Lu Shuning tensed her back with her elbows tucked close to her ribs, daring only to glide forward on the balls of her feet by making sure the hairpins on either side of her head moved no more than an inch. She hadn’t worn such a long dress since she could remember with layers piled up at her feet, trailing half a li behind her, and even raising her foot slightly could trip her.
In fact, she didn’t even dare to breathe through her mouth, practically holding her breath as she shuffled beneath the main seat in Linhai Hall. She struggled to maintain a posture of lowering only her head without bending the back of her neck, bending at the waist without hunching her back, holding the teacup with both hands, and speaking in what she considered a perfectly respectful tone, “Shuning offers tea to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
Although Lady Wang was already over fifty, she remained striking; the fine lines on her face had not softened the cold, stern expression that had persisted for decades, still an unyielding slab of midwinter ice without even a single crack.
She did not deliberately feign deafness or muteness, nor did she ignore Lu Shuning; on the contrary, Lady Wang sat high up on the Phoenix seat before slowly accepting the tea and scrutinized this nominal granddaughter with the gaze of someone criticizing a crude country girl.
“At least you’re not moving your hands and feet together, but your posture is too clumsy. Go look at those coarse maids who stoke the fires; not one of them is as timid and ungraceful as you.”
Lu Shuning could only reply, “Yes,” then tried to straighten her neck a little, attempting to recall the necks of her grandmother, her aunt, and her mother—everyone seemed to meet the empress dowager’s standards, exuding effortless, natural nobility and grace.
When the empress dowager ordered her to “stay in the palace for a few more days,” Lu Shuning never expected to be confined for half a month, not only having to report to the Linhai Hall every day but also learning how to “be a Commandery Princess” under the supervision of a group of court ladies and palace women.
In her short seven years of life, the matter of “how to be a proper girl of the imperial clan” was a complete blind spot. She had been too young while in the capital, spending half her days being carried by various people, so of course there had been no talk of posture or etiquette; not to mention the three years in Yongzhou, where her mother never repeated, “Remember, you are a Commandery Princess of Great Qi,” as the empress dowager had been insisting these past few days.
Compared to her biological grandmother, Lady Wu, the empress dowager was utterly aloof; Lu Shuning could only restrain her nature, perhaps inadvertently revealing her fear, which led the empress dowager to mistakenly believe she was born timid and cowardly.
Her elder brother also had to come daily for the morning and evening greetings by kowtowing to the Empress Dowager, but Lu Shuning noticed that the Empress Dowager disliked him even more, scarcely sparing him a glance. Yet Lu Shuqing’s conduct was proper in all situations; no matter how he was challenged, he never made the slightest mistake, acting almost like a perfectly rehearsed puppet with strings pulled from behind. When the Empress Dowager could not find fault with him, she disliked him even more, while he became even more flawless.
Lu Shuning usually had to stay at the Linhai Hall almost until evening before being allowed to return, but today her imperial uncle suddenly arrived, and her training was temporarily suspended.
This was the second time she had seen this uncle since returning to her homeland.
Unlike her grandmother, aunt, elder brother, and even her father, relatives she had been with day and night, whose years of absence could easily be bridged by half an hour of close conversation, Lu Shuning had only met Lu Lingzhang a few times in total, and naturally felt far more nervous.
When Lu Lingzhang saw her, he specially exchanged a few pleasantries, granted her permission to sit, and then asked, “Have you lived a hard life being away from the capital all these years?”
Lu Shuning was stunned, then immediately put on an aggrieved expression, timidly nodded, and said nothing.
Lu Lingzhang stared fixedly at her; this look was different from Lady Wang’s direct coldness; it held no emotion and could even be described as peaceful, but it made Lu Shuning feel even more uneasy, as if thorns were pricking her back.
“You don’t need to be afraid.” Lu Lingzhang suddenly smiled, reached out, and stroked her head. “Zhen even thought that at least with your mother by your side, you could live a better life.”
Lu Shuning was startled to hear him mention her mother; her heart pounded like a drum, and after stammering for a long time, she quietly said, “Mother is very busy… he doesn’t look after me. And he doesn’t pay much attention to me either.”
Lady Wang’s voice rang out, “Busy?”
Lu Shuning gritted her teeth. “Busy making a living. Whenever I try to see him, he either says nothing and pretends not to notice me, or he scolds me and tells me to stay away.”
Lu Lingzhang widened his eyes slightly. “What did he scold you about?”
Lu Shuning said, “He said… he said my father is a heartless man, my elder brother is an ungrateful wretch, and that everyone with the surname Lu is a leech, deliberately singling him out to torment and suck his blood…”
Lady Wang and Lu Lingzhang exchanged glances; the latter pondered for a moment, asked no further questions, and only spoke gently to Lu Shuning, “Just treat the palace as your own home, and stay here safely and comfortably.” He then turned to Lady Wang. “Qing’er will be finishing his studies soon, let’s stop here for today.”
Lady Wang then waved her hand, giving Lu Shuning the order to leave, “You may go. Keep the things you were taught revolving in your mind. Come back again at this time tomorrow; I will test you.”
Lu Shuning meekly agreed, performed her courtesy, and awkwardly stumbled as she withdrew. Only the mother and son remained in the room, and Lady Wang then spoke softly, “Given his fierce temper, when he became angry, he even disregarded the late Emperor’s authority. It’s not surprising he harbors grievances, but I didn’t expect him to speak with such hatred.”
Lu Lingzhang watched Lu Shuning walk all the way around the screen wall of the Linhai Hall before saying, “The account records and treasury lists seized from the Xie family back then showed no large-scale financial dealings with Prince Zhao’s Mansion. Even the monthly allowance given to Xie Zhiwu was clearly documented, and it was a trivial sum. How exactly, then, was this ‘bloodsucking’ he speaks of carried out?”
Lady Wang thought for a moment and said, “I heard your uncle’s point is that he believes the downfall of the Xie family was entirely a trap set by Lu Lingcong, using him and his family as scapegoats. Besides that, what he seems most unable to swallow is being confined for ten years like a woman in the inner chambers, only to have even his children estranged from him in the end.”
Lu Lingzhang did not commit to an opinion, remaining silent for a while, then said, “With that mouth of his, isn’t it as easy as flipping one’s hand to turn black into white? We must test him with real swords and spears to see what his foundation is.”
The dishes and cups from dinner had already been removed by the palace servants. Lady Wu and Lu Lingzhen were casually chatting in the inner room. As spring deepened and the weather warmed, couches were placed on the veranda for people to cool off. Lu Shuqing sat cross-legged on one, piecing together a tangram puzzle by the light of the palace lamp, while Lu Shuning lay sprawled behind him, watching listlessly.
“I met Uncle at the Empress Dowager’s place today.” She suddenly said.
Lu Shuqing’s hand paused, “What did Uncle say to you?”
She recounted everything faithfully. Lu Shuqing chuckled upon hearing it and said, “It was quite detailed, but perhaps a bit over the top. Mother told you not to remember his kindness, only the times he was harsh with you. Why did you even make up such a story for him?”
Lu Shuning blinked her eyes: “In the Empress Dowager’s eyes, I am an unparalleled idiot. She would never believe I have the skill to make up lies to deceive her.”
Lu Shuqing fiddled with her hair ornament a few times, put away his smile, and said seriously, “I originally didn’t want you to worry about these things, but what happened today may not be the last time. So, you must remember that regarding Mother’s matters, especially the events in Yongzhou, if someone asks, you must answer with extreme caution. If you are unsure, you would rather remain silent.”
Lu Shuning stared back at him blankly, listening as he continued solemnly, “Life in the palace is difficult, but at least there is no danger to life. However, Father and Mother are outside the palace, and one wrong move could bring disaster upon the whole family.”
“Ningning, they have it too hard.”
Lu Shuning was silent for a while, then nodded, saying, “I’ve remembered that.”
Immediately after, she frowned, saying with confusion and annoyance, “But I really don’t want to go to the Empress Dowager’s place to learn those useless things anymore. Mother never taught me, what’s the point of it?”
Lu Shuqing thought for a moment: “I think, firstly, it’s because Mother knew someone would teach you sooner or later and he was happy not to worry about it; secondly, he also knows you are fierce only at home, you don’t dare argue with the Empress Dowager, but you dare argue with him. He fears trouble, so he simply didn’t teach you, saving himself from being the villain in your eyes.”
He knew that his mother was perhaps the person in the world who loathed formalities the most. The few times he could remember being forced to stay temporarily in the palace, Xie Jing inevitably drew one or two comments about “disregarding rules and defying etiquette,” which the Empress Dowager would bring up every now and then.
But for a child like Lu Shuqing, who had been accustomed to following rules since childhood, being occasionally unconventional was indeed full of novelty and fun for him. He still remembered one New Year’s Eve, when the entire imperial family was compelled to gather in Shenlong Hall to see out the old year. Relatives from near and far filled the hall in layers, drowsily listening as the Directorate of Ceremonial droned on, reading their long, tedious, and seemingly endless prayers.
He dared not let his eyelids droop and could only raise his sleeve to cover his yawn. While Lu Shuning, who was sitting next to him, had already tilted her head, completely overcome by sleep because she was too small.
Just as Lu Shuqing was about to wake her up, his mother suddenly crouched down and nimbly circled from the other end of the main hall to their seats, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a sly smile. Then, holding Lu Shuning with one arm and pulling him with the other, he bundled them both up and tucked them inside his thick greatcoat. The three of them, pushing, shoving, and huddling together, slipped in a single breath through the dense crowd of guests, successfully escaping Shenlong Hall.
His mother hid behind a pillar outside the hall and smiled broadly without a sound. After that night, Lu Shuqing never again saw that kind of genuine, heartfelt joy.
Later, they sneaked out of the palace city. His mother rode Yi Yun, carrying both of them to Nanshi Street, where they found a good spot to watch the fireworks. The three of them shared a bowl of steaming chicken soup wontons, bought roughly stitched tiger-head hats to keep warm and only returned in satisfaction at dawn.
As for their father, who had been forgotten inside the hall and really couldn’t get away, it is said that because his horse was gone and the carriage was missing, he eventually had no choice but to walk home, which was quite pitiful.
This incident naturally drew widespread condemnation both inside and outside the court, but just a few days later, the late emperor suddenly fell ill, and no one had the time to pay attention to them anymore.
“Alright,” Lu Shuning spoke up, interrupting his memory. “Then when exactly can I go home? When can I see Mother?”
“Don’t worry.” Lu Shuqing leaned in and glanced into the hall to confirm that no palace servants noticed them. He then jumped off the couch and beckoned Lu Shuning with his finger, “Follow me.”
He had been living in the West Side Hall of Mingluan Hall in the palace, which was originally his aunt’s residence. After Lu Lingzhen came of age, she moved to Hanzhang Hall to live alone following customs. Lu Shuning has been sharing a bed with Lady Wu these days, so it doesn’t feel crowded.
Lu Shuqing led his sister into the warm study where he usually read, closed the inner door, moved an embroidered stool next to the bookshelf, stepped onto it, and stretched his arm to fumble on top of the cabinet for a long time. Finally, he grasped a dusty scroll.
“I unintentionally found a few paintings at home last summer,” he said while unrolling one to show Lu Shuning. “I originally thought they were old artworks collected by Mother and I wondered why they weren’t kept in his study. Only after looking at them for a long time did I realize they weren’t paintings at all.”
The scroll contained an ink painting of a plum blossom, but it was a withered one with only one half-opened flower drawn slightly above the center. Scattered beneath the tree were several jars, clearly holding their family’s renowned Meishan Snow Liquor.
Lu Shuqing lightly traced the plum branches with his fingertips and explained, “This is a map of the Jinling water system. The dark ink draws the visible rivers while the light ink draws the underground rivers. Look at this thick branch on the west; that’s the Yangtze River. The slightly thinner one in the middle is the main channel of the Qinhuai River, and these small ones are the moats.”
Lu Shuning had no concept of Jinling and listened with a puzzled look. Lu Shuqing didn’t seem to truly expect her to understand either, only continuing, “The location of this flower is where two underground rivers converge. I especially went out of the palace to investigate on site. The two rivers flow past our house and our maternal grandfather’s house, respectively, and this point of convergence lies almost exactly halfway between the two residences.”
“So?” Lu Shuning urged.
Lu Lingzhen nodded, “I stayed by Mingluan Hall until the lights were put out before coming back. Have you seen Saosao come over?”
Lu Lingcong said, “No, he is busy reorganizing the new camp and has been living directly on Mufu Mountain these days.”
Lu Lingzhen clicked her tongue. “That’s eight thousand troops were formerly under your command. Now that you’ve openly fallen out with him, can they even obey his orders easily?”
“Naturally, they won’t submit, especially since he was calling many people in the military ‘brothers’ in Yongzhou just a while ago. Now that he’s turned against them, I hear the turmoil is severe.”
“Then you aren’t interfering?”
“I cannot show my face in this matter, or he won’t be able to command respect. When these eight thousand troops are put to use, it may not yet be the time for us to openly join forces, so it is safest for the authority to dispatch and command the troops to be firmly held in his hands.”
Lu Lingzhen sighed. “Very well, to business. The date for this year’s spring hunt has been set for the twenty-fifth of the third month. His Majesty intends… to take both children with him.”
Lu Lingcong narrowed his eyes, “It was fine for Qing’er, but Ningning could barely ride and know nothing about archery. Why is she tagging along?”
“Regardless, I will certainly look after her closely then. Remember to ask Saosao if there is anything to watch out for when you see him; he is the most meticulous and might understand His Majesty’s intention.”
As soon as Lu Lingzhen finished speaking, the sound of the night patrol guards’ footsteps came from not far away. The two exchanged glances before instantly disappeared and quickly vanished into the darkness.
