Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was just right, and fearing that the evening meal would grow cold, Banxia stepped forward to remind the two that it was time to eat.
Li Wanran looked at Yinzhen and said, “Have Xiao Yuzi go to the kitchen and ask them to prepare a few more hot dishes.”
Since she hadn’t known Yinzhen would be coming, she had simply asked Banxia to bring back the standard meal portioned for a Gege. Now, she couldn’t very well let him just make do with her simple fare—though part of her wouldn’t have minded it.
Banxia was about to leave to carry out the order when Yinzhen called out to stop her.
“There is no need to go to such trouble. I have already eaten while reviewing official documents in the front study.”
Seeing him decline the meal, Li Wanran did not insist, giving up her plan of having him accompany her for a bite.
Yinzhen scanned the room, which had been fashioned entirely according to his aesthetic preferences, and his mood immediately improved a few more degrees. After Li Wanran went to eat, he did not remain idle; he went to the bookshelf in the small study, pulled out the book he had left halfway finished last time, and sat on the daybed to continue reading.
As he read, his mind suddenly turned to the homework he had left for Li Wanran. He wondered if she had made any progress over the past few days or how her painting was coming along. Before leaving that day, he had painted a branch of peach blossoms for her to copy. He didn’t need it to be a perfect likeness; a general resemblance would suffice. After all, one cannot become a master overnight.
With the thought planted, Yinzhen set down his book and walked over to the desk. He picked up the stack of drawing papers and began flipping through them one by one.
His brow shifted from a furrow to a relaxed state, only to tighten again. The patterns on the paper evolved from various strange shapes to things that looked increasingly like the subject; this was enough to show Li Wanran’s diligent practice.
However…
What was the deal with those strange little people on the last few pages?
Though they possessed a certain charm and wit, Yinzhen studied the “Q-version” caricatures closely. Each little person had a different expression and posture, appearing quite endearing. Yet, the more he looked at the features of these little people, the more familiar they seemed—not to mention the clothes they were wearing…
When Li Wanran finished her meal and walked back in, she saw Yinzhen sitting on the daybed, holding her drawings and looking at them quite seriously. The warm glow of the candlelight reflected on his face, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks, and his high bridge of his nose adding to his handsome features.
Li Wanran raised an eyebrow, her spirit high. The ancients were right: looking at a beauty under a lamp truly made them appear even more handsome.
She sat down beside Yinzhen, cupping her chin in her hands like she was cradling a delicate flower, and asked expectantly, “Do you think my painting is passable?”
“For a beginner to paint like this, it can be considered quite good,” Yinzhen replied tonelessly, his gaze still fixed on the paper. He chose not to mention that even as a child, he painted far better than this; there was no need to discourage her.
Having received his approval, Li Wanran smiled like a blooming flower and began to sweetly flatter him. “It is all because you taught me so well, Fourth Prince. You made it easy for me to understand. Otherwise, no matter how hard I practiced, I would never have made such great progress.”
A hint of pride surfaced in Li Wanran’s eyes. These words affirmed Yinzhen’s ability while also letting him know the effort she had put in—truly killing two birds with one stone.
However, Yinzhen’s face remained devoid of expression, which Li Wanran found a bit strange. Just as she was about to say something else, he spread the drawings out on the low table.
“Is that so? I don’t recall ever teaching you this style of painting.”
Yinzhen narrowed his eyes at Li Wanran. No matter how he looked at it, the little person in these drawings was clearly him!
With that question, Li Wanran understood why he had been maintaining such a stiff expression. However, she had intended to show him these “chibi” drawings anyway, so she wasn’t flustered at all.
Keeping that sweet smile on her face, she pointed a slender finger at the little person on the paper and explained earnestly: “While I was resting from painting, I accidentally discovered that drawing figures this way makes them look exceptionally endearing and vivid.”
After explaining, she looked up with flushed cheeks and whispered, “Whenever I think of you, Fourth Prince, I take a look at this little person. It’s as if you are right there accompanying me.”
As she spoke, she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky.
Once again, Yinzhen was defeated by Li Wanran’s unabashed display of affection. He let out a silent sigh and nodded. “It is indeed very vivid.” With that, he picked up one of the papers. “I shall take this one with me.”
“As long as you like it, Fourth Prince.”
Li Wanran suddenly got up and grabbed a brush from the nearby desk. Under Yinzhen’s puzzled gaze, she drew another cute little figure with “starry eyes” right next to the caricature on his paper.
Once finished, she excitedly introduced it to him: “This is you, and this one beside you is me. This way, the Fourth Prince in the drawing will have me to accompany him. What do you think?”
Looking at the two happy little figures playing on the paper, Yinzhen rotated the jade ring on his thumb and smiled. “Very good.”
Li Wanran was about to say something more when she saw Su Peisheng enter with a hesitant bow to report.
“Fourth Prince, the maid Sumei, who serves Concubine Zhang, is outside requesting an audience. She says Concubine Zhang is feeling unwell and wishes for you to go and see her.”
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen instinctively turned to see Li Wanran’s reaction. He saw her wrinkle her nose, the smile on her face instantly fading, and a touch of sorrow appearing in her eyes.
He instinctively wanted to say something to comfort her, but then he saw Su Peisheng still waiting for an answer, and a flash of impatience rose in his heart. He felt an even greater distaste for this “Concubine Zhang” who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Which Concubine Zhang?”
Before Su Peisheng could speak, Li Wanran beat him to it. She glanced at Yinzhen and said sourly, “She is the sister who was with me in the garden that day when we ran into you.”
Li Wanran’s words brought back a blurry memory of Lady Zhang. He suddenly looked toward Li Wanran’s ankle. “I remember now. Your sprain was caused by Lady Zhang pulling at you that day, wasn’t it?”
Though it was a question, his tone was entirely certain.
Li Wanran wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to strike a blow at an enemy—especially one like Lady Zhang, who had picked a fight with her the moment they met.
“You mustn’t blame her, Fourth Prince. Perhaps she didn’t do it on purpose. I haven’t seen her these past few days; she must have been frightened by what happened that day.”
Li Wanran: lodging a “black complaint” in progress.
Seeing her say one thing while meaning another, Yinzhen let out a helpless chuckle. However, his dissatisfaction with Lady Zhang grew.
He let out a cold snort. “She injured someone else and didn’t even have the decency to come and apologize—how could she be the one who was frightened?”
Turning his head, he looked at Su Peisheng with an impatient, stern face and scolded, “Su Peisheng, I think you are becoming increasingly incompetent at your duties. You bring every little thing to bother me.”
“If she is unwell, tell her to go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to find a physician for a prescription.”
“Furthermore, Lady Zhang has acted with utter impropriety. Penalize her by having her copy the Palace Rules five times.” With that, he waved his hand to dismiss Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng, whose face had turned pale from Yinzhen’s scolding, was already filled with regret. Had he known, he wouldn’t have taken pity on that girl outside and agreed to bring the matter up. Now, not only had he been barked at by the Fourth Prince, but he had likely offended the new favorite, Li Gege.
Thinking of this, he quickly stole a glance at Li Gege and felt a chill in his heart. He saw her sitting there with an innocent expression, looking for all the world like a “smiling tiger.”
“Yes, this servant will see to it immediately.”
Su Peisheng bowed and took his leave, retreating quickly without daring to breathe too loudly. It wasn’t until he reached the outside that he finally let out a breath. Thinking of the woman inside, he shook his head; none of the women in this inner court were simple. In just a few sentences, she had suppressed Lady Zhang. Given the Fourth Prince’s personality, Lady Zhang would likely never even catch a glimpse of his shadow again.
When he emerged, Sumei, who was standing in the courtyard under Banxia’s dissatisfied gaze, stepped forward quickly.
“Eunuch Su, what did the Fourth Prince say?”
Toward the maid who had caused him to get scolded, Su Peisheng had no intention of showing a kind face.
“The Fourth Prince said that if Concubine Zhang is unwell, she should consult a physician.” With that, he tilted his chin, signaling Sumei to lead the way. “The Fourth Prince has further instructions for Lady Zhang that I must deliver. Please, lead the way.”
Sumei was filled with trepidation, knowing she had botched the task of bringing the Prince over. She was terrified of being punished by Lady Zhang upon her return. However, hearing that the Prince had a message, she quickly nodded and led the way. She hoped, perhaps naively, that the Prince had sent Su Peisheng to offer some words of comfort. She prayed Lady Zhang would be in a better mood for the sake of that message, making her own life easier.
“What?”
Lady Zhang, who had specifically dressed up to welcome the Fourth Prince, looked at Su Peisheng in disbelief. It was bad enough that the Prince wasn’t coming, but he was actually punishing her by making her copy the Palace Rules?
The sudden bad news made her sway as if she were about to collapse. Sumei quickly stepped forward to support her. However, Lady Zhang showed no gratitude; she glared viciously at the maid and pushed her away.
She stepped forward frantically, her eyes fixed on Su Peisheng as she tried to excuse herself. “Eunuch Su, why would the Fourth Prince punish me? I haven’t done anything!”
Su Peisheng gave a faint smile. “It is precisely because you have done nothing that you are wrong.”
“Very well, I have delivered the message. I shall not disturb your rest further.” With that, he turned and left without looking back.
Failing to understand the meaning behind his words, Lady Zhang took her fury out on Sumei. She viciously pinched the flesh on Sumei’s arm and hissed, “It must be you, you wretched servant! You did something to anger the Fourth Prince and got me punished as well!”
The more Lady Zhang spoke, the angrier she became, and the harder she pinched. Though the pain was intense, Sumei didn’t dare make a sound; she could only bite her lip to suppress the wails in her throat, knowing that any noise would only make Lady Zhang hit her harder.
She immediately knelt at Lady Zhang’s feet and pleaded: “This servant did nothing! When I arrived at Li Gege’s courtyard, she was inside speaking with the Fourth Prince. I couldn’t even see his face. Everything I was instructed to do was reported to him by Eunuch Su on my behalf.”
This succeeded in redirecting Lady Zhang’s hatred. She stopped pinching Sumei and looked toward Li Wanran’s courtyard, falling into deep thought.
After a long moment, she muttered to herself, “That’s right. When Su Peisheng went in to speak for me, the Li woman was right there.”
It must be that Li woman, resenting her for their past conflict and her injured foot, who had whispered slander into the Prince’s ear to get her punished. Lady Zhang stared toward Li Wanran’s courtyard with eyes full of venom. She didn’t feel that she was in the wrong at all regarding the previous incident. Even if she had accidentally caused the sprain, it had indirectly allowed Li to catch the Prince’s eye and gain favor. If anything, Li should be thanking her!
Lady Zhang gritted her teeth and vowed in her heart that she would never let the Li woman have an easy time.
Kneeling on the ground, Sumei let out a silent sigh of relief seeing that she had successfully diverted Lady Zhang’s attention. However, when she thought of these dark, endless days and wondered when they would ever end, she was overcome with sorrow.
The next morning, Lady Zhang went to Concubine Song’s room early to complain and vent her grievances.
“Sister Song, that Li woman is simply too much! It’s bad enough that she clings to the Fourth Prince and won’t let go, but now she actually slanders me before him, causing me to be punished for no reason.”
As she spoke, Lady Zhang pressed a handkerchief to the corners of her eyes and began to fake-cry. Although she had been hiding away for the past few days because of the incident with Li Wanran, she hadn’t missed a single piece of news from the outside. She was so gnashed with jealousy over Li Wanran’s favor that she couldn’t even eat. This led to last night’s failed attempt to intercept the Prince, which resulted in her punishment.
She had tossed and turned in bed all night but hadn’t been able to think of a good way to teach Li Wanran a lesson. Thus, she had rushed to Concubine Song’s place before even having breakfast to ask for advice.
Lady Song sat calmly on the daybed, holding a teacup. She looked at Lady Zhang with a meaningful gaze. “Regarding Li Gege, can you truly say you have a clear conscience?”
Lady Zhang was choked by the question, looking awkward and unsure of how to respond. Though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, she knew the truth in her heart.
“As for Li Gege,” Lady Song chuckled softly and remarked, “The fact that she can make it so the Fourth Prince only has eyes for her is a testament to her own capability.”
“Moreover, even I haven’t seen the Fourth Prince many times lately.”
Having said that, she acted as if she had only just noticed Lady Zhang’s unhappiness. She set down her teacup to offer comfort. “Actually, when all is said and done, it comes down to nothing more than ‘novelty.’ You are an old-timer in this back courtyard. Once the Prince’s sense of novelty wears off, he will naturally remember you again.”
“And what if it never wears off? Does that mean the Fourth Prince will never remember me again?”
Not to mention, she didn’t even know what she had become in the Prince’s eyes by now. The more Lady Zhang thought about it, the more anxious she became. she felt that Song was no longer as reliable as she used to be, saying nothing but useless platitudes. Although she hated the Li woman, she had to admit in her heart that based on looks alone, no one in this back courtyard could currently compete with her. If she just sat and waited, how could she ever win?
Lady Song appeared helpless. “Is the Fourth Prince the kind of person who would cast us old-timers aside just because he has a new favorite?”
“Even if you weren’t particularly favored by him before, there is still some sentiment there.”
“As long as you diligently copy the Palace Rules, accept your punishment, and avoid making any mistakes in the future, the day will come when the Fourth Prince will see you again.”
She spoke the words “making any mistakes” with particular emphasis.
Lady Zhang did not disappoint her this time. She sat there, muttering something as if she had realized something important.
Making a mistake…
It suddenly dawned on her. As long as the Li woman made a mistake in front of the Fourth Prince, wouldn’t he lose the desire to see her?!
Soon after, she rose to take her leave and hurried back with her maid. Lady Song watched her leave, a flash of disdain crossing her eyes.
Fool. She took the bait after just a few sentences.
In an excellent mood, Lady Song stood up and walked to the desk in the right side room. She sat down and continued copying the Rebirth Sutra for her daughter.