After finishing a cup of tea, the kitten had already fallen into a deep slumber. Prince Chen spoke up: "Consort Dowager Zhao, it's getting late. We should take our leave."
"So soon?" A trace of regret flashed across Consort Dowager Zhao's face as she placed the sleeping kitten on a soft cushion and called for a maid. "Is there any more of the pastries we had earlier in the kitchen? The young lady enjoyed them. Pack some in a box for her to take home."
Then, she turned to Jiuzhu: "Wait a moment. I have a few cloth tigers I sewed myself in my room. Let me fetch them for you."
Jiuzhu hesitated for a second before smiling and nodding. "Thank you, Consort Dowager."
Soon, Consort Dowager Zhao emerged from her chambers carrying a wooden box stuffed full of handmade cloth tigers.
Accepting the box, Jiuzhu bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Consort Dowager."
"These little trinkets aren’t worth such thanks." The elderly consort stroked the box with a wistful smile. "If my child had lived, his daughter would be about your age now."
Jiuzhu didn’t dare ask how her child had passed.
As she stepped out of Jing’an Palace, cradling the box of pastries and toys, Consort Dowager Zhao accompanied her and Prince Chen all the way to the courtyard before finally stopping.
Standing on the vermilion-lacquered steps, Jiuzhu turned to glance back at the spacious courtyard and the elderly consorts who, though clearly curious about her and the prince, dared not approach. A nameless melancholy settled in her heart.
As the red gates closed behind them, Jiuzhu walked down the long palace corridor, holding the box, and asked Prince Chen: "Your Highness, did that consort dowager ever have a child?"
"Perhaps once." He was too young at the time to remember clearly. "The Previous Emperor had many wives and concubines, and even more princes and princesses. Some didn’t survive infancy."
Noticing her subdued mood, he assumed she didn’t want to leave him and said, "Don’t be upset. Once your uncle sends the marriage proposal to the Zhou family, I’ll have my mother summon you back."
Jiuzhu nearly reminded him that entering the palace couldn’t be called "returning"—Vice Minister Ming’s residence was her home. But seeing how reluctant he was to part with her, she swallowed her words. Instead, she tiptoed and whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, I just thought of something that might be… a little treasonous."
"What?"
Prince Chen didn’t believe for a second that someone as timid as her could conceive anything truly rebellious.
"What if, during the Previous Emperor’s reign, he had taken fewer concubines? Wouldn’t that have spared so many women from suffering?" She clutched the box tighter. "It’s just a thought—please don’t tell anyone."
Otherwise, she’d be finished.
"If you’re afraid I’ll tell, why mention it to me at all?" He smirked.
"Your Highness isn’t ‘anyone.’ I can trust you." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "But if you do tell, I’ll deny it. After all, no one else can prove I said it."
"Ha! You’ve got quite the imagination." Laughing, Prince Chen poked her cheek playfully, making her dodge and giggle.
"Little Pig Ming, don’t worry." Blushing slightly, he tucked his hands behind his back and mumbled awkwardly, "I’m not like them."
Jiuzhu blinked up at him in silence.
Assuming she understood his meaning, he stiffened his expression. "That’s all there is to it. Don’t overthink it once you’re home. A month… will pass quickly."
Since she liked sticking close, he’d let her.
After all… she was his future wife.
"Your Highness, you’re blushing!"
"It’s just this heavy cloak. Too warm."
"You look even more handsome when you blush."
"Little Pig Ming, stop talking."
"…"
"Fine, say whatever you want. Here, let me carry the box for you."
---
At dawn, before the mist had lifted, Sun Caiyao sat in the courtyard, waiting. Even as the sun pierced through the haze and climbed high, there was no sign of County Mistress Ming arriving at Zhangliu Palace.
"Has County Mistress Ming not come today?" The unusual quiet made her almost miss the liveliness Jiuzhu brought.
"Princess Consort, County Mistress Ming left the palace early this morning," a maid replied. "I heard from Xiao Liu in Prince Chen’s courtyard that she won’t return until the New Year’s Eve banquet."
*Return?*
Sun Caiyao froze at the word, staring blankly at the maid. Had the servants already begun treating Jiuzhu as Prince Chen’s official consort?
With a sigh, she lowered her gaze. "Without County Mistress Ming, Zhangliu Palace feels too desolate."
"Indeed! Many of the maids were disappointed to hear she’d gone home," the maid chimed in cheerfully. "They’d even prepared strings to teach her cat’s cradle."
"Cat’s cradle?"
"Yes." The maid nodded. "When County Mistress Ming heard us mention it the other day, she seemed curious. So we asked the Palace Administration for soft, pretty strings that wouldn’t hurt her hands."
That a casual remark from Jiuzhu prompted such effort—was it genuine affection, or calculated flattery toward the future princess consort?
Perhaps the entire rear palace was vying for her favor. Even the reclusive consort dowagers in the western quarters had gifted her a chest of treasures after her visit.
Human hearts were nothing if not pragmatic mirrors.
Sun Caiyao raised a hand to cut off the maid’s chatter and retreated to her quarters. Pausing at the door, she turned and headed for Yun Yanze’s main chamber instead.
Finding no attendants outside, she lifted the curtain and entered. "Your Highness—"
Yun Yanze, halfway through changing, quickly draped his robe over his left side and turned.
For a fleeting moment, his gaze seemed icy. But when she looked again, only warmth lingered at the corners of his eyes—had she imagined it?
"Caiyao, what brings you here?" He slipped his left arm into the sleeve, avoiding her stare.
She stepped forward to help him with the right sleeve. "Why are you dressing alone?"
"My injuries… I’d rather the servants not see them." He shrugged on his outer robe. "You’ve been cooped up here with me. It must be dull."
"Never, as long as I’m with you." She shook her head, adjusting his belt, when she noticed a scratch near his jawline. Her fingers brushed it lightly. "Your Highness, how did you get this?"
"Where?" Yun Yanze touched the spot, then studied his reflection. "Must’ve scratched myself in my sleep."
With a sigh, she fetched a jar of ointment. "You must take better care of yourself."
"I will." He smiled gently as she applied the salve. In the bronze mirror, his handsome features—sharp brows, starry eyes, refined elegance—glistened like flawless jade.
The perfect gentleman.
Jiuzhu stepped down from the carriage and noticed several other carriages parked at the entrance. She turned to the gatekeeper with a puzzled expression, "Are there guests at home today?"
"Young Miss, you're back?" The gatekeeper brightened at the sight of her and whispered discreetly, "Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue came to see the master today. They arrived in haste and looked grave—something significant must have happened."
Something significant?
During her days in the palace, aside from the demotion of Prince of Qi County's birth mother, nothing else seemed particularly noteworthy.
As she entered the courtyard, Chunfen, who had been waiting for her, hurried forward: "This servant greets the Young Miss."
"Sister Chunfen, since when did you start teasing me with such formalities?" Jiuzhu linked arms with her, laughing. "Please, spare me—this makes me terribly uncomfortable."
Chunfen chuckled at her reaction. "Very well, Young Miss. Madam is waiting for you in the courtyard. Come with me."
"The gatekeeper mentioned officials from the Ministry of Revenue came to see Father. What happened?"
"Who else could it be for?" Chunfen lowered her voice. "It’s about Prince of Qi County, of course."
Jiuzhu paused mid-step and glanced at Chunfen.
"The Zheng Family has committed grave crimes and been imprisoned. On top of that, Consort Ning in the palace was confined to the cold palace. These officials are worried Prince of Qi County might be implicated and came to seek the master’s counsel." Chunfen shook her head. "This servant doesn’t understand court affairs, but it seems these civil officials are scrambling to find a way to protect Prince of Qi County."
Jiuzhu fell silent and made her way to the main courtyard where her parents resided. There, she was promptly served a large bowl of nourishing soup by her doting mother, Lady Shen.
"Your father will come see you shortly—he’s with guests now." Lady Shen examined her daughter from head to toe, noting her new attire and healthy complexion before relaxing.
Jiuzhu dismissed all the servants in the room, then nervously fiddled with her skirt. "Mother… will Father help Prince of Qi County and the Zheng Family?"
"Court matters are beyond my understanding," Lady Shen replied gently. "But your father is a man of strong principles. He won’t make decisions just because others ask him to."
"Mother," Jiuzhu looked up, her voice firm. "I don’t want Father to help Prince of Qi County—or the Zheng Family."
This was the first time her daughter had made such a request concerning court affairs. After a brief pause, Lady Shen nodded without questioning her reasons. "Very well. Wait here—I’ll go remind your father."
Before long, Lady Shen returned, followed by Ming Jingzhou.
"Don’t worry, my dear," Ming Jingzhou reassured his daughter, noticing her unease. "Your father never intended to plead for the Zheng Family. They’ve made countless foolish decisions over the years—this downfall is well-deserved."
"His Majesty is a wise ruler. If he has thrown the Zheng Family into prison, they must have committed unforgivable crimes." He sat beside her. "Besides, if my precious daughter doesn’t want me to help them, then I certainly won’t."
"There’s something I’ve kept from you both," Jiuzhu confessed, her head bowed in shame before her loving parents. "Eight years ago, I did meet the Imperial Consort and Prince Chen… but not in Lingzhou City. It was by Huaxi River outside the city."
Ming Jingzhou’s years in governance sharpened his instincts—he knew this carried hidden significance. His smile faded. "Jiuzhu, what happened to you that day?"
"The Zheng Family tried to kill me." Jiuzhu recalled the events in fragments. "That day, I was wearing the silver hairpin Master gave me, going down the mountain to buy fish. On the way, I overheard someone talking about a 'chef' and something 'tasteless and odorless.'"
"They saw me." Her hands clenched, then loosened. "The man whose chin I slashed with the hairpin said I knew too much and couldn’t be left alive."
The river that day was bitterly cold. Water flooded her nose and ears as she drifted, conscious and hopeless, waiting for death.
"His Highness saved me." At these words, Jiuzhu finally lifted her head, as if sunlight had broken through after a storm. "And he gave me candy."
