093 When Things Reach an Extreme, They Reverse

It was getting late, and this servant must return to the palace to attend the Empress. I freed myself from Prince Jin, speaking with due respect.

“I shall go with you.”

“Your Highness, this servant—”

“I, too, must make the matter of those two young ladies clear to my mother.”

I paused, then said, “Did Your Highness not say just now that you had already spoken with the Empress? How is it—”

Prince Jin only smiled and said nothing, already striding away.

Liar again.

When I followed him out through the palace gates, I saw two eunuchs walking ahead. One said, “This time, His Highness the Crown Prince has truly fallen out of favor. At court, the most favored of them all is now the Ninth Prince.”

“In the past, the Crown Prince was not always first either, and no one said he had fallen out of favor.”

“What do you know? In the past, with the Emperor himself there, the Crown Prince was merely losing to the Emperor. And the Fourth Prince is famed throughout the realm as a master of horsemanship and archery, so even if he lost, it was no disgrace. But now? He has lost to the Ninth Prince. You must know, in all the past archery and riding grand ceremonies, the Ninth Prince was ranked far, far behind, not even comparable to the sons of some noble families. Now that he has risen in a single bound and astonished all under heaven, who is more embarrassed than those princes who have always stood at the front?”

“That is true enough. Ever since the matter of selecting a crown princess, the Emperor has already been displeased, and the Eastern Palace has been in constant uproar. I hear that several proposals put forward by the Crown Prince were even rejected by the Emperor. It seems the Emperor will soon place the Ninth Prince in important office.”

“Of course. Hasn’t the Emperor granted the Ninth Prince permission to take a wife? Think about it: several princes and princesses ahead of him have not yet married, and yet it has already come to him. Once he marries, he will be an adult; then won’t he be able to take part in court deliberations in all due form? Do not be fooled by how, in ordinary days, the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince seem the closest. That was only because the Ninth Prince never stole the Crown Prince’s thunder, serving merely as a foil at his side. But now it is different.”

“Yes, yes, I never thought of that. You are truly clever, sir.”

Listening to them, I silently glanced at Prince Jin.

“There are too many loose tongues in the inner palace. I cannot stop every rumor. Let us go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

If Prince Jin came out to clear his name, the matter would only be turned to advantage by those with evil intent. I thought that when Prince Jin decided to claim first place, he must already have foreseen such a thing.

The two eunuchs had not gone far when, just as we were leaving the palace, we suddenly saw Lady Han Feiyue and Prince Jin.

Startled, I was about to salute when Prince Jin spoke first. “Both of you, stand still.”

The two eunuchs turned and, seeing Prince Jin, immediately dropped to their knees, trembling.

“You two are spreading slander here and ruining the affection between my brothers. What crime do you think you deserve?”

“This servant deserves death. Please spare us, Your Highness the Crown Prince. We will never dare speak recklessly again.”

Prince Jin pointed at them. “Listen well. This prince and my Ninth Brother share deep fraternal affection. Besides, I was simply not as skilled as he. In the past I always lost to the Fourth Brother; now losing to the Ninth Brother is nothing at all. It is only a matter of rivalry among brothers, with wins and losses. But you dog servants, fearing that the world might not be chaotic enough, must stir up such words. It is intolerable.”

“Please forgive us, Your Highness the Crown Prince, please forgive us”—the two kept kowtowing and begging.

“Men, take them away. Give each fifty strokes and throw them to the laundry bureau as slaves.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Th—” Prince Jin tried to step forward to plead for mercy, but I caught him from behind. He looked back at me, and I shook my head.

At such a time, no matter how much compassion Prince Jin felt, he could not step in. Otherwise, he would truly be insulting the Crown Prince’s authority.

Seeing my warning, Prince Jin did not move forward. The two little eunuchs were simply dragged away before our eyes.

“Greetings to Third Brother, greetings to the Crown Princess.”

“Old Ninth, there is no need for ceremony.”

“Why is Third Brother here?”

“I was accompanying Feiyue to pay respects to Grandmother Imperial; we were just on our way back.”

“I see.”

“Do not take to heart the nonsense those two servants were spouting just now.”

“It is well if Third Brother does not take it to heart.”

Prince Jin smiled and gave Prince Jin a pat on the shoulder. “Why should brothers like us speak in such terms? Though I was somewhat surprised when I first learned the result, you are my brother. I am delighted that you have made such progress, so how could I possibly mind? It is the Fourth Brother who likely feels worse; you ought to be more concerned about him. Several days have passed, and Father still refuses to see him.”

“Father still has not calmed down?”

“You know this matter involves Princess Xihe. Father has always doted on her the most. If Xihe had stepped forward, there might still be hope, but that little girl chose the very moment Father was at Dream Consort’s palace to speak ill of the Fourth Brother again. And so Father still will not see him. But do not worry. In a few days it should be all right; after all, it is not some great matter.”

“Mm.”

“Very well, it seems you have business outside, so I will not keep you. Feiyue and I shall return to the Eastern Palace first.”

“Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, take care.”

From what I saw today, Prince Jin still returned some measure of brotherly feeling to Prince Jin. Though Prince Jin was somewhat indecisive and unlikely to achieve much in the future, he was, in the end, a kind and broad-minded man. Yet if Prince Jin truly did not care at all, could the Empress possibly think the same?

As for Prince Jye, being suppressed by Prince Jin, whom he had always looked down upon, he must be furious. Princess Xihe had likely been standing up for me, though I did not know whether this had offended Prince Jye. I only hoped he would not hold it against his little sister.

“Come.”

Prince Jin walked ahead, and I followed him into Emerald Manor Palace.

When Zhang Bitong saw Prince Jin enter, she rose from the couch and said, “My son, how did your talk with those two young ladies go? You seemed to be conversing with great delight. Tell me, which one do you prefer?”

“Both young ladies are impeccable in disposition and appearance. This son does not dare say he prefers one over the other.”

Zhang Bitong cast a satisfied glance at Yunqing, then said, “My son need not belittle himself. To be favored by you is the blessing of several lifetimes for them. What do you have to hesitate over? So long as you are willing, any woman under heaven, your mother will do her utmost to bring her to you. If you can perform well and win your father’s trust, and if in the end that is so, then all the women under heaven will be yours.”

“When this son won first place at the archery and riding grand ceremony, Mother promised that if I had any wish, you would do your utmost to help me achieve it.”

“That is only natural. Speak, then. What is it?”

“This son asks Mother for one thing: the first person I marry in this life must be the one I love.”

“That is no difficult matter. Then who is the one you love now?”

After hearing this, Prince Jin suddenly looked toward me. I stood to the side, stunned. He then shifted his gaze away and replied, “The one this son loves cannot yet be married. But it is not the two young ladies. When the time is ripe, I will report to Mother and ask you to make the decision for me.”

“So you are simply saying you do not wish to marry right now? Those two young ladies are beneath your notice? No matter, your mother still has many candidates in hand, any of whom could—”

Prince Jin interrupted Zhang Bitong. “Mother, I have already said it: there is someone I love. But I cannot marry her yet, so I beg Mother to allow me to remain unmarried for the time being.”

“You—” Zhang Bitong sighed. “Very well. Since I promised you this myself, I can only agree. I know your temperament too well; forcing you would be useless. It is only your father’s side…”

“As for Father, Mother will surely explain it for me.”

“Really, there is nothing I can do with you.”

“Then Mother should rest. I shall take my leave first.”

“Wait. I have something else to ask you.”

“Please, Mother, speak.”

Zhang Bitong motioned for Prince Jin to sit beside her, then asked, “Tell me, since you took first place at the archery and riding grand ceremony, how have your elder royal brothers treated you?”

Prince Jin replied, “No different from before.”

“No different? They did not envy you? They did not push you aside?”

“No, they did not.”

Zhang Bitong was half-convinced and half-skeptical. “But you have won your father’s favor after all. Those princes must surely be jealous of you, perhaps even plotting against you. You must be careful in everything.”

“This son thanks Mother for her guidance.”

“Good. Then has anyone come by your residence lately?”

“No one. I do not know whom Mother refers to.”

Zhang Bitong looked slightly embarrassed. “If not, then so be it. Your father should arrange an official post for you in the court.”

“Mother, this son does not wish to take office, and Father must certainly have his own thoughts on the matter. Please do not worry about it.”

“Mm, Mother understands. Very well, my son, you may go back first.”

“This son takes his leave.”

After Prince Jin withdrew, Zhang Bitong asked, “Yunqing, go and look into this more. See whether any of the princes are privately thinking of making things difficult for him. In particular, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince.”

“This servant understands.”

“Are there any rumors in the inner palace?”

Yunqing said, “Among the eunuchs and palace maids, everyone is saying that the Ninth Prince has won the Emperor’s favor, and his momentum has already surpassed that of the Crown Prince.”

Zhang Bitong’s face lit up with pride. “Good. Let the Empress try being arrogant before me now.”

“This servant congratulates Your Ladyship. It seems the Emperor will soon let the Ninth Prince take part in state affairs.”

“Mm, what he says is right, but once the Emperor remembers, and if some of the Crown Prince’s faction or someone from the Gong family subtly reminds him, he may yet put the idea aside. I must think of a way to make the Emperor believe that his son is suitable, and make him insist on allowing his son to join in the deliberations. Only then will those people dare not defy the imperial will.”

“Your Ladyship is wise.”

When things reach an extreme, they begin to turn. At this moment, Prince Jin was still the Crown Prince, and for Prince Jin’s star to shine brighter than his was not a good thing.

Zhang Bitong’s reaction was in keeping with her nature, but Yunqing’s behavior left me somewhat puzzled. By her usual thoroughness and caution, she should normally have advised Zhang Bitong to restrain herself. Yet on this matter concerning Prince Jin, she seemed to have supported Zhang Bitong all along. Given how long she had lived in the inner palace, she could not possibly have failed to understand such a simple truth.

Why, then, was that?