In the eleventh month of the eighth year of Zhengyou, a grand event took place in Jinling—the marriage ceremony between the second son of the Right Prime Minister, Wang Shu, and the legitimate eldest daughter of the Grand Commandant, Cui Xian, was completed.
Although both the Wang clan of Langya and the Cui clan of Qinghe were prominent and prestigious emigres, the Cui family’s status had always been slightly lower than the literati Wang family’s due to their military authority, and Miss Cui also had some rather embarrassing past incidents. Logically speaking, the wedding should have been kept as low-key as possible, but the Cui family seemed completely unconcerned; their extravagance and splendor were no less than that of the Xie family when Princess Consort Zhao married at the beginning of the year.
Prince Zhao’s Mansion naturally received an invitation as well, but at Wang Xi’s welcoming banquet Xie Jing had already stated outright, “When Young Master Wang holds his wedding in the future, it would be inappropriate for me to attend again and dampen the atmosphere.” With the convenient excuse of being far along in his pregnancy, he was more than willing to politely decline the invitation.
Lu Lingcong pondered for a moment. Thinking that the empress had only quieted down somewhat in the last few months, and Xie Jing was nearing labor and absolutely could not have any mishaps, he decided to go himself to avoid giving the empress any handle to make trouble.
However, when he returned to the mansion in the evening, he brought back a guest Xie Jing had not expected.
The number of times Lu Lingzhang had entered his imperial brother’s mansion could be counted on one’s fingers, but each time he tried his best to etch all the visible details into his mind. After all, this place was vastly different from the palace; it had the grandeur of Linhai Palace but lacked its solemnity.
Lu Lingcong pulled him along towards the inner courtyard, saying, “We usually dine late at home. We should still be able to make it if we hurry up.”
Xie Jing was indeed sitting in the flower hall eating dinner. He was very surprised to see the two of them return; he ordered someone to add a seat and heat up dishes and then asked, “Why has Your Highness the Second Prince come over?”
Lu Lingzhang did not sit down immediately and respectfully performed a salute first, “I haven’t seen Imperial Sister-in-law for a while already; I am asking about Imperial Sister-in-law’s well-being.”
The daytime lectures at Linhai Palace and the regular palace visits had been excused due to his pregnancy, and Xie Jing hadn’t indeed seen Lu Lingzhang for a few months, so he quickly told him to waive the salute and served him a bowl of fish ball soup to drink first.
Lu Lingcong said, “He was supposed to stay overnight at the Prime Minister’s Mansion today, but it was too chaotic and short-handed there. Fearing he might be neglected, I said I would bring him back to the mansion for a night and then send him back to the Wang family tomorrow.”
Xie Jing nodded, “Has the palace been informed?”
“Emperor Father and Empress Mother went to the Prime Minister’s Mansion today, so I will report it to them in person.”
Xie Jing was stunned,m and was about to ask, but mindful that Lu Lingzhang was present at the table, he had to temporarily suppress it.
Fortunately, dishes were brought from the kitchen at this time, so they each started eating without further discussion.
The last time the three of them shared a meal at the same table was in Mingluan Palace, where, with Lady Wu present in the imperial residence, the atmosphere was generally rather restrained. The time before that was at Linhai Palace; needless to say, that meal left everyone tense and physically uncomfortable.
However, Prince Zhao’s Mansion never had the rule of silence during meals or sleep. Xie Jing finished eating first, then sat aside slowly drinking tea while listening to Lu Lingcong casually chatting about the situation at today’s wedding banquet.
After dinner, they became idle again. Xie Jing realized there was almost nothing he and Lu Lingzhang could talk about outside of schoolwork. It was Lu Lingcong who found a few widely circulated picture books from the market. This was definitely something completely unavailable in the study of Linhai Palace. Lu Lingzhang found them novel and fascinating, read them with great interest, finished them in a rush, and asked if there were more.
Lu Lingcong then promised, “I’ll bring you some new ones when your Imperial Sister-in-law resumes the daytime lectures after giving birth. If you really can’t wait, then a few days later on the Winter Solstice night, the lantern fair on South Market Street will be at its liveliest; there will surely be some for sale there.”
“Empress Mother won’t let me go.” Lu Lingzhang shook his head with a normal expression, not showing disappointment, just a tranquility that comes from being used to disappointment.
Xie Jing felt some pity for him. Lu Lingzhang was the same age as Xie Jun, clearly in the most innocent and carefree childhood years. Even with Xie Yi, Xie Yan, Lady Yao, and he is managing him, Xie Jun was still as rowdy as a wild monkey. On the other hand, Lu Lingzhang, with only the empress above him, was so timid and cautious, walking on thin ice. How could one not sigh with regret?
After settling Lu Lingzhang for the night, Lu Lingcong immediately flopped onto the bed upon returning to the bedroom, kicked off his boots, and stretched vigorously, “I’m exhausted. I didn’t even dare to slacken my posture in front of Imperial Father and Imperial Mother and stood perfectly straight for half a day without daring to relax once.”
Xie Jing also took off his shoes and sat diagonally on the bed, asking, “I wanted to ask you just now, since I was absent, did His Majesty and the Empress say anything?”
“Empress Mother asked about you once,” Lu Lingcong rolled over, shifted position, and leaned his side on Xie Jing’s thigh. “I truthfully said that it was inconvenient for you to move. Emperor Father only said, ‘The Imperial Grandson is what matters, no need to be constrained by etiquette,’ and Empress Mother said no more.”
Xie Jing felt relieved, lowered his hand to massage his forehead, and muttered, “Strange, Wang Xi is the Empress’s own nephew, so her going is one thing, but it’s ultimately against conventional practice for His Majesty to suddenly personally attend a subject’s residence for the ceremony. What was His Majesty thinking?”
Lu Lingcong stared at the canopy of the bed, spacing out with empty eyes, and after a while, whispered, “I don’t know either.”
Xie Jing recalled the autumn night not long ago when Lu Lingcong sat on the stone steps in front of Prince Zhao’s Mansion gate and told him, “Sometimes I really can’t understand Emperor Father”, he also remembered that several months earlier, right after Lu Lingcong had been summoned and reprimanded by the emperor, on their wedding day the emperor had arrived only after a long delay; let alone his birth mother, Lady Wu, who never appeared at all.
Lu Lingcong had acted completely unconcerned and even somewhat relaxed at the time, but now that Xie Jing thought about it, there was ultimately a hurdle in his heart too.
“Close your eyes and rest for a bit.” Xie Jing raised his palm and gently covered Lu Lingcong’s eyes, feeling the other party’s eyelashes tremble in his palm. He paused and then closed his eyes.
He casually steered the conversation away, “I heard the procession from the Cui’s Mansion for the bride today was quite grand?”
Lu Lingcong said, “En, no less grand than when you and I got married.”
Xie Jing sighed softly: “I met Miss Cui once at the New Year’s Eve palace banquet last year. It’s truly a pity for someone with such talent and temperament to marry the wrong person.”
“The legitimate eldest daughter of the main branch, the Grand Commandant’s Mansion, has always valued her. Not to mention that the vacant post of commanding official in the West Camp had this time been taken by a member of the Cui family. Even if it weren’t, the Cui family would never send her off in a shabby and cowardly manner.”
Xie Jing nodded, “The Prime Minister’s Mansion is now determined to extend its influence into the military. There will be good drama to watch in the future.”
Lu Lingcong sighed deeply, raised a hand, gently touched Xie Jing’s belly, and said, “I don’t care how those two in-law families compete; I am content to have you and him with me, and I won’t entertain any other thoughts.”
During the Winter Solstice season, the emperor followed tradition and went to the Northern Suburb Altar on Zijin Mountain to perform ancestral rites. This year, however, the empress had caught a cough in winter and needed to avoid exposure to wind, making it inappropriate for her to accompany him. Thus, the emperor took his eldest son with him. The imperial procession grandly stationed itself at the palace complex at the foot of the mountain the day before the Winter Solstice, preparing to ascend the mountain and pay homage to Heaven early the next morning.
As the shortest day and longest night of the year approached, Xie Jing was already preparing to retire for the night. While washing up, he saw Uncle Zhou hastily usher in a palace servant. The servant looked familiar, she seemed to be one of Lady Wu’s personal attendants.
The palace attendant looked worried, hastily greeted him and said, “This servant deserves ten thousand deaths for disturbing the Princess Consort, but Niangniang has sent me to ask whether the Eldest Princess is in the residence. If she is not, does the Princess Consort know where she has gone?”
Xie Jing quickly said he didn’t know while listening to the palace attendant clarify the entire story, “The Princess said she was going out to amuse herself this afternoon, and our Niangniang did not think much of it. Who would have expected that the palace gates were about to be shut, and she still hasn’t returned? More importantly, we vaguely heard a disturbance at Linhai Palace this afternoon, as if the Second Prince had also slipped off to some unknown place; no one knows whether he has been found yet. Our Niangniang fears only that he may have followed the Princess!”
Xie Jing frowned, pondered for a moment, and instructed Uncle Zhou: “Have the mansion servants go searching South Market Street, and pay special attention to the bookstalls selling storybooks.”
Uncle Zhou acknowledged the order and withdrew. Xie Jing braced himself against the table as he rose to his feet, instructed a maid to bring a heavy cloak, then said to the palace servant, “Don’t panic for now. I’ll accompany you into the palace, I’ll only be at ease once I’ve seen the Princess safely returned with my own eyes.”
The maidservant and the palace attendant were both stunned upon hearing this and rushed forward to urge him to think twice. Xie Jing only shook his head slightly and said calmly, “If the Second Prince really ran out with the Princess, today’s matter might not end well. How can Lady Wu cope alone in the palace?”
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this while looking at each other, momentarily at a loss.
Yin Chou was also roused by the commotion earlier. She put on her clothes and came over and now walked closer and said, “If the Princess Consort insists on going, I will accompany you to look after things.”
Xie Jing did not ask for the mansion’s coachman but simply rode in one carriage with the palace attendant and Yin Chou to head into the palace together.
Just as they drove outside the palace gate, a figure ran over from afar. The person who lifted the curtain was an unfamiliar eunuch, but he seemed to be acquainted with the palace servant. He announced while panting heavily, “The Princess just came back! His Highness the Second Prince, His Highness the Second Prince also came back!”
The palace attendant hastily asked, “Did they come back together?”
The eunuch slapped his thigh and said with a bitter face, “Of course they came back together! That little ancestor of a princess led His Highness the Second Prince to climb over the wall of Linhai Palace, and the Empress caught them in the act. She flew into a rage on the spot. They’re all being held in the courtyard right now, and no one knows how they’ll be dealt with!”
The palace attendant immediately panicked upon hearing this, subconsciously turned around, and earnestly requested instructions from Xie Jing.
Xie Jing’s expression slightly hardened. He pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then instructed the palace attendant in a low voice, “You go back to Mingluan Palace yourself. Try your best to calm Lady Wu down and absolutely do not let her know that I have entered the palace. Just tell her that the Empress punished His Highness the Second Prince, and the Eldest Princess will only receive a couple of reprimands at most and will not be seriously harmed. Tell her to relax and just wait for news.”
The palace attendant repeatedly acknowledges it, jumped off the carriage, and then turned back to ask worriedly, “Then, Princess Consort, you…”
Xie Jing tightened the fur collar of his outer coat, “I’ll go to Linhai Palace for a visit.”
Linhai Palace was indeed ablaze with light, unlike its usual state, the phoenix on the spirit screen cast in the glow appearing fierce and almost menacing.
The courtyard was encircled three layers deep by eunuchs and palace maids, all holding their breath and keeping their gazes lowered.
The eunuch guarding the palace gate saw it was Xie Jing and dared not obstruct him. He and Yin Chou silently walked to the back of the palace attendants only to see a long wooden bench in the courtyard with one person sprawled on it, and guards holding bamboo boards standing on both sides. Beneath the eaves stood the empress, her delicate brows drawn into a cold, severe frown, her gaze sharp as a blade as it fixed on another small figure below the steps.
Xie Jing recognized Lu Lingzhen by her bun. She was kneeling upright, speaking clearly and loudly: “It was I who violated the palace rules by unauthorized exit from the forbidden grounds. Little Brother only dared to follow because of my instigation. Empress Mother, I willingly accept whatever beating or scolding you wish to administer, but Little Brother is young and cannot endure such a severe punishment!”
The empress folded her arms and looked back at her, “Bengong is only fit to discipline my own unworthy son. As for other people’s children and a silver-tongued body of noble birth, Bengong absolutely dares not punish them.”
Lu Lingzhang, lying sprawled across the bench, also spoke softly from the side, “Imperial Sister didn’t instigate Erchen, it was Erchen who begged her to take me out of the palace.”
Hearing him still speaking up for Lu Lingzhen, the empress’s anger intensified, and she shouted angrily, “So you even know how to speak up for others now? After slipping out of the palace just once for your cousin’s wedding, you’ve gone completely wild. Where did you learn such tricks; such as lying, covering for each other, and protecting one another like this?”
Xie Jing couldn’t listen anymore. The empress might not have noticed him standing at the palace gate, but these words were clearly a veiled criticism directed at Lu Lingcong and him, intended specifically for Lu Lingzhen to hear.
He pushed through the crowd and walked forward, facing the empress’s stunned expression and Lu Lingzhen’s gasping exclamation. He formally performed a salute and said, “Although His Highness the Second Prince has erred, a child’s misconduct reflects a father’s failure to teach, and a teacher’s neglect in strict instruction. Prince Zhao, as the Second Prince’s elder brother, stands in the role of a father and thus bears the primary responsibility. Since he is not present, then as Princess Consort Zhao, and also as the Second Prince’s tutor, this minister naturally bears the main fault and submits to the Empress Mother’s judgment.”
“You are quite well-informed.” The empress was speechless for a moment and said coldly, “Since you are so precious now, you can spare those unnecessary formalities!”
“Thank you, Empress Mother, for your consideration. Then why not simply hand both His Highness the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess over to this minister for discipline? This minister swears that today’s incident will never happen again. Empress Mother, please calm down and take care of your imperial body.”
The empress sneered after hearing this, “You can take that crazy girl yourself, Bengong won’t stop you, but Lu Lingzhang must receive this beating today to make him remember.”
Xie Jing was momentarily stunned as countless thoughts flashing through his mind, leaving him somewhat disoriented. What had happened today was indeed much as Lu Lingzhang had said; after hearing Lu Lingcong mention a few days earlier where picture books could be purchased when he was in Prince Zhao’s Mansion, he had grown curious. Knowing that Lu Lingzhen was familiar with such channels, he had quietly gone to her for assistance.
According to Xie Jing’s understanding of Lu Lingzhang, he was a child who cared greatly about etiquette and was extremely afraid of causing trouble or inconvenience to others. If the empress truly intended for him to “learn a lesson,” the most effective method would be to punish everyone involved severely, from Lu Lingzhen all the way down to the gate guards. That would strike him far more painfully than any blows landing on Lu Lingzhang himself.
But now Xie Jing could easily take Lu Lingzhen away, while Lu Lingzhang had to take this beating. This unusual situation suggested that things were not that simple.
Xie Jing thought for a moment, then slowly knelt down while supporting his waist and said loudly, “Does Empress Mother mean by this that she intends to compel this minister, as his teacher, to take His Highness the Second Prince’s punishment in his place? Very well, so long as Empress Mother is prepared to bear the consequences afterward and can remain as firm and unyielding as she is now when Emperor Father inquires, this minister has nothing further to say.”
Upon hearing this, the empress indeed laughed in extreme anger. For a moment, she even forgot her cultivated demeanor and pointed at him, saying, “Bengong advises you to restrain yourself after all and stop throwing tantrums in Linhai Palace. If you truly believe that having an Imperial Grandson makes everything fine, then you have seriously miscalculated!”
Seeing that she loses her composure, Xie Jing knew he had guessed correctly.
Although it was improper for Lu Lingzhen to leave the palace without authorization, she had a token and a prior history, and the emperor usually turned a blind eye and allowed her freedom. If only she had gone out today, probably no one would have taken it seriously.
The empress was furious and did not wish to let her off lightly, but Lu Lingzhang had also gone willingly, and Lu Lingzhen had never pressed a blade to his throat to force him. If she were now to impose severe punishment, it would be difficult to justify it.
Therefore, she intended to use this opportunity to stage a ploy, sacrificing her son to gain sympathy.
Although the emperor was callous and aloof, he ultimately valued the two princes more than Lu Lingzhen. When he returned from the Northern Suburb Altar tomorrow, seeing his young son severely injured, he would naturally soften and inquire. At that time, the empress could naturally bring up Lu Lingzhen and perhaps even exaggerate and implicate Lady Wu, Lu Lingcong, and even Xie Jing himself. This would both vent the empress’s resentment over Lu Lingcong accompanying the emperor for the sacrifice and dampen the ambition of Prince Zhao’s Mansion, which had been basking in pride for months due to having the Imperial Grandson.
Thus, the empress no longer paid attention to Xie Jing, whom she regarded as nothing but a paper tiger, and merely uttered two icy words, “Execute the punishment.”
The guards’ back was already drenched in cold sweat, but he dared not disobey or defy. He could only close his eyes and, as if resigned to death, lifted the bamboo board high.
In an instant, Xie Jing made up his mind. In that fleeting moment as the punishment board rose and fell, he moved forward and pressed his upper body over the bench, firmly shielding Lu Lingzhang’s waist and back, and took the heavy, dull strike directly on his behalf.
Xie Jing was gambling that the empress, considering his pregnancy, would not truly land the strike. Yet little did he know that the empress was also gambling, betting that he, mindful of his condition, would prioritize self-preservation and instinctively withdraw at the critical moment.
As expected, the entire hall erupted in chaos and uproar from this blow. The guard was frightened out of his wits, dropping the bamboo board as he fell to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed, begging for mercy. Lu Lingzhen, voice breaking, cried out “Saosao” and ran over in a panic. Yin Chou also shouted, “Princess Consort” and rushed forward from within the crowd.
The empress was momentarily stunned, her expression darkening as she was about to order someone to go and check when she saw that although Xie Jing was hunched over and needed quite some time to recover, his shoulders and back were still visibly trembling. He slowly propped up his upper body, gritted his teeth, and whispered: “Empress Mother… continue, this minister can bear it.”
Lu Lingzhang was only seven years old, and his body was inherently weak; how could he endure such a punishment? This was certainly true, but there was a more important reason why Xie Jing blocked the blow and absolutely could not let the board touch Lu Lingzhang at all—Lu Lingcong was already expending enough effort dealing with the outer court, and Xie Jing could not and did not want to drag him into the disputes of the inner palace as well.
The empress remained silent for a long time. Xie Jing could almost hear the bitter curses in her heart over her failed plan, but in the end, she let out a cold snort, turned, and flicked her sleeve towards the inner hall. She stopped after two steps, looked back at the numb Lu Lingzhang on the bench, and scolded, “Why aren’t you rolling in here?”
Xie Jing put his arm around Lu Lingzhen and walked out of Linhai Palace. The little girl was frantic, only asking him, “Where did it hit? Is it serious?” He struggled to steady his breath, shook his head at her, and forced a smile, “It hit my shoulder. The guard didn’t dare to use full force anyway. It’s nothing serious; I’ll just apply some medicine when I get back.”
At this moment, Lu Lingzhen’s eyes began to well up with tears as she whispered, “Saosao, I know I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it next time.”
“Don’t cry,” Xie Jing said, wiping away her tears, “What’s wrong with going out to play? Besides, Zhenzhen just now knew how to protect His Highness the Second Prince; your elder brother will certainly be pleased when he finds out. Just remember next time, if a request is beyond your capacity or you can’t handle the consequences, don’t agree to it so easily, understood?”
Lu Lingzhen sniffed and nodded vigorously.
“Alright, hurry back to Mingluan Palace,” Xie Jing helped her onto the waiting palace carriage outside. “When you get back, comfort Consort Mother well, and remember to apologize to her—not because you went out to play, but because you made her worry.”
He watched the carriage rumble away. His body suddenly swayed. He barely managed to stand steady by leaning on the palace wall, but his legs were still uncontrollably weak, wanting to slide down.
Yin Chou hurried over to support him, and upon a closer look her heart sank. Xie Jing’s face was as pale as paper, his lips drained of all color, and fine beads of sweat had broken out across his forehead.
Yin Chou quickly asked, “Does it hurt badly? Which shoulder?”
Xie Jing’s brow was tightly furrowed with his pearly white teeth clenched. He looked as though he had reached the very limit of his endurance, and his voice came out fractured and breathless: “…My stomach, not my shoulder.”
She inwardly cried out that things were bad. She reached into his greatcoat and felt his lower abdomen and felt that it was unnaturally tight to the touch. It was a sign of labor. Yet this was still a month and a half before the estimated due date, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether it had been triggered by his recent tension, anxiety, intense emotional upheaval, and overexertion.
Yin Chou looked around, just about to seek help, when she suddenly heard the hurried sound of horse hooves coming from deep within the alley of the palace. She turned her head and saw that it was Lu Lingcong, riding Yi Yun, his body covered in dust from the journey, having traveled through the night; so much so that it nearly made her doubt her own eyes.
The swift horse abruptly stopped outside the palace gate with a long neigh. Lu Lingcong jumped down, took Xie Jing from Yin Chou’s arms, and held him horizontally, asking quickly, “Has Zhenzhen gone back?”
Yin Chou didn’t bother to ask how Lu Lingcong had received the news, only nodded hastily, and then urgently said, “The Princess Consort is what matters. He was a bit frightened just now, and the situation looks bad to me. He might be going into labor early.”
Lu Lingcong’s expression hardened. He frowned and looked down at Xie Jing in his arms, whose features were scrunched up in pain. For a moment, his voice trembled a little as he asked, “…What should we do?”
“What should we do?” Yin Chou glared at him. “Find a place to give birth ah! It’s probably too late to return to the mansion now, and besides, we don’t have a carriage, and he can’t endure riding a horse for too long.”
“It won’t take too long,” Lu Lingcong suddenly said. “Go to Jiuhua Hall. Jiuhua Hall is the nearest, and it’s vacant. Because Emperor Father often stayed there before his ascension, it’s still swept and maintained daily.”
He had Yin Chou tear off his waist token and then called out to a small passing eunuch hiding by the side of the road watching the commotion. His words were quick but left no room for argument, “First take her to Jiuhua Hall, then go to the Imperial Medical to find Imperial Physician Qin, and tell him that the Princess Consort is in desperate labor. I remember your face. If you dare delay for even a moment, I will surely kill you.”
The young eunuch was so terrified he could only nod repeatedly. Lu Lingcong lifted Xie Jing higher in his arms while coaxing him softly to wrap his arms around his neck, but then heard him ramblingly ask, “…I’m confused from the pain. Why… are you here too?”
Lu Lingcong’s heart tightened. He softly replied, “If you want me here, then I’ll be here.”
He swiftly mounted the horse while holding Xie Jing and virtually galloped recklessly through the palace city as if it were deserted. He rode all the way to the long-unvisited gate of Jiuhua Hall and shouted, “Open the gate!”
The guards were already stunned. Rubbing their sleepy eyes and leveling their pikes across their bodies, they first protested, “Who dares to trespass into the forbidden palace in the middle of the night?” Then, after clearly seeing who it was, they advised him with a mixture of surprise and fear, “Your Highness, the palace rules are strict. Without His Majesty’s decree, opening the palace gate privately is a certain path to death for us.”
“This prince will bear the crime of unauthorized entry and any blame from His Majesty in full. Kill me or flay me, do as you please. But now,” Lu Lingcong tightened his hold on Xie Jing, dismounted in one swift motion, strode forward a few steps to the front of Jiuhua Hall, and shouted decisively, “Step aside!”
