The Empress knew that the Crown Prince’s limp could not be concealed for much longer.
If the Crown Prince’s leg had been crippled because of his confinement, then the blame would lie with His Majesty as a father. The Emperor would surely feel guilty and uneasy, and perhaps no longer wish to see the Crown Prince.
But if it could be said that the Crown Prince had injured his leg in a wrestling match held to celebrate his father’s birthday, then perhaps it would stir a measure of sympathy in the Emperor. That might also create opportunities for her Sixth Prince, whom she had raised by her side.
What a pity she could not bring down the Second Prince. All that scheming had been for nothing!
With that thought in mind, Empress Tang reached out and grabbed the young lady. “In a moment, don’t let him pull your collar apart. If he kicks at your leg, don’t dodge. Fall cleanly off the platform as soon as possible, and then…”
Whether Feng Qiyuan had actually listened was anyone’s guess. Before the Empress could finish, “she” rose with a smile and headed toward the arena.
The graceful youth still carried traces of baby fat upon his doll-like face. His slender waist stood straight as a supple willow branch in spring, drawing everyone’s gaze.
The Second Prince watched with a smile and thought to himself: Over the past few years, Third Brother’s martial skills have improved greatly. After a few provoking words from me just now, his temper must be burning. The Crown Prince is going to have a miserable time.
When the Crown Prince stepped onto the platform, the size difference between the two princes became immediately apparent. The seventeen-year-old youth, slim as a willow switch, looked almost frail standing before the burly Third Prince in his early twenties.
The Third Prince rolled his shoulders and clenched his fists with ill intent. His joints cracked loudly, as if foreshadowing the sound of bones he intended to crush.
Just as he prepared to pounce like a tiger descending the mountain, the Crown Prince spoke leisurely: “Third Brother, have you no shame at all? You’re so much taller and stronger than I am. Aren’t you worried people will say you’re bullying the weak and claiming an unfair victory?”
Feng Qiwu, the Third Prince, sneered. “In the arenas of Great Feng, fists do the talking. If Your Highness is afraid of getting beaten, then admit defeat and step down now. Stop whining like a woman and expecting me to hold back.”
Among all the imperial princes, Third Prince had been raised in military camps and was the most straightforward. He was also the only one bold enough to mock the Crown Prince to his face for being effeminate.
Had this happened four years ago, the Crown Prince would surely have reddened eyes, waved his hands in agitation, and stammered out an angry retort.
But after returning from confinement, the Crown Prince seemed far more composed. Smiling, he said, “No need to hold back. Since it’s Father’s birthday banquet, we should make things more entertaining. You’re three years older than I am and renowned in the army for your strength. It wouldn’t look good for you to bully someone younger and weaker. Why don’t we follow a common folk game: hopping on one leg while holding up the other? Whoever gets knocked off the platform first loses. That way we’re testing agility rather than brute strength. What do you say, Third Brother? Do you dare?”
The Third Prince burst out laughing.
The little sissy really could come up with excuses. Did he really think a children’s hopping game required no strength? Still, perhaps this was for the best. Otherwise, he might accidentally hit too hard and cripple the weakling right there on the arena. The platform stood high above the ground. If he could slam the sissy off it, the fall alone would be enough to make the brat suffer and relieve some of the frustration pent up inside him. He thought it through, then waved a hand magnanimously.
“If Your Highness doesn’t mind making a fool of himself, I certainly don’t care. But these are your rules. When you fall off the platform later, don’t come crying and blaming your elder brother!”
The Crown Prince merely smiled. He raised his right leg, hugged it up, and began hopping in place.
Below the stage, the Second Prince and Noble Consort Shang narrowed their eyes slightly.
Rumor had it that the Crown Prince’s injured leg was his right one. Had he become more calculating? By provoking the Third Prince like this, he had protected his bad leg while playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses.
At that moment, the Third Prince also lifted one leg. Agile despite his size, he charged forward like a raging bull bursting from its pen.
The force behind the attack seemed capable of splitting mountains and shattering stone. It looked as though the willow-slender Crown Prince would be sent flying off the platform.
Yet, at the critical moment, the youth sprang lightly aside and twisted away, narrowly evading the Third Prince’s charge.
After that, the performance of a little spinning top toying with a great wild bull officially began.
The Crown Prince seemed to have springs attached to his feet, bouncing nimbly across the stage. Time and again, the Third Prince came within a hair’s breadth of knocking him off, missing by the slightest margin.
Before long, the Third Prince was breathing heavily. His nostrils flared as though he had just plowed a hundred mu of farmland.
The spectacle proved immensely entertaining. Cheers erupted from the crowd below as people shouted encouragement for both the Third Prince and the Crown Prince. Even the Emperor laughed heartily, radiating the joy of seeing his children and grandchildren gathered around him.
At first, the Empress had been visibly tense. As the youth stubbornly remained on the platform, her fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves. But as she watched Yatou effortlessly “lead the bull around by the nose,” her expression eased considerably.
It seemed Yatou was quite capable after all. She had actually found a way to handle a martial contest like this.
If she could keep it up, the horse race would follow after the martial exhibition. Then the Empress could proceed with her original plan: have “Feng Qiyuan” pretend to fall from his horse and frame the Second Prince.
With that thought, Empress Tang relaxed somewhat.
Just then, a loud thud echoed from the platform.
The Third Prince was heavily built and weighed considerably. Though blessed with abundant strength and martial prowess, he could not maintain a one-legged stance for long. When he finally collided with the Crown Prince, the latter cleverly struck a pressure point near his waist. Losing his balance, the Third Prince crashed to the ground.
A nearby eunuch immediately raised a flag and announced in a ringing voice: “Victory to His Highness the Crown Prince!”
The victorious youth smiled shyly. Cupping his fists, he graciously gave the thoroughly defeated Third Prince a way to save face: “Third Brother, we agreed there’d be no holding back. Then why were you still going easy on me? My thanks, my thanks…”
The Second Prince had somehow made his way to the foot of the platform. In a mocking, insinuating tone, he added fuel to the fire: “Your Highness is truly ingenious! Could it be that you’d heard Third Brother injured his back while suppressing bandits? So you devised this one-legged hopping game to bind up all of his martial prowess and then specifically targeted his old injury? Remarkable, truly remarkable! Today’s brilliant match is sure to be the talk of the capital tomorrow. Our mighty Third Brother, famed for his martial skill, actually defeated by the Crown Prince? Hahaha…”
The Third Prince had always taken great pride in his martial abilities. Hearing those provocative words, he immediately felt as though his weakness had been exposed and exploited by the sissy’s scheme. If word spread that he had been toyed with and knocked to the ground, how could he ever hold his head high before his comrades in the army?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His nostrils flared with rage as hot blood rushed to his head. With a roar, he leaped to his feet. To hell with the Crown Prince’s status. All he wanted now was to beat the wretch senseless.
The Second Prince’s eyes lit up with delight.
The Third Prince had lost face so publicly that, given his temperament, he would beat up the Crown Prince without hesitation. After all, he had privately taught the Crown Prince a lesson before. Whenever the Crown Prince saw Third Brother, he’d been like a rabbit spotting a tiger.
Sure enough, the Third Prince’s temper exploded. He seized the Crown Prince by the collar and lifted him up as easily as one might hoist a chick. The next moment, he was about to hurl him from the high platform.
Just then, a calm male voice sounded from one side of the arena. “Third Prince, honoring a wager and accepting defeat is nothing to be ashamed of.”
The voice was not loud, yet it was like a cool spring flowing into the ears of the enraged bull.
The Third Prince turned and looked.
There sat an elegant, refined man in white robes upon a wooden wheelchair, watching him with cool composure.
Still unable to calm himself, the Third Prince held the Crown Prince high in the air, his fists cracking audibly.
The man spoke again at the perfect moment. “Today is His Majesty’s birthday banquet, not a military exercise on the battlefield. Third Prince, do not let yourself overshadow the occasion by continuing this roughhousing with the Crown Prince. General Zhao’s wine has already been warmed. Why not join your brothers-in-arms for a drink instead?”
The words sounded like a reprimand, yet in truth they served as a timely warning against acting rashly and bringing disaster upon himself.
For reasons even he could not explain, the Third Prince finally relented. Breathing heavily through his nose, he glared fiercely for a moment before setting the Crown Prince down. Then he flicked his robe and strode off the platform.
Seeing his plan come to nothing, the Second Prince let out a cold snort. “Young Master Mu, that wild-bull brother of mine certainly listens to you. You’re far more effective than I am as an elder brother.”
The man in the wheelchair remained as calm as ever. “The princes still have the horse race ahead of them. Time is somewhat tight. It would be best not to delay matters here.”
The Second Prince smiled without warmth, then swept away with a flick of his sleeve.
The man in the wheelchair, however, did not leave. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the young Crown Prince.
The “Crown Prince” had also descended from the platform and was staring at the man without blinking.
Yatou had roamed among commoners and wanderers, seen all manner of people, and considered herself widely experienced. Yet never before had she encountered a man of such exceptional grace and bearing. His attire was plainly simple: nothing more than a white robe and a wooden hairpin. Yet his demeanor was gentle and refined. Amid nobles dressed in silks and brocades, he stood apart like a lone pine on a mountain peak, with an otherworldly elegance that made everyone else seem ordinary by comparison. Unfortunately, he appeared unable to walk properly. At an occasion like this, he could not even rise from his seat.
The Second Prince had addressed him as “Young Master,” which suggested he came from a noble family. But who was he? He wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the booklet Nanny Song had prepared.
As the youth studied him, the man remained silent. His features carried a cool aloofness, his gaze clear and cold as he looked directly at the young man standing on the steps.
Perhaps because their eye contact lingered a little too long, the Third Prince, Feng Qiwu, suddenly returned. Catching the “Crown Prince” staring at the man in the wheelchair, he immediately stepped in front of him with a fierce glare. “Crown Prince, mind your conduct! Stop bothering Hanjiang!”
The “Crown Prince” blinked, unable to make sense of what he meant.
The Third Prince leaned close and hissed through gritted teeth: “Hanjiang is an upright man, not one of those pretty actors and playthings you keep in your palace! You’ve already caused him to lose the use of his legs. If you dare harbor any improper thoughts toward him again, don’t blame me for being ruthless and breaking both of yours!” With that, he paid no attention to the Crown Prince’s reaction. Turning around, he pushed the wheelchair-bound gentleman away.
Feng Qiyuan smacked her lips after being scolded. Spotting Nanny Song hurrying over, she pointed toward the departing man and asked quietly: “Nanny Song, who is he? I don’t remember seeing him in the booklet you gave me.”
In a low voice, Nanny Song replied: “His name is Mu Hanjiang. He is the only son of Princess Anqing, the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager’s clan, and Duke Ding. Strictly speaking, he’s also the Crown Prince’s cousin. But he left the capital four years ago, and even Her Majesty didn’t expect him to return so suddenly, which is why he wasn’t included in the booklet. You didn’t say anything strange in front of Young Master Mu just now, did you?”
Feng Qiyuan repeated the Third Prince’s accusations and asked what he had meant.
Nanny Song’s expression stiffened. With a trace of disdain, she explained: “The Crown Prince has always favored handsome young men and was particularly enamored of this young master. Four years ago, at a palace banquet, the two got into an argument. Somehow, Mu Hanjiang fell from a high platform and injured his spine, leaving him crippled ever since…”
“Oh?”
Could the Crown Prince have pushed him? No wonder the Third Prince seemed determined to throw her off the platform. Perhaps he wanted revenge on behalf of his friend. But from Nanny Song’s words, it sounded as though the Crown Prince had been infatuated with Mu Hanjiang.
Nanny Song clearly had no interest in dwelling on the Crown Prince’s romantic scandals. Her voice tightened as she continued: “Although Young Master Mu is of noble birth, he spent his childhood defending the frontier alongside Duke Ding. His literary and military talents were both exceptional. He had originally intended to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve in the army. Unfortunately, after becoming disabled, he could no longer pursue a military career. Instead, he accepted a relatively idle civil post as a Court Academician and traveled through the border regions on inspection duty. More recently, he has been serving alongside the Third Prince as a military adviser during campaigns against the river bandits of Jianghuai. You’d best stay away from him for a while. Don’t provoke him.”
Nanny Song shared the Empress’s mindset. She desperately wanted the troublesome girl to mount her horse as soon as possible so this entire scheme could finally reach its conclusion.
Yatou, however, seemed interested in the conversation. Upon hearing about the campaign against the river pirates, her eyes lit up with curiosity. “So even a princess’s son can’t continue his career after becoming disabled? If the Crown Prince ends up lame in the future, could he perhaps find a comfortable position somewhere, like Young Master Mu?”
Nanny Song lifted her chin arrogantly and offered no answer. But inwardly, she sneered. Since ancient times, what good ending had ever awaited a deposed Crown Prince? Having once stood at the pinnacle of power was itself an unforgivable crime. If such a person managed to cling to life for even a few years afterward, he ought to burn incense and thank the heavens for their mercy.