Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The Second Prince’s gaze roved over my face.
I lowered my voice and said, “Our princess is ill. Please summon a physician for her.”
The Second Prince looked at me in silence for a moment, then ordered someone to call a physician and accompanied him into the bedchamber.
Changping’s clothes hung half-loose from her body, tempting him.
As soon as the physician left, the Second Prince’s hand settled on Changping’s bare shoulder.
The reason we had chosen the Second Prince was because he had flirted with Changping before. He was ambitious, and he was lustful.
After that, he came every day. But he was not the only one who came. The First Prince came as well.
That afternoon, the two brothers ran into each other outside Changping’s door.
On the twelfth day, I stole one of the Second Prince’s arrows and hid it beneath the table.
Kelen saw the arrow and personally beat the Second Prince until he was gravely injured.
That night, Changping went to see the Second Prince and repeated the words I had taught her.
The Second Prince reacted exactly as we expected. He was convinced the First Prince had informed on him.
“He wants to get rid of me. Then no one will threaten his succession.”
Changping sat by his bed and cried. “They won’t let you go. Why not kill your brother and become king yourself?”
The Second Prince laughed scornfully, thinking Changping exceedingly foolish. “What use would his death be? My enemy isn’t him. It’s my father.”
So Changping kept crying.
“Unless,” the Second Prince said in a low voice, “my father dies.”
Too many sons really did make for trouble. Every last one of them wanted to inherit the throne. I stood in the doorway, and my gaze met that of a five- or six-year-old child on the steps.
I smiled at him.
He tilted his head up and looked at me. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before.”
“This servant is the maid of the princess of the Chu Kingdom.”
I asked him, “And who are you?”
The boy clasped his hands behind his back, putting on the air of an adult. “I am the Twelfth Prince.”
“Do you know how to play chess?”
I nodded. “I do. And I’m very good.”
His eyes lit up. He said he wanted to play against me. I said, “Will you come find me tonight?”
He agreed, and we arranged to meet that evening.
That night, he did not come alone. He came with his mother.
His mother was a princess of one of the tribes. She had followed Kelen for seven years and, after giving birth to a son, fell out of favor. But because her maternal clan was powerful, she lived quite well in the palace.
After I learned this, I took the initiative to serve the newly made pastries to mother and son.
After that, the Twelfth Prince came to find me every day, while Changping grew closer to the Second Prince.
Time passed quickly. Three months later, on the night Changping and I had been waiting for, our chance arrived.
After getting drunk, Kelen once again bestowed Changping upon one of his brothers. This time, Changping did not resist.
Changping kept the man occupied, while I ran as fast as I could to Kelen’s room.
Kelen had just come out from his bath. When he saw me, he froze, then laughed.
“The maid?”
I stepped forward and answered yes, my sidelong glance sweeping over him. “The great king sent the princess to another man. His Majesty feared it would affect diplomatic relations, so he had this servant come along as well.”
I lowered my eyes, my cheeks faintly flushed.
Kelen burst into laughter and lifted my chin. “The King of Chu is a loyal dog.”
Trembling, I poured wine and handed it to him. “Please do not disdain me, great king.”
“Who would disdain a beauty?” He drained the cup in one gulp and pulled me into his arms. “I never noticed before. You’re far more beautiful than your princess.”
Blushing, I answered yes and handed him another cup. He drank that one too.
My heart pounded wildly. I broke free from him and went to pour tea. Behind me, Kelen clutched his throat and collapsed into a chair.
He realized the wine had been poisoned. His eyes fixed on me, as venomous as if they had been dipped in poison.
I quickly backed away.
When he toppled to the floor, his hand overturned the wine pot. The sound of shattering echoed through the room. The Second Prince pushed the door open and came in, excitement churning in his eyes.
But before we could speak, the First Prince charged in.
The two brothers faced each other. Before either could question me, they began fighting.
For the throne, neither would rest until the other was dead tonight.
I went to find Changping.
Inside the room, Changping was crying. The harder she cried, the more wildly the man laughed.
The commotion in the front hall grew louder and louder.
Changping opened the door and came out. “Ning Yan, he’s passed out. Let’s go!”
“We can’t.” I stared into the room. “He’s someone Kelen relies on, and he commands heavy troops. We can’t let him wake up and disrupt the situation.”
I entered the room, my hand trembling as I drove the knife into the man’s heart. As expected of a military commander, the man abruptly opened his eyes and struck out with his palm, sending me flying.
I crashed to the floor. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled up again.
My hands felt as if they were no longer mine. Blood splattered across my face. I could no longer think. Only instinct remained.
I had to live.
Changping was crying, but her hands did not stop.
By the time we came back to ourselves, we were already running madly through the palace, running and running and running toward the rear hall.
The sounds of killing grew louder and louder, ringing in our ears.
For some, this battle had come without warning. But for others, it had been planned for a very long time.
We mounted the horses prepared in advance and galloped all the way.
Ten zhang from the Chu Kingdom’s border wall, we found the earthen tunnel we had arranged beforehand and crawled inside, then sealed the entrance with soil.
Changping lay against my shoulder, biting her lip. She trembled all over, yet would not let herself make a sound as she cried.
I clenched my blood-dripping hand and whispered, “We will succeed.”