Su Xinghe wanted to step aside and leave, but it wasn’t going, to be that simple. Dequan pleaded and begged, refusing to let her go. Understandably, so turning the Crown Prince into such a state and then walking away without consequence? That wasn’t how things worked. Dequan, cunning as a fox, knew there would be trouble ahead. But as long as the main party responsible was present, the Crown Prince wouldn’t truly harm her. Even if internal conflicts erupted, they wouldn’t escalate into anything catastrophic.
He untied the cord from the Crown Prince’s hands, inspecting them under the lantern’s light. The tender, fair skin was visibly red and marked. Dequan turned to glance at Su Xinghe with a smirk.
“Lord Su, you’re certainly ruthless.”
The Crown Prince’s pain had shifted, moving from three inches below his navel to his wrists. He kept rubbing them, glaring at Su Xinghe with resentment.
“Just you wait,” he muttered.
Feeling a bit guilty, Su Xinghe asked cautiously,
“Your Highness, are you sober now?”
The Crown Prince gave a derisive hum without responding, still appearing dazed and unsure of what she meant.
Surrounded by attendants, they escorted the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. As soon as they stepped through the doors, Dequan swiftly stepped back, handing full responsibility to Su Xinghe.
“Well… the rest is in your hands, Lord Su.”
Su Xinghe could only admit her bad luck. The Crown Prince in his disheveled and tattered state, could barely walk. He staggered with unsteady steps, nearly tripping over himself, his movements completely uncoordinated. In a rush, Su Xinghe had no choice but to take over, letting him drape himself over her. But the weight of a grown man nearly crushed her. Her face turned red as she strained to support him. After much effort, she managed to toss him onto the bed. He sprawled out there, the heavy impact doing nothing to wake him. Su Xinghe was exhausted, standing with her hands on her hips, panting for breath. Under the soft glow of the lantern, the Crown Prince slept soundly like a child, even smacking his lips twice as if dreaming of something delicious.
Looking at his torn and tattered clothing, she sighed, stepping forward to unfasten the buttons one by one and remove his outer robe. Then came the trousers. The belt after their earlier struggle, had turned into a hopelessly tight knot. She knelt by the bedside, bent over, gritting her teeth in frustration it was impossible to untie. After some thought, she went to the lampstand and grabbed a pair of scissors. One decisive snip and she managed to strip off his trousers as well.
How could anyone be as unlucky as her? What she had hoped would be a pleasant reunion over drinks with her half-childhood friend had instead turned into this fiasco. Who would’ve thought he’d get drunk halfway through and go on to unleash his full arsenal of tantrums? Demanding to have a baby, demanding that she sleep with him, he’d made every possible scene.
Annoyed, Su Xinghe wiped the oily sweat off her face and began to consider her options. He had repeatedly said he felt pent-up and miserable, and he did seem rather pitiful. If she fetched Qinggan now and left her in his bed, maybe, just maybe, he’d end up indulging in some drunken debauchery.
With a finger in her mouth, she scanned the sprawled figure of the Crown Prince from head to toe. In the end, she quashed the idea. She was afraid he’d regret it when he woke up and then come back to tear her apart.
She murmured softly to him, “Sleep, sleep… Once the alcohol wears off tomorrow, we can talk it out.”
He couldn’t stay sprawled sideways, so she needed to move him onto the pillow properly. Barefoot, she circled around to his side and slid her hands under his armpits. Summoning all her strength, she heaved him up, shifting the mattress underneath in the process, but finally managed to settle him. Turning her head, she noticed a tear in the right front of his undershirt, exposing a swath of his chest, smooth, pale, and startling enough to make her heart pound.
A man’s body was different from a woman’s. Last time, she had felt it through a towel, firm, brimming with a strength she could hardly fathom. The thought crossed her mind again as she reached out, tugging at the fabric. It seemed caught underneath him, refusing to budge. Her pinky accidentally brushed against his skin, and she froze, scratching her head as she pondered.
Might, as well cop a feeling after all, he wasn’t particular about such things, and he was drunk. She slipped her hand inside and gave his side a squeeze. Wow… the ridges of muscle under his ribs felt amazing. To build something like this how many years of hard work would it take? She shifted her hand upward. This part was impressive too. Splaying her fingers, she compared the size of her palm to his chest muscles.
Honestly, anyone who’s reached this age, male or female, would be curious about the opposite sex’s body. Su Xinghe’s true interest was in General Lou Yueting’s physique, but she’d never had the chance. The Crown Prince was conveniently here, so she could make do.
Her fingertips brushed over a small, slightly raised spot. Tilting her wrist, she glanced inside, his drooping undershirt couldn’t conceal the view. His chest was entirely exposed.
“Tsk.” She let out a soft, bashful laugh. Gotcha. This should count as payback for that stolen kiss earlier! Feeling satisfied, though a little reluctant, she started to withdraw her hand. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something that made her freeze. The Crown Prince was watching her.
Caught off guard, she hesitated for only a moment before recovering quickly. “I’m just wiping you down,” she said smoothly.
He didn’t respond. His eyelashes lowered as he glanced down at his own chest.
Wasn’t he drunk? Or is he pretending? Su Xinghe frowned and reached out to cover his eyes.
He didn’t move but let out a soft, drawn-out murmur, “Don’t stop…”
This left her feeling embarrassed. She replied perfunctorily, “It’s all done. Please rest now, Your Highness.” After a brief pause, she removed her hand, and sure enough, his eyes were closed again.
She let out a breath of relief, pulled the quilt over him, and avoided looking at him further. Fumbling slightly, she lowered the bed curtain and hurried out of the sleeping chamber.
In the corridor outside, on the other side of the veranda, Dequan and several eunuchs were gathered around a copper tea warmer, drinking strong tea. Seeing her emerge, Dequan asked, “Lord Su, is His Highness settled in?”
She glared at them coldly, furious at their passive stance during the ordeal.
But Dequan had his reasons. With all the commotion, the Crown Prince should have woken up by now. Earlier, he had been drunk enough to consider jumping off the city walls, so it was clear things hadn’t gone as planned. Upon returning, he would undoubtedly want to “make up” for it. If they stuck around and the Crown Prince flew into a rage, they’d be the first to suffer the consequences. Besides, Dequan’s specially mixed wine hadn’t knocked out Lord Su as intended but had instead left the Crown Prince flat on his back. When His Highness sobered up tomorrow and demanded answers, Dequan was sure he’d be in for a scolding severe enough to peel a layer off his skin.
Dequan couldn’t help but wonder, “Why did His Highness get drunk so easily? He must have had quite a bit earlier at the banquet.”
The attendant, Shan Yin, shook his head. “No, I was waiting in the main hall the whole time. His Highness only had two cups of wine, he didn’t even drink as much as the Fourth Prince.”
“Then what could it be…” Dequan muttered, his gaze shifting toward Su Xinghe. “Lord Su, you didn’t drink much, did you?”
Su Xinghe felt too embarrassed to admit that she had actually drunk more than the Crown Prince before he passed out. She hadn’t expected his tolerance to be so poor, just a few cups, and he was already spouting nonsense and trying to take off his pants.
She dodged the question with a vague reply and glanced at the tea warmer. “Are you all taking the night shift tonight?”
Dequan nodded. “Of course, since His Highness is thoroughly drunk, we need to be on standby in case he needs anything during the night.”
“Oh,” she said nonchalantly. “Well, you keep watch, then. I’m heading back.”
But Dequan wasn’t ready to let her off so easily. “Oh, come on, my lady! Have some mercy and stay tonight. His Highness is dead drunk, and staying with him would be an act of loyalty, wouldn’t it?”
Exhausted from the day’s events, Su Xinghe didn’t have the energy to argue or trade words with him. Admitting defeat, she gathered her skirts and reluctantly re-entered the sleeping chamber.
The inner chamber was divided into two parts. Inside the floor-to-ceiling canopy, once the curtains were drawn, it created a small, private sanctuary for the master to rest. Outside the canopy, there was a southern heated brick bed and a Luohan couch. While the floor heating kept the bed warm, the couch, lacking blankets, was still chilly. Su Xinghe moved the small table off the brick bed, spread out a mat, opened a mother-of-pearl cabinet, and pulled out a thin quilt. She slipped off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and removed her outer robe before lying down.
It felt so good to lie down. The fatigue from the festivities was even more draining than working a shift at the yamen. Perhaps the aftereffects of the osmanthus wine were just kicking in because she started to feel a bit tipsy. She turned over and lay on her side, too tired to dwell on the strange events of the night. Soon, she drifted off to sleep.
She had the strangest dream that night. She dreamt she had a pet rabbit, which gleefully jumped off a corner tower. She hurried to catch it, finding herself standing with the rabbit in a cold southern courtyard. Looking up at the square patch of sky above, she saw the Crown Prince peering down from the tower, seemingly anxious. He turned to come downstairs. But by the time he reached the courtyard, she was already up on the tower. Their positions had swapped. She stood silently, watching him. He couldn’t climb up, and as he looked up at her, his face was filled with sorrow.
Thankfully, there was no need to wake early the next day. The last day of the holiday offered a rare moment of leisure perfect for recovering from the embarrassment of overindulging at the banquet.
Su Xinghe had a habit of rising early, having served the Crown Prince at the third quarter of the Yin hour for years. Her internal clock usually woke her at the right time. But today, she overslept. When she opened her eyes, the window paper was already faintly white. Still groggy, she tried to clear her head and turned on her side, too lazy to get out of bed, unwilling to move.
The curtains of the dragon-and-phoenix canopy in front of her remained low, suggesting that the Crown Prince was still asleep. Hangovers were no small matter, nausea and headaches were inevitable. In all her years in the Eastern Palace, she had never seen him so out of sorts. She wondered what had gotten into him last night.
Propping herself up slightly, she glanced toward the canopy, thinking she heard a faint sound. She waited for a while but, deciding she must have imagined it, laid her head back down on her arm. Sleepiness crept over her again, and just as she began to drift off, soft murmurs came from inside the curtains. They were faint, intermittent, but unmistakably his voice.
She jolted awake, quickly slipping on her shoes and stepping off the heated brick bed. From the hanging curtain to the bed, there were six or seven paces. As before, she leaned her head through the curtain while keeping the rest of her body outside. Squinting into the dim interior so different from the bright outer room illuminated by its windows. She noticed that a candle was still burning inside. Though there was no wind, the flame flickered irregularly.
Puzzled, she focused her gaze and discovered that it wasn’t the candle causing the movement, it was the bed curtains, trembling slightly and swaying more intensely as if stirred by some unseen rhythm. The undulating motion caused the candlelight to dance even more wildly.
Her heart began to pound. Could he have drunk too much and fallen into a seizure? Trembling, she called softly, “Your Highness?”
That single word shattered the peculiar stillness. The curtains immediately stilled, as if frozen in time.
Her unease deepened. She was about to step forward when his sharp voice rang out, “Don’t come in!”
Startled, she froze. Hastily she stammered, “Understood,” and retreated back to the southern brick bed.
It felt as though… Something inappropriate was happening. She couldn’t explain why, but it all seemed odd, like a sickness of some kind, though his voice had been clear and composed. Sitting on the bed, she racked her brain, but the more she thought about it, the less sense it made. Finally, she gave up and decided not to dwell on it.
She tidied up the bedding and instructed someone to replace it. Pushing open the window, she was greeted by a blanket of white. Snow had fallen through the night, leaving two inches of accumulation on the edge of the vermillion steps, the balustrades, and the decorative posts. In the vast square outside the hall, four or five young eunuchs lined up, sweeping the snow with brooms made of bundled bamboo branches.
At first, their movements were orderly, but suddenly, one of them turned to chase another, sparking a playful scuffle. Dequan, hands tucked into his sleeves, stood under the covered walkway of a side hall, shouting curses at them. “You little monkey brats! Do you know where you are? You’ll lose your heads over this!”
She closed the window. Wearing only a light layer, the chill from the outside wind seeped into her bones. Turning back to find her coat, she was startled to see the Crown Prince standing beneath the gold velvet curtain. He had changed into a loose formal robe, the wide sleeves hanging heavily at his sides. The intricate hem of his robe spread across the plush carpet in layered folds, giving the impression that each step he took rippled like waves.
She blinked in surprise. “Your Highness, you’re up?”
He approached her, his hair untied and spilling over his cheeks, lending him an unfamiliar air of brooding and quiet. He stood there staring at her, his gaze so intense it made her hair stand on end. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, “Just how much can you drink?”
The events of last night still haunted him. To think that he was the one who had gotten drunk, it was humiliating beyond measure. The shame burned so deeply that he almost wished he could drag her down with him. When he awoke this morning, he found bruises on his wrists and vague memories of the tower returned to him: he had been tied up. Tied up! By her! And just when he was about to claim her!
It was the ultimate disgrace. This woman was too much to handle. The Crown Prince was furious, his masculine pride wounded like never before. Yet the chaotic tangle of last night’s events, tinged with the sweet ache of intoxication, lingered like the sting of an insect bite, sharp and itchy, leaving a peculiar, bittersweet yearning.
Su Xinghe rubbed her hands awkwardly and replied, “Not that much, really. But whenever I drink with Su Xinghai, I’ve never lost.”
The Crown Prince felt a bitter taste rise in his throat. At least now he knew she’d bested others before him, which made him feel a little better.
He straightened his posture and asked, “Did I… say anything inappropriate or do anything out of line last night?”
She tilted her head, thinking. “Other than begging me to sleep with you and trying to take your pants off, nothing else comes to mind.”
The Crown Prince stumbled, his face flushed with indignation. “Nonsense! That wasn’t me! You’re slandering me!”
Su Xinghe burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling. “If it makes you feel better to think so, Your Highness, then by all means, I’m making it up.”
The Crown Prince found it hard to accept. He could recall fleeting moments of pleasure, Su Xinghe beneath him, and the hazy sensation of their contact. Had he… kissed her?
Thinking of it made him uncomfortable. He wanted to confirm but couldn’t let his dignity waver in front of her. Hands clasped behind his back, he paced slowly, his steps deliberate. “Truly, drunkenness is the root of all folly. I had thought to finally take the opportunity to have a proper conversation with you after all these years…” He glanced at her with a gentle smile. “Still, my memory of last night isn’t entirely lost. I seem to recall… I kissed you, didn’t I?”
Su Xinghe shook her head without a moment’s hesitation. “No, Your Highness, you’re mistaken.”
His expression turned wistful. “Really? But I distinctly remember you… touching me in bed.” The sensation had been vivid, her delicate fingers wandering across his chest, bringing with them a tingling unease akin to fine sand brushing against his skin. He had been so tense at the time, clenching his jaw to keep from making a sound. Such a deeply etched experience couldn’t possibly be a mere illusion.
Su Xinghe, avoiding his gaze, lowered her head in embarrassment. She wasn’t one to deny her actions, no matter how mortifying. She mumbled, “Didn’t Your Highness just say that drunken mistakes don’t count? A drunk person is hardly in their right mind.”
This remark inadvertently lumped him in with her criticism. His brows furrowed as he exhaled sharply, frustrated. “Su Xinghe, are you here to make excuses? You were drunk too? Then why didn’t you pass out next to me? You even knew to sleep on the southern bunk!”
That was a risk she couldn’t afford to take. Though she kept quiet, her thoughts betrayed her: On the tower, he was already trying to spread my legs, who knows what he might’ve done if we’d shared the same bed! Whatever had happened, she was determined to let bygones be bygones. Hoping to change the subject, she hastily said, “I couldn’t walk far. I originally planned to head back to the matron’s quarters, but I got dizzy and just collapsed… By the way, what was going on earlier? The bedframe in the inner room was shaking like it had caught the chills. You weren’t falling ill, were you?”
The Crown Prince’s face flushed, though he tried to maintain a serious demeanor. “I was trembling with anger,” he said, deflecting. It wasn’t something she would understand now; perhaps she would when she became someone’s wife. A young man full of vigor and passion couldn’t endure such teasing and frustration. Last night, he had resolved to act decisively, only to suffer a humiliating defeat. With no other recourse, he’d been left to resolve the situation himself.
He glanced at his wrist, where the marks were still visible, a circle of red that even he felt sorry for. Though he wasn’t one to coddle himself, being tied up was a first, and it left a sour taste in his heart. Stretching his arm out in front of her, he said accusingly, “Look at this your handiwork!”
Su Xinghe feigned surprise, exclaiming, “Oh my, what a sight!” She took his wrist in her hands and examined it closely. “This was from me tying you up last night?” A sheepish smile crept onto her face. “Well, wasn’t it because you were about to jump off the tower? I was afraid something would happen, so I had no choice. Please don’t hold it against me, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince felt that she was speaking nonsense. Why would he want to jump off a building? Just because he was drunk didn’t mean she could say whatever she liked. Let alone the fact that he had indeed harbored intentions of violating her, there was also the matter of his royal robe. The symbol of the Great Dayin Dynasty, the Crown Prince’s official attire, was torn into rags by her. It was still lying at the foot of his bed.
“You have some nerve! You tore my ceremonial robe, what do you think you are?” His anger flared up, with most of it stemming from the loss of face.
Su Xinghe flinched when he yelled at her. She quickly tried to rub the bruise on his wrist, trying to calm him down. “Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. I’ve already had someone prepare a new robe, so it won’t delay tomorrow’s court session. As for this little injury, the skin isn’t even broken. You’re not a young lady, so what’s the fuss? And look at you shaking with anger, now the bed frame is about to fall apart! You don’t know how worried I was; I almost rushed in…” She paused for a moment and glanced at him with narrowed eyes. “Your Highness, what on earth were you doing?”
The Crown Prince thought to himself that he must have lost his mind to have taken interest in this woman. She was completely clueless, like a wooden club.
He smirked, turned his hand over, and half-clutched it, showing it to her. “Like this, finding amusement for myself.”
Su Xinghe still didn’t quite understand. Normally, she could be witty, but in front of him, her mind just didn’t function well. She grasped his right hand lightly. “What kind of amusement? Teach me, Your Highness.”
He smiled without speaking, simply shaking his head.
She lowered her gaze and studied his hand. It really was beautiful, long, slender fingers with soft, pink nails, and an elegant, refined wrist. The Crown Prince wasn’t exactly a model of character, but every part of him was exquisitely crafted, all thanks to the stunning Empress Gong.
She kept looking, still not understanding the meaning behind his actions. When she saw him lift his hand again, her mind momentarily blanked, and she instinctively leaned in to sniff it.
The moment she did, the Crown Prince almost dropped his jaw in shock. His face turned red, his heart raced, and it felt as though he couldn’t breathe properly. “You…”
The soft light from the window fell on her face, and she smiled sweetly. At twenty-two, even without her official robes, she still exuded an innocent, natural charm. The Crown Prince’s emotions surged, and he stretched out a finger, pressing it against her lips. “Su Xinghe, sometimes I feel… you’re a bit slow on the uptake.”
What he actually wanted to say was, “Su Xinghe, sometimes I think I really love you,” but the words twisted on his tongue. He realized that not only was she clueless when it came to emotions, but so was he.
Why did she think to sniff his hand? Had she finally figured it out? Though embarrassed, he felt a strange pride. The girl he liked fully understood him. She might even be considering joining him. Logically, he should have taken advantage of the moment, but instead, he called her “slow on the uptake.” Was it really her who was slow, or was it him?
His finger lingered on her lips, his pulse racing and his body itching to act. He felt like he was on the brink of exploding.
However, Su Xinghe wasn’t pleased. Politely but firmly, she brushed his hand away. “You haven’t washed yet. I’ll have someone come in to attend to you.” As she spoke, she turned her back. “Your hands have a smell. Did you scratch your feet or something?”
The Crown Prince stood frozen, his heart feeling like dried meat in the dead of winter, unable to produce any warmth or movement, frozen solid.
The attendants filed in, with Yinchen leading the way, and the other palace servants began tending to the Crown Prince. Yinchen, however, had brought a cloth to serve Su Xinghe. The young girl’s likes and dislikes were always so clear-cut. In her eyes, there was hardly any attention for the Crown Prince, only Su Xinghe, who she referred to as “Sister Su Xinghe” with every sentence. She wiped her face and then helped her dress.
“I’ve heard about it,” Yinchen exclaimed, “You’re really something, with such a strong tolerance for alcohol that you even made the Crown Prince drunk. You’re able to command men as an official and drink without losing your composure. What can’t you do? Can you teach me how to drink? I’ve been wanting to learn.”
Su Xinghe chuckled, “It’s not good for young girls to drink. You’re going to be a respected person in the future, don’t follow my example. I’m just someone who works for others, drinking is just part of the job.”
Yinchen replied, “I’m not respected though, I’m just working for others too.”
She didn’t understand. No matter who she followed in the future, she would be granted an official title and elevated, unlike Su Xinghe, whose fate was tied to a life of service.
Yinchen kept chatting away, her fondness for Su Xinghe always so obvious. After talking to Ye Jinchun for a little while, the young boy had said that the adults would care for the servants, giving them new clothes. That’s when Yinchen grew to be the founder of Su Xinghe, seeing her as a good person.
Good person? Su Xinghe suppressed a smile. In the Ministry of War, there were no “good people”.She led a group of ruthless criminals who could kill without a second thought. How could such people be pure?
Consort Gao Zhiya was dead. His family had to secretly transport his body back home in the middle of the night. The manner of his death meant no proper funeral could be held. The family only held a one-day mourning period and buried him hastily the next night. While other families celebrated the Winter Solstice, the Ministry of Justice was filled with wailing from the Shi family. When Jinyi reported it, it was at the height of twilight. Su Xinghe stood outside the office, listening to him, gazing south. The Gao residence wasn’t far, only two streets away.
“What’s happening at the Princess’s residence?”
Jinyi replied that there was nothing, “The Princess’s residence has been dark and quiet all night. The Princess didn’t spend the holiday at her own house; she packed up the day before and went to the Prince of Jianping’s residence.”
Su Xinghe nodded slowly. The two young men, who frequently appeared at the residence, were both dead now. Thinking about it made her feel uneasy.
She turned and entered the office, asking as she walked, “What about Xu Erma? Has he been released?”
Jinyi said, “He’s still locked up. That night, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince executed Consort Gao Zhiya but didn’t touch Xu Erma. He said he was waiting for you to return and for you to decide what to do with him.”
Decide? Didn’t that mean they were trying to force her hand into making the fatal decision? She understood the situation well. A person like Xu Erma couldn’t be left alive. If he were kept around, he would become a leverage point, and if he fell into the hands of Prince Jianping or Consort Gao Zhiya, it would ruin everything. All the sweet-talking from earlier was just empty words. In the Ministry of War, things could turn cold in the blink of an eye.
She paused in her steps, “Let’s go see him in the jail.”
As the sky darkened, Jinyi carried a lantern ahead, leading the way. Su Xinghe walked behind, hands clasped behind her back. When they arrived at Xu Erma’s cell, the man in the dirty, shabby pile of straw jumped up as soon as he saw her. “Milady… Milady, the case is closed. Can I be released now? Yesterday was the holiday, and they must have missed me at home. You said that as long as I testified against Consort Gao Zhiya, you would let me go…”
Su Xinghe looked at him calmly and replied coldly, “You know how to read the situation well. You did a good job. When you’re released, I’ll send 200 taels of silver to your wife for your family’s living expenses. If you want to go home, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Your wife can come to get you tomorrow.”
Xu Erma was a bit confused, “There’s no need for her to come. I have children at home. I can go back by myself…”
She didn’t speak further. She glanced at Jinyi, then turned and walked out.
Jinyi took the whip from the wall, spun it twice around her hand, kicked open the jail door, and stepped into the cramped cell.
