Yan Xiaoying forced a smile. “Next time you see me, mind your manners when you pay your respects. Otherwise, your cousin here will have to ‘take good care’ of you again!”
Tang Ru was so startled by the weakling Crown Prince’s unfamiliar viciousness that she burst into loud tears once more.
Having vented her anger, Yan Xiaoying no longer cared to watch the barbaric Tang girl’s snot and tears. She thanked Nanny Song, who stood nearby, her aged eyes wide with shock, and asked the old nanny to take the girl away.
Nanny Song’s face darkened with anger. Supporting the bawling Tang Ru, she hurried off to complain to the Empress.
Yan Xiaoying was not worried in the slightest. As a chess piece of considerable value, with the carrot of “assuming personal rule” dangling before her, the Empress could not bear to discard her. Even if she felt sorry for her niece, she would simply have to endure it.
Yan Xiaoying waved everyone away, leaving behind only the young eunuch who had carried out the beating.
The little eunuch, named Jinzhong, asked ingratiatingly, “Your Highness, please calm your anger. Would you like this servant to bring you some late-night snacks?”
Yan Xiaoying knew that although most of the attendants in Chuwen Hall had been personally assigned by His Majesty, spies planted by either the Empress or Noble Consort Shang were certainly mixed among them.
Since Jinzhong had shown no restraint in beating Tang Ru, he was definitely not one of the Empress’s people. If she ever needed to avoid the Empress’s faction, he might prove useful.
Yan Xiaoying crooked a finger and summoned him closer, intending to probe further. “Where did you serve before?”
A troubled look crossed Jinzhong’s face. “Reporting to Your Highness… this servant previously served in the… First Prince’s residence…”
“The First Prince?” Yan Xiaoying’s interest was piqued. “If you’re one of Eldest Imperial Brother’s people… how did you end up here with me?”
Thinking the Crown Prince intended to hold him accountable, Jinzhong dropped to his knees with a thud and began kowtowing frantically. “Your Highness, please hear me out! The First Prince has been living elsewhere to recuperate from illness for ten years now. However, his old palace was never abolished and still requires caretakers. Only servants with no backing were left there to guard the gates and pull weeds. This servant is still young and unwilling to waste away like that. I wanted to follow a master with a future, so I spent money and called in favors. When Your Highness relocated residences, I seized the opportunity to have myself assigned here!”
Seeing the eunuch’s face ashen with fear, Yan Xiaoying sensed something subtle at play. There was clearly some hidden history between the Crown Prince and the First Prince that she did not yet know. Deliberately drawing out her words, she said, “Ah… Eldest Imperial Brother… my, my…”
Jinzhong grimaced. He looked ready to cry and immediately threw himself flat on the ground, desperate to clear himself of any association. “When the First Prince showed disrespect toward Your Highness, this servant was still just a child, only nine years old! I wasn’t even there at the time. Otherwise, even if this servant had been ground to dust, I would have protected Your Highness at all costs!”
Just like that, with almost no effort at all, Yan Xiaoying uncovered the old grudge between her brother, Feng Qiyuan, and the First Prince.
It turned out that the First Prince, born to the Emperor’s deceased wife, Consort Ye, had possessed an odd temperament from childhood. He seemed to be naturally violent and unstable. The signs were not especially obvious when he was young, but as he grew older, the symptoms became increasingly pronounced, and he frequently injured palace servants.
When Feng Qiyuan was six years old, he found himself alone with the First Prince in the imperial garden. No one knew exactly what had provoked the elder prince, but he shoved the frail and sickly Crown Prince into the water and held him there. Had Princess Anqing, Mu Hanjiang’s mother, not happened to pass by and intervene in time, Feng Qiyuan would have drowned. No wonder her brother Feng Qiyuan would turn pale whenever the First Prince was mentioned and refused even to speak about him. The situation must have been terrifying. The First Prince was actually a madman! That explained why the palace publicly claimed he suffered from a hidden illness and why he was never seen during festivals or official celebrations.
According to Jinzhong, the prince’s condition later worsened. After he caused several disturbances that frightened pregnant consorts in the palace, Noble Consort Shang discussed the matter with the Emperor and arranged to move him elsewhere to recuperate, intending to bring him back once his health improved. But after that, no further news of the First Prince ever surfaced. All that remained was his abandoned palace and a handful of eunuchs left without prospects.
Jinzhong was an ambitious fellow. To prove his loyalty, he had risked everything by slapping Tang Ru.
Now that Yan Xiaoying understood his background, she pulled a piece of silk from among the scrolls nearby. “I’ve recently moved into a new palace,” she said. “I’m rather dissatisfied with the flowers and plants in the courtyard. I wonder whether the palace has vegetation like this. If it could be planted outside my hall, it would lend a touch of elegance.”
Relieved that the Crown Prince was no longer dwelling on old matters, Jinzhong finally relaxed. But after looking at the drawing, he was stunned by the Crown Prince’s atrocious artistic ability. He genuinely could not tell whether the sketch depicted chives or something else entirely.
An idea suddenly came to him. “Your Highness, everyone living in the palace is of noble status. Any transplanting of flowers or trees requires approval and seals from the Imperial Household Department. This prevents poisonous plants from being mixed in and polluting the courtyards. If Your Highness wishes to search for a particular plant, you could have the department send over their botanical registry. Every flower and tree in the palace is recorded there.”
Yan Xiaoying had deliberately drawn poorly. What she was really trying to identify was the orchid she had seen in the palace where Feng Qiyuan was being secretly confined.
If Jinzhong were correct, such a rare orchid would certainly be listed, along with the palace grounds where it had been transplanted. She could then follow the trail and find where her brother was being held, allowing Uncle Hai to investigate further. With that thought, she claimed to have an odd habit: she disliked attendants remaining close by when she slept.
After dismissing Jinzhong, she changed into her night robe and lay down on the bed. The mattress was far softer than any bed she had ever slept in before, but she had no mind to enjoy it. More than anything, she wished she could bring her brother home soon so they could reunite with her father and adoptive father.
When her adoptive father had taught her military strategy, he often said: “To accomplish great plans, one must personally enter the game.”
Now, her efforts were finally bearing fruit. At last, there were signs of progress regarding her brother’s situation. Her decision to throw herself into the game and remain in the palace despite the risks had not been in vain.
Thinking of this, Yan Xiaoying rolled off the bed, pulled down the quilt, and settled herself beneath the bedframe instead. It was a habit she had developed long ago. When traveling alone and spending nights in roadside inns, sleeping beneath the bed was often far safer than sleeping on top of it. With her ear pressed against the floorboards, she could also detect nearby movements much earlier.
Now, deep within the imperial palace, countless people coveted her position as Crown Prince. Caution was essential. Ever since entering the palace, she had slept this way each night. Yet her first night in the new palace was destined to be anything but peaceful.
In the middle of the night, when the palace grounds had fallen silent, she vaguely heard footsteps echoing through the stone floor from afar.
Yan Xiaoying’s eyes snapped open. She quickly pressed an ear against the floor, confirming that the footsteps were real.
A moment later, accompanied by the creak of a door opening, a shadowy figure drifted into the room, though it did not come any closer.
Watching from beneath the bed, she saw the intruder walk over to the floor-standing incense burner beside the bed. The figure appeared to lift and adjust the lid, lingered briefly, then retraced its steps and slipped away as quietly as it had come.
As the door closed, a strange fragrance began spreading through the room.
Holding her breath, Yan Xiaoying crawled out from under the bed. She snatched a cloth from the washstand, soaked it with water, covered her mouth and nose, and approached the incense burner.
Having spent years wandering the jianghu, how could she fail to recognize such a despicable scent? It was clearly the same kind of drug used in knockout incense. Had she fallen asleep breathing it in, she likely wouldn’t have woken naturally until morning. Even if someone had roused her, she would have remained groggy and confused, in no condition to meet the officials of the Court of the Imperial Treasury, let alone conduct official business.
And even if she had tried to defend herself afterward, how could she prove anything? The incense would have burned away without a trace. Since no lives would have been lost, no one would seriously investigate. They would simply conclude that the Crown Prince was lazy, pleasure-seeking, and negligent of government affairs.
At the thought, Yan Xiaoying could not help sighing again for her brother.
In a den of wolves and tigers like this, how had someone as innocent and carefree as Feng Qiyuan ever managed to survive?
The Empress had told her that the Court of the Imperial Treasury was responsible not only for supplying the imperial household, but also for collecting taxes from lakes, marshlands, and mountain estates throughout the empire to fund palace expenditures. At times, it also oversaw the distribution of disaster relief grain and aid to victims of famine and catastrophe.
Compared with offices that controlled military power or civil administration, it might not seem especially important, yet it was a necessary stepping stone for imperial princes learning to handle state affairs.
Apparently, that position alone was enough to make others envious. Some people were clearly desperate for the Crown Prince to make a mistake and ruin her standing before the Emperor.
After dousing the drugged incense with water, Yan Xiaoying picked out the larger remaining fragments and wrapped them carefully in a handkerchief. Once dried, they might prove useful someday. As for the rest, she scattered the ashes out the window.
The next day, before dawn broke, someone knocked on the door to wake the Crown Prince.
A palace maid named Jianhu spoke softly from outside. “Your Highness, this servant was specially assigned by the Empress. From now on, matters concerning Your Highness’s dressing and bathing will be handled by me.”
Yan Xiaoying recognized her. The young maid seemed to be a distant niece of Nanny Song and was highly trusted by the Empress.
It appeared that the Empress feared someone might discover Yan Xiaoying’s true identity as a woman, so she insisted on assigning a personal attendant who knew the secret to help manage her daily affairs.
That suited Yan Xiaoying just fine. It spared her the trouble of constantly hiding and covering things up. She let Jianhu help her wash and dress until she was fully prepared.
Before leaving the palace, Yan Xiaoying claimed that she had slept exceptionally well and that the guards assigned to her door had performed their duties diligently. She therefore summoned the guards who had stood watch the previous night to receive rewards.
The handsome young “Crown Prince” weighed several silver ingots in her hand and smiled as her gaze moved from one guard’s face to another.
The guards who received silver naturally looked delighted. Only one among them appeared nervous when he saw the Crown Prince emerge.
Without showing any reaction, Yan Xiaoying distributed the silver, then left Chuwen Hall with Jinzhong and Jianhu. But she didn’t go far. Instead, she hid around the corner of a palace wall, nibbling on dates while casually watching the activity at Chuwen Hall’s gate.
Jinzhong was puzzled. “Your Highness, did you forget something?”
In response, Yan Xiaoying simply raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
At that moment, one of the rewarded guards hurried away along the western palace wall.
Yan Xiaoying waved her hand and instructed Jinzhong to follow him, find out where he was going, and then meet her later at the palace gate.
Receiving the order, Jinzhong immediately dashed off like an excited hunting hound.
Jianhu couldn’t make sense of the methods used by this young woman impersonating the Crown Prince. With obvious impatience, she reminded her: “You’d better stop causing trouble. If you’re delayed and end up—mmph! Mmph!”
Before she could continue, Yan Xiaoying stuffed a handful of honeyed dates into her mouth. “You’re every bit a soldier trained under Her Majesty,” Yan Xiaoying laughed. “Once you start lecturing, you never stop. Come on, we’re leaving now.”
Unfortunately, Jianhu was not the only one skilled at scolding people under the Empress’s command.
Before Yan Xiaoying could leave the palace, the stern-faced Nanny Song intercepted her halfway and relayed a series of instructions from the Empress.
Empress Tang feared that Yan Xiaoying’s lack of education might expose her in front of the officials, so she carefully explained numerous details regarding her first day at the Court of the Imperial Treasury.
Most importantly, Yan Xiaoying was to take this opportunity to have the disaster-relief accounts from the past two years organized and compiled. The relevant documents would then be sent to the Eastern Palace.
Then the Empress would assign trusted people to help Yan Xiaoying handle the administrative work and keep her inexperience from showing.
Since Yan Xiaoying could hardly stuff honeyed dates into Nanny Song’s mouth, she could only nod and mumble agreement after agreement.
By the time the old nanny’s lengthy lecture finally ended, a considerable amount of time had already been wasted.
At last, when they finally left the palace gates, Jinzhong had already returned and was waiting there.
Yan Xiaoying noticed another carriage beside the one prepared for her.
The Second Prince, dressed in plain clothes, appeared to have just left the palace as well and was preparing to board his carriage. The way he deliberately positioned himself as though about to step inside suggested he had probably rehearsed the scene for quite some time. As soon as he “happened” to notice the Crown Prince, he gracefully paused and greeted him with a smile. “Your Highness, you’ve arrived at just the right moment. Have you heard? The famous performer Qin Guan’er has come to the Pear Garden in the eastern district. Would you like to join your elder brother and listen to his newest songs?”
Yan Xiaoying pretended to be tempted, placing a hand over her heart. If the real Feng Qiyuan had heard those words, he would probably have been itching with excitement. Even if it meant arriving late, he would undoubtedly insist on hearing at least one performance.
Just then, Jinzhong, who had been waiting at the palace gate, quietly stepped forward and reported in a low voice that he had followed the guard all the way and discovered that the man had gone to meet the Second Prince. Not long after, the Second Prince left the palace and began lingering here.
So the person who had tried to incapacitate her with drugged incense the previous night was none other than her dear Second Brother!
Apparently, seeing the Crown Prince begin exercising authority over state affairs had made the Second Prince’s prospects grow increasingly dim. He had become so anxious that he was resorting to one foolish scheme after another.
The fellow had benefited from having a capable mother, along with a collection of incompetent brothers who made him seem all the more clever by comparison. But at the end of the day, he was simply an immature piece of bad work. It seemed that when the drugged incense failed, the Second Prince, in his desperation, had personally come to lure the Crown Prince astray with the promise of a famous actor.
Yan Xiaoying suddenly felt like teasing him. She deliberately widened her eyes. “Second Brother, are you serious? You mean that Qin Guan’er, the renowned performer whose fame spans three prefectures?”
Seeing his fish take the bait, the Second Prince could not conceal the satisfaction in his eyes. “Indeed. Many of the capital’s young nobles will be attending today. Your brother has already reserved a private room, so Your Highness may sit back and enjoy the performance in comfort…”
Before he could finish, Yan Xiaoying nodded enthusiastically like a pecking chicken. “Let’s go! We should leave immediately!”
The Second Prince had expected nothing less from this opera-obsessed Crown Prince. Overjoyed, he turned toward the carriage, ready to set off at once.