Zhe Junwu said she wouldn’t concern herself with General, but General came looking for her on its own. It actually took advantage of the young eunuch’s inattention and ran straight into the small study.
“Your Highness—Junwu—”
A mournful voice rang out, making Zhe Junwu feel like a heartless scoundrel. The Crown Prince was reading a book and, hearing this, smiled and said, “Let it in.”
Only then did Eunuch Liu dare to release the creature inside.
General didn’t dare leap into the Crown Prince’s embrace, so it settled for Zhe Junwu’s, enjoying being cradled in her hands. With deep longing, it called out again, “Junwu—”
Zhe Junwu softly responded, then carried it over to place on the bird perch. “Stay put and don’t run around.”
Eunuch Liu brought the Crown Prince a cup of hot tea. The Crown Prince took it, leisurely blowing on the steam rising from the cup, and said, “General, have you memorized the poem I taught you?”
General tilted its bird head slightly, as if trying hard to understand what the Crown Prince wanted it to do.
Crown Prince: “Beneath the pines, I ask the boy—”
General: “Beneath the pines, I ask the boy; he says his master’s gone to gather herbs—”
The Crown Prince smiled with satisfaction. He liked General’s cleverness—sometimes it learned even faster than people. Zhe Junwu stood nearby, waiting, and silently recited the complete poem in her mind.
Beneath the pines, I ask the boy; he says his master’s gone to gather herbs.
He’s somewhere in these mountains, but the clouds are deep and I know not where.
Although she didn’t understand the meaning, she had memorized it. She also remembered the poem’s title: “Seeking the Hermit and Not Finding Him.” It probably meant going to look for someone but not finding them.
Why wasn’t the person found? Zhe Junwu could roughly guess: the person had gone out.
In any case, they weren’t home.
The Crown Prince happened to glance over and saw her there with her head lowered—by now, he also knew that this girl liked to tilt her head slightly when she was thinking. Amused, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”
His Highness liked loyal people, so Zhe Junwu didn’t dare lie to him. She shared her guess: “Your Highness, is my guess correct?”
The Crown Prince nodded. “It is.”
Zhe Junwu breathed a sigh of relief. When His Highness was in a good mood, he was relatively kind. She voiced her opinion: “Then he’ll have to go again.”
The Crown Prince paused while drinking his tea. “What?”
His pause made her heart tremble. Zhe Junwu couldn’t gauge his thoughts and secretly glanced at his expression. Seeing that he didn’t seem angry, she said anxiously, “Didn’t he not find the person? He just needs to go once more.”
The Crown Prince chuckled. “And what if he doesn’t meet him next time either?”
Zhe Junwu knew this one. “Then go at night. During the day, people go out to attend to matters, but at night they have to come back to sleep, right?”
The Crown Prince was surprised. “What you say… isn’t wrong.”
Zhe Junwu breathed another sigh of relief. It was good that His Highness wasn’t angry. She brought over some fruit for His Highness—this was what Eunuch Liu had instructed her to do. His Highness usually wanted to eat some fruit after drinking tea. The fruit was generally placed on the table in front of the desk. Eunuch Liu stood by the door, where he could pour tea but couldn’t easily go in to serve the fruit.
Thus, he taught Zhe Junwu, “Your hands must be steady, and your eyes sharp.”
Zhe Junwu nodded, earnestly remembering Eunuch Liu’s teachings.
Sure enough, the Crown Prince naturally took the fruit and ate it. After finishing, he relaxed, set aside his book, and looked out the window. “It’s about to get cold, isn’t it?”
It was almost November.
Eunuch Liu: “Yes, I’ve already had people prepare for winter.”
The items prepared by Eunuch Liu were for the Crown Prince, while Dong Yin was responsible for distributing winter clothing to everyone.
Although Zhe Junwu had not been officially promoted to first-rank palace maid, the tasks she currently performed were those of a first-rank maid. Eunuch Liu dared not rashly bring up the matter, as the Crown Prince had not found it inappropriate for Zhe Junwu to wear the attire of a junior maid, so he did not dare to have her suddenly change her clothing.
Chunyin and Xia Yin had also discussed this issue with Zhe Junwu.
“You’ve just arrived, and you’re still young. If you trust us, wait a little longer. When you’re a bit older, you’ll likely be promoted.”
Xia Yin clearly had her eyes on Qiuyin’s position.
“If you can earn His Highness’s favor by then, you can swap with Chunyin to attend to His Highness’s shoes, socks, clothing, and accessories, while Chunyin takes over Qiuyin’s duties.”
Zhe Junwu looked at Chunyin and saw her nodding with a smile, indicating that she and Xia Yin had already discussed this. Zhe Junwu realized she had already boarded a boat that was already in motion.
However, upon hearing this, she was not surprised but instead asked, “Is that really possible?”
Could Qiuyin be so easily replaced?
Xia Yin smiled and said, “Believe in yourself. Luck is important, and you have good luck.”
Zhe Junwu now carried a secret in her heart. When she encountered Qiuyin again, she felt a momentary pang of guilt. But she quickly convinced herself: Qiuyin gave you a cold look just last month.
If it wasn’t her being bullied, it would be Qiuyin. Better for Qiuyin to be the one bullied.
Although she still wore the attire of a junior maid, Dong Yin had made two extra sets for her. While others had only two sets, she alone had four. One of them was lotus-root colored, which Zhe Junwu liked very much. On the day of the first snowfall in Donggong, Zhe Junwu wore that lotus-root-colored dress and built a snowman in the courtyard where the palace maids lived.
When His Highness returned from Nanshu Fang, she changed back into her plain gray clothes to serve in the small study. As she arrived, she heard the sound of things being smashed inside.
Xiao Sheng stood outside the door and gently shook his head at her, signaling her not to enter just yet. Then, moving his lips silently, he mouthed, “Grandpa Liu is inside.”
Zhe Junwu nodded and quietly stood outside the door, hoping His Highness would not summon her inside. She would gladly stay outside all night if necessary. But Eunuch Liu called her in.
“His Highness wishes to write. Attend to him.”
He winked at Zhe Junwu and then left.
This was a warning for her to be careful. Zhe Junwu understood and held her breath as she entered, quietly walking to His Highness’s side to begin grinding ink.
The Crown Prince’s expression was dark. Even as he wrote, it was clear his strokes were heavy, as if the paper itself were an enemy.
After writing a few strokes, he flung the brush aside. Zhe Junwu tried her best not to show any fear.
She stepped back and stood to the side, quietly waiting for His Highness to vent his anger. His Highness was likely angry about something that had happened outside. Zhe Junwu had been in Donggong for three or four months now and had never stepped outside.
She knew nothing of the people or affairs beyond the palace walls. To her, Donggong was already vast and complex enough; the world outside was something she dared not venture into.
Thus, no matter how clever she was, she could not guess why the Crown Prince was in such a temper or say anything to please her master. She only hoped His Highness would not take his anger out on her.
The Crown Prince did not smash anything this time. He was clearly holding back a breath of anger, his face flushed red as he paced around the room. After this morning’s court session, the Emperor had conferred the title of Prince upon the First Prince.
Prince Duan.
He was the first among the brothers to be granted a princely title, and everyone stepped forward to offer congratulations. Prince Duan then proposed hosting a banquet for everyone and said to him, “Third Brother, you must come. I’ve prepared your favorite wine.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince only wanted to turn and leave, but he had to maintain appearances. “Of course, I will definitely attend.”
The Crown Prince detested using the word “brother” in front of Prince Duan the most.
As the Crown Heir, he referred to himself as “I” everywhere else, but only in front of his brothers did the Emperor instruct him not to act as the Crown Heir but as a brother.
Yet the Emperor never considered whether he was willing to be a brother, or whether the others were willing. To be honest, he was the Crown Heir, but the Emperor never gave him face in front of his brothers. Instead, he constantly favored the eldest, praising him for being filial, sensible, and steady in his actions, while claiming that he himself still needed tempering.
Every time the Crown Prince heard such words, he grew furious—tempering, tempering, one must be ground down to be tempered. He was almost sixteen years old, yet he was only allowed to study, study, study. In September, he finally had the chance to go to Jizhou, where he rewarded the Jizhou army in his capacity as Crown Heir. He had thought the Emperor was finally going to entrust him with important responsibilities, but upon his return, from September to October, November, and even now, it was still just studying.
Meanwhile, the First Prince continued to earn the Emperor’s praise, and today he was granted the title of Prince Duan.
The Crown Prince closed his eyes. In truth, a thought had lingered in his mind for a long time.
He believed the Emperor wanted him to compete with Prince Duan.
He knew exactly what he was competing for. An increasingly older Crown Heir was also a threat to the Emperor. The Crown Prince was intelligent enough to realize this, but he was unwilling to admit it.
He was unwilling to admit that the reason he had been sent to Jizhou was because the Emperor noticed Prince Duan beginning to gather a group of younger brothers around him, while he had none. The Emperor felt the eldest prince’s influence needed to be diminished, so he dispatched him to Jizhou.
But after his return from Jizhou, his reputation had grown somewhat louder than Prince Duan’s, so the Emperor began adding weight to Prince Duan’s side.
The Crown Prince felt increasingly frustrated. He was unwilling to believe, unwilling to believe that the father he respected most treated him like a cricket, pitting him against another cricket.
He thought that if his guess was correct, in a few days, the Emperor would assign him a task, because only then could he gain an advantage over Prince Duan.
But what would the Emperor give Prince Duan to overpower him in return?
If he remained as he was now, would the Emperor grow disgusted with him and truly depose him?
At this thought, the Crown Prince felt a chill run down his spine, but he dared not speak of it to anyone, even feeling somewhat fearful.
When he was afraid, he would think of doing something to please the Emperor. Yet he was unwilling to do so! He had his own dignity and pride.
Thus, the more he thought, the angrier he became; the more he thought, the more agitated he grew, and he felt the urge to smash things again.
But as he turned around, he saw Zhe Junwu standing there, her body stiff with tension.
She was afraid of him. In that instant, he suddenly thought of an analogy: her state was just like his own fear of the Emperor.
He thought, perhaps in the Emperor’s heart, he was not a son, but merely a servant.
This thought sent a chill through his entire body, making him even more stifled.
He stomped heavily back to his chair, sat down, and stared blankly at the paper before him.
Zhe Junwu grew even more uneasy. The Crown Prince’s current demeanor actually frightened her more. If he had vented his temper, perhaps things would have settled after a while. But like this, who knew when his anger would erupt?
She waited and waited, until the Crown Prince was about to retire for the night, and still, his temper had not surfaced. When Zhe Junwu stepped out, she quietly exchanged glances with Eunuch Liu and Xiao Sheng.
The Crown Prince had not calmed down; in fact, he seemed even angrier.
A dark cloud hung over the entire Donggong. Everyone spoke in hushed tones, afraid that if they raised their voices, the Crown Prince might hear and have them beaten to death. Even General, the parrot, no longer recited poetry proudly but tucked its tail and acted like a timid bird, occasionally bullying Little Brown to relieve its own stress.
It was then that Zhe Junwu realized the downside of being “favored.” Because of this “favor,” she had to serve in the small study while the Crown Prince read.
Whether the Crown Prince was in a good mood or not, he would read memorials and books without fail, rain or shine. When he was happy, he would chat with her during his leisure time after reading. But when he was angry, his face would turn stern, his words sharp, and he would become prone to finding fault with everything.
Fortunately, Zhe Junwu’s duties were few—she only ground ink—so he couldn’t find much to criticize. But Eunuch Liu, who was responsible for many things, was scolded several times by the Crown Prince as a “fool.”
When it snowed again in Donggong, Zhe Junwu dared not wear her lotus-colored clothes to go outside and build a snowman. Chunyin gave her a roasted sweet potato, which she ate. She then deliberately changed her clothes, rinsed her mouth, and made sure not to leave even a trace of the smell.
At noon, just as she was about to head to the small study, she heard cheerful voices coming from outside.
Xia Yin walked in, shaking the snow off her clothes. “The Crown Prince has been assigned to Hubu.”
Everyone thought this was good news. Prince Duan was merely a prince without any real power. But the Crown Prince was different—he was now working in Hubu, the first among the princes to hold such a position.
Although Zhe Junwu didn’t know what official position the Crown Prince held—Xia Yin didn’t know either, as it was too soon to find out—she knew that if the Crown Prince was happy, they wouldn’t have to tread so carefully.
But when she went to the study, she found that the atmosphere inside was completely different from outside. While there was joy and celebration outside, the study was eerily quiet, even more so than before.
The Crown Prince had shut himself inside the room. Even Eunuch Liu was waiting outside, unable to enter.
Zhe Junwu stood outside as well, unsure of what was happening.
She hoped Eunuch Liu would give her some hint to avoid angering the Crown Prince later, but Eunuch Liu shook his head—he didn’t know either.
He was also pondering. By all appearances, this was a joyous occasion. When the Crown Prince was outside, he had been in high spirits, paying respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Everything had seemed fine, and he was even smiling when he returned to Donggong. But the moment he entered the study, all movement ceased.
The change in his expression before entering the study was startlingly swift—it turned cold in an instant, sending a chill down Eunuch Liu’s spine.
He immediately dismissed all the servants. Now, there was no one else in the courtyard except him, Zhe Junwu, and Xiao Sheng.
As for Eunuch Li, Eunuch Liu had already sent him to guard the entrance to the courtyard.
Zhe Junwu slowly took a deep breath and exhaled, knowing that she was about to face a tough battle. Sure enough, the Crown Prince was an extremely diligent person; even in such moments, he did not forget to review his studies.
Zhe Junwu entered to grind ink for him, watching as his brush pressed down, down, until ink stains soaked the entire sheet of paper.
This sheet was now unusable.
Zhe Junwu thought to herself, since he was so eager to vent his frustration, why not practice martial arts instead of just writing large characters?
Swinging a hammer would surely help release his anger. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince was a reserved person. He simply immersed himself in writing, though he was supposed to write fifty large characters. Yet, he pressed too hard, ruining one sheet after another, until the wastepaper basket was filled with discarded sheets.
It was almost overflowing! Zhe Junwu hesitated, unsure whether she should replace the wastepaper basket at that moment.
But the Crown Prince stopped writing on his own. Perhaps realizing he couldn’t calm his mind, he simply threw down his brush, glanced at her—a look that nearly made her lose her footing—but quickly averted his gaze and told her to follow him as he strode outside.
Zhe Junwu hurried after him. Eunuch Liu thought for a moment and decided to follow as well.
Xiao Sheng dared not follow, watching the three depart with a sigh of relief.
The Crown Prince headed to the bamboo grove in the rear courtyard. Years ago, he had buried a jar of wine there, and now, after three or four years, it should be ready to drink. Following his instructions, Zhe Junwu went to the wooden hut by the small lake nearby and fetched a shovel—she suspected it was the one the Crown Prince had left there three or four years earlier.
Covered in dust, she dared not let the Crown Prince use such a dirty tool. However, with snow falling and the lake frozen, she couldn’t wash it—and feared that breaking the ice to clean the shovel would waste time and anger the Crown Prince. So, she chose to wipe it clean with her clothes.
After all, her clothes were already dusty; a little more grime wouldn’t be too noticeable.
Thus, Zhe Junwu cleaned the shovel.
The Crown Prince took the shovel and began breaking the ice and snow on the ground, clearing it away before digging. Before long, a jar of wine appeared before him. Silently, he bent down, picked it up, and cradled it in his hands.
Mud dirtied his hands and clothes. Zhe Junwu hesitantly reached out, “Your Highness, shall this servant carry it for you?”
By now, the Crown Prince’s expression had softened slightly. He shook his head coldly, “No need.”
The three of them strode back.
This was Zhe Junwu’s first time here. She couldn’t help but glance back at the other side of the lake, where another building stood—the Crown Prince’s study.
Only the Crown Prince and Eunuch Liu were allowed there.
She pursed her lips and turned to follow the Crown Prince back to the small study. Eunuch Liu decided to send Zhe Junwu with Xiao Sheng to fetch the meals. Given that the Crown Prince had taken Zhe Junwu to the lakeside bamboo grove, he knew this young girl had truly earned the Crown Prince’s favor, quietly and without fanfare.
This was worth pondering. Eunuch Liu thought of letting Zhe Junwu become more familiar with the Crown Prince’s other affairs, so she wouldn’t be caught off guard when tasks were assigned to her.
Xiao Sheng said to Zhe Junwu, “Grandfather Liu intends to put you to good use. Just accept it.”
He noticed Zhe Junwu still had reservations. “What are you afraid of? Our master is the Crown Prince; as long as we serve him well, that’s all that matters.”
Zhe Junwu thought it made sense. Regardless of Eunuch Liu’s intentions, this was a promotion for her.
“It all happened so fast, I feel like I’m dreaming.”
Xiao Sheng chuckled softly, “You’ll get used to it.”
This was Zhe Junwu’s first time visiting the Crown Prince’s private kitchen. This kitchen was exclusively for preparing meals for His Highness, completely different from where the servants ate. The head eunuch in charge here was surnamed Yang.
Eunuch Yang was an old-timer, fifty years old this year. He had previously served the Emperor before being bestowed upon the Crown Prince. Most chefs tended to be plump, but Eunuch Yang was quite thin, lean and slender.
“Don’t be alarmed, young lady. It’s just that I don’t gain weight, no matter how much I eat.”
Eunuch Yang was the type who smiled at everyone. He treated Zhe Junwu with great courtesy, addressing her repeatedly as “young lady.” Finally, he pulled Xiao Sheng aside and slipped him a piece of pastry. “What does Eunuch Liu mean by this?”
Having accepted the treat, Xiao Sheng felt obliged to be honest. “Don’t you know Eunuch Liu? He never acts without a sure gain. He thinks Junwu has great prospects, so he’s making arrangements in advance.”
Eunuch Yang had long heard of Zhe Junwu, but this young lady usually never wandered about aimlessly. She only moved between the study and the side chamber where they slept. Within Donggong, which paths could be taken and which were off-limits were strictly regulated.
Since Eunuch Yang usually had no reason to go to the study area, he couldn’t take that route and thus had never seen her before. Now that he had, he had his own thoughts—not to mention the Crown Prince, even he found Zhe Junwu pleasing to the eye.
The young girl was naturally likable. Having gotten a clear word from Xiao Sheng, he understood the situation and also gave Zhe Junwu a piece of pastry. “It’s date cake. These dates actually share a connection with you—they’re from Yunzhou. Date cakes made with Yunzhou dates are the most delicious.”
Zhe Junwu had never eaten such date cake back in Yunzhou. She took a piece, thanked Eunuch Yang, and when she returned to the small kitchen with the meal, she happened to encounter the Crown Prince about to dine.
The meal was directly brought in.
The Crown Prince was already drinking. Zhe Junwu glanced over and saw that his expression had softened, indicating that whatever had been troubling him had dissipated somewhat with the wine. This made him appear much gentler overall. He even smiled and asked Zhe Junwu, “What have you eaten?”
There was a faint scent of pastry about her.
Zhe Junwu quickly replied, “Just now, when I went to fetch the meal, I happened to meet Eunuch Yang testing steamed date cakes. He said the dates were from Yunzhou, a local favorite there, and asked this servant to help taste whether the flavor was authentic.”
The Crown Prince showed interest. “And what did you think? Was it authentic?”
Zhe Junwu shook her head. “I wouldn’t know. This servant lived in the countryside before and never ate date cake.”
The Crown Prince made a clicking sound with his tongue and called for Eunuch Liu. “Serve her two plates of date cake.”
Eunuch Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the dark clouds over Donggong had finally lifted.