Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next day, Zhao Huan did something unprecedented: he came to Fengzao Palace.

He stared at me while I wrote my memorials.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

Zhao Huan toyed with a brush on the desk. “I want to learn a bit about government affairs.”

“If the Crown Prince truly wanted to learn, he wouldn’t have driven away three Grand Tutors.”

“Perhaps those tutors were all too old and boring. It would be better if Sister taught me herself…” He leaned in, his phoenix eyes hazy.

Without looking up, I used the handle of my brush to press against his lips.

“I’m working. No.”

Zhao Huan’s gaze darkened as he kissed the brush handle. “I can wait.”

“I will be busy until very late today. You can go hunting or play polo.”

“I said I’ll wait.” Zhao Huan snatched a few of the memorials I had written and skimmed them. He managed to endure for less than an hour before closing his eyes and using the memorials as a pillow.

I worked the entire day.

He slept by my side the entire day.

As dusk approached, I set down my brush. “Take today’s drafted proposals to the Empress Dowager for her seal.”

Zhao Huan’s long eyelashes fluttered, and he woke up at the perfect moment. He leaped up, his eyes fixed on me with a haunting intensity.

Like a hungry wolf.

Yet, the way he pulled me by the waist for a kiss was very gentle.

I leaned into his arms, closing my eyes to enjoy this rare moment of tenderness.

Until his breathing quickened and he bit off the golden dangling hairpin from my hair.

My long hair cascaded down like silk.

His kisses trailed down my neck to my collarbone.

“I’m tired,” I said flatly.

I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open.

Kissing was fine, but I didn’t have the energy for anything more.

Zhao Huan’s breath hitched. His burning fingertips helped me tuck in my collar as he said in a raspy voice, “A delicious new restaurant just opened in Wuyang Ward.”

“I’m going home for dinner, Your Highness.”

“That’s fine too. Your family’s wine is quite good.”

I paused. “When did you ever drink my family’s wine?”

“Oh, I just grabbed a bottle from your shelf this morning.”

That scoundrel.

That was my prized, aged Nu’er Hong.

I glared at him, pinned up my golden hairpin, and walked down the palace steps with dignity.

I ran straight into Zhao Xin, who was dressed in elegant white robes.

“Prince Huai,” I said, nodding in greeting.

“Sister, you’re still working at Fengzao Palace this late? You’ve truly worked hard. Have you lost weight recently?” Zhao Xin looked me over with a smile before pulling a scroll from his robes. “I recently acquired a piece of Master Wending’s calligraphy. I remembered you liked it, so I brought it for you.”

“Oh?” My spirits lifted. “Let me see.”

The scent of ink wafted from the scroll. The strokes were powerful and bold-a natural masterpiece of character.

“Wending, oh Wending…” I shook my head with a smile. “If the world’s literary talent were ten parts, Wending alone would possess eight.”

“I wonder who this Master Wending truly is. He is famous throughout the land but never shows his face. It seems he is a true recluse.”

My smile faded slightly as I closed the scroll. “Then I shall trouble Your Highness to part with your treasure.”

Zhao Xin stood in the fiery glow of the setting sun, his smile gentle. “I am merely extending my affection for you to the things you love. It is no sacrifice.”

“What a fine way to put it-‘extending affection.'” Zhao Huan emerged from behind me carrying a palace lantern. His collar was disheveled, giving him the lazy air of someone who had just finished an intimate encounter.

A cold sneer played on his lips.

“Just who is it you’re so affectionate toward?”

Zhao Xin calmly cupped his hands. “Crown Prince. Since Sister likes it, I am trying to appreciate it as well. That is all.”

“Calling her ‘Sister’ this and ‘Sister’ that… you sound quite close.”

Zhao Xin smiled helplessly. “Second Brother, Sister is your cousin, and she is my cousin as well. We grew up together. Have you misunderstood something?”

The moment he said “grew up together,” Zhao Huan’s gaze turned dark enough to drip ink.

His rough fingers brushed against my fingertips before he firmly interlaced his fingers with mine. “She is your sister, but she will be my wife. Remember that.”

Zhao Xin smiled without a word, his eyes shimmering as he looked at me.

When he smiled, he looked very much like Brother Linhuai.

I pulled my hand from Zhao Huan’s grasp and gave them both a slight nod. “I’ll leave you two princes to your chat. Farewell.”

“Su Jingyan!” Zhao Huan chased after me in a fit of pique and grabbed me.

“All this pulling and tugging-where are your manners?” I swatted him away. “I haven’t even married into your family yet. Do you think you can just hold my hand whenever you please?”

Zhao Huan sneered. “Why play the prude now? Last night, and just moments ago, how did you find such pleasure beneath me?”

When those words came out…

For a moment, I didn’t even know what to say.

I merely cast a cold glance at the passing palace maids.

They all lowered their heads and dropped to their knees with a rustle.

“Dismissed.”

The servants bowed and retreated, leaving only the sound of chirping insects in the Imperial Garden.

“Ah Huan, you are the Crown Prince. Do you have no sense of what should and shouldn’t be said? To speak so crudely and insolently in front of so many people-how will others look at you, or at me? We are the future Emperor and Empress!”

I tried my best to restrain myself.

But I couldn’t help losing my temper.

Zhao Huan’s face was written with defiance.

I sighed deeply and reached out to touch his cold, hard cheek. “I don’t care how you act in private, but in public, at least act like a Crown Prince. Behave yourself and don’t cause trouble for me, understood?”

A servant announced from a distance, “His Majesty summons the Crown Prince to the palace for dinner.”

“Go on.” I fastened his buttons and straightened his collar.

He took my hand and pressed a burning kiss to my wrist. “Wait for me.”

I saw him off, then turned to warn Shuxian not to let him into Fengzao Palace anymore.

I’ve been busy lately.

I don’t have time to deal with him.

“If the Crown Prince wants to come, we can’t exactly stop him.”

“Then find him more Grand Tutors and make him study.” My head throbbed with frustration. “It’s been three years and he’s still a common soldier at heart, without a shred of decency.”
When I arrived home, the house was brightly lit, and a woman’s wails echoed through the halls.

“What happened?” I asked, gathering my skirts as I stepped down from the carriage. I saw my second sister sitting in the front courtyard, wrapped in her undergarments, her face drenched in tears.

She was pale as a ghost, her voice hoarse from screaming.

“The Second Miss went to the Temple of the Matchmaker yesterday, and while she was there… she was violated.”

I frowned. “Who was the man?”

“Young Marquis Wang.”

I knew of Wang Chuncai.

He was an empty-headed lecher who spent his days in brothels and took pleasure in mistreating women.

But there was no way he would have dared to lay a hand on my second sister.

“Auntie Lin and the Third Miss went with her last night.”

“How dare they!” I shouted in fury. “Summon Imperial Physician Ren to examine the Second Miss, then gather all the female family members in the ancestral hall! No one sleeps tonight!”

Our Su Family estate in the capital housed four branches of uncles and elders.

There were seventy-six women in total.

Late into the night, the ancestral hall was lit with candles.

I sat at the head of the room, with my aunts and sisters seated in order of rank.

Auntie Lin was stubborn at first, but she started talking after a few lashes of the whip.

It turned out that Eldest Young Master Jian had recently come to propose marriage, wishing to take my second sister as his wife.

Auntie Lin, seeing that my second sister was an orphan with no parents to protect her, plotted to have her ruined. She wanted her virtue stained and the scandal made public.

The Jian Family would never accept a daughter-in-law with such a reputation.

That would leave an opening for my third sister to take her place.

“Beat her. Beat her hard.” I slammed my teacup down, my hands shaking with rage.

Only when she saw the servants bring out a staff as thick as a man’s arm did Auntie Lin finally feel fear. She screamed and lunged forward, grabbing the hem of my skirt. “Eldest Miss! Eldest Miss! I only wanted to secure a good marriage for Jingyun! Jingyun may be a concubine’s daughter, but she is your own sister!”

“Which one of the girls sitting here isn’t my sister?!” I roared, grabbing her chin. “Auntie Lin, my father redeemed you from a brothel. You know what it’s like to be used by a thousand men, yet you sent Jingmin to Wang Chuncai’s bed. How could you do such a thing!”

I slammed her head against the floor. “Carry out the family discipline.”

Jingmin’s sobbing quieted as she watched with wide eyes.

The ancestral hall filled with Auntie Lin’s agonizing screams.

Blood began to seep through her fine silk clothes.

Jingyun rushed forward to shield Auntie Lin, but the servants dragged her away. She fell to her knees, weeping as she begged me, “Sister! Please! My mother will be beaten to death at this rate!”

“You don’t need to kneel to me. It wasn’t me your mother harmed; this has nothing to do with me.” I leaned back in my chair, eyes lowered as I held my tea.

Stunned, Jingyun crawled over to Jingmin. “Second Sister! Second Sister! My mother really will die…”

Jingmin’s pale face remained motionless. “Your mother will die? When your mother drugged that beast and led him to my room, did she ever consider that I might die?”

The rhythmic cracks of the staff echoed through the hall.

Auntie Lin’s breath grew faint.

Frantic and desperate, Jingyun kowtowed to Jingmin until her forehead hit the floor with a thud. “Second Sister, my mother was born into the demi-monde. She is illiterate and knows nothing. Second Sister, please spare her life! I will work like a slave to make it up to you!”

Jingmin’s expression softened slightly, and she turned her gaze toward me.

“Think carefully,” I reminded her. “If you call for a stop now, the debt between you and her is settled.”

Jingmin was a young girl after all, soft-hearted. “Sister, that’s enough.”

The servants pulled back the staff.

Jingyun threw herself onto Auntie Lin, weeping piteously.

“Jingyun, all of this happened because of you,” I said coldly. “For the next ten years, do not even think about marriage.”

The near-dead Auntie Lin suddenly surged up with a burst of strength, shouting at me, “Su Jingyan, what is your aim! I’ll kill you!”

Some people don’t care if you beat them within an inch of their lives.

But if you stop their daughter from marrying, they will fight you to the death.

“Come at me if you have a problem! Jingyun knew nothing! I am the one responsible!” Auntie Lin cried out, her voice full of blood and tears.

“Of course she didn’t know.”

I knew my sisters well; otherwise, I would have had her beaten along with her mother.

“Su Jingyan! You’re pushing her into a fire pit! She’ll end up like you, an old maid who can’t get married!” Auntie Lin looked at me with pure venom. “You are the daughter of a Princess; you can afford to waste time! But my Jingyun is only a concubine’s daughter!”

“Shut up. The daughters of the Su Family are not divided by birth; they are all Su Jingyan’s sisters!” I slammed my teacup onto the table.

“Mother, please, stop talking!” Jingyun could no longer bear it.

She picked up a pair of scissors and, right before my eyes, cut off a lock of her hair.

“Jingyun is willing to focus on her studies. I will not speak of marriage for ten years.”

“Good.” I nodded.

Auntie Lin wept, her heart turning to ash.

“Listen to me, all of you.” I looked up, my gaze sweeping over every woman in the room. “What kind of skill is it to fight other women over a man? If you have the ability, go and fight men for power and influence. Instead of wasting your time plotting over marriage, you should be thinking about something else.”

“What’s wrong with thinking about marriage?” a soft laugh rang out from the shadows of the hall.

My Sixth Sister, her hair in twin buns and wearing a pleated skirt, stepped gracefully out of the darkness.

“By marrying into a prestigious clan and becoming the mistress of the house, even if you are hidden behind a man, don’t you still hold power and influence?”

“You are quite bold,” I said, narrowing my eyes as I looked at her.

A girl of sixteen or seventeen changes every day, blooming like a lotus in clear water.

Sixth Sister covered her mouth and giggled. “The Jian Family has produced high officials for four generations. The primary wife of the eldest son will run the entire household one day. If it were truly one of us sisters, wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?”
“Once you’re in charge of the household, what do you plan to do?” I asked.

Sixth Sister thought for a moment. “Back then, the Grand Princess married down into the Su Family. She managed the estate for years, and by the time it reached your generation, Sister, you took the seat of the Family Head as a woman.”

I reminded her, “The Jian Family is not like the Su Family. They are a century-old clan with rigid traditions. The eldest daughter of the Jian Family still hasn’t stepped foot outside her inner chambers.”

-Can you really do it?

Sixth Sister walked up to me and gave me a sweet smile. “What of it?”

“Sister, your mother was merely a princess.”

“But my sister is the Empress.”

“Good! I like your ambition.” I stared intently at her flower-like face. “Someone, come. Send Sixth Sister’s birth dates and times to the Jian manor.”

“Jinghan is, after all, born of a concubine…” Third Aunt reminded me.

I stood up, smoothing my robes. “They should be grateful to marry a daughter of my Su Family. What is there to be picky about? If Lord Jian is dissatisfied, let him come and speak to me personally.”

My beautiful, cunning little fox bowed low to the ground. “Thank you for fulfilling my wish, Sister.”

I brushed past her.

I will send you into the clouds.

As for the rest, fight for it yourself.

I hope that one day, when I pay a visit to Lord Jian, the one I am visiting is my own niece.

By the time I left the ancestral hall, the night was already deep.

There was a commotion in the front courtyard.

“Who is making such a noise at the gates?”

“…It is the Crown Prince.”

I let out a long sigh.

Why him again?

I couldn’t exactly have him beaten out with clubs.

“However, the Master has already gone to receive him.”

I nodded. “Thank Father for me.”

Though my father was cynical and unconventional, he could still be useful when it mattered. He was an elder of the house, and Zhao Huan would have to call him ‘Uncle’ upon meeting him. Surely, he wouldn’t dare talk nonsense in front of my father.

I returned to my sleeping quarters and dismissed the attendants. “Come out.”

Jingmin, wrapped in white robes, emerged from a corner.

“It’s not such a big deal. You don’t need to hide from people.”

Jingmin’s tears burst forth. “Sister, I want revenge.”

“Mhm. This sort of thing is like being beaten in public; such a humiliation naturally makes one want to strike back. You are a child of character. But how do you plan to take revenge on Wang Lang?”

“I want him dead!” the young girl cried out indignantly.

I took a wooden sword from the rack and tossed it to her, attacking the moment she caught it.

She couldn’t even block one strike and fell to the ground.

“Again.”

She scrambled up and lunged at me.

I dodged effortlessly. “Again.”

There were martial arts lessons in the family, and she had attended them, but she had always been too inhibited.

I knocked the sword from her hand three more times.

“With just this, you want to kill someone?”

She finally grew desperate, roaring as she swung at me.

I parried her sword and looked into her bloodshot eyes, the corners of my lips curling up. “Now that’s more like it. But you still can’t kill him.”

Sorrow flickered in her eyes, as if the last of her spirit had been drained. She slumped back onto the ground. “Why was I born a woman… Why…”

“I am also a woman.” I stood in the moonlight, leaning quietly on my sword. “My marriage contract was far more prestigious than yours. From a young age, I was betrothed to the Crown Prince. Even when the Eastern Palace changed masters, I remained the Crown Princess.”

“But Auntie Lin would never have dreamed of ruining me so that Jingyun could enter the palace in my place.”

“She wouldn’t even dare think it.”

“Similarly, Wang Lang never dared to lust after me.”

“He is lecherous, but in my presence, he doesn’t even dare to lift his head to look at me.”

“Because they know that if they harbor even a shred of malice toward me, I will have them all beaten to death.”

The words ‘beaten to death’ fell softly from my crimson lips.

My sister looked up as if she had been burned.

“Though I have practiced swordsmanship for a few more years than you, I don’t have the advantage in a physical fight against a man. All I have is power.”

“But Sister, I have no power or influence. I am just an unmarried woman without parents.” My sister looked pathetic and weak.

“There will be an Autumn Imperial Examination this year.” In her suddenly widened eyes, I saw the reflection of my own smile. “If you can place in the top three, I will give you power.”

“Can women take the imperial examinations?”

“Originally, they could not.” I looked toward the distant palace complex and reached out a hand to her. “But with me here, you can.”

“Thank you for your pity, Sister…”

Jingmin wept, resting her face in the palm of my hand.

A soft thud sounded behind me; it was Zhao Huan jumping down from the wall.

My vision went dark for a moment.

The dignified Crown Prince.

Climbing walls in the middle of the night.

“Your father dragged me into a drinking session, so I got him drunk and escaped.” Heat radiated from Zhao Huan’s body. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Please leave, Crown Prince.” I held Jingmin. “I need to look after my sister tonight.”

Zhao Huan was stunned. “Is looking after your sister more important than looking after me?”

My expression turned cold.

“What makes you think I was waiting for you? Just because you spent one night in my bed, you think you can act wild here? That was nothing more than a moment of pleasure. You don’t even qualify as a regular guest in my chambers.”

I picked up the fainted Jingmin in my arms and walked into my bedroom right in front of him.

Zhao Huan trampled the flowers and plants in my courtyard and kicked the door as he left.

He was a proud man; from that day on, he ignored me.

Which was exactly what I wanted.