Chapter 10
Fu Ye continued practicing until nightfall. By then, it was past dinnertime, so he ate alone, and after finishing, he went to bathe.
His body was truly frail, his arms and legs were slightly swollen.
After bathing and returning to his chamber, he had just settled down with the hand warmer when he saw Shuangfu enter. “Your Highness, are you tired? Would you like someone to come and massage you?”
Fu Ye, feeling sore all over, nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Shuangfu turned around and clapped his hands. A beautiful palace maid entered.
Fu Ye froze, thinking they were going to send someone to massage him. But seeing such a beautiful lady, he felt embarrassed.
Shuangfu explained, “The Empress Dowager sent Madam Xiao Dian to serve the prince.”
The palace maid curtsied. “I am Xiao Dian, greetings, Your Highness.”
Fu Ye sat up, feeling a bit awkward but pretending to remain calm. “The Empress Dowager sent you?”
“Yes,” Xiao Dian replied.
“Are you from the Evening Court?”
“Yes,” Xiao Dian said as she took a few gentle steps forward.
Fu Ye gestured for her to stop and asked Shuangfu, “Can’t you do it?”
Shuangfu answered, “I can watch and learn from the side.”
Fu Ye turned to Xiao Dian. “I don’t like strangers touching me. Since it’s the Empress Dowager who sent you, you may sit. I have something to ask you.”
Qingxi, standing outside the door, heard this and had someone bring tea. He also provided a seat for Xiao Dian.
Xiao Dian was a bit confused but still sat down. “Your Highness, please ask.”
She had been keeping her head lowered earlier, but now, she raised it to look at Fu Ye. He was leaning against the pillow, one hand holding the hand warmer, the golden handle of it resting across his wrist. His other hand held a medical book. Having just bathed, his clothes were loose, revealing his collarbone, and his long hair was loosely hanging. He truly had a radiant beauty, much like the famed Lady Zhaoyang of the past, as rumors had said.
In the candlelight, he was so beautiful that it made her lose her composure.
Fu Ye set the medical book aside and asked, “How old are you, and where are you from?”
Xiao Dian hesitated for a moment before replying, “I am twenty-three this year, from Dangyang.”
“I’ve never been to Dangyang. What’s the scenery like there? Are there any famous sites?”
“Dangyang is just a small border town, with only a shrine to the Goddess, which is somewhat famous. I left there when I was four, so I don’t remember much.”
“Then how did you enter the palace?”
“My father was punished, and I became a servant in the Qi Prince’s household. After the Qi Prince was executed, I was taken to the Imperial Palace and placed in the Yeting. The Empress Dowager took notice of me and brought me into the Evening Court.”
“Which brother was the Qi Prince?”
Xiao Dian was momentarily silent.
Because Fu Ye was easygoing, the inner servants in the side hall had become much livelier than when they first arrived. Many of them were curiously sneaking peeks from the hallway.
And so, they overheard the prince chatting with the beautiful palace maid late into the night.
By the next morning, the news had already spread to the neighboring chambers.
The Inner Keeper reported the matter to Fu Huang.
Fu Huang didn’t respond directly. “He’s not too foolish yet.”
The Inner Keeper said, “The Empress Dowager may not be pleased, but in all honesty, the Sixth Prince really is quite similar to His Majesty.”
Fu Huang pondered for a moment and then said, “Send for him…”
The Inner Keeper waited for a while. “Your Majesty?”
Fu Huang, indifferent, said, “Go tell the Evening Court. I need a few more palace maids. Have them choose some and send them over.”
Today, Fu Ye was to continue rehearsing the ancestral rites. He guessed he would see the Empress Dowager later, so he asked Shuangfu, “Why did the Empress Dowager send Xiao Dian here yesterday?”
Shuangfu said, “This servant doesn’t…”
He looked up and saw Fu Ye frowning at him, so he hurriedly spoke honestly, “…The Empress Dowager probably thinks Your Highness is now of age and should have someone thoughtful to attend to you.”
It seemed that was the case.
“I’ve just returned.”
Shuangfu replied, “Usually, princes marry when they’re in their teens, but His Majesty has never married, and now Your Highness is over twenty. It’s time to get married. But it’s up to Your Highness. The Empress Dowager only sent someone to test Your Highness’s feelings—whether you accept or not, it’s entirely up to you.”
This was a difficult situation.
He didn’t like women!
So, Fu Ye cautiously asked, “Are there any men in the royal family who are inclined toward men?”
Shuangfu froze.
Fu Ye added, “If you dare speak of it, you’ll die.”
Shuangfu quickly shook his head. “This servant is loyal to Your Highness!”
After a moment, he quietly asked, “Your Highness, do you prefer men?”
Fu Ye fell silent.
Shuangfu continued, “There are many rumors about our dynasty. It’s said that Emperor Shizong was quite fond of men, and there’s even talk of him having a ‘hair burial’ ritual.”
Fu Ye loved hearing such ancient gossip and gestured for him to continue.
Shuangfu said, “Emperor Shizong had a beloved minister, whom he had known since childhood. They slept in the same bed and sat at the same table. Later, when that minister passed away, the emperor cut a strand of his hair and placed it in the coffin. Afterward, Emperor Shizong mourned so deeply that he fell ill and passed away himself, before the age of twenty. Emperor Shizong had no heirs and adopted Emperor Mingzong as his successor. And that’s how Your Highness’s lineage began.”
He was speaking when he saw Qingxi enter, so he immediately stopped and remained silent.
When Fu Ye finished changing and stepped out of the side hall, he saw that the Evening Court had brought a group of palace women into the neighboring courtyard.
Shuangfu seemed quite pleased that day, probably feeling that Fu Ye had shared a little secret with him and regarded him as a confidant. As a result, he served Fu Ye with even more attentiveness, which made Qingxi appear even more quiet and formal.
At twenty-nine, tomorrow would be the day for the ancestral rites, so Fu Ye had finished his training early that afternoon.
The Emperor had sent someone to summon him for dinner much earlier than usual.
Fu Ye put on his regular clothes and went. On the way, he saw the head of the Evening Court, a woman, coming out of Qingyuan Palace, crying. He asked, “What’s wrong, Lady?”
The head of the Evening Court bowed and forced a smile. “It’s just that I have an old problem, my eyes tear up when I face the wind.”
With that, she sniffled and left.
Over the past few days, Fu Ye had lost quite a bit of weight. His chin had become sharper, and since he was both hungry and tired, he finally stopped pretending in front of Fu Huang and began eating heartily.
When he ate so well, the Inner Keeper was very pleased and personally came to attend to him. Since Fu Ye had eaten well, even the Emperor had eaten a little more than usual.
It was well-known that the Emperor had the habit of eating in silence since childhood, never talking while eating. If he asked someone to sit at the same table with him, it was likely just a gesture of favor and reward.
After dinner, the palace servants came in to attend to Fu Ye. He rinsed his mouth, drank some tea, and then stood up to take his leave.
Eunuch Qin said, “Your Highness, best not to stay up reading medical texts tonight. You’ll need to rise at the hour of the Tiger tomorrow.”
Fu Ye smiled and cupped his hands in acknowledgment. “Understood.”
Having eaten and drunk his fill, he prepared to leave.
Watching Fu Ye’s relaxed and easygoing manner, Fu Huang became even more convinced that Eunuch Qin’s praise yesterday — claiming Fu Ye looked dignified and refined in court robes — was nothing more than the usual sycophantic exaggeration.
“Stop right there,” Fu Huang ordered.
Fu Ye turned back. “Does Your Majesty have further instructions?”
He straightened up immediately, hands lowered respectfully before him, his posture impeccably deferential.
Fu Huang almost found it amusing. He said to Eunuch Qin, “Have someone wait in the courtyard.”
Eunuch Qin stammered, “Ah? Oh—yes, Your Majesty.”
With that, he withdrew quietly.
Fu Huang threw on a cloak with little regard for appearances and walked outside. Fu Ye followed close behind. Once outside, he saw a line of beautiful palace maids standing neatly in the courtyard.
The snow had melted, revealing the bluish-gray paving stones. Not a single tree adorned the courtyard, making the place feel even more barren and lifeless than it had during the snowstorm. Dusk was falling, and the maids looked as miserable as mourners at a funeral.
Fu Huang said, “Pick one, whichever you like.”
Fu Ye was stunned: “!!”
He thought quickly. The matter with Xiao Tianshe — the palace official — had certainly reached the emperor’s ears. The Empress Dowager’s intentions were clear: whether or not it carried an implicit jab at the emperor, it certainly wasn’t a cause for celebration on his part.
At any rate, the Empress Dowager might have sincerely wished to please him, but Fu Huang definitely wasn’t being this generous out of the goodness of his heart.
If he pointed to a maid, would Fu Huang have that girl executed on the spot?
The thought alone made Fu Ye’s blood run cold.
Even if he were a straightforward man, he had no desire to marry or father children right now. His own life was hanging by a thread — any moment his real identity could be exposed, and he’d be killed. How could he, for a moment’s fleeting pleasure, drag someone else down with him?
He didn’t want a woman. He didn’t want a man either. He’d rather live out his days alone.
“Is Your Majesty granting me a marriage?” Fu Ye asked.
Fu Huang replied, “You’re past your coming-of-age ceremony. Time you had someone to attend to your needs.”
“I have Eunuchs. They serve me well enough,” Fu Ye said.
Fu Huang gave him a look. “So, you prefer eunuchs?”
Fu Ye spluttered, “…Of course not!”
Fu Huang continued, “I heard there’s one named Shuangfu by your side. Clever fellow. You two often share a bed for midnight chats?”
“That’s because I can’t sleep, so I talk to someone!”
Wait a second—how does he know all this?!
Fu Ye realized grimly that everyone around him was likely planted by the emperor.
Isn’t an emperor supposed to be busy? Why does he have time to meddle in these petty things?!
Fu Ye said, “I’ve only just returned to the palace. I have no plans to marry yet. Even when I do, it will have to be someone I truly admire.”
Fu Huang seemed unimpressed. After a moment’s silence, he said, “It’s said that since I ascended the throne, the Office of the Bedchamber has selected many beauties, likely because the Empress Dowager found the palace too barren and longed for grandchildren. Yet not one caught your eye. Truly, the Office of the Bedchamber has failed in its duty. Issue a decree: have the head of the Office go to the Empress Dowager’s palace and ask for punishment.”
Then he turned to the maids. “Which one is Xiao Tianshe?”
Trembling, Xiao Tianshe stepped forward and fell to her knees.
The wind stirred Fu Huang’s cloak. Under the deepening night, even Fu Ye thought he looked unnervingly grim and sinister.
Fu Huang gave Xiao Tianshe a cold, disinterested glance — as if to say she was nothing special.
Clearly, Fu Huang’s taste was questionable. No wonder the harem was empty.
After punishing the head of the Office of the Bedchamber — killing the chicken to scare the monkeys — Fu Huang seemed to lose all interest. He didn’t seem inclined to torment the palace maids further.
At Eunuch Qin’s urging, the maids hurriedly filed out. As soon as they stepped beyond Qingyuan Palace, their footsteps grew lighter, and some nearly wept with relief.
Fu Ye mused: given the current situation, it was only natural for Fu Huang to be wary of him. After all, as the designated heir, Fu Ye posed a real threat — and if he married and had children, that threat would only double in Fu Huang’s eyes.
Since there were already rumors of male lovers within the imperial court, being a “cut sleeve” prince didn’t seem like such a big deal. At least for someone like Fu Huang, who was already so highly strung, he probably wouldn’t be too shocked by it.
So Fu Ye said to Fu Huang, “Imperial Brother, I actually have no intention of marrying.”
Fu Huang stopped in his tracks and looked at him.
Fu Ye continued, “Truth is… I don’t like women.”
Fu Huang frowned.
Fu Ye lowered his head slightly, pretending to look shy. “Your humble brother… actually prefers men.”
The first thought that crossed Eunuch Qin’s mind was: Whatever happens, don’t let the Empress Dowager find out.
Otherwise, she would probably break down crying right there at tomorrow’s ancestral ceremony.
Fu Huang seemed genuinely surprised too. His brows furrowed deeper as he stared at Fu Ye, who stood there with his head bowed, ears tinged with a faint blush — a rare show of shyness so different from his usual demeanor. When Fu Huang didn’t respond, Fu Ye lifted his head. With his lively features, jet-black eyes, pale skin, and vivid expressions, he looked almost like a cunning little fox — it was hard to tell if he was being sincere or just playing a role.
After Fu Ye left, Eunuch Qin asked carefully, “Your Majesty, do you think… should we warn His Highness not to breathe a word of this to anyone else?”
Fu Huang remained silent, looking rather shaken.
Eunuch Qin, who had seen much in his life, wasn’t surprised. “Your Majesty has always been strict and restrained since youth, and not very close to the other princes. But the late Prince Qi and Prince Zhao… both had favored companions and beloved generals.”
Fu Huang turned his gaze toward him, his frown deepening.
Eunuch Qin lowered his voice. “His Highness is being honest with Your Majesty. And besides…” — his voice dropped even more — “isn’t it better if His Highness has no plans to marry? If he were to wed and have children, the Empress Dowager would surely…”
Fu Huang still said nothing.
Eunuch Qin sensed he needed time to process all this, so he quietly withdrew.
He hurried over to the side hall to instruct Fu Ye: no matter what, he must not tell anyone else.
Fu Ye replied sweetly, “I know. I only told Imperial Brother.”
Such a good boy!
Eunuch Qin was deeply touched and added more reassurances, “Actually, the late Prince Qi and Prince Zhao both had beloved attendants and favored generals…”
Fu Ye’s eyes lit up: “Tell me everything!”
Fu Ye loved this kind of royal gossip. He’d heard enough about ordinary people’s scandals; scandals from the noble houses were just so much more thrilling.
Eunuch Qin ended up staying in the side hall a long time before finally returning to the main hall.
When he did, he found Fu Huang visibly distracted, looking even gloomier than usual.
Eunuch Qin asked, “Is Your Majesty having a headache again? Shall I call the Sixth Prince over?”
Fu Huang murmured after a long pause, “That one… truly too shrewd, unlike any I have met.”
