Chapter 1
The Eighth Year of the Zhengde Era, Great Zhou Dynasty
The fourth lunar month, early summer, the day after the full moon (the sixteenth), morning.
A gentle rain pattered against the windows, birds fluttered beneath the eaves, and fallen peach blossoms carpeted the ground. The breeze carried their fragrance throughout the room.
Inside the bedchamber beneath its green glazed-tile roof, a maid dressed in pink gently hooked the bed curtains onto silver hooks. Another maid, dressed in blue, stepped forward with flushed cheeks to remove the disheveled bedding, replacing it with fresh quilts and neatly arranging them.
Afterward, the pink-clad maid carried away the water used for washing, while the blue-clad maid entered with her head lowered, holding a prince’s purple python-patterned robe. She approached a woman dressed in a white nightgown and stood obediently behind her.
The woman in white had a slender, willow-like figure and glossy black hair that fell straight to her waist. Wearing nothing but a simple white nightgown, she looked as though she had only just risen from bed and had yet to wash or dress. She was Zhao Qingzhi, Princess Consort Jing, daughter of a concubine-born son of the Duke of Qin.
At that moment, she stood behind someone, arranging her hair. The strands seemed to obediently gather beneath Zhao Qingzhi’s slender fingers. Taking the silver crown offered by the maid, she deftly secured the hair in place with a silver hairpin.
“My beloved consort is getting better and better at arranging my hair.” The person glanced in the mirror and offered a heartfelt compliment before rising and pulling Zhao Qingzhi into her arms.
This person was none other than Prince Jing of Great Zhou, Jiang Jingqiao, the youngest daughter of the current Empress Dowager and the younger full sister of the reigning emperor. Back when she was preparing to leave the imperial palace and establish her own residence, the late emperor had asked whether she wished to marry into another household or take a wife herself. Jiang Jingqiao, who was still the Seventeenth Imperial Princess at the time, had stood in the great hall and loudly declared that she wanted to be a prince. With a stroke of his imperial brush, the late emperor granted her wish and bestowed upon her the title of Prince Jing.
In Great Zhou, marriages between two women or two men were neither particularly remarkable nor shocking. As long as both families consented, such unions were perfectly proper and legal, though they remained relatively uncommon.
“Your Highness, the maids are still here.” Zhao Qingzhi pried the hand away from her waist and turned to retrieve the princely robe, only to be embraced from behind by Jiang Jingqiao.
Jiang Jingqiao leaned closer and planted a kiss beside her ear. Her bright eyes swept across Zhao Qingzhi’s fair neck, which was covered in the marks she had left the previous night. Pleased with her handiwork, she laughed. “So what if they’re here? Even if they had ten times the courage, would they dare watch this prince being affectionate with her beloved consort?”
Zhao Qingzhi turned her head and gave Jiang Jingqiao a calm glance before slowly parting her lips. “Your Highness, it’s getting late. You should be entering the palace.”
Looking into those unruffled eyes, utterly devoid of affection, Jiang Jingqiao slowly released her. The warmth burning in her heart was instantly extinguished, as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over it. They had been married for several years, yet she had never managed to warm Zhao Qingzhi’s heart. Zhao Qingzhi could calmly share her bed, bear a daughter with her, and faithfully fulfill every duty expected of a princess consort, but she had never been willing to surrender her heart.
“Fine, fine. Whatever you say.” Jiang Jingqiao tugged at the corners of her mouth, resuming her usual carefree, unruly expression. She extended her arms and allowed Zhao Qingzhi to dress her in the princely robe, though it felt as if another piece of her heart had just been carved away with a knife.
With lowered eyes, Zhao Qingzhi fastened the belt around Jiang Jingqiao’s waist. Then she moved in front of her, took a jade pendant and a scented sachet from the nanmu wooden tray held by a maid, and carefully attached them to her belt.
Once everything was properly arranged, Zhao Qingzhi took a step back and stood respectfully to one side without saying another word.
Jiang Jingqiao watched her in silence. Every time she saw Zhao Qingzhi behaving so distantly, it left her deeply frustrated. This cold demeanor was certainly a far cry from how she had behaved in bed the previous night!
Jiang Jingqiao sighed inwardly, then put on another smile. Walking over to Zhao Qingzhi, she said cheerfully, “I’ll sneak back at noon to have lunch with my beloved consort. Will you wait for me?”
“The Great Khan of Qing is visiting. Your Highness should concentrate on accompanying him at the palace. There’s no need to concern yourself with matters at home.” Zhao Qingzhi took a small step backward, putting some distance between them.
“How am I supposed to enjoy my food while looking at that scruffy, bearded fellow? I’d much rather eat a simple meal with my beloved consort. Even the plainest food would taste delicious to me.” Jiang Jingqiao picked up her fan and used it to lift Zhao Qingzhi’s chin. Who said a woman had to possess an overtly seductive appearance to captivate someone’s heart? Her princess consort had a delicate, refined face, yet those eyes held a bewitching allure that seemed capable of sinking deep into a person’s bones. Unfortunately, those eyes had never once softened for her.
Recalling their passionate intimacy the previous night, Jiang Jingqiao felt some of her frustration dissipate, and the corners of her lips lifted. She refused to believe that she would never win Zhao Qingzhi’s heart in this lifetime. Taking a step closer, she leaned toward her ear and whispered with a smile, “I still think my beloved consort is much more enchanting at night than during the day.”
At those words, a rosy blush instantly spread across Zhao Qingzhi’s previously tense face. The sight put Jiang Jingqiao in an excellent mood. “Hahahahaha! Lanke, let’s go!”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Lanke, Jiang Jingqiao’s personal maid, had been keeping her head lowered, doing her utmost to make herself invisible. Upon hearing the command, she hurriedly curtsied to Zhao Qingzhi before following Jiang Jingqiao out of the bedchamber.
Zhao Qingzhi was burning with embarrassment and indignation, but she still followed the proper etiquette, slowly turning toward the doorway and giving a slight curtsy. Her voice carried a hint of helplessness. “Farewell, Your Highness!”
“No need for that! Hahahaha!” Jiang Jingqiao strode out of the bedchamber and made her way down the long corridor, exuding an air of spirited confidence with every step. Her eyes were dark and bright, sparkling like stars, and her features were handsome and refined. Unfortunately, her personality made it impossible for anyone to appreciate even the slightest trace of that beauty.
By then, the rain had stopped, leaving the air wonderfully fresh. Jiang Jingqiao followed the corridor through a moon gate and stopped beside a red-lacquered wooden pillar near the entrance to the front hall. She took two deep breaths, but her frustration got the better of her, and she raised her foot to kick the pillar. Unfortunately, she misjudged the force of her kick and hurt her foot instead. Clutching her right foot, she hopped around on the spot for quite some time.
Lanke glanced at Jiang Jingqiao and struggled to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. Stepping forward, she offered a seemingly earnest word of advice. “If Your Highness has grievances weighing on your heart, you should simply speak them aloud. Why go so far as to hurt yourself?”
“Why can’t I win her heart? Lanke, tell me, even if her heart were made of iron and stone, shouldn’t it have softened after all these years? We even have a daughter together! Sure, I teased and played tricks on her when she first married into the household, but afterward, wasn’t there a single day when I didn’t treat her like a precious treasure? Who is she putting on that distant expression for all day long? In what way am I inferior to that Song Ziyou? So what if he can compose a few flattering poems? Is that really enough to make her pine after him endlessly? She doesn’t even stop to think about how the Song family treated her back then!” Standing beneath the pillar, Jiang Jingqiao furiously fanned herself, clearly still seething with anger.
Lanke stood nearby without saying a word. She had heard these complaints so many times that her ears were practically growing calluses. Stealing a glance at her prince, who looked ready to explode with rage, she thought, If you’ve got the nerve, go shout all that at the princess consort! What good does standing here and howling about it do?
Lanke stepped forward with a smile. “One day, the princess consort will surely understand how good Your Highness has been to her. Your Highness, we’d better hurry to the palace. If you’re late, His Majesty will have a difficult time explaining it to the assembled officials.”
After venting her anger, Jiang Jingqiao felt considerably better. Hearing Lanke’s reminder, she hurriedly left the residence and, accompanied by her personal guard Gao Qingyan, rushed toward the imperial palace.
Meanwhile, inside the bedchamber, the maid Mengqing had finished helping Zhao Qingzhi dress. She wore a long lotus-pink brocade gown, its hem embroidered with clusters of pure white plum blossoms. Her hair was arranged in a flowing-cloud coiffure adorned with a golden dangling hairpin, lending her an air of dignified grace and elegance.
Zhao Qingzhi now sat properly at the round table, eating breakfast, while her personal maids, Mengqing and Mengjie, stood on either side, serving her food.
“Your Highness, the nursemaid has sent word that the little princess is awake. She would like to know whether she should bring her over for Your Highness to see.”
Only at the mention of her daughter did a faint smile appear on Zhao Qingzhi’s face. She replied gently, “Have the nursemaid take her to the garden to play. She can bring her over when I return at noon.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The maid acknowledged the instruction and withdrew.
After finishing breakfast, Zhao Qingzhi left the prince’s residence with Mengqing and traveled by carriage to Peach Blossom Garden.
Peach Blossom Garden was an elegant and tranquil place where young ladies and gentlemen from prominent families often gathered in groups to enjoy themselves. Some composed poetry or music, others danced gracefully, while still others amused themselves with games of chess.
However, because of the fine drizzle that had fallen that morning, the garden was rather deserted today.
Standing beneath a peach tree, Zhao Qingzhi blushed as she tugged the cloak fastened around her neck a little higher, attempting to conceal the kiss marks beneath it.
Noticing this, Mengqing whispered, “Your Highness, you’re only meeting your elder cousin from your maiden family today. It shouldn’t really matter.”
“It’s still rather embarrassing.” Zhao Qingzhi’s voice was as soft as silk beneath the peach tree, so faint it was almost inaudible.
Hearing this, Mengqing remarked, “His Highness really is too much. She knows perfectly well that the weather is too warm for high-collared dresses, yet she still insists on teasing Your Highness like this.”
Zhao Qingzhi glanced at her personal maid and gently warned, “You mustn’t gossip about His Highness behind her back.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Mengqing curtsied in acknowledgment.
“Third Sister!” A clear, melodious voice, sweet as a songbird’s call, came from outside a private room ahead. Zhao Qingzhi turned toward the sound and saw her elder cousin, Zhao Ziyou. Smiling, she walked gracefully toward her. “I’ve kept you waiting, Elder Cousin.”
“I only arrived a little while ago myself.” Zhao Ziyou smiled faintly, a flash of hatred passing through her eyes before vanishing just as quickly. She took Zhao Qingzhi’s hand and led her toward the private room with a smile. As they passed a white wall beside a peach tree, she glanced at Zhao Qingzhi and sighed. “The verse on this wall was written by Song Ziyou yesterday. He has so many regrets in his heart. Third Sister, did you know that the original words in the letter he sent back were, ‘Our wedding day will come; wait for me three years,’ not ‘wait for me a hundred years’? I imagine someone must have tampered with that letter.”
Zhao Qingzhi glanced at the verse on the wall, concealing the sorrow in her eyes before slowly smiling. “What the original words were no longer matters. From the moment the altered letter was delivered from the Song family into Grandfather’s hands, there was no longer any possibility of marriage between us.”
Hearing this, Zhao Ziyou heaved a deep sigh. “We daughters of the Zhao family are truly unfortunate. None of us seems destined to enjoy a harmonious marriage with the person we love. Still, Third Sister, you’re better off than I am. Although Prince Jing loves to fool around, she dotes on you endlessly. Unlike me, whose betrothed died on the battlefield. I became a widow before I even had the chance to become a bride.” As she spoke, Zhao Ziyou raised her handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
Zhao Qingzhi held her cousin’s hand and comforted her. “Elder Cousin, don’t grieve too much. Once the new year comes, Grandfather will surely help you find another suitable young man from a prominent family. Things will get better.”
“You’re right, Third Sister. Come, let’s go inside.” Zhao Ziyou took Zhao Qingzhi’s hand and led her into the private room. The two sat down on a cushioned couch, and Zhao Ziyou personally prepared the tea. Pouring a cup, she handed it to Zhao Qingzhi. “This is some of the new tea Grandfather distributed this year. Have a taste, little sister.”
Zhao Qingzhi accepted it with a smile and took a small sip.
Zhao Ziyou happened to catch sight of the kiss marks on Zhao Qingzhi’s neck, and jealousy surged through her. Nevertheless, she smiled and said, “Third Sister, you and His Highness certainly have a wonderful relationship.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Qingzhi’s eyes. Seeing that her cousin was looking at her neck, she blushed and raised a hand to pull her cloak higher, saying in embarrassment, “Elder Cousin, please don’t tease me.”
“Who’s teasing you? I’m far too envious of you for that.” As she spoke, Zhao Ziyou glanced toward a nearby vase. “It was raining when I arrived, so I haven’t had the chance to gather any peach blossoms. Ruixiu, go and cut a few branches for me.”
“Yes, Miss.” Ruixiu curtsied at the instruction. However, after taking a step, she reached for Mengqing’s hand. “Sister Mengqing, why don’t you come along?”
Mengqing turned to look at Zhao Qingzhi.
Zhao Qingzhi nodded with a smile. “Go ahead.”
After the two maids left and closed the door behind them, Zhao Ziyou discreetly glanced at a small side door that had been left slightly ajar. A moment later, a knocking sound came from that door.
Zhao Qingzhi looked toward the small door in confusion. “Elder Cousin, what’s that noise coming from over there?”
Zhao Ziyou hurriedly stood up, blocking her view, and said with a smile, “Perhaps there are some mice scurrying around. Third Sister, come and see whether you like the incense I made the day before yesterday. If you do, you can take some home with you.”
Suspecting nothing, Zhao Qingzhi turned her attention to smelling the incense her cousin had prepared.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ziyou slowly began drawing a length of hemp rope from her sleeve, inch by inch. The knocking sound just now had been a signal. Mengqing and the two people Jiang Jingqiao had secretly assigned to protect Zhao Qingzhi had all been dealt with. Zhao Ziyou bit down hard on her lower lip, her hand trembling violently as she gripped the rope. After glancing toward the small door, she steeled herself and threw the rope around Zhao Qingzhi’s neck.
The incense fell from Zhao Qingzhi’s hand and landed on the floor. Her previously clear eyes filled with shock and terror.
“Elder Cousin, what are you doing?” Zhao Qingzhi clawed at the hemp rope around her neck with both hands, struggling desperately to free herself.
“Zhao Qingzhi, go to hell!!!” Zhao Ziyou pulled the rope tight with all her strength, her teeth clenched in hatred. Gone was the gentle expression she wore when pretending to be kind. In its place was a hideous, terrifying face twisted with malice. “I’m the legitimate granddaughter of the Zhao family’s eldest branch! Why should you get to become a princess consort and receive an imperial title while I’m left a widow? Your father is nothing more than a concubine-born son of this family! What gives you the right to marry someone as noble as Prince Jing? Just die already! Once you’re dead, I’ll have a chance to marry Prince Jing myself. And don’t worry, once I have a child of my own, I’ll send your daughter, Xiao An, down to the underworld to join you!”
Zhao Qingzhi stared in disbelief at Zhao Ziyou, who had always seemed so kind and gentle. The suffocating pressure steadily intensified, and she struggled with all her might. She thought of her daughter, Xiao An. In her haste to leave the residence that morning, she hadn’t even gone to see her. She had planned to spend some quality time playing with her daughter after returning home, never imagining that she might never make it back.
A wave of despair rose in Zhao Qingzhi’s heart. Images of her daughter and Jiang Jingqiao flashed uncontrollably through her mind, reigniting her will to live. She raised her foot and kicked Zhao Ziyou in the knee. The sudden pain caused her cousin’s grip on the rope to loosen. Zhao Qingzhi hurriedly scrambled to her feet and tried to rush toward the door, only to be seized by Zhao Ziyou once more.
Zhao Qingzhi stretched out her arm, desperately trying to reach the door, but her fingertips could barely brush its edge. “Mengqing… Mengqing…”
“Stop shouting. She’s already gone ahead of you to the underworld.” Zhao Ziyou held Zhao Qingzhi down, but just as her strength was nearly exhausted, a man rushed out from the small side door. He swiftly grabbed the hemp rope, looped it around Zhao Qingzhi’s neck, and pulled with all his might.
When Zhao Qingzhi saw the man, her eyes widened in utter disbelief. At that moment, she finally witnessed just how wicked and despicable human nature could be. Yet no matter how desperately she struggled, breathing became increasingly difficult. As her life slipped away, the image of Jiang Jingqiao’s smiling face before leaving the residence flashed through her mind. She remembered how Jiang Jingqiao had said she would sneak out of the palace at noon to have lunch with her. Tears welled up in Zhao Qingzhi’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. So, at the very moment of death, what she found herself most unwilling to part with was the very affection she had always refused to acknowledge deep within her heart…
“Jingqiao…” Zhao Qingzhi sighed the name silently in her heart. The strength drained from her hands as they loosened their grip on the rope. Her eyes remained wide open, but her body no longer moved. Yet the tears gathered in her eyes continued to trickle down the corners, as though they still possessed a life of their own…
Outside, a fine drizzle began to fall once more. Peach blossom petals drifted in the wind, scattering across the ground. Inside the room, a life had come to an end.
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