Chapter 4

The Emperor and Empress seemed to find Wei Shulin irritating, too.

They let the eunuchs drag her away.

From beginning to end,

Gu Xing only lowered his head and played with the tabby cat in his lap.

He didn’t even glance at me.

12

After the banquet, I left the palace.

On the imperial avenue, I followed a young eunuch.

He led me to a secluded little courtyard.

The grass and trees were overgrown. It looked as if no one had lived there for a long time.

The moment I stepped inside,

I heard the door lock behind me.

A figure hidden in the shadows quickly pinned me against the icy brick wall.

The scents of flowers and wine mingled and filled my nose.

I muttered:

“You smell awful.”

Gu Xing’s eyes were hazy. He coaxed me in a low voice:

“Does Qiao Qiao dislike it? Then I won’t drink anymore.”

I couldn’t tell whether Gu Xing was really drunk or pretending.

His whole body pressed down on me, his weight heavy but not unbearable.

I tried to wriggle free, but couldn’t move at all.

His warm breath brushed my neck. His voice was low and muffled.

“It’s just plum wine. I’m not drunk. Be good, Qiao Qiao. Let me hold you for a while.”

“Did you have Wei Shulin pushed into the pond?”

“If she likes being the center of attention so much, I’m just indulging her.”

I felt something brush past my feet, soft and furry.

I looked down.

It was the cat Gu Xing had been petting earlier.

With its back to me, it seemed to be chewing on something.

It was having quite a hard time.

At last it finished its meal, licked its lips, wagged its tail, and walked away.

A dark red puddle lay not far away.

I asked Gu Xing what it was.

“Wei Shulin’s tongue.”

Gu Xing gave a quiet click of his tongue.

“She had a perfectly good tongue, but that extra one she grew made her words so irritating.”

My shoulders trembled.

Wei Shulin had brought this on herself, but Gu Xing’s methods were truly too cruel.

Gu Xing noticed my small movement.

He placed a broad hand behind my back, shielding me from the cold.

Three parts sober, seven parts drunk,

he said softly:

“You don’t need to be afraid of things like bloodshed when I’m here, Qiao Qiao.”

13

A few other daughters of high-ranking officials and I were summoned to the palace to learn court etiquette.

The Crown Prince was still under house arrest.

Our quarters were far from the Eastern Palace.

They assigned us a palace in the northwestern corner.

Every little thing—from sitting and standing to walking, drinking tea, and eating—had rules.

Just one day was enough to drain half the life out of me.

I stared at the simple meal in front of me.

I could barely swallow it.

They said the lessons were meant to cultivate our character, but I suspected the Crown Prince had some strange preference for painfully thin women.

Qingzhu served me some food.

She was quick and efficient. If something wasn’t her business, she never asked.

“Miss, please eat a little. Otherwise, you won’t be able to endure tomorrow’s morning audience.”

I could hear music, singing, and dancing outside.

It was terribly lively.

I’d heard that an auspicious stone had appeared on Gushan. To celebrate this heavenly omen, the Emperor had thrown a grand banquet for the court officials.

The palace where we stayed was remote, with few guards.

After sending Qingzhu away, I climbed over the wall.

I wandered around for a long time before I finally reached the imperial kitchen.

I was drooling at the sight of roast chickens and plump ducks, just about to grab one and make a quick escape,

when I heard footsteps approaching and hurried into a dark corner.

At first, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

I only planned to wait until the two of them had gone before sneaking out.

But the longer I listened, the more familiar one voice sounded.

It seemed to be my father.

“Children are a debt. It’s all my fault for being softhearted. I should’ve locked her up at home back then. Why did she have to compete to become Crown Princess?”

“Don’t worry. They won’t decide who’s been selected for another month. It’s too early to fret.”

“That girl’s judgment is worse than mine. The Crown Prince is inferior to your second son in both character and looks, and yet she chose him?”

“You’re comparing my son to that useless Crown Prince? What did my son do to you?”

I was puzzled.

My father and Chancellor Gu were usually arguing. Yet they could talk normally—and even seemed to understand each other like old friends.

“You deserve it. Back then, I said the two children were meant for each other and suggested we arrange a betrothal. You flat-out refused. The other day, Xing’er came home and said he had a girl in his heart. Looks like we won’t be in-laws after all.”

My father gave a cold snort.

“You have some nerve saying that. You and your wife played good cop and bad cop.”

After my father and Chancellor Gu had gone some distance,

I hugged the roast chicken to my chest, but I had no appetite left.

It felt as if a heavy stone were blocking my chest.

14

When I got back to my room,

Qingzhu was kneeling straight outside the door.

I instinctively reached down to help her up.

“What are you doing? Get up.”

“I’m kneeling because—”

Qingzhu had been planted beside me by Gu Xing. No wonder she’d served me so attentively. She even knew exactly how hot I liked my tea.

“Are you not afraid someone will see you come in here like this?”

Even though I had a room to myself,

the candidates’ quarters were close together.

If someone with ill intentions caught us and spread rumors,

the consequences would be unimaginable.

Gu Xing pulled me into his arms and leaned close to my ear.

“Don’t worry, Qiao Qiao. As your ‘secret lover,’ of course I’m very careful. No one will discover me. If some fool dares to gossip, I’ll make sure he doesn’t want to keep his tongue.”

Secret lover?

I remembered what Chancellor Gu had said earlier.

My heart suddenly felt heavy.

Was I going to spend the rest of my life sneaking around in the dark just to receive Gu Xing’s affection?

I said irritably:

“Young Master Gu is so impressive. If I’m chosen as Crown Princess and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, will you sneak into the Empress’s bedchamber every night?”

Gu Xing waved Qingzhu away.

“That depends on whether Qiao Qiao leaves the door open for me.”

Lately, Gu Xing was getting more and more improper.

He hadn’t said things like this before.

Zhen Niang once told me all men were fickle. They liked what was new and always wanted what they couldn’t have.

I kicked Gu Xing.

“You’re only like this because Gu Xian has corrupted you. You’ve become such a smooth talker.”

“I’m not like Gu Xian. He leaves his affections everywhere. I have only one sincere heart.”

I asked who he’d given that sincere heart to.

“Of course—to my future wife.”

Gu Xing gave an evasive answer and refused to say more.

Seeing how glum I was,

Gu Xing took a delicate wooden box from inside his robe.

He said he had a surprise for me.

“I’m very tired today.”

I made an excuse that I wanted to rest and sent him away.

In the end, I didn’t open the box in front of him.

“Get some rest. I’ll come by another day.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Gu Xing’s eyes.

Only after he left did I take out what was inside.

It was a hairpin.

The shaft was clear and glossy white, with a pearl set at the end.

It had no other ornamentation,

yet it carried an indescribable, ethereal elegance.

The pearl was perfectly round, large, and of excellent quality.

Even in the dark, it gave off a faint glow. It must have been extremely valuable.