Chapter 3

8

Gu Xing backed me into a corner. I had nowhere left to retreat.

“Qiao Qiao doesn’t even recognize what the Crown Prince looks like, yet she’s already fallen for him. Isn’t that a little careless?”

Given Gu Xing’s perceptiveness,

he must have known that my supposed admiration for the Crown Prince was just an excuse.

He was bound to press me for the real reason.

So I met his eyes and pretended to be calm.

“There’s no point hiding it now. I’m vain to the core. So what if I don’t recognize the Crown Prince? All I want is the title of Crown Princess.”

“Is that so?”

Gu Xing seemed only half convinced.

I nodded.

“Even if the Crown Prince were mute, deaf, disabled, and hideously ugly, I still wouldn’t change my mind.”

Gu Xing seemed relieved and laughed.

He brushed a few loose strands of hair away from my forehead.

“Qiao Qiao is the dearest person in my heart. You deserve every good thing in the world.”

The corners of Gu Xing’s eyes were red, and his thin lips curved into a smile.

“Becoming Crown Princess is easy enough. Or should I start a rebellion? Then Qiao Qiao and I could stay together forever.”

I swallowed and reached out to feel Gu Xing’s forehead.

He didn’t have a fever, did he?

The system’s warning suddenly came back to me.

Gu Xing was configured as a villain.

So when he said he wanted to start a rebellion… he might not be joking.

My father and Chancellor Gu were sworn enemies.

My father often said the old fox was cunning and calculating, always building alliances.

He controlled much of the power at court.

The two families were like fire and water.

Quartering, slow slicing, execution by the waist…

For some reason, all kinds of bloody scenes suddenly flashed through my mind.

I frowned, but in the end I couldn’t bear the thought.

“Gu Xing, don’t scare me. Why are you saying such ridiculous things in broad daylight?”

At last, he heard what he wanted to hear.

Gu Xing laughed.

“Pah, pah, pah—blame this foolish mouth of mine. How could I bear to make Qiao Qiao worry?”

“You don’t need to learn from Zhen Niang anymore. My mother still has some influence at court. She can arrange the Crown Prince’s selection of a consort for you.”

I listened, confused.

Why had Gu Xing suddenly changed his mind?

He bent down, his breath brushing my ear. My whole body shivered.

“Then we can make trouble behind their backs, can’t we? Qiao Qiao doesn’t need to learn bedroom matters from an outsider. I’ll teach you myself.”

The more he spoke, the less decent he sounded.

I pushed down the hand he was letting wander.

Then I pinched him hard.

9

At the General’s residence,

my father told my mother what he’d heard during the day.

“I hear the second son of the Gu family fought with the Crown Prince over a courtesan in a brothel. What kind of behavior is that?”

My mother fanned herself with a round fan beside him.

“As I see it, their Gu Xing is exceptionally talented, reserved, and steady. He’s a rare one.”

My father curled his lip.

“You can know someone’s face but not their heart. Gu Xing is just like his father. He looks gentle and harmless, but beneath that skin he’s hiding eight hundred foxlike schemes.”

I cleared my throat.

I told my parents I’d decided to enter the selection for the Crown Prince’s consort.

My father choked on his tea.

It took him a long time to recover.

They both tried to talk me out of it, but nothing worked.

How could I not know the Empress had fallen out of favor and that the Crown Prince was a scoundrel?

The Empress was choosing a consort for the Crown Prince at this particular moment.

First, to expand his support at court and strengthen the Eastern Palace.

Second, to win back the Emperor’s favor.

So the Empress sent invitations to the unmarried daughters of important court officials who were the right age, inviting them to a peach-blossom banquet in seven days.

10

The day of the banquet arrived.

The noble young ladies were all dressed to perfection in splendid formal gowns.

Each was afraid the others would outshine her.

After paying their respects to the Empress and the Grand Princess,

everyone spread out to admire the flowers.

I’d only taken a few steps when I stopped beside the koi pond.

A piercing burst of laughter sounded nearby.

Wei Shulin, the Minister’s youngest daughter.

She thought herself beautiful and wanted to outshine everyone in every way.

She looked at me with contempt.

“Lin Qiao, you’ve never even seen the Crown Prince’s face, yet you dare dream of becoming Crown Princess? You really don’t know your place.”

“I suggest you behave yourself, before you make a fool of yourself and bring shame on your whole family.”

She deliberately raised her voice.

More and more people gathered around us.

I only smiled and said nothing.

My father commanded the army.

The Empress and the Crown Prince weren’t fools. How could they easily pass up such a valuable alliance?

If Wei Shulin could get rid of me, her own path would become much easier.

She wanted nothing more than to humiliate me in front of everyone and make me lose my temper.

I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

“I hear you caused quite a scene at your one-month celebration. Seems you’ve been reaching above your station since you were little. After Young Master Gu sat down, did he even look at you once?”

I turned toward the banquet.

At some point, Gu Xing had appeared beside the Grand Princess.

He seemed untouched by the noise and chaos around him.

He poured himself wine and drank alone, the very picture of an elegant young nobleman who cared only to admire the flowers and scenery.

11

The noble young ladies formed little circles, whispering and pointing at me.

Just then, a shrill voice cut through the chatter.

An old eunuch pushed through the crowd, bowing as he spoke.

“The Grand Princess’s earring has gone missing. Please help us look for it. Whoever finds it will be greatly rewarded.”

The whispering stopped at once.

Everyone hurried to curry favor with the Grand Princess.

Even Wei Shulin lowered her head to search.

Suddenly, a cold glint flashed in the old eunuch’s eyes.

He stepped on the hem of Wei Shulin’s skirt.

When she stood up, she lost her balance and pitched forward.

A moment later, she splashed into the pond.

“Help! Someone, save me!”

Wei Shulin couldn’t swim. She thrashed wildly in the water.

I clearly saw the smug smile on the old eunuch’s face.

He drawled:

“You little rabbits, hurry up and fish Miss Wei out.”

“Fish her out”—what an apt choice of words.

By the time Wei Shulin was pulled from the pond,

her hair and clothes were soaked, and she looked utterly wretched.

Her whole body kept twitching, like a dead fish flipped belly-up.

“Oh dear, Miss Wei is so clumsy. How will she dare show her face before His Majesty later?”

As soon as she finished speaking,

the Emperor’s procession arrived.

The young ladies immediately lined up. Wei Shulin huddled among them, completely out of place.

The Emperor’s gaze passed over her, and he frowned slightly.

The purpose of today’s banquet was to weed out those who lacked proper decorum.

If Wei Shulin had behaved herself and avoided making a scene, she would surely have been chosen.

“I’ve heard the Minister’s youngest daughter is a peerless beauty. Now that I’ve seen you, I’m truly… ‘astonished.’”

The Grand Princess’s words were full of mockery.

In my memory, Gu Xing’s mother was a gentle, mild-mannered woman.

But now her face was cold. She radiated authority without needing to raise her voice.

“To show such disrespect before the Emperor is a grave offense. This is a royal garden, yet Miss Wei dares to behave so outrageously. Perhaps I should find someone to teach you the proper etiquette.”