Chengying held her sister Changsun Lingfang's hand and entered the palace hall, where warm stoves were already lit. On the couch, there were soft cushions and thin quilts. After sitting down, hot water bottles were immediately brought in, followed by tea and fruits. The servants withdrew one by one.
"You leave," Changsun Lingfang said somewhat awkwardly to a palace maid.
Chengying recognized the maid as one assigned by the Empress from Yaohua Palace. All the other servants from the palace and Xiaoqiu, Chengying's personal maid, discreetly avoided the scene, except for this one, who refused to leave and didn't seem to heed Changsun Lingfang's orders.
Seeing her standing still, Changsun Lingfang's face showed displeasure, and she raised her voice: "I told you to leave."
Chengying knew this was the Empress's spy and couldn't be driven away. She stepped in to mediate: "We still need someone to serve here. Let her stay. Xiaoqiu, take her to the outer room and draw the bead curtain. Whatever happens inside won't be visible."
Changsun Lingfang's eyes were slightly red-rimmed. Chengying smiled and took her sister's hand: "Are you accustomed to life in the palace?"
Changsun Lingfang replied softly: "At first, I wasn't used to it, but now I am."
Chengying felt guilty toward her sister and seeing her sad expression, felt even more compassion: "I'm sorry, Sister. You're so young yet have to shoulder half the responsibilities of the Eastern Palace. How does the prince treat you?"
"He treats me very well," Changsun Lingfang blushed, revealing a hint of girlish shyness. "Before marriage, Mother told me that the prince had four or five concubines in the Eastern Palace and might not spend every night with me. But in the past six months, he has spent most nights in my quarters, only occasionally staying with other concubines or sleeping alone in his study."
It seemed Prince Cui Jie treated her kindly, and Chengying felt relieved. She had worried that Changsun Lingfang's introverted nature would make her unappealing to the prince. But it seemed her concerns were unfounded. Prince Cui Jie relied on Changsun Tai, so he wouldn't mistreat Changsun Lingfang publicly.
Changsun Lingfang seemed wary of the maid outside and spoke in hushed tones. Chengying asked about her daily life and sensed that her sister's situation in the Eastern Palace wasn't much different from hers. With the support of the prince and the Empress, the concubines didn't dare offend her.
After chatting for a while, the maid outside interrupted: "Crown Princess, don't chat too late. Otherwise, if the Empress arrives at the Eastern Palace and can't find you, it will be disastrous."
Changsun Lingfang shivered slightly. Chengying inwardly scoffed—without the Empress's permission, how could the crown princess leave Qingchun Palace to chat with her sister, who was on the opposing side? This was clearly a reminder to gather intelligence or risk punishment.
"How does Prince treat you?" Changsun Lingfang reluctantly switched the topic.
Chengying smiled and deliberately spoke loud enough for the maid outside to hear: "Prince treats me very well. Despite seeming stern and quiet, he's actually very gentle. He's never raised his voice at me, and I handle most matters in the palace, while he rarely interferes."
If Prince Cui Jie's ship was a beautiful painted boat, Prince Cui Yi's was currently just a small raft, easily overturned by any wave. But Chengying didn't intend to show weakness. On the contrary, the more authority she displayed in Wufu Palace, the more Prince Cui Jie would respect Changsun Lingfang. Otherwise, if Changsun Tai defected to Prince Cui Yi, it would cause significant trouble.
After all, half of the court officials were disciples of Grand Tutor Changsun Tai, a group of idle critics who posed a threat to Prince Cui Jie's flawless image. While they were under the same roof, harmony prevailed, but once separated, they would surely file complaints daily, potentially impeaching him as the crown prince.
Changsun Lingfang bit her lip, stealing glances at Chengying's belly. Four months pregnant, there was hardly any visible bump. She hesitated and asked: "Has the doctor determined if it's a boy or a girl?"
"Not yet. It's too early to tell," Chengying chuckled, realizing her sister was still an innocent child, asking whatever the Empress instructed. Most people usually asked about food cravings.
After a pause, Changsun Lingfang continued asking about various aspects of life in Wufu Palace, from Bai Lichan to the Xie siblings, even mentioning Yang Qiong, who had visited only twice. Chengying couldn't help but marvel at the Empress's extensive intelligence network. She responded vaguely, knowing the maid outside wouldn't dare press for details. Soon, half an hour passed.
"It's getting late, Crown Princess, we should return. Let Her Highness rest," the maid interjected again.
Changsun Lingfang looked reluctant, but Chengying smiled and touched her face: "Let's go. I'm tired too. We'll have plenty of opportunities to chat later. No rush."
"Mm, then..." Changsun Lingfang got up, and the maid helped her put on shoes and straighten her clothes. "I'll take my leave."
Chengying nodded: "Be careful on your way."
Xiaoqiu opened the door, and Changsun Lingfang was about to step out when she suddenly paused: "Sister."
Chiyang looked up at her, "What?"
Changsun Lingfang's lips trembled slightly, her voice quivering, "I'm sorry."
Although she didn't spell it out, Chiyang could easily read from her eyes that she was apologizing for the incident with the governess in the He Opera House. She quickly smiled and said, "Why are you apologizing? I'm your sister, go back and rest."
Changsun Lingfang bit her lower lip, lowered her head, and left the palace door, followed by the palace maid.
Xiaoqiu closed the door and came forward to whisper, "Miss, I feel like Second Miss has suffered a lot. Even an ordinary palace maid dares to boss her around. She is the Crown Princess, how can she let a palace maid get the upper hand?"
Chiyang sighed, "You don't understand. Although Lingfang is the Crown Princess, she still has her mother-in-law above her. The palace maid who is supposed to serve her is actually there to monitor her. Our Changsun family's girls married the Crown Prince and the King, do you think the Empress can be at ease with her?"
Xiaoqiu nodded in understanding and sympathetically said, "Second Miss is really pitiful."
Chiyang smiled, "You should pity me instead. It's been a day of battles, exhausting me. Go fetch some water for me to wash up."
The celebration at Qingchun Palace ended close to the second watch. Snow started falling in the latter part of the night. When Cui Yi returned to Hanfu Palace, snow covered his shoulders. Chiyang was still reading on the Luohan bed and asked upon seeing him, "Is it snowing? Why didn't you have someone hold an umbrella for you? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold coming back like this?"
Cui Yi did not answer, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'm not sleepy yet. I was waiting for you to return to talk about things," Chiyang said as she tried to get up, but Cui Yi raised his hand, "Stay seated."
After removing his snow-covered cloak and handing it to a palace maid, Cui Yi also climbed onto the Luohan bed, sitting cross-legged like a fisherman in a raincoat, lost in thought.
Chiyang put down the book and looked at him, "Is it customary for princes and princesses to stay in the palace on New Year's Eve?"
Cui Yi remained silent but nodded.
"Then I need to tell you something," Chiyang had already sorted out most of what happened tonight while waiting for him to return, "When you went to Qingchun Palace to see the New Year in, the Crown Princess came to see me."
Cui Yi suddenly lifted his head, his scattered gaze instantly becoming sharp, "What did she come for?"
Chiyang replied, "It would be hard for you to believe that she came purely to chat with me. So, before I say anything, please don't get angry, otherwise, I won't say anything."
Cui Yi became impatient, urging her, "Just say it, why all the fuss?"
Chiyang smiled, "I'm afraid you might pinch me again. If you ask me, I'd say Lingfang both wanted to see me and was afraid to see me. Since childhood, she has relied on me for everything. Now, being alone in the palace, she must be scared. But when she finally got the chance to meet me, she had to ask questions she didn't want to ask. The Empress has placed people around her. Her visit tonight was arranged by the Empress."
Cui Yi looked at her expressionlessly, "What did you two talk about?"
"She asked about you and the child. All these were forced. There were the Empress's people watching outside, so I avoided answering directly," Chiyang explained.
Cui Yi sneered, "How do you know she was forced?"
Chiyang said seriously, "She apologized to me before leaving. Remember when I left midway during the play? I came back limping and asked you what happened."
"I remember, you said you went to the bathroom, didn't you?" Cui Yi suspiciously sized her up, "So, it wasn't?"
Chiyang helplessly lowered her head, "Xiaoqiu told me Lingfang wanted to see me, so I went. But the further I walked, the more uneasy I felt. The governess leading the way seemed to be taking me to a secluded spot, so I pretended to twist my ankle and had the guards bring me back."
Cui Yi frowned deeply, his voice filled with displeasure, "You hid this from me, didn't you think about the dangers? You're not alone now."
Chiyang sincerely apologized, "It was my mistake. At the time, I didn't expect the Empress to be so eager to kill me. Later, I realized it must be because of the Emperor's previous promise to you. She must have changed her plan. I guess she originally just wanted to chat with me and then create an accident on the way back to distance herself."
Cui Yi sternly lectured, "Learn from this experience."
Chiyang cheerfully agreed, "Your Highness is right, I'll remember."
After Chiyang finished explaining, Cui Yi wiped his hands with a hot towel and began talking about his own experiences, "Earlier at Qingchun Palace, Consort Duan brought that Xie girl to His Majesty."
This was within Chiyang's expectations, so she smiled and asked, "Consort Duan must have prepped her well to leave a good impression on the Emperor."
Cui Yi snorted, his lips curling into a smile, "Paper cannot wrap fire. Following Master Bai's brilliant plan, she immediately revealed her true colors."
"Oh?" Chiyang could infer from Consort Duan's attitude that Xie Yuchan had been brought into the palace. Baili Zan was in the Wangfu, and he would be the first to know if Xie Yuchan disappeared. What intrigued her was what ingenious plan Master Bai had devised this time, "What did Your Highness say?"
Cui Yi proudly held up his thumb, "I told Father that I wanted Mother Consort Duan's servant Nongyue."
Chiyang was speechless, "Master's plan... worked well. His intention was probably to warn Consort Duan, and if he could expose Lady Xie, even better. However..."
Cui Yi cast a dissatisfied glance, "However, what? Say it."
Chiyang honestly said, "Does Your Highness not care that others might think you fancy a woman in her forties? Besides, Nongyue is actually the Empress's spy—Your Highness!"
Before she could finish, Cui Yi crushed the teacup in his hand.
In the Wu Wangfu, Baili Zan sneezed violently.
"Baili Zan!" Cui Yi gritted his teeth, ignoring the hot tea spilling all over the table, "He dared to trick me! Does he not want his smart head anymore?"
Chiyang hurriedly laughed and comforted him, "Your Highness, calm down. Master also considered the bigger picture. Moreover, how you handle her after bringing her back is up to you. If you find her disagreeable, you can send her far away."
Cui Yi was still furious, "What about my reputation?"
Chiyang looked at him sincerely, "Since Your Highness doesn't want to be Emperor, how much does reputation matter?"
Cui Yi was speechless, his face turning red. Chiyang giggled inwardly and continued to console him, "Your Highness should think of it this way: sacrificing your reputation has cut off Consort Duan's capable aide and removed the Empress's spy in Songya Palace. Isn't that worth it?"
"Wait," Cui Yi suddenly narrowed his eyes, realizing he missed a key point, "Nongyue is the Empress's spy?"
Chiyang nodded, "Without her help, Lingfang wouldn't have been able to see me. But I guess she sought self-preservation and joined the Empress. Consort Duan decided to sacrifice her to eliminate the child in my belly. I think she did it reluctantly. If she escapes the palace, she might be grateful to Your Highness and willingly serve you."
Cui Yi's eyes blazed with anger, "I can understand the Empress plotting against us, but Consort Duan—"
Chiyang calmly waved her hand, smiling, "Consort Duan also wants what's best for Your Highness. Who could blame her for targeting someone powerless like me, who's also related to the Crown Princess? Tonight, the Empress and Consort Duan's plans coincided. Fortunately, with Master's assistance, we managed to navigate through the dangers. One wrong step could have led to unpredictable consequences."
Cui Yi grunted thoughtfully, stroking his chin, "Given that, I'll let his head stay on his neck for now."
As the fourth watch approached, both exhausted from recounting their respective encounters, they stopped talking and went to bed.