Ashes to Crown

Chapter 103: Chapter 62: Cherish

News of the Chu Garden Literary Meeting spread throughout the Capital City, but it was only mentioned in the depths of the palace after the Heir of Zhongshan King appeared at the Chu Garden.

"What was he doing there?" the Crown Prince asked with a frown after his bath. "Playing the hero and saving people."

The Crown Princess Consort tied the sash of his robe and said, "The Third Prince must have sent him, right? After all, it was inconvenient for the Third Prince to show up himself."

The Crown Prince let out a short laugh. "What’s so inconvenient for him? After getting slapped in the face by some little woman, he didn’t rush over and throw a fit? Where did all that madness he used to show in front of Father Emperor and me go?"

The Crown Princess Consort said with a smile, "You and His Majesty are his father and older brother, so you tolerate him. But that young woman is one of the common people. Throwing a fit at a young woman would be unbefitting of a gentleman. The people would not be so tolerant."

The Crown Prince sneered, "And here I thought he truly didn’t care about his reputation."

"His claim is not entirely legitimate, so of course he needs a good reputation," the Crown Princess Consort said. Then she asked, "Perhaps we should have Yanfang make a trip as well?"

"He’d never agree to go," the Crown Prince laughed heartily. "Ask him if you don’t believe me."

The Crown Princess Consort said reproachfully, "Of course I can’t be the one to ask. He ignores me even when I ask him to come in and chat for a while. Naturally, it must be you, Your Highness, who speaks to him."

"He doesn’t listen to me either," the Crown Prince said. "That brother of yours is terrified of being associated with the Royal Family, afraid it will ruin his reputation."

Those words were a bit too harsh. The Crown Princess Consort hurriedly knelt. "Your Highness, the Xie family is honored to be associated with the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince reached out and pulled her up. "What are you so flustered about? I wasn’t talking about the Xie family. I was talking about Yanfang."

"But Yanfang *is* the Xie family," the Crown Princess Consort said, confused.

The Crown Prince smiled. "You don’t understand. I’ve known what kind of person that boy is from the very beginning. In any case, stay out of this matter. Just watch the show." He turned his head to look at the eunuch standing in attendance.

"Does Father Emperor know about this?"

The eunuch said, "The news has been sent in. The report from that side is that His Majesty paid it no mind, only gave a cold laugh and said, ’Chu Ling’s daughter.’"

The Crown Prince also gave a cold laugh. "That’s right, Chu Ling’s daughter. So arrogant and domineering right now. I bet she doesn’t even know her own father is about to die, does she?" After saying this, he asked, "What was the news from Yunzhong County a few days ago?"

"Chu Ling’s Deputy General has come to the Capital City," the eunuch said. "He insisted on having an audience with His Majesty to present a memorial. The people in Yunzhong County couldn’t stop him, so they had to let him come."

"Let him come, then," the Crown Prince said. "A man has to ask for something before he dies. He might not care about himself, but he still has children."

The eunuch smiled. "In that case, the Crown Prince, in his benevolence, should grant his request, reprimand the Third Prince, and absolve Chu Ling’s daughter of the crime of her insolent offense."

The Crown Prince laughed. "Not enough, not enough. I will also make Chu Ling’s daughter a guest of honor at the Third Prince’s literary meeting. Doesn’t she want to compete with men? I will let her compete to her heart’s content and become famous throughout the world."

The Third Prince would be utterly humiliated.

The Crown Prince and the eunuch both roared with laughter, while the Crown Princess Consort smiled faintly at their side.

"It’s late, Your Highness. You should rest now," she said softly, taking advantage of the Crown Prince’s good mood.

The Crown Prince waved his hand. "On such a fine night? Summon some people. I shall have a good competition with them."

The eunuch answered in the affirmative. The Crown Princess Consort could only bow her head and see him off. Before long, sounds of laughter and music drifted from the main hall up ahead, with the coquettish giggles of women mixed in with the cheers of men.

"My Lady," a Palace Maid entered and said in a low voice, "Those two from the Yang and Qi Families are truly shameless. They’ve gone to attend to His Highness again."

In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess Consort was naturally not the only woman. There were countless beauties. Although the Imperial Uncle of the Yang Family had failed in his wish to make one of his own the Crown Princess Consort, he had still sent several beauties in.

These beauties had no sense of propriety. They recklessly amused themselves with the Crown Prince, sometimes sleeping with him in groups, other times singing and dancing to liven up his banquets.

These were things the Crown Princess Consort would never do, which was why for so many years, she had mostly slept alone in an empty room.

"It doesn’t matter." The Crown Princess Consort removed her hairpins and ornaments in front of the mirror. "Third Brother said that no matter what tricks those women use, or how powerful their families are, as long as I uphold the virtues of a wife, no one can take away my position as Crown Princess Consort."

Moreover, Xie Yanfang had repeatedly told her that she did not need to seek benefits for their family.

"You only need to be wholeheartedly devoted to the Crown Prince. That is enough."

"Seeking benefits for the family is the business of us men."

She smiled at the Palace Maid and called out the pet name of the servant girl who had accompanied her since childhood and followed her into the palace.

"You see? Compared to those women, my life as the Crown Princess Consort is so much easier and more relaxed."

’Easy and relaxed?’ The Palace Maid looked at the woman sitting alone in the magnificent chamber, removing her splendid hairpins and exquisite clothes to reveal a pure and youthful face. ’Her Ladyship isn’t even thirty yet—’

’She has such a long life ahead of her, and it will always be like this.’

The sound of light footsteps echoed outside the desolate chamber, accompanied by the low calls of Palace Maids and eunuchs. "Young Highness." "Young Highness, slow down."

Hearing this, the Palace Maid was overjoyed. The Crown Princess Consort had already stood up and was rushing out to greet him.

"Yu—" she called out.

A small dark figure rushed in from the hall entrance and threw himself into the Crown Princess Consort’s arms. A childish, clear voice called out, "Mother—"

The Crown Princess Consort picked up the small figure, smiling as she examined him. He was a boy of five or six, with jet-black hair, fair skin, and features almost identical to her own. He was a small, adorable bundle.

This was her eldest son with the Crown Prince, the young highness who had been given the name Yu’er by the Emperor. He was currently studying, and his tutors had also been selected by the Emperor.

"We can’t have him lifting tripods with his father all day," the Emperor had said at the time.

After he began his studies, Yu’er often stayed over on the Emperor’s side and rarely returned to the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Princess Consort hadn’t seen him for several days. Seeing her son so late at night, she held him before her as if he were a precious treasure.

"Yu, why are you here?" she asked, then looked outside anxiously. "You’re not allowed to sneak back on your own."

Yu smiled and hugged his mother’s neck. "I didn’t. The tutors said I did well in my lessons, so Imperial Grandfather is letting me rest tomorrow. I ran back now so I can have an extra day of rest."

The Crown Princess Consort was amused by her son and pressed her cheek against his soft one. "My Yu is so brilliant, to be praised by His Majesty."

The child nodded proudly. "Imperial Grandfather really likes me." He leaned closer to his mother and lowered his voice. "Lady Zhao doesn’t like me, and she wants Imperial Grandfather to dislike me too, but he ignores her."

The Crown Princess Consort quickly gestured for her son to be quiet. "You mustn’t speak carelessly when you are with His Majesty."

"I know," the child said, hugging his mother tightly. "I never speak carelessly, except when I’m with Mother."

’A mother is the safest place in the world.’ The Crown Princess Consort’s heart softened as she smiled, sitting down with her son in her arms. The mother and son talked, unwilling to sleep even as the night deepened.

"Mother, didn’t you say Third Uncle is here? When can I meet him?" Xiao Yu asked.

Third Uncle Xie Yanfang was the person his mother always talked about—intelligent, handsome, and capable of anything. Although Xiao Yu had never met him, he had already become the person the child knew best and admired most.

The Crown Princess Consort held her son and smiled. "He’s coming soon. You have to study hard. When Third Uncle comes to see you, he will definitely test you. And once he does, he’ll discover that our Yu’er is just as smart as he is. He’ll be so surprised!"

Yu’er giggled. "I’m definitely going to surprise Third Uncle once! Twice! Three times!"

The Palace Maid smiled and extinguished the surrounding lamps. "As soon as you see the Young Highness, My Lady, your words become endless. What’s the rush? You can talk more tomorrow."

The Crown Princess Consort smiled and pinched her son’s cheek. "Yu and I could talk every day and still not run out of things to say."

Yu giggled, lying in bed and holding his mother’s hand. "Mama, then tonight you have to tell me a long, long story that never ends."

The Crown Princess Consort smiled and agreed, leaning against her son’s side and telling a story in a soft, quiet voice.

The Palace Maid said no more. She left a single night lamp lit and withdrew. Although the light was dim, the magnificent palace chamber was no longer desolate.

With a mother and son together, with family to rely on, the days were not so hard to endure.

...

...

In the dead of night, deep in the mountains of a distant Border County, there were no magnificent palaces or brilliant lanterns. It was pitch-black, with only the occasional, terrifying cry of a night bird passing overhead.

Beyond layers of dense forests and mountain ranges, a wooden hut stood on the cliff of a mountain peak. A dim, yellow light seeped from behind its tightly shut door.

The light inside flickered. A young girl seemed to emerge from the darkness, knocking loudly on the door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Auntie, Auntie!" she said urgently. "Zhong Changrong has gone to the Capital City!"

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