The two of them had tussled from the pool all the way to the bed. Prince Shen remained tucked under the covers until late the next afternoon, showing no desire to rise. Eventually, a waiter arrived with a diligent air, bringing wine and food. Shen Tingjiao pulled back the bed curtains to glance at the spread; they were all his favorite dishes.
As the waiter arranged the plates, his tone was exceptionally respectful. "Please enjoy your meal, milord. Your esteemed wife left word earlier, saying that once you have finished eating, you should bathe and change. When the sun is less fierce at the hour of the Rooster, she will take..." He was a quick-witted fellow; realizing that the word 'take' might bruise the gentleman’s pride, he smoothly corrected himself. "...she will bring the fishing gear and accompany you for some angling."
Shen Tingjiao gave a soft grunt of affirmation and sat up. Last night’s "battle" had been far too intense; his waist still throbbed with a dull ache, and his body was covered in lingering, ambiguous marks. When Yin Zhuli lost herself in her passions, she truly lacked any sense of tenderness toward the "fragile flower" in her arms. Though it had been pleasurable at the time, he was certainly paying the price now. He reached out to lightly massage the sore spot.
At that moment, with the silk curtains partially drawn and the gauze veils fluttering, he sat with his thin inner robe half-open. His black hair cascaded over his shoulders like a waterfall, his lips were as red as ripening fruit, and his skin was like polished jade—a beauty without peer. As he frowned slightly, reaching to rub his discomfort, he possessed an ethereal grace and charm that defied description. The Tianlai Inn frequently hosted guests with female companions, and the waiter had seen countless beauties in his time, yet he stood there, utterly transfixed.
After a moment, the beauty on the bed raised his head and suddenly broke into a radiant smile. The sheer brilliance of it was almost suffocating. His voice was clear and gentle: "What are you looking at?"
It was a single sentence, yet it felt as bewitching and wicked as a draught of poison. The waiter broke into a cold sweat. Not daring to utter a word in response, he hurriedly bowed and scrambled out of the room, pulling the door shut tightly behind him.
Once Shen Tingjiao had finished his meal and freshened up, Yin Zhuli indeed returned. She pulled him into her arms, habitually checking his forehead with her hand. "Let’s go. Time to catch some fish!"
The Prince nodded, only then remembering his attendants. "Where are Xiao He and the others?"
"Mmm—" Yin Zhuli pecked his lips lightly, her voice laced with amusement. "I sent them ahead to Luoyang. It wasn't easy for us to get a chance to travel together as husband and wife; having them tag along would only spoil the fun."
What she left unsaid was that there were certainly Shen Tingyao’s spies among that group. With them around, the enemy would be in the dark while she was in the light; having to be on guard every second was simply too exhausting.
Prince Shen found this reason very much to his liking. He excitedly grabbed a fishing rod. "Let’s go, let’s go! Fishing!"
On the outskirts of Shanzhou, the willows were green and the flowers red under the slanting rays of the setting sun.
Traveling less than five miles south from the Tianlai Inn, they came upon a lake. The grass was a misty green, and wild birds left fleeting shadows across the water. The Prince’s mood brightened instantly. He jumped off his horse and began darting between the reeds and wild grass along the shore, searching for the perfect spot to cast his line.
There were already several other anglers present. Fearing the sharp reed leaves might scratch him, Yin Zhuli handed him the short flute from her waist and cautioned, "Be careful. If you scratch that face of yours, you won't be fit to be seen in public!"
"Master Yin?" someone called out softly. Yin Zhuli turned to see a few old acquaintances. She greeted them with a smile. "So it’s Chief Manager Hu. Oh, and Young Master Lan. Chief Manager Hu, you actually brought Tianyu out for a fishing trip? What fine spirits you're in."
This Young Master Lan was a famous opera singer from Luoyang. In this day and age, if the price was right, it was hardly surprising for an actor to sell both his art and his body. Prince Shen, however, was not pleased—the look Young Master Lan cast his way held a faint, inexplicable hostility, clearly marking him as a rival in the same trade.
Before Shen could speak, Young Master Lan looked toward Yin Zhuli and said wistfully, "No wonder Master Yin always claims to be busy. It turns out you have a new favorite."
Upon hearing this, the Prince flew into a towering rage. He grabbed Yin Zhuli with one hand. "Fine! You... you... you Yin person!"
Yin Zhuli pressed a hand to her forehead. "Young Master Lan, please do not joke." She turned to pull the Prince close, soothing him in a low voice. "I only listened to a couple of his operas in the past. I swear! Ah, and Chief Manager Hu was there that one time too!"
While she was explaining, Chief Manager Hu—Hu Xing—proved to be a wicked fellow. Seeing the beauty of the person by her side, his heart itched for mischief, and he immediately began to tear down her defenses. "How can Master Yin be so heartless? I recall that back then, for Young Master Lan’s sake, you once spent a thousand gold pieces just for a single smile, cradling him in the palm of your hand. To think you'd claim there's no friendship between you now..."
"What?!" The Prince seized her by the collar. The onlookers all looked as if they were enjoying a good show. Seeing the fire starting in her own backyard, Yin Zhuli didn't hesitate to pull him against her chest. She flashed a fist the size of a clay pot at Hu Xing, her meaning crystal clear.
Hu Xing kept a smile on his lips, his gaze fixed on the struggling Shen Tingjiao in her arms. He then uttered a sentence that left not a single tile standing in Yin Zhuli's domestic peace: "Master Yin’s eye for business is matched only by her eye for picking pretty boys. How about tonight..." Ignoring Yin Zhuli’s miserable expression, he pointed to the Lan youth beside him, then to the fuming Prince Shen. "Shall we swap?"
As a result, for the rest of the day, Master Yin kept her head down and focused on fishing, enduring a flurry of punches from the Prince without a word, a movement, or a flinch. Once the Prince grew tired of hitting her, he resumed his interrogation: "Tell me! What exactly is your relationship with that pretty boy surnamed Lan?!"
Young Master Lan looked quite indignant at being called a "pretty boy," but knowing he couldn't afford to offend Yin Zhuli, he remained silent. With Hu Xing still standing aside watching the comedy, Yin Zhuli said helplessly, "I’ll say it one more time: Lan Tianyu isn't a pretty boy; he’s a *nandan*."
The Prince was hardly one to listen to reason. "I don't care if he's a blue egg or a green egg! When did you two hook up?!"
Yin Zhuli rubbed her temples. "We never hooked up. I just watched a few of his shows and had drinks with him twice. Although I did book him for one night..."
The Prince’s eyes went wide with fury. "What? You even booked him for a night?!"
Yin Zhuli hurriedly tried to calm him down. "But I only touched his hand! I didn't do anything else!"
The Prince was now beyond consolation. "You even touched his hand!!"
Seeing that everyone else had their heads bowed, their shoulders shaking suspiciously, Master Yin pinned the Prince down onto the grass. "Shen Tingjiao, if you keep making a scene for no reason, I’m throwing you into the lake!"
Enraged, the Prince tried to kick her. She wouldn't let go, and he couldn't break free. In a fit of pique, he lunged forward and bit her. Yin Zhuli already had an injury on her arm; this bite didn't require much force for her to let go. "Shen Tingjiao, are you a dog?!"
The Prince refused to back down. "You bastard! The moment I look away, you're out picking wild flowers!"
Yin Zhuli switched to a gentler tactic, pulling him into her embrace. "My dear Prince, we finally got a chance to come out and have fun. Why get so worked up over nothing? What’s the point of quarreling like this all day?"
She lightly nibbled on his earlobe, sending a shiver through him, and whispered softly into his ear, "Besides, in terms of looks or singing talent, how could he possibly compare to my Prince? Even when it comes to bed skills..."
The fur the Prince had just smoothed down bristled all over again. "You even know about his bed skills!!!"
...
That night, Master Yin was ordered not to return to the room and was forbidden from the bed. Dejectedly, she sat alone by the lake, fishing in solitude. As the twilight deepened, she took the short flute from her waist, gutted a fat fish, gathered some dry branches to build a roasting rack by the shore, and began to cook.
She had learned a bit of culinary skill from the head chef at Penglai Residence. Though she wasn't a master, she knew the basics. Before long, the aroma of the fish filled the air. She brushed some salt over it, making it palatable enough to eat.
With no one around, being out in the open under the sky felt quite free and easy. She took a bite of the fish, and her mood began to lift again. A moment later, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Lan Tianyu, dressed in moon-white robes, walking toward her gracefully under the light of the stars and the moon.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 天来居 | Tianlai Inn | Literally "Heavenly Arrival Residence." |
| 胡幸 | Hu Xing | A Chief Manager/Merchant acquaintance of Yin Zhuli. |
| 蓝田玉 | Lan Tianyu | A famous male opera singer (nandan). |
| 男旦 | Nandan | A male actor who plays female roles in Chinese opera. |
| 粉头 | Pretty boy / Plaything | Historically a term for a prostitute; used here as a derogatory term for a male favorite or actor. |
| 酉时 | Hour of the Rooster | 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. |
| 申时 | Hour of the Monkey | 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. |
| 陕州 | Shanzhou | A historical prefecture in China. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Becoming the Queen by Serving as Prime Minister | Chapter 39 | A Past Encounter | Novela.app | Novela.app
