Chapter 12

Li Zhaoyi’s mind had truly taken a wrong turn for a moment.

He hadn’t originally understood much about such things, but the Imperial Palace was a special place. Palace maids and eunuchs often formed ‘marriage’ bonds, a practice especially prevalent in the desolate Cold Palace where no one paid attention. Having been exposed to it since childhood, he naturally knew what a eunuch was. When Yun Yin hesitated, he subconsciously assumed the worst.

His ears flushed crimson, a mix of guilt and shyness.

Stammering, he said, “N-no, I wasn’t thinking anything.”

Yun Yin, however, wouldn’t let him off.

He stepped forward. Li Zhaoyi instinctively retreated until his back met the tree trunk. In an instant, flower petals fluttered down, several landing on his raven-dark hair, looking like natural ornaments that added a touch of vibrant beauty to his otherwise plain features.

Yun Yin’s gaze paused.

Oblivious, Li Zhaoyi was still trying to explain: “I just thought you were…”

“Your Majesty.” Yun Yin’s voice whispered softly beside his ear, “Be silent.”

Li Zhaoyi’s eyes widened.

The surroundings were utterly quiet. The man’s presence was close, close enough to almost completely envelop him. Li Zhaoyi could hear his own heart pounding rapidly. This scene was remarkably similar to that night, except now, Li Zhaoyi knew with certainty—he would not be killed.

And so, the icy killing intent faded away, leaving only…

A lingering tenderness.

A faint sensation brushed over his hair. Li Zhaoyi was released. He looked down and saw a few peach blossom petals in Yun Yin’s palm.

Yun Yin said, “Alright.”

Seeing Li Zhaoyi’s confused look, he explained: “You were pressing too hard against the tree, Your Majesty. The petals fell. I was merely helping you remove them.”

“…The petals fell.” Li Zhaoyi said, “And the connection to telling me not to speak is…?”

He’d really thought someone was coming and hadn’t dared to make a single sound.

Yun Yin’s expression was perfectly serious. “There is a connection. If Your Majesty spoke, what if you scared the flowers away?”

Li Zhaoyi: “…”

He gave Yun Yin an incredulous look. He felt that even if Yun Yin had no physical problem, there was definitely something wrong with him somewhere else.

–

At the end of the day, Yun Yin escorted Li Zhaoyi back to the palace.

As they passed through the palace gate, Li Zhaoyi lifted a corner of the curtain and saw the majestic palace shrouded in the distance by the night. The vast complex revealed a dark silhouette under the cold, clear moonlight, looking like a magnificent, grand, yet somber cage.

He retracted his gaze to find Yun Yin watching him. Seeing him drop the curtain, Yun Yin said, “If Your Majesty wishes it, next time, I can take you out of the palace again.”

Li Zhaoyi replied, “Alright.”

Though he verbally agreed, he knew well in his heart: even a simple trip to the Yun Manor came with many constraints. Going elsewhere would only be more difficult. So, he didn’t hold much hope.

Arriving at Bright Clarity Hall, Yun Yin escorted him inside. He seemed to remember something and hesitated for a moment. “Oh, right. Regarding lessons tomorrow…”

“In your studies, Your Majesty just needs to do your best,” Yun Yin said.

It was a very nuanced phrase. Li Zhaoyi stole a glance at his expression but ultimately failed to discern his true meaning. He could only ask, “So will you come?”

Yun Yin paused for two seconds. “We’ll see.”

Li Zhaoyi: “Alright.”

Yun Yin always spoke tactfully. Not agreeing outright meant he had other business and wouldn’t come.

He didn’t want to seem too clingy, as if he couldn’t manage without Yun Yin, even though he was indeed somewhat uneasy about the unknown.

Yun Yin left. Li Zhaoyi returned to Bright Clarity Hall and sat down. Small dishes and pastries had already been served on the table.

~

While having his late-night snack, Li Zhaoyi finally remembered the question he’d forgotten under the peach tree earlier.

He swallowed a piece of walnut crisp and asked De Quan, who was waiting nearby. The latter seemed slightly surprised by the question but quickly answered: “The Prince of Pingnan was indeed once betrothed, but that was a very long time ago.”

Li Zhaoyi was a bit curious. “Which family’s young lady was it?”

De Quan bowed, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead. “It was the Princess Chengyang.”

Li Zhaoyi froze.

A moment later, he managed to find his voice.

“Third Sister?”

“It was indeed the Princess Chengyang,” De Quan confirmed. “The Yun Clan is illustrious and had marriage ties with the Imperial Family. When the Princess Consort passed away early, Her Highness the Empress Dowager pitied the Prince for losing his mother so young and often summoned him to the palace. When he grew a bit older, she had the Late Emperor bestow this marriage.”

Li Zhaoyi thought his memory must have been faulty.

After a long while, he said with some difficulty, “How can that be?”

If calculated this way, then on that night at Hidden Dragon Hall, the person Yun Yin killed, aside from the First Prince… hadn’t he also killed his own fiancée?

As if guessing his thoughts, De Quan quickly added, “That engagement is no longer valid.”

“That’s for sure,” Li Zhaoyi said.

The person was dead.

De Quan cleared his throat.

“Your Majesty,” he said softly, “this servant means, according to the ancestral rules, a Prince Consort of our dynasty, once married to a Princess, cannot participate in court deliberations or hold substantive official posts. The Prince inherited his title and holds military command; this did not conform to the rules.”

Li Zhaoyi suddenly understood.

Then, he heard De Quan continue: “This matter… has precedent. If the Old Prince of Pingnan hadn’t later remarried the current Second Princess Consort, he wouldn’t have been able to continue leading troops in battle. Back then, the Late Emperor had also considered arranging a marriage between the Old Prince of Pingnan and the then-Grand Princess.”

“Speaking of which,” he added, “the Second Princess Consort and the Old Princess Consort of Pingnan were actually both from the Gu family—blood sisters sharing the same father but different mothers.”

~

At the hour of Xu (7–9 PM), outside the Palace Gate.

Yun Yin sat inside his carriage, eyes closed in rest. The coachman drove the carriage along the official road heading out. As they approached the intersection, Yun Yin opened his eyes and suddenly said, “Don’t go back for now. Go to the Yun Manor.”

The coachman paused, then hastily acknowledged the order.

Before long, the carriage stopped before the gateway bearing the plaque for ‘Yun Manor’. Yun Yin alighted. An old servant at the gate greeted him with some surprise. “Your Highness the Heir? Why have you come so late?”

Yun Yin called him, “Uncle Xu.”

Then added, “It’s been a while. I came to visit.”

The old servant respectfully led him inside while quickly instructing a young page: “Go to the rear courtyard and inform the Princess Consort that the Heir has returned.”

Yun Yin followed him all the way to the Flower Hall.

Moments later, a plainly but elegantly dressed woman with a gentle countenance hurried in from outside.

Yun Yin stood up.

“Mother.”

“A-Yin is back.” Gu Wanling’s face lit up with delighted surprise. She said with a smile, “Yun Long has been talking about you these past few days. Perfect timing—he just got back from his studies. I’ll send someone to fetch him.”

“No rush,” Yun Yin smiled slightly.

He sat down and took the towel offered by a maid to wipe his hands.

Soon, a fresh-faced, handsome youth, dressed in vibrant, youthful colors, also arrived in the front hall. Seeing him, his eyes immediately lit up.

“Brother!” he called out happily.

He barreled forward recklessly. Yun Yin, a grown man, was jostled by the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old, having to brace himself against the back of the chair. A helpless smile finally touched his lips.

–

Soon, servants brought out some late-night snacks.

It was called ‘Yun Manor’, but Yun Qingyuan had no concubines. Currently, aside from servants and staff, only Gu Wanling and Yun Long lived there.

Few in number, the dining table wasn’t quiet, however. Half the meal passed with Yun Yin barely speaking a few lines, just listening to Yun Long chatter away non-stop about his recent novel and interesting news. Which family’s Young Master got beaten for sneaking into a brothel, which friend had just entered officialdom and was complaining endlessly…

Finally, Gu Wanling spoke up: “Alright.”

“Your brother rarely comes back,” she scolded gently. “Must you regale him with just this? So childish.”

“Well, I don’t understand court politics or war stuff,” Yun Long muttered under his breath.

His careless words were not intentional, but the listener took note. Gu Wanling subconsciously glanced at Yun Yin. The latter’s expression was calm as he said with a smile, “If you wish to enter officialdom, it’s not impossible. I’ll arrange a position for you. Train for half a year, and you’ll be roughly there.”

Yun Long let out an “Ah?!” and immediately wilted.

“I… I’m only sixteen,” he hemmed and hawed, eyes darting around. “It’s not that quick, right?”

Yun Yin drawled, “Not quick at all, actually. It’s just right.”

“I recall,” Gu Wanling mused, looking down thoughtfully, “the Marquis of Ningyuan’s son—didn’t he enter officialdom at this age?”

Yun Yin nodded with a smile.

“Chang Zixuan is now at the Court of Judicial Review,” he said. “He’s doing very well, no worse than those old officials.”

Gu Wanling looked pleased. “That child has been clever since he was young. He gets along with you well too. He’s a good child.”

The two played off each other perfectly. Yun Long, listening beside them, felt his face fall completely. Seeing his drooping, despairing look, Yun Yin chuckled and finally let him off the hook.

He said, “But there’s no rush. The court situation is unstable anyway. This matter can be discussed later.”

Yun Long let out a huge sigh of relief.

After the meal, servants cleared the table. Yun Yin had come on a whim, but when it was time to leave, he didn’t rush off, instead asking Yun Long to bring his recent schoolwork for inspection.

The youth, who had just been rejoicing at escaping disaster, now looked like his face was about to crumple into a bun as he shuffled away reluctantly. Gu Wanling watched from the side, laughing, and only shook her head with a sigh after he left. “He’s never changed since he was little. You’re the only one he fears.”

Yun Yin replied, “He’s still young. He’ll mature as he grows older.”

Gu Wanling shook her head.

“Not young anymore,” she said. “When you were his age, you’d already spent two years on the battlefield.”

Yun Yin smiled wryly.

The two chatted a while longer about Yun Long. Then Gu Wanling seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. I recall His Majesty’s age isn’t very high either. How have you been getting along with His Majesty these days?”

Though she resided in the inner courtyard, as a daughter of a noble clan, she naturally knew something of the major events in the court.

She also knew that currently, Li Zhaoyi was the linchpin of the court situation.

Yun Yin recollected his thoughts.

“Quite well,” he said simply, then smiled. “Just as you said, His Majesty is only seventeen, still young.”

“Today, I returned from the palace,” he continued. “Earlier, I discussed with Uncle and invited him and Elder Lin to serve as His Majesty’s teachers.”

Gu Wanling understood.

She sighed softly. “He’s a pitiable child.”

Yun Yin caught the underlying meaning. “You’ve met His Majesty?”

Although Gu Wanling had married into the Yun family, she was still a daughter of the Gu clan. The Yun and Gu families were close through marriage but ultimately not of the same root. So, most of the time, Gu Wanling consciously avoided anything that might seem improper.

But since he asked, she didn’t hide it and nodded.

“I happened to see him once when I went to the palace some time ago,” she recalled. “A child of five or six, eyes like black grapes, just sitting straight on the steps by the doorway, staring intently at people. So quiet and adorable. I only found out later that the Late Emperor had another son in the Cold Palace.”

Yun Yin lowered his gaze.

After a moment, he mused thoughtfully, “So… actually, everyone in the palace knew the Late Emperor had another Imperial Prince.”

“But what use was knowing?” Gu Wanling shook her head. “His mother was just a dancer, without power or influence. If she hadn’t gone mad, she might have had a chance to regain favor. But she went mad—what could such a small child do then?”

She paused, “She probably knew it herself too. Regained her senses right before she died, called the child to her side. Everyone thought she was giving final instructions. Who would have thought she’d hidden an ornamental hairpin and intended to take him with her? Fortunately, the eunuchs and palace maids saved him in time.”

Yun Yin raised his eyes in some surprise. “…What?”

Gu Wanling was briefly taken aback, then understood. “Right. At that time, you had just followed your father to the border pass. You probably didn’t know.”

“The news spread throughout the palace,” she said. “His Majesty must have been only seven years old then.”