In the evening, the Marquis of Shuling’s residence was filled with clinking cups and lively conversation. With the Crown Prince and Prince Duan present, the Marquis dared not drink too much, fearing that drunkenness might lead to trouble. Yet he could not abstain entirely, as refusing to drink would appear arrogant. Thus, his wife, Lady Zhao, prepared a sobering soup for him, which he drank a pot of in advance to help him stay clear-headed.
With the Crown Prince in attendance, Prince Duan certainly could not occupy the seat of honor. Everything had to be arranged with the Crown Prince as the foremost guest, lest the celebratory birthday occasion turn into a disaster.
However, Prince Duan could not be made uncomfortable either. The Marquis dispatched his second and third sons to accompany Prince Duan, ensuring no one was offended.
The Marquis of Shuling intended to remain a loyal minister, pledging allegiance solely to the Emperor during his lifetime. Although the Crown Prince had long been designated as the Crown Heir, who could predict the future?
The House of Shuling had not yet reached the point of taking sides. If they were to truly align themselves with a faction, the Emperor would likely be the first to order his execution.
The Crown Prince understood this perfectly. Watching Prince Duan amiably toasting with the Marquis’s two younger sons, as if they had become fast friends, he smiled faintly, finding both Prince Duan and the Marquis rather intriguing.
One offered face, while the other promptly stripped it away and pasted it onto his own.
He lowered his head to drink, suddenly struck by a thought.
Had Prince Duan grasped the Emperor’s intentions? Did he realize that their father was treating them like fighting crickets?
Much like Gu-breeding, the victor would survive, but would the Emperor then pit another royal brother against them?
They currently had eleven brothers.
The Emperor was still young and would surely have more sons in the future. As these younger brothers grew older year by year, their ambitions would multiply. All were descendants of the dragon—who would not desire the position of Crown Heir if the Emperor showed favor?
Until the very end, it was impossible to know who the ultimate winner would be.
Noticing Prince Duan’s subtle glance in his direction, the Crown Prince smiled and raised his cup toward him, taking a heavy gulp. He believed Prince Duan did not understand the Emperor’s intentions. He was still reveling in the favor that rivaled that of the Crown Heir, delighting in it endlessly.
The Crown Prince thought that Prince Duan might even believe he was enduring hardships to bide his time, gradually encroaching upon the position of Crown Heir, secretly gloating. See, the Emperor sent you here, and he sent me as well. You have the Marquis of Shuling accompanying you, yet he had no choice but to offer me his two sons. My treatment is no different from yours, the Crown Heir.
At this thought, the Crown Prince suddenly felt a wave of weariness. He poured another cup of wine and drank it down, startling the Marquis of Shuling, who trembled inwardly. Nevertheless, the Marquis remained composed. Having long held a high position, he was no longer a greenhorn. Even if the Crown Prince were angered, he could only proceed as he had. Thus, he personally poured wine for the Crown Prince and said, “Your Highness, would you care to try the roasted whole lamb? It is a specialty of Yunzhou and exceptionally delicious.”
The Crown Prince smiled and took a bite. “Indeed, it is delicious.”
The meat was not gamey but tender, melting in the mouth, and wrapped in chili peppers, it offered a unique flavor. He could not help but take a few more bites. The Marquis of Shuling relaxed slightly. When it came time to see the guests off, he escorted the Crown Prince out first, followed by Prince Duan.
Prince Duan maintained a gentle demeanor and said nothing, only remarking, “I have taken a liking to the General’s two sons and have arranged to gather snow water from Spirit Mountain with them the day after tomorrow to brew tea. I hope the General will grant permission.”
The Marquis of Shuling naturally agreed. Prince Duan nodded in satisfaction. On the journey back to the palace, the Crown Prince’s carriage led the way, with Prince Duan’s following behind. They entered the palace gates one after the other, exchanging not a single word along the way.
After returning to Donggong, the Crown Prince let out a disdainful snort and took out his studies to read. It was already late, and by all accounts, he should have been going to sleep, but since His Highness wanted to read, Eunuch Liu dared not persuade him otherwise. He quickly had Xiao Sheng summon Zhe Junwu.
Thus, the nearly asleep Zhe Junwu was brought to the small study. She wasn’t sleepy—the Crown Prince could tell at a glance. He had only intended to focus on his own reading and hadn’t planned to call for Zhe Junwu, but Eunuch Liu had already summoned her.
Since she was here, he might as well write a few more large characters. Zhe Junwu ground the ink while he wrote, suspending a stone as he practiced. After finishing, he still felt no drowsiness. Turning his head, he noticed Zhe Junwu seemed preoccupied, her brow furrowed with worry.
The Crown Prince put away his book and paper, reclined on the kang, and began playing chess by himself. Amused, he asked, “What trouble have you run into?”
Zhe Junwu approached, unsure how to explain. She had tried her best to hide it, but tonight was the first time in her life she had contemplated how to bully someone, leaving her deeply unsettled.
She had just turned thirteen this year. Since entering the palace, she had expended all her energy just to preserve her own life. Now, she was expected to bully someone—how could she, having grown up in the countryside, ever have encountered such things? When the Crown Prince asked, she still wanted to conceal it, but His Highness’s sharp, fox-like eyes immediately saw through her thoughts. With a stern glare, Zhe Junwu spilled everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.
After listening to her troubled account, the Crown Prince was first stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, thinking this girl was truly too naive to even find bullying difficult.
Eunuch Liu and Xiao Sheng, hearing this long-absent laughter from outside, exchanged glances. Eunuch Liu checked the time and whispered to Xiao Sheng, “Go to your Grandfather Yang and have him prepare some of His Highness’s favorite snacks. He might want a late-night meal.”
Xiao Sheng nodded and left with light steps.
Inside the room, the Crown Prince was still laughing.
He had thought it was something serious, but it turned out she wanted to retaliate after being bullied—what was so difficult about that?
He taught her, “I have many decorative items here. Later, I’ll give you an inconspicuous one. Take it back and place it on your table. If she breaks it, drag her to Liu Defu, and she won’t dare bother you again.”
Liu Defu was Eunuch Liu.
This was the first time Zhe Junwu had learned such a method! And it truly was the easiest way to deal with Yurong!
She felt the Crown Prince was truly too kind.
A small favor was enough to earn her deep gratitude. The Crown Prince was actually quite moved.
He considered this an utterly trivial matter, yet it could be a problem that tormented someone to the point of losing sleep and appetite. And this problem, he could solve with a mere wave of his hand—this was what was called bestowing favor.
Bestowing favor—sometimes it was indeed a tactic. For example, Prince Duan was very fond of using this approach. Not only that, he also liked to appear “well-liked” and “approachable.” The Crown Prince estimated that Prince Duan would soon invite the two sons of the Marquis of Shuling out for leisure.
Pondering the day’s events, he glanced at the sky and realized he was no longer sleepy. Deciding not to sleep, he felt pity for Zhe Junwu and recalled the roasted lamb he had eaten earlier. He said, “Tomorrow, have the small kitchen roast a whole lamb, prepared in the style of your Yunzhou.”
Zhe Junwu had never eaten mutton. Although Yunzhou had many sheep, mutton was not something ordinary people could afford. Her family, while not extremely poor, was not well-off either. Neither she nor her parents had ever tasted it.
It was late at night, long after dinner, and she felt a bit hungry. Hearing about the roasted whole lamb, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
The Crown Prince smiled, also feeling somewhat hungry, and called for Eunuch Liu, “Have the small kitchen send over some food.”
His Highness always simply said to send some food without specifying what. Over the years, it had all depended on Eunuch Liu’s guesses. Fortunately, Eunuch Liu guessed correctly most of the time, and the Crown Prince was generally satisfied with the meals.
Upon receiving the order, Eunuch Liu instructed Eunuch Li to hurry Xiao Sheng along. Eunuch Li had been keeping a low profile lately. After being sidelined by Eunuch Liu, he had never truly caught the Crown Prince’s attention again.
This meant that while he might be guarding the door and the Crown Prince might pass by and see him, would His Highness pay any attention to a eunuch guarding the door? No. Over time, the Crown Prince would forget he even existed.
At that point, he could be completely dismissed. Eunuch Liu kept him around for now only because he feared the Crown Prince might still have some impression of him and ask about him someday.
Eunuch Li used to resent Eunuch Liu for monopolizing favor, but now he dared not harbor such feelings. He couldn’t even muster any resentment. All he hoped was that Eunuch Liu would allow him to stay and work, considering his obedience and the fact that he was thoroughly frightened and no longer had any treacherous intentions.
Thus, during this period, he had been extremely docile. Since Eunuch Liu wanted to promote Xiao Sheng, Eunuch Li had to address Xiao Sheng as “brother.” Xiao Sheng, carrying the food box, dared not accept such deference and quickly said, “Brother Li, you’re putting me to shame.”
Eunuch Yang chuckled nearby and handed Eunuch Li a piece of rice cake. “Leftovers.”
Then he said to Xiao Sheng, “Tell Liu Defu that since His Highness ate lamb earlier in the evening, he likely still craves the taste of meat. So, I specially prepared stir-fried beef with a bowl of loofah soup to cut the greasiness. The rest are the usual dishes.”
Xiao Sheng memorized the instructions and left with Eunuch Li.
As soon as they were gone, a young eunuch from the small kitchen immediately brought a kettle to boil water. Eunuch Yang’s small kitchen always kept the fire burning, never extinguishing it, in case the Crown Prince wanted food late at night. But they couldn’t let it burn idly, so they used it to heat water.
Eunuch Yang yawned, glanced at the sky, and said, “I’ll take a half-hour nap. You keep an eye on the fire and don’t let it go out.”
He still had to prepare breakfast later. But since the Crown Prince had eaten this late-night snack, a bowl of noodles would suffice for the morning meal. Eunuch Yang wasn’t in a hurry.
Xiao Sheng carried the food box into the small study. Zhe Junwu laid out the dishes, and the Crown Prince had her take some to the side to eat, also bestowing portions to Eunuch Liu and Xiao Sheng. For himself, he only wanted the stir-fried beef and loofah soup.
Zhe Junwu was startled.
This was the first time the Crown Prince had bestowed food. Eunuch Liu and Xiao Sheng took their dishes to the adjacent room to eat, while Zhe Junwu set up a small table below the Crown Prince to continue serving him while she ate.
She was small, sitting there like a little kitten, chewing her food quietly. Now that her worries were gone and the troubles on her mind had vanished, she ate wholeheartedly, feeling utterly content.
The Crown Prince looked at her appearance and inexplicably found her pleasing to the eye. The next day, after finishing his studies in Nanshu Fang, he went to pay respects to the Empress at Changle Palace. Passing by the aviary, he impulsively ordered the palace aviary to send a cat to Donggong.
General was furious. Recently, it had been frequenting the small study, and together with its former master, the two of them—one human and one bird—had monopolized the Crown Prince’s attention. It was at the height of its glory, but now, upon seeing Xia Yin, it dared to tread with restrained, delicate steps.
Now, a cat had arrived—the first cat in the aviary, a rare sight indeed. General’s beady eyes filled with jealousy as it flew through the air. Seizing the moment when Xia Yin wasn’t paying attention, it swooped down and pecked the cat.
Then, with a swift paw, the cat slapped it to the ground.
Zhe Junwu happened to pass by and, seeing this scene, laughed. She said to Xia Yin, “General has finally met its match.”