Chang Le found He Jianghe to be a very strange person.
In the Academicians' Court, even if others also thought she was chubby, they would never say it out loud. Only he would brazenly call her "Little Fatty."
Don’t misunderstand—Chang Le didn’t find him unique because of this. She only grew particularly irritated with him, resented him, and even ignored his strikingly handsome, angular face, beating him mercilessly during academy competitions.
A perfectly fine person—why did he have to open his mouth?
To make matters worse, his family held the merit of aiding the founding of the dynasty. His parents were first-rate in their duties, so even her imperial father and mother wouldn’t easily punish his household over his behavior. Thus, Chang Le later took to avoiding him whenever they crossed paths.
But this man clung to her like a restless ghost, popping up from every corner to drift beside her.
"Little Fatty, why so glum today?"
"Little Fatty, Instructor Li is no good man."
"Little Fatty, want a sweet potato?"
Chang Le was so fed up that she trained herself to conjure a thick Shield whenever she encountered him—one that not only blocked him physically but also muffled his voice.
He Jianghe eyed the barrier around her with disdain and promptly changed his nickname for her: "Little Turtle."
For a time, Chang Le frequented the Imperial Study so often that her father thought she had finally taken an interest in state affairs. In truth, she hadn’t. She just wanted to see when the He family would slip up so she could drag He Jianghe far, far away.
Unfortunately, the He family remained loyal and diligent in serving the throne their entire lives—even earning an imperial plaque personally inscribed by her father, proudly displayed at their estate’s entrance.
Later, however, when she began frequently showing favor to Instructor Li, He Jianghe appeared less often. On the rare occasions they met, he would only glance at her before muttering, "Do all turtles have such poor taste?"
Chang Le didn’t think her taste was poor—she just felt unworthy.
Li Shaoling was like the lofty moon in the sky. If the moon broke her heart, she wouldn’t dare cry loudly for fear someone might report it to her father, bringing trouble upon the moon.
So she hid and wept in secluded corners of the inner palace where few people passed.
As fate would have it, He Jianghe possessed the imperial privilege to enter the palace at any time, and he, too, favored that deserted courtyard—its walls draped in green leaves, its stones mottled with moss. Parting a cluster of bamboo, he would often find a little princess with tear-reddened eyes.
He Jianghe sighed. "Even crying like this, you still like him?"
The sight of him only fueled Chang Le’s anger. She lifted her chin defiantly. "Yes, so what?"
"What do you like about him?" He Jianghe frowned.
"He’s not like you—he never calls me Little Fatty! He even says my chubbiness is cute!" Chang Le glared.
He Jianghe rolled his eyes. "Young girls are so easily fooled."
Holding the hem of his robe, he crouched down and looked at her helplessly. "I call you Little Fatty, but I bring you food. He says your chubbiness is cute, yet he keeps slender beauties by his side. Who truly doesn’t mind your appearance—can’t you tell?"
"I don’t care!" Fresh tears welled in Chang Le’s eyes. "I don’t want to be called Little Fatty!"
Pearl-sized drops rolled down her cheeks like priceless beads of glass.
He Jianghe exhaled deeply and gently patted her head. "Fine, I won’t call you that anymore."
Chang Le froze, staring at him in bewilderment. Was he really this easy to persuade?
If so, why had she struggled so hard before? She should’ve just said it outright.
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she burst into loud sobs again.He Jianghe sat beside her, watching as he handed her a handkerchief and said, "Don't even think about pinning this on me. You weren't crying because of me, so don't blame me. Tell me, what happened? Let your brother see if he can help you sort it out."
Chang Le pouted. "My teacher wants a future of fame and rank. I can't bear to see him become a royal consort, forever barred from the imperial court."
Apart from her status as a princess, she really had no other merits. It was only natural for him to choose his career, but that made it even more agonizing for her. If you love someone, how can you watch them suffer for a lifetime? She couldn't do it.
But giving him up was truly painful too.
Her sobs soaked his handkerchief, and Chang Le tossed it aside, grabbing his sleeve to wipe her nose instead. "Can you really help me sort this out?"
He Jianghe was silent for a long moment before chuckling. "What's so great about fame and fortune? To me, being a royal consort is the real joy in life—wanting for nothing in food, clothing, or luxuries. So what if you can't attend court? Fishing and admiring flowers aren't bad either."
Chang Le frowned and shot him a sidelong glance. "My teacher is a Fighter of the Azure Meridians with lofty ambitions. You were born with Crimson Meridians—don’t tell me you have no aspirations for the court at all?"
It wasn’t true that he had none. Someone like him, born with Crimson Meridians, had been burdened with great expectations from birth.
But...
He glanced at her, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed his difficulties and simply smiled. "I have no interest in the court. Only some thoughts about you, Your Highness."
Chang Le gaped at him in shock.
Slowly regaining her senses, she grew furious. "Are you mocking me?!"
Taking an unexpected slap from her, He Jianghe grunted, torn between laughter and tears. "Shouldn’t the normal reaction be feeling teased? Why would you say that, Your Highness?"
"What’s there to tease about me? The palace is full of beautiful maids—go tease them if you must." Chang Le scowled. "Saying that to me can only mean you’re mocking me, waiting for me to take it seriously so you can laugh at me, right?"
For the first time, He Jianghe felt the karmic retribution for all his past sharp-tongued remarks.
He wiped his face and gazed deeply into her eyes. "The Queen once said that beauty and ugliness in this world are defined, but not by weight. Slender women may be called graceful, while plumper ones are described as radiant. I don’t care for those stick-thin girls—I prefer someone like you. Is that so wrong?"
Chang Le couldn’t help but laugh at that. "There are at least a dozen female students in our academy who secretly admire you, if not more. They come from good families and are beautiful. Why would you like someone like me?"
This heartless little thing really remembered nothing.
He Jianghe sighed deeply. "We met when we were six."
That was stating the obvious. As the descendant of a meritorious official, and with her mother often interacting with official families, he must have visited the palace before.
"I mean, we met here." He pointed at the moss on the ground.
Chang Le was bewildered.
This place was secluded and deep—guests would never be received here. Unless...
She recalled how, as a child, the children of official families loved to run wild together, using remote palaces as bases for games of make-believe and hide-and-seek.
There was one particularly small and thin child—she couldn’t remember whose family he was from—who, being a head shorter than the others, was often bullied. He’d be pushed to the ground, scraping his hands raw.She couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in front to shield him, scolding those bullying children.
"So that little runt was you?" Chang Le finally realized.
He Jianghe snorted with laughter: "Your Highness won't permit me to call you 'little fatty', yet you call me that name quite readily."
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