Chapter 5: Curious Anecdotes

It was said that when Princess Huacheng reached her first birthday and performed the "Zhuazhou" ritual (in which a child is encouraged to grab objects that portend its future), she immediately clutched the luminous pearl that had rolled off the table's leg.

The princess's wet nurse—sharp-tongued and quick-witted—could hardly stop praising, exclaiming, "Doesn't Her Highness shine like the apple of the Emperor's eye? Look at how clever little princess is—she understood it all by herself!"

So moved was the Emperor by her words that he showed his affection by having the princess remain in a side chamber of the sleeping palace for nearly half a month.

But the reason for her beloved status went far beyond that incident.

At present, the Emperor had but few surviving offspring—his first five daughters had died in infancy, leaving only the sixth, Princess Huacheng. Moreover, as the sole legitimate daughter of the Empress, she carried herself with inimitable grace.

Apart from the Crown Prince, she was the second most important person at the Emperor's side.

And yet, such a delicate, soft, and dainty princess had acquired a notorious reputation—a reputation that must be traced back to when she was only nine years old.

At that time, the wife and eldest daughter of General Pingdong had come to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Unaware of who Princess Huacheng was, the young girl accidentally bumped into her.

In a fit of rage, Princess Huacheng ordered them thrown into a water tank more than two meters deep—only retrieving them when they could struggle no longer. The incident left the young lady so shaken that her formerly vivacious nature turned timid and cowardly.

And there were many such incidents, so much so that the noblewomen came to regard her with a mixture of awe and fear.

That very day when Yao Sishan returned from Fengyi Palace, her porcelain-white knees were red and swollen.

At that moment, Hongxing was carefully applying medicine to them.

Seated by the window, the young girl leaned slightly, and with a single, fluttering blink of her long lashes, she scattered an air of charm all around her.

When she was quiet, she was as beautiful as a painted scene—but all too often, she burst into discordant cries of pain that ruined the scenery.

"Ah, that's not good!"

"Ow—be gentle!"

"It hurts, it hurts so much!"

Hongxing's face flushed, and in a clearly constrained tone she pleaded, "Miss, please try to endure it a little longer; don't cry out so loudly—it's terribly embarrassing."

Puffing her cheeks in defiance, Yao Sishan replied dismissively, "And what? Isn't it natural to cry when you're in pain?"

"Not that exactly, but you sound as if…"

At that moment, the conversation between mistress and maid reached an impasse when Yao Sisou entered the room.

Lifting her head, Yao Sishan recognized her sister, and a smile, soft as rippling water, spread across her face. "Sister, you're here—please, sit down." After a pause, she turned and commanded, "Qingtao, serve the tea."

Not caring that others were present, Yao Sisou immediately stepped forward, grasping her sister's hands, her face ashen. "Little sister, may I not go to the banquet?"

In their previous lives, she had clashed with this younger sister at every turn and suffered much; yet back then, at the very least, the protection of the Empress had been on her side.

Now, however, with Consort Jiang fallen from favor and the Third Prince absorbed in his own troubles, she found herself utterly dejected.

Almost without thinking, Yao Sishan blurted out, "Why is that? Don't you want to see the princess's true colors? I'd very much like to see if she is truly as imperious as the rumors say."

Yao Sisou hesitated—knowing full well the malice of Princess Huacheng was plainly evident. If she were to attend the banquet, wouldn't it be like offering herself up to be humiliated?

Thinking thus, her anxiety grew. "Little sister, with the Crown Prince protecting you, there's nothing to worry about—but I fear I have become a thorn in the princess's side…"

"Don't worry, sister. No matter what, as the Third Sister-in-law of the princess, the royal family's reputation will surely be taken into account."

Seeing her sister's genuinely innocent smile—one that did not sound merely perfunctory—Yao Sisou felt an inexplicable surge of vexation.

How could someone who was so carefully sheltered ever understand her own helplessness? It was all just a waste of words.

Yao Sisou turned her gaze to the neatly folded bright-red wedding gown laid out on the table. Judging by its appearance, only one or two finishing touches remained before it could be declared complete.

"Mother dotes on you so much. Look at these exquisite stitches—it seems she began sewing it soon after you were born."

Yao Sishan linked her arm with her sister's and began to act coquettishly, "Well, what can you do? Father and Mother hoped that our elder sister would become a phoenix in flight. As for me, I only pray that I don't grow up to be a chicken." With that, she couldn't help but burst into giggles.

Her words rang partly true, partly not.

Unlike her sister, Yao Sishan had been raised under the strictest education from childhood.

In contrast, with a prospective Crown Princess already in the family, their parents had grown rather indulgent toward their second daughter—letting things slide, which had in turn fashioned her into a rather wayward character.

Yao Sisou couldn't help but tap her forehead. "Back then, Father specially invited the palace wet nurses to teach you skills. And look at you now—you've hardly progressed in any of those arts, but you've become an expert in skipping class!"

Speaking of childhood, Yao Sishan sighed, "I did put in a lot of effort then—but in this vast mansion of Duke Ying, with its strict security and guards all around, how could anyone go unnoticed? It was only because Father had given me free rein that I wasn't kept too closely under lock."

Hearing this, Yao Sisou grew curious, "Little sister, where did you go when you skipped class?"

Yao Sishan spread her arms and lazily stretched, her movements not particularly graceful. "Where else? I usually went to the several handkerchief-guesthouses I frequented, or wandered around Sanbao Studio, buying some trinkets to play with."

She paused, as if suddenly recalling something, "I do remember one time—I heard that there was a storyteller on Xijie whose tales were most captivating, so I went specifically to listen. That day, he happened to recount the anecdote of how the current Emperor met Consort Jiang."

At this point, Yao Sishan abruptly sealed her lips.

She had never held any fondness for the much-favored Consort Jiang of the six palaces. For one, ever since she gave birth to the Third Prince, Consort Jiang's arrogance had been off the charts and she showed no respect for the women of the inner palace. For another, back then—even if it meant sacrificing family ties—she had insisted on appearing before the Emperor as the daughter of a disgraced minister.

Outwardly, it seemed that she could not tolerate corruption and injustice, but who could know that she was driven by the pursuit of her own brilliant future?

Yet, after all, her sister still had to pay respects to her as a mother-in-law—and such words were not for Yao Sishan to utter, nor could she bring herself to say them.

Yao Sisou, not privy to the labyrinth of thoughts in her sister's mind, only felt left hanging and impatiently asked, "And then? What kind of story was it?"

In her eyes, Consort Jiang had always been extraordinarily favored by the Emperor.

In their previous life, the Jiang family had not been disgraced; when the Third Prince married and was enfeoffed as a king, she went on to become the Imperial Noble Consort. Because of this, even Yao Sisou—who was the daughter-in-law of Empress Su—had to quietly curry favor with the woman who managed the harem.

Upon hearing this, Wei Mindan had launched into a barrage of scolding, leaving her feeling both humiliated and shamed.

Thus, in this life she had schemed with every ounce of her being to attach herself to the Third Prince, all in order to deliver a crushing blow to that man—using his lifelong hatred for a certain mother-and-son pair—to vent her own frustrations.

"I can't quite recall all the details…" Yao Sishan said evasively, then shifted the subject, "But later, a dashing little lord—one with a rakish air—appeared and immediately began ordering his attendants about, dismantling the storyteller's stand. He even declared, in righteous and stern tones, that those tales were all nonsense and should not be believed."

Yao Sisou shuddered slightly at the recollection, and then she heard her sister continue, "At that moment, several low-ranking officials were present, yet none dared to step forward to stop that young lord. It must have been a man of either great wealth or noble birth."

Hearing this, Yao Sisou became even more convinced of her own suspicions and could not sit still. Hastily, she asked, "Did… did you speak with him?"

Yao Sishan scratched her cheek self-consciously, as if expecting her sister to launch into one of those standard lectures about proper conduct between the sexes, and, with a trace of guilt, said, "I did speak with him—but I merely echoed his words a few times, nothing more."

Of course, she only mentioned a few minor details to Yao Sisou; all other rather intimate actions were left unspoken.

After speaking, noticing that Yao Sisou's temples were damp and cold sweat was breaking out profusely, she couldn't help but ask with concern, "Sister, are you all right? You don't look well."

"I—I'm fine; it's just that I feel a bit weak. A little rest and I'll be as good as new," Yao Sisou said, pressing a hand to her brow as she slowly stood up, "Little sister, I think I'll head back to my room now."

Assisted by several attendants, Yao Sisou was nearly half-dragged, half-supported back to her quarters.

A maid, uneasy in her heart, softly asked, "Miss, shall I inform Madam and fetch a nearby doctor to take your pulse?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Sisou suddenly had a thought; pretending to cough incessantly she replied, "That would be good—I've been feeling dizzy and feverish these past few days. Please go and summon several renowned physicians for a thorough consultation, and make it quite a spectacle."

That very night, in the room where Yao Sisou resided, medicine was brewed day and night, filling the entire mansion of Duke Ying with a thick medicinal aroma.

After performing various little tasks, she finally sent word to the princess.

She explained that she had caught a chill and feared transmitting her illness to others, so she could not attend.

But to her surprise, just after midday the next day, Princess Huacheng dispatched a trusted eunuch with a terse message: "Recover your strength quickly."

In just a few brief words, the tone dripped with a sardonic disdain—as if sneering through clenched teeth.

That news made Yao Sisou feel as if she had indeed fallen ill—her entire spirit wilting away.

Soon, she pretended to be sick, only to have the ruse mercilessly exposed by the princess; the news spread to Guangyue Pavilion.

Qingtao couldn't help but prattle a few words, "If I may say, Miss, that method is terribly outdated. Pretending to be ill—such a lowly trick—is something you should have outgrown by the time you were seven."

Yao Sisou couldn't help but smile wryly, "I can't tell—are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Your humble maid would never dare insult you! Miss, you are so wise and virtuous—had you been born a boy, you'd surely have become a pillar of the nation like the Crown Prince. Alas, it's a pity that the Crown Prince's talent for governing the realm is wasted, for his ambitions do not lie in the court."

A brief pause followed as she recalled that young Yao Shian (Yao Shian, here referring to a male relative) had once passed the imperial examinations with high marks and been greatly favored by the Emperor—so much so that the Emperor had graciously allowed him to choose which department of the Six Ministries he wished to gain experience in, even appointing him to an official post.

However, Yao Shian had no interest in an official career and instead expressed a desire to travel and study. The Emperor, cherishing talent and unwilling to force a man into a role he did not want, eventually had to let him go.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

"Our household's daughters have both become the canaries of the palace, while our only son lives like a free spirit—how wonderful!"

No sooner had these words been spoken than a clamor arose outside, coming straight toward Guangyue Pavilion.

"Second Miss! Second Miss… the Crown Prince has returned!"