Тhis wаs thе оnly time she hаd еver defiеd Nanny Jingqi. Nаnnу Li соuld оnlу stare hеlplessly, unable to dо аnything аbout it. Аftеr аll, shе was thе mistrеss, а Рrinсess Rоyal, and оf thе samе generatiоn as Thе Empеrоr. Еvеn if thеу wаnted to invоkе Hоusеhоld Disciрline, thеу would neеd thе cоurage to dо so.
As pеорle grоw older, their minds ехрand, аnd thеу bесоme hаrdеr to сontrоl—it was onlу a mаttеr оf time. Fоr Nаnnу Jingqi, wiеlding a chickеn feather as a сommand arrоw only wоrked whеn thеse уoung masters and mistresses were still ignorant. Once they came of age and formed their own opinions, they could dismiss them if they found them displeasing, for the masters were, after all, the masters. It was just unexpected that the Imperial Princess had such a temperament. At only thirteen or fourteen, she was already becoming unmanageable. In the future, if she wanted to follow along as part of the Accompanying Retinue for the marriage of a princess, it would likely be difficult.
Nanny Li’s efforts were like pouring a basin of water onto sand—not a single trace remained. As soon as she left, Xiao You came back to life, laughing joyfully, "Our mistress is truly formidable. Rather than confronting her head-on, it’s better to leave her with nowhere to direct her energy. While she stews in anger, our mistress simply ignores her, hungry or tired—that’s even more unbearable than slapping her face."
Wanwan took off her hat and tossed it onto the table. "As I often say, it’s best to turn big issues into small ones and small ones into nothing. The Empress Dowager is currently hosting a grand banquet for the ministers at the Hall of Imperial Zenith. How would she know about the matters here? If Nanny Li insists on making a fuss, involving the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility and the Directorate of Ceremonial, what good would it do to spread it around? These Nurse Matrons are usually treated like goddesses, accustomed to throwing their weight around in the palace. The more respect you show them, the more they take advantage." She spoke with great enthusiasm but then, thinking of tomorrow, suddenly felt troubled again. "The Eunuch Official said earlier that he’d come to settle accounts with me tomorrow. We might have escaped Nanny Li’s wrath, but we won’t be able to avoid the Eunuch Official’s."
Xiao You also looked despondent. "Tomorrow will be the death day for this servant and Wu Qi. Mistress, will you just watch us die?"
This matter had indeed been started by her, with Xiao You and Wu Qi only being accomplices. Although the faults of a master often fall on the servants, if things go too far, even their two small lives might not be enough to make up for it. If she shrank back now, she truly would have to watch them meet their end.
She patted Xiao You on the shoulder. "Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I’ll find a way to put in a good word for you."
Xiao You knew her mistress’s timid nature. Even with this assurance, she couldn’t fully believe it. "When the time comes, you mustn’t pretend to be deaf and mute. Our lives are entirely in your hands."
Wanwan reassured her that although her fear of Director Xiao was no less than her fear of Nanny Li, when lives were at stake, she would have to speak up, even if it meant mustering all her courage.
Earlier, having been caught in the rain, life outside had been difficult. Now that she was back, changed into clean clothes, and sitting in warm bedding, she felt completely relaxed all over. Holding a cup of milk tea, she took small sips and thought of the Prince of Nanyuan, quietly asking Xiao You, "Did you see that Yuwen Liangshi?"
Xiao You was trimming the lamp wick and murmured, "The Prince of Nanyuan? This servant didn’t see him." She put down the scissors and came over to inquire, "What does he look like? Tell me quickly. Are his eyes like copper bells and his ears like banana leaves?"Wanwan suddenly realized that there were many versions of the Prince of Nanyuan's appearance circulating in the Cultivating Virtue Palace—some drawn by her own hand, others completely fabricated by those below. Looking back now, she felt quite sorry for that prince. Embarrassed, she pressed her hands on the quilt cover, her fingers fidgeting aimlessly, and mumbled vaguely, "Actually... his appearance isn’t that frightening. It was all just our wild guesses before. When I saw him, I kept thinking he resembled Director Xiao a bit—not in the face, but in his build and demeanor."
Xiao You was more concerned about the face. "This servant just wants to know if his nose and eyes are in the right places."
"Of course they are. He’s quite handsome, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes." As she spoke, Wanwan drew a circle with her hand. "There’s a golden ring in his eyes, like the solar halo around the sun before a strong wind blows. Do you know what that looks like? Like a rainbow, but it’s round and more resilient than a rainbow."
Xiao You was utterly confused. "A ring inside the eyes? Isn’t that just a double pupil? Two eyeballs in one socket, one on the left and another on the right."
Wanwan had long known she could never see eye to eye with Xiao You. She usually avoided arguing with her, but this time she felt the need to explain. Straightening her posture, she looked at Xiao You sincerely. "Xiao You, it’s a hollow ring, right inside the black part of the eye—not on the outside, and certainly not one on the left and another on the right. Think of it as something beautiful, eyes that can glow, that can dazzle you when they look at you."
Xiao You’s limited imagination couldn’t conjure up such a magical scene. To her, eyes that could glow probably resembled the leopards raised in the Imperial Stables—rather frightening. But since the Princess Royal was in high spirits, she could only laugh along and agree, "That’s truly rare... Neither Han nor Xianbei people have such features. It’s quite distinctive."
Wanwan rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the hidden pillow and muttering, "He even complained, saying that the world misunderstands the Qi People, treating them all like monsters. Thinking about it, they’re rather pitiful—clearly human in appearance, yet saddled with such a bad reputation."
Xiao You felt that now was not the time to worry about others; taking care of themselves was the priority. She had been restless all night, and when she got up the next day and saw Wu Qi, the two of them trembled with fear, waiting only for Director Xiao to deal with them. Usually, the Directorate of Ceremonial was busy in the morning and only had free time in the afternoon, but today was different. Director Xiao arrived shortly after noon, just as the Princess Royal was preparing for her midday meal. The eunuchs serving the meal filed in, holding trays with small umbrellas, the eight golden bells on the umbrella ribs jingling noisily. Amidst the clamor, Director Xiao strode into the front hall.
Wanwan, wrapped in a scarf, had all her cups, dishes, and bowls laid out before her. Seeing him enter, she suddenly lost her appetite. Xiao You and Wu Qi, frightened like rabbits, huddled closer to her. Before she could speak, he waved his hand and dismissed all the serving attendants, leaving only the four of them in the hall, as if ready to settle accounts.
"It... it was my idea to go to the West Flowery Gate to join the excitement," she stammered, but bravely stepped forward, pointing at Xiao You and Wu Qi. "Don’t punish them. Punish me instead."
Director Xiao frowned. "Just for letting their master take the blame, they deserve to be skinned twice over."
Xiao You and Wu Qi knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly. "It was this servant’s fault. Please forgive us, Director Xiao. Spare us this once!"Unfortunately, Wanwan's theory of keeping quiet to avoid trouble proved completely ineffective at the Directorate of Ceremonial. Junior Director Xiao watched them coldly, his voice icy as he said, "There are so many eyes at court; I alone cannot suppress this. It's likely the news has already reached the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's inaction isn't due to ignorance—she's waiting to see how I handle this. Your Highness protects you, but if the Empress Dowager personally delivers punishment, not only will you fail to escape, but you'll also implicate Your Highness." With that, he bowed to Wanwan. "Hand them over to me. I'll arrange for other reliable, experienced attendants to serve Your Highness—that would put my mind at ease."
She had expected this—none of them were easy to deal with—but Xiao Duo's utter lack of compassion truly chilled her heart. Fury surged within her: "I only have two people I trust—must you take them away too, Eunuch Official?"
He bowed even deeper. "Your Highness did not heed The Emperor's advice. Even I am powerless."
Wanwan choked for a moment. "The Emperor only advised me not to choose the Prince of Nanyuan. How have I disobeyed him?"
But she didn't understand—sometimes, once you've caught someone's eye, even if you don't think of them, they think of you. Who made her the only princess of Great Ye?
Junior Director Xiao looked somewhat troubled. "If Your Highness trusts me, I guarantee their safety. But if someone else handles this, I dare not promise whether they'll survive."
Such was the life of the Princess Royal—often constrained by circumstances. What did supreme status matter? Palace rules were strict; concubines had to obey, and so did she. She had no choice but to carefully consider his words, weighing both sides to determine how best to protect them. Keeping them was likely impossible. Perhaps Xiao Duo had come with the Empress Dowager's decree—she had made a mistake and must pay this price as a warning not to repeat it. She was already powerless. Dejectedly, she asked, "Can you promise me they won't suffer, Eunuch Official?"
Junior Director Xiao said yes. "Please rest assured, Your Highness."
When Xiao You and Wu Qi were taken away, she didn't even have the courage to look at them one last time. Having a mistress like her was simply their misfortune.
That last bit of liveliness was stifled, and Wanwan was reshaped into someone perfectly steady and composed. Wasn't so-called royal dignity just another word for lifelessness? After Xiao You left, a palace maid named Tong Huan arrived—older than her and very composed. Wanwan felt she had great potential to become a Nanny Jingqi in the future. Her strength lay in speaking little, and when she did, every word was carefully considered, so there were rarely mistakes or oversights. Phrases like "Master, what should we do?" that Xiao You often uttered were completely absent here. She handled all unexpected situations around Wanwan flawlessly, so when Junior Director Xiao became Seal-holding Xiao and completely stopped managing affairs at Cultivating Virtue Palace, everything remained orderly.
Viewing flowers in spring and scenery in autumn, she lived without fault but also without surprise. Wanwan grew accustomed to accepting her circumstances, embracing whatever arrangements came with each stage, thinking no further changes would arise. Yet life is full of unexpected hardships. Many things had long been foreseen; the only thing she hadn't anticipated was that The Emperor, so young, would suddenly become beyond the reach of medicine and pass away within two months.In the eleventh year of Longhua, it rained for a long time—so long that patches of mold began to speckle the corners of Cultivating Virtue Palace, and even people seemed damp. Upon hearing the news of the Emperor's grave illness, Wanwan went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see him and The Empress once, but Xiao Duo quietly warned her that the illness was contagious and advised her not to approach the bedside. After returning, she remained anxious and slept restlessly at night. Suddenly, she heard the sound of the Cloud Clapper echoing from the passageway. She sat up in a panic, a chill spreading through her, trembling uncontrollably.
Tong Huan entered with a lamp. Hugging her knees, Wanwan asked, "What happened?"
Tong Huan’s face was filled with sorrow. "Your Highness, Old Grandfather has passed away."
She fell back onto the bed, suddenly feeling lost about the future. Brother was gone, gone to enjoy eternal peace, leaving behind such a mess. What was to be done? Prince Rong was still young, not yet six years old. The affairs of the imperial court would likely fall into the hands of Empress Zhao. She was still the Princess Royal now, but soon she would become the Grand Princess Royal. Upon closer thought, her prospects seemed bleak and increasingly lonely.
The candle wept a river of tears on its copper holder. Tong Huan brought mourning clothes for her to change into, saying, "For now, the news is being spread quietly. After the minor encoffining, the body will rest in the Hall of Reverent Body. The Funeral Bell will not toll until dawn." She placed the Mourning Hair Bun on Wanwan’s head, securing it with a plain silver hairpin, and earnestly advised her, "Your Highness must not grieve too deeply. This is a critical moment of shifting winds and clouds. It’s best to go with the flow."
Wanwan looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
Tong Huan gave a faint smile. "I have served for quite some time—fifteen years, from entering the palace at age eight to today. I’ve seen many things and experienced much, so I know what to avoid at times like these. You are of the royal bloodline, and no one in the world can shake your status. You have your own future and will eventually leave this Forbidden City. So, for now, it’s best to keep a low profile and stay out of everything."
She felt somewhat numb, her mind tangled like a mess of threads. Before she could ponder the meaning of Tong Huan’s words, she simply nodded.
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