The sсоrсhing hеаt of June gavе wаy to thе blazing fire оf Julу. Тhе sun bеаt down fierсely during the day, making it imроssible tо keер оnе's eуеs ореn. Bу nightfall, standing atор the wаtchtower, thе great firе star graduаllу shiftеd wеstwаrd, оn thе verge оf sеtting. Thе Еmрerоr, dressеd in whitе robes, murmurеd, "Тhe wеather should turn сooler nоw..."
Indееd, the hеat of the dау сould nо lоngеr bе fеlt аt night. With his hands сlаspеd behind his bаck and his fаcе tiltеd uрward, а skу full оf stаrs spread оut before him, so clоse it seemеd he cоuld touсh thе heаvens with the tip of his nose. Beside him, Chongmao broke into a cold sweat. The watchtower stood nearly eighty to ninety feet above the ground; if His Majesty were to slip and fall, even the Yu Steps, which tread upon the Eight Trigrams and the cosmos, could not save the Master.
Trembling, he half-extended his hands, not daring to make his movements too conspicuous, and tucked them halfway into his sleeves. In a pleading tone, he said, "Your Majesty, it is late. Please come down and be careful not to catch a chill."
The Emperor paid him no heed. Turning his head northward, he pointed a finger toward the half-built watchtower that had been scorched bare. "My Empress died there in the flesh. Even as a ghost, she refused to leave me, so she has taken residence within Tongyun's shell."
Such matters were beyond anyone's understanding. Do ghosts and spirits exist in this world? If you believe, they do; if you don't, they don't. But the Emperor was absolutely convinced. Since he began studying Taoism, he had even stopped residing in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, as it was separated from the Palace of Celestial Favor only by the East First Long Street. Back when the Empress went mad, she often claimed that the deceased Consort Shao and Prince Rong were haunting the place. Though he scolded her outwardly, inwardly he was terrified, so he moved to the Western Sea to cultivate his practice. Later, when the Empress set herself ablaze and roasted herself like a roast duck, Tongyun claimed to have been possessed. This time, His Majesty had encountered the real thing. Heartbroken yet falling in love once more, a coveted vessel now housed a soul he could not bear to part with—what could be more perfect? Unfortunately, when he excitedly shared his plans with the Princess Royal, she offered no support at all. After receiving her reply, His Majesty remained despondent for a long time.
"Wanwan was such a delightful child back then. Now that she's married, how could she turn her back on her own kin? It must be the Prince of Nanyuan who corrupted her. Yuwen Liangshi taught her to oppose me, deliberately spoiling my joy. How detestable!" His tone carried deep regret over having married his sister off to the Southern Garden.
Having just taken his medicine, he was still somewhat dazed, swaying unsteadily atop the wall and terrifying Chongmao to the core.
"This servant knows Your Majesty misses Her Highness, but what of it? Surely there will come a day when Her Highness returns." With hands outstretched and tears in his eyes, he pleaded, "My Master, please be careful—this is no game... Come down, and write another letter to Her Highness, telling her everything. She doesn’t know that Tongyun is Her Majesty, so of course she disapproves of you elevating a maid to Empress... Make it clear in your letter, and this servant will dispatch it posthaste to the Southern Garden. Once Her Highness reads it, she will surely understand."
The Emperor blinked a few times, intending to sing a few lines, but finding his voice uncooperative, he gave up.
Descending from the wall, he intended to return and write the letter, but as soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep. He slept until noon the next day, only to be awakened by the cicadas.
The coolness of midnight did not mean summer had truly passed. The heat remained unbearable, and the cicadas in the trees cried themselves hoarse. Suddenly, they fell silent, granting a brief moment of tranquility before another overwhelming wave of noise erupted. The man on the bed thrashed about, pounding the bed boards and shouting, "Scoundrels! This place is truly unbearable! Chongmao, Chongmao, where have you gone to die?"Chongmao, who had been standing outside the floor screen, scurried in, bowing with a horsetail whisk in hand. "Your servant is here, awaiting Your Majesty's command."
The Emperor was furious. "Send someone to catch all those cicadas for me!"
Chongmao glanced outside. "Your Majesty, they cannot be caught completely. If we catch them all today, more will come tomorrow. Beijing has many cicadas, and when they have no place to stay, they seek empty spots. If there are fewer today, there will be even more tomorrow."
The Emperor refused to believe it. Slapping the bed board, he sat up and ran under the tree to look up. The cicadas on the tree were of various sizes—large ones, small ones, and even those that chirped specifically in the evening. He frowned, about to speak, when suddenly a string of raindrops fell. Looking at the sky, it was cloudless, with no sign of rain. Only then did he realize it was cicada urine, splashing all over his face!
Wiping his face, the Emperor roared in anger, "Cut this tree down!"
Chongmao dared not argue and hurriedly agreed. He gestured for a young eunuch to come and relay the order to the Office of Palace Maintenance: uproot the magnolia tree in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Emperor, still seething, stamped his foot and said, "Burn it! Not a single cicada is to escape!"
It was almost laughable that the Son of Heaven would quarrel with a few noisy cicadas. But no one dared challenge the Emperor's dignity. They hurriedly complied, and soon a dozen eunuchs entered with shovels, digging fiercely at the tree roots. The cicadas on the tree, disturbed by the commotion, flew away one after another. With the tree already half-dug, there was no reason to leave it standing. They gritted their teeth, severed the roots, and carried the tree out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a dozen men.
The Emperor looked at the hole in the ground, satisfied. "Planting trees in the palace was never a good idea. Who knows if an assassin might hide behind the leaves? This is better—dug up and clean. No more insects can nest here, and there’s no fear of assassins. Two birds with one stone."
Chongmao agreed verbally. As the Emperor entered the hall, he quickly signaled for the hole to be filled. They found matching paving bricks to cover the ground, not daring to delay. If the Emperor grew angry again, those serving before him would suffer.
The Water Attendant presented scented tea. The Emperor sat behind the desk, staring blankly at the writing tools on the table. "What you said yesterday—should I write another letter to my little sister and explain the situation?"
This master was unpredictable in his moods, and even Chongmao felt a bit fearful. Trembling, he replied, "Your servant’s mind is not sharp, but that’s all I could think of." After a pause, he added, "Actually, Your Majesty, why must you seek the Princess Royal’s approval? You are the master, and your word is law. Who would dare disobey?"
The Emperor shook his head. "This sister is different. She is my only family left..."
"You still have the princes, Your Majesty. The ten Your Highnesses are all filial, coming daily to pay their respects."
The so-called "paying respects" naturally did not involve an audience. They merely kowtowed outside the screen wall. Chongmao would say, "The Emperor is well," and the princes would withdraw to study in the Imperial Study.
The bond between father and sons was shallow. The Emperor’s assessment of his ten sons was, "They haven’t even grown feathers yet; they can’t even be considered fully human." Thus, they could not be called family. In his heart, the only one he acknowledged as family was his sister, born of the same mother. Even though she sometimes scolded him as if he were a grandson, he never found her hateful. When too much time passed without seeing her, he missed her dearly.Alas, once girls grow up, they cannot be kept at home—they all belong to others. The Emperor paused, brush in hand, having just written the words "seeing this letter is like seeing you in person," when Pingchuan announced loudly outside the door, "There is urgent news from Jiangnan, respectfully awaiting Your Majesty's review."
The Emperor set down his brush and waited for Chongmao to present the report. Upon opening it, he found a silk scroll as thick as a finger, bearing only two simple lines: The Princess Royal conceived on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the Prince of Nanyuan laughed heartily.
"The Princess Royal is with child..." The Emperor’s expression turned into something between tears and laughter. "Wanwan is still a child herself, and now she is going to have a child?"
Chongmao exclaimed, "This is truly wonderful news!"
The Emperor said, "Including the one born to Yin Ge, I have become a father eleven times, but this is the first time I will be an uncle. The Princess Royal has rendered great service."
Chongmao repeatedly agreed, "It is likely that the Prince of Nanyuan’s memorial will arrive in the capital in a few days. Your Majesty can share this good news with the Empress Dowager, so she may rejoice as well."
But the Emperor fell silent. After a long pause, he spoke coldly, "Draft an imperial edict: It has been half a year since the Princess Royal’s marriage, and the Empress Dowager deeply misses her. Order the Princess Royal to return to the capital immediately to pay respects to her family. The Directorate of Ceremonial is to send officials to escort Her Highness back in honor. The Prince of Nanyuan need not accompany her; he is to remain in his jurisdiction to oversee river management and grain transport."
Chongmao was taken aback. The edict made no mention of the Princess Royal’s pregnancy—was this a preemptive move to act before the Prince of Nanyuan’s memorial reached the capital?
After finishing his words, the Emperor let out a soft sigh. "Very well, proceed accordingly. Wanwan grew up in Beijing and is accustomed to its climate. Now that she is with child, of course she should return to Beijing to rest. The Eldest Princess Residence was built so magnificently, yet she has never lived there for a single day—what a pity. Bring her back for a short stay so the family can reunite and enjoy the natural bonds of kinship."
Pingchuan received the order outside the threshold and went to the Directorate of Ceremonial to relay the message. Chongmao stepped forward to tidy the scattered writing materials, glancing at the Emperor’s expression as he did so. "Master, why not allow the Prince of Nanyuan to come to the capital as well? Separating the young couple at this time might..."
"I want to see just how capable this Prince of Nanyuan is—whether he can escape my grasp. Summoning him to the capital... would not be wise. This man is too cunning, like arsenic sprinkled into a large pot, capable of poisoning many. Besides, there is much official business in Nanyuan, and I need someone to handle affairs on my behalf." He smiled faintly. "As long as he remains obedient and harbors no treacherous thoughts, his wife and child will still be his. What is there to worry about?"
Thus, it was a repetition of old tactics, much like when Consort Duan was appointed Empress to control Xiao Duo. The Emperor was someone who tried to balance leisure with imperial power. In the imperial court, each position was like a radish in a hole—when one was pulled out, another had to be put in. The problem was that the replacement radish might not be the same size, raising concerns about suitability. The best approach was not to disturb it but to make it serve your purpose. The Emperor had always believed in responding to change with constancy, and he felt this decision was well-made. Who would dare object to the Princess Royal returning to pay respects to her family? He knew the Prince of Nanyuan would not resist at this moment. Seizing his weakness before his power grew was infinitely easier than suppressing him once he gained influence.When a man loves a woman too much, it truly is not a good thing. The Emperor slowly paced around the Inlaid Gold Chi-beast Censer. With love comes vulnerability. Although this brother-in-law was ruthless, he was far from heartless. Wanwan would remain safe and sound in the capital. As long as she was there, Yuwen would not act rashly—unless he could find a way to kill Wanwan and her son, using it as a pretext to rally the heroes... If that were truly the case, then such a man could no longer be called human; he would be no different from a beast.
A thousand miles away, a fast horse galloped out of the Forbidden City, kicking up a cloud of dust, while in the Southern Garden Palace in Jinling, music and song continued unabated.
Having eaten too much crab, Princess Chang had begun suffering from stomach troubles a few days earlier. The illness struck like a collapsing mountain—vomiting and diarrhea left her weak and unsteady, frightening everyone in the residence. Liangshi had already stopped going out to attend to affairs and stayed at home, anxiously watching over her. Despite her severe weakness, she did not forget to tell Tong Huan to throw away the fishing rod—she was determined to give up fishing. After examining her pulse, the Imperial Physician from the Princess's Residence, along with diagnosing her weak and cold spleen and stomach, brought astonishingly good news—Her Highness was pregnant. For a moment, everyone exchanged glances. After confirming the news repeatedly, the Imperial Concubine entered the Ancestral Temple to inform the Grand Prince of the good news. Liangshi was so overjoyed he became incoherent, reacting as if he were a first-time father. In his heart, perhaps only a child born with the woman he loved could truly be considered his own.
However, those two crabs had caused great suffering. They now had to both protect the pregnancy and treat her weak and cold condition. Fortunately, the child was strong and remained as steady as Mount Tai despite all the turmoil. Liangshi said this child would surely possess extraordinary talents in the future because he carried the blood of both the Murong and Yuwen Clans.
Wanwan found it unbelievable. "I can have my own child, and so soon..."
He shamelessly leaned closer. "Hard work pays off. It's all thanks to my tireless efforts day and night."
Her face flushed, and she hit him lightly, signaling that others were nearby. He turned to see Xiao You and Tong Huan looking awkward, but he just laughed heartily and waved them away.
"From today onward, no matter how important the matters outside, I won't leave the residence. I'll be here in case you need me." He sat beside her, cradling her in his arms and rocking gently. "My good Wanwan, you've truly made me proud! I originally thought you were too young and that it would take a while longer. I never expected it to happen so soon. You don't know how happy I am in my heart. To be honest, when Lan Zhou and Lanting were born, I sat in the study listening to the servants report the news as if it had nothing to do with me. It was only after ten days or so that I went to see them. They slept all day long. E'nie said their features resembled mine, but I couldn't see it at all. Later, they were sent to E'nie to be raised, so I saw them more often. After all, a father is a father, and sons are sons—nothing particularly special. But now that you're pregnant, this is the apple of my eye. I can't bear to be apart from you for even a moment."
As he spoke, his affection was boundless. Like a child, he buried his face in her chest, no longer resembling a powerful Feudal Prince guarding the borders.
She patted him with a smile. "Be careful not to let your sons hear this, or they'll blame you, Ama, for being biased."
He stubbornly replied, "When they grow up, they'll understand such matters. Not all sons are the same—it depends on who gave birth to them. For others, it's the mother who gains status through the son. But for me, it's the son who gains status through the mother."
Wanwan could do nothing about him, but she truly loved the current situation. She too had a child now, and the road ahead promised to be lively and full of joy.This illness came with good news, so recovery wasn't difficult. After lying in bed for three days, her entire body felt stiff, and once she felt better, she was eager to go out for a walk. Hearing the rhythmic tapping outside—the sound of a vendor's board selling osmanthus cakes—she slipped on her shoes and hurried to the door. "Quick, quick, stop that person!"
Xiao You called out to the young eunuch at the drooping flower gate, who darted out like a rabbit. Wanwan couldn't sit still and had Xiao You support her as she followed. After all, it was normal for a pregnant woman to crave food.
The princely mansion was incredibly deep, requiring passage through several courtyards to reach the front main gate. Generally, female family members lived within the second gate, hence the saying "never stepping beyond the main gate or the second gate." However, the rules weren't strictly enforced. Like her, who occasionally wandered all over the mansion, it was common to venture beyond the second gate.
Beyond the second gate was another world, where servants came and went in an orderly manner without needing to avoid others. She walked onto the covered winding corridor and, after a short distance, suddenly saw a man kneeling beside a flower bed. The sun was scorching, and he wore a sleeveless vest, his arms exposed to the sunlight, glistening with sweat.
"What happened?" she stopped and asked. "In such blazing heat, even the 'roasting punishment' wouldn't be much worse."
The steward quickly arrived, sweeping his sleeve and bowing. "Your Highness, this stubborn mule has no sense. The Second Master struck him twice, and he pushed the Second Master flat on his back. Making him kneel is already lenient. If the Grand Consort found out, he wouldn't get off so easily—she'd have him punished with the flagpole!"
Wanwan knew that Lanting always loved to brandish a green bamboo stick and cause trouble recklessly. Looking at the man, who must have been around fifty, his arms covered in bruises, the steward's "twice" clearly meant those strikes were severe enough to drive him to desperation.
"I'll speak to the Second Master on his behalf. Don't make him kneel anymore. In this scorching heat, it could cost him his life."
Wanwan gave the order and had someone bring water. The man took the ladle and drank greedily, then turned around and kowtowed to her four times.
She was pregnant and wanted to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, so she simply said it wasn't necessary. "Get up. Next time, avoid him and don't provoke him."
The man kowtowed a few more times, stood up, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Yes."
Wanwan noticed he was wearing a eunuch's arrow-sleeved ramie garment and asked for his name.
His voice was clear and brisk. "This humble servant is Cui Guixiang," he said, taking the opportunity to perform a neat and proper bow. "Greetings to Princess Chang."
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