Chapter 3
A few days later, I returned to the bookshop.
The excited shopkeeper brought out the finished booklets and proudly showed them off.
I stared in amazement.
The pictures in the booklets looked nothing like the ones I had drawn before.
Their lines flowed smoothly, and every figure’s expression was vivid and lifelike.
The young Prince Xiao Jing wore simple clothes and looked thin, yet the artist had captured perfectly the resilience and composure between his brows, as well as the restrained dignity of one born to the imperial house.
It was as though Xiao Jing had come alive on the page.
“Shopkeeper, the artist you found is impressive. This is masterful work.”
The shopkeeper gave a chuckle.
Highly satisfied, I paid the remainder of the agreed price.
I added another hundred taels as a reward.
“Shopkeeper, hire some people to slip these booklets into scholars’ poetry gatherings, or to leave them behind by chance in teahouses, taverns, and bookrooms near the great academies.”
I wanted the booklets to circulate among scholars and literati.
But they could not be promoted too forcefully.
People had to “stumble upon them by chance, marvel at their brilliance, and then vie with one another to spread the tale.”
The shopkeeper had taken my money, so he agreed.
Half a month later, the capital’s literary circles were in an uproar.
Rumor had it that Prince Xiao Jing tilled the fields himself and understood the sufferings of the common people.
Every scholar and student sang his praises.
When word reached the imperial court, a white-haired, white-bearded senior minister who had served three reigns stepped forward. Trembling, he knelt below the vermilion stairs and cried out in praise.
“This is a blessing to the realm! If every prince could act so, why should we fear that the empire cannot be governed?”
The civil and military officials all knelt and lauded the emperor’s benevolence.
The emperor gained considerable prestige from it.
Stroking his beard, he was delighted. “I did not expect Jing’er to have won such renown. Consort Shen has plainly devoted herself to raising him.”
“Prepare an edict. Consort Shen has rendered meritorious service in nurturing the prince. Gentle, virtuous, and accomplished in the conduct proper to the inner palace, she is hereby elevated to Noble Consort and granted authority to assist in governing the imperial harem, as a mark of Our commendation.”
Father came home bursting with pride and brought us the news.
It was a joyous occasion for the Shen family. The whole estate hung lanterns and decorations and held a magnificent feast.
While Father was happy, I sidled up to him and spoke coquettishly.
“Father, it seems this prince is our family’s lucky star. Tell Sister that she must treat him well from now on.”
Father had drunk a couple of taels of aged wine, and the alcohol had gone to his head. He agreed readily.
A few days later, I made inquiries and learned that Prince Xiao Jing had already been brought back to the palace with great ceremony.
The emperor personally received him in the imperial study and bestowed lavish rewards on him.
My sister claimed a share of the honor as well.
Only then did I secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
My eldest sister, Noble Consort Shen, summoned me to the palace.
I decided to use the opportunity to see how she and Xiao Jing were getting along.
The moment I passed through the palace gate, someone approached from the opposite direction.
I was so frightened that I hurriedly lowered my head.
He drew closer. When he reached my side, he stopped.
He asked the palace maid leading my way,
“Which official’s family does this young lady belong to?”
The maid curtsied. “Lord Xie, this is the Grand Chancellor’s daughter, Noble Consort Shen’s younger sister—the Second Miss Shen.”
It was over. My identity had been exposed.
When I had just come of age, Father had once proposed a marriage with the Xie family in an effort to win over the court’s upright faction.
Xie Linyuan, however, was a man of lofty principles who hated evil with a passion.
He had declared, “I will never marry a treacherous grand chancellor’s daughter.”
Now that very daughter stood before him. I wondered what Xie Linyuan made of it.
I dipped into a shallow curtsy. “Lord Xie.”
Xie Linyuan stared at me. “Second Miss Shen, you look remarkably familiar. Have we met before?”
“You are mistaken, Lord Xie. I never leave the women’s quarters. Today is the first time I have met you.”
He gave a soft “Oh,” then produced something from his sleeve.
When I had purged the drug from him in Green Plum Alley, the bracelet on my wrist had gotten in the way, so I had removed it.
I had forgotten it when I left. I had not expected him to find it.
Holding the bracelet, he looked at the tiny characters carved inside.
“What might the name ‘Wan’er’ mean?”
I stiffened my neck and lowered my eyes, stubborn as a duck with its beak clamped shut.
“If even a learned man like Lord Xie does not know, then I, who have disliked books since childhood, certainly would not.”
While we remained locked in stalemate, an angry shout came from the distance.
“Shen Wan’er! What are you dawdling for? Get in here at once!”
Hiss—
My head began to ache again.
My eldest sister, Shen Ruyu, might have been beautiful, but she had an explosive temper.
Her mouth was like a fire lance.
Every word came out blazing.
I darted away faster than a rabbit.
Xie Linyuan was no slower. He followed close on my heels.
I could not help looking back. “Lord Xie, I’m going to see my sister. Why are you following me? Can a court official simply wander into a Noble Consort’s palace whenever he pleases?”
Xie Linyuan remained perfectly composed. “I am going to see my nephew.”
Prince Xiao Jing was the late empress’s son, and Xie Linyuan was his maternal uncle.