The following spring, both the Huimin and Huacheng polders were completed, and private polders were also finished under the supervision of local gentry. Tenant farmers who had left gradually returned, and the double-cropping plan for rice and wheat proceeded smoothly. By early autumn, the early rice had ripened, with heavy ears of grain promising a bountiful harvest. After harvesting, farmers tilled, sun-dried, and fertilized the land, preparing to plant wheat or vegetables and legumes. The crops thrived, and the cultivators’ faces were radiant with joy. Looking across Ningguo Prefecture, everywhere was a scene of prosperity.
The fifth wu day after the Start of Autumn was the Autumn She Festival. Every year at this time, court and local officials would offer sacrifices to the gods of earth and grain at altars to give thanks. This year, Zhao Ai also set up a suburban altar near the Huimin Polder, leading Ningguo Prefecture officials in the ritual.
It was customary for women to prepare She rice to entertain and offer to guests on the Autumn She Festival, a practice also observed in the palace. The Bureau of Palace Provisions would take pork, mutton, kidneys, tripe, lungs, duck, cakes, melons, ginger, and the like, cut them into chess-piece or slice shapes, season them well, and spread them over rice to present to the Emperor and various palace courtyards. Knowing that Zhao Ai would remain at the Huimin Polder after the ceremony to continue inspecting the fields, Zhenzhen prepared She rice according to the Bureau’s recipe and personally delivered it to him.
When Zhenzhen arrived at the Huimin Polder and saw Zhao Ai by the river, he had already removed his official robes and changed into a short jacket. Barefoot, he had climbed onto a massive water-powered square-pallet chain pump several zhang high and, along with six other young farmers, was bending over and cheerfully pedaling to draw river water into the canal.
He chatted and laughed with the farmers as they worked until an official reminded him it was time for the midday meal. Only then did he come down, wash his hands and feet, and change clothes. After a while, he noticed Zhenzhen standing quietly among the crowd and immediately smiled at her, pointing to the waterwheel and explaining, "This is the dragon bone waterwheel designed by Master Zeng Zhijin. It takes seven people to operate it—such grandeur, you’ve never seen anything like it, have you? This waterwheel draws an enormous amount of water. If we build more of them and drought strikes, a hundred wheels working together could irrigate the fields on both banks in no time."
Zhenzhen had been about to praise him, but hearing him say "we," an intimate term that drew knowing smiles from the onlookers, she blushed and lowered her head, momentarily at a loss for words.
Among the spectators were many women holding She rice. Seeing Zhao Ai now tidied up, they stepped forward one after another, offering him the rice they had made, vying with each other to invite him to taste it. Zhao Ai took chopsticks and sampled a little from each woman’s offering. Then, not forgetting to glance at Zhenzhen, his eyes moved to the food box in her hands. With a knowing smile, he walked over to her, wordlessly took the box, opened it, and ate several mouthfuls of the She rice she had prepared.
Zhenzhen asked softly, "How does it taste?"
"Good," he replied, still focused on eating. Without looking up, he casually added, "But compared to your usual cooking, it’s a bit saltier."
"Oh..." The onlookers exchanged understanding glances, and a bold one asked directly, "Judge Zhao, is this your wife?"
Zhao Ai smiled without answering. Laughter immediately rippled through the crowd.
Zhenzhen was deeply embarrassed, feeling utterly exposed. To make matters worse, several farm women approached, affectionately pressing fresh gourds and dates into her hands and blessing her: "May you and Judge Zhao have a son soon."On the Autumn She Day, it was customary for married women to return to their natal homes, where their families would gift them new gourds and dates, symbolizing blessings for their nephews. Thus, the women carried many such items.
Zhenzhen could no longer bear the smiling gazes of the crowd. She returned the unexpected gifts, pushed through the people, mounted the horse she had ridden there, and galloped away along the embankment.
Zhao Ai immediately rose to his feet, quickly found his own horse, and spurred it into a gallop, chasing after Zhenzhen.
After riding for a while, the two had left the crowd far behind. Seeing no one ahead on the road, Zhao Ai cracked his whip and urged his horse forward, soon riding side by side with Zhenzhen. As she turned her head to look at him, he reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and forcefully pulled her over, seating her sideways in front of him on the saddle.
Zhenzhen struggled desperately, jostling Zhao Ai’s arm as he guided the horse, causing it to veer off the main path, descend the embankment, and charge into a rice field.
Zhenzhen continued to resist. Seeing that the horse had already entered the field, Zhao Ai simply tightened his arms around her, leaned to one side, and dismounted, rolling with her deep into the uncut rice stalks.
They tumbled several times before coming to a stop. Zhenzhen found herself lying beneath Zhao Ai, who was propped up on his elbows on either side of her to avoid crushing her. Overwhelmed with shame and urgency, she pushed against him with both hands, trying to shove him away.
But Zhao Ai had no intention of letting go. Instead, he grasped both her hands, fixed his gaze on her, and said earnestly, “Zhenzhen, I truly wish to marry you.”
Zhenzhen was taken aback and momentarily ceased her struggles under the intensity of his gaze.
“Listen to me, Zhenzhen,” Zhao Ai said softly. “Not long ago, my father sent me a private letter, informing me that he plans to transfer me away from Ningguo Prefecture to serve as a judge in Mingzhou. Mingzhou not only has fertile fields and waterways but is also a port with a Maritime Trade Office overseeing maritime commerce. If I go to Mingzhou, there will be even more I can do—beyond agriculture, fishing, and water management, I might also oversee maritime trade affairs. I very much want to go, but I cannot bear to leave you behind… Once we part, we will be separated by vast distances, and it will be difficult for us to meet again.”
As Zhenzhen contemplated his words, a pang of sorrow struck her heart. Only then did she realize how accustomed she had grown over the past three years to sharing the same city with him, supporting and relying on each other. If he were to leave abruptly and they were never to meet again, it would feel as if a piece of her life were missing—what could possibly fill that void?
Seeing Zhenzhen’s expression darken with sadness, Zhao Ai felt encouraged and found the courage to say the following: “So, after much thought, I decided to reply to my father, saying that I am very willing to go to Mingzhou, but that I have met a kind-hearted young woman named Song Taosheng in Ningguo Prefecture, and I wish to give her a proper status so she can accompany me to Mingzhou. My father quickly replied, saying there was no difficulty in that—he would grant her a title… Thus, yesterday I received the official decree sent by my father’s messenger, conferring upon Song Taosheng the title of Lady of Xin’an Commandery… to be taken as a concubine of the Prince of Wei.”
Zhenzhen was utterly astonished. She widened her eyes and furrowed her brow. “How can this be…”
“This is the best solution I could think of under the circumstances,” Zhao Ai continued. “From now on, we can be together openly and honorably. In the future, if you bear my child, I will find a way to bring you back to Lin’an and ask my father to pardon your past offenses. For the sake of his grandchild, he should agree.”
“But I will not agree,” Zhenzhen retorted."I'm sorry, Zhenzhen, for not seeking your permission beforehand." Zhao Ai apologized sincerely, then explained, "I knew you wouldn't agree if you found out first, so I took matters into my own hands... But please search your heart—if you set aside other considerations, for the rest of your life, which would you prefer: spending every day with me, or never seeing me again?"
Zhenzhen was momentarily lost in thought, unable to answer for a long while.
Zhao Ai's gaze fell upon a small white chrysanthemum by Zhenzhen's temple. He slowly reached out and plucked it away.
"Zhenzhen, it's been three years. Even the deepest mourning should come to an end," he sighed softly, then looked directly into her eyes and asked, "We've done nothing wrong, so why must we miss each other forever?"
Zhenzhen found it difficult to respond, and equally hard to face the stirrings in her own heart. Lowering her lashes, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Zhao Ai reached out to wipe away her tears, then spoke gently again: "You once said that your elder brother showed you the best form of love between a man and a woman. And over these years, we've worked together on important matters, on great undertakings, trusting and supporting each other—isn't that also a form of the best?"
Without waiting for her answer, he thought for a moment and added, "Of course, focusing only on serious matters isn't enough. But I believe we can also work well together in other things."
"Other things?" Zhenzhen asked instinctively, then immediately understood, her face flushing crimson in an instant. Zhao Ai smiled brightly, then lowered his head and leaned in to kiss her lips.
Zhenzhen trembled slightly, shrinking back as if to retreat, but their current position left her no room to escape. Her heart was in turmoil; as Zhao Ai's face drew closer, her breathing grew increasingly rapid. In her helplessness, she closed her eyes.
Just as Zhao Ai was about to touch Zhenzhen's lips, a familiar voice suddenly came from the embankment: "Wu Zhenzhen, Second Great King!"
Startled, Zhenzhen immediately pushed Zhao Ai away and stood up. Zhao Ai also rose, and together they looked toward the embankment.
A man holding a horse stood beneath the willow trees on the dyke, waving enthusiastically at them with his other hand, joyfully expressing his delight: "It really is you! How wonderful—I've finally found you!"
It was Han Suwen, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.
Although this was indeed a reunion of old friends, under such awkward circumstances, Zhenzhen and Zhao Ai could only exchange glances, unable to immediately respond with equal enthusiasm.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Zhao Ai noticed a grain of rice still clinging to Zhenzhen's hair. Before leaving the rice field with her, he took the opportunity to casually reach behind her head as if to guide her forward, discreetly removing this suggestive evidence.
"It's been a long time, Medical Officer Han. I trust you've been well?" On the embankment, Zhao Ai greeted Han Suwen with a composed and proper bow. Compared to Zhenzhen, whose face still bore a faint blush, he appeared remarkably composed—as if he and Zhenzhen had merely been inspecting the growth of the rice in the field.Han Suwen smiled and bowed in greeting. After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Ai asked Han Suwen why he had left the capital to come here. Han Suwen told him, "Your Highness previously submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting permission to take a concubine in Ningguo Prefecture. I heard from the palace attendants in the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility that although the Emperor agreed, he complained to the Empress, saying you refused to marry a principal wife because you already had a beauty in Ningguo Prefecture, and you were so eager to request a concubine. He wondered how bewitching that woman must be. The Empress then advised, 'The Second Great King is handling countless affairs outside the capital and works very hard. It is only right that he should have a concubine to attend to him diligently. Submitting the request without waiting to report in person upon returning to the capital might mean the girl is already pregnant and must be given status as soon as possible.' The Emperor slapped his forehead and said, 'Ah, why didn’t I think of that!' Then his anger turned to joy, and he ordered me to come to Ningguo Prefecture. First, to reside long-term in the prefectural office to ensure Your Highness’s well-being; second, to observe the situation of Lady Xinan Commandery. If there is good news, I am to report it to the Emperor immediately. So I came as ordered. When I arrived at the prefectural office, the clerks said Your Highness was at Huimin Weir, so I hurried over. Just as I reached the dragon-bone waterwheel, I saw you riding out from the crowd, and I followed. From your silhouettes, I thought it must be you. After you entered the rice paddies, I observed for a long time, and once I was certain, I called out..."
Recalling that the earlier scene had been witnessed by him, Zhenzhen secretly held her forehead, feeling even more ashamed and unable to speak. Zhao Ai smiled without a word, while Han Suwen continued on his own, "So, after all these twists and turns, you two have met again. That’s wonderful. Back when we ate noodles together, I secretly observed you. You are a talented man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match. You got along so harmoniously, speaking openly without reservation. You should have been together long ago..."
Upon returning to the prefectural office, the three of them recounted what had happened since they last met. Zhenzhen told Han Suwen about her experiences over the past few years, and Han Suwen also recounted the events of that time in detail. Mentioning the cause of Crown Prince Zhuang Wen’s death, he added, "After collecting the Crown Prince’s vomit, I carefully examined every bit of residue with the other imperial physicians and even fed some to small animals. But the animals showed no obvious abnormalities or signs of poisoning. So the physicians insisted the food itself was not toxic and maintained it was your fault for offering cold and raw dishes, and later... Of course, I never agreed with their opinion, but I couldn’t find strong evidence to refute it. I could only rush around, trying to find someone who could save you. Fortunately, good people are blessed by heaven, and you managed to escape in the end."
Zhenzhen then shared her speculation about snake venom with him. Han Suwen pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense. If it was snake venom, it could indeed poison someone through an ulcerated wound, and testing it on healthy animals wouldn’t reveal it. But too much time has passed, and any remaining evidence from that time is gone. If someone really used snake venom to harm Crown Prince Zhuang Wen, we don’t know where the poison was placed. We have no way to investigate, and it’s difficult to clear your name."
He looked meaningfully at Zhenzhen and Zhao Ai, then advised Zhenzhen, "Since things have come to this, you might as well settle down and marry the Second Great King, living well where the Emperor cannot see you. After a few more years, when the Emperor’s grief for Crown Prince Zhuang Wen gradually fades, you can return with your child and the Second Great King, explain everything properly to the Emperor, and seek his forgiveness."Zhao Ai also said to Zhenzhen, "I remember you said that until the truth about elder brother's matter is clarified, you cannot find peace and it would be inconvenient to accept me. But given the current situation, we must first have a legitimate opportunity to be together openly before we can continue to seek the truth together. If we separate and lose each other's support, the day when the truth comes to light will be even more distant."
Seeing Zhenzhen fall silent and no longer express opposition, Zhao Ai began actively preparing for the wedding. Although he reported to the Emperor that he was taking a concubine, the wedding ceremonies and arrangements he ordered at the Ningguo Mansion were no different from those of an official family marrying a principal wife, with all six rites fully prepared. He sincerely told Zhenzhen, "My status restricts me from marrying you as the wife recorded in the clan register, but I will give you the rites befitting a principal wife, making you the first woman I marry, the primary wife in my heart."
The wedding was scheduled for the end of September. Zhenzhen returned to live at Zhanle Tower, and as the wedding date approached, Zhao Ai continuously sent hairpins, crowns, red jackets, and various makeup and jewelry to her residence. Two days before the wedding, he had a bridal attendant bring over more than ten sets of floral hair ornaments for the wedding, asking Zhenzhen to choose.
These floral ornaments were made of kingfisher feathers, gemstones, pearls, and other materials, displayed in boxes, dazzling and splendid. The bridal attendant presented them to Zhenzhen, who glanced over them and, as if guided by some unseen force, picked up a pearl diadem.
The bridal attendant smiled and said, "Madam has excellent taste. This one is clearly made of the finest southern pearls."
With that, she led Zhenzhen to sit before a bronze mirror, took the pearl diadem, held it on her fingertip with the back facing up, and brought it to Zhenzhen's lips, asking her to breathe on it.
This was the first time Zhenzhen had used a floral ornament since Crown Prince Zhuang Wen's passing. For some reason, her heart suddenly began to pound unusually. After hesitating and staring at the pearl diadem for a while, she slowly parted her lips and breathed on it.
The breath-activated adhesive on the back of the pearl diadem misted over, emitting a faint fragrance like face powder. Zhenzhen suddenly remembered the orange scent that had emanated from the pearl diadem on her forehead the night she spent with the Crown Prince, and an inexplicable dizziness washed over her.
Unaware, the bridal attendant pressed the pearl diadem onto Zhenzhen's forehead while praising, "The high-quality breath-activated adhesive used by wealthy families is truly different. It even contains fragrant oils to mask the fishy smell of fish glue..."
Zhenzhen's face turned deathly pale. She stared at the newly affixed pearl diadem in the mirror for a moment, then abruptly stood up and hurried outside.
Just as she reached the gate, she unexpectedly encountered Han Suwen, who had just dismounted from his horse. Seeing her, he smiled broadly and praised, "Your makeup looks lovely today, truly befitting someone about to celebrate a joyous occasion."
He then turned to retrieve a small brocade box from his horse's baggage and handed it to Zhenzhen. "I found this under the bed when I was collecting Crown Prince Zhuang Wen's vomit. I thought it must be something you lost. Since the pearl is precious, I kept it, intending to return it to you when we met. Later, I got busy and temporarily forgot. When we reunited that day, I meant to give it to you, but since it's a personal item from the inner chambers, I feared returning it abruptly might make Second Great King suspicious, so I delayed until now."
Zhenzhen opened the brocade box and saw that it contained the very pearl diadem she had used that day. Turning it over to look at the back, she found that most of the breath-activated adhesive was gone, but a small trace remained. Unable to contain her surging emotions any longer, hot tears immediately began to stream down her cheeks.
Han Suwen was startled and quickly asked her what was wrong. Zhenzhen covered her mouth, struggling to suppress her grief. After a moment, she said to Han Suwen in as calm a tone as possible, "Find a small animal for testing poison and let it taste the adhesive on this pearl diadem."
OpenNovel