Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
Under the moonlight, Luli’s little appearance was quite attractive, only… sigh, too familiar, hard to make a move! So I could only say, “Luli, do you know how to sing? Sing one for us!”
Luli’s eyes were still red, and she shook her head in embarrassment.
I sighed. “Sigh! Then how about I sing one for you?”
Luli nodded, flattered.
I had originally wanted to sing Eighteen Touches, but seeing Luli looking at me with such worshipful eyes, I suddenly felt embarrassed to bully the little girl. So after thinking about it, I simply stood up from the steps, walked a few steps forward, stood in front of Luli, made a pose as if holding a guitar, swept my fingers, opened my mouth, and sang:
“Girl across from me, look over here,
Look over here, look over here,
The performance here is wonderful,
Please don’t pretend not to care,
Girl across from me, look over here,
Look over here, look over here,
Don’t be frightened by my appearance,
Actually I’m very cute,
The sorrow of a lonely boy,
If I speak it, who would understand,
Please throw me a flirtatious glance,
Cheer me up,
Make me laugh happily,
……”
At first only Luli was listening, but later several other little palace maids from the hall also gathered over. Seeing everyone being so supportive, I suddenly became carried away and sang more and more enthusiastically, as if I had returned to the past, standing under the girls’ dormitory building at noon without sleeping, holding a broken guitar and singing loudly just to earn a girl’s smile…
When the song ended, I grinned at Luli and the others, waiting for their reaction.
But below the stage, there was complete silence.
After quite a while, Luli timidly asked, “Niang Niang, what happened to your neck and hands? Are you alright?”
I froze. A bolt of lightning struck from the sky… sure enough, acting cool invites lightning…
Then I heard Luli ask again, “Niang Niang, where did you learn such a tune? I’ve never heard you sing it before.”
Yes, I was now Crown Princess Zhang. Where could I have learned such a song? Why had even my personal maid Luli never seen it before?
I opened my mouth but couldn’t answer.
Just as I stood there blankly, I saw the palace maids in front of me, including Luli, all kneel down and say in soft voices, “Your Highness, Crown Prince.”
I turned around. Qi Sheng was standing not far away, his expression seeming sad, happy, angry, sorrowful, resentful… in short, impossible to describe!
Oh no, caught red-handed flirting with someone’s girl, what should I do!
Just as I was thinking about what Qi Sheng would say, I suddenly heard him shout in a low voice, “Absurd!”
After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
“Was it really that… absurd?” I turned and asked Luli.
Luli looked at me sorrowfully. The tears she had been holding back finally flowed down as she choked out, “Niang Niang… what’s wrong with you?”
Niang Niang… what’s wrong with you? Your Niang Niang has long ascended to the Western Paradise but what about me? What exactly is wrong with me?
“Luli, go inside. I want to sit alone for a while.”
Luli remained kneeling beside me, eyes full of tears, refusing to leave. For some reason, an inexplicable irritation suddenly rose in my heart, and I shouted at her, “Can you stay the h*ll away from me?”
Luli covered her mouth, staring at me wide-eyed. She was so frightened that she couldn’t even cry.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, I suddenly felt weak all over. Why was I venting my anger on a little girl? Thinking this, I softened my voice and said gently, “I’m fine. Go back inside first. I just want to sit alone for a while and think things through.”
Yes, I just wanted to think things through. The Crown Prince was already surrounded by powerful enemies and was not favored by the old emperor, yet he still dared to secretly meet his younger brother’s wife during a grand palace banquet and speak nonsense about “one lifetime, one partner.” How far was he from being deposed? Once the Crown Prince was deposed, where would I, as Crown Princess, go? I probably wouldn’t even be able to muddle through life borrowing this body anymore.
I sat outside the hall for half the night, and Qi Sheng changed my confinement from one month to three months. Rumors spread both inside and outside the palace that the Crown Princess whose personality had drastically changed since falling into the water had encountered something evil again by the Taiye Pool on Lantern Festival night, and after returning to the Eastern Palace had finally become half-mad…
From then on, no one in the palace dared to wear red clothes at night… for fear of encountering evil spirits. Sigh, this time red clothes were wrongly accused; clearly it was the evil of white clothes!
Confined for three months, I couldn’t go out to see people, and others couldn’t come in to see me. I was so stifled that every morning I rushed to squat outside under the eaves to bask in the sun, afraid that if I missed even one day I’d grow fur.
During these days, Luli clearly grew thinner, and the way she looked at me became even more sorrowful. Several times I heard her in the middle of the night praying to the moon in a low voice:
“…May my Niang Niang recover soon. This believer Luli is willing to shorten her lifespan by ten years.”
I was just feeling moved when her tone suddenly changed and she cursed bitterly:
“…May that wretched Jiang woman die a miserable death, soon abandoned by her husband and forsaken by all. This believer Luli is willing to shorten her lifespan… by twenty years…”
Oh my girl, that’s not right! Your love for Lady Jiang clearly exceeds your love for me! That’s very disharmonious!
So I endured day after day, and when I was finally allowed to go out again, spring had already arrived. The palace maids had changed their thick winter clothes into light spring outfits, making their willow-like waists even more graceful. I leaned against the Eastern Palace gate, watching the beautiful palace maids coming and going along the corridor, and my eyes finally reddened.
A full three months—d*mn it, I finally endured it!
Luli came from behind and draped a cloak over me, saying gently, “Niang Niang, it’s still a bit cold. Don’t catch the wind. It’s getting late today, let’s go back first and come again tomorrow.”
“Wait a bit longer, just a bit longer,” I pleaded. The little palace maid with peach-blossom eyes and a water-snake waist who passed by earlier hadn’t returned yet. I needed to wait and ask which palace she belonged to.
Luli’s voice sounded somewhat bitter as she coaxed softly, “Niang Niang, at this hour the Crown Prince probably won’t return. Let’s come wait again tomorrow, alright?”
Something sounded off to me. After thinking for a moment, I realized Luli had misunderstood. I turned my head to correct her, but seeing her watery almond-shaped eyes, I sighed. Even if I explained, she wouldn’t listen, why waste the effort? Better let her think I was waiting here for Qi Sheng; at least tomorrow I could come again openly to lean on the gate and admire beauties.
Luli continued softly, “Besides, in a few days it will be the Daughter’s Festival. The Crown Prince must accompany Niang Niang back to the Shangshu’s residence. When you meet the old lord, everything can be discussed slowly. Niang Niang has endured three months, can’t you endure a few more days?”
Though Luli spoke softly, her words struck my ears like thunder. In a few days Qi Sheng would accompany me, this fake, to return to my maiden home! Oh no, what should I do!
I was stunned speechless. Luli thought I was pleasantly surprised and forced a bitter smile, gently smoothing my hair by my temples as if comforting me or herself:
“Although His Highness hasn’t appeared for three months, on the Daughter’s Festival he will definitely accompany you back home. Definitely.”
Good things never come in pairs, but bad things arrive in strings. I hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of Qi Sheng accompanying me back to my “maiden home” when another messenger arrived sent by that “Lord Toilet” who had promised to deliver folk tunes…
Seeing the person standing in the hall, I calmly turned my head and instructed Luli, who was about to serve tea: “No need for tea. Bring some osmanthus cakes for our guest.”
Though confused, Luli obeyed and left. As soon as she stepped out, the messenger smiled and bowed to me: “Oh my, that night I didn’t realize it was Niang Niang the Crown Princess, truly disrespectful. Please forgive me.”
That night the light had been too dim for me to see him clearly. Now I saw he was a handsome young man with bright brows and clear eyes, no more than eighteen or nineteen, just at the age of being slick-tongued.
I ignored his obviously perfunctory apology and asked, “Your surname?”
He froze for a moment. “Uh, my humble surname is Yang, Yang Yan.”
“Oh. Do you want melon seeds?” I asked again.
“… ”
Kid, you think I can’t deal with you?
Luli had already brought a plate of osmanthus cakes. I told her to hand them to Yang Yan and said, “Try the osmanthus cakes here, aren’t they better than yours?”
Yang Yan cheerfully picked one up, tasted it, and nodded. “Not bad.”
“Then eat more.” I turned to Luli. “Do we have any other fashionable snacks? You know, cakes and such.”
Luli recited, “Chestnut cake, lotus-seed cake, glutinous rice cold cake, pigeon glass cake, jade-bean cake, red-bean cake, double-colored bean cake…”
“That’s enough. Bring some of each for Yang uh Yang what?” I turned to ask.
Yang Yan quickly answered, “Yan, Yang Yan.”
“Right, bring them all for Yang Yan to try.”
“Hey! That’s not necessary!” Yang Yan quickly tried to stop Luli, but she had already gone. Moments later she returned with several palace maids carrying more than a dozen plates, neatly arranged before Yang Yan.
I said warmly, “Try them, try them all, don’t be shy.”
Unable to refuse, Yang Yan took a piece of chestnut cake and bit into it.
I asked, “Sweet?”
Yang Yan nodded. “Not bad.”
I asked again, “What about the lotus-seed cake? Try it.”
He swallowed the chestnut cake with effort and reluctantly picked up another.
“How’s that one?”
“… ”
Seeing him choking, Luli quickly tried to fetch water, but I stopped her with a glance. She looked at Yang Yan sympathetically and stepped back.
Yang Yan choked, stretching his neck. “Water… water…”
I turned and called, “Luli, quickly, pour water into him!”
What a good Luli, truly the one closest to my heart! She picked up a teapot and rushed over, calling several palace maids to hold Yang Yan down, pry open his mouth, and pour water in forcefully.
Choking and coughing violently, Yang Yan struggled.
I quickly shouted, “Hey! Hey! He’s choking, pound his back! Harder! Quickly!”
Luli dropped the teapot and began pounding his back, but the little girl lacked strength. The more I watched, the more anxious I became, and finally I couldn’t hold back. I rushed over and hammered Yang Yan’s back vigorously.
I’ll let you eat melon seeds, I’ll let you eat osmanthus cakes, I’ll let you clap, I’ll let you climb trees, I’ll let you climb trees… I’ll pound you to death!
