chapter 15

After the quarrel, Yan Ci followed Madam’s instructions and melted all the remaining tampered ice blocks into the snow.

The vast snow covered everything. Huai Ci Palace returned to its usual tranquility, though undercurrents stirred in secret.

Yan Ci behaved himself for no more than half a year before he arranged to meet me at the third watch of the night, sitting beneath the window of the Imperial Kitchen, sharing candied sweet potatoes and his schemes.

“If Father King dies, the one to ascend the throne will be Crown Prince Yan Qing. If Yan Qing dies, then it will be Yan Zhan, famed for his virtue.”

He murmured, “Before poisoning Father King, I must first remove these two obstacles. Guanqi, tell me, how should I deal with my dear royal brother?”

I made a gesture like slaughtering a pig. He laughed, “He’s dumber than a pig, but killing him is much harder than killing a pig.”

Suddenly, there was movement in the bushes beside us, interrupting what Yan Ci was about to say. A cat’s meow sounded, and Yan Ci said, “A stray cat has come to look for food.”

Before Yan Ci finished speaking, I had already caught his signal and darted into the bushes, seizing the intruder.

The page boy I muffled was terrified. Yan Ci parted the bushes, his tone chilling: “So it’s not a stray cat, but the Crown Prince’s house cat.”

This person was Yan Qing’s page, Wen Mu. It was said that Wen Mu excelled at Plum Blossom Small Regular Script, unmatched in the palace.

To me, Plum Blossom Small Regular Script was not as appealing as plum blossom sweet soup. What impressed me most about Wen Mu was not his fine calligraphy, but what lay between his legs.

Both Yan Ci and I had crawled between Wen Mu’s legs; when I did, he was still sitting on my head, giggling and laughing.