Chapter 55: Shao Yuan

Wen Renlin has been busy lately, not showing up in the Eastern Palace for several evenings to supervise “study.”

Zhao Yan is busy preparing for the Empress’s birthday banquet, so she’s happy to take a little break and put aside the two unfinished books by locking them in the drawer.

“Tomorrow’s troubles are for tomorrow to worry about,” she thinks. She’ll deal with Wen Renlin’s homework check when he remembers to do it.

In mid-June, the palace is quiet, but the slight coolness from the ice mirror can hardly withstand the heat of midsummer.

Zhao Yan holds a few sketches of jade pendant patterns, her summer clothes still tightly bound underneath, feeling stifled like a pancake as she rolls on the mat. On the side table, there are carving knives and miscellaneous tools, while a brocade box contains several pieces of excellent-quality jade.

As Liu Ying enters the palace, she takes the fan from Li Fu’s hand and gently fans Zhao Yan to cool her down.

Li Fu tactfully withdraws, also closing the palace door behind him.

“Is there news from Liu Baiwei?” Zhao Yan, aware that Liu Ying has something important to report, asks.

Liu Ying shakes his head and whispers, “Miss He, who serves by Your Majesty’s side, came and said that the Prince of Yongchuan entered the capital with his grandson yesterday, intending to seek the Emperor’s favor and have his grandson recognized by imperial decree.”

“The Prince of Yongchuan?” Zhao Yan rummages through the list of royal relatives in the court and recalls.

This Yongchuan Prince is barely related to the late Emperor, being his cousin once removed, and he’s already in his old age with only one son, who passed away from illness ten years ago.

“I remember the sudden death of the prince heir of Yongchuan without leaving any heirs. Where did this grandson come from?” Zhao Yan wonders.

“It’s said that he’s born from an outside woman and was only recently recognized,” Liu Ying replies, “The old prince is keeping the news tightly sealed.”

Zhao Yan ponders for a moment before saying, “Although the Prince of Yongchuan shares the same ancestry and surname with the late Emperor, he’s been out of power for five generations and merely enjoys his title without real authority. Another grandson won’t have any impact on the Eastern Palace.”

It’s Xuanyi’s child who’s causing all the fuss before even being born.

Liu Ying adds, “That may be so, but the appearance of this grandson seems too coincidental, especially rushing into the palace like this. Your Highness, be cautious.”

Zhao Yan nods in understanding and then remembers something. She retrieves the lotus-patterned jade pendant left by Zhao Yan from under her pillow and gently runs her finger over the slight crack on its surface.

“Let’s go with this design,” she decides.

She rises from her seat and walks to the table, comparing the jade material she picked from the brocade box, which matches the quality of the one left by Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan thinks to herself that this is her way of showing filial piety to Zhao Yan.

…

“Last winter was bitterly cold, not only were the rebels unable to endure, but many refugees outside the city also froze to death. Who would have thought that it would be so hot again in summer…”

In the Chongwen Hall, Pei Sa rolls up his sleeves to cool off his two arms, his brows furrowed.

While Zhao Yan is fanning herself, wrapped tightly in her clothes and layers of bindings, she also feels suffocated.

This weather is truly abnormal.

Just as she is thinking, Li Fu enters from outside the hall and quietly informs, “Your Highness, the Prince of Yongchuan’s grandson seeks an audience.”

“Who?”

“The legitimate grandson of the Prince of Yongchuan, who just recognized his ancestry.”

Zhao Yan has never met the Prince of Yongchuan or his grandson, let alone the young prince, so she is surprised. “What does he want with me?”

Li Fu glances at the palace attendants serving tea and water in the hall, hesitates, and says, “You’ll know when you see him, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yan didn’t expect to meet this young prince so soon. She wonders what his intentions are, but she’ll find out as soon as she meets him.

With only a quarter of an hour left before Wen Renlin’s martial arts class, she ponders for a moment and instructs, “Let him wait in the back hall.”

Zhao Yan walks through the long corridor to the back hall.

The door to the room is half-open, and she can vaguely see a noble young man standing by the window in moon-white silk with gold borders, his arms crossed over his chest. His high-tied ponytail sways slightly with his light tapping on the floor with his boots, seeming a bit impatient.

Well, he does seem quite impatient, Zhao Yan mimics the demeanor of a “prince” and gently says, “I heard you’re looking for me…”

The young man turns his head at the sound, and Zhao Yan’s unfinished words come to an abrupt halt.

Their eyes meet, and the gentle expression Zhao Yan had put on suddenly shatters. After a moment, she opens her eyes wide and says, “Why are you here!?”

The Prince of Yongchuan’s grandson… no, Liu Baiwei, lets go of his crossed arms, and all his impatience disappears the moment he sees Zhao Yan.

He tilts his chin slightly, his long eyebrows habitually raising, and boldly says, “I said I would come back to find you.”

Not far away, on the shade of the palace wall, a jet-black crow with blue eyes stretches lazily, gracefully weaving through the intertwining branches, then leaps onto the roof with elegant steps, rubbing against the curved eaves before disappearing into the railing. 

“Indeed, Mr. Liu has chosen to come back.”

Wen Renlin sits in his chair, taking out a piece of dried meat from his pocket to feed the black cat, his face calm under the sunlight, showing no hint of disturbance.

“He’s truly a persistent fox spirit. Changing his skin, he’s turned into the grandson of the Prince of Yongchuan.”

Zhang Cang stares at the corridor behind the Chongwen Hall, filled with indignation. “Why doesn’t the Prince use some means to invalidate his status as a prince? After all these years in exile, who knows if he’s real or fake.”

Wen Renlin stroked the black cat’s fur, glanced at Zhang Cang, and said, “Smart.”

Zhang Cang chuckled, “Of course…”

Sensing his master’s increasingly cold gaze, Zhang Cang’s smile froze, and he awkwardly lowered his head, saying, “I have overstepped my bounds again, advising the prince what to do.”

He was quick to admit his mistake, but not quick-witted.

Back when Liu Baiwei disguised himself as a woman and stuck close to the young prince, the prince couldn’t tolerate any rivals. He didn’t hesitate to offend the young prince just to get rid of the fake Liu. So why wasn’t he in a hurry now?

As Zhang Cang pondered, he suddenly realized something and made an enlightened expression, saying, “I understand now! Since that fox has recognized the young prince’s identity, even if he shares the same surname as the prince, according to the etiquette of our dynasty, people of the same surname, even if separated by seventeen or eighteen generations, cannot be together!”

The prince was indeed clever! Without shedding blood, he completely thwarted the male fox’s intentions!

Zhang Cang admired him greatly.

While he was overwhelmed, Wen Renlin remained indifferent. He wiped his hands with a handkerchief, lowered his eyes to his elegant and slender hands, and suddenly felt like touching something softer and smoother.

So he turned and went downstairs, heading towards the Chongwen Hall.

In the corridor, Zhao Yan and Liu Baiwei stood shoulder to shoulder, listening to the tinkling of the eaves bells.

“The old master went to the Taiji Hall to pay respects. It’s estimated to take a while, so I sneaked here by myself,” Zhao Yan said.

Liu Baiwei changed into a cloud satin brocade, with the gold and white colors setting off his thin lips and white teeth, giving him a youthful look different from when he was disguised as a woman or a scholar.

He snorted, “The lights at Mingde Pavilion are still on, but I don’t want to wait for the prince’s news like a neglected woman in a deep boudoir. I can only resort to this plan.”

Zhao Yan took a while to accept what she was seeing.

“What’s going on exactly?” she asked, not knowing where to start. “Aren’t you surnamed Liu?”

Liu Baiwei seemed hesitant, pursed his lips, and then confessed, “Liu is my mother’s surname.”

As the only son of the Prince of Yingchuan, he was unrivaled locally and could easily take away the innocence of any girl he desired. The girl was the daughter of a private school teacher, as delicate and beautiful as an orchid, but suffered this undeserved calamity. After the prince was satisfied, he left and married a noblewoman suitable for his status, not even giving the Liu family girl a proper status, which infuriated the girl’s father to death.

Liu Baiwei mocked, “These acts of bullying and oppression would be cliché in stories, but what’s ridiculous is that they actually happened in reality.”

The Liu family girl sold her property and sought refuge with relatives, giving birth to a son with great difficulty, thinking that would be the end of her miserable life. However, the Prince of Yingchuan faced retribution for his numerous sins and suddenly fell ill and died.

With the Prince’s death, once the old Prince of the County passed away, the court would reclaim the title and salary of the Prince of Yingchuan.

The royal family wouldn’t let go of such a lucrative opportunity.

The prince’s wife remembered that her husband had an illegitimate child outside.

She sent people to kill the Liu family woman in an attempt to eliminate the mother and son, securing the future of the Prince’s estate.

However, the woman managed to escape with her son. On a rainy night, with her last breath, she entrusted her nine-year-old son to her father’s friend, Mr. Linjiang.

“I changed my name and surname and traveled with Mr. Linjiang for seven years. The Prince of Yongchuan never stopped searching for me. It wasn’t until the sixteenth year of Tianyou that Mr. Linjiang recommended me to Mingde Pavilion.”

Liu Baiwei leaned against the railing, calmly saying, “In the spring of the second year, I met the Crown Prince who was staying at Mingde Pavilion.”

He hated those aristocrats who destroyed the Liu family, as well as the dirty bloodline within himself. All he sought in his life was to see the light of day clearly, to expose the evil in the dark night, and to comfort the souls of his mother and grandfather.

So, on the first day of conversing with the Crown Prince, he knew he had found the right person.

Zhao Yan suddenly remembered that when she was at Yuquan Palace, Liu Baiwei had confessed the truth about “Lamp” to her. He had indeed mentioned, “I came to Mingde Academy to hide. Being able to hide in the Eastern Palace is even better.”

But at that time, Zhao Yan was deeply impressed by her brother’s pure character and was overwhelmed by emotions, forgetting to delve into the deeper meaning of Liu Baiwei’s confession.

Liu Baiwei turned his head, explaining softly, “I didn’t deliberately conceal it. Later, I also thought about confessing my background to the Crown Prince…”

But later, when the lamp was lit in the Jingjian Building and he saw Wang Yu, and learned about the Crown Prince being bullied, he was forced to fake his death before… With one thing after another, he missed the opportunity to confess.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan seemed to understand something.

She also leaned against the railing, her clear eyes looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar arrogant youth beside her, and asked softly, “Are you back for the Eastern Palace?”

Liu Baiwei’s tumultuous life was all thanks to the Prince of Yongchuan. He should, indeed, detest being called “young prince.”

Liu Baiwei was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and subconsciously reached out to put his arm around Zhao Yan’s shoulder.

Then he realized that he could no longer casually be intimate with the Crown Prince.

His raised hand turned in the air, and he rubbed his nose, saying, “It’s not just for the sake of appearing legitimate to the Crown Prince. I just figured some things out and realized there’s existing power to use, so why not take advantage of it?”

Zhao Yan seemed to see through his thoughts and said, “You don’t have to force yourself.”

“Is Your Highness worried about me?” Liu Baiwei pointed to his heart, saying clearly, “Your Highness, rest assured, I’m just changing my identity to fight alongside you. My determination won’t change because of this.”

Zhao Yan understood, but the most precious thing in the world was the word “perseverance.”

Liu Baiwei had it, as did the deceased Zhao Yan and those scholars.

She smiled and said seriously, “Liu Baiwei, you truly have the spirit of a young gentleman.”

With a smile, all the radiant light in the world seemed to fall into her eyes.

Liu Bai paused for a moment, then naturally averted his gaze and looked at his toes, saying, “Your Highness, such flattery might hurt your conscience. A pitiful background is not an excuse for surrendering oneself. I strive desperately not to become an evil person, how could I forget my original beliefs just because of my sudden high position.”

Upon closer inspection, there are indeed regrets.

Liu Baiwei seemed a bit absent-minded. “I often said I would take care of Her Highness for Zhao Yan, and now, it seems we’ve truly become family…”

“Becoming family isn’t a bad thing at all. When you think about it, I should address you as my cousin,” Zhao Yan replied.

“We’re distant relatives from six or seven generations back. What kind of cousins are we?” Liu Baiwei retorted.

Liu Baiwei seemed resistant yet somewhat unwilling, bearing a semblance to the stubbornness of “Miss Liu Ji”.

However, sharing the same surname was an indisputable fact, so he reluctantly abandoned his thoughts.

Zhao Yan looked at him, sometimes spirited, sometimes disheartened, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “What does Father Emperor say?”

Liu Baiwei responded with little interest, “The old man wants the Emperor to grant me a courtesy name, as if I’m acknowledging my ancestry.”

“Is it already time for you to take a courtesy name?” Zhao Yan was surprised.

She remembered Liu Baiwei hadn’t reached the age for the coming-of-age ceremony and receiving a courtesy name.

Liu Baiwei explained, “The old man urgently needs me to support the facade, so even before I turn twenty, I can take a courtesy name.”

Zhao Yan understood, recalling how her uncle, Marquis Ningyang, Wei Yan, became the head of the family at fourteen and took the courtesy name “Zeran” at fifteen.

And what about Wen Renlin?

She seemed to have never heard anyone mention Wen Renlin’s courtesy name, even though he had come of age two or three years ago.

Just as she was pondering, Liu Baiwei remembered the true purpose of this meeting and interrupted her thoughts, “Is Your Highness still investigating the source of that poisonous fragrance?”

Zhao Yan snapped back to attention and said, “Yes.”

Indeed, Liu Baiwei affirmed.

“I found out that even the Prince of Yongchuan’s mansion is seeking elixirs and consulting with priests from the Shenguang Sect. It’s evident that the tentacles of these demonic cults have spread throughout the court and the country,” Liu Baiwei said gravely.

As clouds drifted by and cicadas hummed low, Liu Baiwei lowered his voice, “I have a feeling that something big will happen soon. Your Highness must be careful.”

Zhao Yan nodded. “I understand. The cultural foundation is the soul of a nation. I’ll leave the matter concerning the Mingde Institute to you.”

After exchanging information, they noticed a eunuch approaching from afar.

Liu Baiwei knew the eunuch was looking for him and straightened up, saying, “I should go.”

Although he said so, he hesitated to leave.

Zhao Yan nodded and said, “Alright.”

Liu Baiwei opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just turned away and said, “I’ll come to see Your Highness often.”

With that, he performed a Confucian ritual and took a deep breath before turning to leave.

Zhao Yan returned to the Chongwen Hall, half a stick of incense later.

The hall was half-covered by bamboo curtains, and the smoke from the beast-shaped censers wafted gently. Pei Sa and all the attendants were nowhere to be seen, only Wen Renlin stood by the window. The sunlight filtering through the bamboo curtain dyed his official robes a splendid golden-red, his profile cold and elegant, as if he were a figure from a painting.

From that position, one could see the scene of the rear hall’s corridor.

Zhao Yan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, so she lowered her eyes and obediently returned to her seat behind the desk.

“Where’s Pei Sa and the others?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Wen Renlin turned around, looking at the little princess sitting upright. He said calmly, “Suddenly remembered to check the princess’s homework, so I sent everyone else away.”

Zhao Yan’s eyelids twitched, not knowing what “homework” he was referring to.

The atmosphere in the empty hall was ambiguous, making her feel uncomfortable and restless.

She pretended to calmly prepare paper and ink, then suddenly remembered something, and asked with her pen, “What’s the courtesy name of the Grand Tutor?”

Wen Renlin raised his eyes to look at her.

Zhao Yan knew her way of changing the subject was a bit clumsy, but she really wanted to know the answer, so she had to ask with a stiff scalp, “I suddenly remembered that the Grand Tutor is of age now, but I don’t know what courtesy name he took.”

As for a courtesy name, Wen Renlin had one.

When he came of age, all the elders in his family had passed away, so he chose his own courtesy name.

Now, having become the one controlling the court and the country, no one dared to call him by his courtesy name. If it weren’t for the little princess bringing it up nervously, he would have almost forgotten about it himself.

Watching Wen Renlin’s expression, Zhao Yan couldn’t detect any hint of resistance or annoyance.

He simply walked steadily from the window, the sunlight cutting through his body layer by layer, turning his official robes into a dazzling golden-red. His side profile was cold and elegant, like a figure from a painting.

He stood behind Zhao Yan, then leaned down, his cool and jade-like fingertips holding Zhao Yan’s right hand that was holding the pen. Cheek against cheek, he guided her to write two vigorous characters on the paper.

Zhao Yan could even feel the long and gentle breaths brushing against her ears, surrounded by Wen Renlin’s scent. Her heart pounded, and her arm felt numb as if it belonged to someone else, allowing Wen Renlin to guide her writing.

“Shao… Yuan?” 

Examining the freshly written characters, Zhao Yan saw their vigorous strokes, majestic and bold, and couldn’t help but ask, tilting her head, “Is it ‘broad and profound’ Yuan?”

Wen Renlin chuckled.

For some reason, Zhao Yan felt there was a hint of mockery in his laughter.

Wen Renlin felt the delicate and jade-like skin in his palm, his voice calm, “It’s ‘profound abyss’ Yuan.”

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