Cloud Sea Residence.
The Seventh Prince silently followed Emperor Jiande, heading toward the study.
Today was the most unusual occasion—his father had actually come to his Cloud Sea Residence.
The Seventh Prince had a vague feeling that his father wasn’t here to continue reprimanding him. The Emperor wasn’t that idle. If a prince excelled, the Emperor would value him; if a prince was mediocre, the Emperor wouldn’t bother with much guidance, simply leaving them to their tutors.
Upon entering the study, Emperor Jiande looked around his son’s study area, then took a book from the shelf, read a passage, and tested his son’s interpretation.
The Seventh Prince gave another mediocre reply.
Emperor Jiande frowned, instructing his son to remain in the study and continue reading, as he would summon him again later.
Assuming the Emperor was about to leave, the Seventh Prince bowed his head and said, “Your son respectfully sees Your Majesty off.”
Emperor Jiande waved his hand. “I will rest in the hall for a while. Continue your studies. I will send for you before I depart.”
The Seventh Prince was inwardly startled. What exactly was his father planning?
Emperor Jiande left a eunuch stationed outside the study, ostensibly to supervise the Seventh Prince’s studies.
Thus, the Seventh Prince was confined to the study, unable to leave.
Emperor Jiande went to the East Side Room where the Seventh Prince usually rested, sat for a moment, and then ordered Chief Eunuch Cao, “Summon Li-shi. I have questions for her.”
Eunuch Cao went to summon Li Yuniang.
Li Yuniang usually stayed in a small side courtyard within Cloud Sea Residence, separated from the Seventh Prince’s quarters by just a single wall. She could quickly cross over through a small gate. Having learned earlier that Emperor Jiande had arrived, Li Yuniang had remained in the side courtyard, as was the palace rule—women like her were not to approach the Emperor unless summoned.
When she learned that Emperor Jiande wished to see her, Li Yuniang’s first thought was that the Emperor wanted to inquire about the Seventh Prince’s daily life.
Whatever Emperor Jiande intended, Li Yuniang had no choice but to comply.
Upon reaching the hall, Eunuch Cao stopped and whispered that the Emperor was in the side room, instructing Li Yuniang to proceed alone.
Li Yuniang glanced at the empty hall, then looked questioningly at Eunuch Cao.
Eunuch Cao’s gaze swept upward from Li Yuniang’s embroidered shoes, lingering over her curvaceous figure before finally settling on her captivating, phoenix-like eyes. Fearing she might misunderstand and spoil the Emperor’s mood, he quietly reminded her, “As palace servants, our lives hang on the Emperor’s whim. If we serve well, the Emperor rewards us. Otherwise, losing our heads is but a word away.”
Li Yuniang’s heart sank.
“After you?” Eunuch Cao gestured inward.
Li Yuniang lowered her gaze and walked in. At that moment, memories flashed through her mind—Consort Zhuang’s protection at Yikun Palace, the gaze Emperor Jiande had cast her way. Suddenly, she understood why Consort Zhuang had chosen that particular day to summon her and ask seemingly trivial questions.
So even an emperor could not escape the sway of base desires.
It all happened too quickly, leaving Li Yuniang no time to devise a response. In what felt like mere blinks, she had already entered the side room and seen Emperor Jiande seated in a chair. She avoided looking at his face, focusing instead on his hands resting on his knees.
Emperor Jiande was over forty. At his age, with a fresh supply of youthful beauties offered to him yearly, he had likely grown tired of novelty and now sought to sample her half-aged body.
“This subject’s wife pays respects to Your Majesty,” Li Yuniang knelt and said.Emperor Jiande narrowed his eyes slightly.
The Li Yuniang before him wore a plain blue beizi with a white jade hairpin in her hair, dressed as ordinarily as any other wet nurse or matron, utterly unremarkable. Yet Li Yuniang’s striking beauty was such that once one’s gaze fell upon her face, her loveliness was impossible to overlook.
After seeing Li Yuniang at Yikun Palace that day, Emperor Jiande understood it was all Consort Zhuang’s arrangement—the woman, fearing his reprimand, had prepared a compensatory gift for him in advance.
Emperor Jiande was quite satisfied with this offering; it had been a long time since anyone had stirred such restless desire in him.
As an emperor, he could possess as much gold, silver, and jewels as he wished, but psychological stimulation was something he could neither demand from his ministers nor easily find within the palace.
“Are you the Seventh Prince’s wet nurse?” Emperor Jiande asked.
Li Yuniang kept her head lowered. “Yes.”
Emperor Jiande then inquired about her husband.
In truth, the emperor had already thoroughly investigated Li Yuniang’s background. His questions were merely to coax more words from her—her voice, soft yet alluring, was exceptionally pleasing.
She answered whatever he asked.
Suddenly, Emperor Jiande said, “My legs feel somewhat sore and weary. Massage them for me.”
Li Yuniang’s eyelashes fluttered faintly before she complied, kneeling and moving forward to kneel before him, lowering her head to massage his legs.
Up close, Emperor Jiande studied Li Yuniang, taking in her beautiful, submissive face. Merely her touch aroused him.
He seized her hand abruptly.
Only when the emperor made a move did Li Yuniang wrench her hand away and swiftly retreat, kowtowing as she said, “This humble woman is of lowly status and fears sullying the imperial body. I beg Your Majesty’s understanding.”
Emperor Jiande, still in high spirits, showed no anger but regarded her with amusement. “What if I care not for your lowly status and insist you serve me?”
Li Yuniang lifted her head, meeting the emperor’s gaze. “If Your Majesty insists, this humble woman will comply. However, Your Majesty rules the world and is renowned for virtue. To tarnish your illustrious name for a mere hour or two of pleasure, leaving a stain in the annals of history—this humble woman deems it unworthy.”
At her words, the corner of Emperor Jiande’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.
An hour or two of pleasure?
Could that minor ninth-rank official, Zhou Zhi, truly last that long in such matters?
In his youth, Emperor Jiande might have managed half an hour, including foreplay, but one or two hours was utterly impossible.
Like a bucket of cold water dashed over him, Emperor Jiande’s ardor gradually cooled.
He had no desire for Li Yuniang to learn that he, the exalted emperor, could now offer her little more than a quarter of an hour.
As for her other arguments, Emperor Jiande paid them no mind. If neither spoke of it, their secret affair would, at most, spawn idle gossip—who would dare record it in history?
“Enough. Since you are unwilling, I shall not press you.” Emperor Jiande gestured for Li Yuniang to withdraw, then proceeded to the Hall and summoned the Seventh Prince.
By the time the Seventh Prince arrived, Li Yuniang had already vanished.
Emperor Jiande casually tested the prince with a few questions, offered some guidance, and departed.
After seeing off the emperor, the Seventh Prince immediately summoned Eunuch Kang, who had been waiting outside, and inquired about what had transpired.
Eunuch Kang bowed his head and recounted the events truthfully.He surmised that the Emperor wished to favor Li Yuniang, yet she had emerged so quickly—he couldn't tell whether she had said something or if the Emperor himself had lost interest.
The seventh prince, now eleven years old and raised within the palace, already had some understanding of matters between men and women.
He was well aware of his wet nurse's beauty, but she was the wife of a minister—how could his father entertain such thoughts about her?
And when had his father even seen the wet nurse?
After silently reflecting for a moment, the seventh prince pieced everything together.
The young boy clenched his fists. His mother's schemes had even extended to those close to him.
It was nearly evening mealtime when Li Yuniang finally arrived at the main courtyard.
She calmly directed the young palace maids to set the table as if nothing were amiss.
The seventh prince sat in his chair, watching her in silence.
After the meal, as Li Yuniang was about to withdraw, the seventh prince called out to stop her.
"Wet Nurse, I've grown up and no longer need you to labor for me. Afu is still young—how about I arrange for you to leave the palace and care for her?"
The seventh prince looked at Li Yuniang as he spoke.
He believed his wet nurse would be glad to leave the palace rather than remain, becoming a tool for his mother or a plaything for his father.
Unable to oppose his mother or father, the only thing he could do was send his wet nurse away from the palace.
Li Yuniang understood the seventh prince's intentions. She smiled at him, her feelings complex, and said, "For Your Highness to speak such words, you must already grasp the Emperor's intentions. In that case, do you think Her Ladyship would permit me to leave the palace?"
She had been selected by Consort Zhuang to enter the palace and assigned to the seventh prince. Though she served him, it was Consort Zhuang who truly controlled her comings and goings. Given the circumstances, unless Emperor Jiande explicitly lost interest in her, Consort Zhuang would never allow her to leave—doing so would offend the Emperor.
The seventh prince was astute; he had merely acted on emotion earlier, wanting only to protect his wet nurse without considering the broader implications.
"I will beg Mother," the seventh prince insisted, still wanting to try.
Li Yuniang shook her head and smiled wryly. "This matter is beyond Her Ladyship's control—it depends on the Emperor's will."
The seventh prince instinctively wanted to argue, but he had to admit his wet nurse was right.
If the Emperor took a liking to her, even if she left the palace, he could find a way to recall her. By then, the commotion would be greater, and the impact on her family more severe. It was better to remain in the palace. If the Emperor had no interest, then staying in the palace would allow her to remain safe and undisturbed.
The seventh prince lowered his head and after a long pause asked, "Today, you and Father..."
Li Yuniang told him the truth, omitting only the part about the two hours, letting it seem as though Emperor Jiande had been persuaded by her advice and decided to continue being a wise ruler.
The seventh prince breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his wet nurse hadn't suffered any harm and his father was still willing to listen to reason, that was enough.
In the deep stillness of the night, the seventh prince lay in bed, unable to sleep.
His mother's plot against the second prince was to eliminate outstanding princes and push him forward.
Her use of the wet nurse was to compete for the Emperor's favor, to draw him more often to Yikun Palace.
But if he could become the most exceptional among the princes, the one his father valued most, then the Emperor would naturally visit Yikun Palace more frequently. Once his mother achieved her wish, she would no longer need to use the wet nurse, and out of respect for him, his father might also cease any designs on her.
From that night on, the seventh prince no longer hid his abilities.The martial and literary tutors of the imperial princes were the first to notice the change in the Seventh Prince. The eleven-year-old youth was like a sword suddenly unsheathed—radiant and imposing, outshining all others. Even the unjustly deceased Third Prince would have paled in comparison before him.
The entire imperial palace was astonished by the Seventh Prince's transformation.
Consort Zhuang felt both delight and pride, but these were soon followed by a chilling realization. She had waited so long, pleading earnestly for her son to strive for excellence, yet he had refused to cooperate. Now that Li Yuniang had been thrust into the spotlight, her son had cast aside all pretense to protect her. Did this mean that in her son's heart, his own birth mother ranked lower than a wet nurse hired for money?
Emperor Jiande, however, felt no such chill. He was immensely pleased by the Seventh Prince's excellence. In his eyes, the prince's earlier concealment of his talents and his current brilliance were both marks of a shrewd imperial heir. The only flaw was the prince's youth, which occasionally led to impulsive actions.
Emperor Jiande had never forgotten Li Yuniang. He was merely waiting for a certain pill—one that could send a woman into ecstatic bliss. With this pill, he could offer Li Yuniang pleasures far surpassing those Zhou Zhi could provide, and he would no longer fear her mockery.
To Emperor Jiande, the Seventh Prince's transformation was merely a pleasant surprise. As a man, he desired Li Yuniang; as a ruler, he needed a capable crown prince. The Second Prince was competent but still somewhat lacking. Now, with the Seventh Prince emerging as a contender, Emperor Jiande could select the best candidate without settling for the Second Prince out of regret.
Even Consort Zhuang could see that the Seventh Prince intended to protect Li Yuniang, and Emperor Jiande perceived it even more clearly. This deepened the emperor's fascination: What had this humble wet nurse done to inspire such devotion from the Seventh Prince?
Emperor Jiande visited Yunhai Residence twice more, each time only conversing with the Seventh Prince and not summoning Li Yuniang.
Unconsciously, the end of the month arrived again—the time when Li Yuniang was permitted to leave the palace to visit her family.
Once beyond the palace gates, Li Yuniang's heart raced with anticipation. She longed to see her husband and her three children.
Yet when she returned home, she discovered that her husband Zhou Zhi had accepted a transfer three days prior and left to take up an official post in another region, leaving only a lengthy letter behind, urging her to take care of herself.
Clutching the letter, Li Yuniang looked at her eldest son and daughter gathered around her, and the infant daughter held by the wet nurse. Forcing a smile, she stroked her eldest son's head and said, "It's alright. Father has gone to serve as an official elsewhere. He'll be transferred back in three years."
She was struggling to protect herself within the palace walls. With her husband far from the capital, spared from gossip, perhaps their lives could remain peaceful.
Li Yuniang comforted herself with these thoughts.
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