chapter 1

The first time I met the Crown Prince Grandson, I was ten years old, a little palace maid raised by the old grannies in the Cold Palace.

The Cold Palace was located among the corridors of the Western Six Compounds, a desolate and lifeless place.

That year, as usual, I was drawing water and washing clothes in the courtyard by the ceremonial gate when I saw, from afar, a young lord walking down the weed-choked corridor.

The young lord was not very old, dressed in splendid clothes, standing tall and straight.

Behind him, a large Mastiff was chasing after him.

The moment I saw him, the half bucket of water I had just managed to draw slipped from my grasp and, with the turning of the old pulley, splashed back into the well.

Then I shouted, grabbed the Club from the basin, and ran over to beat the dog.

That day was the Shangsi Festival.

Among the common folk, there were customs of spring outings and ritual bathing to ward off evil. In the palace, Consort Zhang was hosting a sacrificial banquet.

The Crown Prince Grandson was bitten by the dog, and so was I. Then the head of the palace guards, who happened to be patrolling, shot and killed the dog.

It was a Mastiff, said to have been a tribute from the northern tribes, kept in the Wansheng Garden.

The Mastiff had long, jet-black fur and a fierce appearance, far more ferocious than the dogs of the capital.

More importantly, its fangs were poisonous.

The Crown Prince Grandson was unharmed because he wore protective armor underneath.

I was not so lucky and nearly lost my life.

Later, after barely surviving and recuperating for over a month, I was summoned to the Chonghua Palace of the Eastern Palace.

That year, the Crown Prince Grandson was twelve, sitting upright in the grand hall, his brows sharp and eyes intimidating, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

Following what the grannies had taught me, I placed my hands together on the ground, knelt, and kowtowed, not daring to look at him.

In the lofty, solemn palace, I only heard the cold, commanding voice of the young man as he asked me in a deep tone-

“Why did you save me?”

I had intended to answer as the grannies had instructed: “Crown Prince Grandson is my master; it is my duty as a servant to protect you.”

But in my nervousness, I forgot everything they had told me.

Seeing I did not answer, the Crown Prince Grandson’s voice grew even sterner: “Raise your head. I am asking you a question.”

I hurriedly looked up and met his jet-black eyes, momentarily stunned.

The Crown Prince Grandson, born of imperial blood, possessed an innate aura of authority and dominance.

He was also exceedingly handsome-pale skin, well-defined features, long and sharp brows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and pale lips.

Looking at him, my mind went blank, and I blurted out, “Crown Prince Grandson is very good-looking.”

“What?” He frowned.

“Crown Prince Grandson is very good-looking.”

I repeated myself, very seriously: “Ah Wen is also good-looking. When I was little, during the Shangsi Festival, my mother would dress me up to play the Dragon Maiden at the temple fair. The children who played the attendants and Dragon Maiden beneath the Bodhisattva’s seat would be paraded through the streets. My mother said only good-looking children could sit up there.”

There was a hint of pride in my words.

The Crown Prince Grandson pressed his lips together and, after a long moment, asked me, “Are you the youngest daughter of the Governor of Qiao County in Yuzhou?”

“Yes, my father is Wen Su, and my name is Wen Sheng. But after entering the palace, they said I could no longer use my old name, so now I am called Ah Wen,” I answered honestly.

Wen Sheng entered the palace at six. Before that, she had been a pampered young lady in an official’s household.

In the Jingshou Fifth Year, Emperor Jing went on a southern tour. Passing through Qiao County to view lanterns, he was ambushed, resulting in the death of Empress Xiaowen.

Empress Xiaowen was Emperor Jing’s first wife, and they were deeply attached. The emperor was devastated, and blood was shed like a river.

The Governor of Yuzhou and the local officials were punished for failing to protect their master; their entire families were exiled, except for a few young girls and children, who were sent to the palace as slaves.

I was once called Wen Sheng, and was different from others since childhood, unable to speak even at three and a half.

My father often called me a fool.

He was a follower of the Five Bushels of Rice Dao, and once invited a Daoist to tell my fortune.

The Daoist said I had the fate of a noble maiden, dull in mind but with lofty self-regard.

With his glib tongue, he coaxed my father into giving him several more bushels of rice.

What noble fate could a criminal slave have?

On the way back to the capital, I fell ill, and when it was discovered I was slow-witted, the palace stewardess simply handed me over to the old grannies in the corridors of the Cold Palace.

Leaving only one sentence-

“Whether she survives or not is up to fate. If she dies, inform Liu Chun, roll her up in a mat, and bury her outside.”

The grannies were old but kind-hearted.

I was young but tough.

And so I survived in the Cold Palace until I was ten.

The Crown Prince Grandson asked if I was willing to stay in Chonghua Palace.

I did not hesitate and said, “I am willing.”

I thought the reason he wanted me to stay in Chonghua Palace was, first, because I had beaten the dog with a Club, and second, because I must have looked like the children in the folk woodblock New Year paintings from Peach Blossom Dock.

The grannies always said so. They also said that the Crown Prince Grandson found me obedient and good-looking, so perhaps he would keep me.

Granny Guihua said, “If the Crown Prince Grandson is willing to keep you, you must agree.”

“Why?” I was puzzled.

“Little Ah Wen, look at this corridor. Besides us old women, there are only those deposed concubines-some mad, some sick, some dead-and people like Liu Chun, filthy as can be. How many more years can we protect you? Trapped here, there is no way out. If you can go to the Crown Prince Grandson, it is your good fortune.”

“Why must I go to the Crown Prince Grandson? Didn’t Granny Qin say I could also go to Zhaochun Palace?”

The whole palace knew that a little palace maid from the Cold Palace had saved the Crown Prince Grandson. The emperor sent imperial physicians to treat me, and Consort Zhang from Zhaochun Palace even rewarded me with a string of beaded jewels.

Granny Qin, who served Consort Zhang, said that after I recovered, I could serve in Zhaochun Palace.
I think Consort Zhang is a good person too.

But Granny Guihua doesn’t think so. She insists that my best path is to stay by the Crown Prince Grandson’s side.

I suppose it must be because I once saved the Crown Prince Grandson’s life.

I remained in Chonghua Palace. After Aunt Yuchun taught me the rules for a few days, I was assigned to serve in the Study Room.

Zhou Chengyi, the Crown Prince Grandson, is the legitimate son of the current Crown Prince and the eldest grandson of Emperor Jing. From birth, he was conferred the title of “Crown Prince Grandson,” the heir to the imperial throne.

Emperor Jing is in his prime, and with so many clever sons, the Crown Prince seems rather mediocre by comparison.

The Crown Prince sits securely in his high seat, not only because he is the son of the late Empress Xiaowen, but also because he has an outstanding legitimate son.

At least, that’s what the emperor says.

In recent years, the Crown Prince has shown incompetence and made repeated mistakes, causing Emperor Jing to lose patience. He even scolded the Crown Prince in front of the Crown Prince Grandson: “Fool! If it weren’t for Chengyi, you wouldn’t even be fit to be Crown Prince!”

Anyone would feel humiliated to be berated by their father in front of their own son.

The Crown Prince is not close to this son, even though he is favored by the emperor.

Because the Crown Prince Grandson is naturally indifferent, always cold and rigid toward everyone.

Also, the Crown Princess died young, and the Crown Prince never liked her. He made his beloved cousin Concubine and had an Illegitimate Son, only a year younger than the Crown Prince Grandson.

The Crown Prince loves his Concubine and his Illegitimate Son, giving all his fatherly affection to them.

The Crown Prince Grandson doesn’t care. His Chonghua Palace is far from the main hall of the Eastern Palace, and he always remains calm and self-possessed.

The Crown Prince Grandson was born to hold high office and be the heir.

Emperor Jing’s words also reminded those young, scheming princes: rather than plotting to bring down the Crown Prince, it’s better to target the young Crown Prince Grandson directly and cut the problem at its root.

Take the Shangsi Festival banquet hosted by Consort Zhang, for example. No one knows how the Mastiff from Wansheng Garden ended up charging down the corridor toward the Crown Prince Grandson, nor how he ended up in the Western Six Compounds, the Cold Palace. No one knows.

That year, I was ten. All I knew was that the guard leader who appeared just in time and shot the Mastiff was the Eldest Young Master of Pingxi General’s Mansion, the late Crown Princess’s brother, and the Crown Prince Grandson’s uncle.

If I were smart enough, I would have realized the Crown Prince Grandson didn’t need me to save him at all.

At twelve, the Imperial Eldest Grandson had grown up surrounded by intrigue, accustomed to schemes and adept at handling them.

And he was always indifferent and deep-minded, that’s just how he was from childhood.

When I grabbed a Club to beat the dog, thinking I was his savior, my fate was already in his hands, at the mercy of his whim.

But I knew nothing of this. I was simple-minded, a fool raised in the Cold Palace.

The Crown Prince Grandson said so himself.

No matter how many times Aunt Yuchun explained the rules, I would still forget.

The floor heating in the hall burned warmly, the Incense Burner’s smoke curled gently, and the Crown Prince Grandson studied diligently, eyes never leaving his book.

I was so sleepy I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Unable to hold out any longer, I drowsily sat down on the floor.

When Aunt Yuchun came in to deliver pastries, she saw this scene-

In front of the huanghuali wood desk, the Crown Prince Grandson’s brows were cold and stern as he flipped through his book with an indifferent expression.

I was hugging the leg of the table, head drooping, half asleep.

Chonghua Palace is a place of strict rules. The Crown Prince Grandson is only twelve, yet exceptionally severe; the palace servants hardly dare to breathe.

Aunt Yuchun was startled, her face changed slightly, and she was about to wake me when the Crown Prince Grandson’s cool voice rang out: “It’s fine, just a fool.”

The hall was quiet. As soon as he spoke, my sleepiness vanished.

Later, Aunt Yuchun withdrew, and I obediently stood by watching him practice calligraphy. Eventually, I couldn’t help myself and asked curiously, “Your Highness Crown Prince Grandson, what does ‘fool’ mean?”

The young man looked up at me, his eyes dark and calm: “It means weak and stupid.”

“So, it means idiot?”

“Mm.”

“Oh.”

I felt a little sad. Even though I was used to being called a fool, hearing it from the Crown Prince Grandson still made me feel dejected.

In my heart, the Crown Prince Grandson, though strict, was a good person.

The food in Chonghua Palace was good. Every time the servants had leftover steamed buns and pickles, I would pack them up and take them to the Cold Palace for Granny Guihua and the others.

Aunt Yuchun knew about this, and so did the Crown Prince Grandson.

Aunt Yuchun said the Crown Prince Grandson neither approved nor objected, letting me do as I pleased.

Such a good Crown Prince Grandson, yet he called me a fool.

Feeling wronged, I bit my lip, tilted my head anxiously, and my gaze landed on the gilded red Snack Box on the table. Suddenly, I perked up and stammered-

“Your Highness Crown Prince Grandson, c-can I have a piece?”

The delicate hexagonal box held six kinds of pastries and candied fruit, just delivered by Aunt Yuchun.

Perhaps no one had ever asked the Crown Prince Grandson for snacks before. He seemed a bit surprised, then pursed his lips, frowned, and pushed the Snack Box toward me.

I immediately reached out and picked the most tempting piece.

After swallowing it in one bite, still savoring the taste, I looked at him eagerly again: “Can I have another?”

The Crown Prince Grandson disliked being disturbed while practicing calligraphy. If it were anyone else, he might have had them dragged out.

But meeting my eyes impatiently, just about to get angry, he realized I was a fool and instantly fell silent, only waving his hand for me to take the Snack Box quickly.

So I grinned, hugging the Snack Box, and squatted by the table leg.