Baoying's world had collapsed.
The morning after returning from the Xu estate, she opened her eyes to find a familiar face—Nanny Gui, who had taught her etiquette before her marriage, standing sternly at the foot of her bed, watching her.
Baoying suspected her eyes were playing tricks on her and rubbed them vigorously. "Nanny Gui? Why are you here!"
"Princess Consort, you are far too lazy! How can you still be in bed at this hour? No wonder His Highness sent me to teach you proper conduct!" Nanny Gui said with great anguish. "I've taught etiquette in the palace for thirty years, and this is the first time I've been rehired!"
Baoying wanted to cry but had no tears.
She distinctly remembered Zong Duo saying that as long as she behaved obediently, she wouldn't have to learn etiquette! That faithless, word-breaking scoundrel!
On the first day, Nanny Gui taught her the way of husband and wife from the Admonitions for Women.
"The way of respect and obedience is the greatest rite of womanhood. Be humble and yielding, courteous and respectful; put others before yourself. Conduct yourself with a sense of shame, and move with propriety. A woman who is not virtuous cannot serve her husband; if she cannot serve her husband, then righteousness and reason collapse…"
Baoying studied with great frustration.
She felt she was already quite docile and didn't understand why she needed to learn such things. If anything, it was Zong Duo who didn't understand the way of husband and wife at all—Nanny Gui should be teaching him instead.
By dinner time, she gnawed on two crystal-sugar braised pork hocks to console herself.
The next day, Nanny Gui began the second lesson: how to understand what people really mean beneath their words.
"What does 'beneath their words' mean?" Baoying didn't understand.
"It means the meaning behind the words. When the Princess Consort cannot say something directly, she may speak in a roundabout way, allowing the other party to grasp the deeper intent. Likewise, when others speak to the Princess Consort, there is hidden meaning within, and she must ponder it carefully."
"What is there that can't be said directly? Nothing cannot be spoken openly—one should live with honesty and integrity. Hiding and covering up is the way of petty people!"
Baoying said this with complete conviction—her parents had always taught her this way.
Nanny Gui was left speechless. Prince Yan had said before she came that the Princess Consort was "difficult to communicate with," and indeed, that was plainly evident.
"There's no 'why' about it!" She cut it off bluntly. "This is the art of speech—it can be used for attack, or for admonition; advance or retreat, offense or defense. In your position, Princess Consort, you cannot afford not to understand it!"
Baoying spent half a day following Nanny Gui's lessons on the art of speech, her head spinning.
She barely managed to endure until her favorite part—mealtime—only to find that Nanny Gui hadn't left. Instead, she stood personally by the table, serving the dishes.
Today's meal was honey-glazed lotus root, chicken-broth tofu, water shield and jade-belt soup, and fresh lotus seed broth.
"Where's the meat!"
Baoying protested. The Shi family wasn't wealthy, but they at least guaranteed one meat dish per meal.
Nanny Gui held up a mirror for her. "Our dynasty reveres slender beauty. The Princess Consort already carries enough flesh on her bones—no need to eat so much."
Baoying pouted unhappily, and her round little face in the bronze mirror looked even fuller.
She stared at Nanny Gui with deep grievance.
Nanny Gui remained unmoved. Since she had taken on this assignment, helping the Princess Consort win her husband's favor was also within her duties.
"Look around at the noble ladies of the capital, Princess Consort—which of them doesn't have a willow-thin waist and a light lotus step? You were born so lovely; if His Highness doesn't favor you, I suspect it's your figure that's costing you points."
Baoying refused to concede: "Who says he doesn't like me?"
"If he liked you, why hasn't he set foot in Zhaoming Hall for two days straight?" Nanny Gui had seen it clearly—in the two days she'd been here, she'd never once seen Zong Duo in the rear courtyard.
Baoying was left speechless.
Well… she certainly couldn't tell Nanny Gui that he was impotent.
For the sake of her man's dignity, Baoying could only choke down this entirely vegetarian meal.
Little did she know, once she could eat vegetables, there would be nothing but vegetables ahead.
For two consecutive days, Nanny Gui strictly controlled her diet—not only withholding meat but even halving the portions of vegetables, determined to transform her from "skin plump and cheeks like lychee" into "fragile bones and a figure light as a palm."
Baoying was starving, her vision swimming.
Finally, on the third day—after studying etiquette for four hours and still only being allowed a half-full meal—she could bear it no longer!
That evening, upon learning that Zong Duo had returned to the manor, she marched furiously straight to Yunhui Hall to find him.
After returning from the government office, Zong Duo had changed into a frost-white casual robe woven with silver thread, his crown removed and belt loosened, a sandalwood hairpin holding his hair in place. Even in his half-worn house clothes, he could not hide his idle aristocratic bearing as he bent over his desk writing a memorial.
"Your Highness!" Baoying burst in, and before he could speak, launched her accusation first: "Didn't you say that if I behaved, I wouldn't have to learn etiquette? You break your word! You go back on your promises!"
"Have you behaved?" Zong Duo asked lazily.
Baoying thought back carefully, then said with certainty: "I didn't provoke you!"
Zong Duo flicked the memorial in his hand. "Think harder."
She looked at the paper in his hand and suddenly remembered the court bulletin she had hidden away. Her momentum faltered.
"Uh, well, I…" She clutched the lace trim of her sleeve, still trying to argue. "That bulletin wasn't my doing…"
Zong Duo watched her guilty, fluttering eyelashes and let out a light sigh. "It's not a problem to do something wrong, but you need to learn to keep your composure. Don't put everything on your face and confess before you're even asked. Having you learn proper conduct is for your own good. You may go now."
"I'm not leaving!" Baoying grew anxious. "And is forbidding me from eating meat also for my own good?"
"Who forbade you from eating meat?"
"Nanny Gui did! She said you men all prefer slender figures, and that I'm chubby."
Baoying lowered her head and pinched the soft flesh on her belly, her voice carrying more than a hint of grievance.
"But look, I've already grown thin from hunger." She wrapped her arms around her waist to demonstrate.
Zong Duo followed her movements, his gaze inadvertently drifting to her full bosom. He couldn't help but recall the scene of the sleeping crabapple blossom he had witnessed that day in the guest room of the Xu residence. Somewhat awkwardly, he turned his face away. "Understood. I'll have a word with Nanny Sun. From now on, your diet won't be restricted. Now go."
Baoying hadn't expected him to be so agreeable. Emboldened, she decided to press her luck and try to get rid of Nanny Gui as well, so she lingered instead of leaving.
"Is there something else?" Zong Duo's brows furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.
"I…"
"Your Highness. Grand Secretary Xu has arrived." Yuan Yi's voice sounded from outside.
Zong Duo raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. For the sake of avoiding suspicion, Grand Secretary Xu rarely visited him in person. When there was business to discuss, he would usually send Xu Pei to relay the message. What matter could be so important that he would come himself today?
Before he could ponder the purpose of the visit, he became aware of another pressing issue.
During his last visit to the Xu residence, Grand Secretary Xu had forgiven him for acting without prior approval regarding the marriage, but he had not wished to meet the new Princess Consort, so she had not been presented to him that day.
If she were to leave now, the two would inevitably cross paths in the corridor.
To avoid provoking Grand Secretary Xu's displeasure, Zong Duo tilted his chin toward the screen behind him and said to Baoying, "Go and hide for a moment."
Baoying knew that the old grand secretary did not like her. Fearing that he might make things difficult for her, she panicked and misunderstood his intention.
Though she didn't understand why Zong Duo wanted her to "go below" and hide, she noticed that the space beneath the purple sandalwood square table before him was fairly roomy. Though not entirely willing, she gritted her teeth and crawled underneath.
Zong Duo pressed a hand to his forehead.
He was about to pull her out when the study door creaked open, and he had no choice but to abandon the attempt.
Looking up, Grand Secretary Xu walked in, still wearing his crimson official robe with the crane insignia, evidently having come straight from his duty office to the Prince Yan residence.
Zong Duo composed himself and rose to greet him. "Grandfather, what matter required you to come in person?"
Grand Secretary Xu, still catching his breath, sat directly in the armchair, removed his official cap, wiped the sweat from his brow, and drank half a cup of tea to steady his breathing before speaking. "This is a matter of great importance. Sit down, and let us discuss it slowly."
Zong Duo returned to his seat and waited for him to state his purpose.
Grand Secretary Xu wore a grave expression as he withdrew a paper envelope from his sleeve and handed it over.
Zong Duo took the envelope and saw the broken wax seal upon it. His gaze sharpened, and he first looked up at Grand Secretary Xu.
He had spent two years in the northern border military camps and had planted dozens of covert agents in Northern Yuan. This letter was sent back by one of his spies stationed there, yet it had first passed through Grand Secretary Xu's hands—a fact that displeased him.
Unfolding the letter, he saw a line of bold, sweeping script: The Khan of Northern Yuan is gravely ill. Second Prince Muli is making moves.
His thoughts immediately sharpened, casting aside his earlier displeasure.
Northern Yuan was a nomadic regime on the northern border of Great Jing, and it had frequent conflicts with the empire. Three years ago, Zong Duo had accompanied the army on campaign and dealt Northern Yuan a crushing defeat at Suzhou, securing a year of border peace thus far.
If the Khan of Northern Yuan were to change, the current peace would likely be shattered. War was a disaster for the common people, but for a royal descendant like himself, competing for power, it was equally an opportunity to rise.
Zong Duo mused, "I crossed swords with Muli at Suzhou back then. That man is ambitious and quite capable—not one to remain content under another's rule. With the Khan gravely ill, he will surely rally his forces and contend with the Crown Prince of Northern Yuan for supremacy."
Grand Secretary Xu stroked his beard. "I would welcome internal strife in Northern Yuan. The Ministry of Revenue's coffers are well stocked. Why not submit a memorial to His Majesty and take advantage of their turmoil to crush Northern Yuan in one stroke? With such an unparalleled achievement, how could the position of Crown Prince fall to anyone else?"
Zong Duo disagreed, his fingertips tapping lightly on the carved armrest. "His Majesty is in the prime of his life. Even if the threat of Northern Yuan were eliminated, how long I could sit on that throne would still depend entirely on His Majesty's whim. However, if we could subdue Northern Yuan and make it serve our purposes, the situation would be entirely different."
Grand Secretary Xu was taken aback. "You mean… you want to support Muli's ascension?"
Zong Duo nodded. "Though Muli is capable, he lacks both men and money on his side. His odds are less than three in ten. If we help him claim the Khan's throne, then when the time comes for us to contend for the Eastern Palace, would he not prove a valuable ally?"
Grand Secretary Xu inwardly admired his decisiveness—he had made such a resolute choice in the span of a few breaths. Still, he had to caution him: "Have you thought this through? Before the matter is accomplished, if even a whisper of this leaks out, it would be a crime of colluding with the enemy. Both our heads would be on the line."
"There's no time to lose."
Zong Duo was unwavering. He picked up his brush and began drafting a plan on the rice paper.
Baoying, crouched under the table, listened in utter confusion—something about Northern Yuan, something about papayas—she couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.
With nothing to do, she looked around idly. Though the desk was spacious, there wasn't much room to move about, and a footrest placed beneath made the space feel even more cramped.
Her field of vision only extended toward Zong Duo's side. Bored beyond measure, she took to studying the patterns on his boots. When she grew tired of that, her gaze drifted upward.
It was high summer, and since he was within the residence, Zong Duo had not donned a robe. He wore a pair of silk trousers patterned with diamond shapes and chi-dragon motifs, the lightweight fabric tracing the long, sturdy lines of his legs.
He sat with an upright, relaxed posture, and when Baoying raised her head, she spotted the bulging mound in the middle.
Recalling how her previous explorations had all ended in failure, a mischievous idea struck her.
Zong Duo was now wholly absorbed in discussion with Grand Secretary Xu—he certainly wouldn't be on his guard against her. Today, she was determined to see the truth for herself, to find out just what precious treasure he was hiding that couldn't be shown to anyone!
Baoying secretly gloated, and her restless little hand reached for that bulge.