Zhenzhen bid farewell to Yin Qi. Seeing no one else would board the boat, Yin Qi abandoned the small vessel and leaped ashore. He had only taken two steps toward Zhenzhen when two rows of attendants suddenly emerged from among the flowering trees ahead, swiftly gathering around him. There were eunuchs shielding him from the sun, fanning him, and offering chairs; there were palace maids presenting tea and water; and one kneeling maid held up a silver basin beside him, waiting silently for him to wash his hands. Two other maids approached, one carrying a tray with hand towels, the other with a tray holding "Princess Yonghe's Fragrant Bath Beans"—a blend of angelica root, peach kernel, almond, agarwood, soap pod, and deer antler glue—both presented before him for his use.
Under the astonished gazes of Zhenzhen and the others, Yin Qi calmly washed his hands, then accepted a cup of water prepared by a maid, his demeanor composed and natural, as if treating the imperial Rear Garden like his own home. At that moment, a noblewoman around forty years of age approached, her silk robes adorned with golden threads, her cloud-like hair coiled with pearls and jade, her attire as exquisite as that of Consort Li. Upon seeing Yin Qi, she affectionately wiped the faint sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief and said softly, "Jialan'er, you must be tired after rowing for so long? The Empress Dowager just asked about you. Come quickly with Mother to pay your respects to Her Majesty."
Yin Qi rose under her gentle coaxing and, like a young child, allowed himself to be led by her toward the palace hall where the Empress Dowager resided. As they passed near Zhenzhen and the others, he paused briefly and smiled at them.
His mother, noticing this, gave a subtle glance to a maid behind her. Immediately, a maid stepped forward, presenting several hairpin charms to Zhenzhen, Fengxian, and Yingge.
"Just a modest gift for the Dragon Boat Festival. I hope you young ladies will accept it as thanks for accompanying my son on the lake," Yin Qi's mother said with a smile to Zhenzhen and the others.
Assuming these were ordinary Dragon Boat Festival gifts, the young ladies thanked the noblewoman and accepted the hairpin charms. After bowing to see off Yin Qi and his mother, they took a closer look at the gifts and realized the small charms on the hairpins were not made of colored silk but hammered from gold leaf.
The girls exchanged glances, none having expected this noblewoman to regard their almost hired interaction with Yin Qi as "companionship," nor to be so extravagantly generous.
This lavish gift also drew the attention of the surrounding palace attendants. Among them was Tang Li, who had entered the Bureau of Palace Provisions at the age of eight and was well-versed in palace affairs. She sneered at them, "No wonder you were so bold, risking your lives to board Young Master Yin's boat—it was all for the reward from the Lady of Chen."
With a disdainful look, she walked away. Fengxian took Zhenzhen's hand and followed closely behind Tang Li. When they reached a secluded spot, Fengxian stepped in front of Tang Li and said apologetically, "We haven't been in the palace long and don't know many people or understand many things. We rely on sisters like you to guide us and avoid major mistakes. Today, we boarded that boat out of sheer curiosity and playfulness, unaware of the rower's identity and even less familiar with the Lady of Chen. If there are any taboos regarding Young Master Yin or the Lady of Chen, we hope you will enlighten us. If you don't mind, please accept this hairpin charm as a token of our gratitude."
Fengxian presented the hairpin charm with both hands to Tang Li, and Zhenzhen promptly offered hers as well. Tang Li declined, but the two insisted. Finally, she accepted Fengxian's charm and removed a jade hairpin from her own hair, handing it to Fengxian. "Consider it an exchange of Dragon Boat Festival gifts between us," she said.Seeing Fengxian accept the jade hairpin, she softened her expression and began to explain the reason to the two of them: "That eldest son of the Yin family is the eldest son of Prince Yanping, the Empress Dowager's younger brother. His mother, Lady of Chen, is the eldest granddaughter of the late Grand Preceptor Qi. Prince Yanping is handsome and gentle in temperament, and has always been deeply favored by the Empress Dowager and the late emperor. When Grand Preceptor Qi was alive, he was also a prime minister highly valued by the late emperor, so Prince Yanping's family is prominent, noble, and wealthy, unmatched among the imperial relatives. However, there is one flaw: when the eldest son of the Yin family was five or six years old, for some unknown reason, he suffered a fright and developed hysteria..."
"Hysteria?" Zhenzhen couldn't help but interject, "But when we spoke with him today, he seemed normal, gentle and polite, completely unlike someone with hysteria."
Tang Li said, "His hysteria doesn't flare up every day; it comes and goes. When he's well, he's no different from an ordinary person, but if he's provoked, he can become violently mad. Last year, when he attended a banquet at the Eastern Palace, he liked a certain pastry served there. The Eastern Palace's director then transferred the palace attendant who made the pastry to Prince Yanping's residence to serve him. Not long after, his hysteria flared up, and he actually drew his younger brother Yin Ti's sword and killed that palace attendant."
Fengxian immediately understood that this was why Third Miss Ling would rather leave home and flee than marry Yin Qi. Thinking of the marriage, Fengxian asked Tang Li, "Is this eldest son of the Yin family married now?"
Tang Li shook her head: "Families in the capital of comparable status are unwilling to marry into his family. Last year, I heard he was engaged to the daughter of a border garrison general. As the wedding date approached, that family must have heard some rumors and made excuses, unwilling to send their daughter for the wedding. This year, they said they wanted to postpone the wedding date, so Lady of Chen became angry and recently insisted that Prince Yanping break off the engagement."
Fengxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Li continued, "Speaking of which, the eldest son of the Yin family is also somewhat pitiful. He's already twenty-two years old, and his marriage is still unsettled."
"He's twenty-two?" Zhenzhen was surprised. "He looks quite young; I thought he was at most seventeen or eighteen."
"Because of his illness, he has been confined to the prince's residence since childhood and rarely goes out, so his complexion is pale, and he's not as tall as his younger brother Yin Ti, which makes him appear younger. When standing next to Yin Ti, everyone thinks the tall and heroic Yin Ti is the older brother," Tang Li patiently explained. "Yin Ti became a personal attendant of the Imperial City Department at a young age, while Yin Qi is locked up at home. The thing he does most often is copying calligraphy, so his handwriting is actually quite good."
Zhenzhen nodded: "His refined and scholarly appearance does make him seem like a scholar."
Tang Li smiled wryly: "His appearance is good, very much like Prince Yanping in his youth, but don't forget he's a patient; you never know when he might have an episode. Every time he comes to the palace, the palace attendants avoid him if they can. Fortunately, he doesn't come to the palace often, only once or twice a year. Today, he said he wanted to tour the lake alone, so Lady of Chen found a boat for him and secretly ordered people to follow in other boats to guard him. We all kept our distance from his boat, but you few were confused and, seeing his boat empty, hurried aboard, even persuading the young lady of the Shen family to board. I was sweating for you. Luckily, he didn't have an episode today, or you wouldn't have made it off the boat alive."Two days later, Pei Shangshi relayed a message: The young lady of the Shen family claimed to have felt an instant connection with Yun Yinge and requested that Yun Yinge go to the Shen residence on the wedding day to oversee the food preparations for the bridal chamber. Yun Yinge accepted the order and suggested to Pei Shangshi that Ling Fengxian and Wu Zhenzhen, who had always worked seamlessly with her, accompany her. Pei Shangshi agreed and added both to the list of palace attendants assigned to the Shen residence on the wedding day.
The wedding day arrived in the blink of an eye. The groom, Fu Junyi, dressed in green robes and a flower-adorned turban, rode a tall, majestic horse. Accompanied by musicians playing celebratory tunes and a procession of attendants carrying flower vases, decorative candles, incense balls, silk-wrapped toiletries, cosmetic boxes, mirrors, skirt chests, clothing trunks, intricate knots, green parasols, and folding chairs, he made his grand and joyous entrance to the Shen residence amidst lively music.
The bride’s family blocked the gate, demanding lucky money while reciting a poem: “A celestial maiden descends to the mortal realm, returning in glory to her heavenly abode. Today, the threshold overflows with joy; the flower chests and lucky coins must not be spared.”
Fu Junyi smiled and instructed his attendants to present the offerings. Once the gate opened, a ceremonial official holding a flower basket emerged gracefully, scattering the grains, beans, coins, and colorful fruits from the basket toward the entrance. Children gathered at the gate to watch the festivities eagerly scrambled to collect them. This ritual, known as “scattering grains and beans,” aimed to suppress the “Three Evils”—the Green Goat, Silkie Chicken, and Green Ox—believed to hinder the newlyweds’ entry.
Dark clouds churned across the sky, obscuring the bright sun and gradually dimming the light, as if a heavy rain were imminent. Fu Junyi frowned slightly, but seeing the children’s undiminished enthusiasm and continuous laughter as they gathered the grains and beans, he felt somewhat reassured and stepped inside.
The bride’s family welcomed the groom into the room, first hanging a colorful silk ribbon across the door lintel. Once the groom entered, everyone vied to tear off pieces of the ribbon—a practice called “lucky silk at the door”—to share in the auspiciousness and seek good fortune. After entering, Fu Junyi glanced back to see the eager crowd with countless hands reaching for the silk, and he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. He then strode leisurely into the room and sat down, quietly awaiting the auspicious hour.
When the time arrived, the ceremonial official invited Fu Junyi and the bride to the main hall. The bride wore gold-embroidered wide sleeves and a satin red long skirt, her head covered by a gold-embroidered veil that concealed her face for the moment. Yet her figure was slender, and her movements were graceful and elegant. Fu Junyi, recalling Shen Rouran’s beauty, was filled with joy, a smile lingering at the corners of his lips. A red and green silk ribbon was tied into a love knot. Fu Junyi held a ceremonial tablet, hanging one end of the ribbon from it, while the bride held the other end in her hand. Fu Junyi walked backward, leading the bride into the hall—a ritual known as “leading with the ribbon.”
The two newlyweds stood in the hall. According to tradition, a woman from the groom’s side with both sons and daughters should now use a scale or a weaving shuttle to lift the bride’s veil, revealing her beautiful face. The couple would then pay respects to the household gods and relatives. However, Fu Junyi, citing distance from his hometown and time constraints, had not invited his own relatives to the wedding. Thus, the task of lifting the veil was entrusted to a female relative from the Shen family.
Fu Junyi watched the bride’s veil with a smile. The woman extended the weaving shuttle, gently probing beneath the veil and slowly lifting it, gradually revealing the bride’s fair and delicate chin. The shuttle paused briefly before continuing upward, unveiling the bride’s beautifully shaped, meticulously painted lips.
Fu Junyi and all the guests held their breath, waiting in anticipation.
The shuttle dipped slightly, paused for a moment, then suddenly rose, completely lifting the veil.
The bride lowered her head slightly. Fu Junyi first noticed her pearl-and-jade-adorned crown, and moments later, following the seasonal flowers on the crown downward, his gaze met hers as she looked up at him.Dark clouds in the sky threatened an impending downpour, with occasional distant thunder rumbling, casting the hall into gloom. Fu Junyi stared at the bride, his smile frozen as he blinked repeatedly, trying to convince himself that his eyes were playing tricks and that the person before him was not his old acquaintance.
A sudden flash of lightning illuminated everything with stark clarity. The pale light revealed the bride’s face—her features unmistakably those he remembered, yet her dark eyes held a thousand resentments, and her crimson lips were set in the coldest resolve. Her skin, like the lightning, bore an eerie, warmthless pallor, and her damp forehead hair seemed soaked, with a single droplet tracing a path down her brow.
A chill crept over Fu Junyi’s entire body, and he involuntarily retreated. The bride, her expression icy, advanced step by step. Trembling, Fu Junyi backed out of the hall until he could no longer contain his terror. He turned and fled toward the main gate, but near the entrance, he slipped on some grains and beans scattered earlier by the wedding official, tumbling to the ground. As he struggled to sit up, the bride was already upon him. She leaned down, her cold fingers tracing his cheek, and whispered hauntingly, “Fu Lang…”
Fu Junyi let out a piercing scream, scrambling backward in panic. His teeth chattered as he cried out in utter dread, “Yingge!”
(To be continued)
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