Prince Jing pressed his lips together. “My wife… she is already eight months with child.” For the first time, the man who usually carried himself with a casual, carefree air showed a rare touch of shyness.
“Why have you never mentioned this before?” The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. After all, the imperial line had grown very thin in recent years.
Yi Yi was still the only grandchild born into the royal family.
Prince Jing had been married for more than four years, and there had been no news of an heir all this time. Now, at last, came good tidings.
With this happy news shared, the four of them finished their midday meal in peace and harmony.
The next day.
Jiang Wantang pulled Yi Yi out from under the covers to wash her face, brush her hair, and dress her.
A light rain had fallen during the night, bringing a cool freshness to the air. The scorching heat of late summer had finally broken.
Today, Jiang Wantang chose a slightly thicker outfit for Yi Yi. She wore a soft pale green outer robe, paired with a deeper sage-green pleated skirt scattered with small white daisies simple, fresh, and utterly charming.
After breakfast in the Purple Star Palace, Eunuch Li took Yi Yi out to fly a kite.
Yi Yi was having the time of her life, and the sound of her tinkling laughter echoed throughout the imperial gardens.
She ran so fast on her short legs that Eunuch Li could barely keep up, huffing and puffing behind her. “Slow down, Your Highness do not run so fast, lest you trip and fall…”
Those little legs moved like spinning wheels. Was this the secret benefit of eating nine meals a day?
Suddenly, snap! The kite string broke. The paper kite spun through the air and drifted down into the courtyard of a nearby palace.
Above the gate hung a plaque inscribed with the name: Zhi Lan Pavilion.
This was the residence of Consort Qi, a woman who had been frail and sickly for years. She kept to herself, never vying for favor or causing trouble, and was rarely seen about the palace.
Yi Yi darted straight inside. The guards at the gate, recognizing her at once, turned a blind eye and let her pass no one dared stop the princess.
The kite had landed in a tree, though it was not very tall.
Yi Yi scrambled up the trunk like a little monkey, hands and feet working together.
She climbed happily, unaware that behind her, Eunuch Li was watching with his heart in his throat.
What on earth is the princess doing?!
If she fell, he would surely receive dozens of lashes as punishment.
Desperate to save both her and his own skin, Eunuch Li lunged forward, scooped the little girl up from behind, and lifted her safely back to the ground.
Once she was set down, Eunuch Li pressed a hand to his chest, breathing a long sigh of relief. “Your Royal Highness, this old servant is getting on in years and has a weak heart do not frighten me so.”
Having retrieved the kite, Eunuch Li reached for Yi Yi’s hand to lead her out. But the little girl’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared intently toward the inner bedchamber.
Not again… surely she isn’t hungry already?
Eunuch Li knew that look all too well this child ate nine times a day, and that glint in her eyes was unmistakable.
As he tried to figure out how to gently lead her away, Yi Yi slipped free and scurried off before he could stop her. Helpless, he had no choice but to follow.
From inside the room came the sound of coughing.
“Your Ladyship you are coughing up blood again!”
A crimson stain spread across the handkerchief, bright and shocking. Yet Consort Qi remained calm, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary.
The hanging curtain parted, and a small figure dressed in green stepped into the room.
Though Consort Qi lived quietly and kept a low profile, her chambers were not entirely cut off from the world. There was only one child this young in the entire palace the newly returned princess, Yi Yi.
Yi Yi looked around the room curiously, then trotted over to Consort Qi. “Pretty Lady, Yi Yi will blow on it for you… then it won’t hurt anymore.” She puffed out her cheeks and blew gently several times.
Consort Qi froze for a moment, then quickly masked the surprise in her eyes.
After a pause, she reached out and patted the top of the child’s soft hair. “Princess, what brings you to my humble chambers today?”
Yi Yi blinked, enjoying the gentle touch, and was about to explain she had come to fetch her kite when Eunuch Li appeared in the doorway.
“Greetings to Consort Qi,” he bowed respectfully. “The princess’s kite broke free and landed in your courtyard. We apologize for disturbing you.”
Consort Qi replied that it was no trouble, then ordered her maids to bring out pastries and sweet tea to entertain the guest.
Yi Yi ate with great relish, while Eunuch Li watched Consort Qi closely.
He had seen her briefly when she first entered the palace, and even then she had looked weak and sickly. But today, her complexion was ashen, her lips tinged with a dark, purplish hue she looked as though she had only a few days left to live.
Before long, the plate of pastries was empty.
Yi Yi sipped her sweet drink contentedly to help her digestion, then smiled sweetly and thanked her host. “Thank you, Pretty Lady. Yi Yi also wants to eat the little bugs you have here.” She pointed a chubby finger toward a corner of the room.
She had smelled them the moment she stepped in this lady had the most delicious bugs!
They smelled so good…
Surely the Heavens had heard her wish yesterday and sent her this wonderful treat.
Her eyes sparkled, shining like little stars.
Consort Qi followed the direction of Yi Yi’s finger, and all the color drained from her face. “Yi Yi… there are no bugs here, my dear.”
Yi Yi tilted her head in confusion. But she had seen them inside a jar, swarming with that dark, murky energy. They were not as strong as the one inside her father, but they still held plenty of that foul, nourishing energy. More than enough to fill her tummy.
“Your Royal Highness, my lady is already frail and unwell. We cannot receive guests today!” Consort Qi’s personal maid stepped forward, trying to drive them out.
“Wait.”
Eunuch Li narrowed his eyes and scanned the room carefully.
As the Emperor’s trusted attendant and head of all palace staff, even those consorts who looked down on eunuchs still had to show him some measure of respect.
When Yi Yi mentioned wanting to eat bugs, a thought struck him.
Most people did not know, but Eunuch Li did it was the princess who had swallowed the Soul-Devouring Gu to save His Majesty’s life. Whoever had planted that poison still remained unknown. He could not afford to dismiss what the child had said as mere fantasy.
“Search the room!”
At his command, hidden imperial guards emerged from the shadows and began to search the bedchamber.
In no time at all, they found a clay jar in the very corner Yi Yi had pointed to.
Seeing the jar, Yi Yi’s eyes lit up like lanterns. She reached out to grab it, but Eunuch Li signaled the guards, who quickly lifted the jar high above her head.
In the end, the little girl was defeated by her lack of height. Pouting and huffing, she was carried back to the Purple Star Palace.
The moment she stepped inside, she began to complain loudly to her father. “Daddy! Uncle Li won’t let Baby have the jar!”
Dongfang Mo turned his cold gaze toward Eunuch Li, who wiped the sweat from his brow and quickly explained everything that had happened.
Dongfang Mo looked blankly at Consort Qi, who had followed them in.
Who is this woman? He could not even recall her name. And judging by her pallor, she did not look as though she would survive many more days.
“Speak,” he ordered.
“Your Majesty,” Consort Qi spoke, tears welling in her eyes. “I have never heard of any bugs, nor seen this jar. I am weak and ill, and have never sought power or favor in this harem. I do not know who could harbor such cruel intentions to frame me like this.”
She wept, her slender frame trembling as if she might collapse and pass away at any moment.
Her maid also cried out in defense. “Your Majesty, my lady is already in poor health, yet she still went out of her way to entertain the princess today. To be accused of such terrible things she simply cannot bear this injustice!”
“Your Majesty, the words of a child should not be taken as truth!”
With that, the maid knelt before Yi Yi, bowing her head low. “Your Royal Highness, please spare my lady’s life!” She knocked her forehead repeatedly against the floor.
Yi Yi looked on, feeling confused and uneasy. Dongfang Mo lifted her gently and settled her onto his lap.
The little girl stared up at her father with wide, earnest eyes, her voice losing its usual lively tone. “Daddy… Yi Yi is not lying. The bugs are really there, in Pretty Lady’s room.”
Ever since absorbing the Soul-Devouring Gu, Yi Yi’s senses had grown far sharper. And right now, the air around Consort Qi reeked of the heavy, distinct aura of Gu worms.