As if steamed by the heat of the buns, Fengxian’s eyes grew slightly moist. She looked up at Zhao Hao on horseback and asked, “Your Highness, what are you doing here? It’s so late—why haven’t you returned to the palace?”
Zhao Hao immediately appeared flustered. He glanced awkwardly into the distance before replying, “Oh, I was at a relative’s residence admiring paintings and calligraphy. I lost track of time and missed the palace gate closure, so I thought I’d take the chance to wander around the city. It was pure coincidence that I ran into you…”
Even he seemed to find his explanation unconvincing, and as he spoke, his face flushed red down to his neck.
Fengxian guessed some of his thoughts and did not press further about why he had thought to buy food for her. Silently gazing at the buns in her hands for a moment, she placed them on the trunk she had brought, then raised her hands to her forehead and performed a deep bow to Zhao Huaiyu.
Startled, Zhao Huaiyu quickly reached out to support her with both hands, asking, “Why are you doing this, miss?”
Fengxian remained kneeling and said to Zhao Huaiyu, “Fengxian has a request to make, and I sincerely hope you will grant it.”
When Zhao Huaiyu asked what she wished for, Fengxian replied, “A talented young man like you deserves to marry a noble lady. My father came from humble origins, and I was abandoned by him as a child, raised in the countryside with little talent or learning. I am unworthy of being your wife. If I were to become your concubine, since you are not yet married, it might cause issues when you later seek a marriage alliance with a prominent family. Therefore, could you allow me to return to the palace so that you may choose a more suitable match?”
Zhao Huaiyu fell silent, standing desolately in the night breeze for a long while before asking, “You don’t want to marry me, do you? Is there someone else you have feelings for?”
Fengxian did not answer, but her gaze subtly drifted toward Zhao Hao.
Seeing this, Zhao Huaiyu smiled bitterly and said, “Very well, you may return to the palace with the Third Prince.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hao immediately dismounted, helped Fengxian to her feet, and said to her, “I’ll take you back.”
But Fengxian bowed respectfully to Zhao Huaiyu once more and said, “Thank you, sir… If His Majesty asks about this later, could you say that your mother already had a favored candidate for your wife and was unwilling to accept me, which is why you allowed me to return to the palace?”
Zhao Huaiyu hesitated briefly but still said, “Very well.”
Overjoyed, Fengxian thanked him repeatedly. Zhao Hao urged her to mount the horse, then took the reins to lead her away. Fengxian glanced back hesitantly at her luggage, but Zhao Hao turned around, retrieved only the buns from the trunk, and handed them to her, saying, “Those things aren’t important. I’ll send someone to fetch them later.”
Seated on the horse, Fengxian took a bite of the warm bun and looked at Zhao Hao, who was leading the horse for her. A rare, genuine smile of joy spread across her face—the first she had worn since entering the palace. The bun was just an ordinary steamed pork bun from a common eatery, but to Fengxian at that moment, it tasted like the finest delicacy in the world.
As they traveled, Fengxian chatted with Zhao Hao. Through his evasive explanations and her own deductions, she gradually pieced together most of what had happened: After their encounter at the Gathering Scenery Garden, Zhao Hao had paid close attention to Fengxian’s whereabouts. Upon learning that she had been sent back to the Bureau of Palace Provisions, he began planning how to request her for his own residence. Unexpectedly, Zhao Huaiyu intervened, persuading the Emperor to bestow Fengxian upon him. When Zhao Hao heard the news, he was both furious and anxious. He rode out of the palace in search of her, hiding in the shadows to observe Zhao Huaiyu’s situation. Seeing that Zhao Huaiyu had left Fengxian hungry and cold, he turned and went to the night market to buy buns for her.Fengxian thought it amusing and somewhat touching that he had bought only two for her, with no intention of giving one to Zhao Huaiyu from start to finish. She said, "In the future, if Your Highness wishes to eat anything, just tell me. I will make it and deliver it to your residence."
Zhao Hao silently led the horse forward, only responding after a long pause, "No need. Come to my residence instead. I will have someone prepare food for you."
Fengxian naturally understood the meaning behind "come to my residence." A warm feeling surged in her heart, and she suddenly recalled Consort Liu’s earlier words: "If you do not think of me, are there no others?"... But she quickly composed herself and said seriously, "Your Highness, I will not become a concubine."
Zhao Hao looked up, somewhat surprised to hear this.
"In this lifetime, I will only marry honorably as the principal wife. I vow never to become a concubine," Fengxian declared calmly, meeting his gaze directly.
Upon returning to the palace, Fengxian immediately became the subject of heated discussion among the Six Bureaus. Everyone speculated about the reason she had been sent back by Zhao Huaiyu. Some said Zhao Huaiyu’s mother despised her; others claimed Zhao Huaiyu was dissatisfied after a single night with her. Some did not overlook the fact that she had been brought back by Zhao Hao and vividly concocted a rumor that she had long been secretly involved with the Third Prince. They claimed Zhao Huaiyu had discovered her affair with the Third Prince and refused to marry a woman who had lost her chastity, which was why he had not allowed her into his home.
Early the next morning, Fengxian requested an audience with the palace attendant in charge of discipline. Standing publicly before the attendant’s door, she declared loudly, "I ask the palace attendant to send a female official to examine my chastity. If I am no longer a virgin, I am willing to accept any punishment, even if The Emperor orders my death, without complaint."
The palace attendant indeed ordered an examination, and the result confirmed that Fengxian remained a virgin. Fengxian slapped the document stating this conclusion onto the forehead of the palace attendant who had spread the rumor and said coldly, "Read this clearly—it is written in black and white. That day, the Third Prince was returning from the imperial clan’s residence and happened to meet me on the imperial street. Out of kindness, he escorted me back. Before that, we had no connection whatsoever. If I hear any more rumors in the future, I will ask the palace attendant to severely punish the rumor-mongers. If I find out you are still spreading lies, I will tear your mouth apart before the palace attendant even speaks!"
Thus, the rumor-monger fell silent, and the gossip quickly subsided. Although the Emperor found it strange and displeasing, since Zhao Huaiyu had said he was following his mother’s advice in not taking Fengxian, he merely remarked lightly, "Your filial piety is commendable," and did not intervene further.
Later, Zhenzhen privately asked Fengxian why she had not seized the opportunity to leave the palace and become Zhao Huaiyu’s wife, given that he was kind-hearted and had a promising future. Fengxian briefly recounted how she had waited outside the Zhao residence for most of the night and said, "He is good, but he and I are not on the same path. His filial piety toward his mother is admirable, but it is clear that he places his mother above everything else. He can lose himself for her sake. Compared to his mother, I am insignificant. If any conflict arises between me and his mother in the future, he would undoubtedly side with her without a second thought. That is not the kind of husband I want."
Zhenzhen nodded in understanding. "You want someone who puts you first in everything."
Fengxian replied, "Yes, I want someone who cares for me above all else. Even if I stir up a storm, he would shield me behind him without complaint or regret, protecting me from all impact."Although Zhao Hao very much wished for Fengxian to come to his residence, she flatly refused. After the incident with Zhao Huaiyu, the ladies of the inner court recognized Fengxian as a formidable figure and were also reluctant to have her by their sides. Thus, for the time being, Fengxian could only continue performing miscellaneous tasks in the Bureau of Palace Provisions.
One day, Official Sun from Cifu Palace came to the Bureau of Palace Provisions to give a lesson to the junior palace attendants. This time, she brought along her prized disciple, Chen Keyan, and praised her lavishly in front of everyone: "Keyan has exceptional understanding. No matter what dish I teach her, she grasps it immediately and can even extrapolate from it—learning one dish allows her to create several others of the same type... When working in the Northern Inner Palace, she always considers the Empress Dowager's health. The dishes she prepares are not only appealing in color, aroma, and taste but also highly nourishing, making them most suitable for the Empress Dowager. She is meticulous and cautious—after cooking, she promptly cleans all utensils and returns them to their proper places, leaving everything in perfect order without a single mistake. Most commendably, when tidying up, she doesn't just look after her own things. If she notices others haven't organized properly, she quietly helps them clean up without expecting anything in return..."
Official Sun then instructed Chen Keyan to demonstrate one of her specialties, "Ten Delicacies Soup," as an example. This soup required ten ingredients: stone ear, stone hair, stone thread, purple seaweed, deer antler fat vegetable, heavenly mushroom, shark, dried shark's maw, abalone, and dried shrimp. Additionally, chicken, lamb, and quail were first boiled to make a broth, into which those ingredients were then stewed. While inspecting the ingredients in the Bureau of Palace Provisions' main kitchen, Chen Keyan discovered that dried shark's maw was missing. Pei Shangshi said, "I have some in my small kitchen, stored in the cupboard. You can go fetch it yourself."
Concerned that Chen Keyan might not be familiar with the layout of utensils and ingredients in the small kitchen, Pei Shangshi instructed Fengxian to accompany her. As soon as Chen Keyan stepped into the small kitchen, her initially humble demeanor vanished. Without waiting for Fengxian's guidance, she opened the cupboard herself and began rummaging through it. Fengxian approached, offering to help, but Chen Keyan arrogantly refused, insisting on searching on her own.
The dried shark's maw was stored by Pei Shangshi in a porcelain jar, grouped with other dried seafood. Chen Keyan lifted the lids of the jars one by one until she found it in a row against the wall. Delighted, she reached for the jar, but her movement was too swift, knocking over a jar in the front row. One of them fell to the ground, shattering into pieces and scattering the dried seafood everywhere.
Hearing the crisp sound of breaking porcelain from outside the door, Official Sun rushed into the small kitchen. At the sight of the shattered jar, her face turned ashen, and she sharply asked the two girls, "Who broke this?"
Fengxian remained expressionless, while Chen Keyan was already pale with fright, her lips trembling as she stammered, "I... I didn't mean to..."
Pei Shangshi and the other palace attendants soon entered. They hadn't heard Chen Keyan's earlier words, and their eyes lingered on her and Fengxian's faces, each guessing who had broken the jar.
Suddenly, Official Sun strode toward Fengxian and slapped her across the face, shouting, "You're not young anymore—how can you still be so clumsy? You're worse than a ten-year-old palace attendant!"
Fengxian was taken aback but quickly realized that Official Sun was forcing her to take the blame for her disciple. Initially angered, she soon calmed down and simply knelt straight down, bowing her head as she said, "It was Fengxian who carelessly knocked over and shattered the jar. Fengxian acknowledges her mistake and is willing to accept punishment from the Director."As soon as these words were spoken, Official Sun and Chen Keyan exchanged glances, both looking quite astonished. Official Sun had already prepared a full arsenal of accusations to denounce Fengxian for "denial and deceit," but now there was no need to utter any of them.
Pei Shangshi looked coldly at Fengxian and said, "First, clean up the small kitchen. Today, you will sweep the courtyard of the Bureau of Palace Provisions. After sweeping, reflect on your mistakes facing the wall for two hours, and you may skip the evening meal."
Fengxian bowed her head in acknowledgment, not forgetting to thank Pei Shangshi for her lenient punishment.
By the time Fengxian finished sweeping the courtyard, everyone in the Bureau of Palace Provisions had already dispersed. She returned the broom to its place, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and was about to go wash her hands when she suddenly turned and saw Official Sun walking toward her.
Fengxian hurriedly bowed to Official Sun. Official Sun approached her and asked with a stern face, "Why were you willing to admit your mistake?"
Fengxian lowered her gaze and replied, "The jar was broken by Fengxian, so it is only natural to admit it."
Official Sun studied Fengxian carefully, feeling that the rumors were true—this girl was indeed different. She had just praised Chen Keyan in front of everyone, and yet Fengxian had immediately broken the Shangshi's jar. If she were to publicly punish Chen Keyan for this, it would be tantamount to slapping her own face in front of everyone, so she had to use Fengxian as a scapegoat. Fengxian understood this perfectly, not only willingly cooperating but also continuing to admit it was her mistake even when no outsiders were present, without seeking credit or reward. It was clear she was extremely clever.
"What do you need? I will reward you with something," said Official Sun.
Fengxian bowed slightly and said, "Fengxian lacks nothing. I have long admired you, Official Sun. If I could have the opportunity to work under you, that would be more than enough for me."
Official Sun frowned slightly. "Do you want to serve the Empress Dowager?"
Fengxian said softly, "This servant wishes to work for you, Official Sun. Although I am not particularly talented, I am willing to devote myself wholeheartedly to being your assistant. I am confident I can do better than Chen Keyan."
Official Sun pondered for a long while before finally agreeing. "Then you may come and try. If you do not perform well, I will send you back to the Southern Inner Palace at any time."
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