palace.
He ignored their stares and walked straight toward them. Only then did he see the falconry stand in the middle of the crowd. A falcon stood upon the stand, and the Empress Dowager was feeding it from a food box.
“Your grandson has come to pay his respects to Grandmother,” he said, bowing.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and glanced at him, nodding perfunctorily. Her attention remained on the falcon.
The Crown Prince nodded to Ying Fusheng in greeting. Dressed in his fine robes, his complexion ruddy, he possessed an extraordinary air despite his youth, his face full of high spirits. He asked with a smile, “How is Sixth Brother’s health? I was very worried when I saw you faint the other day.”
Ying Fusheng lowered his eyelashes, masking the depth in his eyes, and replied with proper etiquette: “I thank Brother for your concern. My health is no longer a major issue.”
As they finished speaking, a movement came from the side.
“Come, Xiao Qing, move a bit,” the Empress Dowager was training her pet. Ying Fusheng followed the sound and saw the falcon standing still with folded wings. He knew exactly what was happening.
The Empress Dowager treated her grandsons with the same outward standard; her temperament was hard to gauge. Even with the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince there, her attitude toward them stopped at basic interaction. The only prominent entry point was her hobbies.
She loved keeping birds of prey, and this small falcon was one of her favorites. Because it bore a strange green marking, it was named “Xiao Qing.” Due to a birth defect, it couldn’t grow large and was smaller than other falcons. Having been raised by her side since it was a chick, it was pampered, flew freely around Cining Palace, and had a peculiar temper.
However, today, the bird seemed listless.
The Eighth Prince, seeing the falcon barely moving, said dismissively, “It’s just being lazy because it’s full.”
“Eighth Brother, do not be so willful,” the Crown Prince gently scolded. He followed the Eighth Prince’s logic, adding, “Though, Xiao Qing indeed needs some exercise.” He began using food to lure the falcon into activity. Great Yuan valued martial arts, and the Crown Prince had been groomed as the heir since childhood; he frequently visited the training grounds and knew a few tricks from the beastmasters. Xiao Qing was usually close to him. Encouraged by the Crown Prince, the bird finally took flight, circling a few times in the air and catching the bait the Prince threw out.
Seeing her pet’s condition improve, the Empress Dowager reached out her arm. The falcon dived and landed steadily on her sleeve. “The training grounds have taught you quite a few things,” she noted.
The Crown Prince replied modestly, “I only know the basics.”
The Empress Dowager said no more, her mood clearly lightened.
The servants of Cining Palace seemed well-accustomed to the visits of the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince. The scene of harmonious generations was filled with joy; the Crown Prince smoothed over the conversation while the Eighth Prince spoke with a sweet tongue. After a few exchanges, they had completely relegated Ying Fusheng to the back of their minds. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the Crown Prince; even the steady Auntie Yu showed more expression than usual upon seeing him.
The Eighth Prince relished the feeling of being surrounded. Seeing that the Crown Prince did not stop him, and having heard that his Royal Grandmother had been in a poor mood lately, he tossed bait several times, mimicking the Crown Prince’s methods to make Xiao Qing fly repeatedly. The bird of prey soared high to catch the food, its posture swift and natural, drawing constant praise from the servants.
The raptor spread its wings, leaped over the palace walls, and circled back. Ying Fusheng raised his eyes, his gaze involuntarily falling on the falcon that spread its wings in freedom, standing quietly as he watched.
When the falcon landed, the gold-inlaid pearls on its talons shimmered brilliantly—an image of sheer opulence. ‘Dressed quite expensively,’ Ying Fusheng thought.
While speaking with others, the Crown Prince’s gaze fell on Ying Fusheng several times. Compared to his silver-tongued performance in the hall a few days ago, Ying Fusheng’s presence now was extremely weak. He had said he came to pay respects, and he did exactly that, remaining as transparent as a ghost within the crowd whenever he stayed silent.
“Brother Crown Prince, what are you looking at?” the Eighth Prince asked.
“Nothing, just noticing that Sixth Brother doesn’t look very energetic,” the Crown Prince laughed softly, explaining, “There’s quite a difference compared to when I saw him a few days ago.” With one sentence, he dragged Ying Fusheng back into the spotlight.
The falcon, Xiao Qing, landed and stopped moving again. Seeing Ying Fusheng standing still over there, the Eighth Prince recalled the recent palace rumors: they said his Sixth Brother had made quite a name for himself during the Moon-Viewing Pavilion incident, even causing the Empress to be scolded twice by their Royal Grandmother, which had left the Crown Prince in a sour mood for days.
He had never held much affection for this Sixth Brother. In the schoolroom, this brother’s studies were mediocre, he was frequently scolded by the Grand Tutor, he didn’t fit in, and he always hid in the back as if he were up to something shady.
Just like now. The Eighth Prince had a sudden idea. While tossing the bait, he angled himself slightly and, while no one was paying attention, threw it outward.
With a sharp cry, the falcon seemed to be stimulated by something and suddenly took flight with a vigorous flap of its wings. Given this sudden turn of events, the servants hurriedly cleared the way. Unexpectedly, the falcon flew erratically in its excitement, darting past the crowd and charging straight toward the perimeter.
Ying Fusheng’s frame stiffened slightly as he saw the hurtling silhouette flash before his eyes. He stepped back, but because his body had not fully recovered, the sudden exertion made him wheeze. A rhythmic throb of pain pulsed in his forehead post-fever, and his footsteps were unsteady.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but frown at the sight. ‘As a member of the Imperial family, he is far too frail.’
The Eighth Prince shouted at that moment, “Sixth Brother, watch out!” Though he yelled “watch out,” a dark glint flickered in the depths of his eyes.
However, in the next moment, something no one expected happened. After flying past the Sixth Prince, the falcon actually circled back. It tucked its wings and landed squarely on Ying Fusheng’s shoulder!
The falcon’s sharp eyes fixed on Ying Fusheng. As his headache subsided slightly, he turned his head to see the bird’s gaze—sharp and cautious, judging a hunting target. A captive falcon is a tamed beast of the wild, born with predatory instincts and a sense of territory. When a strange scent appears in its domain, the bird marks it as an enemy.
He had raised falcons before, back when he was still in the Cold Palace. That place was remote, sharing the same peripheral boundary as the Imperial Zoo, and birds of prey were released for training there year-round. To send messages out of the palace across the desert frontiers without being detected, that person had once sent him a fledgling. During the grueling process of training the falcon, his hands and arms were covered in claw marks. Day and night, when his mind was clouded, there was only a starving falcon in the palace, watching him greedily, waiting to eat his flesh.
He had seen far more vicious eyes than these, to say nothing of this bird before him, which was so fat it could barely fly. Ying Fusheng’s gaze swept over the bird’s feathered body; its wings were held close—a defensive posture.
As Xiao Qing stared at him, Ying Fusheng stared back. As their gazes met, this highly spiritual falcon seemed to sense something from the depths of Ying Fusheng’s eyes. It actually felt an inexplicable stage fright, hopped back a step, and watched him warily—neither attacking nor leaving.
The nearby servants, afraid of disturbing the Prince, moved forward to take the falcon away.
Ying Fusheng stood his ground, lowering his eyes. His peripheral vision lingered on its wings, and he suddenly said, “It seems to be injured.”
The Eighth Prince thought he had been scared witless and sneered inwardly. The bird just caught food; how could it be injured?
The Crown Prince glanced at the Eighth Prince, then stepped forward. “Sixth Brother, don’t move. Let the servants—”
Before he could finish, Ying Fusheng suddenly reached out and stroked the falcon on his shoulder. The seemingly reckless move startled everyone. This sudden action caused the falcon to flap its wings in struggle, but Ying Fusheng’s swift hand pinned its wings, instantly quelling its panicked thrashing. The falcon gradually calmed down.
When a hidden wound was exposed to the crowd, the Crown Prince’s movements faltered, and the Empress Dowager, who was just about to step forward to stop him, underwent a change in expression.
“Quickly, bring the beastmaster here!”
The beastmaster arrived swiftly and dared not delay his examination. Seeing him frown involuntarily, the Empress Dowager’s heart tightened. “Is there a major problem?”
The beastmaster shook his head, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
A moment later, however, the beastmaster stood up and said, “Originally, the issue wasn’t large—a simple wound from a thorn, likely sustained while flying through brush. However… it appears to have been forced to fully spread its wings multiple times. The problem has now become quite serious.”
The Eighth Prince cried out in stunned realization, “What did you say!?”
As the words fell, the Crown Prince’s body stiffened slightly, and the Empress Dowager’s face darkened.