His own little life... these words stirred a bit of longing in him. At his age, there were constant urgings from Changchun Garden, and Langrun Garden had sent several messages, anxious for him to settle down. A wife was certainly something he would have to marry, but he wasn’t sure if he could find the right one—not necessarily someone he adored, but at least someone with shared interests, so they wouldn’t end up as a resentful couple.
He looked down at her. "You seem to dabble in a bit of everything. You can even read fortunes?"
"I’m not like you, Your Highness. You’re a prince, born noble. People like us, we roam around, meet all sorts of folks, and when we come across an interesting skill, I like to learn it too. The fortune-tellers on the streets, with their banners proclaiming 'Hemp Robe Divination,' have a whole set of tricks—face reading, palm reading, word divination, and bone reading." She gestured for him to sit, smiling. "What I like most is the Bird Picking Cards. There’s a whole stack of paper slips laid out, and the fortune-teller opens the birdcage, saying, 'Tell me, when will my luck turn?' Then the bird comes out to pick. No matter how it picks, it’s always 'Cicada in Willow'—terribly unlucky. Then the fortune-teller convinces people to spend big on his lucky coins, all painted Chengde Coins, not one-for-one exchanges. The cheapest is two for one."
Her chatter was really just to bolster her own courage. She didn’t know why she’d suddenly decided to read Twelfth Master’s palm—just that his hand kept appearing before her eyes, teasing her nerves.
She glanced up at him. The prince was calm; though he didn’t fully believe her, his face showed no sign of it. She took a deep breath and placed her own hand on the stone table, palm up, in an inviting gesture. If there was one thing to say about the prince, it was that he was good-natured—no mistake about it. He actually extended his hand to her, five fingers slender and long, delicate as scallions. The skin was so smooth the veins were visible beneath—hardly a man’s hand at all, more like a woman’s, misplaced.
Dingyi’s heart raced. This was the second time. Last time, she’d been scared stiff by thunder, and he’d kindly pulled her up. This time, his hand rested in her palm, the delicate bones, the gold engraved ring on his little finger. Compared to him, she felt downright ashamed of herself. She was mortified, afraid to open her mouth lest her heart leap out of her throat. If this were someone familiar, she’d have teased him mercilessly, but across from her sat a prince—a prince she couldn’t afford to disrespect.
She coughed to steady herself and turned his hand over. "You’ve never had your palm read? Palmistry looks at the lines on the palm, not the back of the hand..." She put on an admiring tone. "Oh, you have the Golden Flower Mark—such a good palm! Let’s start with the Mars Plain. Most people’s is sunken, but yours isn’t. The area around it is flat, but this middle part rises like a little mound, showing you have spirit, won’t easily yield—a very determined person." She pointed to the central line. "We judge intelligence by this line. It governs the mind. Yours is deep and long, not like my shixiong’s—his is like a forked reed flower, full of petty cleverness, none of it on the right path. You’re single-minded—such people are good, reliable. Combined with the first segment of your fingers, it’s truly rare. If this line were flawed and the finger joints short, the person would be hopeless—nine times out of ten, arrogant and reckless... Next time, I’ll have to take a look at Seventh Lord’s palm. Tsk tsk, I have my doubts about him."Hongce chuckled, "You're really badmouthing your master like this. If he finds out, he'll be furious."
Dingyi replied blankly, "But I'm only saying this in front of you. Are you going to report me to him? My body may be in Cao's camp, but my heart is with Han. You know that."
He pursed his lips and nodded with a smile, "Go on, what about the marriage prospects?"
To be honest, Dingyi's fortune-telling skills were half-baked. Her enthusiasm was mostly an excuse to hold Prince Chun's hand—what profound insights could she possibly offer? But having drawn the bow, it was too late to back out now, so she had to keep spinning her tale. She traced the first line on his palm all the way to the base of his little finger, stopping at a short line there. "Let me see how many Princess Consorts you'll have in the future. The more lines, the more consorts..." After scrutinizing it, she let out a puzzled sound, "Huh? Only one? It seems you're a man of deep loyalty. The quality of a wife matters more than the quantity. Finding one good match and settling down—for someone of your status, that's truly rare."
The Twelfth Prince actually seemed to believe her. "Can you tell where my destined match is? When will the red phoenix star move?"
Truth be told, spending too much time with a fool can dull even the sharpest mind. Dingyi looked at the prince and felt he might have been dragged down by her. She pursed her lips and said, "That part isn't clear, but... it'll be soon. Maybe this year, or next at the latest, definitely no later than the year after..."
This was pure nonsense. The prince was already twenty-three. Even if he wasn't in a hurry, his relatives and elders would surely start arranging things for him soon.
Hongce withdrew his hand. "What's meant to be will come in time. There's no need to rush. What about you? Have you ever read your own fortune?"
Dingyi shook her head. "I've never thought about taking a wife. A penniless man like me has no right to start a family. I don't even have a place to call my own—how could I support a wife?" Remembering what she'd just done, she suddenly flushed with embarrassment. She'd already gotten to hold his hand—what more was she lingering for? Turning away, she glanced at the sky and saw how high the sun had risen. "I've troubled you long enough. I should go—the Seventh Prince's steward is waiting for my reply." She gave a quick salute. "Your Highness, please enjoy your leisure. This servant takes his leave."
He gave a noncommittal hum, not moving, his gaze drifting elsewhere. Dingyi backed out of the pavilion and hurried away. After a few steps, she glanced back—he still sat there, quiet and solitary, the scene and the man picturesque enough to be immortalized in a painting. She looked down at her hand and grimaced, slapping her own cheek—resorting to a charlatan's tricks, what had she been thinking?
Leaving Prince Chun's residence, she headed straight for De'nei Street. The side gate of Prince Xian's mansion was slightly ajar, and occasional barks could be heard from within.
At the gate, she asked the guard to announce her. The gatekeeper recognized her—her distinctive looks made her hard to forget. The man clasped his hands, "Guard Mu, you're finally here! The steward has asked after you several times. Hurry inside—he's accompanying His Highness walking the dogs right now. Take that path there, go straight to the moon gate, turn the corner, and you'll see them."
This was clearly making things difficult for her. The first time she visits properly and no one escorts her—what kind of household etiquette is this? She clasped her hands and said, "Then I'll really go ahead. If I end up in the wrong place and bump into the Princess Consort, don't blame me.""Let's go, let's go. The Principal Wife is still unknown in which noble household, and the courtyards where the Secondary Wife and Concubines live are deep. Even if you wanted to bump into them, you wouldn't."
So it turned out the Seventh Prince also had no official Princess Consort, with only a Secondary Wife managing the household. The second-in-command couldn't compare to the first. The head resided in the main courtyard's upper rooms, while the deputy had to settle for slightly more remote quarters—hence the term "side chambers."
Alright then, Dingyi made her own way inside. Each gate in the estate had stationed guards from the Guard Office. As she walked, she bowed to everyone, saying, "Busy at work? I'm the new guard, Mu Xiaoshu..." They all returned her greetings politely. After all, she had been personally promoted by the Prince and carried a bit of face.
Following the directions from the gatekeeper, the deeper she went, the louder the barking became. Passing through the ornamental gate, she indeed saw a slender dog tied under a large phoenix tree in the garden. Its tail and ear tips fluttered with long fur, standing proudly with its chest puffed out and head held high. Its eyes—one yellow, one blue—glared fiercely at the newcomer, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.
Dingyi swallowed hard and took a wide detour. Approaching the Prince, she swept her sleeves and knelt, "Master, your servant has come to report for duty."
The Seventh Prince glanced at her without a word, picking up a piece of meat from the tray held by a eunuch beside him. He tossed it toward the dog from a distance, using a clever twist of his wrist to send it at an awkward angle. The dog was miraculous, twisting its body like a pretzel, leaping and catching it dead-on.
"Hey, what a champ!" The Seventh Prince clapped his hands and tilted his chin at Mu Xiaoshu. "This dog was procured by your Twelfth Master—a Shaanxi Dog with Mandarin Duck Eyes, quite rare. Speaking of which, we owe your senior brother for last time. If he hadn't ruined my 'slippery one,' I wouldn't have found such a delightful 'Little Trickster.'"
Dingyi bowed even lower. "It must be fate that this dog found you..."
The Seventh Prince eyed her. "Your senior brother's doing, eh?"
"Dare not claim credit," she murmured timidly. "Regardless, it was our fault. From now on, I'll serve you well to atone for my senior brother's mistakes."
Hongtao shot her a sidelong glance. "This dog's quite wild—once unleashed, it pounces on people. How about you spar with it?"
"Please, no!" She startled. "I can't handle it. Dogs make me tremble all over... Besides, I keep birds. If I smell like dog, they won't sing."
The Seventh Prince considered this. It wouldn't do to frighten his precious birds, so he ignored her after that.
Najin seized the moment to report, "Master, I'll take Xiaoshu to see Shouheng now. We depart the day after tomorrow, so we should check the carriage preparations and whether your winter clothes are ready."
The Prince was too busy playing with the dog to bother with such matters and waved them off dismissively.
Only then did Dingyi remember how cold it was up north—she hadn't brought a single warm garment. Scuffing her feet, she said, "Chief Steward, I need to go back to my master's place to fetch my cotton robe. I forgot to bring it."
Najin rolled his eyes. "Forget about your old padded coat. Serving the Prince, do you think you'll freeze to death? You guards have special Cotton Armor, lined with thick silk padding. Wherever you go, it's like being wrapped in felt, understand?"Dingyi acknowledged with a "yes" and followed him toward the guards' office. After winding through several arched doorways, they arrived at the guards' quarters located outside the east corner gate of the residence—a row of tiled houses with large wooden plaques hanging on the straight-lattice windows.
Najin called out as soon as he entered the courtyard, "The higher-ups ordered us to fetch guns from the Firearms Battalion. Have they been retrieved yet? The people from Prince Chun's Residence have everything prepared, but you lot? Utterly useless, like mud pigs and mangy dogs—utterly hopeless. Even if you were handed a gun, you’d hold it like a fire poker. Learn properly, or you won’t even know how to pull the trigger when trouble comes."
A guard came out to respond, grinning, "Ah, come now, our Shoutou here is a crack shot—bang! A hundred paces, and he’ll hit the bullseye." As he spoke, he glanced at the newcomer. "Is this the one you mentioned?"
Najin gave an "ah" and said, "Name’s Mu Xiaoshu." Then he turned and asked, "Which 'Mu'? The 'mu' as in elm wood? Interesting name—'little tree'—got wood in both the name and the surname. What, your five elements lacking wood or something?"
Dingyi smiled and said, "No, it’s the 'Mu' with three water droplets. A little tree needs watering, doesn’t it?"
"Not bad, that makes sense." Najin pressed the medicinal plaster on his temple and gestured toward the man before them. "This is Liao Datou, the assistant supervisor of the guards' office. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask him. He’s a walking encyclopedia—there’s nothing he doesn’t know."
Dingyi bowed in greeting. Liao Datou blinked and said, "So he’s joining the guards' office? What’s he supposed to do? Looking at his build, he can’t carry a blade or a gun."
Najin clicked his tongue. "You think someone with his frame looks intimidating? He’s not here to fight. He’s just being assigned here nominally—he’s got other duties. You, just teach him the rules—how pay is issued, how seasonal shoes, hats, and clothes are distributed, and find him a place to sleep. That’s all."
Liao Datou stroked his chin and gave the young man another once-over. Last time, his shixiong had been caught stealing a dog, but this kid had pulled some strings—even managed to get Prince Chun’s Twelfth Master to intercede. Clearly, he had some backing. He nodded. "Alright then. So, Xiaoshu, our guards work in shifts—some take night duty, others day duty. Which do you prefer?"
Najin clicked his tongue again. "He’s got other assignments!"
Liao Datou rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, other assignments… Our job as guards is different from others. When you’re on shift, you can’t just sleep outside—you have to be ready in case the master summons you. If the Prince gives an order, we have to jump to it. If you’re off hugging some girl in the Eight Great Lanes, with all those brothels around, how are we supposed to find you?"
Najin’s fan whipped up a gust of wind. "What nonsense are you spouting? Always going on about hugging girls—can’t you aim a little higher?" Then, realizing this wasn’t even a real guard assignment and the whole detour was pointless, he cut straight to the point. "Our residence’s guards receive a monthly stipend of two taels of silver. If you take an advance for the year, it’s halved. Eleven dan of millet, or thirteen taels if converted to silver. Food and lodging are provided, and all uniforms are covered by the residence’s public funds. You don’t need to worry about a thing—just do your job well."
"Then let me ask—where does the Prince keep his birds?" Other matters were manageable, but lodging was tricky. The guards' quarters were full of rough men who might strip to the waist in the summer heat—how was she supposed to handle that? Dingyi sought Najin’s advice, testing the waters. "You see, I’m here specifically to tend to the birds. I might need to feed or water them at night. So, how about I stay with the birds? That way, if anything comes up, I can take care of it."Najin snapped back to reality at her reminder. "Then why bother going to the Guards' Office? Let's just head straight to the garden. Goodness, this heat is frying my brains. What's the point of all this back-and-forth in just a day or two? To the garden then—I'll have them bring your travel clothes and Soft Armor over, and that'll settle it."
A muddled master breeds muddled servants. With the Seventh Prince running his household in such a lackadaisical manner, those under him naturally took every chance to cut corners. Watching the chief steward lead the man away again, Liao Datou thought to himself, What kind of guard is this? After all that fuss, turns out he's just a birdkeeper.
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