Without any hesitation, she immediately bowed her head and stepped forward. The Crown Prince turned his wrist, signaling her to come closer. She obediently sat on the footstool, leaned forward slightly, and rested her face on his knee.
The inner chamber was different from the outside. With winter approaching, all the palaces had lit the heated floors, so even if one walked barefoot on the ground, it did not feel cold.
The hall was filled with the refreshing fragrance of fruit. The warmer it got, the more the scent intensified wafting directly into the nose. Most of the time, people get used to things through habit. When you’ve been doing something long enough, even if it doesn’t suit your liking, as long as the master is in the mood, you endure it and please him.
The Crown Prince enjoyed this kind of closeness. With a wave of his hand and a call of “Su Xinghe,” she had to obediently snuggle up to him like a pet cat or dog, allowing his hand to hover over her head.
What kind of strange habit was this? It was hard to say. But whenever he was in this mood, he would have the urge to undo her carefully styled hair, like the Pekingese dog that Madam Xue kept, whose long fur was usually tied up with a ribbon on its head. Whenever Madam Xue decided to groom it, she would untie the ribbon, lest it displease the master and spoil his mood.
The Crown Prince, might not be any different from the Pekingese.
The shrimp whisker hairpin was removed, and the Crown Prince held it up, his thumb idly stroking the turquoise inlay on the shrimp’s back times. “You’re a grown woman, yet you still wear this… Every time I see those whiskers, they remind me of crickets.”
Crickets, of course, were not good things. When you heard their chirping, it meant crops would fail. Though comparing her hairpin to a pest was displeasing, she dared not say anything.
“Yes, I will change it tomorrow.”
“And what about today?” The Crown Prince thought, then snapped the two whiskers off and handed it back to her. “This will do.”
The shrimp whisker hairpin lay in her palm. She stared at the now bare shrimp head, blinking her dry eyes. “Yes.”
The floral crown was removed and placed on the table beside the bed. The two intertwined hairpins holding her hair in place were the last to go, which the Crown Prince casually pulled out.
With nothing to hold it back, her long hair cascaded down. She had taken great care of her hair; it was thick and smooth, with a dark blue sheen under the candlelight. The Crown Prince placed their hand on the faint halo and gently stroked it.
It was as if he had reached for a beloved pet; he didn’t want to worry about anything. There was an inexplicably lazy and satisfied tone in his voice. “The wardrobe bureau burned the wrong incense, and you’re letting it go so easily? That’s not like you.”
The small piece of satin under her cheek gradually warmed up. She felt a bit and murmured, “The wardrobe bureau handles all the attire for the harem. I granted them grace today; perhaps it will be useful for the future.”
The Crown Prince responded with an “Oh,” and said, “I thought you were someone who would rather break than bend, always being stubborn.”
She was momentarily taken aback, knowing he was intentionally mocking her. Of course, she couldn’t talk back, but it didn’t stop her from feeling deeply uncomfortable.
He absentmindedly played with her hair, and after a while, suddenly said, “Guess how long I will remain the Crown Prince?”
She was startled and quickly sat up to look at him, “Why would you say such a thing, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince’s posture didn’t change; he rested his head on one hand and looked at her calmly. His face, so vivid, inherited all the best features of Empress Gong. Even with his eyes as still as dead water, his striking beauty couldn’t hide.
Regarding Empress Gong’s appearance, to emphasize the imperial family’s values of virtue overlooks the records mostly used phrases like “naturally gentle and kind.” But Su Xinghe had seen Empress Gong’s portrait. Every year on the Winter Solstice and the first day of the Lunar New Year, she accompanied the Crown Prince to the Fengxian Hall to offer incense. The Fengxian Hall has housed the portraits of twelve empresses since the dynasty fonding. Empress Gong’s portrait stood out the most, with her ceremonial attire and crown, exuding grandeur and dignity.
Beauty in a person can be found either in their features or bone structure. Empress Gong’s beauty lay in her bone structure. The portrait in the shrine was said to be painted personally by the Emperor himself a testament to the deep bond of a couple who had been together since their youth, a bond that none of the current favored concubines could understand.
The Crown Prince inherited his eyes from the Empress—steadfast, deep, and distant; his lips with their delicate shape and warm color. However, the so-called beauty that he possessed initially was just a handsome set of youthful features. Over time, this beauty transformed into a kind aloof demeanor, eventually becoming the epitome of imperial majesty and untouchability.
Though often seen and even familiar nearby, he never felt truly known. Such a person seemed destined to stand above the clouds, their thoughts and emotions unfathomable. If one could see through him, he would no longer be who he was.
The topic was heavy but didn’t affect the Crown Prince’s mood. “Zuo Zhaoyi has ambitions to become Empress. If she succeeds, her pillow talk will become quite influential. Do you think my father will depose me and establish her son instead?”
“Prince Jianping?” She considered it and smiled. “Pillow talk may have happened before, but Your Highness is still doing well, isn’t he? If she does become Empress, she’ll have to be even more cautious in her words and actions. The pillow talk might become more restrained. Besides, what flaws does Your Highness have for others to criticize? Even if she has the intent, she won’t find any faults in you.”
The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes painting a picturesque scene. “Even the best remedy has three parts of poison. Finding faults in someone is easy.”
“Your Highness is different; you are not an ordinary person. To criticize you, the accuser must carry enough weight.” She pursed her lips, thinking. “Even if Zuo Zhaoyi becomes Empress, according to ancestral rules, since Prince Jianping was born before she became Empress, he could never outrank you. If the Emperor wanted to depose the legitimate heir in favor of a concubine’s son, the senior members of the cabinet would be the first to object. Your Highness can rest assured.”
He nodded frequently as he listened. “Yes, I cannot be deposed. If I were, the Command of Military Affairs would fall into someone else’s hands. How could I allow you to be so wanton and more domineering?”
As he spoke, he cast a fleeting glance at her. There was teasing his words, but Su Xinghe knew the routine of lifting someone only to bring them down.
She remained silent, and so did he. The palace lantern cast dappled light through the tassels, creating a colorful pattern. Suddenly, he smiled. “How many years have we known each other?”
She collected her thoughts and replied, “Ten years.”
Ten years, a decade that passed in the blink of an eye. He still remembered the scene when he first saw her. At the same age, girls tend to be more mature than boys. He was twelve that year, standing on the wall chasing sparrows on the Winter Solstice. Snow was falling heavily, and voices below were urging him to come down, he refused because he had discovered a gracefulness in this imperial city that he had never noticed before.
No matter how good a place is, it becomes mundane once crowded. His impression of the palace had always been one of busyness and congestion. Though not truly crowded, the number of people was a fact. If you look, the intersecting long streets and alleys in the palace are never. The palace buildings are the same, with people constantly coming and going, and the courtyards are never desolate. During the day, it was impossible to stop the palace servants from moving about. But when it snowed, it was as if a thorough cleaning had been done, washing away every living, breathing creature from every corner.
The heavy snowfall was lively and silent, with the eaves and roof tiles, the painted beams, and the red walls below appearing vividly poetic and romantic.
A few eunuchs ran over from the corridor, their noses red from the cold, sniffing continuously. They hunched over and reported, “Your Highness, stop playing with the birds. The Empress has sent you a young lady, and she is beautiful.”
He ignored them, tilting his face up and closing his eyes. The snowflakes fell on his face, and he could hear the faint sound of them melting.
The little eunuch, undeterred, kept chattering, “Your Highness, please look, she is here.”
Then a clear voice rang out, saying, “This servant, Su Xinghe, has been ordered to attend to Your Highness’s daily needs.”
A pleasant voice and a beautiful person—these were common enough. What was uncommon was her name. Su Xinghe… the combination of her first and last names had an exquisite charm.
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and glanced at her, seeing her standing outside the corridor. Despite the winter cold, she wasn’t dressed in a bulky manner. She wore a small crimson cotton jacket, and her hair was styled in two buns, each adorned with a dragonfly-shaped hairpin. She saluted him with a hand to her forehead and knelt in the icy snow.
“Aren’t you going to stand under the corridor?” he frowned.
She responded earnestly, “You braved the snow, Your Highness; it wouldn’t be right for me to seek shelter from the wind.”
This made him feel a bit embarrassed. He jumped down from the palace wall and helped her up. Only then did he see her face—she was beautiful, especially her eyes, which matched her name, exceptionally bright like stars.
“Grand Scholar Su Yujin is your relative?”
She bowed her head. “In response to Your Highness, he is my father.”
So, a young lady from a scholarly household was ordered to take his daily needs. He found it amusing— they were just children; how could anyone care for the others? They were just companions, and his thoughts hadn’t changed since then. They were just companions. However, he was aware that her ambitions went far beyond that.
Patting his knee, she leaned back in and, perhaps out of boredom, asked if his legs were sore, “Shall I give you a massage?”
“Go ahead then,” he said. Her small hands, unlike the eunuchs’ who would grit their teeth and exert too much force, moved inch by inch with a natural warmth.
“Going to see your family soon?” the Crown Prince asked, remembering that he should inquire about his subordinates’ matters to appear considerate and approachable.
She replied, “Yes, I haven’t seen my mother for eight years.”
Although she held an official title that allowed her to move between the palace and the administrative offices, it was forbidden for her to visit her home, as per the rules.
The Crown Prince kindly suggested, “I can lend you the West Garden. You can invite your mother to the Eastern Palace, have a meal, and chat privately without the need to travel far.”
Such a thoughtful master—what more could one ask for? Su Xinghe quietly took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, Your Highness. My mother used to accompany the Empress, but after Her Majesty passed away, she has forgotten what the palace is like.”
The Crown Prince acknowledged with a hum and withdrew his hand, “It’s getting late. You should go. Tomorrow, you don’t need to see me off to court; focus on your duties.”
She obeyed the order and rose, gathering the floral crown and hairpins, and holding them in her hands as she exited.
The night watchman blinked, then let his eyelids droop again. Su Xinghe had spent some time in His Highness’s sleeping quarters; her disheveled hair upon leaving was not uncommon, and no one paid much attention.
Su Xinghe remained calm and unaffected, unconcerned about the opinions of the palace attendants. Everyone in the palace knew about the ambiguous relationship between Su Xinghe and the Crown Prince; it had already gone beyond mere friendship. She had borne this stigma for five or six years, and it was precisely because of this that the officials in charge of the Eastern Palace’s affairs couldn’t get close to the Crown Prince.
As for why he didn’t like to entangle himself in the inner court affairs, she couldn’t say. She only knew that even if she wielded power in the Command of Military Affairs, it would only be to restore her reputation. After all, a spotless maiden was subject to gossip, which was not a glamorous affair. it would have caused a commotion long ago.
