An imperial banquet was naturally far grander than an ordinary feast.
Besides the banquet itself, there were always various entertainments.
Emperor Jiaheng loved martial pursuits, and nearly every year he had the younger generation compete while personally providing prizes.
This year, the contest was archery. In addition to several adult princes, several talented sons of high-ranking officials and promising young military officers were also participating.
Many strings of lanterns had been hung from the willow trees surrounding Taiye Pool.
The competitors stood on one side of the lake, and their challenge was to shoot down as many lanterns as possible from nearly a hundred paces away.
In previous years, first place had always belonged to the Eldest Prince, Xie Chenyan. But after the Eldest Prince disappeared on the battlefield several years ago and his fate became unknown, the champion in recent years had almost always been the Fifth Prince, Xie Qinglan.
The participants began making their way down the steps toward the lakeside.
Just as Xie Qinglan was about to join them, Su Xuan hurriedly rose and reminded him in a low voice: “Your Highness, the Second Prince is very competitive. If you defeat him, he may take offense.”
When the Crown Prince’s position seemed all but certain, everyone assumed it would go to the talented and accomplished Eldest Prince.
After the Eldest Prince’s disappearance, Emperor Jiaheng had been devastated. In recent years, officials had repeatedly petitioned him to name an heir.
The Emperor knew his health was declining and that his missing eldest son was unlikely to return. As a result, he decided to appoint the Second Prince, Xie Chengyu, the Empress’s son, as Crown Prince.
Rumors had already begun circulating. That was why Su Xuan worried that Xie Qinglan might offend the future Crown Prince. Her words were meant kindly. Yet the moment she finished speaking, she saw Xie Qinglan frown.
“This is nothing more than a game.”
“I have neither the chance nor the desire to compete for that position, but that doesn’t mean I should constantly suppress myself and endure needless grievances.”
Su Xuan hurriedly backtracked when she saw his displeasure. “I was overthinking things. Please don’t be angry.”
Suppressing his irritation, Xie Qinglan said seriously: “You are the eldest daughter of the Duke’s household. We are already engaged, and you will become a princess consort in the future.”
“Unless it’s a crime of treason, there is no need to be so cautious and accommodating because of anyone.”
“You shouldn’t frighten yourself like this.” He stopped short of directly calling her petty and small-minded.
Pleasure -3. Halo -5. Su Xuan secretly clenched her fists and responded in a subdued voice, her face pale.
Seeing this, Xie Qinglan felt a little guilty. He offered a few words of comfort before heading toward Taiye Pool.
Only after he left did Su Xuan raise her head, biting her lip in frustration as she made her way back toward the women’s seating area.
The banquet grounds were some distance from Taiye Pool, though not so far that one could not make out the general situation there. Coupled with palace attendants constantly relaying updates, the progress of the competition was easy to follow.
Before long, the top three competitors had been decided.
When a eunuch announced that the first three places belonged to Fifth Prince Xie Qinglan, Shu Xuanqing, son of the Grand General, and Second Prince Xie Chengyu respectively, Su Xuan immediately noticed the envious glances directed at her from all around.
After all, while the Second Prince was the likely future Crown Prince, he already had a principal wife. The Third Prince was a frail scholar. The Fourth Prince was frivolous and reckless.
Measured against them all, the most distinguished and desirable prince in the capital was undoubtedly the Fifth Prince, Xie Qinglan. That was precisely why Su Xuan had gone to such lengths to set her sights on him. Back then, she really had happened to help the drunken Xie Qinglan. But she hadn’t dared use that incident as an opportunity, because she had actually been secretly following him at the time.
Later, after learning from Su Niao that Xie Qinglan’s special regard for Su Niao stemmed from that act of rescue, she had certainly been tempted. However, she had only just begun hearing the mysterious voice in her head and had accumulated very little “pleasure value” or “heroine halo.” Then she looked at Su Niao’s face and changed her strategy.
Doing a favor for a prince could lead to rewards both great and small.
Compared to Su Niao, whose beauty was extraordinary, Su Xuan considered herself merely ordinary-looking. If Xie Qinglan discovered she was the true savior, he might simply reward her with jewels or gold and consider the matter settled. That would have wasted the opportunity entirely. To guarantee success, she patiently told Su Niao that she was willing to help bring Su Niao and the Fifth Prince together. Then, taking advantage of Su Niao’s gratitude, she repeatedly persuaded Su Niao to bring her along whenever she went out with Xie Qinglan. When Xie Qinglan first met her, he didn’t give her a second glance. In fact, when he learned she was Su Niao’s elder sister, he looked genuinely surprised. He had said: “You sisters don’t resemble each other in the slightest.”
Enduring the humiliation, Su Xuan had gradually worked her way closer to him. Su Niao was arrogant and domineering, so she made herself gentle and considerate.
When Su Niao quarreled with others, Su Xuan would step forward to apologize and smooth things over. Little by little, she accumulated “pleasure value” and “halo points,” while gradually attracting Xie Qinglan’s attention. Then Xie Qinglan’s attention brought her even more pleasure value and halo points. As Su Niao and Xie Qinglan argued more and more often, Su Xuan continued acting meek, patient, and yielding. Knowing that Xie Qinglan had a soft spot for the weak, she deliberately arranged for him to witness her being mocked and bullied several times, so that he would develop sympathy for her. Slowly, her halo grew stronger.
Xie Qinglan became increasingly gentle toward her. And Su Niao’s cannon-fodder value continued to rise.
Once Su Xuan was sure Xie Qinglan regarded her differently, she repeatedly inserted herself into disputes between him and Su Niao.
As a result, Xie Qinglan grew more and more impatient with the constantly confrontational Su Niao.
Had Su Niao not unexpectedly confessed the truth about the life-saving incident herself when it was exposed, causing her cannon-fodder value to increase insufficiently and Su Xuan’s halo to grow less than expected, then, by now, Su Xuan believed her influence should have been strong enough for Xie Qinglan to be impatient to marry her already.
But that was fine. Everything was still moving in the right direction. She had earned all of this through her own efforts. So she deserved the envy she saw in other people’s eyes.
Feeling pleased with herself, Su Xuan maintained her outward image of gentle obedience.
When the Ninth Princess, Xie Mingyue, teasingly asked why she wasn’t going to cheer for the Fifth Prince, she merely lowered her head and offered a shy smile.
Just then, a palace attendant arrived to announce the final results: “First place: Shu Xuanqing. Second place: Fifth Prince Xie Qinglan. Third place: Second Prince Xie Chengyu.”
Su Xuan pressed her lips together slightly, though her expression did not change. Beside her, even the Ninth Princess could not help turning around to look. By the shores of Taiye Pool, Xie Qinglan said to Shu Xuanqing: “As expected of someone hardened on the battlefield. Young General Shu’s archery truly is extraordinary.”
Standing tall and straight, Shu Xuanqing nodded with a faint smile. “Both Your Highnesses are excellent archers as well.”
There was no need for endless courtesies.
Xie Qinglan accepted the second-place prize of fifty taels of gold and turned around as usual. But when he saw the empty space behind him, with no sign of the girl who usually ignored everyone’s stares and loudly cheered for him, he suddenly remembered: Su Niao was no longer in the capital.
Not far away, Su Xuan sat among the ladies’ seating area, elegant and impeccably proper as she watched from a distance.
Without caring whether others might tease him for it, Xie Qinglan walked straight toward her. As he approached the banquet tables, someone laughed and joked: “Your Highness seems to have stumbled this time.”
Xie Qinglan was unconcerned. “I merely lost to the man in first place. It’s not as though I lost to the rest of you.”
Noble Consort Rong laughed and scolded him: “Not the slightest bit humble.”
Emperor Jiaheng smiled as well, though he felt a trace of regret inside. Aside from the eldest son on whom he had once pinned all his hopes, the Fifth Prince was actually quite good. Unfortunately, after years of observation, he had concluded that his fifth son was overly competitive, carefree, and fond of roaming the streets on horseback instead of applying himself seriously. Worse, he was soft-hearted and often too straightforward.
The Second Prince, while somewhat rigid, was cautious and thorough. With a few reliable ministers left behind to assist him, he could at least become a competent ruler who preserved what he inherited. If only my eldest son were still here…
Thinking of the son he had raised from childhood as a future crown prince, Emperor Jiaheng’s mood darkened. He left the banquet early.
Once the Emperor left, the atmosphere immediately relaxed.
Xie Qinglan walked directly to Su Xuan’s side.
Knowing he had not taken first place, Su Xuan worried he might be unhappy. Her expression carried a hint of nervous concern.
Xie Qinglan could not understand why his fiancée always seemed so anxious. Without saying much, he handed her the prize he had won—two heavy gold ingots.
In the past, whenever Xie Qinglan won prizes, they had always gone to Su Niao. Su Xuan looked at the gleaming gold ingots. Unwilling to appear as vulgar as Su Niao, she smiled softly and gazed up at Xie Qinglan. “What I really want is the tassel from the bow Your Highness used today…”
It was attached to the bow he had used in competition. Compared to crude prize money, it seemed far more meaningful.
Su Xuan thought her choice was flawless.
Yet the moment she spoke, Xie Qinglan frowned. “That bow belongs to the Imperial Guards. I don’t even know who tied that tassel on it. It’s old and worn out. What would you want that for?”
Su Xuan froze. “I…”
For some reason, Xie Qinglan suddenly felt irritated. “Fifty taels of gold isn’t a great fortune, but it’s a prize personally awarded by Father Emperor and won by me. If you don’t want it, then forget it.”
Pleasure -5. Halo -5.
Alarmed, Su Xuan quickly said: “No, Your Highness, that’s not what I meant. I… I do want it.”
Only then did Xie Qinglan hand over the two heavy gold ingots. This inexplicable exchange had already dampened his previously decent mood. Without warning, he found himself thinking of Su Niao. If it had been her, she would have been at his side from beginning to end, shouting encouragement at the top of her lungs without caring what anyone thought. And the moment he won those gold ingots, she would have snatched them away long ago to buy pretty clothes and jewelry for herself.
Thinking of that lively little peacock all alone in Yunzhou, unable even to attend the palace banquet, Xie Qinglan suddenly felt somewhat restless. He had originally assumed the Su family was merely teaching her a brief lesson. Who would have thought they would actually send her away for so long? Even after she got lost in the mountains and nearly came to harm, no one had brought her back. That seemed rather cold-hearted.
Seeing Xie Qinglan’s mood visibly worsen, Su Xuan realized her attempt to impress him had backfired. Feeling uncertain, she gathered her courage and stepped closer. “Shall I take a walk with Your Highness?”
Xie Qinglan shook his head. “Forget it. There are only so many places in the palace. I’ve seen them for years. There’s nothing worth looking at.”
It was the first time Xie Qinglan had shown even a hint of impatience toward her. Su Xuan realized that her halo had been affected because she had said the wrong thing twice that night. Her hands clenched inside her sleeves. Her face turned pale, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “Your Highness, am I very boring?”
Only then did Xie Qinglan realize that his tone had perhaps been too harsh. Had it been Su Niao, she probably would have already lunged at him and tried to pinch his face.
Seeing the tears in Su Xuan’s eyes, Xie Qinglan suddenly felt somewhat regretful. He hurriedly softened his voice. “Don’t overthink things. Different people have different personalities. There’s no need to compare yourself to anyone else.”
Su Xuan quietly acknowledged him. Yet the coldness inside her only deepened. She had never said she was comparing herself to anyone.
Then why had he suddenly brought it up? Who exactly had he been comparing her to?
Recently, her parents had been discussing bringing Su Niao back to the capital because they were worried about her safety. And now Xie Qinglan seemed distracted in exactly the same way.
Su Xuan’s nails dug so deeply into her palms that they nearly broke the skin. No. The days she had spent living in Su Niao’s shadow, dimmed and overshadowed by her brilliance, had been like a nightmare. She didn’t want to experience even a single day of that life again. Not one day.
Su Niao didn’t want to spend even a single day doing horse stances ever again. Yet every time she thought that if she didn’t keep Xie Chenyan occupied, he would end up joining forces with Ye Linlang and she would lose her chance for revenge forever. That thought alone forced her up from bed like a corpse returning to life.
However, after dragging herself out of bed through sheer resentment, she learned something from Lichun.
“Chen Yan came by earlier. He said he’ll be joining the military soon and won’t be able to come anymore.”
Su Niao exploded with rage. Without even eating breakfast, she swallowed her anger, washed up, changed clothes, and stormed directly toward the Chen family courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, Chen Yan was splitting firewood. If he followed General Ye into military service, though the camp would be less than a day’s journey from home, it still wouldn’t be as convenient as before. So he wanted to chop and store more firewood for his family before leaving.
Just then, the courtyard gate burst open with a bang.
Chen Yan looked up and saw Miss Peacock standing in the doorway in her luxurious clothes, glaring at him furiously. “Chen Yan!”
Instinctively, Su Niao started to scold him. But at the last moment, she remembered that her goal was to keep him here. The curse she had been about to spit out took a sharp turn halfway through, leaving the smile she forced onto her face stiff and painfully fake.
“Why don’t you want to keep teaching me martial arts anymore?”
As if completely oblivious to the anger she was trying so hard to suppress, Chen Yan calmly lowered his head and continued chopping wood.
“Because you never really wanted to learn martial arts in the first place.”
Su Niao immediately protested. “I do want to learn!”
The words left her mouth before she remembered that she really hadn’t put much effort into learning these past few days. Still, she wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.
“Besides, you already agreed to teach me. You can’t take back a promise.”
Chen Yan paused and looked up at her. “You promised to study properly. If you can casually change your mind, why can’t someone else?”
Su Niao was furious. “Because you just can’t!”
Chen Yan remained expressionless and turned to pick up another piece of firewood.
Su Niao immediately spread her arms and stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Since force wasn’t working, she switched strategies.
“I’ll practice seriously from now on. Really.” Drawing out her words in a tone suspiciously close to a pout, she said, “Master, trust me one more time.”
Chen Yan looked away. “Miss Su gives me too much credit. I’ve taught you for less than a day. I hardly qualify as your master.”
“Oh, you do, you do!”
“One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a teacher.” As she spoke, she cheerfully moved closer. “Come on, Master. Let your disciple pay her tuition first.”
Su Niao froze. The banknote she had been trying to stuff into his hands was pushed back toward him.
“Come on, take it,” she said anxiously. “Didn’t we already agree?”
Right now, all she could think about was keeping Xie Chenyan away from Ye Linlang. She knew his character well enough: if he accepted her money, he would feel obligated to do the job properly. When he refused to take it, she panicked and tried to shove the banknote directly into his robe.
But Su Niao forgot that it was still summer. Their clothes were thin.
At the same moment she pushed the banknote forward, Xie Chenyan stepped back. His robe was immediately pulled open. The loose garment exposed the clearly defined lines of his chest and abdomen. Worse still, the hand holding the banknote brushed across his skin.
Su Niao froze. Without warning, she was reminded of that scene from her previous life.
Xie Chenyan had been tightly bound, his outer robe already hanging in tatters. Trapped before her in an intensely humiliating position, his breathing had grown ragged because of her, the “shameless and depraved woman” he had cursed. The tense, trembling muscles of his chest and abdomen had betrayed his discomfort and suffering. Yet he still cursed her.
Across from her, Chen Yan’s expression changed instantly. He turned aside and pulled his robe closed. His voice became cold and hard. “Miss Su, please conduct yourself with propriety.”
Su Niao abruptly snapped out of her memories. Looking at him now, he seemed to merge with the irreconcilable enemy from her previous life. All the patience she had forced herself to maintain vanished instantly. With a cold laugh, she looked at Xie Chenyan. “What? You don’t like me?”
Her face held a chill Chen Yan had never seen before. His lips parted slightly, but before he could speak, the young lady cut him off with a mocking sneer:
“Don’t think so highly of yourself. Since you’ve forgotten, let me remind you.”
“I don’t like you either.”
“I hate you.”
“I despise you.”
The words fell one after another, sharp as knives.
Then Su Niao turned around, yanked open the courtyard gate, and strode away.
Bang!
The gate slammed against the wall and swung back and forth.
From a nearby window, little Chen Ning’s head slowly emerged, her hair tied into small buns. She cautiously looked toward her elder brother, who still stood motionless in the courtyard.