Pei Shangshi’s narrative came to an abrupt halt when she reached the point of returning to the doorway. Though the scene she had witnessed lingered in her mind, she found it difficult to describe to Zhenzhen. From Pei Shangshi’s silent expression, Zhenzhen guessed the progression of events and tentatively asked, “Did they… have intimate contact?”
Pei Shangshi nodded.
Zhenzhen then asked, “Did you inform the late emperor?”
“No,” Pei Shangshi denied. The affair between Official Liu and Physician Zhang had shocked her, but it was not beyond comprehension. Having experienced disappointment in love herself, witnessing the two of them in mutual affection—despite facing extraordinary hardships and dangers—casting aside all reservations to confess their feelings, she felt not only understanding but also a surge of envy. She quietly withdrew to a more distant part of the courtyard and took measures to prevent others from approaching. From then on, she never mentioned what she had seen that day to anyone, including the late emperor and Official Liu herself.
“I did not tell the late emperor, but when two people are deeply in love, it is difficult to conceal. Given even the slightest opportunity to meet, their affection would sprout like seeds nourished by spring rain, impossible to suppress. Moreover, the late emperor was an extremely perceptive man. Official Liu was simple and lively, appearing to him as a crystal-clear figure—he could see right through her. How could she possibly hide whom she loved?” Pei Shangshi shook her head and sighed.
“Did the late emperor like Official Liu?” Zhenzhen asked.
Pei Shangshi replied, “The late emperor never summoned Official Liu to his bedchamber, but he treated her differently from others. The privileges and festival rewards he bestowed upon her were no less than those given to the court ladies… Among the palace attendants, only Madam Ju of the Immortal Music Academy could compare.”
Zhenzhen had heard this before from Yin Qi’s wet nurse, Madam Luo, who said that Official Liu and Madam Ju were once two shining stars in the palace. Curious, she pressed further, “Did Official Liu and Madam Ju know each other? Were they hostile toward one another?”
“They knew each other,” Pei Shangshi said. “Official Liu had a cheerful disposition and harbored no improper thoughts toward the late emperor, so she naturally bore no hostility toward Madam Ju. It was Madam Ju, who was deeply devoted to the late emperor, that initially felt guarded against Official Liu. Later, when Madam Ju fell ill and lost her appetite, the late emperor tasked Official Liu with preparing her meals. Though Madam Ju treated Official Liu coldly, Official Liu paid no mind and continued to visit cheerfully every day, taking meticulous care of Madam Ju. Gradually, Madam Ju’s hostility faded, and she even helped Official Liu meet with Physician Zhang. Unfortunately, the late emperor soon discovered this, and all three were punished. Yet, after that, the affection between Official Liu and Physician Zhang grew even more intense. Eventually, they seized an opportunity to flee the palace… Sadly, their happiness did not last long. Official Liu’s whereabouts were discovered by people from Grand Preceptor Qi’s residence. They captured her and brought her back, and it is said she was soon executed privately.”
Though Zhenzhen had heard of Official Liu’s death before, hearing Pei Shangshi mention it again filled her with sorrow. She sighed deeply and finally asked, “Where was Physician Zhang when she was captured? Was he later found by the Qi family as well?”
Pei Shangshi answered, “That, I do not know. I suspect Physician Zhang was not with Official Liu when she was captured, and she would have sworn to conceal his whereabouts at all costs… To this day, no one in the palace knows what became of Physician Zhang.”
Zhenzhen then asked, “What about Madam Ju? What happened to her afterward?”Pei Shangshi said, "Due to the Empress Dowager's suspicion, she requested to leave the palace herself. After that, her whereabouts became unknown. There were rumors in the palace that she was... well, by the Empress Dowager. Who knows if it's true or not? In any case, she vanished without a trace."
At this point, Pei Shangshi looked intently at Zhenzhen and spoke earnestly, "I'm telling you this to remind you that people outside the palace refer to us female officials as Inner Ladies, viewing us as belonging to the Emperor. In reality, whether we serve in the bedchamber or not, we have no freedom to choose our own partners. Becoming close with men from outside in private is a grave taboo. If discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable. If you ever find someone you care for in the future, you should find a suitable opportunity to tell the Emperor. The Emperor is benevolent and will likely grant your wish. But you must never act on your own like Official Liu did, keeping things hidden. The crime of illicit relations is something no ruler would tolerate. Once exposed, you would face utter disaster."
After this long conversation, Zhenzhen felt deeply grateful for Pei Shangshi's care and guidance, and she served her with even greater attentiveness. Meanwhile, Pei Shangshi noticed that the Junior Eunuch who cleaned her kitchen would carefully check the positions of jars and bottles against a scroll of illustrations after wiping the spice containers. Pei Shangshi took the scroll and examined it closely. It depicted the items in the cupboard, with the locations of each spice clearly labeled in writing, down to the finest detail.
After a moment's thought, Pei Shangshi guessed Zhenzhen's intention. Zhenzhen had never shown any doubt about her sense of taste in front of her, and Pei Shangshi also remained silent. The two understood each other without words, developing an even greater tacit understanding. Pei Shangshi began actively teaching Zhenzhen culinary skills, often demonstrating and explaining herself before having Zhenzhen replicate the process, rather than merely letting her observe or taste and guess. As a result, Zhenzhen's culinary skills advanced further, and she grew even more grateful to Pei Shangshi, regarding her as both a teacher and a mother figure. In their daily interactions, they still strictly observed etiquette, but inwardly, they felt much closer to each other.
Later, Zhenzhen asked Pei Shangshi about what kind of friends Official Liu had in the palace back then, hoping to find clues about her mother and learn about her past. Pei Shangshi said, "Official Liu was sincere and friendly toward others, so she had many friends in the palace. Many of the palace attendants in the Six Bureaus were close to her." Zhenzhen then asked if any had escaped from the palace like Official Liu. "None fled privately," Pei Shangshi shook her head, but added, "However, many were released from the palace by the late Emperor or the current Emperor."
With too many possibilities, Zhenzhen once again lost direction in her search. Judging from her mother's privately hidden copy of Official Liu's "Jade Food Commentary," it was likely they knew each other, perhaps even as close friends. Sometimes, the shadow of the legendary Madam Ju flashed through Zhenzhen's mind. Thinking of Official Liu's connection with Madam Ju, she couldn't help but wonder, "If Madam Ju hadn't been executed by the Empress Dowager back then, could she have..." However, she quickly dismissed the almost fanciful thought in her heart: Wasn't Madam Ju "deeply devoted to the late Emperor"? How could she have eloped with someone and given birth to me? Besides, such a delicate, cold beauty kept in a gilded cage—how could she be like my mother, wearing simple clothes and cooking with her own hands? And, most importantly, my mother couldn't dance at all. From childhood to adulthood, I've never seen her dance.
That summer, a young man who had just arrived in the capital from outside became the latest legend among the palace attendants.Last year, after Feng Jing declined to participate in the design of the Gathering Scenery Garden, Consort Liu recommended her cousin to the Emperor, claiming he was a talent skilled in garden construction. The Emperor gladly accepted and summoned this cousin to the capital. However, the cousin actually refused the decree, excusing himself as a rustic of shallow learning, unworthy of such an imperial responsibility. The Emperor repeatedly invited him, but the cousin still did not come. He merely reviewed the Gathering Scenery Garden blueprints sent from the palace, made slight modifications, and conveyed some of his ideas to the palace attendant delivering the decree. After returning to the palace, the attendant relayed his concepts to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, both of whom found them quite satisfactory. The Empress Dowager then insisted that the Emperor must find a way to summon him to the capital to oversee the Gathering Scenery Garden project. The Emperor enlisted Consort Liu’s help, and she personally wrote a letter to her cousin. Only then did the cousin accept the command, arriving in Lin’an recently.
The Emperor appointed him as a Director of the Directorate of Palace Buildings, rank 6b, and as a Gentleman for Spreading Righteousness, a position comparable to the initial official rank granted to the top imperial examination graduate. Since arriving in the capital, apart from attending court assemblies, this cousin has been going to the Northern Inner Palace to discuss the Gathering Scenery Garden design with the Empress Dowager and the officials of the Palace Maintenance Office. He has not yet visited Consort Liu in the inner palace. However, the eunuchs and female officials who have seen him at court assemblies or in the Northern Inner Palace speak highly of his appearance and demeanor, with a sense of awe as if he were a celestial being.
Zhenzhen’s interest in unfamiliar handsome men was not as great as that of ordinary young palace attendants, but after hearing so much discussion, she couldn’t help but grow curious. She asked Feng Jing, who had once caught a glimpse of him when accompanying the Noble Consort Li to the Northern Inner Palace: “Is Consort Liu’s cousin as good-looking as the Crown Prince and the Second Great King?”
Feng Jing thought for a moment and said, “They are all good-looking, but in different ways. The Second Great King is like three feet of morning sunlight spilling into the courtyard, warm and bright; the Crown Prince is like the compassionate smile at the corner of a deity’s lips, a gentleness that brings peace to the heart and mind; as for Consort Liu’s cousin… still, he is like a pool of clear ripples, a pond of moonlight; in motion, he is like a banished immortal descending, with elegant bearing and a serene expression, unlike a mortal of this world.”
Zhenzhen laughed and said, “Your description of him is so finely crafted and pleasing to the ear, proving he is no ordinary person.”
Feng Jing smiled and replied, “I only regret my clumsy tongue cannot capture even half of his grace.”
“Does he resemble Consort Liu in appearance?” Zhenzhen asked again.
Feng Jing shook her head: “Not similar, but both are first-rate talents. Who knows how much sunlight and moonlight their family has absorbed, how blessed with spiritual essence, to produce such a pair of celestial siblings.”
Following Feng Jing’s description, Zhenzhen tried to sketch the image of this celestial cousin in her mind, but the outline always remained vague. Not long after, the Emperor ordered Consort Liu to host a noon banquet at Furong Pavilion to entertain her cousin, and he brought Zhenzhen along, giving her the opportunity to see his true appearance.
That day, after the court assembly, Zhenzhen followed the Emperor to Furong Pavilion first. The Emperor and Consort Liu conversed inside the pavilion, while Zhenzhen and several palace attendants stood outside the pavilion door, quietly awaiting the arrival of the celestial cousin. Zhenzhen observed carefully and noticed that all the attendants had meticulously applied makeup, with painted eyebrows, eyes, and floral ornaments, their beauty far surpassing their usual appearance. She knew they were deliberately trying to attract the celestial cousin’s attention and couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. Zhuang Lingzi, a palace attendant serving at Furong Pavilion recently, saw her laughing and asked what was amusing. Zhenzhen whispered, “I suspect the last time you dressed up like this was during the Crown Prince’s consort selection.”
Zhuang Lingzi scoffed and whispered back, “Just wait and see. When the Gentleman for Spreading Righteousness arrives, you will surely regret not having applied your makeup properly today.”Zhenzhen smiled and said, "I'll bet you five coins that the Court Gentleman for Spreading Righteousness isn't as handsome as the Crown Prince, and perhaps not even as good-looking as the Second Great King."
Zhuang Lingzi replied, "Fine, I'll put up five coins to take that bet."
As soon as she finished speaking, a stir rippled through the surroundings. The palace attendants began whispering among themselves, their eyes indicating the mountain path below: "The Court Gentleman for Spreading Righteousness is here!"
Zhenzhen looked in the direction they pointed and saw a young official dressed in crimson court robes, wearing a white square-heart collar, a gold-belted waist adorned with a silver fish pouch, and a three-tiered crown, ascending the jade steps along the mountain path.
His ceremonial attire displayed the worldly honors and official rank bestowed upon him by mortal society. Yet, his figure was slender and graceful, without a trace of arrogance. As he walked through the mist-shrouded mountains with his wide sleeves flowing, he truly possessed the ethereal grace of an exiled immortal.
The ribbons of his crown fluttered as he drew nearer. His increasingly clear features gradually merged with the person who had appeared countless times in Zhenzhen's dreams—as flawless as polished jade, as refined as carved gemstone. Clad in the hues of the clouds, he seemed to have drifted gracefully from the far reaches of her dreams.
Zhenzhen pressed a hand to her chest, blinking repeatedly until she finally confirmed it was him. This unreal sight left her mind in a daze. Only when he reached the pavilion gate, noticed her, and walked directly up to her did she steady herself. Yet, the joy rising from her heart felt like the crimson hue now spreading along both sides of the jade steps toward the mountaintop—a single brush of the warm breeze, and the pomegranate flowers seemed about to burst into flame.
He stopped before her, his gaze meeting her astonished eyes. Though she wanted to smile, a surge of warmth welled up in her eyes.
Slightly flustered, she lowered her head and softly called out, "Teacher Lin."
She could hear the tremor in her own voice. And he, with dignified composure, bowed deeply to her, offering a formal greeting: "Chief Kitchen Supervisor Wu."
This form of address sounded particularly strange coming from his lips, leaving Zhenzhen stunned on the spot.
After the palace attendants paid their respects, Lin Hong stepped forward to enter and meet with the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine.
As soon as his figure disappeared, Zhuang Lingzi grabbed Zhenzhen's arm and asked excitedly, "Zhenzhen, do you know him?"
Suppressing her racing emotions, Zhenzhen slowly freed herself from Zhuang Lingzi's grasp and said calmly, "You win."
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