Lady Xian was leisurely feeding her two meticulously raised golden carp, tossing bits of fish food as she remarked absentmindedly, “Oh? Why is she asking about the Fifth Prince?”
Aunt Wei bowed slightly as she replied, “Miss Gao’s words were peculiar, neither beginning nor end, and out of nowhere she suddenly brought it up. This servant has thought it over repeatedly but cannot make sense of it.”
Lady Xian chuckled at this, saying, “A six-year-old child is at the purest age, like a little glass figurine. Whatever others teach her, she’ll learn. She wouldn’t care about something unrelated to her without any reason or context.”
Aunt Wei smiled deferentially, “This servant is foolish. May Your Grace enlighten me.”
Lady Xian explained, “That poor Fifth child… He’s had a rough life. From birth, he was implicated by his mother and fell out of favor with the Emperor. He’s nine this year, isn’t he? Not only was his birthday cold and lonely, but he’s been studying for two years and still hasn’t been given a proper name. No matter how little he’s favored, he is still a legitimate prince. I hear the court ministers have been urging action for several days now.”
Despite her position in the harem, Lady Xian was well-informed about the affairs of the imperial court.
Aunt Wei suddenly understood. “I see now. Miss Gao must have overheard some gossip before entering the palace and kept it in mind.”
After finishing with the fish, Lady Xian moved on to teasing her birds, relaxed and carefree. “Go back and attend to your duties. Report if anything comes up. That child from the Gao family seems sensible enough to me. Don’t keep scaring her with that stern face of yours.”
Aunt Wei acknowledged the command and retreated quietly.
—
That afternoon, after a short nap, the time arrived. Gao Yuexing followed the princess closely, step by step, heading to the martial arts field to watch the excitement.
The princess was graceful and elegant, while Gao Yuexing, like a little radish sprout, clung to the hem of her gown. The princess seemed a mix of helpless and slightly disdainful. It was less like having a study companion and more like bringing along a younger sister to entertain. Who knew who would end up taking care of whom in the future?
The princess tried to strike up casual conversation. “I’ve met your eldest sister before. Whether it’s her words or actions, she’s truly remarkable. Such a pity…”
Gao Yuexing, however, wasn’t in the mood to humor her and responded with polite indifference, “My eldest sister has always been well.”
She had already caught the sound of commotion ahead.
Occasional bursts of cheering, like sparks from boiling oil, pricked at her heart, making it burn.
She was about to see him.
The more anxious she felt inside, the more careful her steps became. Only the determination in her eyes betrayed the restlessness within, though she lowered her gaze to hide it well.
Whoosh—
Snap!
A sharp whistle was followed by the rush of wind grazing her ear.
As Gao Yuexing stepped onto the red earth of the martial arts field for the first time, she hadn’t even had time to react when a burning pain shot through her ear. Not far from her foot lay an arrow. Reaching up to touch the stinging spot, she found her pearl earring had fallen off, and a bead of blood was seeping from her earlobe.
Before she could say anything, the palace attendants around her were already in a panic.
Even the princess’s expression changed.
After all, Gao Yuexing was the daughter of a high-ranking official in court and could not be easily humiliated. Moreover, this was her first day in the palace, and already her face had been injured…
As for the culprit…
Wiping the blood from her earlobe, Gao Yuexing looked up toward the sunlight. All she could see was a young prince in dark yellow robes embroidered with cloud patterns, mounted on a tall horse, surrounded by guards. His demeanor was unmistakably arrogant.
He looked full of spirit, his bright smile more dazzling than the other children in the palace, in this rigid imperial city. “I heard Lady Xian arranged for a beautiful girl to accompany my sister as her study companion. How come I didn’t get one? Lady Xian is playing favorites!”
The princess, her hand hidden under her robe, gently tugged at Gao Yuexing’s small hand and said coldly, “Pay your respects to the Third Prince.”
Gao Yuexing understood. The person before her was the prince born of Consort Zheng, who had sacrificed her life in childbirth.
The Third Prince, Li Fuqiu, ten years old this year, the same age as the princess.
The sunlight was so glaring. Gao Yuexing closed her eyes.
More than ten years later, the historians would record only one sentence about this prince:
“The Third Prince, Li Fuqiu, died prematurely at the age of twelve.”
Li Fuqiu waited, but when Gao Yuexing didn’t immediately greet him, he grew displeased. “Why aren’t you speaking? Could it be that after all of Lady Xian’s careful selection, she sent a little mute to the palace?”
Gao Yuexing snapped back to her senses, lowered her eyes, and saluted. “Greetings to Your Highness, the Third Prince.”
Li Fuqiu, holding a bow in one hand and raising a whip in the other, said, “All right, you may rise. Since you’ve shown some sense, I won’t make things difficult for you. However, you’ve dirtied my arrow. Go wash it clean and return it to me.”
Gao Yuexing hadn’t expected the Third Prince, who was glossed over so lightly in historical records, to have such a personality.
Hierarchy demanded she couldn’t talk back, but the princess was not one to be trifled with.
The princess beckoned one of the guards beside Li Fuqiu and raised her voice, crisp and commanding, “You, pick up the arrow for me, then report to my mother. Have the imperial physician examine Miss Gao’s injury!”
Li Fuqiu glared, and the attendants around him fell to their knees.
The princess lifted her chin, utterly unafraid.
Li Fuqiu pointed his whip at her. “All you know how to do is complain.”
The commotion finally drew the attention of the instructor overseeing the princes on the training field.
It was Marquis Zheng Qianye, a first-rank general.
Marquis Zheng, nearly sixty years old, bore the marks of time not only as scars and aging but also as a strong physique honed from years on the battlefield. Wearing light armor and holding a black iron spear, he approached with a menacing chill in his expression.
The Third Prince dismounted. “Grandfather.”
Zheng Qianye, the father of Consort Zheng, was indeed entitled to be addressed as “grandfather” by Li Fuqiu.
Gao Yuexing touched her ear again. The injury was light, no longer bleeding, but the wound on her pale, tender skin stood out glaringly.
Zheng Qianye glanced at Li Fuqiu but ignored him. Instead, he bent slightly, beckoning Gao Yuexing closer. He carefully examined the wound on her ear and sighed. “Summon the imperial physician to treat Miss Gao.”
The guards, having received the order, turned to relay it.
Li Fuqiu finally reined in some of his arrogance. He argued, “Grandfather, I didn’t do it on purpose. The weapons on the training field are unpredictable. She’s so small, barely taller than a horse’s leg. How could I have noticed her?”
Zheng Qianye remained silent. He walked ahead while Li Fuqiu followed. Once they reached a more distant spot, Zheng Qianye stopped and reprimanded him. “The training field is not a battlefield. On the battlefield, those who face your sword and blade are your enemies. On the training field, those who spar with you are your comrades and brothers. The phrase ‘weapons have no eyes’ should not apply here. You are the prince most valued by His Majesty…”
Gao Yuexing, led away by the guards, could no longer hear the conversation.
The princess, seeing her remain silent, assumed she was upset and offered comfort. “Don’t be afraid. My Third Brother has always been arrogant, but he only bullies people with words. With my mother around, rest assured, we won’t be wronged.”
The princess’s words were reasonable and honest.
Indeed, Lady Xian was the princess’s greatest backing.
In the palace, every child had a father, but not everyone had a mother.
As for the Third Prince, it was hard to say whether he was pitiable or detestable.
Thinking of how he would die an unexplained death two years later, Gao Yuexing felt her grievances dissolve quickly, despite the injustice she had suffered.
Ignoring the injury on her ear, she walked to a quieter spot and began glancing around.
The training field was bustling with people and horses.
However, there weren’t many true masters present; most were guards patrolling the area.
Her gaze swept over the scene, and in the corner by the weapons rack, she spotted a slender young boy.
Unlike the Third Prince, who was flamboyant and surrounded by adoration, this boy was accompanied by only one servant of similar age. Few paid him any attention. He held an unsharpened sword and occasionally mimicked a few moves absentmindedly, clearly not fully engaged.
Gao Yuexing stared at his back, took a few steps forward, then restrained herself and stopped.
Taking advantage of the princess’s distraction, she whispered to a palace maid nearby, “Who is that?”
The maid followed her gaze and smiled. “That’s the Fifth Prince. He and Lady Xu Zhaoyi1The term “昭 (Zhao)” means “illustrious” or “bright,” and “仪 (Yi)” means “demeanor” or “appearance.” Together, “Zhaoyi” can be translated as “Illustrious Consort” or “Consort of Distinguished Bearing.” have always lived a quiet life, so it’s no wonder Miss Gao doesn’t recognize him.”
Gao Yuexing nodded silently.
The wind tugged at the fur trim of her cloak, tickling her neck with its fluffy touch.
She pulled out a handkerchief tied at her waist, gauged the wind’s direction, and at the right moment, let it go.
The white handkerchief fell to the ground, picking up some dirt before being carried by the wind toward the Fifth Prince.
Gao Yuexing lifted the hem of her gown and chased after it.
Behind her, a group of palace attendants followed in a flurry, even startling the princess, who also joined in the chase.
The handkerchief, as if fulfilling its destiny, landed by the Fifth Prince’s feet.
Gao Yuexing stopped a few steps away, adhering to decorum. Almost instinctively, she reached up to smooth her hair, tucking away the stray strands that had come loose during her run.
The Fifth Prince bent down to pick up the handkerchief, then turned to face her.
Her heart pounded wildly. She lowered her eyes to calm herself and then glanced up again, only to freeze in place.
In that instant when their eyes met, it was a completely unfamiliar face.
If one were to ask what it felt like to be struck by lightning, Gao Yuexing could now describe it firsthand.
Her mind roared, her hands and feet turned cold, and the blood in her veins felt frozen.
The face before her was utterly unremarkable, so ordinary that it defied notice.
There wasn’t the slightest resemblance to Li Fuxiang.
The Fifth Prince handed her handkerchief to a palace attendant, nodded slightly in her direction without saying a word, and turned back to his own business.
His posture was slightly stooped, the kind of humble bearing common among palace servants but entirely unsuited to a prince.
It wasn’t him!
He wasn’t Li Fuxiang!
Gao Yuexing’s mind was in turmoil. The princess was saying something next to her, but she couldn’t make out a single word.
Where had her Fifth Prince gone?
Had her bizarre return from death really brought her back to the past?
Or could it be… that this was a completely unfamiliar dreamscape?
And in this place, she would never find a trace of Li Fuxiang again.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.
Finally, the surge of emotions overwhelmed her. Blood rushed to her head, and she closed her eyes, fainting on the training field.
The news spread quickly throughout the harem.
Lady Xian was the first to hear of it. After questioning the servants attending the princess, she gained a general understanding of the events, though the details had been polished to give the story a complete arc:
—The Third Prince had accidentally injured Miss Gao with an arrow at the training field, causing her to faint from shock.
Injury, fright, fainting…
This incident was neither major nor minor.
After careful deliberation, Lady Xian decided to report the matter to the Emperor.
When Gao Yuexing slowly awoke in Lady Xian’s chambers, she sat dazed on the couch. From the gossip of the palace servants outside, she learned that the Third Prince had been ordered by the Emperor himself to be confined for three days as punishment.
Lady Xian was sitting under the veranda, holding a small plate of fish food, enticing the koi in the winding pond to compete for it. The jade bracelet on her wrist set off her skin like creamy jade, exuding the air of a leisurely aristocrat, elegant and carefree.
Noticing Gao Yuexing leaning silently against the doorway, lost in thought, Lady Xian smiled and said, “It seems Miss Gao’s influence is considerable. The Third Prince has been rampant in the palace for years, with the Emperor always turning a blind eye. This is the first time he’s been punished.”
Gao Yuexing came to her senses, stopped a short distance away, and said, “The Emperor’s indulgence will only harm him in the end.”
Lady Xian glanced at her. “Criticizing the Emperor—your courage is impressive.”
Gao Yuexing lowered her head. “I acknowledge my fault.”
Lady Xian only meant to scare her and didn’t pursue the matter further. With a sigh, she said, “What even a child like you understands, do you think the Emperor doesn’t? The Third Prince’s tutor, Grand Tutor Liu, is a renowned scholar who has served three reigns. He was the Emperor’s teacher during his childhood. Grand Tutor Liu retired to his hometown years ago, no longer involved in court affairs. But for the sake of the Third Prince, the Emperor personally went to invite him back to the palace… Yet the Third Prince’s nature is incorrigible. The Emperor is deeply disappointed.”
So that’s how it was.
Gao Yuexing lowered her gaze.
Lady Xian looked at her, sensing a constant air of melancholy in the child, as if she were burdened with unresolved troubles. She remembered the Gao Yuexing of the past—so different.
At the princess’s Hundred Flowers Banquet, when the Gao sisters were invited, the elder was gentle, while the younger was lively. Gao Yuexing loved wearing plain clothes, resembling a little snowball running through the flowers, rolling in petals, adorably carefree.
Indeed…
The deep palace was no good place. It couldn’t even preserve the innocence of a child.
Lady Xian waved her hand, signaling that Gao Yuexing need not keep her company and instructing the servants to look after her.
Gao Yuexing, disheartened, lay back on the couch. She took out the crabapple-patterned handkerchief from her pocket and twirled it in her fingers.
The situation was growing more and more complicated, like a tangled mess. She couldn’t help but carefully comb through everything she knew about Li Fuxiang’s childhood.