Song in the Peach Blossoms - Chapter 23.3

Startled, I turned around to see Song Zijin standing at the courtyard gate, smiLing warmly. Dressed in a simple pale-yellow Confucian robe, he looked even more refined and striking, his features like those from a painting.

Overjoyed, I hurried to greet him. “Teacher, you’ve returned! Qiushui was longing for you.”

Song Zijin looked slightly darker and thinner, his temples touched by travel-worn fatigue; clearly, his days had been full of hardship.

He smiled gently. “I left in a hurry and didn’t get to tell you in advance. I feel quite apologetic. Have you all been well?”

He had asked “you all,” so Yunxiang, her face flushed, hurried into the house in small, quick steps.

I laughed. “How wonderful, only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals.”

Song Zijing chuckled. “In the end, it’s best when the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away.”

I beckoned him in. “Come, come, have a taste of our newly made mooncakes.”

Yunxiang shyly came out, carrying tea.

I asked Song Zijing, “On this trip of yours, sir, did you come across anything interesting?”

Song Zijing replied, “Household matters aren’t worth mentioning to outsiders. But there is one matter of state, which I imagine the whole world must know by now.”

For a moment, I thought he was referring to the soldier poisoning incident, and I was alarmed. “Has the news leaked?”

“Leaked?” Song Zijing looked puzzled. “This was announced to all under Heaven on the imperial proclamation board.”³

I was confused. “Then what is it?”

“The Second Prince has been appointed Crown Prince.”

I reacted slowly, but Yunxiang was the first to cry out. “What?”

Song Zijing nodded in confirmation. “The enthronement ceremony has already been completed.”

Yunxiang and I exchanged glances.

“The second one? Xiao Li? Crown Prince?”

It was natural enough to establish a new heir after the previous Crown Prince had died, but who one chose to appoint…that was a matter of great significance.

Song Zijing said, “It’s also said that His Majesty’s illness has worsened. He’s left the palace to recuperate at the hot springs, leaving the Empress in charge.”

I sneered. “In charge? Is she some kind of roaring heavenly lion? What can she ‘hold down’?”

Song Zijing laughed. “Evil cannot overpower righteousness.”

I said to him, “Such a major event, yet the Prince hasn’t told me.”

In fact, not only had he not told me, but I hadn’t even seen Xiao Xuan for many days in a row. The gate guard who had once accepted my bribes was suddenly replaced. The newcomer was incorruptible, loyal, and treated me as though I were dust beneath his feet. I thought Xiao Xuan must have given some instructions.

Just as I was about to give up and go home, I suddenly saw Elder Monk Huikong, whom I hadn’t seen in days, coming out through the gate.

I greeted him happily. “Master, it’s been a while. Where have you been making your fortune lately?”

The old monk smiled. “I’ve just returned from Yulun City, where I was alms-seeking and spreading the Dharma.”

I was startled. “Isn’t that near Liaocheng? Master, you’re bold indeed, going to preach among the infidels. Aren’t you afraid they’ll have you seized and cut into eight pieces?”

The Master said, “The Dharma is boundless, saving all sentient beings.”

“They’re not disciples under the Buddha’s seat. Can their God protect us?”

The Master replied with confidence, “My Buddha is one of great compassion and universal love.”

I asked, “Since the Buddha is so omnipotent, does He know where the Prince is now?”

The old monk’s narrowed eyes flashed with a glint of mischief. “Naturally, the Prince is where he ought to be.”

I felt deflated and changed the subject. “Do you know we have a new Crown Prince?”

The monk nodded. “The Second Prince, Xiao Li. His mother, Lady Xian, is the distant maternal cousin of Empress Zhao.”

“So they’re relatives.”

The old monk smiled. “You’ll find that the power of kinship is the strongest of all.”

I was both amused and exasperated. Indeed, hadn’t the Xie family given me a vivid and unforgettable lesson in that already? I wondered how Xie Zhaoke was doing these days. Did she miss me?

The old monk and I walked slowly along the bustling street. The roadside was lined with merchants who had come into the city for market day, selling cheap pearl hairpins, candies, and other trinkets. Young women and children crowded around the stalls, their faces all wearing carefree smiles.

The monk suddenly asked me, “How is that child, Jue Ming, doing these days?”

“He’s doing well,” I replied. “His private tutor says he’s diligent, intelligent, and well-behaved. He’s made many new friends and is very happy.”

The monk tilted his head back to look at the sky. “That’s good. The child deserves some happiness… You came to look for the Prince, didn’t you?”

“I haven’t seen Xiao Xuan for several days now,” I admitted.

“With the new Crown Prince appointed, the court has undergone a round of personnel changes. Many matters must be rearranged. He’s very busy.”

“I know,” I said. “I don’t understand political affairs. I don’t even know why I want to see him. It’s just… I want to see if he’s doing well.”

The monk sneered. “What could be wrong with him? The mountains are high, the Emperor is far, and he’s surrounded by martial experts to protect him.”

“But,” I argued, “such a so-called carefree Prince, even if he obediently plays this role for ten years, he won’t be able to keep his life. He has no choice.”

The monk turned to look at me. “You’re not as foolish as I thought.”

I laughed coldly. “And you’re not as virtuous as I first believed.”

“Little girl,” the monk said, not in anger but in amusement, “you’re clever, but your experience is too shallow, and your heart is too soft. That makes you the easiest to deceive.”

I retorted, “All hearts are of flesh; how can they not be soft? Those with hearts of stone are long dead already.”

The monk’s eyes lit up with delight. “That has quite a bit of Zen in it.”

This crazy monk.

When I returned home, the children were at school. Yunxiang, her face glowing with affection, was embroidering a sachet for Song Zijing. The new batch of medicine was sealed in its jar, fermenting. Bored out of my mind, I mounted my horse and rode out of the city for a turn.