Chapter 5
By the time Lu Feibai arrived, the man in the bed was awake.
Seeing a face that resembled his own, his gaze sharpened.
Xue Yifu gave her account first, declaring outright that Kong Lingzhang had taken a lover.
“A woman’s chastity matters above all. Until the facts are clear, the crown princess should avoid reckless accusations.”
Xue Yifu sneered. “Third Sister, I hear you offered to exchange rooms with her tonight. You’re under suspicion yourself. Defending her so fiercely—could this man be a lover you share?”
Xianrong was furious, yet she could not deny the exchange of rooms.
Ignoring the women’s clash, Lu Feibai questioned the man kneeling on the floor.
“These are the women’s quarters. How did you get here?”
The man had some temper. He snorted and refused to answer.
A guard drew his sword and drove it into the man’s arm.
He cried out, but remained defiant. “You can beat me to death. I won’t say a word.”
“What a devoted lover,” Xue Yifu mocked.
Seeing that he could get no answers, Lu Feibai rubbed his brow.
“Take him to the Court of Judicial Review’s prison for a thorough interrogation.”
Two guards were about to lead him away.
“Oh? Why is everyone here?”
They turned—and saw me standing at the door.
The man’s face lit up. “Zhang’er!”
Xue Yifu attacked first. “How dare you, Kong Lingzhang! A Buddhist temple is sacred, yet you commit such filth here. You’ve disgraced every noble house.”
“What are you all talking about?” I asked in bewilderment.
“Your Highness, Father, what has happened?”
Everyone was silent. I looked still more confused.
“I couldn’t sleep in an unfamiliar bed, so I went to the small shrine to pray for my brother tonight. When the fire broke out, the smoke made me faint. Had this young monk not saved me, I would already be dead.”
The novice behind me murmured a prayer and confirmed my account.
“If that’s true, how did this man come to be in your room?”
I studied his face, confirming that he was no one I knew.
“I truly don’t know him. My maid Huanpei can confirm that I went to the shrine to pray. After I fainted, I vaguely heard her calling for help.”
Just then, a guard reported that Huanpei had died from smoke inhalation.
At those words, the man suddenly shouted, “It was all my one-sided devotion. Zhang’er had nothing to do with it. There was nothing between us.”
I flew into a rage. “Who sent you to slander me? Slandering a woman’s chastity merits flaying and beheading. You had better think carefully.”
He looked heartbroken. “Zhang’er, after that performance in the opera garden, you welcomed me into your chamber. Now you’ve cast me aside to protect yourself. I don’t blame you.”
“Everyone, it was my own desire. I couldn’t help my feelings. Miss Kong is entirely innocent.”
He appeared to absolve me, but every word made matters worse.
A woman’s chastity outweighed everything. If this slander succeeded today,
I would be infamous, and the entire Kong family would share my disgrace.
“You all know I’ve lived away for years. I’ve only been back in the capital a little over a month. How could I have an affair with someone?”
“Let me tell you plainly. My heart has never ceased to belong to the crown prince. I would scorn to accept such a counterfeit in his place.”
I spoke with conviction. Several people were already nodding and defending me.
“Miss Kong is highborn, with a splendid future. Would she treasure a mere actor? I certainly don’t believe it.”
“Exactly. And Huanpei’s death is suspicious however you look at it.”
Emotion appeared in Lu Feibai’s eyes. “Zhang’er…”
As the tide began to turn, the man’s tone suddenly changed.
“Zhang’er, I’ve taken all the blame myself. Why do you still have to belittle me?”
“If you’re so eager to cut all ties, I won’t let you!”
Abandoning all restraint, he shouted, “You put a doll bearing the crown prince’s birth date and hour beneath the shrine, then slipped it into the offerings box while praying for your brother.”
“You said that after seven days, the curse would take hold of him, and he would make you crown princess.”
Together with my declaration of devotion a moment earlier, those words
condemned me at a stroke.
The guards worked swiftly. They brought the offerings box, breathless.
When they split it open, a finely made cloth doll rolled out with the copper coins.
The man laughed wildly. “Zhang’er, if I can’t have you, no one will. We’ll die together and be lovers even in hell.”
“Kong Lingzhang, what have you to say now?”
I stepped back twice. A piercing sound rang in my ears.
My unconscious mother. My furious father. A disappointed Lu Feibai. A triumphant Xue Yifu. And… a worried Xianrong.
It was a trap laid specifically for me. I could offer no defense.
“Guards! Lock this adulterous pair in the Court of Judicial Review!”
I lowered my head and let them take me away, as though accepting my fate.
In this round, defeat threatened from every side.
The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.
But until the final moment, who could say which of us was the mantis, and which the oriole?