Huo Yan chased far into the distance, but never caught sight of the archer. On his way back, he kept worrying it might be a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain, that someone would take her while he was away, that she would be frightened. Yet when he returned to the pear tree, he found her calmly handling the broken arrow, examining it from the tip to the fletching with meticulous care.
How could a woman be so fearless? He stood there and sighed softly.
“Have you figured anything out?”
She said, “The shaft is wooden, the arrowhead nothing special, just ordinary black dragon iron. But the fletching is worth noting. My lord, you’ve spent years on the frontier; you should recognize this kind of feather.”
Huo Yan took the arrow from her hand.
“This fletching isn’t a common goose or wild-goose feather. It’s hard, highly stable, meant for long-range kills in battle. It must come from a raptor native to the northern frontier.” He lifted his gaze to her. “Huo Qingluan?”
She nodded, then shook her head.
“Judging from this arrow, it must have something to do with him. Yet such an obvious banner makes one suspicious. Of all the arrows to use, why this one? Huo Qingluan is about to return from the north after quelling rebellion. Among the whole court, only he would use such arrows, and only he would bear a grudge against me for the deaths of Zuo Zhaoyi and Princess Xialing.”
So she truly wasn’t foolish. Taken as a disciple, she would be the kind of student any teacher would take pride in.
There were many ways to kill, but the deadliest stroke was not blood spilled within five paces. It was borrowing one thing in place of another. The one who lost the hidden shot hadn’t truly intended to kill her; he only meant to direct the blaze toward Huo Qingluan. With his mother and sister murdered, how could he not seek revenge? Perhaps he would track the true killer, perhaps he would seize the chance to make a greater move, going all the way. To prevent either, the enemy struck first, using the Ministry of Military Control against him. Whether the scheme succeeded or failed, the hand behind it would remain untouched, while the risk was reduced to a minimum. Truly, a plot calculated to the finest detail.
Huo Yan handed the arrow back to her.
“So, how do you plan to answer this?”
She didn’t answer, though of course she had her own reasoning.
Just like the last time with the aconite case, not everything could be pursued to the end. Sometimes it was a matter of lacking the authority to dig deeper, sometimes it was because digging deeper simply wasn’t possible. In any case, Prince Jianping had long been her next target. Even if today’s incident hadn’t happened, she would have moved against him sooner or later. Still, before taking action, it was best to be sure of who stood behind it all. If it was Prince Xin, then she could repay him in kind; if it was Empress Hui, there would be plenty of chances to deal with her later, eventually she would catch her by the braid. But if it was the Crown Prince… Her chest ached faintly at the thought. Forcing a complete break between the Su family and Prince Jianping’s household wasn’t an impossible motive.
Her mood was clearly low. She twisted the broken arrow in her hands, her expression on the verge of tears.
Huo Yan only looked at her.
“I can’t give you any good counsel. I only want to tell you this: the more the waters of the court are stirred, the murkier they grow. The deeper you sink into it, the harder it will be to climb out. The Crown Prince is not without virtue, nor is he incompetent. If you can find an opportunity to turn swords into plowshares, you must try to seize it.”
At this point, there was no need for disguises anymore. In all these years, Su Xinghe had never spoken her true thoughts with anyone. Some of her aims, even though she mulled them over day after day, she never had the courage to bring them into the light of day. Her designs couldn’t withstand the sun; she had to keep them hidden from everyone. Aside from her father and elder brother, she had no one she could discuss them with.
Huo Yan, at first, had only thought of drawing her over to his side. But this person was too composed, how deep a feeling would it take to sway him from his stance? She had long since given up trying. Now that he was willing to talk with her so candidly, it was, in its own way, a small achievement.
She sounded a little dispirited.
“To turn blades into silk and peace… I fear that will be difficult. The Crown Prince repays every slight. He may endure for now, but once he ascends the throne, who can say if he’ll still endure?”
He replied, “Then it will fall to you to mediate, to persuade your father and brother to relinquish their stance and submit. Perhaps then there will still be a sliver of hope.”
To relinquish and submit, yes, that was indeed the only feasible path. But after relinquishing, then what? Others would hold the knife, while she and hers would lie as the fish upon the block. If the Crown Prince resolved to make an example, who could guarantee the Su family’s survival?
It was still a case with no clear resolution; no one could truly help her.
She folded her hands into her sleeves and smiled at him.
“Everything we’ve said today, and all that happened, may I ask Lord Huo Qingluan, not to speak of it to a third person?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“Your counsel, I’ve taken it to heart. We’ll see as things unfold. The times change endlessly; the only thing I can do is live and die with my whole family, sharing their fate.” Then, suddenly, she smiled playfully. “If one day something happens to me, and His Highness refuses to see me decently buried… Could I trouble you with the task? Just for the sake of that drink we shared today.”
His expression grew grave. “Don’t speak nonsense.”
Her smile only grew brighter. She sighed softly.
“It was foolish of me. Lord Huo Qingluan, don’t take offense. Today was unfortunate. Originally, I had wanted to watch the lanterns with you. That arrow just now gave me a fright… truth is, I’m still very afraid of death.”
Lifting the wine jar in her hand, she added,
“I must go back now, to check where Prince Jianping has gone. The origin of that arrow may have been meant to mislead, but it still isn’t impossible it was his. What if it was simply the carelessness of one of his men?”
He agreed, and walked with her to the distant trees to fetch the horses. She didn’t linger, turned her mount, cracked the whip, and rode off.
Back at the Ministry of Military Control, she handed the broken arrow to Su Xinghai, telling him to send someone to trace its origin. Then she went straight into Zhaoyu Prison to interrogate the suspects who had attempted to assassinate officials before the festival. By the time she finished all this, the sky was nearly dark.
Ye Jinchun came out from the carriage house. Acting on the Crown Prince’s orders, he always reminded Lord Su at the appointed hour to leave her post.
“Tomorrow is His Highness’s birthday, you surely won’t be coming to the yamen.”
Su Xinghe gave a soft “Oh,” as if she had nearly forgotten. She turned to instruct Jinyi to postpone official matters in the office until later.
“The day after tomorrow, then. Arrange for new guards at the palace gates that morning. Once I return, I’ll reassign the duties.”
She rode the sedan chair back to the palace. Passing by the Lizheng Hall, she glanced inside. His Highness was still at Liangyi Hall in council, not yet returned. Lamps were being lit in the palace. Looking eastward, she saw a line of young eunuchs running past with paper tapers. Lifting her skirts, she descended the steps and made her way toward the side gate.
The Ministry of Attire delivered garments at the same fixed hour every day, rain or shine. Madam Wei, accompanied by three palace maids, arrived at the gate and politely greeted her:
“Lady Su, His Highness’s ceremonial robe for tomorrow has arrived. Please inspect it.”
As always, she carried out the inspection scrupulously. Once finished, she pressed her lips together in a faint smile to Madam Wei.
“There is still one more matter I must trouble you with, madam.”
Speaking as she walked, she turned toward the duty chamber of the side hall.
Madam Wei followed after her and spoke in a low, solemn voice:
“Regarding your instructions, my lady. I’ve been keeping a close watch. The garments and bedding that the Wardrobe Bureau scents and delivers to the Greenhouse Palace are usually received by those serving close at the Empress’s side. Some time ago, Attendant Wen suddenly stopped showing up. But strangely enough, yesterday she came again to meet the delivery at the palace gate.
I purposely tried to get a better look at her, even struck up conversation. She seemed much the same as before. Later, using the excuse that her vest was cut too wide and offering to alter it, I tugged at her robe. And what do you think I found? Attendant Wen’s waist has grown thick, judging from her figure, she must be four or five months along. Without a doubt, she’s with child.”
In truth, she had faintly suspected it before. If it turned out to be true, it would hardly be surprising. What was unclear was what game Empress Hui was playing. They had clearly formed an alliance, yet for something this significant she hadn’t breathed a word to her. Since the Empress already had her own designs, it was only a matter of time before the Su family was cast aside. Her wings not yet fully grown, she nonetheless showed more foresight than Zuo Zhaoyi ever had. If the Su family still hoped to profit from this, it was nothing but wishful thinking.
Su Xinghe inclined her head and said to Madam Wei,
“Such a grave matter, and yet the Eastern Palace has been kept completely in the dark. Thank you for bringing me this news today.”
Madam Wei replied,
“It’s no more than my duty. We may be as insignificant as dust, but we still know how to repay kindness. If not for Lady Su’s forbearance back when I made that mistake on duty, I’d likely be scrubbing latrines in the lower wards by now. I owe you a great debt. From now on, if you have any task for me, just say the word. So long as it lies within my power, I will go through fire and water to see it done.”
Such was the strength born of small favors and kindness. The palace was crowded and rife with intrigues, yet these low-ranking attendants were scattered everywhere. Though they seemed inconspicuous, at a critical moment, grain upon grain of sand could pile into a tower, and stand against an army.
After Madam Wei left, Su Xinghe stood quietly beneath the covered corridor, waiting. She waited a long time before the Crown Prince finally returned. He was busy with affairs of state, after washing up, he was about to head to the front hall to handle government matters.
She helped him remove his outer robe, and as she glanced up she said,
“Just now the Wardrobe Bureau delivered Your Highness’s court attire. I took the chance to inquire about the Greenhouse Palace. The Empress has a senior attendant who has served her for over ten years. Some time ago she suddenly disappeared, and though I searched around, I could find no word of her. Today, however, Madam Wei came to report that this same attendant appeared to receive the Empress’s ceremonial dress. Madam Wei, being cautious, deliberately drew close to her, and discovered her waistline thickened, as though she were with child.”
Such shocking news. surely it ought to have sent the Crown Prince into a rage. There were only three able-bodied men in the palace: himself, Prince Xin, and the Emperor. When the Empress had first been newly invested, they had even discussed between themselves what would happen if she miraculously bore a child. The Empress herself showed no sign, yet now a young female attendant by her side was pregnant. With the Emperor’s age, the whole affair was, to say the least, shameful.
Su Xinghe studied the Crown Prince’s expression carefully, considering how she should advise him if he erupted in fury. But after watching for some time, she saw his face remained as usual. If there was any change at all, it was only a faint trace of melancholy, so subtle it could easily be missed.
“Ah…” He gave a heavy sigh.
“Look, my imperial father is about to be a father again. And me? I don’t even know where my wife is.”
Su Xinghe was taken aback.
“You’re not angry?”
He asked why he should be.
“This palace has been desolate for eight or nine years, no consort has borne a child. Now, with my imperial father nearing sixty, having no grandsons, what harm is there if he sires a son to amuse himself?”
His attitude left Su Xinghe completely at a loss.
“You’re not the least bit worried? That child will almost certainly be registered under the Empress’s name.”
“And what of it?” he replied coolly. “Even if it’s recorded under her name, that doesn’t mean she bore him. To make it a legitimate heir, she’d have to lie and claim she herself was pregnant.” After speaking, he patted her shoulder twice. “In any case, it’s still early. Before the child is born, we have plenty of time.”
What did he mean by that? She couldn’t quite grasp it. Turning back, she pressed him:
“Your Highness means…?”
“I mean nothing,” he said with a gentle smile. “The situation has only just stabilized. For now, better to remain still than to act rashly.”
So he did have a plan, only he wouldn’t speak it aloud, hinting instead that she should wait until the right moment before making a move. Su Xinghe fell silent. He went toward the main hall, and she trailed behind with her sleeves hanging low. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was suppressing some dissatisfaction, bottling it up instead of letting it out. His anger, due to be unleashed, hadn’t yet broken forth, and it made her uneasy.
So she followed him step for step, when he turned east, she went east; when he turned west, she went west.
Finally unnerved by her shadowing, the Crown Prince spun around and asked,
“Su Xinghe, have you taken the wrong medicine again?”
She bared her teeth in a grin.
“I haven’t seen you all day, I missed you terribly.”
A trace of delight crossed the Crown Prince’s face.
“Really?”
She hummed in reply.
“And you? Did you miss me or not?”
She felt she’d opened on a good note, next she could smoothly steer the conversation toward her spring outing with Huo Yan. She still suspected whether that hidden archer had been his doing. If he quarreled with her over it, that would feel natural enough. But since he kept silent, it only made her more suspicious.
She gazed at him expectantly. He gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Of course I missed you. But while you’re off whispering sweet nothings with someone else, you still want me too? Don’t you think that’s a bit much for one head to manage? All you Su children are fickle like this. You’re just like your brother, if you were a man, you’d surely have three wives and four concubines, and your parents would have to clear out a whole courtyard for you.”
She was choked off for a moment. Then she thought to herself, ah, now this was more like it. She was used to his scolding; even with no wind, he could stir up three feet of waves. For such a great stone to have dropped into the water today without a single splash, now that would have made no sense.
In truth, that single arrow left her with a deeply uneasy feeling. Ever since the Su family had boarded Prince Jianping’s ship, their every move had been under the Crown Prince’s watchful eye. Just as Huo Yan had said, factions at court were drawn with stark clarity; as long as one paid attention, it wasn’t hard to see. Since that was the case, why hadn’t he moved against the Su family? The wrongful imprisonment of Lord Shenzhai was one reason; another was that Grand Academician Su had once been his chief tutor; and perhaps a third was his reluctance to make fraternal strife so blatant. Since the Su family now stood under Prince Jianping’s banner, using them against their former master, then all of it had nothing to do with him. At worst, they would tear each other apart, while the Crown Prince remained untainted.
Thinking it over, every step that had brought her here, Zuo Zhaoyi and Princess Xialing had both perished at her hand, and before long Prince Jianping likely would too. And the Crown Prince? A perfect ruse of self-injury had turned him into the consummate victim. At the root, he had been using her and the Su family from beginning to end. Whatever scraps of private tenderness there had been were no more than a nobleman’s idle whims. There was certainly some feeling, one grows attached even to a cat or dog, but when it came to politics, she did not believe for a moment that a few embraces and kisses could make him set aside his misgivings and happily throw in with the Su family.
He’d thrown a few barbed words at her, but in the end never mentioned that hidden arrow. Perhaps it was because the place had been too open, leaving his spies unable to keep close watch, and so they had missed it. Since he didn’t raise it, of course she chose silence. Still, a faint sense of disappointment lingered in her heart. Once the road ahead was cleared and she no longer had any use, how would he deal with her then?
“Master…” she called to him in a daze, but when it came to what she ought to say next, her mind was utterly blank.
He gazed at her, his eyes as intent as a lover’s.
Suddenly Su Xinghe found she had nothing left to say. She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes. After a moment’s hesitation, she blindly repeated: “I really do miss you.”
No thunderclap, no earth-shattering drama, just this simple sentence made his heart clench. There was a faint, wifely plaintiveness in her tone. The Crown Prince’s thoughts scattered; countless words ran through his mind, but not a single one seemed right. After struggling for a moment, he stepped forward and took her hand. “Enough. I won’t blame you for your private meeting with Huo Yan, but only this once. There mustn’t be a next time.”
Her mouth fell half-open, her expression almost foolish in its astonishment. The Crown Prince wanted to slap himself, so many moving words to choose from, and he had to blurt out that one!
The tender moment slipped away in a breath; when he turned back for it, it was gone. He watched helplessly as she trimmed the wick of the candles on the lamp tree and said, “Master, don’t stay up too late tonight. Rest early, it’s your birthday tomorrow.” With that, she left without a backward glance.
He was left alone, as though something had slipped from his grasp, and he could not help but sink into a daze of loss.
The next day, the palace was naturally filled with bustle and excitement. It was the Crown Prince’s birthday, an event celebrated every year. Though not a grand decade-marking jubilee, the palace’s enthusiasm for feasting and revelry in honor of its masters’ birthdays showed no sign of waning.
At dawn, the Crown Prince first bowed before the ancestral tablets in Fengxian Hall, then offered kowtows to the Empress Dowager and to the Emperor and Empress. Afterward, he returned to the Eastern Palace, where all the court ladies and palace attendants lined up to offer their congratulations. By the end of this circuit, his forehead and the green-brick floors had met more than a few times. When the formal rites were completed, Yichun Palace was already set with elegant music and banquet tables, awaiting the arrival of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress.
By custom, a Crown Prince’s birthday banquet should be merry and harmonious. Yet the Empress leaned close to the Emperor, whispering softly in his ear. At first he looked stunned, then broke into a smile. “This is good news indeed.”
And the good news? The Empress was with child. A calculated move, perhaps anticipated, but one that still left people off-balance.
The Crown Prince rose and offered his congratulations in a perfectly composed manner. But scarcely had he finished when the Empress added another announcement: her attendant, Changyu, too was carrying the imperial seed.
This time the Emperor flushed crimson; his private dalliance was laid bare in front of everyone. The consorts present, along with Prince Xin and Prince Minxing, all looked baffled. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager, seasoned by long years, smoothed things over with ease: “The Emperor is in the prime of life. A double blessing such as this is a great fortune for the realm!”
A fortune? What did it prove, that the Emperor’s vigor was undiminished, that he was both diligent and passionate? The concubines glanced at one another, their forced smiles tinged with awkwardness.Su Xinghe, standing quietly to the side, could not fathom what medicine the Empress was selling in her gourd. If she had only announced her own pregnancy, it would clearly signal an intent to claim the heir through surrogacy. But to trumpet Changyu’s news as well, was she attempting a numbers game, trying to overwhelm the Crown Prince with sheer heirs-to-be?
The Emperor needed but the span of a breath to move from stunned disbelief, to acceptance, and then to open delight. What could better prove a man’s prowess than begetting sons in old age? He carried himself like a general returning victorious, standing straighter than before. The birthday banquet, meant for the Crown Prince, now doubled as a welcoming feast for the new imperial heirs. In the Emperor’s eyes, this was Heaven’s compensation for the loss of Princess Xialing, children at his knees to brighten his twilight years.
The concubines, ever eager for spectacle, rushed to congratulate the imperial couple. Only Prince Xin lifted his eyes toward the Crown Prince, a flicker of troubled worry in them.
The Crown Prince, however, remained unruffled. One child or two, it made no difference. After the banquet, Prince Xin pressed him in a low voice about what countermeasures to take. The Crown Prince only shrugged it off: “If they are with child, let them bear it. Our father, vigorous in his later years should we not, as sons, rejoice?”
But with the Empress involved, the matter was far from simple. Prince Xin voiced his concerns, yet the Crown Prince merely smiled faintly. “At our age, what need have we to fear two infants still at the breast? Remember, our mother is the original Empress, while the current one is but a consort elevated after. If she thinks to overturn the heavens with such tricks, it is far too soon.”
Thus the Crown Prince’s day of celebration was unmarred by what to others might seem ominous tidings. The songs continued, the dances went on, until near the end, when Prince Jianping’s return to the palace broke the order of the feast.
His appearance extinguished all joy in the Emperor’s heart at once. Though Huo Qingluan had returned triumphant, his mother and sister had been executed, a blow that shattered him. Clad in heavy armor, he fell to his knees on the vast plaza before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, wailing with grief. The heavens themselves seemed moved, sending down a fine, mournful rain. Rows of lanterns lined the vermilion steps, flickering in the downpour. The Emperor stood there, stricken, unable to face his son.
None dared step forward to console him. The Crown Prince, too, only watched coldly from the side. Prince Minxing had once been close to him, but ever since Grand Academician Su filled his head with “all princes are equal, none above the other,” he had drawn apart.
Prince Xin glanced about, seeing no one move, he sighed, then bowed. “Father, please return to the hall. I will speak with my elder brother. He has only just returned after a long and grueling campaign. The Consort and Princess were guilty, yes, but their crimes should not mean his ruin as well. If in his grief he acts rashly, I beg Father’s forgiveness.”
With that, he strode across the square. The Crown Prince watched his younger brother’s back, and for the first time realized that the once frail youth had grown into a man, broad of shoulder, strong enough to bear weight. Perhaps from now on, he would no longer need the Crown Prince’s protection.
