Chapter 7

I gave a cold laugh, then went to the senior maid in charge of the palace and asked her to have him transferred.

She stared at me in silence. I did not back down.

At last, she said, “I can transfer him. But Jiang Dai, you should restrain yourself. The princess’s favor won’t last forever. No one stays fortunate forever, and no flower blooms for a hundred days. Leave yourself a way out.”

“Thank you for your concern,” I said calmly. “But I’m helping you. Someone managed to tamper with Her Highness’s face cream. This palace is riddled with problems. She’ll grow up eventually, and she’ll put her household in order. Would it be better for her to do that herself, or for you to take the initiative? I’m sure you understand the difference.”

The senior maid considered it and said no more. She dismissed the eunuch from the palace, then began setting the household to rights. All the shirkers and troublemakers were identified at once, to await the princess’s judgment.

I went back to the Fifth Prince’s palace.

By now, it was as good as a cold palace.

In so short a time, everyone had left except Qianyue.

I gave the guard at the gate an ingot of silver, pushed the door open, and went inside.

The once immaculate, splendid palace was coated in dust. Qianyue had done her best to clean the rooms where the Fifth Prince lived. She must not have had time for the rest.

At the doorway, I heard her pleading through tears.

“Your Highness, please drink a little. How can you recover if you won’t take it?”

He did not answer.

Qianyue tried again.

Something smashed against the floor, followed by the Fifth Prince’s furious shout.

“I won’t drink it! Get out! Get out of here!”

Qianyue emerged with tears in her eyes.

She started at the sight of me. I signaled for her to be quiet and went with her to her room.

It was an even smaller, more dilapidated maid’s room.

She wanted to pour me some hot water, but could find no cup. She could only give a bitter smile.

“I’d like to offer you something, but I don’t even have a teacup left.”

“You’d better not drink tea here anyway. It’s rather unlucky.”

“What brings you here?”

“Does the Fifth Prince treat you well?” I asked.

Qianyue seemed relieved to have something to talk about.

“His Highness isn’t well. He’s ill. He’s coughed up blood several times, but he won’t take his medicine properly. I don’t know what to do. There’s no money left in the palace. I don’t even know how I’ll get his next dose…”

Once she began speaking of him, she seemed to have endless things to say.

[This maid is so pitiful too. She has to keep bribing the guards just to get out and beg the Imperial Medical Bureau for medicine. And the Fifth Prince doesn’t appreciate any of it. He actually smashes the medicine.]

[I really can’t feel sorry for him. Even now, he can’t face reality and stop acting like a spoiled young master. If I were in his position, I’d protect anyone who treated me well with my life. But him? He’s awful to the heroine and awful to Qianyue. He bullies whoever treats him kindly. An ungrateful bastard through and through.]

[What has he ever done to deserve being the male lead, anyway? Seven years in the cold palace, and the heroine’s the one who gets beaten and punished and miscarries on her knees. He still gets his comforts and his women, then wins the throne without lifting a finger. Why? Just because he was born male?]

[Luck is part of ability. His father’s the emperor. That gives him a claim to the throne.]

The comments began arguing again.

I interrupted Qianyue.

“I asked how you were doing.”

I didn’t care about the Fifth Prince.

I cared about her.