Chapter 134: The Palace Banquet

Upon hearing the words of the Ninth Prince, Li Yonghe, the delicate hands of Princess Changan, Li Anyi, paused in mid-air. She then offered a stiff smile and remained silent.

Seeing her silence, Li Yonghe shook his head with a touch of self-mockery. He looked at her coldly and said, "I may be pitiful, but I have absolutely no need for the pity of a widow like you."

Li Anyi sighed after a long moment, her voice turning indifferent. "I had no desire to come here, but I was entrusted by someone. Though she has departed, you and she did, at the very least, share a brief acquaintance."

Li Yonghe did not respond for a long time; instead, he stood up in silence. "Has she gone to the fief with the Second Prince?" he asked. Li Anyi glanced at his back and replied, "Brother, why ask when you already know the answer?"

With those words, Li Anyi stood up. Her attendant, Lüzhu, immediately held an umbrella over her. After taking two steps, Li Anyi turned back to look at the Ninth Prince and said, "Have you heard? Third Brother is not doing well at all."

A mocking smile touched the corner of Li Yonghe’s mouth. He looked up at her and asked, "How 'not well' is he?"

Li Anyi lowered her gaze, then looked up again after a long silence, her voice icy. "Perhaps, before long, news of Third Brother's death will reach the capital."

Li Yonghe said nothing more.

After leaving the Ninth Prince’s residence, Li Anyi’s expression became grave and cold. After a long while, she heaved a heavy sigh, looked up at the grey, overcast sky, and said to Lüzhu, "I wonder if there will be anyone left in the imperial family by the end of this year."

Lüzhu trembled at her mistress's words and dared not utter a sound.

"Indeed," Li Anyi continued. "All the adult princes have either been placed under house arrest or stripped of their titles. They are either exiled to their fiefs or on the verge of being confined to their estates."

It was New Year's Eve. Li Anyi appeared at the imperial banquet dressed in magnificent robes, noting that her seat had been moved significantly forward. As she gazed downward, a trance-like state overcame her, and tears fell. Just as they did, she heard a familiar eunuch’s voice.

Turning around, she saw Emperor Yongchang and Imperial Noble Consort Xianrou, Yuan Chuxia. Seeing the ruddy complexion of the Consort, Li Anyi felt a chill run through her entire body. She knew exactly how ill Yuan Chuxia had been; for her to appear in public with such a healthy glow could only mean one thing: she had been drugged with stimulants. Li Anyi bit her lip, not even realizing when she had broken the skin. The metallic taste of blood spread through her mouth—a truly bitter sensation.

Li Anyi sighed heavily and slowly stood up.

***

Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe were currently staying at a post station. Fireworks were already bursting in the sky as the two stood in their room, looking out. With smiles on their faces, they watched the display, the faint sound of children setting off firecrackers drifting in.

"Li Yanhe, Happy New Year. I wish you a year where your heart's desires are fulfilled and everything goes as you wish."

After Lin Miaomiao said this with a smile, Li Yanhe’s lips curved into a handsome grin. He pulled her into an embrace and whispered suggestively, "Since I’ve accepted my wife’s auspicious blessing, does that mean all my wishes will come true this year?"

Lin Miaomiao smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

The two shared a look and embraced. Soon, the sounds of intimacy filled the room.

In the twenty-fourth year of the Yongchang era, Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe spent the New Year’s morning in bed at the inn, neither having any intention of rising. Back when they were at Da'ankou, winter meant separation. Later, upon returning to the capital, they had to observe the New Year’s vigil and attend the imperial palace, where the etiquette was so tedious and their every move so closely scrutinized that any misstep would become fodder for gossip. Honestly, Lin Miaomiao disliked the capital; the people there felt treacherous, like vipers ready to strike at any moment.

Her thoughts drifted. She traced the bridge of Li Yanhe's nose with her finger and asked with a smile, "So, are your wishes finally coming true?"

Li Yanhe held her without speaking, pretending to be asleep. Lin Miaomiao shook her head with amusement at his playfulness. "What’s wrong? Why won't you speak?"

Li Yanhe buried his face in the crook of her neck, acting spoiled. "I don’t want to get up. This feeling is too good; I just want to stay like this forever."

Lin Miaomiao laughed and shook her head. "Wake up, we must get moving. We still have a long journey ahead."

She moved to get up to wash, her face flushing as she caught his gaze. Supporting her aching waist, she cursed him silently, while Li Yanhe watched her with a similarly amused expression.

Before they departed, Li Yanhe insisted on taking several quilts from the inn to line the carriage. Lin Miaomiao’s face turned crimson at the sight. Her maid, Chunhua, glanced at her and said with a touch of embarrassment, "Your Highness, the Prince truly dotes on you."

Lin Miaomiao replied, "If you learn to judge people well and understand that good things take time, you, too, will be able to marry husbands who love and care for you."

The four maids blushed and exchanged glances. Just then, Nanny Zhao approached and said softly, "Why don't you thank Her Highness?" She added, "This means that although you are bondservants, if you conduct yourselves well, you can marry into good families. Her Highness will naturally prepare proper weddings for you."

Although Lin Miaomiao disliked such hierarchical rhetoric, she understood the strict social order of the ancient world. She lived by one principle: if she didn't like something, she simply wouldn't say it. Having spent years navigating the palace, Nanny Zhao immediately sensed Lin Miaomiao’s thoughts and dismissed the maids to pack.

"Your Highness," Nanny Zhao whispered, "Chunhua clearly has designs on the Prince’s bed. Such a maid should be beaten and sold."

Lin Miaomiao looked up. "If a man is exceptional, naturally many women will want to marry him. If a woman is exceptional, many men will be captivated by her." She looked at Nanny Zhao with a faint smile. "Why kill them? It is merely a young girl infatuated with someone superior to her."

Nanny Zhao nodded with a smile. Chunhua, who had been eavesdropping, was visibly shaken by Nanny Zhao’s earlier words, but upon hearing Lin Miaomiao, her eyes welled with tears. She hurried off to help the others pack.

Nanny Zhao sneered as Chunhua left. Lin Miaomiao sighed, said nothing, and climbed into the carriage. Li Yanhe was aware of the situation and began delegating all personal service to the other maids. Chunhua, seeing the Prince deliberately avoiding her, felt a surge of resentment toward Lin Miaomiao, wondering why the Prince wouldn't take her as a concubine. She secretly plotted to climb into his bed once Lin Miaomiao became pregnant, hoping to become the only secondary wife in the household.

But her dreams were short-lived. When they finally arrived at the Mobei Prince’s Mansion, Lin Miaomiao frowned at the sight of it. "Are we certain we want to live here?"

Li Yanhe glanced at her, then told the accompanying officials, "You are dismissed. I shall appear as scheduled." He then turned back to the carriage and took Lin Miaomiao to a different manor.

Mobei was impoverished, one of the most barren regions of the Great Yong Dynasty. The land yielded little, and information and transportation were scarce, making the people destitute and often labeled as "stubborn outlaws."

As they left the mansion, they encountered bandits in a secluded area. Lin Miaomiao curiously lifted the carriage curtain. Li Yanhe scoffed, stepped out, and stared coldly at the men. "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to rob people?"

Seeing Li Yanhe’s fine attire, the bandits began calculating how much they could get for his clothes, the carriage, and the women inside.

Lin Miaomiao stepped out as well. The bandits’ eyes widened; they had never seen a woman so beautiful. "Do you bandits not even have a slogan?" she asked curiously.

The men fell silent. Lin Miaomiao shook her head. "Even if you are amateur robbers, you should at least have some professional integrity!"

As everyone stood stunned, the ground suddenly trembled. One of the bandits scrambled to the ground. "B-boss! Official troops! Official troops are coming!" he stammered.