Just as the Empress raised her hand, she forced herself to lower it again.
There was no helping it. The chess piece before her had become increasingly important and could not yet be discarded. If a fabricated mother-daughter bond could keep this wretched girl under control, it would save a great deal of trouble.
With that thought, Empress Tang squeezed out a smile. She had Nurse Song pour a cup of tea for the young girl, who was wolfing down her food, and then asked: “Elder Ge will certainly test your writing. Do you know how to read and write?”
Yatou took a sip of tea and slumped contentedly against the couch cushions. “I do. When performing with an opera troupe, you have to be able to read the scripts.”
Nanny Song lowered her voice. “What she learned can hardly compare to the Crown Prince, who began his education at four years old. Once she enters the study hall, people will see through her disguise.”
Before she could finish, Yatou laughed first.
“Your Majesty, if I hadn’t overheard palace servants gossiping these past few days, I might really have believed the Crown Prince was a great scholar! If he were so studious, why would His Majesty despise him and keep him confined for four years? If you ask me, his talents can’t be all that remarkable!”
Outraged by her insolence, Nanny Song moved to slap her across the mouth, but the Empress stopped her.
“Since you claim to possess some learning, then write something for me to see.”
Yatou was anything but modest. She got up, walked to a nearby writing desk, waved for Nanny Song to grind the ink, and then picked up a brush. With swift, flowing strokes, she transcribed a passage from an opera script for the Empress.
Whether intentionally or not, she chose a scene depicting a secret tryst between a young man and woman.
Folk opera favored broad popular appeal, and some of the lyrics were rather coarse. As the Empress read, her aging face gradually flushed red, and she could not help shooting the girl a fierce glare.
Still, the handwriting was undeniably pleasing to the eye, strong and vigorous. The girl explained that she had once worked as a cook’s helper at a private school and had picked up some learning there. She truly could read and write, and had clearly devoted effort to it. The problem was that her handwriting differed considerably from the Crown Prince’s.
So the Empress had Nanny Song bring over some of the Crown Prince’s old schoolwork and asked the girl to try copying it. To her astonishment, the girl reproduced it with nearly seventy percent accuracy in no time at all.
Unable to contain her curiosity, the Empress asked how she had managed it.
The girl smiled indifferently. “I used to help shopkeepers alter old account books. To do that, I’d have to imitate their handwriting. I got plenty of practice.”
Despite her young age, this girl had already mixed with all sorts of people and picked up quite a few shady tricks. Fortunately, those skills now served the Empress’s purposes.
After setting down her brush, however, the girl made a bold request. She asked to meet the real Crown Prince.
Actors excelled at imitation. Only by seeing the original could she truly capture his essence. The Crown Prince’s mannerisms and way of dealing with people were not things Nanny Song could explain adequately.
For example, when she had unexpectedly encountered Mu Hanjiang today, her ignorance of past events had nearly left her unable to respond, and she had almost made a mistake.
Her reasoning was sound.
After closing her eyes to think for a moment, the Empress nodded in agreement.
Nanny Song found the idea inappropriate. Once the girl had left, she lowered her voice and said: “Is it really wise to let the fake one meet the Crown Prince? After all, they’re twins born of the same mother…”
The Empress gave a cold laugh. “That’s precisely why they should meet! Keep a close watch on them when the time comes. I also want to know whether that official Lou ever told this girl what happened back then.”
At once, Nanny Song understood the Empress’s intent.
Thus, on the following night, the girl’s eyes were blindfolded. Led by palace attendants through a maze of twists and turns, she lost all sense of direction. After passing through countless corridors, she finally arrived at a secluded, heavily guarded courtyard.
When the blindfold was removed, she found herself in a dilapidated palace residence permeated with the scent of medicine. In the wavering lamplight sat a frail young boy. His face was pale, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at her.
After all, anyone who suddenly saw a person with an identical face appear before them in the middle of the night, as though gazing into a mirror, would suspect the work of ghosts or wandering spirits seeking a substitute for the dead.
The Crown Prince was no exception. He was so frightened that he could not even shed tears.
After quietly studying him for a moment, the girl broke into a grin and bowed. She then explained that she was serving as his stand-in, telling the terrified boy the truth of her role.
The real Feng Qiyuan only grew stiffer upon hearing this. Tears finally came cascading down like tumbling stones.
“Mother… Mother has decided I’m useless, hasn’t she? She doesn’t want me anymore? She’s going to use you… to replace me completely?”
The girl cheerfully poured him a cup of hot tea. “Your Highness jests. Your leg hasn’t healed yet. I’m only taking your place for a few days and shouldering some of the burdens expected of the heir apparent. Rest assured, once your leg recovers, Her Majesty will still need you to uphold the Eastern Palace’s dignity. Besides, I’m a girl. I can’t keep this up for long.”
At their current age, still on the threshold of youth, it was difficult to distinguish a boy from a girl. The deception was manageable. But once the Crown Prince grew older, the disguise would inevitably fall apart.
Her words gradually soothed Feng Qiyuan’s fears. Finally stopping his sobbing, he carefully examined the young girl who looked so much like him. For some reason, her easy smile made him feel an inexplicable sense of warmth and familiarity.
Watching coldly from the side, Nanny Song noted that the wretched girl truly had a knack for winning people over. In no time at all, she had charmed the Crown Prince into speaking with her openly and enthusiastically.
Fortunately, their conversation revolved entirely around her impersonation of the Crown Prince. She asked about his daily interactions with the imperial princes, the Tang family, and various imperial relatives. Nothing seemed improper.
When the discussion turned to Mu Hanjiang, however, her questions became much more detailed.
The Crown Prince’s cheeks flushed crimson with equal parts embarrassment and indignation. “Who said that I was hopelessly infatuated with Young Master Mu? It wasn’t infatuation! It was the purest admiration. I appreciate all things pleasing to the eye, regardless of whether they’re male or female. There was never any of those filthy intentions!”
Young Master Mu’s refined and elegant appearance certainly made him worthy of admiration.
The girl nodded in agreement before pressing further. “So Your Highness merely admired him and never got hands-on in your appreciation?”
The redness had yet to leave Feng Qiyuan’s face, and he looked somewhat ashamed. “At that palace banquet, I drank too much. I don’t know what came over me. My head was spinning, and I kept wanting to lean against someone. Before I knew it, I’d leaned onto Young Master Mu. It caused him to fall from the high pavilion. It was entirely an accident. Still, the fault was mine. And now my own leg is crippled. A fitting turn of karma, I suppose. In the future, if you ever encounter Young Master Mu or those noble youths who are close to him, you’d best stay out of their way. His people don’t care whether you’re the Crown Prince or an imperial prince. When they strike, they strike hard!”
It seemed the Crown Prince had developed quite a grudge with Young Master Mu and was genuinely afraid of the ostensibly insignificant official Mu Hanjiang, repeating his warnings more than once.
After that, the boy began discussing the Crown Prince’s hobbies and daily pursuits.
Upon learning that the girl could perform opera as well, his eyes immediately lit up. After questioning her in detail about her singing style and stage mannerisms, he could no longer contain himself. Leaning on his crutch, he rose to his feet, swayed his waist, and performed a short passage for a fellow enthusiast. His supple movements and graceful posture did not seem self-taught at all. They even carried a hint of a master performer’s artistry.
Watching from the side, Nanny Song curled her lip in disdain and practically rolled her eyes to the rafters.
The Crown Prince was born with lowly bones. Even being raised among nobles couldn’t save him!
The young girl, meanwhile, was quite skilled at flattery. Tapping the tabletop to keep the rhythm, she watched with utter delight, marking the beat for the Crown Prince.
After satisfying his craving to perform, the Crown Prince felt somewhat embarrassed and hastily tried to salvage his dignity. “Mother and Father both dislike this sort of thing. If you’re going to impersonate me, you’d better be more restrained. You can’t simply indulge your passion for opera and forget everything else…”
Smiling, the girl reached over to straighten his slightly disheveled sleeve. “It’s not some shameful occupation. If you enjoy it, then sing. As long as it doesn’t interfere with important matters, that’s enough. Later, I’ll find some good librettos for Your Highness to pass the time with…”
Those words unexpectedly warmed the Crown Prince’s heart. Ever since childhood, everyone in the palace had frowned upon his interests. No one had ever spoken to him with such acceptance and indulgence.
A trace of melancholy entered his expression. “That won’t be necessary. I am the Crown Prince. The one thing I can never truly be in this life is myself…”
The girl parted her lips as if she wished to say something, but ultimately remained silent. Instead, she merely reminded him not to forget his medicine and to focus on healing his injured leg before preparing to leave.
The frail youth had not had a companion for a very long time. For reasons he could not explain, he felt an immediate kinship with the girl impersonating him.
When he saw that she was about to go, Feng Qiyuan was reluctant to part with her and asked for her name.
The girl glanced at Nanny Song, thought for a moment, and replied with a smile: “I am but a commoner. My life has been cheap and insignificant since birth, so I’ve never had a proper name. But I’ve always envied the grand names people of rank possess. Recently, I gave myself one. It’s Xiaoying. Ying as in the glow of a firefly. If Your Highness doesn’t mind, you may call me Yan Xiaoying.”
Nanny Song sneered silently. What a vulgar name. Naming herself after an insect.
The Crown Prince, however, repeated it carefully and seriously. “Yan Xiaoying. I’ve remembered it! If there’s anything you don’t understand, come ask me anytime!”
Yan Xiaoying nodded with a smile and waved goodbye. Her eyes were then covered once more, and she was led away. Soon she left behind the courtyard saturated with the scent of medicinal herbs.
Afterward, Nanny Song reported the meeting to the Empress.
As the girl had claimed, the purpose of the visit had been to better portray the Crown Prince. Most of her questions concerned his daily interactions with others, his habits, and personal preferences. No emotional scene of blood relatives recognizing one another or weeping over their reunion had occurred.
Hearing Nanny Song’s report, the Empress relaxed somewhat.
Yan Xiaoying? She even gave herself a name. After only a few days in the palace, the girl was already trying to imitate aristocratic manners at every turn. What a pity. A life as insignificant as hers would not even merit a grave marker when she died. Her name would certainly never be carved into a memorial stele.
Yet after meeting the Crown Prince just once, Yan Xiaoying’s progress became astonishingly rapid. Her mannerisms, bearing, and even the way she walked grew more and more like his with each passing day.
Although she was a girl, her mind was far sharper than her twin brother’s. Whatever book she was asked to memorize, she could recite it flawlessly after only a short while.
According to her, this talent came from years of keeping account books and memorizing opera scripts.
Whatever the reason, her studies were finally beginning to take shape. At the very least, if she were questioned unexpectedly, she would no longer stand there knowing nothing.
On the day they entered the Imperial Academy to formally study under a teacher, not only the Crown Prince appeared; the Second Prince and Third Prince were there as well.
It was said that after the matter had been settled, Noble Consort Shang had advised the Emperor: “Since Grand Tutor Ge is rarely willing to teach, and teaching students is like herding sheep anyway, whether he herds one or several makes little difference. If the Crown Prince eventually takes power, it would benefit him to have capable imperial brothers at his side.”
The Emperor found the reasoning sound and ordered the two already-grown princes to attend the Imperial Academy as well.
When the news reached the Empress, several fruit platters suffered her wrath and were smashed to pieces. How infuriating!
What should have been an honor reserved solely for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was now being shared with that wretched Noble Consort Shang and her sons.
After venting her anger, the Empress refused to be outdone and ordered Nanny Song to send the young Sixth Prince as well.
Though still a child, the Sixth Prince possessed an almost insatiable thirst for learning. Since he was so young, he needed little of the Grand Tutor’s attention. Merely sitting in and listening to wise instruction alongside his older brothers would suffice. As a result, what had originally been a study hall intended for the Crown Prince alone became crowded with additional desks and seats.
The moment he saw the frail Crown Prince, the Third Prince acted as though he didn’t exist. With a casual elbow shove, he knocked Yan Xiaoying, walking ahead, off to the side.
Yan Xiaoying rubbed the spot on her waist where the human bull had struck her.
Apparently, the Bull King, the Third Prince, still held a grudge over his defeat in the arena and possessed none of the dignity expected of an elder brother.
She didn’t mind. With a cheerful smile, she greeted the dark-faced Third Prince, then pulled the Sixth Prince to a desk and folded paper praying mantises with him.
The Third Prince, Feng Qiwu, let out a cold snort. After firing off several mocking remarks and receiving no response, he huffily took a seat elsewhere.
The smiling-tiger Second Prince, on the other hand, was exceedingly cordial. Looking entirely free of ill intent, he sat opposite the Crown Prince and politely inquired after his health and well-being.
As for the Sixth Prince, Feng Qiruo, although he possessed an adorable baby-faced appearance, he was mature beyond his years. A mere paper mantis failed to interest him in the slightest. After offering a few polite words, he patiently waited for the Crown Prince to finish folding one, thanked his imperial brother perfunctorily for the effort, and then eagerly returned to reviewing his lessons.
After all, the Grand Tutor would be arriving soon, and there would certainly be an examination of their learning.
Wasn’t even the Third Prince, who normally developed a headache the moment he looked at a book, staring with wide bull-like eyes and desperately cramming a few extra pages at the last moment?
Yan Xiaoying, however, idly peeked around from behind her book. All of the older princes had gathered today, yet the Eldest Prince was still nowhere to be seen. She wondered what sort of serious hidden illness he suffered from that he never showed himself within the palace.
Recalling the day she had asked Feng Qiyuan about the Eldest Prince, she remembered how his face had turned deathly pale. Forcing himself to remain calm, he told her not to ask any further questions, insisting she would never encounter their eldest brother.
For someone so guileless to become so tight-lipped whenever the Eldest Prince was mentioned..
Half an hour passed in this manner before the Grand Tutor finally arrived. The moment he entered, silence fell across the study hall.
No one spoke because everyone present had been startled by the sight of the person who had just walked in.