Last night, several people were dealt with in Li Wanran’s courtyard, including those from the Imperial Kitchen. Although the palace servants serving outside didn’t know exactly what had transpired, they could guess it was nothing good. For a time, everyone was as quiet as cicadas in winter, terrified that they might be caught in the tail end of the punishments and become the next to face the boards.
Following the Fourth Prince’s instructions, Su Peisheng brought a palace maid to Li Wanran’s courtyard early that morning to fill the vacancy. Pointing to the girl beside him, he said with a beaming smile, “This is the new maid the Fourth Prince had me find for you. See if she meets your satisfaction? If not, I can go and find another one for you.”
Li Wanran rose from her chair and carefully looked over the maid standing before her. The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, though she wasn’t particularly fair-skinned and her looks were average. She seemed very steady and composed; when Li Wanran didn’t speak, the girl simply kept her head slightly bowed, showing no signs of restlessness.
Li Wanran arched an eyebrow and asked, “What is your name? How old are you?”
Zhu Ling replied, her head still lowered, “This servant is named Zhu Ling. I am eighteen this year and was previously serving in the Flower Room.”
About the same age as me, Li Wanran thought with a hint of surprise.
“She’ll do.” Li Wanran didn’t feel like picking and choosing. This one seemed agreeable enough, so she would stay. Besides, she had great faith in Manager Su’s eye for talent. With that in mind, she had Xiao Yuzi take Zhu Ling away to familiarize her with the environment.
Turning back to Su Peisheng, she smiled. “I’ve truly troubled you, Manager Su. Why don’t you sit for a cup of tea and rest your feet before you go?”
Su Peisheng quickly replied with a self-deprecating smile, “Gégé, you are too kind; I truly don’t deserve such courtesy. However, I’ve been out for some time and must return to serve the Fourth Prince. I’ll have to take you up on that tea another time.”
Seeing his sincerity, Li Wanran didn’t press further. She simply had Banxia see him out and give him a tip.
Once Banxia returned, she asked how to assign Zhu Ling’s duties.
Li Wanran thought for a moment, waving the round fan in her hand. “Since she’s filling Caiwei’s vacancy, have her do exactly what Caiwei used to do.” Whatever chores Caiwei had handled, Zhu Ling would take over.
I’ll watch her for a bit, Li Wanran thought, somewhat lost in her own reflections. After all, one can know a person’s face but not their heart. It’s never wrong to be a little cautious.
Banxia nodded, answered in the affirmative, and went out to find Zhu Ling.
Zhu Ling didn’t just look steady; she worked with calm efficiency as well. After listening to the arrangements from Banxia, she asked no questions, simply said “yes,” and began her work. Watching Zhu Ling’s busy figure in the courtyard, Banxia couldn’t help but sigh, silently praying she was a good one.
She highly approved of Li Wanran’s arrangement. After the events of the previous night, she was jumpy at every shadow, fearing this newcomer might be another Caiwei. The thought of Caiwei filled her with a sense of betrayed fury. She had felt so much self-reproach and guilt while looking after her last night, only to find out the girl had a hand in the scheme. Heaven knows how much Banxia had wanted to hurl Caiwei away when she heard the truth. Only her mistress was kind enough to let the girl take the imperial physician’s medicine with her when she left.
“What are you thinking about, looking so bitter and resentful?” Xiao Yuzi suddenly popped up beside Banxia.
Banxia didn’t speak, but simply tilted her chin toward Zhu Ling.
Xiao Yuzi understood instantly. Rubbing his chin, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my eyes glued to her.” He held up two fingers, pointed them at his own eyes, and then swiveled them toward Zhu Ling’s back.
Banxia nodded and solemnly patted his shoulder. “I’m counting on you.” Then, she turned and went back into the room.
Inside, Li Wanran wasn’t idle either. Perhaps because she had stayed up late the night before, she felt like her hair was getting a bit greasy. When Banxia entered, she saw her mistress with her hair down, sitting in front of the vanity mirror and fumbling with her locks. Within seconds, she had grabbed a handful of hair and sniffed it several times.
“Why have you let your hair down? Do you wish to wash it, Gégé?” Having been by Lady Li’s side for so long, Banxia considered herself quite familiar with her. Knowing how much she loved cleanliness, she guessed her mistress probably wanted a hair wash.
Li Wanran didn’t answer directly. Instead, with a look of internal conflict, she asked, “Do you think my hair looks greasy?” She had only washed it the day before yesterday; it was only the second day. How could it get greasy so fast?
Banxia circled Li Wanran’s head, looking carefully from top to bottom and left to right several times. She shook her head. “I don’t see any grease. Your hair still smells lovely, Gégé.”
While those words made Li Wanran feel a bit better, she still felt her hair was sticky and a bit itchy. After a moment’s thought, she sat at her desk, picked up a brush, and wrote down a formula for herbal shampoo and hair care she had used at home.
Once finished, she handed it to Banxia and instructed, “Take some money and these two formulas to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to get the herbs. Remember to have them grind the medicine into a fine powder.”
“I’ll go right away.” Banxia took the formula and went to the inner chamber. She took some silver from the carved cinnabar and mother-of-pearl round floral box on the bedside cabinet. As she was about to leave, Li Wanran called out again.
“If they aren’t willing to grind it for us, just let it be. Bring it back directly, and we can manage it ourselves.” After all, she was only a minor mistress of a prince without a title. She didn’t even have the status to request an imperial physician herself. Outside of this prince’s residence, who would take her seriously? The previous times they managed to get a physician were only because the person sent was from the Fourth Prince’s personal staff, representing him. Thus, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Banxia understood her meaning. She nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry, Gégé, I know how to handle it.” With that, she turned and left.
Banxia didn’t walk slowly, but as the primary maid of the newly favored Lady Li, many people were secretly watching her movements. Consequently, by the time she returned with the ground medicinal powder, the rumor that Li Wanran was ill and had sent for medicine had already spread.
In the afternoon, Su Peisheng received the news. Recalling the warmth between the Fourth Prince and Lady Li when they were together, he didn’t hesitate to enter the study to report to the Prince.
Yinzhen’s hand holding the brush paused. A drop of ink fell from the tip onto the characters he had just written, instantly blurring them. A perfectly good piece of calligraphy was ruined. Seeing this, Su Peisheng let out an “aiyo” and hurried forward to take the ink-stained paper away, spreading a fresh sheet of Xuan paper on the desk.
“Ill?” Yinzhen didn’t look at Su Peisheng. He simply lowered his brush again and asked the question casually.
But who was Su Peisheng? Having served by Yinzhen’s side since childhood, how could he not see through the Prince’s true thoughts? If this lord truly didn’t care, he wouldn’t even have asked. Any extra word from him usually meant you were wasting his time.
Su Peisheng replied, “I didn’t believe it at first either. When I delivered the maid to Lady Li this morning, she seemed perfectly fine. But a young eunuch under my command said he saw Banxia heading toward the Imperial Academy of Medicine with his own eyes, and she was carrying a bag of medicine when she returned. I was thinking… could Lady Li have been frightened by what happened last night?”
Su Peisheng paused, stole a glance at the Prince’s expression, and continued.
After listening, Yinzhen placed his brush on the rack and scoffed, “I hadn’t noticed before. Does she have the courage of a mouse?” Especially last night—she had been quite bold.
Su Peisheng kept his head down and didn’t respond, though he thought to himself: Which mistress in this back courtyard doesn’t have the courage of a mouse when facing you? Just then, Su Peisheng felt a gust of wind pass him. He looked up hurriedly, only to see Yinzhen’s back.
Su Peisheng froze for a second before trotting after him. “Fourth Prince, wait for me!”
Back at the courtyard, Li Wanran had just finished washing and drying her hair. Banxia was using a comb to smooth it out and relax her scalp. When Yinzhen entered, he saw Li Wanran with her hair draped over her shoulders, wearing only a light blue butterfly-patterned robe as she sat before the mirror. Deprived of her usual allure, she looked more pure and delicate, like a lotus flower emerging from water.
Noticing his arrival, Banxia hurriedly put down the comb and paid her respects. Before Li Wanran could rise, Yinzhen had already walked up to her. He took her hand and frowned. “Why are you wearing so little? Aren’t you ill?” He then ordered Banxia to quickly fetch another garment to wrap around her.
Li Wanran pulled the extra clothing around her, explaining with an amused expression that she wasn’t sick. The reason she understood why Yinzhen asked was that Lady Yi had already visited her earlier because of the same ridiculous rumor. So, she knew that simply asking the medical academy for hair-washing herbs had been distorted by the outside world into a serious illness.
After hearing the explanation, Yinzhen arched an eyebrow. He leaned down, picked up a lock of her hair, and sniffed it. Straightening up, his lips curled into a smile. “It smells very good.”
Li Wanran looked up, her eyes full of mischief. “If you like it, I’ll have Banxia bring the formula to you.” She reached out and lightly tickled Yinzhen’s palm, whispering, “Though if I do, you’ll be covered in my scent.”
Yinzhen appeared unmoved by her flirting. He turned and sat on the couch opposite the dressing table. Tapping his finger on the tabletop, he brought up the previous night’s game. “We didn’t finish that game of Gomoku last night. Shall we continue now?”
Li Wanran, of course, had no objections. It had been a sudden whim of hers to play with Yinzhen the night before, only to be interrupted by the business with Caiwei. She rose and sat opposite him, setting up the board. Holding the white pieces, her face was full of confidence.
“Last night’s game doesn’t count. In this game, I’ll even give you a one-stone head start.”
Yinzhen looked at her with great interest. “Are you truly that confident you can beat me?”
Their gazes met in the air. Li Wanran showed no fear, lifting her chin slightly and letting out a soft “hmpf” with an expression that said naturally. After all, she had been the “undefeated champion” of her entire class back in the day, honored by her classmates as the “Chess God”! If it hadn’t been for her teacher heartlessly confiscating the set… Hmph, a mere Yinzhen was nothing to worry about!
Having imagined a scene where she crushed Yinzhen and laughed with her hands on her hips, Li Wanran started the game with ease. However, she moved from being comfortable to looking at the board in utter disbelief as she was soundly defeated.
She slowly looked up at Yinzhen, who had a “is that all?” expression on his face. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Another round! That was just me letting you get familiar with the rules. Now, I’m going to get serious.”
Yinzhen shrugged, his face full of amusement. “Is that so? Then let’s continue. This time, show me your true level.”
You don’t have to tell me! Li Wanran roared internally. Why can this ancient man, who had never played before, crush me so easily? So what if he was smart? She hated people smarter than her the most (not really)!
Unfortunately, the next few rounds didn’t go as Li Wanran had envisioned. Instead, she lost faster and faster. She stared blankly as Yinzhen collected her few lonely white pieces. “How can this be?” she said, her eyes vacant. It looked as if Yinzhen wasn’t collecting chess pieces, but her very soul.
Seeing this, Yinzhen put down the pieces and teased, “Still want to play?”
“No more! You didn’t even go easy on me!” Li Wanran turned her back to him in frustration, her pout deep enough to hang a bottle from. Mostly, she felt embarrassed. She had bragged so much based on her past experience, only to be left with no power to strike back. Most importantly, she hadn’t won a single game!
She didn’t dare look at his face now, which was why she turned away. As her mind raced with messy thoughts, Yinzhen’s magnetic voice drifted toward her again.
“Alright, alright. It’s my fault. Turn around; I promise to let you win this time.”
Even though she had wanted him to do that earlier, hearing him say it now made her feel even more awkward. She simply turned her head and began fidgeting with her handkerchief.
Yinzhen wasn’t annoyed by her behavior. He leaned back, resting his hand on his knee, and said musingly, “I recall someone using my name as a shield to intimidate others last night, and I didn’t say a word of complaint. Today, I merely won a few games, yet someone is…”
Before he could finish, a guilty Li Wanran turned and covered his mouth with her hand. With the sudden accounting of her deeds, all her awkwardness vanished. Yinzhen hadn’t mentioned it last night, so she had assumed the matter was settled. Turns out he was waiting for her here.
Li Wanran steadied herself and realized he wasn’t truly trying to settle scores. Her heart settled. Under Yinzhen’s half-smiling gaze, she pulled her hand back with a fawning grin. She rose and walked over, plopping herself directly into his lap. Crossing her arms around his neck, she said coquettishly, “Fourth Prince, I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Please forgive me just this once.”
Yinzhen put his arm around her waist, staring darkly at her opening and closing red lips. His voice grew husky. “If you want me to forgive you, words alone won’t suffice.”
“Then you…” Li Wanran’s remaining words were swallowed as Yinzhen tilted his head and blocked them in her throat, turning everything into soft whimpers. He pressed the back of her head to better capture her lips.
Li Wanran was kissed into a daze until she was lying on the couch. Banxia, seeing the direction things were going, had long since retreated outside to stand guard with a blushing face.
It wasn’t until Yinzhen’s hand became increasingly restless, sliding beneath the hem of her robe, that the warmth of skin-on-skin contact made Li Wanran snap awake. It was still broad daylight! The thought of Banxia and the others outside, knowing what they were doing in the middle of the day, made her feel as if smoke was about to pour from her head.
Her small wrists pressed against Yinzhen’s chest as she tried to create some distance. Gasping for air, she whispered, “Lord… Lord, it’s still daytime. It won’t be good if people find out.”
Fortunately, Yinzhen also had a sense of propriety. At her reminder, he calmed down. However, being interrupted when things were heating up was unpleasant. He pulled his hand out from her clothes but didn’t get up immediately. He held her tightly, burying his head deep in the crook of her neck without moving further.
After a moment, Yinzhen rose. He shot a miffed glare at a visibly relieved Li Wanran and whispered, “Wait for me tonight.”
Li Wanran giggled but said nothing. Whatever happens tonight can wait until tonight; as long as we don’t do that during the day. After all, this was the Qing Dynasty, the height of feudalism. If word got out, the old gentleman in the Hall of Supreme Harmony wouldn’t hesitate to have a woman like her, who might tarnish his son’s reputation, beaten to death. As for whether it was truly her fault, he wouldn’t care.
Looking at Li Wanran’s smiling face, Yinzhen felt uncomfortable for the first time. Since he was uncomfortable, there was no reason to let others be comfortable. Before leaving, he deliberately assigned her a pile of “homework” and gave her only a few days to complete it. Finally, seeing Li Wanran’s devastated expression, he let out a couple of satisfied hums and left.
He left Li Wanran alone, standing there, utterly stunned.