“This is the newly made fruit tea.”
“This is the freshly prepared chestnut cake.”
“Try this one too…”
The usually quiet Prince Qing’s residence was now bustling, eunuchs and palace maids hurrying back and forth, their hands full with trays and dishes.
Before Cheng Jiao-niang, the table was laden with an array of delicacies.
Yet Duke Jin’an kept thinking, kept giving new instructions.
Cheng Jiao-niang said nothing. Whatever was brought to her, she would taste it carefully.
“If you can’t eat anymore, don’t force yourself,” Duke Jin’an said with a smile.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.
“If you like something, have them pack it up for you to take back,” the duke added cheerfully.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded again, then, without any pretense of modesty, pointed at the dishes on the table.
“This one, this one, and this one,” she said.
The palace maids and eunuchs nearby couldn’t help glancing over in surprise.
This young lady… really wasn’t shy at all.
Duke Jin’an happily ordered the servants to pack them up, and kept asking over and over whether Prince Qing had woken yet.
Two eunuchs hurried off to check.
“His Highness hasn’t spoken this much in a whole year…” they muttered under their breath.
“When did you return to Jiang-zhou?”
Inside the hall, Duke Jin’an continued speaking.
“A year ago,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Duke Jin’an let out a soft “Oh.”
“It’s truly a pity, what happened to your brother,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded and murmured a “thank you.”
Whether she was thanking him for his words of sympathy, for his help this time, or for both, even she might not have known.
Duke Jin’an smiled again.
“Prince Qing is here.”
A voice announced from outside. Duke Jin’an quickly stood up, watching as Prince Qing was led in by the eunuchs – reluctant, rubbing his eyes in protest.
“Liu Ge’er, come quickly, look – it’s Lady Cheng,” he said with a smile, reaching out to pull Prince Qing over.
But Prince Qing didn’t even recognize him, let alone this Lady Cheng. He made a few indistinct grunts and plopped down on the floor, reaching for the food on the table.
Duke Jin’an let him be, turning instead to look at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“See? He’s grown taller since you last saw him, hasn’t he?” he asked, smiling with a hint of pride.
Cheng Jiao-niang studied Prince Qing carefully, then nodded.
“He has grown taller,” she said.
“Still too chubby, though,” Duke Jin’an remarked, watching as Prince Qing stuffed food into his mouth in large bites.
The room fell quiet, broken only by Prince Qing’s muffled grunts and hums as he ate.
The eunuch standing to the side had already glanced several times at Duke Jin’an, only to see that he was either chatting with Lady Cheng about food and drink or smiling as he looked from Prince Qing to her – yet still not saying what he was supposed to say.
He lifted his head and saw that the eunuch by the doorway had already taken a small step forward, half his body visible by the doorframe.
They couldn’t wait any longer.
“Your Highness, we’ll take our leave first,” he said softly, stepping forward. “You may continue speaking with Lady Cheng.”
Duke Jin’an’s body stiffened; his gaze fell on Cheng Jiao-niang.
She seemed not to have heard the eunuch’s words, quietly lowering her head as she continued eating the pastries and fruit on the table.
He had never seen anyone eat with such focus – as if she had never eaten before – so absorbed, almost reverent…
What she was savoring, perhaps, wasn’t the food itself, but the feeling behind it.
It was like when he was a child: on holidays or family celebrations, their parents would always lay out the best food for the children, each dish filled with affection.
There weren’t many such memories for him, but still, better than hers, he thought.
She probably never had even one.
The people in the hall began to file out one after another, and the sound of their footsteps brought Duke Jin’an back to his senses.
“Wait,” he said.
The eunuch at the front froze in place, and everyone else stopped as well.
“Lady Cheng,” Duke Jin’an asked, “it’s been over a year – tell me, do you think Prince Qing’s illness can be cured now?”
Cheng Jiao-niang set down the chopsticks in her hand and lifted her head.
“He isn’t ill,” she said calmly. “So there’s no question of whether he can be cured or not.”
Duke Jin’an nodded slightly and sighed.
“All right, I understand,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang bowed.
“Then, Your Highness, I shall take my leave,” she said.
Duke Jin’an said nothing, only nodded, watching as Cheng Jiao-niang slowly backed away and receded from his sight – as if he might never see her again.
He stared without blinking, and suddenly saw her pause at the doorway.
She lifted her head, looked at him, and gave a faint smile.
Her lips moved silently –
Fang Bocong, don’t be sad.
Duke Jin’an’s body jerked upright; for a moment, it felt as though his breath had stopped.
Cheng Jiao-niang stepped over the threshold, turned, and walked away.
Prince Qing, having finished eating, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and ran off to play, the eunuchs and maids hurrying after him.
In an instant, the hall fell silent again.
Seeing Duke Jin’an sitting motionless, almost frozen in place, the eunuch stepped forward and knelt down.
“I took it upon myself to act – please punish me,” he said, bowing his head to the floor.
“Si’er, I know you meant well. You did it for my sake,” Duke Jin’an said.
“Your Highness…” The eunuch lifted his head, his expression moved.
“But what does it mean, for my sake?” Duke Jin’an interrupted, his gaze settling on the eunuch. “What I believe is good – that alone is what’s truly for my good.”
The eunuch’s face turned pale, and he bent lower.
“There are countless ways to get things done,” Duke Jin’an continued, his eyes drifting toward the doorway – where Cheng Jiaoniang’s figure had already vanished.
“It doesn’t have to involve hurting… the one I care about.”
Fang Bocong, don’t be sad.
The smile returned to Duke Jin’an’s face.
So close – so very close.
How fortunate. How lucky.
In the Empress Dowager’s palace, the Imperial Consort kept glancing toward the outside.
“Your Majesty, why not summon Prince Qing here as well? Then we could at least hear how the treatment is going. They’re hiding away – we’ve no idea what they’re saying,” she said.
“The boy is asleep,” the Empress Dowager replied. “Do you think Wei-lang would have the heart to wake him and drag him all the way here? Besides, along the way, some tactless fool would surely gawk or make a fuss at the sight of him.”
“How is that hiding away? What is there to hide or keep secret?”
The Imperial Consort gave a silent scoff. Make a fuss, she thought…
With Duke Jin’an around, who in the palace would dare so much as blink oddly at that fool?
One careless look, and you’d be accused of despising Prince Qing – and beaten half to death for it.
As they were speaking, a eunuch hurried in.
“Your Majesty, His Highness says that Lady Cheng still cannot cure the Second Prince,” the eunuch said, bowing low.
The Empress Dowager let out a soft gasp and sat up straighter.
“Truly?” she asked.
The Imperial Consort also looked at him, her expression questioning.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I was standing right outside the door and heard it clearly. His Highness asked, and Lady Cheng replied that Prince Qing is not ill – so there’s no question of curing or not curing him,” the eunuch answered.
“How could she say there’s no illness?” the Imperial Consort asked.
The eunuch didn’t answer, but the Empress Dowager spoke first.
“When Wei-lang first took Liu Ge’er to see her, she said the same thing – that the boy was simple-minded, not sick, and certainly not dying. So she wouldn’t treat him – and couldn’t, even if she tried.” The Empress Dowager sighed, her face full of sorrow. “And Wei-lang?”
“His Highness said he wanted to stay and watch over Prince Qing, so he didn’t come to report to Your Majesty in person. He asks Your Majesty’s forgiveness,” the eunuch replied.
“See? Struck down again,” the Empress Dowager murmured, letting out another long sigh.
The Imperial Consort sighed a few times in sympathy, offered a few comforting words, then rose and left. But the moment she stepped out of the Empress Dowager’s hall, her brow furrowed.
“Is that true or not?” she asked.
The eunuch bowed low, cautiously approaching with a deferential smile.
“This servant wouldn’t dare deceive Your Ladyship. I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears. Lady Cheng said exactly that – and after she left, His Highness looked completely distraught. He’s still sitting in the hall, staring blankly, refusing to see anyone,” he said.
The Imperial Consort pressed her lips together, saying nothing for a moment as she pondered.
“Then…” she said at last, glancing toward Prince Qing’s residence, “what if he really does fall ill?”
“Then the illness should be treated as an illness. Foolishness and simplicity aren’t diseases,” replied Attendant Scholar Gao, who had been summoned and now shook his head after hearing her account.
“Your Ladyship, you’re overthinking it.”
“You don’t think Duke Jin’an and that Lady Cheng might be lying?” the Imperial Consort asked. “What if they’re hiding the fact that he can be cured?”
“Your Ladyship, how could they possibly deceive anyone? So many people were there, watching and listening. What they said was perfectly clear – what’s left to conceal? And what good would it do to deceive His Majesty?” Attendant Scholar Gao said. “Do you think the Emperor is someone she can just toy with? Once wasn’t enough – would she dare try it again?”
The Imperial Consort, still unconvinced, sank back into her seat.
“Since Lady Cheng has now twice said she cannot treat him,” Attendant Scholar Gao continued, “I doubt she’d slap her own face before the whole world anytime soon. For now, Your Ladyship need not worry. First, she poses no threat to the First Prince. Second, His Majesty is in no mood to let her go. Unless absolutely necessary, we mustn’t take reckless action against her – otherwise, the losses would outweigh the gains.”
Some matters must be weighed by importance and urgency – if one fails to distinguish them, chaos is the only result.
“Things aren’t urgent right now,” the Imperial Consort said, her face restless. “One Duke Jin’an loitering about the palace all day is already enough to annoy me, and now this so-called Lady Cheng – all mysterious and spooky…”
“We deal with what needs dealing, and win over whom we must,” Attendant Scholar Gao replied. “No rush, no rush.”
“How can you say there’s no rush? The duke is already nineteen and still living in the palace, and now there’s some divine doctor – even if she doesn’t treat unless the person is dying, who knows what other supernatural tricks she might have. Aren’t those Daoists the best at longevity and cultivation? Didn’t Tong Neihan just father another little son? His Majesty is about the same age as him – maybe he could find some secret method to father another son too…” the Imperial Consort fretted.
Attendant Scholar Gao stroked his beard and thought for a moment.
“Then have the duke leave the palace,” he said.
“How can we make him leave?” the Imperial Consort snapped. “With one word he’s coddled by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor like a three-year-old – who would dare suggest sending him away? It’d be like asking for his death; the Empress Dowager would be furious.”
Attendant Scholar Gao smiled.
“If the Empress Dowager fears Duke Jin’an would be harmed if he left the palace, that’s easy,” he said. “Send the First Prince out of the palace too.”
The First Prince?
The Imperial Consort shot upright.
“That won’t do! I want him sent away – not Si Ge’er!” she cried, “Si Ge’er is only thirteen, so young…”
“Your Highness, even at that age he can go out to the prince’s residence without fear. Why would the grown Duke Jin’an be any different?” Attendant Scholar Gao said.
“But, but…” the Imperial Consort shook her head.
“Do you not know His Majesty has come to rely more and more on Duke Jin’an for state affairs?” Attendant Scholar Gao interrupted, his expression serious.
At that remark the Imperial Consort grew even more agitated. She had heard it many times: His Majesty constantly praised Duke Jin’an, which only made the First Prince look duller by comparison.
“That’s exactly why I say – make him go at once!” she snapped.
“In the palace, the First Prince and Duke Jin’an may seem the same,” Attendant Scholar Gao said, “but once they’re outside, it’s different – one is a royal prince and heir apparent, while the other is merely a county prince, and only that. Your Ladyship, it’s nothing unusual for a royal prince to enter the palace, but how could a county prince come and go every day? Even if the Emperor and the Empress Dowager allow it, the court officials certainly won’t.”
“Closeness – true closeness – requires both kinship and presence. If there’s only kinship without presence, affection will fade, thin as water.”
Ah, so that was it. Once he left the palace, Duke Jin’an would no longer be constantly before the Emperor and the Empress Dowager’s eyes, while the First Prince would remain different.
First, as the Emperor’s true son, and second, with the Imperial Consort herself still in the palace. And Duke Jin’an? He would have nothing – and be nothing.
The Imperial Consort rested her hand on the armrest, thoughtful, then nodded slightly.
“But what about Prince Qing?” she asked. “That boy will surely cling to him, using him as an excuse to stay.”
“Prince Qing…” Attendant Scholar Gao stroked his beard and smiled faintly. “There are plenty of princesses in the palace – of all ages. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them were to… accidentally bump into that fool and get a fright.”
The Imperial Consort understood; her eyes lit up, but soon dimmed again.
“Didn’t that happen once before?” she said. “Someone got frightened, and in the end, the Empress Dowager scolded me instead.”
Attendant Scholar Gao smiled faintly.
“Your Ladyship, that was then – it’s been nearly two years,” he said. “People were heartbroken over Prince Qing’s condition, yes, but they can’t stay in mourning forever, can they?”
Indeed, all things had their proper time and order; one couldn’t rush ahead. Haste only led to failure.
And now… now was the time to deal with certain people who needed dealing with.
Every action had its price.
After all, it was Duke Jin’an who had spoken out of turn at court back then – and Attendant Scholar Gao was a man who bore grudges.
He had suffered a great loss that time, and he certainly wasn’t about to let it go.
He would take it back, piece by piece.
