Consort Li tactfully conveyed Feng Jing's sentiments to the Emperor. Seeing Feng Jing's firm refusal, the Emperor temporarily set aside the matter of the Gathering Scenery Garden.
Recently, Consort Li had regained some energy and even began doing needlework, sometimes working late into the night by candlelight. Zhenzhen observed her skillfully and calmly embroidering a pair of men's shoe pads, with exquisite auspicious patterns gradually taking shape.
At first, Zhenzhen thought the shoe pads were for the Emperor, but after finishing them, Consort Li summoned her and ordered her to deliver the pads to the Qinghua Pavilion where the Second Great King resided.
Seeing Zhenzhen's surprise, Consort Li explained, "When the Second Great King was young, I personally made all his shoe pads. As he grew older, his clothing and accessories were often custom-made by the Chief of Wardrobe's office. My energy declined, and my eyesight worsened, so I stopped. Recently, I heard him complain that the current shoe pads aren't as comfortable as the ones I made, so I casually made another pair... It's been so long since I last did this, my skills have grown rusty. Tell him to make do with these for now, and I'll make him a better pair next time."
Zhenzhen accepted the task and headed to Qinghua Pavilion. It wasn't mealtime, so Fengxian wasn't in the pavilion. Zhao Ai was reading when Zhenzhen arrived, and he was delighted to see her. After accepting the shoe pads, he invited her to sit and rest for a while, ordering tea to be served. Once the tea set was arranged, he dismissed the maids and sat opposite Zhenzhen, personally preparing the tea for her.
Zhenzhen, concerned about Feng Jing's situation, was eager to find out why the Crown Prince had so decisively severed ties. She asked Zhao Ai if he knew anything about it. Zhao Ai replied, "Although the Crown Prince and I share the same mother, and he treats me with great affection, I was raised by Consort Li since childhood. He doesn't confide everything in me, and he certainly wouldn't discuss matters related to Consort Li's family. As for the hidden circumstances between him and Feng Jing, I likely know no more than you do."
Zhenzhen fell silent, then sighed after a moment. "Now Feng Jing is suffering from rumors, her situation is difficult, and her past with the Crown Prince has become a burden. She's been depressed and unhappy all day... You men always seem to pursue pretty girls when you're interested, pestering them relentlessly, only to walk away when you lose interest. You leave the girls to be mocked and ridiculed. Do you ever feel even a hint of remorse?"
Zhao Ai stirred the tea as he replied, "In this matter, he is him, and I am me. Why lump me together with him as 'you men'?"
Zhenzhen scoffed. "In terms of steadiness, you're far inferior to the Crown Prince. But in terms of potential for starting something and then abandoning it, I'm afraid you might even surpass him."
Zhao Ai couldn't help but laugh. "I haven't even started anything yet, and you're already worried about being abandoned in the future?"
Zhenzhen frowned and glared at him. "Don't drag me into this. I have nothing to do with you..."
"I understand, I understand," Zhao Ai said as he drew patterns in the tea foam. "You're worried because of Feng Jing's situation, so you're testing me. I don't know what my elder brother is thinking, but I can promise you this: I won't treat you the way he treated Feng Jing..." He smiled again. "Somehow, seeing you so concerned makes me feel a little sweet inside."
Zhenzhen looked up at the sky speechlessly, thinking how could there be such a shameless person in this world.
Zhao Ai finished drawing the pattern in the tea and presented the cup to Zhenzhen. On the surface of the tea, she saw two green mountains facing each other across a gorge.
"May our lives be like these mountains facing each other across the shore, never growing tired of each other's company," he said with a smile.Zhenzhen was hesitating whether to drink this cup of tea when she suddenly heard someone announce outside the pavilion that the Crown Prince had arrived. As soon as the words fell, the Junior Eunuch outside the hall where they currently were announced again loudly—it seemed the Crown Prince had already reached the courtyard.
Zhao Ai and Zhenzhen stood up simultaneously, exchanging a silent glance. Both felt somewhat inexplicably uneasy about the Crown Prince’s sudden visit. Moreover, a palace attendant sitting and drinking tea with a prince was, strictly speaking, not in accordance with etiquette.
Zhao Ai glanced at a nearby screen and signaled Zhenzhen to hide behind it. Zhenzhen complied, retreating behind the screen.
Before the Crown Prince even entered, Zhao Ai went out to greet him, and they exchanged courtesies. Zhao Xi smiled and told Zhao Ai that he had just come from the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility and, remembering it had been a long time since he had spoken with his younger brother, had decided to pay a visit. Zhao Ai expressed his thanks and led his elder brother into the hall.
Noticing the cups on the table, Zhao Xi asked, “Does Second Brother have a guest here?”
Zhao Ai replied, “No. I was just sitting alone practicing watercolor painting, so I set out some tea utensils.”
With that, he ordered someone to bring fresh teacups and began preparing tea for his elder brother. After the maids withdrew, Zhao Xi exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhao Ai before his smile faded and he asked, “I’ve heard that Second Brother has been spending a lot of time with the palace attendant Wu Zhenzhen lately, often visiting her at the Phoenix Arrival Pavilion. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, you even left the Yan Gui food stall to take her up Phoenix Mountain to admire the moon.”
Zhao Ai was taken aback but then smiled. “How did Elder Brother come to know this?”
Zhao Xi did not answer but said, “Although you have not yet established your own residence, you are no longer a child. You must be cautious in your interactions with palace attendants. Frequent private meetings could harm both your reputations. You might be criticized for ‘lacking discretion and behaving frivolously,’ while she… could have her chastity questioned. For an unmarried girl, such rumors could ruin half her life.”
Zhao Ai rose and went to the door, dismissing the eunuchs outside before returning to his seat. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled faintly at Zhao Xi and said, “So Elder Brother is aware of this.”
Zhao Xi’s face flushed slightly, understanding that his brother was alluding to Feng Jing. He did not deny it and, after a long silence, said earnestly to Zhao Ai, “Do not repeat the mistake I made.”
Zhao Ai replied, “Elder Brother need not worry. If her reputation suffers because of me, I will take responsibility and give her a proper status.”
“That is good,” Zhao Xi said calmly. “I imagine Consort Li would be pleased to see this.”
“So, Elder Brother treated Feng Jing that way to deliberately defy Consort Li’s wishes.”
Zhao Xi had not expected his brother to mention Feng Jing so directly and said unhappily, “What nonsense are you talking?”
“It’s not nonsense.” Zhao Ai stopped preparing the tea and looked directly at his elder brother. “Elder Brother met with Feng Jing many times. Given your temperament and careful nature, how could you become intimate with her without first investigating her background? The palace rumor that you abandoned her only after learning she was Consort Li’s niece is impossible.”
Zhao Xi avoided his gaze and did not refute it.
“Therefore, I can only conclude that you used Feng Jing to deliberately retaliate against Consort Li.” Seeing Zhao Xi remain silent, Zhao Ai could not help but smile bitterly. “Does Elder Brother hate Consort Li so much? She never harmed Mother. Even if she gained Father’s favor before and after Mother’s passing, could she have refused it? She has always served Father diligently, raised me with care, and remained humble and respectful all these years. Can’t you see that? She is not the type to seduce and seek favor.”
Zhao Xi said, “What kind of person she is may not be written on her face.”"She may not wear it on her face, but I can see it with my heart," Zhao Ai said. "When my mother passed away, I was still young, my memories are vague, and most of the maternal love I felt was given to me by Consort Li. After my mother's death, she took me under her care, personally attending to my clothing and meals, doing more than even my wet nurses and nannies. For every meal, she would first test its warmth before giving it to me; for every new garment, she would personally inspect and adjust it to fit perfectly, even trimming every loose thread by hand before letting me wear it." He then took out the shoe pads he had just accepted and showed them to Zhao Xi. "And these shoe pads... have you ever seen any imperial consort bow her head and sew shoe pads for another's child?—Consort Li does. Most of the shoe pads I've worn since childhood were made by her. Just because I once praised them, she still stays up late, despite her frail health, to sew them for me... I also heard from my wet nurse that Consort Li once carried a child. When the baby was a few months along, she went to the Rear Garden to watch me play... It was winter, and snow had just fallen. I was running around in the snow when suddenly my foot slipped, and I stumbled, about to fall. Consort Li rushed anxiously to catch me but ended up falling heavily herself. She had to stay in bed for a long time to rest, but unfortunately, the child was ultimately not saved, passing away on the day of birth. After that, Consort Li was never able to conceive again."
Zhao Xi opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhao Ai raised a hand to stop him and continued, "But she treats me as her own child. Elder Brother, do you remember when I was seriously ill at eleven, nearly dying? At that time, Consort Li guarded my bedside day and night, her heart filled with anxiety. When I was awake, she would always smile and comfort me, doing everything she could to persuade me to eat and take medicine. When I closed my eyes, thinking I was asleep, she would weep softly... Once, I woke in the middle of the night and saw her by the window, praying to the moon, asking the gods not to take me away and offering to give me all the remaining years of her life. From then on, I completely regarded her as my mother... Elder Brother, you are two years older than me. Back then, you refused the care of the ladies and grew up under the supervision of wet nurses and attendants, so you never witnessed Consort Li's genuine affection. Over the years, as she has managed the affairs of the six palaces on behalf of others, she may have offended some people. If someone sows discord, Elder Brother might easily form prejudices against her and dislike her, which I can understand. But no matter what, you should not take out your grievances against Consort Li on the innocent Feng Jing. Elder Brother, please forgive my bluntness: the world praises the Crown Prince for his benevolence and virtue, but what you have done to Feng Jing, a vulnerable woman, truly falls short of these two words."
"The truth is not as you imagine," Zhao Xi said, meeting his brother's scrutiny directly after hearing this speech, enunciating each word clearly. "And the real Consort Li may not be the same as the one you have known for over a decade."
Zhao Ai replied, "Very well. As for the truth and what Consort Li is truly like, I hope Your Highness will enlighten me."
After careful consideration, Zhao Xi finally nodded slowly. "Alright, since you wish to know, I will tell you..."
He turned his gaze to a yellow leaf spinning as it fell beneath the tree in the courtyard. The anger stirred by his brother's sharp words began to fade from his face, and his eyes gradually softened. "As you said, when Feng Jing and I met in the Gathering Fragrance Garden, I already knew her identity... In fact, I had seen her long before... The first time I saw her was two years ago, in autumn, just like now, with yellow leaves covering the ground."Zhao Ai was somewhat surprised, but quickly understood: "Consort Li often invites Feng Jing into the palace to play. I've seen her frequently since childhood. Eldest Brother, unless necessary, you never meet Consort Li, so you wouldn't know Feng Jing. But she often moves about the palace, so it's inevitable that you would have encountered her."
Zhao Xi silently acknowledged this, then after a moment continued: "The Brocade Rouge Corridor connects the Rear Garden and the Eastern Palace. One day after the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago, I was on my way to the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility to see Father. Just as I stepped from the Eastern Palace into the Brocade Rouge Corridor, I saw a young woman in a white top and red skirt slowly walking toward me along the corridor... In her left hand, she held a drawing book and a measuring cord; in her right, a graphite stylus. She would pause occasionally to examine and measure details of the corridor, then record them in her book..."
He remembered her eyes at that moment—clear and bright, her gaze piercing through the beams of light cast by the latticed windows, earnestly seeking the details and data she needed. She was beautiful, but what stirred his heart then was less her appearance and more those eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. He had never imagined that a woman could look so captivating when absorbed in something that seemed so dry and uninteresting.
"So I stopped in the corridor, waiting as she approached step by step. Completely engrossed in her measurements and recordings, she was entirely unaware of my presence. It wasn't until she finished sketching a pattern and stepped back, bumping into me, that she was startled and quickly bowed to apologize." Recalling the scene, Zhao Xi unconsciously revealed a faint smile. "I said it was no trouble and asked if she needed any help. She replied that she had already reached the end and didn't need assistance. After bowing once more, she happily turned and left, carrying the full record of her achievements... Her mind was completely immersed in the joy brought by her survey of the Brocade Rouge Corridor. She only glanced at me briefly; I think she didn't care at all who I was and didn't remember what I looked like... Later, this assumption was confirmed when I met her in the Gathering Fragrance Garden. The way she looked at me then was completely as if I were a stranger."
Zhao Ai listened intently, then asked with a smile: "So after that first encounter in the Brocade Rouge Corridor, Eldest Brother inquired about her background?"
Zhao Xi nodded: "How many women in the palace would do such a thing? I found out with a single inquiry. Some time later, I also saw the results of her survey at Father's place... Father showed me a boundary painting by Feng Jing depicting the imperial palace grounds. The Brocade Rouge Corridor was especially exquisitely rendered, with both its length and the dimensions of its window lattices drawn precisely to scale, without the slightest error. The brushwork of the entire painting was also lively; every object and scene possessed a delicate charm, unlike the rigid style typical of court painters."
Zhao Ai understood: "Eldest Brother greatly admired her talent, but hesitated because she was Consort Li's niece, so you never contacted her before meeting in the Gathering Fragrance Garden."
"Yes," Zhao Xi admitted frankly. "Her connection to Consort Li made me hold back. But during those six months, almost every time I passed the Brocade Rouge Corridor, I couldn't help but think of her—her bright eyes, the sway of her red skirt as she turned, her every smile and frown in the corridor's light and shadow... Later, when I encountered her again by chance in the Gathering Fragrance Garden, it took immense willpower to maintain a calm expression under everyone's gaze, not letting my joy show. Yet that uncontrollable delight made me realize my own feelings. Finally, as we parted that day, I asked to see her again, and she... happily agreed."Zhao Ai pressed further, "Since big brother overcame his inner turmoil to arrange a meeting with her, that means he was prepared to accept her. That sounds wonderful, so why did things later..."
Zhao Xi closed his eyes, suppressing the turbulent emotions gradually surging within him like an undercurrent, and slowly continued, "During our last meeting, I kissed her and also decided to spend the rest of my life with her... But when I returned to the Eastern Palace and told Wang Muze about it, asking him to help me think of how to bring it up to Father, he suddenly knelt before me. In an unusually firm and unquestionable tone, he said, 'Your Highness, this must not be done!'"
Zhao Ai asked in confusion, "Was it still because of Consort Li?"
Zhao Xi lowered his gaze sorrowfully, staring at the tips of his boots. After a long while, he finally said, "You mentioned earlier that Consort Li once gave birth to a child who died shortly after birth... Do you know that child's birthday?"
Zhao Ai shook his head, "Consort Li never spoke to me about this child. The people in her palace probably avoid mentioning it in daily life to spare her grief."
Zhao Xi's hand resting on the table gradually clenched, his knuckles protruding, and his voice trembled slightly, "That child's birthday... is the same as Feng Jing's."
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