The Empress Dowager asked her to identify which she had personally embroidered. Wei Linxia examined each carefully, leaving only a mandarin duck design. When asked why, she explained that, though circular, it did not match the ancient “bi” character.
“Did you embroider these sachets for the Crown Prince?” the Empress Dowager asked.
Wei Linxia’s face reddened as she knelt, unable to meet her gaze.
“Good child, tell me the truth. I won’t blame you,” the Empress Dowager’s voice was soft.
Wei Linxia whispered, “This servant embroidered them. Please punish me.”
The conversation continues with the Empress Dowager gently probing Wei Linxia’s feelings for Xi Zhaoting, revealing complex emotional dynamics and social expectations of the time.
Later, Wei Linxia returns to Concubine Ren’s palace and encounters Xi Zhaoting looking thinner but composed, seemingly aged overnight. The passage explores themes of loss and unspoken emotions within the royal court.
Renfei’s illness lingered, and Wei Linxia was not allowed to leave the palace. Even during the season of lush grass, singing orioles, and blooming flowers, she felt uneasy. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager decided to go boating at the East Inner Carp Lake. Wei Linxia accompanied Renfei and discovered many young ladies from official families gathered around the Empress Dowager. Soon, Li Fei, rumored to have fallen ill during the Queen’s funeral, also arrived with Li Weihen. Usually talkative, she appeared unusually quiet today. After paying their respects to the Empress Dowager, Wei Linxia and Li Weihen were left behind.
Li Weihen softly called her “Sister Chenbi” and twisted her handkerchief listlessly. When Weilin asked if she was unwell, she remained silent.
As the boat neared Fanghua Garden, they saw Prince Huo with a group of young men. The young ladies whispered, curious yet hesitant to look directly. Weilin noticed two people: Mu Feiyun, her father’s student, and an unfamiliar handsome man with a wild demeanor that captured attention. The ladies soon began to discuss him.
Disembarking, Weilin kept her head lowered, confused by the Empress Dowager’s grand matchmaking event.
Boating and flower appreciation led to poetry composition. These young men were aware of the Empress Dowager’s intentions and eager to showcase their talents.
Weilin observed the Empress Dowager and Prince Huo as they read through poems and whispered to each other. Eventually, the Empress Dowager selected the best poem and summoned Wang Ling, the wild-looking man. Upon introducing his family, she recognized his confidence—he was from the prestigious Wang family of Langya.
The Empress Dowager praised him, and Wang Ling feigned humility while maintaining an air of self-assurance.
However, his expression soon changed to shock, as did everyone else’s, except for Prince Huo. Weilin instinctively looked at Li Fei and Li Weihen—Li Fei’s eyes burned with fury, while Li Weihen appeared aggrieved and on the verge of tears.
The Empress Dowager announced that Li Fei’s niece was virtuous and talented, and the top scholar was a match made in heaven. She would play matchmaker and unite them, indicating the entire elaborate event was merely to arrange a marriage for Li Weihen.
With the most handsome man now betrothed, the young ladies lost interest, and the flower appreciation event concluded hastily.
Returning to the palace in the afternoon, they heard that Li Fei had fallen seriously ill. Renfei went to visit her, and Weilin sat in Renfei’s palace, amused that the Li family had failed in their scheme.
When Renfei returned, a young eunuch followed her—one Weilin recognized as often accompanying Xi Zhaoting in the Eastern Palace.
“Drunk? Why would he drink?” Renfei asked. The eunuch whispered that the Prince had only started drinking after hearing about the Empress Dowager’s marriage arrangement. Renfei instructed him to care for the Crown Prince and prevent any mishaps.
That night, Weilin also couldn’t sleep—not entirely because of Xi Zhaoting. The Empress Dowager declared that the inner palace could not be without a mistress.
After discussions with Prince Huo and court officials, a royal decree was issued making Renfei the Queen. The grand ceremony swept away the sorrow of the late Queen. Formerly known as Renfei, now Queen Renfei, maintained a dignified smile and appeared completely recovered from her illness, allowing Weilin to request her leave from the palace.
Returning home, Lady Wei organized a lively coming-of-age ceremony for Weilin. Despite Weilin’s objections citing tradition to delay her hair-pinning, her mother insisted on finding her a suitable husband soon, personally arranging her daughter’s hair and praising her promising appearance.
To avoid mention of Mu Feiyun, Weilin retreated to a villa with her servants, using the excuse of heat. After two days, she missed Taiching and went to Fengshou Mountain to fetch her. Taiching was wandering with two young cranes she claimed were newly born. Finding them adorable and wanting companionship for her own cranes, Weilin persuaded Taiching to bring them home.
Taiching disliked the fragrant flowers that made her dizzy and moved to a courtyard filled with green plants. They spent their days bickering comfortably until one hot day in late June when Taiching suffered from heatstroke.
After Weilin administered two acupuncture treatments and returned to the room, she found the maids asleep when she was suddenly embraced from behind by an unexpected presence.
“You…” she began to speak but was immediately silenced.
“Don’t you like the palace? Why are you so afraid? Is this a game of feigned resistance?”
Weilin shook her head, unable to speak but still able to move. The face illuminated by the lamplight was distorted and menacing, instilling fear in her.
Her chin was ruthlessly pinched, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze, unable to ignore the anger in his eyes.
“Do you want to be the Crown Princess? Do you think you can take this position by getting rid of Heng’er with a few sachet tricks? Do you think you can do whatever you want just because the Queen Grandmother supports you?” Xi Zhaoting’s tone suggested he wanted to devour her alive.
Unfortunately, unable to speak, Wei Linxia could only shake her head.
“You think a few sewn sachets through Heng’er’s hand would move me? You think I would be angry at her small deception?”
Wei Linxia shook her head again, leaning against the table. She remembered the needle bag she had just put down, which might be useful against the red-eyed, alcohol-reeking Xi Zhaoting, who seemed beyond reasoning and could only be subdued by force.
While listening to Xi Zhaoting’s endless “Isn’t it?”, Wei Linxia carefully moved her hands to reach for the needle bag. Just as her fingers touched it, the scene before her started to spin.
With a “bang,” she crashed onto the bed covered with a cool mat. The hard bed hurt her, but what terrified her more was Xi Zhaoting standing by the bed, smiling wickedly, resembling playboys and flower thieves in martial arts novels.
She tried to endure the pain and jump off the bed, but Xi Zhaoting grabbed her and threw her back onto it.
“You like me so much, so I’ll fulfill your wish today!”
Wei Linxia groped around, finding only a pillow and a cool blanket. Without hesitation, she grabbed the pillow and smashed it towards Xi Zhaoting’s face. He caught it and said mockingly, “I’m being kind to you, so why are you acting like this?”
If you become mine, you can naturally go to the Queen Grandmother and secure the position of Crown Princess.”
I don’t want to be the Crown Princess. Wei Linxia opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
