General—this was the name the Crown Prince had given to the green-feathered parrot.
When he found this green-feathered parrot, he happened to be resting under a tree to escape the heat. It fell from the branches and landed right in his hand.
The Crown Prince felt that this parrot was likely destined to be with him. Moreover, General could even sing a little tune and recite an ancient poem taught to children during their early education, which pleased him greatly.
He thought General was very clever.
The Crown Prince liked clever people and clever animals. Now, discovering that this clever animal might have been raised by Zhe Junwu, he even began to resent the parrot.
“You raised it?” he asked darkly, seeking confirmation.
Zhe Junwu held Maomao, feeling unnerved by his gaze. Trembling, she replied, “Yes, this servant raised it… but in March, my family ran out of food. I didn’t feed it for three days, and it flew away. So now… now it can’t really be considered as raised by me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Maomao call out to her again with lingering affection: “Junwu ah—”
Zhe Junwu’s hands trembled. Holding Maomao, she broke into a cold sweat, her anxiety causing her to clutch the parrot even tighter, looking utterly pitiful. This appearance made the Crown Prince feel as though he were some sort of bully, and he couldn’t help but let out another low, displeased grunt.
He couldn’t be bothered to argue with a foolish little palace maid. Irritated, he waved his hand dismissively. Although he had no intention of having her or the parrot killed, he absolutely did not want to see either of them again. He said to Eunuch Liu, “Find a remote courtyard for them to stay in.”
Who would have thought that the parrot seemed to have become a spirit? Understanding that its “rice bowl” was about to be taken away, it quickly flapped its wings and flew toward the Crown Prince, its sharp beak crying out: “Your Highness—Your Highness—The mountains have trees, and the trees have branches—You delight in me, but I know not—”
The Crown Prince: “…”
It was indeed clever—he had never seen such an intelligent parrot. He couldn’t bring himself to part with it.
But what kind of nonsense poem was that! He angrily asked, “Did you teach it this?”
This was clearly directed at Zhe Junwu. She quickly nodded, honestly replying, “Yes, it’s a poem this servant overheard.”
The Crown Prince had been glaring at her furiously, but when he met her gaze, he saw only fear. Her expression was utterly innocent, without any trace of shame at being caught reciting such a poem. Suddenly, the Crown Prince understood one thing.
She didn’t know.
She didn’t understand what it meant.
She was still just a young girl. Even if she was a beauty in the making, she was still a child. Right now, all she wanted was to have enough to eat.
The words of rebuke the Crown Prince had been about to utter died on his lips.
Zhe Junwu wasn’t foolish; by now, she also realized there must be something wrong with the poem. Trembling, she hurriedly explained, “There was a school in the village, right next to the farmland. When I was tired from gathering pigweed in the fields, I would go listen to them studying.”
“This servant didn’t know what it meant. I just thought it was a line of poetry, so I tried hard to memorize it. I would recite it while gathering pigweed, and Maomao probably heard it.”
The Crown Prince’s brows furrowed once again.
—Maomao…
What a rustic name!
But after all this commotion, he looked at the parrot now perched on his hand, pretending to be pitiful, and then at Zhe Junwu, whose face was as pale as flour. His anger had somewhat subsided.
Still just a young girl, there was no reason for him to be so angry. Otherwise, if word got out, it would become the talk of the town again. Thinking about how others would point fingers and gossip about the past, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but feel irritated.
He said, “Let her go take care of the general.”
Once she’s a bit older, he’d send her away.
Zhe Junwu was then led out by Eunuch Liu. The eunuch, who had been scared half to death earlier, now felt his spirits lift. Regardless of the process, at least he now understood that he had actually gambled correctly.
His Highness was indeed already tired of the ugly faces in this palace.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took her to the aviary, and handed her over to Xia Yin, who was in charge of the birds and flowers. “She’s yours now.”
Xia Yin was a round-faced girl with two dimples when she smiled, and she readily agreed. Eunuch Liu then turned to Zhe Junwu and said, “You’re a lucky one. Since His Highness has ordered it, do your work well.”
Zhe Junwu, her face pale, replied, “Yes.”
She knew she had finally passed today’s trial. Unlike Chunyin, who liked to ask about her past, Xia Yin was quiet and steady, always smiling but not fond of talking.
Zhe Junwu felt more at ease and happier staying with her, though Maomao wasn’t pleased. Proudly strutting past Xia Yin, it tidied its feathers with its beak, paused, and suddenly flew out toward the direction of the study, loudly calling, “Your Highness—Your Highness—First taste of crimson lips, robes undone, jade snow breasts piled—”
Before it could finish, the Crown Prince roared angrily, “Who taught it that!”
Eunuch Liu’s heart sank, thinking to himself that His Highness must really like this little creature to tolerate it like this, but others would suffer for it.
Zhe Junwu was once again dragged before the Crown Prince to kneel.
This time, she shook her head vigorously. “Your Highness, this servant did not teach it that, truly, this servant did not—”
She wanted to live.
Life had never been in her control, sold time and again, barely surviving. She didn’t want to die yet, so she had to fight for herself.
Her teeth chattered as she mustered her courage and said, “Your Highness, Maomao is very obedient. This servant… this servant will teach it again. It definitely won’t do this anymore.”
That way, both she and Maomao would have something to do. Having something to do meant she wouldn’t have to die for now, and she could have food to eat.
Eunuch Liu stood nearby at the time. Hearing this, his expression remained unchanged, but his eyes looked at Zhe Junwu as if she were already dead. He knew full well that the Crown Prince hated such scheming the most and inwardly thought, “This is bad.”
The Crown Prince indeed saw through her little scheme immediately, and saw it clearly. However, her thoughts were far too shallow—in His Highness’s eyes, it could hardly even be called a scheme.
Everyone in this palace had a Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart. Someone with such shallow thoughts would have died long ago.
To beg for a meal, to survive, she clumsily “recommended” her “skills.” Instead of making the Crown Prince think she was scheming, it made him feel she was rather foolish.
If it were anyone else, they would never have said something so stupid.
The Crown Prince rarely encountered someone so foolish and honest, and it was equally rare to come across a parrot as clever as the general. So, he decided to be merciful and spare her this once.
“Get out,” he waved his hand. “Don’t linger in front of me.”
Eunuch Liu genuinely felt that Zhe Junwu was incredibly lucky this time—how could she still be alive? He couldn’t figure out why His Highness hadn’t ordered her execution. After leading her out, he clicked his tongue in amazement, staring at her intently, which made Zhe Junwu increasingly uneasy.
When they returned to the aviary, Xia Yin was already waiting. Seeing Zhe Junwu return, she breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re back. Would you like something to eat?”
Zhe Junwu nodded. She was truly hungry.
Mao Mao, nestled in her arms, didn’t dare move either. It must have been frightened earlier, and now it had lost its spirited demeanor. It no longer strutted about or flapped its wings while reciting poetry. Instead, it hung its head, its little body trembling as it whispered, “Junwu—”
Zhe Junwu scolded it gently, “Don’t run off again, and stop reciting poetry.”
Xia Yin had just heard from Eunuch Liu about how Zhe Junwu and the green-feathered parrot had known each other before. She sighed, “What a remarkable coincidence.”
Mao Mao lifted its beady eyes to glance at Xia Yin before turning away haughtily—even in the depths of its avian despair, it absolutely refused to lower itself before someone who served it.
Xia Yin remarked, “…It really is a little spirit.”
Zhe Junwu felt embarrassed, but Xia Yin reassured her, “It’s fine. You can take care of it.”
Zhe Junwu replied, “Yes.”
Before leaving, Xia Yin added, “His Highness gave it the name ‘General.’ Don’t call it anything else.”
Zhe Junwu thanked her, “Thank you.”
After finishing her meal, she cleaned all the birdcages and fed Mao Mao—now to be called General—before night fell. As General settled down to sleep, she waited for the eunuch assigned to the aviary to give his approval before heading back.
On the way, she ran into Eunuch Liu, who smiled and handed her a piece of date cake. “This was just steamed in the small kitchen. I saved a piece for you.”
Poor thing, she must have been terrified today.
Zhe Junwu thanked him gratefully once more. When she returned to her small room, the few steps from the door to her bed felt as if she were walking on air—nothing felt solid or certain.
Her small room had two beds. The palace maid who occupied the other bed was absent and had been for the past two days. Rumor had it she had fallen ill and was moved out. Chunyin said her illness was severe, and it was uncertain whether she would return.
Zhe Junwu now understood that falling ill in the palace was not allowed. If you fell ill, you were moved out, and someone else would take over your duties. If you were only sick for a day or two, it might be manageable, but if your illness dragged on, your position would be gone by the time you returned.
The more Chunyin spoke, the more Zhe Junwu recalled the words of the tall, sturdy woman who had purchased her.
She had said, “I found you a good place.”
Lying in bed, curled into a ball, Zhe Junwu thought: This was no good place. The palace devoured people, and she could lose her life here at any moment.
Outside, even if she went hungry, she could survive by scraping by, meal to meal. But here, it was different. A single misstep could mean never eating again.
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down, and slowly reviewed everything that had happened these past days. After much thought, she realized her key problem lay in one word: “beauty.”
Perhaps because her life was at stake, Zhe Junwu now felt a strong urge to save herself. Fear was useless, resentment was useless—she had to find a way to survive, to live like an ordinary person.
She thought for a long time and finally came up with a solution. She hurriedly sat up, got out of bed, and took a pair of scissors from the table in front.
On the table was also a blurry bronze mirror. Zhe Junwu let down her hair and slowly cut herself a heavy, straight-across fringe that covered half her face.
Now, no matter how beautiful her face was, half of it was hidden.
This way, she could neither be considered ugly nor beautiful.
…
The next day, before dawn, the Crown Prince put on a cloak and went out. Although September was hot, the early morning before the sun rose was still cold. Eunuch Liu carried a hexagonal palace lantern, its dim yellow light illuminating the ground just enough to light the way ahead.
They were heading to Nanshu Fang.
Nanshu Fang was where the imperial princes studied. The Emperor had not given the Crown Prince any special treatment and also ordered him to study there.
Their teacher was an old scholar from the Hanlin Academy, a rigid man with strict teaching methods. He did not give the Crown Prince extra care just because of his status. If his schoolwork was poor, he would point it out; if it was good, he would praise it—just like he did with the other princes.
The Crown Prince actually liked him for that.
He did not want to receive excessive praise simply because he was the Crown Prince. For example, he did not need his brothers to let him win first place in his studies.
That would be truly meaningless.
However, the Crown Prince also believed that he could achieve first place without anyone letting him win. To live up to the phrase “well-deserved,” he devoted all his time to studying, not daring to rest for a moment.
Every day when he studied, he always arrived early. Before the teacher came, he would review the poems and texts on his own. But today, after reviewing once, he relaxed slightly and couldn’t help but think of yesterday’s events.
Last night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, because for the first time, he suddenly realized that he could actually tolerate “beauty.”
When he was young, he would feel disgust toward beautiful people, whether adults or children. Because of this peculiarity of his, the Empress would dismiss all the beautiful palace maids and eunuchs whenever he went to pay his respects.
Thus, the entire Changle Palace became empty and desolate.
Indeed, the servants who had previously served the Empress were all good-looking.
Later, for his sake, they were gradually replaced with ordinary-looking ones. When he went again, there was no longer a need to dismiss the palace attendants. But when he went elsewhere, no one was so considerate of him—such as his father, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, or his brothers.
Especially the annoying Seventh Prince, who deliberately chose beautiful people to irritate him—he would sooner or later gouge out Seventh Prince’s eyes.
Fortunately, he later became the Crown Prince and moved to Donggong, where he could make his own decisions. Eunuch Liu, understanding his preferences, brought in some ordinary-looking people.
He thought he would never tolerate good-looking people appearing in Donggong in his lifetime, but yesterday, apart from the initial disgust, he didn’t feel much afterward.
The Crown Prince was someone who liked self-reflection and reviewing events. After thinking it over, the first reason he came up with was that Zhe Junwu’s face did not resemble that monk from back then, whose beauty was enchanting and full of charm—the Crown Prince had once seen a portrait of that monk in the Emperor’s traveling palace.
The second reason was that she seemed honest and dutiful, very different from the arrogant monk in the rumors.
The third reason was that she was very young and did not have the ability to seduce her master.
After thinking it through this way and that, the Crown Prince accepted his own change—he found it quite reasonable.
People are not unchanging.
Having figured this out, he stopped dwelling on it, let himself off the hook, and immediately began reading again, continuing to study diligently every day without the slightest slack.
Inside Donggong, Eunuch Li was questioning Chunyin and Xia Yin.
“How is Yunwu doing?”
Xia Yin remained silent for a moment, uttered a single “good,” and said nothing more. Chunyin, being more talkative, smiled and said, “Naturally good. She looks good, has a good temper, and is honest. Not like some who rely on Eunuch Liu’s backing to act arrogantly.”
These words somewhat stung Eunuch Li, as his own backing was Eunuch Liu. However, eunuchs like him were adept at concealing their thoughts. Having endured that cut, much of their temperament had been stripped away, and they only took half of the harsh words spoken by others to heart.
Eunuch Li simply smiled and said, “Who would dare act arrogantly over you, Chunyin? Tell me, and I’ll deal with them for you.”
Chunyin also laughed. “I’ll tell you next time, and you mustn’t refuse.”
Eunuch Li lowered his voice. “Don’t laugh, be serious. Eunuch Liu sent me to inquire.”
Chunyin replied, “I already said it—she’s good in every way. Early this morning, she went to the aviary to take care of the general. She’s a good child.”
In her opinion, such a child would do quite well in the Crown Prince’s palace. As long as His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t despise her too much, she could live better here than elsewhere.
Seeing that he couldn’t extract much from her, Eunuch Li muttered inwardly, “Slippery eel,” and then said, “Eunuch Liu’s intention is for us to take extra care of her. She’s young and might easily get frightened again. Since we’re all in the same palace, we should help and support each other more.”
Chunyin replied with a half-smile, “Now that sounds more like what Eunuch Liu actually told you, doesn’t it?”
Eunuch Li felt somewhat embarrassed but didn’t say anything. Looking at the sky, he realized the Crown Prince would soon return from Nanshu Fang, so he needed to hurry back to prepare food, drinks, and fresh clothes.
He then said, “Eunuch Liu said that for things she might not think of, you should teach her more. Don’t let her do heavy or exhausting work. You understand what that means.”
Chunyin naturally understood. For someone like her to enter Donggong and return alive yesterday was already fortunate. Even with Eunuch Liu’s special instructions and regard, they weren’t jealous—who would dare risk their lives?
With His Highness’s temperament, the more you tried to get close to him without Eunuch Liu’s skills, the faster you might meet your end. Chunyin felt her current responsibilities were just right—neither too much nor too little.
After Eunuch Li left, she sewed shoe soles for the Crown Prince and muttered quietly, “As if I need him to remind me? One after another, they all treat people like fools.”
Xia Yin said, “Why bother with him? Haven’t you noticed how he clings to Eunuch Liu, yet Eunuch Liu hasn’t even let him call him ‘godfather’ or ‘master’?”
These words struck at the heart of the matter. Chunyin laughed and then said, “But—never mind Eunuch Li. Did you see Yunwu’s hair this morning?”
Xia Yin nodded. “I saw it… She’s clever, sensible, and teachable.”
Chunyin thought the same.
Then she added, “Just watch—Eunuch Li will be the first to tell Eunuch Liu about Yunwu cutting her hair, just to claim credit.”
…
The Crown Prince finished his studies at Nanshu Fang close to noon, then went to Changle Palace to pay respects to the Empress and to Cile Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Finally, he returned to Donggong seething with anger.
Earlier, at his mother’s and grandmother’s places, they had once again brought up the matter of heirs.
They wanted him to take a concubine, to quickly father a prince. They even unanimously recommended several daughters from modest families—plain in appearance but rumored to have wide hips, ideal for bearing sons.
The thought of this made the Crown Prince sick! He despised women, and he loathed their closeness even more. This was inextricably linked to the criticism he had faced since childhood.
Yet his father, the Emperor, his mother, the Empress, and even the Empress Dowager, who were responsible for all this, saw nothing wrong with it. They were still demanding that he quickly take a Liangdi to expand the royal lineage.
He walked with such speed that his feet seemed to sprout wings. Eunuch Liu was drenched in sweat. The midday sun was scorching, and he felt as if he were about to combust, yet he dared not even breathe heavily, afraid to provoke his enraged master.
Just then, Eunuch Li suddenly appeared ahead. Eunuch Liu couldn’t even muster anger anymore—how had he ever thought Eunuch Li was neither too clever nor too dull, easy to control, and brought him along?
Eunuch Li’s intention standing there was far too obvious. Even if he tried to retreat now, it was too late. The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes and barked, “Come here.”
“What is it?”
Eunuch Li stumbled forward, his legs weak. He knelt on the ground, stammering and hesitating, momentarily too terrified by the Crown Prince’s fury to even think of a lie.
It was Eunuch Liu who stepped forward and gave him a light kick. “His Highness is asking you a question!”
Eunuch Li, scared out of his wits, said, “This servant… this servant just wanted to tell Eunuch Liu that Junwu cut her hair.”
Hearing his own name mentioned, Eunuch Liu wished he could slap him to death. Suppressing his anger, he asked, “Is that all?”
Eunuch Li trembled. “Yes, yes. She cut a thick, straight fringe that covers half her face.”
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince suddenly calmed down.
He said, “Summon her here.”
Then he strode toward the study. Eunuch Liu was taken aback, feeling that His Highness was becoming increasingly unpredictable. When Zhe Junwu arrived, Eunuch Liu glanced sideways at the Crown Prince’s expression and noticed that his gaze had suddenly turned very approving.
Eunuch Liu was utterly baffled. He looked at Zhe Junwu with scrutiny: How did she know His Highness would like her looking like this?