“How does it feel, my dear sister the Crown Princess[2]The principal wife of the Crown Prince, the emperor’s designated heir to the throne. The title carries high status within the imperial household. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, to be bitten to death by the dog you raised with your own hands?”
The woman stood high on the steps and gave a cold laugh, as though she were afraid of touching something unclean on the ground below.
On the ground, Shen Li’an lay sprawled like a dead snake. The blood beneath her clung to the floor. Deafening barks filled the air. Her lashes trembled, but she could not open her eyes; only her body continued to shudder.
The heavy stench of blood jolted the senses. Sunlight fell across her profile, revealing her pale lips. Then her legs gave one last kick, and she breathed her last.
Jiang Nan closed the book she had only half finished and sighed. “How tragic. She’s only a supporting character, but the author’s so cruel!”
She turned, set the book on the bedside table, and switched off the light.
The pages fluttered past until they stopped near the beginning.
The first line stood out:
He was gone for three years. When he returned, a woman with a face like peach blossoms[3]A traditional Chinese expression evoking a woman’s beauty, particularly a fresh, rosy complexion. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was at his side—truly enchanting.
Jiang Nan fell asleep in bed.
When she woke again, the bed was draped with curtains in an antique style. Still drowsy, she half-opened her eyes and mumbled, “I’m dreaming. I’m still asleep, still asleep.”
Then she rolled over and went back to sleep.
A clear female voice called, “Your Highness, His Highness will be back at the residence in four hours. You need to hurry.”
Jiang Nan jolted in fright, springing from under the covers to the corner of the bed. Eyes wide, she looked the girl up and down.
“Did Your Highness have a nightmare? Qinglan can fetch some cooling balm to settle your nerves,” the young woman said, taking two steps back.
“Qinglan? That name sounds familiar.” Jiang Nan frowned and pointed at her. “You’re Qinglan? This isn’t the Crown Prince’s Residence, is it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Qinglan’s eyes were clear and bright.
Jiang Nan pointed at herself. “Then I’m the Crown Princess?”
“Yes.” Qinglan came closer. “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Nan burrowed under the covers and whispered, “I felt sorry for her, but I never said I wanted to save her!”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince will be back soon. We need to get ready to welcome him home from his journey!”
“I’m not going.”
“Your Highness, it’s His Majesty’s decree[4]An authoritative command issued by the emperor. Defying an imperial decree could carry severe punishment, although the specific consequences depended on the circumstances. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); . Not going would be defying the imperial order…” Qinglan’s voice grew softer and softer.
“What happens if I defy it?” Jiang Nan blinked her big eyes.
Qinglan lowered her head. “You’ll be beheaded.”
Jiang Nan sprang reflexively out of the covers, then followed the maid’s directions and sat at the table.
As the maid gently combed her hair in front of the mirror, Jiang Nan closed her eyes and tried to recall the story. Only then did she realize she hadn’t even finished reading the book!
She had only read about the tragic end of the Crown Princess, a supporting character…
Following the maid’s instructions, she went to the gates of the Crown Prince’s Residence. It was late autumn, and she shivered in the cold wind, her teeth chattering.
About two hours later, the faint sound of hoofbeats came from far away, growing louder as it approached. She craned her neck to look. Two men rode blood-sweating horses[5]Known in Chinese as hanxue ma, or “blood-sweating horses,” these were celebrated steeds associated with ancient Central Asia. Their name comes from historical accounts and legends … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, one ahead of the other, heading toward the residence. A contingent of soldiers followed behind them, escorting a dark-gray carriage.
“Two men? Which one is the Crown Prince?” she muttered, examining their clothes. One wore armor and looked every inch a great general. The other wore jade-colored finery, with a precious piece of jade hanging at his waist.
Jiang Nan’s eyes lit up. She walked toward the finely dressed young man and bowed before him. “Greetings, Your Highness.” Then she glanced back at the armored man on horseback and smiled. “And this gentleman is…?”
The armored man’s face darkened. He said nothing.
The finely dressed young man on horseback suddenly laughed. “Second Brother[6]In traditional Chinese families, siblings are often addressed according to their relative birth order. Such forms of address also appear among members of the imperial family. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, it’s been three years. Imperial Sister-in-law[7]A respectful kinship term used by an imperial prince when addressing the wife of an elder brother. Here, it acknowledges her position as the Crown Prince’s wife. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); doesn’t even recognize you anymore.” He looked down at Jiang Nan. “Imperial Sister-in-law, it’s me, Chengming.”
“Shen Li’an, stop making a fool of yourself!” The armored man narrowed his eyes, his words clenched between his teeth.
Who was Shen Li’an? Jiang Nan hadn’t yet figured it out when a girl of sixteen or seventeen slowly stepped down from the carriage.
She wore a lotus-root-pink silk dress and a plain Hetian jade[8]A prized type of nephrite jade named after the Hetian, or Hotan, region of present-day Xinjiang, historically renowned for jade. The name does not necessarily establish the geographic origin of a … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); hairpin. Her clothes were understated, but her features were striking. Looking at her, Jiang Nan couldn’t help thinking of the line, “Like a lotus rising pure from clear water, untouched by artifice.”[9]A line from a poem by Li Bai, a celebrated Tang-dynasty poet. It praises natural, unadorned beauty and is also used to describe a woman’s fresh, effortless elegance. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); A dark cloak, which looked like a man’s, lay across the girl’s slender shoulders.
Jiang Nan realized this was the heroine, making her official entrance.
A gust of cold wind swept by, and Jiang Nan shivered before pitching face-first to the ground.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!” Qinglan knelt on the ground beside her, leaning close to call into her ear. “Crown Prince, Third Prince—this is bad! Her Highness has fainted!”
“Imperial Sister-in-law.” Third Prince Chengming leapt from his horse and knelt beside Jiang Nan to check on her.
The Crown Prince glanced down from horseback. “Who knows what trick she’s trying to pull this time!”
The man swung down from his horse, walked straight past the Crown Princess to the girl who had just stepped out of the carriage, and took her hand. He paid no attention to Jiang Nan, still lying on the ground behind him.
Another gust of wind lifted the girl’s skirt, revealing her noticeably rounded belly. She looked alarmed and quickly covered her figure with her sleeve. As she passed Jiang Nan, who was still lying on the ground, she only glanced up at the Crown Prince before following the man into the residence.
After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Nan woke in bed. A maid was leaning against the bedside. Jiang Nan reached out and fumbled along the bedframe. “What time is it?”
The maid looked confused. “What kind of pastry would Your Highness like? The kitchen only has mung bean cakes.”
Jiang Nan turned her head, squinting like someone who had just woken up. “Qinglan? What time is it?”
Qinglan said, “Your Highness, it’s already noon.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“About three hours, Your Highness.”
Jiang Nan waved a hand. “Take me to see the Crown Prince.”
Qinglan hesitated. “Your Highness, you’ve only just rested. You shouldn’t be walking around. Besides… at the Crown Prince’s Residence, you can’t refer to yourself as ‘I.’”
Jiang Nan gave a cold laugh. “Then what should I call myself? ‘This Crown Princess’[10]In Chinese palace speech, a high-ranking woman may use a formal first-person expression that emphasizes her status instead of the ordinary word for “I.” jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740257_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740257_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });?” She threw off the covers and got briskly out of bed. “Look, this Crown Princess is fine. Take me—take this Crown Princess—to see the Crown Prince.”
“Your Highness, it would be better not to go.” Qinglan suddenly dropped to her knees, her face pressed to the floor, afraid to look up.
Jiang Nan stared at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Qinglan stammered as though she were hiding a secret. Jiang Nan rose from the bedside in one swift movement.
Her voice rose. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you the maid I brought with me from my family home? What could you possibly be hiding from me?”
Qinglan fell to her knees with a thump, mumbling something under her breath.
“What? What are you saying? Speak up! I can’t hear you! This Crown Princess can’t hear you!”
Qinglan bowed low to the floor, fidgeting. “Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. The woman who got out of the carriage today was brought back by the Crown Prince.”
Jiang Nan dropped back onto the bed’s edge and crossed one leg over the other. “That’s all? I thought it was something serious.”
Qinglan raised her head and stared at Jiang Nan, utterly stunned.
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