Chapter 25: Fancy

Zhao Yan lay on the innermost side of the bed, listening to a series of rustling sounds.

She couldn’t tell how many people Wen Renlin had brought, or whether he was acting on the Emperor’s decree. She only heard the steady and familiar footsteps slowly approaching, stopping under the intricately carved moon gate.

Empress Wei calmly dropped the curtain, standing up to face the visitor. “It’s already curfew hour, why does the Prince Su have leisure to stroll here?”

“The Empress jests. As the tutor of the Crown Prince, I am not bound by curfew when entering and exiting the Eastern Palace to assist. Staying here for the night is also appropriate,” replied Wen Renlin casually, accepting the tea offered by a palace maid but not drinking it.

“Prince Su, what brings you here?” Zhao Yan tensed up as she heard his voice.

In the silence, Zhao Yan’s body stiffened further. It felt like a sharp knife was hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment. If death was inevitable, she might as well take full responsibility and spare the innocent.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Yan tried to calm her pounding heart, preparing for the worst.

“Zhao Yan, don’t be so nervous. Prince Su is just here to discuss matters,” Empress Wei tried to reassure her daughter.

Listening to their conversation, Zhao Yan couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. But then Wen Renlin’s words seemed more like a cover-up for her actions rather than an accusation.

Zhao Yan focused, trying to stay composed and attentive to the conversation.

Empress Wei also tried to decipher Prince Su’s intentions, but the young man remained composed throughout, as if he were a righteous adviser.

Thankfully, those in power were adept at maintaining a harmonious facade. Unable to discern his true intentions, Empress Wei decided to go along with his words. “My son is still young and got carried away by the spring scenery. Please forgive him, Prince Su. I will discipline him once he’s sober.”

Wen Renlin glanced towards the quiet curtain and remarked, “I believe His Highness has already received his punishment.”

Through the heavy curtain, Zhao Yan still felt his gaze on her back, heavy and chilling.

Yes, she had indeed received her punishment. Her body still ached from it.

Wen Renlin took out a small vial from his sleeve and placed it on the table with a meaningful look before leaving without another word. Zhao Yan frowned as she looked at the vial outside the translucent curtain. Her heart sank, unsure whether to feel relieved or apprehensive.

What did Wen Renlin’s visit really mean?

Confused and overwhelmed, Zhao Yan felt like her head was about to explode.

Outside the Eastern Palace, the lanterns on the carriage swayed in the wind, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Since entering the night, Zhang Cang’s behavior had been quite strange.

Sometimes he would draw his sword three inches out of its sheath, using the blade as a mirror to examine his rugged bronze face. Other times, he would furrow his brows and sigh.

Standing beside him, Vice Marshal Cai Tian couldn’t help but ask, “What’s bothering you? You’ve been preoccupied since we left Penglai Garden.”

Indeed, Zhang Cang had something on his mind.

When he delivered the medicine earlier, he saw the prince holding someone in his arms as he succumbed to poison. The figure was slender, and the prince held them protectively close, leading Zhang Cang to assume it was a noblewoman attending the banquet. But the glimpse of a familiar crimson garment made him realize the truth.

Only when he witnessed the servants carrying the prince back from the Hegui did he realize: the figure was none other than the Crown Prince himself!

Suddenly realizing, the tall and imposing Zhang Cang couldn’t help but shudder.

No wonder the prince, in his twenties, has never had a woman! Besides the courtesans at social events, but it turns out he prefers his own kind, the dry ones.

The old fox dares to deceive the dragon, such audacity!

Zhang Cang was shocked, but after following Prince Su for so many years, he had learned to keep his mouth shut. However, keeping such a big secret weighed heavily on his mind, leading to wild thoughts and speculations.

He rubbed his chin, flexed his muscles, and asked Cai Tian, “Do you think I’m handsome?”

Cai Tian looked at his scruffy face, his eyes twitching slightly, and replied expressionlessly, “Have you seen the statue of Zhong Kui on the door? That’s your real face.”

Zhang Cang wanted to retort, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily, “You don’t understand!”

“How do I not understand?” Cai Tian asked, puzzled.

“Then let me ask you, even though you’ve been with the prince longer, why does he prefer to keep me by his side?” Zhang Cang demanded.

“Because you have strong limbs but a simple mind, unable to do the tasks of conveying messages or spying, so you can only stay by the prince’s side as a guard?” Cai Tian replied truthfully, unable to resist.

Zhang Cang was not convinced. “You really don’t understand! It must be because I’m more handsome and martial than you, which the prince prefers.”

With that, Zhang Cang seemed to realize another dilemma. His eyebrows, which had just risen, drooped again, and he sighed, looking up at the moon, “But I only like women with big buttocks. I’m afraid… I’ll have to disappoint the prince’s kindness.”

Cai Tian rolled his eyes and scoffed, turning his head away.

At that moment, the side door of the Eastern Palace opened, and Wen Renlin stepped out, tall and straight, stepping gracefully under the moonlight and flower shadows. The lights under the palace wall were bright, but they couldn’t warm his frosty face.

Despite his earlier declaration to “disappoint the prince’s kindness,” Zhang Cang hurried forward, putting down the stool with great care. “Is the prince staying at Hegui Pavilion tonight or returning to the palace?”

Just as he stepped onto the stool, Wen Renlin suddenly paused, covering his mouth with his palm and coughing softly, very low. After a moment, he removed his hand, revealing a small patch of dark red blood on his unnaturally pale palm, quite conspicuous.

Cai Tian’s expression changed slightly, quickly blocking the view of the nearby palace guards, and asked in a low voice, “Did the prince not rest properly after taking the antidote? Why this sudden…”

Zhang Cang interrupted, “The prince has been busy all afternoon and hurried to the Eastern Palace at night. How could he have time to rest?”

Wen Renlin himself seemed calm, as if the blood he had just spat out wasn’t his.

He curled his fingers slightly, got into the carriage without changing his expression, and took out a soft cloth from his sleeve to wipe his palm. Then he said slowly, “To the palace.”

Inside the carriage, there was a lantern. Wen Renlin glanced at it and realized that the cloth he used to wipe the blood wasn’t a handkerchief but a piece of fabric he had cut off in the afternoon—a piece of a corset.

The neatly broken corset still bore a faint red mark, mingling with the dark red of the blood he spat out earlier, like a picturesque spring scene. Before tidying up the bed, he inexplicably folded the fabric and tucked it into his sleeve.

There was a faint hint of a smile in Wen Renlin’s eyes, his lips tinged with a blush from the blood, as he changed his mind, “Go to Hegui Pavilion.”

There’s plenty of time ahead, hopefully the little princess won’t disappoint.

…

Zhao Yan was weighed down by heavy thoughts, unable to sleep.

After finally managing to close her eyes, she was repeatedly awakened by bizarre nightmares. Sometimes it was the scene of Zhao Yan’s death, and sometimes it was the panic of her identity being exposed.

Enduring until the late night, a dull pain started to throb in her lower abdomen again. Upon inspection, she found that her menstruation had come unexpectedly ten days early.

Liu Ying immediately took the soiled clothes and secretly burned them, then assisted Zhao Yan in changing clothes. By the time they finished, the candlelight had dimmed, and it was already starting to brighten outside the window.

Having spent the whole night awake and feeling unwell, Zhao Yan’s spirits were far from good.

Liu Ying brought clean clothes and looked at her mistress for a while before hesitantly suggesting, “Your Highness, why don’t you take a rest for a couple of days? Let this servant ask Physician Zhang to issue a medical certificate for Your Highness.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhao Yan held her stomach with one hand and propped her chin with the other, frowning as she shook her head.

“It’s the first time Father Emperor has asked the Eastern Palace to host a banquet on his behalf. If I take sick leave before handling it properly, what will Father Emperor think?”

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Yan struggled to put on the clothes and instructed, “Have Li Fu bring the approved documents and prepare the sedan to go to the Taiji Palace.”

Liu Ying knew that her mistress was pushing herself for the greater good, so despite feeling sorry, she couldn’t bear to stop her and went to make arrangements. A sedan chair was not as stable as a carriage, usually swaying leisurely, but for Zhao Yan at this moment, it was akin to torture.

Her waist was already sore, and with her menstruation, the pain doubled.

What was even harder to bear was the discomfort down there, which became swollen and painful with every jolt. Leaning against the carriage wall, Zhao Yan twisted her body slightly to lift one side of her hips, then after a moment, she switched to the other side, trying to alleviate the pain, but with little success.

Liu Ying noticed her mistress’s restraint and handed her a warmed hand stove, saying softly, “We’re almost there, Your Highness. Use this to warm your stomach first.”

After saying that, she lifted the curtain and instructed the sedan bearers, “Be careful.”

Finally arriving at the gates of the Taiji Palace after enduring much hardship, Zhao Yan almost fell to her knees when she got off the sedan. Fortunately, Liu Ying reacted quickly and supported her, allowing her to regain her strength.

It had rained in the early morning, and there was a misty fog in front of the steps, making it damp.

Carrying the documents, Zhao Yan waited outside the Taiji Hall for two cups of tea. The old eunuch who delivered the message finally bowed and apologized, “Crown Prince, His Majesty is currently discussing Daoism with the Imperial Tutor. It may take… a while longer.”

Gritting her teeth, Zhao Yan, with a good temper, said, “It’s okay. I’ll wait here for Father Emperor’s summons.”

Another half hour passed, and the rain outside went from small to heavy, then from heavy to light. Zhao Yan alternated standing on her left and right feet for a few rounds. Just as she was enduring the unbearable pain in her waist and abdomen, she heard the familiar and leisurely footsteps behind her.

Zhao Yan didn’t need to look back. Just by smelling the faint and cold woody incense, she knew who had arrived. Without turning around, she stood up straighter, lowering her head even more.

Wen Renlin, seeing Zhao Yan here early in the morning, was quite surprised.

His gaze swept past Zhao Yan’s trembling eyelashes and landed on her pale fingertips holding the memorial. He paused slightly before walking past her. Surprisingly, without any announcement, he went straight into the hall.

Zhao Yan stared at her toes, unsure whether to relax or be cautious.

Just as her thoughts were muddled, the old eunuch bowed again, his smile deepening this time. “His Majesty, who specially asked this old servant to invite the Crown Prince into the hall.”

Zhao Yan bit her lip and restrained her emotions. “Thank you.”

The Emperor was busy arranging some elixirs, with various bottles and jars laid out in front of him.

Seeing the Crown Prince entering the hall and paying respects, he didn’t even raise his eyes, saying, “The Flower Pinning Banquet, the Prince has already informed me.”

What did he say?

Would Wen Renlin disclose anything unfavorable to the Emperor?

Everything was uncertain.

She suppressed the momentary anxiety and smiled as usual, saying, “Your son specially presents the memorials recommended by various ministries for Father Emperor’s review.”

The Emperor raised his hand slightly, and the old eunuch nodded slightly, going towards the Crown Prince. Before he reached her, a cold, slender hand reached out and took the memorial from the Crown Prince’s hand.

The eunuch was stunned, and Zhao Yan was also stunned.

Wen Renlin stood tall in a crimson official robe, deliberately or unintentionally brushing his fingertips over hers, holding the memorial casually as he said, “The Crown Prince has handled the banquet very well.”

Only then did the Emperor raise his eyes, glanced at the memorial briefly, and nodded, “Though a bit raw, there are commendable aspects.”

With that, he casually placed the memorial on the table and looked at the young man in front of him, “What about you? I asked you to select a consort. Have you found anyone suitable?”

Wen Renlin bowed, his eyes passing over the candlelight on the wooden frame, landing on the “Little Prince.”

Zhao Yan suddenly stiffened, feeling that Wen Renlin’s smile seemed even deeper, with a hint of playful teasing.

“Well, there is one interesting candidate,” he said.

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