From the moment she had entered the room, Concubine Zhang had been looking at her with nothing but disdain.
Once or twice was one thing, but if she continued to endure it, others wouldn’t think she was good-tempered; they would only see her as a pushover, a weakling to be looked down upon. If anything happened in the future, everyone would feel entitled to trample over her.
“I have only just arrived and have yet to meet the Fourth Prince. It is only natural that he does not remember me,” Li Wanran said, lowering her head and sighing softly.
Just as a look of triumph appeared on Zhang’s face, Li Wanran looked up at her with an innocent expression, her eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. “But what about you? You have served the Fourth Prince for so long; surely he must be deeply impressed by you and be especially fond of you? I wonder if you could teach me a few things?”
She emphasized the words “especially fond” with particular weight.
“I…” Zhang’s face instantly flushed a deep crimson. Her chest heaved, her lips parting and closing several times, but she couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
She didn’t believe for a second that Mistress Li, who had been here for over two months, was ignorant of her actual standing in the backyard.
Zhang glared fiercely at Li Wanran’s peach-blossom face, wishing she could tear it to shreds. This little wench was deliberately saying this to humiliate her! She knew this Li woman was no good! At the thought that Li Wanran would soon be competing with her for the Fourth Prince’s already scarce favor—making her own position even more precarious—Zhang felt as though her chest might explode from frustration.
Seeing that Zhang was so angry she looked ready to cough up blood, Mistress Song, who had seen enough of the show, stepped in to play the peacemaker.
“Everything was fine, why the sudden bickering? Stop sniping at each other. We are all sisters in the same backyard; we should be harmonious.”
Regardless of their internal thoughts, both Li Wanran and Concubine Zhang had to give Mistress Song face. They were on her territory, after all, and they couldn’t make things difficult for her in front of the maids.
Li Wanran took the opportunity to change the subject, proactively striking up a conversation with Concubine Yi and ignoring Zhang entirely. Mistress Song offered a few more words of comfort to Zhang, occasionally throwing her a conversational bone. For a moment, it was as if nothing had happened, and the room was a picture of domestic harmony.
After staying at Mistress Song’s for about an hour, Li Wanran took her leave.
The moment she stepped out of the courtyard, she breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself: I should attend fewer of these “sisterly” gatherings. Having to use my brain constantly just to speak is too exhausting.
Upon returning to her own courtyard, she couldn’t wait to flop onto her bed, kicking off the “flowerpot” shoes she had worn all morning.
“Walking in these shoes is so tiring; my feet are aching,” she sighed contentedly once her feet were free.
Banxia, following behind, picked up the haphazardly discarded shoes and arranged them neatly. She smiled and said, “I’ll have Xiao Yuzi fetch some hot water so you can soak your feet.”
Li Wanran added, “Make sure it’s quite hot.”
“Yes.”
Banxia turned and went outside to find Xiao Yuzi. Seeing her wave, Xiao Yuzi hurried over. “Does the Mistress have orders?”
“Mistress’s feet are uncomfortable. Go to the kitchen and get some hot water for her to soak them,” Banxia said.
“I’ll go right now.” Xiao Yuzi nodded and turned to head out.
Banxia quickly called him back, asking helplessly, “Do you know where Caiwei has run off to again?”
Xiao Yuzi spread his hands and shrugged. “Not sure. Probably went to find her ‘sisters’ again.” With that, he headed toward the kitchen.
Banxia shouted after him, “Hey! Mistress said she wants it extra hot, don’t get it wrong!”
Xiao Yuzi turned back with a grin and a bow before quickly disappearing from sight.
Banxia, Caiwei, and Xiao Yuzi had all been selected by the Imperial Household Department to serve Mistress Li. In the beginning, they had gotten along well enough, but as time passed and rumors spread that Mistress Li was unlucky and unlikely to gain favor once the Prince returned, Caiwei’s heart had strayed. She was either slacking off or running to other courtyards to build connections, hoping to be transferred elsewhere.
At the thought, Banxia sighed, shook her head, and went back inside to keep Li Wanran company. She didn’t intend to keep advising Caiwei; when she had spoken up before, Caiwei thought she was just trying to hold her back. One could only say that everyone has their own ambitions.
Back inside, Banxia chatted with Li Wanran to pass the time. After a while, they began to wonder why Xiao Yuzi wasn’t back yet. Suddenly, he burst in with the hot water, looking ecstatic. He was panting heavily, looking like he might lose his breath at any second.
Banxia quickly took the water from him and looked behind him. “Why are you panting like that just from fetching water? It’s not like someone was chasing you.”
Seeing him drenched in sweat, Li Wanran told him to pour a cup of tea to calm down, then teased, “Xiao Yuzi, you really need to exercise more.”
“No… it’s… it’s because the Fourth Prince is back! He’s resting in the front court right now,” Xiao Yuzi managed to gasp out, one hand on his hip.
“What?” Li Wanran sat bolt upright in shock. Banxia’s jaw dropped.
Wanran immediately recalled what Mistress Song had said that morning. She couldn’t help but wonder: was Mistress Song prophetic? Or had she received word early and invited Wanran specifically because of it?
While Li Wanran was lost in thought, Xiao Yuzi gulped down several mouthfuls of tea, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and continued sharing the news he’d gathered.
“I had just filled the buckets at the kitchen when I saw the servants from the front court rushing in for hot water. I listened in and found out the Fourth Prince has returned from his mission.”
Now they knew why he was so winded; he had been racing back to report the news.
“Well done. You get an extra chicken leg for lunch!” Li Wanran praised him with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Mistress!” Xiao Yuzi chirped happily.
Banxia was restless. Her eyes shone as she looked at Li Wanran. “Mistress, let’s go to the front court to seek an audience now.”
“No.” Li Wanran tested the water temperature with her hand and placed her feet inside before slowly refusing.
Banxia was confused. “Why? What if someone else beats us to it?”
Xiao Yuzi stood by, agreeing with Banxia.
Li Wanran explained, “The Prince has only just returned. Doesn’t he need to freshen up and then go pay his respects to the Emperor and Consort De?”
If she rushed over now, not only would she likely fail to see him, but she might also leave him with the impression that she was a woman who lacked a sense of propriety.
“You are so wise, Mistress. We forgot all about that in our haste,” Banxia said, tapping her forehead in realization.
“So we’re just not going to do anything?” Xiao Yuzi asked hesitantly.
“Of course… not.” Li Wanran intentionally paused to tease them. Seeing their reactions, she laughed and added, “Even if we can’t go find him right now, we can’t do nothing.”
She told Xiao Yuzi to keep an eye on the front court and report back immediately if anything happened. Then she told Banxia to pick out a few bright-colored outfits.
After giving her orders, Li Wanran settled in to enjoy her foot soak. Closing her eyes, her senses were heightened. The sharp sting of the hot water against her skin reached her brain, but for her, this temperature was just right. One had to soak their feet in hot water to stay healthy, and only with a healthy body could one better plan for the future.
Everything progressed exactly as Li Wanran had predicted. The Fourth Prince didn’t stay long in the front court before hurrying to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. By the time Li Wanran finished her afternoon nap, he had returned to the Prince’s quarters. However, he didn’t stay long then either; he spent less than five minutes in Mistress Song’s courtyard before rushing back to the front court to leave the palace with the Third Prince.
As evening approached, the busy Prince finally settled down and stopped running about.
Hearing Xiao Yuzi’s report, Li Wanran smiled slightly. She set down her calligraphy brush and stood up. “Banxia, bring me the clothes we picked this morning.”
Once changed, she took Banxia directly toward the shortest path between the front and back courts. This was the path the Fourth Prince took most often when entering the backyard.
What Li Wanran wanted to do was engineer a “chance encounter.” Though the method was simple and blunt, it was effective. She didn’t dare wait in her courtyard for the Prince to descend like a god from the heavens; the probability of that was near zero. She had to take the initiative. Even if they only spoke a few words, it would mean she was finally on his radar. If she just sat and waited…
Heh, she might as well wait to be forgotten entirely. After all, no one was going to be kind enough to remind the Prince: “Master, remember that new Mistress who just arrived? Why don’t you go see her?”
However, things rarely go perfectly according to plan. For instance, in Li Wanran’s original vision, there wasn’t supposed to be anyone else on this path.
And yet…
The unmistakable figure of Concubine Zhang was standing there with her maid, loitering. It was impossible to ignore her.
“Mistress, Concubine Zhang is ahead. She’s here too, should we…” Banxia looked worried.
Li Wanran frowned slightly. She had been careless; if she could think of intercepting him here, the veterans of the backyard certainly could too. Although the plan had hit a snag, she had no intention of retreating.
She gave Banxia a reassuring smile and said softly, “It’s fine. We’ll proceed as planned. Just ignore her.”
“Understood!” Hearing this, Banxia’s hesitation vanished, and she nodded firmly.
As the two approached, Zhang finally noticed them. The sweet smile on her face faltered. Seeing Li Wanran drawing closer, Zhang looked as if she were facing a great enemy. “What are you doing here?” she asked nervously.
Li Wanran acted as though she didn’t understand the tension. “I don’t follow. Why? Am I not allowed to be here?”
“You! That’s not what I meant.” Zhang stamped her foot in anger. Seeing Li Wanran wandering about slowly with no intention of leaving, she grew anxious. “It’s almost dark. Mistress Li should hurry back and rest.”
“No rush. The scenery here is lovely; I want to take a good look. After I got back from Mistress Song’s this morning, the more I thought about it, the more I felt you were right—one should go out more, or else they’ll miss out on so much beautiful scenery.”
Li Wanran smiled, dealing with Zhang while lowering her head to sniff a vibrant flower nearby. A wave of fragrance washed over her.
Zhang didn’t want to guess whether Wanran was really here for the scenery or if she had the same goal. Regardless, she didn’t want Li Wanran staying here a moment longer. But she had no way to force her to leave; after all, her status was lower than that of a Mistress.
As time passed and the colorful clouds in the sky grew dim, Zhang began to radiate irritability. She couldn’t take it anymore!
Zhang stared at Li Wanran for several seconds before striding toward her, looking as though she was about to start a fight. Seeing this, Li Wanran slowly backed away while keeping an eye on her surroundings, calculating which direction would be the safest to run if things turned physical. If they actually got into a scrap, it would be humiliating regardless of who won. If word reached the Fourth Prince, there would be hell to pay for both of them.
Within a few breaths, Zhang reached Li Wanran’s side. She shoved Banxia aside and grabbed Li Wanran’s hand, pulling her forward. She hissed through gritted teeth, “It’s late. Let me escort Mistress Li back. Any later and the path will be hard to see.”
Li Wanran felt a sense of relief mixed with disbelief at this aggressive yet ultimately harmless behavior. That’s it?! Well, at least she wasn’t being hit.
Li Wanran tried to wrench her hand from Zhang’s grasp, but to no avail. She turned to call for Banxia, only to see her maid being blocked by Zhang’s maid. It was a classic case of the logical person being overwhelmed by the brute.
Just as she was struggling to shake off Zhang’s hand, a low, cool, and surprisingly pleasant voice rang out from behind them.
“What are you doing?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Zhang froze in shock and stopped instantly. She turned around. “Four—Fourth Prince?!”