The Hour of Wu was drawing near (TN: around 11 AM–1 PM). The palace attendants tiptoed about, raising the canopy. The Empress sat at the very center, with Consort Shu and Consort Liang seated to her left, and below them Consort Shen (Jieyu rank)… along with the noblewomen of the various households who had accompanied the party.
Shen Yanshui sat to the Empress’s right, cradling a teacup. Beside her ears came the sound of the Empress chatting and laughing with Consort Shu and Consort Liang, discussing the marriages of the Fifth Princess and the Seventh Princess.
Shen Yanshui glanced over the two princesses. The Fifth Princess looked six or seven parts like Consort Liang: an oval face, willow-leaf brows, and clear, gentle eyes, with a quiet, refined air. She should be fifteen this year.
The Seventh Princess was a little younger, about fourteen, and just as delicate and charming.
The Empress lifted her teacup and took an unhurried sip. “The retreat palace is lively this year. The sons of military and noble houses go without saying, but quite a few young men from scholarly, upright families have come too.”
As she spoke, she turned a smiling gaze on the Fifth Princess and the Seventh Princess.
“You two sisters should take a good look around.”
The Fifth Princess’s face flushed bright red. She lowered her head, the tips of her ears tinged pink.
The Seventh Princess blushed too, but the corners of her mouth curled upward, as though the remark had struck upon some secret she carried, and she was a little shy.
Many of the noblewomen from the various households perked up.
Although a prince consort could not hold real office, command troops, or meddle in court affairs after marrying a princess, every family had one or two idle, good-for-nothing sons. Besides, the position of prince consort carried honor and prestige. Even without real office himself, a man could use his connection to the princess to help other young men of the family along, which made it a decent path.
The noblewomen talked over one another about whose son was not yet betrothed, whose boy excelled at riding and archery, whose young master wrote outstanding essays, and quite a few even recommended their own sons outright.
Shen Yanshui listened, but her gaze drifted back to the two princesses.
The Fifth Princess still had her head down, her cheeks flushed crimson.
The Seventh Princess, meanwhile, quickly raised her eyes and swept a glance across the high platform, then just as quickly withdrew it. Still, the bashful joy of first love on her face could not be hidden.
Shen Yanshui was rather surprised. Could it be that the Seventh Princess… had someone she liked?
Shen Ronghua sat nearby, her gaze also falling on the two princesses.
The Fifth Princess… she had little impression of her. She only vaguely remembered that her husband seemed to be a military officer, though she couldn’t recall which family. But the Fifth Princess’s life after marriage had been neither good nor bad, at least no unpleasant rumors had ever come out of it.
The Seventh Princess, though… at this point in time, she should be right around the time she’d fallen for Xu Chengwen?
She had even wanted Xu Chengwen to become her prince consort.
Only…
“This subject already has a betrothed. Though she has not yet crossed the threshold, she and I have sworn to grow old together. This subject dares not be a man who betrays his word. I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish.” black lotus novel Novel · Black Lotus
Xu Chengwen had refused her.
He’d spoken with such sincerity and force that even Emperor Pingkang praised him, saying “loyal and righteous.”
In the dream, once the news spread and people learned that Shen Yanshui was Xu Chengwen’s betrothed, no one knew how many noble maidens in the capital envied that lazy illegitimate younger sister of hers.
Later, Xu Chengwen rose higher and higher in office… until, with his merit in helping the new emperor to the throne, he became Chancellor, and her younger sister’s standing rose along with the tide.
More importantly, Xu Chengwen was devoted to Shen Yanshui alone. Apart from two bedside servants, he took no other concubines. Who in the capital didn’t remark that Lord Xu was deeply and faithfully devoted?
Thinking of this, Shen Ronghua frowned without meaning to. She looked pensively at the Seventh Princess and at her… illegitimate sister Shen Yanshui, who was eating and eating again.
She drew a deep breath and took a sip of tea to steady herself. She felt only that this illegitimate sister of hers was about to disgrace the entire House of Marquis Zhongyi!
Shen Yanshui: “…???” Why was she suddenly glaring at her? Did it make her eyes look big?
Because she’d had to come to the hunting grounds first thing in the morning, she’d gotten up late and hadn’t managed to eat much breakfast before setting out.
Now she was getting hungry. The pastries on the low table were gone, so she took a peach preserve out of the big sachet she’d brought along and started eating…
Shen Ronghua: “…” She whipped her head away at once. What a glutton!
Out of sight, out of mind!
Hah… she exhaled deeply.
In the dream, the Seventh Princess never got to marry Xu Chengwen. She married the newly minted Third-Place Scholar from Xu Chengwen’s year instead.
The man wasn’t bad-looking, and at first he indulged the Seventh Princess in everything. She’d heard that the two even lived a fairy-tale couple’s life for quite some time. But a leopard can’t change its spots, and as the days went by, his tail could no longer stay hidden.
Because the Seventh Princess never conceived.
The prince consort said nothing aloud and didn’t dare take concubines openly, but outside the household he began keeping mistresses, quite a few of them.
Shen Ronghua hadn’t known any of this originally. She only gradually heard about it after the Sixth Prince took the throne.
In the end, the Seventh Princess divorced the prince consort.
But after the divorce, the Seventh Princess still couldn’t let go of Xu Chengwen.
By then, Xu Chengwen was already a pillar of the court. Even though the Seventh Princess was the new emperor’s own sister, she didn’t dare force anything on him, though during that period she did quite a few things aimed at Shen Yanshui.
Later…
For some reason, several young men appeared around the Seventh Princess, literary, handsome, gentle and considerate. Before long they caused no small amount of trouble, and a crowd of censors submitted memorials impeaching her over it.
The Seventh Princess was scolded and behaved herself for a while, but before long she went back to doing as she pleased, and the number of male favorites in her princess’s residence only grew.
Thinking of this, Shen Ronghua couldn’t help glancing at the Seventh Princess again.
The fourteen-year-old girl sat there with crescent-shaped almond eyes and shallow dimples, tilting her head to listen to whatever her maid was saying, looking wholly innocent and carefree.
She felt a flicker of scorn. A princess of the imperial house, keeping male favorites, and more than one at that…
Yet for some reason, a faint, unnameable envy stirred at the bottom of her heart…
Inside the hunting grounds, the trees grew thick and lush. Sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow on the ground.
Cui Yu rode at an easy pace, his dark-blue riding attire barely noticeable among the trees, still following unhurriedly behind the Seventh and Eighth Princes.
Xiao Zhengshan, Commander of the Imperial Guards of the Eastern Palace, rode at his side. He kept glancing ahead, then at his Crown Prince’s expression, hesitating to speak for quite a while before finally lowering his voice to ask, “Your Highness, shall we head west? The forest is denser over there, and there’s more game.”
Cui Yu: “No need.”
Xiao Zhengshan shut his mouth. He’d followed the Crown Prince for years and knew that His Highness actually loved riding out to hunt. Though for the past few years, because of His Majesty, he only took a few animals at random each time, or if he did bag something, he never bothered to collect it and simply handed it off to those below him as a reward.
But every time they came out, he had seen the ease that spread across His Highness’s brow. | Black Lotus novel Novel Translation Site | Black Lotus Novel
Today, though… why was His Highness sticking so close to the Seventh and Eighth Princes?
He was puzzled, but it wasn’t his place to ask, so he simply followed in silence.
After riding a little farther, Cui Yu suddenly reined in his horse and turned his head to instruct, “Xiao Zhengshan, take a squad and head west. Hunt a bit, but don’t stand out too much.”
Xiao Zhengshan froze, then understood at once: today, His Highness truly had no intention of taking part himself.
He immediately clasped his fists and accepted the order. “This subordinate obeys!”
He picked out a squad on the spot and rode off toward the west.
Cui Yu watched him leave, then let his gaze return to the path ahead.
The autumn wind passed through the trees, stirring up a rustling sound. He thought of the news he’d received the day before yesterday: Consort Li of Jingfu Palace had been ill for quite some time.
She was said to have caught a chill that lingered and kept her bedridden. The physicians had gone twice, medicine had been prescribed and the prescriptions filled, yet her health hadn’t improved. It was getting worse by the day.
Cui Yu’s expression darkened slightly.
From up ahead came the Eighth Prince’s excited shout, cutting off his thoughts.
“Seventh! What are you dawdling for? Hurry up!”
Cui Yu looked up and saw the Eighth riding in front, turning back to bellow at the Seventh Prince, practically bursting with impatience.
“I spotted a white fox in that grove ahead! Its fur is superb, not a single stray color!” The Eighth Prince’s voice carried through the trees. “If we catch it and give it to Father Emperor, he’ll be so pleased that you might even be able to beg him to send a few more physicians to look at your Mother Consort.”
The Seventh Prince, who had been following silently the whole time, finally showed some change on his wooden, dull face. He lifted his head, glanced in the direction the Eighth Prince had pointed, pressed his lips together, then dug his heels into his horse’s sides and galloped after him.
The two rode faster and faster, the hoofbeats growing frantic, and soon vanished into the forest path ahead.
Cui Yu swept his eyes over the surrounding terrain, brows knitting slightly. He hadn’t come to this area much. It was mostly small game here. In past years he’d always hunted toward the west, where the mountain forests were deeper and the animals more plentiful and fierce, but once, while chasing a fox, he had come this way…
“Crown Prince Your Highness!”
Cui Yu reined in and looked back.
The Sixth Prince rode out from the forest trail, several guards trailing behind him. Seeing Cui Yu, he clasped his fists in salute.
“This younger brother greets the Crown Prince.”
Cui Yu held the reins and gave a cool nod. “No need for ceremony, Sixth Brother.”
The Sixth Prince’s eyes flicked over the back of the Crown Prince’s horse. No game, not even a token animal for show. His gaze flickered. He looked at the guards behind Cui Yu and asked with a smile, “Where is the Crown Prince coming from?”
“Just wandering around.” Cui Yu’s tone was flat, and he had no wish to say more.
The Sixth Prince didn’t mind. He pointed toward the west and smiled. “This younger brother just came from that direction. I saw General Qi and Second Brother over there, along with several other generals. Won’t the Crown Prince go take a look?”
Cui Yu glanced at him, expression unchanged. “No need. I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave first.”
With that, without waiting for the Sixth Prince’s reply, he spurred his horse forward.
But he had only ridden a few dozen zhang when, from the forest ahead, came an extremely panicked horse’s whinny!
Cui Yu’s face changed. He dug his heels in hard, and his steed let out a long neigh and charged toward the sound. The Imperial Guards behind him didn’t dare delay a moment and thundered after him in unison.
The Sixth Prince, who had been ambling along in that direction, glanced toward the source of the sound, narrowed his eyes as if thinking of something, then also dug his heels in and led his men after them.
Within moments the party reached the scene.
Cui Yu reined in, swung off his horse, and saw the Eighth Prince at a glance.
The Eighth Prince was standing at the edge of a jutting cliff. On seeing the Crown Prince, he froze on the spot, fingers gripping the reins for dear life, lips trembling slightly.
In the distance, the sound of hurried hoofbeats drew nearer. The Imperial Guards responsible for hunting-ground security had also heard the commotion and raced over.
“What happened?” Cui Yu’s voice was cold and heavy.
The guard responsible for the Eighth Prince’s safety had gone slightly pale. He glanced at the Eighth Prince’s ashen face, gritted his teeth, and reported, “Reporting to the Crown Prince, this subordinate and the others were left some distance behind by the two Highnesses. From far off, we only saw the Seventh Prince’s horse… suddenly go out of control and charge straight over the edge of this cliff! The Seventh Prince had no time to rein in, and man and horse… fell!”
Having heard him out, Cui Yu’s face turned as cold as ice. He immediately ordered the Imperial Guards behind him, “Fetch rope. Go down and rescue him.”
The guards obeyed at once and untied ropes from their saddles. Rope was standard equipment for every squad on a hunt, since they needed it to bind game, and now it came in handy.
Several men quickly tied one end of the rope to a large tree at the cliff’s edge and threw the other end over the side. The most agile guards climbed down along it. · BLACK LOTUS Novel Translations · Black Lotus
Just then, another burst of hurried hoofbeats approached.
The rider swung off his horse with crisp movements, strode to Cui Yu in a few steps, and dropped to one knee. “This subject has failed in his duty. I beg the Crown Prince’s forgiveness!”
It was the Marquis of Xuanyi.
He was neither very tall nor burly; he was even rather slender, with a face that could well be called beautiful. Yet his eyes were extremely bright, his gaze sharp as a blade. Though kneeling in apology, his back was ramrod straight, and he looked like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Cui Yu glanced at him and said curtly and coldly, “Get the Seventh out first!”
The Marquis of Xuanyi rose immediately, understanding what took priority, and turned to order those behind him, “Go down and rescue him. Bring up not only the Seventh Prince but also the horse that went out of control.”
The Imperial Guards answered in unison, and another squad climbed down the rope.
Only then did Cui Yu walk a few steps forward and look down over the edge.
The look made his brows knit even tighter.
This was no ordinary steep slope. The entire cliff face jutted outward, hollow beneath, and below lay a dense forest with layer upon layer of thick foliage.
Anyone who fell from here would be completely invisible from above. Unless someone had witnessed it and launched a rescue at once, they could cry out to heaven and earth and no one would answer.
Cui Yu’s eyes darkened.
Before long, the guards’ shouts rose from below the cliff. “Crown Prince! We found the Seventh Prince! His leg is caught on a tree, and he’s conscious! His left leg is injured!”
Cui Yu let out a slight breath of relief. An injured leg… the Seventh was probably in no immediate danger of dying.
Only then did he withdraw his gaze and slowly sweep it over to the Eighth Prince beside him.
Meeting his eyes, the Eighth Prince instinctively took half a step back, his face going even paler.
Cui Yu’s eyes were icy. “Eighth Brother, you and Seventh Brother were together the whole time. Why did his horse suddenly go out of control and charge off the cliff?”
“Re-reporting to the Crown Prince, I… I don’t know either!” The Eighth Prince’s voice was tight, his words rapid. “Just now Seventh Brother and I were chasing a white fox. It was a beautiful specimen, and we wanted to catch it as an offering for Father Emperor, so we chased it all the way here… When I saw there was no road ahead, I, I stopped, but Seventh… I don’t know why he didn’t stop, he just charged straight out!”
As he spoke, his face paled slightly, and he glanced down the cliff again. There was a note of lucky, near-death relief in his voice. “It scared me to death! Thank goodness Seventh is okay…”
Cui Yu looked at him expressionlessly, his gaze cold and flat, until the Eighth Prince’s legs trembled and he nearly couldn’t stay standing…
“Have men search this whole stretch of forest carefully for anything suspicious, such as substances that could drive a horse mad,” Cui Yu said coldly, turning to the Marquis of Xuanyi.
The Marquis of Xuanyi clasped his fists at once. “This subject obeys!” With such a grave lapse in security under his watch, he would have searched even without the Crown Prince’s order.
The Eighth Prince’s lips twitched, and he seethed inwardly!
How had the Crown Prince heard the commotion here so fast? He had clearly scouted this spot in advance. Few people came here; most went to the western and northern hunting grounds.
Even if the nearby Imperial Guards had been alerted, as long as he acted as though nothing had happened, no one would have discovered anything.
He had sent the Seventh Prince’s guards away beforehand, and as for his own guards… to keep them out of it, the best thing was naturally for them not to know.
He hadn’t wanted to kill the Seventh either, but his cousin had pressed him too hard, and he’d had no other way, so he had…
Still, luckily he hadn’t done it with his own hands. The Seventh would probably just assume it was an accident… Thinking this, the heart he’d kept tightly clenched since the Crown Prince’s sudden appearance finally eased a little.
The Sixth Prince stood not far off, wearing a worried expression, occasionally calling down the cliff, “How is Seventh Brother?” “How is the injury to his leg?”
His concern was plain in every word.
But inwardly, his mind sank.
What Consort Shen had said was true. · BLACK LOTUS NOVEL Novel Translation Site — BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
The Seventh had indeed been injured today, and it was the leg…
The Sixth Prince covertly glanced at the Eighth Prince’s back, and something deep flickered in his eyes.
The Seventh was usually the Eighth’s shadow, trailing behind him like a lackey. If the Eighth said go east, he would never go west. What reason did the Eighth have to move against the Seventh?
Even if he’d wanted to play a prank, it would have been no more than some insults and a few blows. Why would he suddenly want to take his life?
More importantly…
Consort Shen lived deep within the palace, a woman of the inner court. How had she known all this in advance?
The Sixth Prince lowered his eyes to hide the suspicion within.
Why had she chosen to warn him, of all people?
What was she really after?
A commotion rose from beneath the cliff, interrupting his thoughts.
Several guards working together hauled the Seventh Prince up from below. His face was deathly pale, his forehead soaked in cold sweat, his robes torn in several places by branches, and a few bloody scratches marked his face. Most shocking of all was his left leg: a branch as thick as a thumb had pierced through the calf, and blood was flowing steadily from the wound, soaking half of his trouser leg.
Cui Yu’s expression shifted. He stepped forward in a few strides and crouched down, pulled a porcelain bottle from his robe, and sprinkled all the wound powder onto the injury.
The powder clotted on contact with blood and staunched it somewhat, but blood still seeped out. His brows drew tight. He tore off the hem of his inner robe and bound the wound tightly, with swift, practiced hands, temporarily stopping the shocking flow of blood.
“Crown Prince Your Highness…” The Seventh Prince looked up at him, lips moving, his voice weak.
“Don’t talk.” Cui Yu pressed his shoulder, then turned and ordered, “Take the Seventh Prince back for treatment at once!”
The guards obeyed and brought over a makeshift stretcher, carefully lifting the Seventh Prince onto it.
Cui Yu stood and looked at the Marquis of Xuanyi. “Assign a squad to escort Seventh Brother back. You stay here in person and finish searching this whole area.”
The Marquis of Xuanyi shook his head and clasped his fists. “Your Highness, this subject has already instructed my deputy general to lead men to stay behind and search. They will turn this place upside down. This subject will personally escort the three Highnesses back.”
Cui Yu looked at him, said nothing more, and nodded.
The party wasted no more time. They mounted up and, escorting the Seventh Prince’s stretcher, galloped away.
Shen Yanshui was chatting and laughing with the Second Prince’s principal consort.
It had been the Second Prince’s Consort who struck up the conversation. She knew her Second Highness had no ambition for that seat and wanted only to be a wealthy, leisurely idle prince. Although her mother-in-law, Consort De, still harbored some hope for the Eldest Prince, in her own view, the Eldest Prince, for all his prowess in battle, was still not the right material to be heir apparent or Crown Prince.
She had wanted to build ties with the Eastern Palace before, but her mother-in-law had watched from above, so she couldn’t be too obvious. And then there was the Crown Princess… she was far too aloof, too high and mighty, and didn’t think much of her. After a few tries, she’d lost the appetite for pressing a warm face against someone’s cold backside.
But the Eastern Palace had been stirring up quite a bit of news these past two months. She’d heard the Crown Princess had shut the palace gates to rest and nurture her pregnancy, while the Crown Prince doted particularly on this Liangyuan Shen, who had only recently entered the Eastern Palace.
In that case, she didn’t mind having a chat.
But once they started talking, she found this Liangyuan Shen had a remarkably pleasant way of speaking. She praised her beauty, praised how well today’s makeup matched her hair ornaments and clothes… even her voice sounded sweet, sweet, sweet.
Shen Yanshui looked at her with a beaming smile and said softly, “This concubine made these preserves herself in her spare time. Would the Second Prince’s Consort like to try some?”
“Liangyuan Shen is truly clever and skillful.” The Second Prince’s Consort smiled and took one, popping it straight into her mouth.
She wasn’t worried about tampering. Never mind her Second Highness’s state of affairs, he probably wouldn’t even register in the Crown Prince’s eyes; this was…
She had smelled the faint scent of peach coming from Shen Yanshui’s direction some time ago, and had twice seen her puffing out one cheek, chewing on the sly. She’d been tempted for a while.
She had barely touched her breakfast. She had eaten some fruit and snacks from the low table, but out of concern for appearances she couldn’t very well clear the plates.
And this preserve was one bite each, both dignified and delicious, better than any preserve she’d had before… As she ate, she began to feel surprised.
She hadn’t expected to ever find herself so greedy for a snack on someone else’s person. She even wanted to ask how it was made, how it could be so fragrant and sweet, with such a good texture.
Shen Yanshui took one look at the sudden brightening in her eyes and smiled, saying very considerately, “If the Second Prince’s Consort doesn’t mind, this concubine brought some extra. When we return, I’ll have some sent over to you?”
The Second Prince’s Consort’s eyes lit up, but the next instant she felt a bit embarrassed. “How could I possibly impose…”
“What’s there to impose?” Shen Yanshui said, eyes curved in a smile. “It’s just some little snacks this concubine made herself. If the Second Prince’s Consort likes them, this concubine couldn’t be happier.”
She could send two jars to the Empress later, too. The Empress’s tastes seemed similar to the Crown Prince’s, so she’d probably like them as well.
The Second Prince’s Consort’s smile grew a little more genuine. But just as she was about to speak, a sound suddenly came from afar, and she instinctively turned to look.
Shen Yanshui had heard it too. From the direction of the hunting grounds came a burst of urgent hoofbeats, dense as a sudden downpour, clearly not an ordinary return.
She turned and saw the Crown Prince riding at the very front.
Cui Yu wore his dark-blue riding attire, his bearing as upright as ever, but as Shen Yanshui’s eyes swept over him, she saw dark patches soaked into his cuffs, and his hands… were stained with blood!
Her heart leapt into her throat. She nearly stood up, her fingers clamping onto the arm of her chair.
The next moment she heard the Empress’s order. “Go and see what’s happened.” — Black Lotus Novel — BlackLotusNovel
Attendants immediately hurried down from the high platform.
Soon Shen Yanshui saw the Imperial Guards carrying someone on a stretcher, rushing toward a tent set up not far off.
The others on the high platform gradually noticed the commotion as well, and some noblewomen began murmuring: “Who’s hurt?”
“Could something have gone wrong on the hunt?”
Shen Yanshui paid the chatter no mind. Her eyes stayed on the Crown Prince until she confirmed that he dismounted with easy movements and walked without trouble. Even if he was hurt, it must be only minor. Only then did she breathe out in relief.
Then she recalled the profile of the man on the stretcher, glimpsed in passing… the Seventh Prince.
Shen Yanshui’s brows drew together slightly.
What a coincidence…
She was still thinking when her peripheral vision caught Shen Ronghua.
Shen Ronghua’s face showed the same surprise and puzzlement as everyone around her.
But when Shen Yanshui looked over, she happened to catch the shock in her eyes, and even a trace of… faint panic and dread?
She frowned in confusion. Shock, fine, but the Seventh Prince was injured; what was there to be panicked, even dread-stricken, about?
Shen Ronghua dug her nails into her palm and couldn’t stop herself from murmuring in a voice barely above a whisper, “How could it be…”
How could the Crown Prince have been the one to save him?!
In her dream, there had been no Crown Prince at all, only the Marquis of Xuanyi!
Right! The Marquis of Xuanyi had been there just now too. Perhaps, perhaps… he had just happened to meet the Crown Prince’s party on the way back and come back together…
Even so, her face was rather ugly, her fingertips trembling slightly.
If the Seventh Prince had been rescued in time, would he still end up crippled in the leg as he had in the dream?
Would the matter of the Eighth Prince and He Wan still be exposed at tonight’s banquet?
Would everything that came afterward… change?
She had never thought it through before… She wanted to change her future ending, but would the Sixth Prince’s ascension to the throne also… shift in response to her actions?
Her face suddenly drained of color.
Shen Yanshui frowned as she watched the expression on her face change again and again, thinking of the words she’d whispered, almost inaudible.
How could it be?
What did that mean?
How could what be?
Those words sounded off somehow.
It was almost as if she had known all along what was going to happen, only now events had gone beyond her expectations?
Which was why she was so shocked?
But Shen Ronghua lived deep in the palace. How could she have known in advance what would happen at the hunting grounds?
Shen Yanshui scratched her cheek in puzzlement.
