Ajiao sat within the Jiaofang Palace, listening to the report from the Zhanshi. He informed her that the Emperor had taken a singing girl from the manor of Princess Pingyang and brought her into the palace.
The hand holding her needle faltered for a moment. After a long silence, she finally heard her own voice: "What were His Majesty’s instructions?" She was stunned, but only for a moment. After all, she was no longer the only woman in the palace.
As the Emperor currently had no heir, the Empress Dowager had petitioned the Grand Empress Dowager to openly select a group of *jiarenzi* from the various commanderies to enter the palace. There were already four women who held official titles.
The Zhanshi carefully observed the Empress’s expression, lowering his voice as he replied, "His Majesty gave no specific instructions, only that Your Highness should handle the arrangements." He paused, his naturally shrill voice softening considerably. "Does Your Highness wish to see her?"
Ajiao sighed and set down the embroidery frame, where the stitches were already crooked and messy. "There is no need. Let the Prefect of the Yongxiang arrange things according to precedent. There is no need to report back."
She stood up, shaking off the bright sunlight that clung to her. The weather was beautiful, but her heart was not.
Her mother, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager had all told her to accept Liu Che taking concubines, yet she remained miserable—deeply, agonizingly miserable. By now, her acceptance had become a forced necessity. Those four titled women were the living proof of her being pressured to bow her head.
Though the Jiaofang Palace was vast and spacious, she felt as if she were suffocating. She tugged at her collar and stepped outside.
The attendants waiting under the eaves were struck with trepidation. Seeing the Empress about to step onto the stone path, they hurried forward to offer her wooden clogs. The clogs, carved with floral patterns, were beautiful and suited the Empress’s status, but as she stepped into them, she found them chillingly cold.
She turned and commanded a servant, "Go and fetch my wood-carving tools."
She wanted to do something. Perhaps she would carve something she liked. The peach tree in the courtyard was lovely; she might carve a peach blossom hairpin.
The servants looked at one another in confusion. After a moment, one replied, "Your Highness, you previously ordered that all the wood-carving tools be thrown away."
Ajiao froze again. She recoiled a few steps, her willow-leaf brows suddenly arching in anger. "Then go and procure a new set. Take my token and go now."
She enjoyed making small trinkets, but no one else liked it. Her mother disliked it, and Liu Che disliked it. They felt there was no need for her to do such things, and that it would only leave her hands covered in scars and calluses.
She pinched her slender fingers; she could no longer feel those old marks. Liu Che liked hands that were soft and boneless, hands he could hold and toy with, so she had to erase every trace of her hobby.
Ajiao sat under the eaves for a long time until the Prefect of Food arrived to set the table. Looking at the meal, which was more lavish than usual, she asked, "Is someone coming to dine?"
The Prefect of Food replied respectfully, "In response to Your Highness, His Majesty sent word that he would be coming shortly to dine with you."
Ajiao frowned. She did not know why Liu Che was coming, especially without reason. Could it be because she hadn't granted that new singing girl a title yet?
Her expression instantly turned cold.
Liu Che arrived quickly. Just as the final dish was placed on the table, he appeared.
The Emperor walked straight to Ajiao’s side and sat down, smiling. "The Empress looks unhappy?"
"I am not," Ajiao’s voice was icy. She felt a blockage in her chest, almost wishing Liu Che would lose his temper so they could have a proper, cathartic argument.
Liu Che’s brows leveled. He reached out to push aside several plates of sweets, signaling the servants to bring over the spicy dishes he preferred.
Ajiao pressed her hand down on a plate and said, "I like these."
Liu Che dismissed her concern. "I don't like them. They're too sweet, cloyingly so."
Having spoken, he looked at Ajiao with surprise. Her hand remained on the plate, and she looked even more displeased. He was bewildered—was she truly this angry over a few dishes?
He leaned closer to Ajiao, ignoring the presence of the servants, and pulled her into his arms. "My dear Jiaojiao, guess why I came today?"
"I do not know," Ajiao tried to pull away, but she couldn't break his hold.
Liu Che held her tighter and raised an eyebrow at Yang De-yi, who was waiting nearby. Yang De-yi hurried forward to present a small box.
Ajiao was feeling incredibly irritable. She shoved Liu Che with all her might, and Yang De-yi was caught in the crossfire. The box tumbled, and the candied fruits inside scattered across the floor.
Ajiao looked on blankly.
Liu Che was even more annoyed. He couldn't help but lose his temper. "Chen Ajiao, are you ill? You snap at me every few days. I went out of my way to buy these sweets for you from outside the palace, and now look! Fine, don't eat them!"
The Emperor flicked his sleeve to leave, but in his frustration, he stepped right onto one of the candied fruits. Unsurprisingly, his foot got stuck.
Liu Che: "..."
Ajiao couldn't help but burst into a "pfft" of laughter.
Shamed and annoyed, the Emperor pulled off his sock, sat back down, and rested his foot in Ajiao’s lap without a word.
Ajiao pushed it away. "Dirty."
Liu Che huffed. "You wash it. You're the one who let my foot get dirty by stepping on your candy in your palace. It’s only right that you wash it."
Looking at Liu Che’s behavior, Ajiao felt the heavy emotions in her heart sink even deeper.
The servants, naturally, could not let their masters continue bickering. A clever one had already brought over a basin of warm water. Liu Che took off his other sock and forced Ajiao’s hand to wash his feet before he finally lay down comfortably.
The food on the table was replaced with fresh dishes. The two finished their meal in a silence so profound it was stifling. Ajiao felt utterly miserable.
Liu Che took Ajiao out for a walk to aid digestion. He spent the time scolding her for her temper while also regaling her with stories of what he had seen outside the palace.
He didn't even avoid the subject of the singing girl.
"Eldest Sister certainly put in a lot of effort," Liu Che said, squeezing Ajiao’s hand with a smile. "Though she was a virgin, she already knows how to serve a man well. She looked quite good at the Princess’s manor, but once she entered the palace, I suddenly realized her looks are merely average."
The more Ajiao heard, the more her heart sank.
She remembered that when Liu Che first started favoring other women, he always looked at her with guilt. Not much time had passed, yet he now acted with total indifference, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She hated this "natural thing."
That night, Ajiao was not in the mood. Because of the day's events, Liu Che only took her once before holding her as they fell asleep.
In his half-conscious state, Liu Che suddenly heard a voice by his ear: "Ah Che, I want a child." He woke up instantly. Ajiao was propped up on the bed, looking at him with burning intensity.
He was startled by her gaze; she looked like a wolf eyeing meat. He wiped his brow and laughed, "What? You want more?" He was only eighteen, and his smile was a bit mischievous.
Though Ajiao wasn't one to act overly mature, she was usually very proud, maintaining a certain dignified distance even in bed. Seeing her like this was a novelty to him.
His fatigue vanished. He pulled her close, and they indulged in wanton pleasure once more.
The next day, news that the Emperor and Empress had not risen until nearly noon reached the Changxin Palace.
The Grand Empress Dowager patted Guantao’s hand and smiled. "Didn't I tell you? Don't interfere too much in the children's business. Look, everything is fine now!"
Guantao frowned, still worried. "Mother, you know Ajiao’s temperament. She has always loathed the Emperor taking concubines. That brat Pingyang... I’ve never treated her poorly, yet she does this!"
The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "You were close to the late Emperor; everyone is envious." It was a pity the current Son of Heaven was not her son, Liu Qi, and that girl Liu Ying was certainly no match for her Guantao.
The Empress Dowager brought Liu Ying to the Changxin Palace to pay her respects. It wasn't strictly necessary, but yesterday's events had left Wang Zhi somewhat concerned.
That Chen Ajiao hadn't made a scene was beyond her expectations, but it was a good thing. It saved trouble, though she still had to keep the Grand Empress Dowager appeased.
Three generations gathered in the Changxin Palace, each with their own hidden agendas. Guantao threw a few veiled barbs at Wang Zhi and Liu Ying, and thinking that Ajiao was fine and she had vented her frustration, she felt the matter was settled.
On the other side, the Emperor and Empress were in no hurry to get up. They played on the couch for a while longer before rising to wash and eat. Afterward, Liu Che returned to the Xuanshi Palace.
Ajiao sat in a daze for a moment before suddenly calling out, "The things I ordered yesterday—are they ready?"
***
Ajiao felt her life was like a pool of stagnant water, incapable of being stirred into even the slightest ripple. She seemed to be doing well with the "do not care" attitude her grandmother had taught her.
She could indeed watch those women bloom and wither. Her grandmother had said: let the Emperor be a ten-thousand-year pine and yourself a thousand-year apricot; why bother with the fleeting flowers and grass?
But when the news of Wei Zifu’s pregnancy reached the Jiaofang Palace, the world went black, and she collapsed.
When she woke, her personal lady-in-waiting was weeping as she spoke: Her mother, upon hearing of the pregnancy, had tried to kidnap the Wei woman’s younger brother to vent her rage. The Emperor had found out and was furious.
Without even stopping to put on proper clothes or shoes, Ajiao tried to run out. She knew the Emperor couldn't truly do anything to her mother, but her mother was such a proud woman; she feared her mother wouldn't be able to handle the Emperor’s defiance and rebuke.
Before she could even leave the Jiaofang Palace, another report arrived: Liu Che had promoted the Wei woman’s brother to Palace Attendant and granted him gold.
She felt dazed and asked, "And the Grand Princess?"
The servant kept her head very low. "The Grand Princess has left the palace and returned to her manor. She didn't even acknowledge the people the Grand Empress Dowager sent to intercept her halfway."
Ajiao felt as if she were going to faint again. She leaned on a servant and ordered, "Prepare a carriage. I am going to the Xuanshi Palace."
Pinching her own hand the entire way, she finally reached the Xuanshi Palace, but the Emperor was not there.
The Emperor had gone to see his first child.
Ajiao leaned against a wall, feeling the entire world spin. She tried to steady herself, but everything she saw was a blur of chaotic colors, and her head felt as if it were splitting open.
"Go to the Emperor. Where is that woman staying? Go," she commanded.
The Emperor was stroking Lady Wei’s stomach, his eyes filled with irrepressible joy, when someone suddenly announced the Empress’s arrival.
Liu Che froze for a moment. He didn't speak, and the joy on his face cooled. It was just a child in the harem, yet his aunt had resorted to threats of violence. Did she intend to emulate Empress Lü and forbid any other woman from having children?
As he pondered, he saw Ajiao walk in. Her face was deathly pale. He was startled and hurried over. "Jiaojiao, what is wrong?"
His heart softened for a moment; he felt that his aunt’s actions shouldn't be held against Ajiao. After all, she had always been the one mediating for him with the Grand Empress Dowager.
Wei Zifu’s expression dimmed. She projected an aura of delicate helplessness, even shrinking back slightly at the sight of the Empress.
"I am fine, just a bit tired." Ajiao looked up, trying her best not to look at the woman reclining on the bed.
Liu Che finally smiled. "That is good. You must take care of your health as well. Jiaojiao, come see my child. Come, feel it." Liu Che took her hand to touch the belly that had not yet begun to show.
Ajiao stiffened. Liu Che also paused.
The joy that had just returned to his heart cooled once more. "What did Jiaojiao come here for?"
"Ah Che, my mother has always been proud. Since she had a conflict with you this time, she must be feeling terrible. You have already rewarded the others; can you not send someone to comfort my mother? Give her some face in front of the public." Ajiao gripped Liu Che’s hand in return.
Liu Che’s eyes were full of disbelief. "Jiaojiao, do you know what you are saying?"
"Ah Che..." Ajiao felt the dizziness returning. Liu Che’s image was doubling before her eyes.
"Since my aunt disregarded my face to do such a thing, she cannot blame me for not giving her face. Jiaojiao, I know this has nothing to do with you. Go back and rest." Liu Che turned his back on Ajiao, refusing to look at her.
Anger flared within him—Ajiao had actually taken a side against him. She had stood against him for the sake of someone else.
"Ah Che!" Ajiao tugged at Liu Che’s sleeve.
"There is no need for further words." Liu Che shook her off.
"Ah!" A scream erupted from Lady Wei behind them.
Liu Che spun around to see Ajiao had collapsed right onto Wei Zifu’s legs. His heart skipped a beat; he thought to himself that it was a relief she hadn't hit the stomach.
"Your Highness! Your Highness! Her Highness has fainted again!"
"Again? What do you mean, again?" Liu Che asked in shock and suspicion.
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