The late summer sun blazed fiercely in the afternoon sky, yet not a single cicada’s chirp could be heard in the courtyard.
Inside the room, Ban Qin was carefully using a duster to shoo away nonexistent mosquitoes when she caught the faint sound of footsteps in the yard. Looking up, she saw Eunuch Jing, Master Gu, and a few others quietly withdrawing.
A maid standing outside the door hurried over to lift the curtain.
“Your Highness,” Ban Qin quickly bowed and greeted in a low voice.
Duke Jin’an hesitated for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the inner room.
“Madam hasn’t woken yet,” Ban Qin whispered.
Duke Jin’an gave a soft “oh,” seeming to regret having entered.
“Well…” he began to speak.
But Ban Qin had already lifted the bead curtain to the inner chamber.
“Your Highness should also rest for a while,” she said.
Duke Jin’an murmured an acknowledgment, paused briefly, and then stepped inside.
The bed curtains had not been drawn. Lying on her side facing inward, Cheng Jiao-niang was dressed only in a pale green sleeping robe, one hand resting lightly on her body and still holding a fan. As she was merely taking a short nap, her hair had not been fully undone – only the larger curls had been loosened, spilling lazily behind her head and adding to her air of drowsy ease.
On the side table stood two teacups. Duke Jin’an glanced over and noticed that one cup was still half full, while the other remained untouched.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He picked up the full cup and was about to take a sip when, from the corner of his eye, he saw the fan on Cheng Jiao-niang’s body slowly beginning to slide downward. Quickly stepping forward, he reached out and caught it.
It was a fan woven with white ox horn filaments – if it had fallen to the floor, it would certainly have made a clear, sharp sound, surely enough to wake her.
Holding the fan, the prince let out a soft sigh of relief. He stood by the bedside looking down at Cheng Jiao-niang sleeping on her side. She was deep in slumber, tiny beads of sweat glistening on her smooth, delicate face.
Almost without thinking, he sat down beside her and began to fan her gently. As he did, the sleeping girl’s nostrils quivered faintly, and her head shifted slightly, as though stirred by a pleasant sensation.
So even she can have such delicate, charming little reactions, Duke Jin’an thought, his eyes widening in quiet amusement. Feeling intrigued, his movements with the fan grew even softer and more gentle.
It was at this moment that Cheng Jiao-niang opened her eyes.
“You’re back,” she said, her voice tinged with the languor of recent sleep.
Freshly awakened, her face was lightly flushed, her gaze slightly misty and unfocused – such a sight was something Duke Jin’an had never seen before.
For a moment, he simply stared, mesmerized, before quickly snapping back to himself and shifting his gaze away.
“I just came in,” he replied, suddenly fanning vigorously with the fan in his hand as if trying to dispel something in the air. At the same time, he asked, “Would you like some water?”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head against the pillow.
“You should rest for a while too,” she said.
A subtle thought stirred in the duke’s mind.
“Alright,” he responded, draining the cup of water in one go. As he reached over to place it on the bedside table, he gently tapped Cheng Jiao-niang with the fan and said, “Move in a little.”
Cheng Jiao-niang paused slightly in surprise but said nothing, simply shifting further inward as she raised herself up. Duke Jin’an then kicked off his shoes and lay down on his back beside her.
The soft, faintly fragrant pillow drew a comfortable sigh from him as he once again began fanning vigorously, the breeze stirring the bed curtains into gentle motion.
“Is it too hot?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked, starting to sit up. “Shall I have them bring more ice?”
“No need,” Duke Jin’an replied. “I checked earlier – there’s still plenty.”
“Oh,” she said softly, hesitating a moment before lying back down.
“We won’t need to rise early tomorrow,” Duke Jin’an remarked.
“Has the request to enter the palace been denied?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Duke Jin’an nodded, then turned onto his side to face her, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
“Of course it was denied,” he said with a light laugh. “I suspect Her Majesty won’t wish to see me for quite some time.”
A faint smile touched Cheng Jiao-niang’s lips.
“I suspect she won’t wish to see you ever again,” she replied.
Her gentle voice, smiling face, and delicate fragrance were now so close that Duke Jin’an felt the warmth around him intensify once more. In response, he waved the fan in his hand with renewed vigor.
It truly was unexpected that one day he would lie beside her like this, heads close, talking like this. Duke Jin’an thought back to when he had bid her farewell before leaving the capital for Maoping. After bathing and changing clothes at her home, he had stepped out to see her sitting in the hall, chatting with her maids.
It had felt just like returning home.
That fleeting thought had surfaced then, and throughout his time in Maoping, he had often found himself revisiting it.
What was home? It was a place where loved ones who cared for him resided.
Perhaps it was from that moment on that he had begun to regard her as family. So when he later heard that marriage proposals were being arranged for her in the capital, with even the Empress Dowager personally involved, an unease had stirred deep within him.
From then on, she would become part of someone else’s family – no longer connected to him in any way.
The mere thought of it had made it hard for him to breathe.
That was why he had resolved to return, to rush back as quickly as possible…
Back then, he hadn’t even known what he would do once he returned. But the moment he saw her again, the words had spilled from his lips almost without thought:
Marry me.
At this thought, Duke Jin’an couldn’t help but let out another soft sigh.
Although the process had been utterly unexpected, in the end, she had still become family to him. His family, his wife, and in the future, the mother of his children…
Children!
Heavens, where has my mind wandered?
His face flushed instantly, and the fan in his hand whirred fiercely through the air. Then, a slender hand reached over and gently grasped his own.
Duke Jin’an froze.
The fan was taken from his grip by that graceful hand.
“A fiercely swung fan doesn’t always bring a greater breeze,” Cheng Jiao-niang remarked, beginning to fan slowly and steadily.
A gentle, steady breeze wafted over, and Duke Jin’an, feeling slightly abashed, lay flat on his back again.
“If she doesn’t wish to see me, so be it,” he continued, picking up the earlier thread of conversation. “Master Gu suggested submitting a letter of apology or a defense, but I can’t even be bothered to go through the motions.”
“As long as it pleases you,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
As long as it pleases you.
Could things in this world really be so simple? Duke Jin’an smiled, then turned his head to look at her once more.
“Really? Whatever I wish to do is fine?” he asked.
“Of course,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, turning her head to meet his gaze with a soft smile. “You wouldn’t be pleased by doing something unworthy.”
Duke Jin’an burst out laughing. Looking at the delicate nose before him, he couldn’t resist reaching out and gently pinching it.
“Now I understand – you speak so cleverly that whatever you say ends up being right,” he teased, grinning.
His touch met skin as soft and smooth as the tofu sold at Tai Ping Residence. Up close, her large eyes reflected his own image clearly.
The fan in Cheng Jiao-niang’s hand suddenly stilled.
For a moment, the room seemed to freeze.
Their gazes locked, and the prince’s eyes slowly widened in realization.
What… what am I doing?
Then, the fan in Cheng Jiao-niang’s hand began to move again, slowly, sending a gentle breeze that broke the tense silence.
Duke Jin’an snapped back to himself, abruptly pulling his hand away and scrambling backward.
“Be careful,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, sitting up and reaching out to steady him.
But it was too late – the duke tumbled awkwardly off the couch. As he fell, he instinctively reached out and grasped the hand she had extended toward him.
“My lady!”
Ban Qin rushed into the room at the sound of movement, only to see Duke Jin’an and Cheng Jiao-niang in an embrace on the floor beside the couch – their posture somewhat unusual.
Ban Qin’s face flushed crimson in an instant. She turned and hurried out, remembering at the last moment to close the inner chamber door behind her.
Just outside, Su Xin, who had been about to enter, jumped in surprise. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Ban Qin frantically waved her away, pushing her back into the corridor.
The maids standing along the veranda glanced over curiously.
“All of you, withdraw for now,” Ban Qin said, her face still flushed.
Though puzzled, the maids obeyed and stepped away.
“What happened?” Su Xin whispered.
Ban Qin glanced toward the inner room, her cheeks warm.
“His Highness and Miss… they’re resting,” she murmured, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
Understanding dawned on Su Xin, and her own face grew hot.
This… in broad daylight too…
It must be because they’re newly wed, she thought. Young people experiencing this for the first time can hardly help themselves…
But was this proper or not? With no elders in the household to guide them…
A whirl of thoughts filled Su Xin’s mind. Perhaps she should find an opportunity to return and ask Lady Huang about this.
While the maids outside were lost in wild imaginings, inside the room, Cheng Jiao-niang had already helped Duke Jin’an to his feet.
“This bed is too small…” he said, a touch awkward yet forcing a casual tone. “I didn’t know at the time, I didn’t check – it was all chosen by others…”
He frowned, glaring at the couch.
“Let’s change it, have it replaced right now.”
Then he shook his head.
“Or better yet, let’s just change rooms altogether,” he declared, placing his hands on his hips and pacing a few steps around the room. His brows lifted with renewed energy. “Originally, I’d planned for our bridal chamber to be in my quarters, not here. Since we aren’t going to the palace now, and with all this commotion, we certainly won’t be stepping out anytime soon – we might as well take advantage of this idle time at home and move over there.”
By the time he finished speaking, the burning flush on his face had gradually faded. He turned, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of water, and drank it down in one go. Then he poured another cup for Cheng Jiao-niang.
“What do you think?” he asked, offering her the cup.
Cheng Jiao-naing listened to his flustered, rambling speech as she sat on the edge of the couch, gently fanning herself. She accepted the water cup with one hand.
“Alright,” she said, taking a sip before looking back at him. “But perhaps it won’t be necessary.”
Duke Jin’an paused, confused. Not necessary? Then, understanding dawned, and his expression grew thoughtful.
“Right,” he said quietly. “This time, I’ll probably be sent away.”
He smiled faintly at that.
“But don’t worry,” he added. “It won’t be so easy to drive me out.”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“That’s not it,” she said. “This time, it’s likely that leaving won’t be so easy.”
…
“Hurry and drive him away, send him far from here.”
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager was weeping before Gao Lingjun.
“That madman – he’s lost his mind…”
Then she stopped abruptly.
“No, he’s not mad,” she whispered, looking around with fearful eyes and lowering her voice. “He’s no longer my Wei-lang. He’s been possessed by that yaksha that girl summoned…”
Gao Lingjun sighed inwardly.
“Your Majesty, you are mistaken,” he said, his tone firm and deliberate. “This is the true Wei-lang. The one from before was merely performing an act, deceiving both His Majesty and you.”
He paused, then added with unwavering conviction:
“That is precisely why we absolutely cannot allow him to leave the capital now.”
The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
“Why not let him leave now? Weren’t you all urging him to leave the capital before?” she said. “Back then, when he was obedient and well-behaved, you wanted him gone. Now that he has become like this, you want to keep him here?”
“Because in the past, he was still willing to put on an act,” Gao Lingjun explained. “Being willing to act meant he still understood his place. But now, he refuses even to pretend – which means he has abandoned his proper role. Your Majesty, if we let such a person go, far from the capital, it would be nothing less than nurturing a tiger that will one day return to haunt us.”
“What… what could he possibly do?” the Empress Dowager trembled with anger. “Would he dare to rebel?”
At the mention of rebellion, she instinctively slammed her hand on the table.
“Kill him, kill him quickly.”
Gao Lingjun nodded slowly.
“It is precisely because we intend to kill him that we must keep him in the capital,” he said. “If we let him leave, we will lose our chance to eliminate him. Now that he has stirred up such a scandal, causing an uproar in court and drawing condemnation from scholars, keeping him in the capital becomes his cage. Convicting him will be easier than ever.”
The Empress Dowager nodded, her composure somewhat restored.
“Moreover, Your Majesty,” Gao Lingjun continued, “the most pressing matter at hand is not how to deal with that rebellious Duke Jin’an.”
This isn’t pressing?
“He tried to harm me, this old woman, and now he’s waiting for the Empress to adopt him as the Crown Prince!” the Empress Dowager exclaimed, striking the table in agitation.
Gao Lingjun allowed a faint smile.
“Adopt him as Crown Prince? He doesn’t yet have the capability for that. First, by destroying his own reputation now, he has lost any chance of being considered for adoption. Second, as long as the Crown Prince lives, any adoption would be illegitimate and unjustified,” he explained calmly. “Therefore, the most urgent task now is to proceed with the Crown Prince’s grand wedding, so that a royal grandson may be born swiftly. This will ensure the legitimate continuation of His Majesty’s bloodline and cut off any inappropriate ambitions.”
Ah, that’s right – the Crown Prince’s wedding had almost been forgotten.
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement.
“And what are your thoughts on the selection of the Crown Princess?” she asked with some urgency. “Do we have a suitable daughter in our family?”
Gao Lingjun shook his head.
“Your Majesty, our family is the least suitable,” he said, then smiled slightly. “But rest assured, a more appropriate candidate has already been identified.”
