Listening to Eunuch Liu talk about those past events, Shen Ying only then realized that this tyrant had not had a good childhood.
War was no playing house; real people actually died. The Emperor had led troops into battle at the age of fifteen, braving life and death alongside those men and collecting no small number of scars on his body.
Supposedly, on one occasion he was ambushed and surrounded by the enemy for seven whole days. In that freezing cold weather, whenever he was hungry, he would grab a handful of snow, stuff it into his mouth, and let it slowly melt; occasionally, if luck favored him, he might catch a wild beast or two that strayed into the area. It was by enduring like this until reinforcements arrived that he managed to survive.
If it was not his innate nature, then it could only be childhood trauma.
Perhaps it was because his childhood had gone so poorly that he grew up to become a tyrant.
Shen Ying could not help but let out a sigh.
The little Crown Prince listened with half-baked understanding.
Although the Emperor allowed him exposure to court affairs, he was the only child, so he had never been exposed to those treacherous intrigues; thus, the little Crown Prince could not fully comprehend the matters Eunuch Liu spoke of.
He simply felt that his father was incredible, and when he grew up, he wanted to be a man just like his father.
Silence fell inside the private box, making the clamor outside all the more pronounced—it seemed the polo teams had taken the field. As the opposing teams gave chase after the tiny wooden ball, the venue was instantly drowned out by screams and excitement.
Shen Ying turned her head to look outside. The match had just begun, with both sides locked in a stalemate and neither having scored yet.
Holding the spyglass, she looked out toward the field, focusing especially on the faces of several riders mounted on horseback. To distinguish between the two teams, one side wore red while the other wore blue.
The moment she spotted one of the riders, Shen Ying immediately cheered along, “Can we still place bets right now?”
Eunuch Liu smiled. “Naturally.”
“Quick, quick, quick! Place a bet on the blue team for me.”
It was too noisy outside, drowning out Shen Ying’s voice. Eunuch Liu did not hear clearly; only after leaning in a bit closer did he hear Shen Ying say she wanted to bet on the blue side, whereupon he stepped outside for a moment.
The little Crown Prince leaned in as well, popping his head out just enough to see the players on the field.
Tugging on Shen Ying’s sleeve, he asked earnestly, “Does Mother think the blue team can win?”
Shen Ying: “…” Not really.
It was simply that someone on the blue team looked handsome; she was purely indulging her lust for good looks.
Such words were not suitable to be shared with a child like the little Crown Prince. Seeing him staring at her with eager eyes, she could only bite the bullet and nod. “Yes, exactly! The blue team looks like a winning team at first glance.”
“I am just like Mother then!” The little Crown Prince instantly broke into a smile.
Shen Ying was captivated by that man’s face, holding the spyglass in hand and stealing glances every now and then.
At a time like this, if only her girlfriends were here! They would definitely understand her, or at least there would be someone to chat about the topic with.
On several occasions when she got excited, she turned her head, only to see either a child or an eunuch, immediately dousing her excitement.
Her thrilled expression did not seem out of place here; there were people outside far more excited than she was.
“In! It went in! Hahaha! I said it earlier, they were bound to score first!” That young master laughed with utter arrogance, while the faces of those around him turned quite ugly.
Among those watching the polo match were female relatives as well; at this moment, they could no longer care about maintaining a reserved demeanor, their faces flushing red with rage.
“Idiots! A bunch of idiots! Raising you lot is worse than raising pigs! A bunch of useless trash! If you lose, every last one of you will be dragged out and executed!”
Of course, execution was out of the question—after all, it was just a competition, so people would say anything when pushed to anger.
Actually seeing a loss made people extremely restless as well; the noblewomen pulled out the hairpins from their heads and threw them out, while the young masters were more direct, stripping off their shoes and hurling them over.
Losing money did not matter; losing face was unacceptable.
The blue team Shen Ying bet on won. After the manager compiled the list, he placed the winnings on a tray and had them delivered.
Eunuch Liu did not let them enter; he accepted the tray himself and handed it to Shen Ying.
On the tray rested three silver ingots, each weighing five taels.
Shen Ying gave one ingot to the little Crown Prince, took one for herself, and gave the remaining one to Eunuch Liu. “Share for everyone present.”
“Thanking Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen for the reward.” Eunuch Liu was already kneeling on one knee, so he took the opportunity to kowtow.
After the match ended, the polo teams departed.
A few players were carried off—on an actual playing field, falling off a horse and getting injured was unavoidable.
The outside grew quiet as well. Those who had been flushed and shouting at the top of their lungs just now had all composed themselves, though those who placed the wrong bets were still muttering curses under their breath.
Some people were in no hurry to leave, turning back into the private boxes to rest for a bit to calm their moods.
Shen Ying was in no hurry to leave either, taking a sip of tea while sweeping her gaze downward.
Just then, the door to the private box was knocked on again. Eunuch Liu went over to open it, spoke a few words to those outside, and returned to say to the little Crown Prince, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, County Commander Duanmin and the Heir Apparent of Prince Qi have arrived, and they are waiting outside right now.”
“Aunt Duanmin and Uncle Xiu are here? Please invite them in then.”
Eunuch Liu acknowledged the order before inviting them inside.
A woman walked in, dressed in a pomegranate-red chest-high ruqun. The upper jacket was fully embroidered with intertwined floral patterns, while the lower skirt trailed on the ground. On her feet was a pair of floral-patterned cloud-tip brocade shoes, swaying with grace as she walked. Draped over her shoulders was a thin gauze shawl painted with gold peony motifs. Her hair was styled in a simple high topknot pinned with a flower, accompanied by a gold hairpin and step-shaker. A decorative flower paste was applied between her brows, flanked by slant-red makeup painted on both cheeks.
Shen Ying stared straight at her, having long tossed the polo player she saw earlier to the back of her mind.
This woman was far too good-looking!
Perhaps because Shen Ying’s gaze was overly direct, the man at her side could not help coughing once. Only then did Shen Ying shift a fraction of her attention over—he was a man wearing a plain dark-blue silk round-collar robe, his hair bound up using nothing more than a single green jade hairpin.
Duanmin and Pei Xiu had noticed the little Crown Prince coming over here earlier. Realizing that the little Crown Prince had not sought them out directly but went to a private box instead, they reasoned he did not wish to reveal his identity.
Now that the polo match had ended, if they still did not come to pay their respects, it would be considered lacking in etiquette.
Originally, Duanmin had thought Pei Lin had come as well; with the Crown Prince being so young, her elder brother would likely not feel at ease letting him go out alone.
It was rare for her elder brother to be willing to step out for a walk, so County Commander Duanmin was naturally happy.
Others said her elder brother had an unpredictable temper, but being close to him, she naturally understood his hardships. Seeing him misunderstood without defending himself, County Commander Duanmin was rather annoyed at those who spread rumors behind his back—if she ever caught them, she would definitely drag them out and punish them severely.
She just had not expected that her elder brother had actually not come.
Inside the private box was only an unfamiliar woman.
County Commander Duanmin did not look carefully at Shen Ying’s face at all, taking only a superficial glance. Thinking she was a palace maid serving the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, seeing her stare with such a total lack of etiquette made County Commander Duanmin feel a bit annoyed in her heart.
How could there be such a foolish person taking care of the Crown Prince?
Pei Xiu had seen Shen Ying from the moment he entered. This woman possessed an exquisite appearance like flowers and the moon, and judging by her attire, she was clearly not someone who served others; he knew not which family’s young lady she was.
She looked somewhat familiar, yet Pei Xiu could not recall where he had seen her.
The two first bowed to the little Crown Prince, and only after gaining his permission did they prepare to take their seats.
Pei Xiu glanced at Shen Ying again. Seeing that she did not even rise to perform a greeting, his brows knitted slightly as well. Neither he nor County Commander Duanmin were nobodies; this woman was truly audacious.
Who knew what methods she had used to coax His Highness the Crown Prince? Did she think that having the Crown Prince back her up meant she could act completely lawlessly?
Eunuch Liu gave Shen Ying frantic hints with his eyes. If Shen Ying held a higher rank, as an imperial concubine, County Commander Duanmin and the Heir Apparent of Prince Qi would naturally pay their respects to her. But she was merely a Seventh-Rank Maidservant of the lowest status who had yet to receive His Majesty’s favor, so she naturally could not afford to abandon proper decorum.
Even as his eyes nearly cramped up from winking, Shen Ying still failed to notice.
County Commander Duanmin caught Eunuch Liu’s subtle gestures and turned her gaze toward Shen Ying in displeasure. Just as words of reprimand reached her lips, her expression suffered a violent shock upon seeing Shen Ying’s face: “S-Sister-in-law?”
County Commander Duanmin, who was just about to sit down, could not help straightening her posture. Her eyes locked tightly onto Shen Ying’s cheeks, and without even caring about her own demeanor, she took swift steps toward Shen Ying.
“You… Are you truly Sister-in-law?”
This face could not be wrong; it was identical to the one in her memory.
Looking at County Commander Duanmin approaching her, Shen Ying was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
This time, she finally saw Eunuch Liu whose eyes were cramping. Since his eyes were no longer working, Eunuch Liu could only make hand gestures at Shen Ying, which Shen Ying clearly failed to understand.
Duanmin recovered her senses and glared at Eunuch Liu. Seeing him abandon his attempts to remind Shen Ying with a crestfallen expression, she turned her attention back to sizing Shen Ying up.
She had come to her senses this time, aware that the “Sister-in-law” she spoke of—that deceased Crown Princess, Empress Chunzhao of the Shen clan—was already long gone.
The person before her was merely a woman who resembled her.
No, not resembled—they were identical.
At least in her memory, that Sister-in-law looked precisely like this.
Pei Xiu had naturally heard County Commander Duanmin’s words, his gaze falling back onto Shen Ying once more. Regarding the deceased Empress Chunzhao, as a member of the imperial family, it was impossible for him not to know.
That woman’s reputation preceded her, though it was hardly a good one. She was generally considered unfit for respectable occasions, so despite being the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, she rarely showed her face. Even if he had seen her, it was merely a handful of times. Not to mention that she had passed away six years ago—how could Pei Xiu still remember what she looked like? He held only a rough impression in his mind.
However, he believed Duanmin would not mistake the person. She enjoyed the closest relationship with the Emperor, like biological siblings, and used to visit the Eastern Palace frequently, having seen that Crown Princess far more times than he had. Since even she spoke thus, this woman was likely the spitting image of that Crown Princess.
Yet this woman who bore such a striking resemblance to Empress Chunzhao was spending time with His Highness the Crown Prince. Let alone him, if anyone in the know learned of this, they would likely overthink it.
Pei Xiu remained silent, his fingers rubbing against the rim of his teacup as he tried his best to minimize his presence.
County Commander Duanmin restored her earlier demeanor, except her expression was even colder now, her eyes looking at Shen Ying filled with scrutiny.
Who on earth was this woman?