‘Once through the palace gates, one finds oneself in a world as deep as the sea’—this has never been an empty saying, but a stark reality.
As Lu Qiuci was led step by step towards the inner courtyard by the servants of the Eastern Palace, the bustling clamour of the main hall gradually faded away. Passing through one gate after another and traversing one corridor after another, the silence around him grew eerily still.
The rush of flowing water was distinctly audible; as the night deepened, the chirping of insects grew louder. Only the red lanterns and crimson silk draped along the path served as a reminder that this was a wedding.
“My lord, we have arrived. Please lift your foot; mind the threshold.”
Lu Qiuci obediently lifted his foot and stepped into the room. It was a very spacious chamber; after crossing the first threshold, he had to step over two more before entering the innermost chamber.
The young servant who had accompanied him from the Lu residence helped him sit down slowly on the bed.
The rules at the Princess’s residence were strict. The young servants who had guided him along the way and held the lanterns were as invisible as ghosts; they did not utter a single word. Only the eunuch who led the way offered a few restrained, polite reminders, fulfilling his duty and nothing more; he did not exchange a single extra word with Lu Qiuci.
Lu Qiuci sensed this slight disregard and felt a faint pang of unease, though he had long braced himself for it. Compared to the real challenge of facing the Grand Princess—who seemed as formidable as a supreme overlord—what did this amount to?
“My lord, please wait inside the chamber. Her Highness the Crown Princess is entertaining guests outside and will not return until later.”
“Before the Crown Princess returns, you must not remove this veil under any circumstances. My lord, please remember this.”
“I shall take my leave now.”
Lu Qiuci’s personal servant was but fourteen years old. Having been sheltered by him throughout his time at the Lu residence, he was timid and cowardly; at a moment like this, he did not know how to respond, causing Lu Qiuci to sigh involuntarily.
There was no choice; he had to break with protocol and speak up: “Thank you, eunuch. Dongyi, fetch some silver for the eunuch to buy himself a cup of tea.”
Little Dongyi hastily fished out a handful of silver coins, each no larger than a fingernail, from his pouch and handed them to the eunuch.
“My lord is most benevolent; I thank you for your generosity,” the eunuch replied matter-of-factly.
Clearly, in the eyes of the servants of the Crown Princess’s residence, a gift from the son of a Fifth-Rank Censor was worth next to nothing.
With a creak, the door was shut. Apart from the young servant tending the lamps in the outer hall, all the attendants had left the room.
Only then did Lu Qiuci’s taut nerves relax ever so slightly.
“I’m sorry, young master, I’ve made another mistake.”
Lu Qiuci felt a sense of helplessness and a touch of weariness in his heart, but what could he do? Though he was the legitimate son, he was not favoured. Dongyi was a child he had chosen himself, one he had taken under his wing; if Dongyi were clever, how could he have fallen to the point of serving him?
Because he was unfavoured, he had fought desperately to make a name for himself, earning the reputation as one of the Four Gentlemen of the Capital. It was this very reputation that had brought him to the attention of the imperial family, and a single imperial decree had arranged his marriage into the Crown Princess’s household.
“It’s not your fault. The Crown Princess’s residence is vast, isn’t it? It’s only natural to be frightened when you leave home for the first time and find yourself in such a huge place.”
“I can’t take off my veil. Go and see if there’s anything to eat. I’ll have to attend to the Crown Princess shortly, so I need to save up some strength.”
Upon hearing Lu Qiuci’s words, Dongyi immediately ran out to look for something.
It must be said that although Dong Yi had many shortcomings, he possessed one great virtue: he was obedient. He never wavered in carrying out his master’s orders, and given his young age, he should prove quite capable once he had matured a little.
As for failing to curry favour with that servant earlier, Lu Qiuci felt no regret. He only needed to ensure that no one held a grudge against him; anything beyond that was too much to ask.
“Young Master! There are pastries here!”
“And some meat dishes too—fish fillets, roast pigeon, spare ribs, silver ear fungus soup… so many things! It’s such a feast!”
“Young Master, what would you like to eat?”
Hearing Dongyi mention all those delicacies, Lu Qiuci couldn’t help but salivate, but he dared not eat. He had not yet met the Crown Princess and did not know how she felt about him, so he dared not indulge in the slightest.
“Just bring me a few pastries.”
Dongyi walked in cautiously, holding a plate of pastries. Lu Qiuci dared not remove his veil; instead, he brought the pastries under the veil and ate them carefully, taking care not to let any crumbs fall onto the floor or the bed.
He hadn’t eaten anything since this morning and was absolutely starving. Unable to resist, he wolfed down a pastry in two bites and nearly choked.
Dongyi hurried out again to fetch a cup of tea for Lu Qiuci to soothe his throat.
“Young Master, please eat more slowly. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, just ravenous.”
After eating two pastries in quick succession, Lu Qiuci was no longer so eager. Holding a pastry in his hand, he said to Dongyi, “From now on, don’t call me ‘Young Master’; call me ‘My Lord’.”
“The Princess’s residence is not like home. Here, even I cannot protect you. Both master and servant must be careful, careful, and ever so careful.”
Dongyi was naturally timid, and hearing Lu Qiuci speak thus, she shrank back even further, nodding rapidly: “Yes, M-M-My Lord, I shall certainly obey.”
No matter how delicious the pastries were, one could not eat too many. After finishing four pieces, Lu Qiuci felt her strength returning, so he instructed Dongyi to take the plate away.
“The Crown Princess should be arriving shortly. When she enters, you must withdraw to the outer chamber. Unless I summon you, you must not enter under any circumstances, do you understand?”
Dongyi replied obediently once more: “Yes, I understand, M-My Lord.”
The room fell silent once more. Lu Qiuci was actually terrified inside, for he knew that tonight would certainly not be a pleasant one.
The Crown Princess’s tyranny was known throughout the capital. She had once ridden her horse through the streets, trampling to death the concubine-born daughter of a marquis, simply because the girl had bumped into her.
She had also personally whipped a young servant to death, utterly disregarding the fact that this was the very person who had once tended to her personal needs. Lu Qiuci did not believe he could win the Crown Princess’s favour or earn even a shred of her pity.
For to her, he was nothing but an insult.
The son of a Fifth-Rank Censor—too lowly, too common—
Compounded by the Princess’s fondness for pleasure, her callousness and debauchery, this so-called wedding night would likely hold no sweetness, only pain and humiliation.
He could only hope that, once this night was over, his life would remain unthreatened and his body would suffer no injuries that might affect his very essence; that alone would be a blessing.
The candle flames crackled from time to time. Lu Qiuci’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as he went over and over in his head how he would serve the Crown Princess, completely unaware of how much time had already passed.
Lu Qiuci was utterly exhausted after the day’s events. He had had to navigate the intricate wedding rituals, daring not to make the slightest mistake, whilst also worrying about how he would spend his wedding night. He was physically and mentally drained, and before he knew it, he had dozed off whilst sitting on the bed.
His head nodded up and down; through the veil, Dongyi could not see clearly. Suddenly, Lu Qiuci jolted awake, nearly toppling over. He opened his eyes and asked urgently, “Dongyi, what time is it now?”
“Has the Crown Princess not arrived yet?”
Dongyi replied hastily, “ My lord, I—I do not know what time it is. The Crown Princess… the Crown Princess has indeed not yet arrived.”
Lu Qiuci’s heart gave a jolt. He felt it must be late by now; he had been waiting in the room for an extremely long time. Why had the Crown Princess not yet arrived?
A sense of panic suddenly filled his heart. Could it be that the Crown Princess’s distaste for him had reached this point? On their wedding night, she had not come to the bridal chamber, but had gone elsewhere instead.
Lu Qiuci knew that although the Crown Princess was constrained by Her Majesty the Emperor and had not been formally granted the title of Consort, there were many male concubines in her inner quarters. These men held no official rank; the servants of the Crown Princess’s residence addressed them as ‘young masters’, and their reputation had even spread beyond the confines of the Crown Princess’s estate.
The Crown Princess had likely gone to the chambers of one of these male concubines.
Lu Qiuci suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body; though it was the height of summer, it felt as though ice had formed in his veins.
If a man could not even receive his wife’s affection on their wedding night, then what use was his status as the Crown Princess’s husband?
Lu Qiuci could not help but stand up; feeling dizzy, he instinctively raised a hand to his forehead.
Although Dongyi did not know what had happened, he could sense the deep despair emanating from his master. He hurried forward to support Lu Qiuci, his lips trembling as he murmured, “Master…”
Lu Qiuci: “I have told you before, you must address me as ‘Lord’!”
Dongyi flinched in fright and quickly corrected himself: “Lord—”
Lu Qiuci had no spare energy left to concern himself with his young attendant. A final flicker of hope burned within him, refusing to die out. “Dongyi, I cannot remove my veil. Go outside and ask for me: is the Crown Princess arriving soon?”
Dongyi was actually a little afraid, but right now, his master had no one but him.
Gritting his teeth, Dongyi still ran in small steps to the door.
The servants of the Crown Princess’s residence stood dutifully outside. Dongyi asked cautiously, “…Gentlemen, might I ask if Her Highness the Crown Princess is arriving soon?”
The two servants cast sympathetic glances at Dongyi. Just moments ago, the gong had sounded the fourth watch of the night.
The Crown Princess must surely be spending the night in the chambers of another young master in the rear courtyard.
This was his wedding night, yet as the Lord of the Crown Princess’s residence, he had been cast aside; the Crown Princess had not even shown her face. It seemed the Lord of the Crown Princess’s days ahead would be a difficult one.
Perhaps before long, they would have a second Princess Consort—one who truly enjoyed the Princess’s favour.
The servants’ gazes made Dongyi feel deeply uncomfortable; neither of them would speak a word to him. Dongyi eventually closed the door and returned.
“My… my Lord, they did not say when the Princess would arrive, nor where she had gone.”
Lu Qiuci slumped onto the bed; all the plans he’d made in his mind had now dissolved into thin air.
He couldn’t imagine his situation getting any worse—it was a hundred times worse than they’d ever anticipated.
Seeing his young master like this, Dongyi felt deeply distressed and couldn’t help but say, “Young… no, My Lord, perhaps I should remove your make-up for you? You should rest.”
Lu Qiuci refused: “No need. If the Crown Princess arrives and sees that I have removed my make-up early, she will surely be furious.”
“It isn’t worth it.”
“Let us continue to wait.”
No one knew how Lu Qiuci managed to endure that night; by the latter part of the night, even Dongyi could no longer resist and had fallen asleep leaning against the bed.
The chirping of birds began to drift in from outside the window. Lu Qiuci, still carrying the lingering chill of the night, reached out and lifted her veil.
“Dongyi, Dongyi—”
The young attendant jolted awake: “My Lord!
Lu Qiuci: “Refresh my appearance. Bring me the pale purple set from the chest—I wish to change.”
Dongyi glanced around but saw no one else; a sudden pang of sorrow gripped his heart. “My Lord, did the Crown Princess truly not come last night?”
“Mm.” Yi Chi Xing Xuan
Dongyi’s eyes instantly reddened, and he gazed at his master through tear-filled eyes.
“Master, w-what are you going to do?”
Lu Qiuci sighed softly, reaching out to wipe away Dongyi’s tears. Gathering his composure, he said, “Even if the Crown Princess does not come, life must go on.”