The following day, Prince Fulu, Shen Tingjiao, learned of Yin Zhuli’s severe illness and came specifically to visit.
The head of the Yin family was sprawled facedown on her bed. She dismissed her maids and tilted her chin slightly. "Sit."
Shen Tingjiao took a seat on the low stool by the bed. For a moment, the two of them simply sat there in awkward silence. Eventually, Yin Zhuli couldn't bear it anymore. She lifted a corner of her brocade quilt. "If you aren't leaving yet, come up and lie down with me. Don't just sit there and disturb my rest."
Shen Tingjiao hesitated. "This... would be a breach of etiquette, wouldn't it?"
Yin Zhuli didn't care in the slightest. "Merchant families aren't so stifled by rules. Otherwise, how could you have entered my private chambers at all?" Seeing his continued hesitation, she lowered her voice. "Qingwan and the others are outside keeping watch."
Shen Tingjiao unfastened his cloak, leaned over to remove his shoes, and climbed onto the bed to lie facedown beside her.
Yin Zhuli reached out and shared a portion of the quilt with him. For a time, the only sound in the room was the faint crackle of the charcoal fire. Shen Tingjiao mimicked her posture, crossing his arms to rest his chin on them. His voice was a bit muffled. "Zhuli, do you think I'm very useless?"
Yin Zhuli let out a low chuckle. "In the royal family, being useless is a good thing. Look at your brothers—which of them isn't a paragon of civil and martial talent, a dragon among men? And how did they end up?"
Shen Tingjiao stiffened, finding no words to refute her. After a long while, he actually rolled over and fell asleep. Being so close, Yin Zhuli watched his sleeping face. It had lost its usual arrogance and its recent dejection, appearing peaceful and serene. Bored out of her mind, she reached out to touch him, finding his skin even more delicate than a woman's.
She traced the contours of his cheek with her finger. Seeing his cheeks flushed like rosy clouds and his lips as red as cinnabar, her lustful heart was suddenly stirred.
Seeing how deeply he slept, she felt a stroke of luck—just one bite, a tiny little bite. He shouldn't wake up, right?
She moved toward him slowly, ignoring her old injuries as she propped herself up and leaned over, pressing her lips directly onto those bright, full, cinnabar lips. The sensation was softer than she had imagined. She tasted them gently, but without warning, the little Prince opened his eyes.
He was dazed from sleep at first, looking confused, then shocked, and finally, he exploded in a towering rage. Yin Zhuli was also startled, feeling a secret pang of regret—she had said only one tiny bite, yet she had somehow taken two!
Greed truly leads to ruin!
Shen Tingjiao and Yin Zhuli had known each other for years. They had fought crickets together, drank together, frequented restaurants and brothels together, and committed no small number of petty mischiefs. He knew she was always wild and unrestrained, but this was the first time she had done something so outrageous.
He suddenly remembered that she enjoyed calling for a courtesan named Yaoqin from Guangling Pavilion to play the zither and sing. Feeling as though he were being treated like a common male prostitute, he shook with rage and immediately struggled to get up.
Yin Zhuli was terrified that his commotion would draw others. If Old Madame Yin found out, another hundred lashes would surely kill her! Ignoring the pain in her back, she hurriedly pinned his hands above his head. "A mistake! It's a misunderstanding, Shen Tingjiao! Don't scream!"
Unable to break free after a long struggle, Shen Tingjiao's fury reached its peak. He opened his mouth to shout, "Yin—"
The head of the Yin family reacted instantly. Seeing the situation, she immediately buried her face and kissed his lips again, swallowing his unfinished words. This time the kiss was deep, their lips and teeth entwining. Shen Tingjiao felt this scoundrel’s tongue was like a clever snake, nimbly darting past his teeth; there was no way to dodge it.
Dizzied by this sudden, deep kiss, Shen Tingjiao’s struggles weakened. After a moment, seeing that he was no longer moving, Yin Zhuli propped herself up again, still looking down at him from above.
Shen Tingjiao’s face was flushed crimson, adding a touch of seductive beauty to his features. He wrenched his hands free from her grip and wiped his lips with his sleeve, his eyes burning with a fierce fire. "Yin Zhuli, you scoundrel! You rogue! You hooligan!"
Feeling guilty, Yin Zhuli lowered her eyes and remained silent, letting him curse her.
The little Prince was still unsatisfied. "I am going to tell Old Madame Yin right now!"
Hearing this, Yin Zhuli didn't stop him. She let him go and sprawled back down on the bed. "Go ahead. Shen Tingjiao, if you feel you can face me after everything, then by all means, go!"
The little Prince, who had jumped a distance away to put on his shoes, froze at her words. Yin Zhuli adopted the air of a dead pig that didn't fear boiling water. "My monthly allowance is two hundred taels, and at least a hundred and eighty of that is spent on you. You put your restaurant bills on my tab, your gambling debts on my tab, and even buying a damn cricket is put on my tab! When you were beaten by Consort Dowager He and ran away from home to wander the streets, I was the one who picked you up and treated your wounds. When you were harassed by street thugs, I was the one who fought for you. In the dead of winter, when the water turned to ice, I knelt in the ancestral hall for an entire night because of it. You liked that girl from the Qu family, and to sneak you into the Qu Manor to meet her, how many times did I fight Qu Tianji’s two sons and his household guards? And then there's this!"
She pointed to the wound on her back, her voice growing more righteous as she spoke. "Do you know how I got this wound? You were acting like your life was over because of Qu Lingyu. You didn't die, but I lost half my life, do you know that? Your royal brother sold you to me for the price of five hundred thousand piculs of top-grade military grain. Five hundred thousand piculs! Even if you were made of solid gold, you wouldn't be worth much more than that! And the result? I still have to accompany you into the palace to endure Consort Dowager He’s attitude! So I kissed you once—so what? Is your face some tiger’s backside that can't be touched? If you think your conscience is clear, then fine, Shen Tingjiao. Go tell my mother. At most, I'll take another hundred lashes. Twenty years from now, I'll be a hero again!"
As the saying goes, "one's mouth is soft after eating another's food." Shen Tingjiao had intended to walk out, but his resolve wavered upon hearing this. After hesitating back and forth, he finally stomped his foot and left with a face full of fury.
Seeing him leave, Yin Zhuli breathed a massive sigh of relief. Fortunately, this fellow was easy to fool. If he really had snitched to her mother, another thrashing would have been unavoidable.
Recalling the moment just now, she felt she had lost out. Had she known, she would have kissed him a few more times; she had him pinned down anyway. *Sigh, being polite when I shouldn't be, and being bold when I should be polite. How vexing!*
Footsteps sounded outside as Qingwan entered the room. "Master, what did you do to the Prince this time? He just left in a huff!"
Yin Zhuli winced. "Go call Ke Tingfeng over. What kind of bandage did he put on this wound? It definitely tore open again. He can't even handle a minor injury, yet he dares call himself the Ghost Doctor... Is he some quack from the grasslands or something?"
***
The Ninth Prince began a cold war with Yin Zhuli; it was evident he was truly angry this time. He didn't visit the Yin estate for an entire month. That wasn't strange, but what was strange was that he hadn't visited Guangling Pavilion for a month either.
With her injuries, Yin Zhuli lacked the strength to go on her usual rounds. She stayed at the Yin estate checking accounts and carefully inspecting the samples of cloth, silk, embroidery, and wine sent by various houses. Consequently, the two of them didn't see each other for a month.
In the first ten days of the first month, General Qu Tianji returned to the capital with his army. Accompanying the army was the second prince of the Da Yuezhi Kingdom, who had come to sue for peace. Shen Tingyao personally accepted the letter of surrender. Da Yuezhi officially declared its submission to Da Xing, becoming a vassal state.
The King was greatly pleased and set the official date for the Queen's investiture for the eighth day of the second month. As early as the beginning of the first month, the Ministry of Rites had prepared the Six Rites—the proposal, the inquiry of names, the divination of luck, and the sending of betrothal gifts—leaving only the wedding date. Shen Tingyao was a cruel man; he specifically appointed the Prince of Fulu, Shen Tingjiao, to go to the Qu Manor to welcome the bride on his brother's behalf.
On the eighteenth day of the first month, Shen Tingyao held a grand victory banquet in the palace to reward the three armies. Normally, Yin Zhuli would not have been qualified to attend such a banquet. However, firstly, she was about to marry into the royal family, and secondly, the Yin family had contributed five hundred thousand piculs of military grain to General Qu’s pacification of the Northwest—a truly monumental contribution. Thus, she also received an invitation from the palace.
Of course, given Shen Tingyao’s nature, this invitation didn't come for free. Eunuch Huang came to discuss matters with the head of the Yin family: it was the middle of winter, and the palace lacked beautiful flowers and scenery. If they wanted to create a lively atmosphere, they would need the Master to provide some ideas.
Yin Zhuli sighed softly. Throughout history, emperors were praised with titles like "Civil," "Martial," "Virtuous," or "Benevolent." If Shen Tingyao were to pass away in the future, she wondered if the word "Stingy" could be written in his records.
In the Imperial Garden, Yin Zhuli directed the palace eunuchs to place various silk flowers and wrap the pines, cypresses, and bamboo trees with brocade. she had brought several jade trees from the Yanruyu Jade Shop and ordered the eunuchs to plant them in white jade pots and place them before the arched gates.
Though it lacked the breath of life, with the people of Da Yuezhi present, it was only proper for the royal gardens to appear opulent.
Yin Zhuli stood by the Penglai Pond. The surrounding willows were withered, and the evergreens grew in thick clusters. Nearby, the calla lilies were in full bloom. Yin Zhuli was amazed by the gardeners' cultivation methods, which allowed flowers that were naturally sensitive to cold to bloom so vibrantly. She leaned down to look at a large bud when she suddenly sensed someone approaching behind her. Turning around, she saw Shen Tingyao dressed in his golden imperial robes.
Yin Zhuli frowned slightly but still bowed. "Peace be upon the King."
Shen Tingyao leaned down to help her up, his fingers gripping her arm with slight force. "In the past, you weren't so formal with me."
Yin Zhuli gave an awkward smile. "In the past, this commoner was reckless. Besides, back then, Your Majesty was not yet the King."
Seeing her impenetrable expression, Shen Tingyao felt a mix of complex emotions. Seeing no one else around, he finally whispered, "Are you blaming me for breaking the promise of those years?"
Yin Zhuli suddenly remembered that year, when a small child had clenched his fists and said stubbornly, "What is so good about Qu Lingyu? How can she compare to even a fraction of Zhuli?"
Her smile remained unchanged. "Your Majesty overstates the matter. How can childhood jests be taken seriously?"
Shen Tingyao pulled her closer by the arm, a hint of pain appearing in his eyes. "Zhuli, I have my difficulties." His voice grew lower. "I know you would never be willing to enter the palace as a consort. Tingjiao... I know you have treated him like a younger brother since childhood. This... is indeed a grievance for you, but..."
The head of the Yin family smiled thinly. "Your Majesty, Eunuch Huang is looking for you."
Shen Tingyao froze and slowly released his hand. Eunuch Huang was indeed trotting down the white stone path. "Your Majesty, General Qu has entered the palace and is awaiting Your Majesty."
Shen Tingyao stood with his hands down, wearing his golden robe embroidered with nine dragons. The hem was stitched with gold thread depicting waves and mountains, symbolizing the unification of the realm. With a practiced smile, he said to Yin Zhuli, "The head of the Yin family has worked hard."
Yin Zhuli bowed slightly and said with exceptional respect, "Your Majesty labors day and night for the people of Da Xing. The Yin family has merely contributed a meager effort; how could we deserve such praise for hard work?"
Shen Tingyao seemed to let out a short laugh before turning to leave. Eunuch Huang followed closely behind him, glancing back at Yin Zhuli with an unreadable expression as they reached the corner.
Yin Zhuli stepped out of the palace gates. Her attendant, Tan Yue, was waiting with the carriage. She waved her hand. "Tan Yue, take me to the Prince of Fulu’s manor." She hopped onto the carriage, her voice light. "I just saw someone, and suddenly, I find myself missing our adorable Ninth Lord."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
窃玉偷香 | Stealing Jade and Fragrance | An idiom referring to illicit romantic trysts or stealing a kiss.
福禄王 | Prince of Fulu | Shen Tingjiao's title. "Fulu" means Good Fortune and Prosperity.
吃人嘴短 | One's mouth is soft after eating another's food | An idiom meaning that if you accept favors or benefits from someone, it's hard to speak out against them.
纳彩、问名、纳吉、纳征 | Proposal, Inquiry of Names, Divination, Betrothal Gifts | Four of the "Six Rites" (六礼) of traditional Chinese marriage.
大月氏 | Da Yuezhi | A historical/fictional nomadic kingdom.
颜如玉 | Yanruyu | The name of the jade shop (literally "Face like Jade").
蓬莱池 | Penglai Pond | A pond in the Imperial Garden, named after a mythical immortal island.
檀越 | Tan Yue | Yin Zhuli's attendant/groom.
