{"id":2023,"date":"2026-01-29T21:00:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sakuratranslation.com\/song-of-yongan-03\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T00:14:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:14:24","slug":"song-of-yongan-03","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/chapter\/song-of-yongan-03\/","title":{"rendered":"Song of Yong\u2019an 03"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who could easily refuse an invitation from Prince Yongping? Although his father had ceded the throne to Empress Wu, thereby stepping down from emperor to crown prince, Li Chengqi remained the eldest son\u2014and thus still held the highest status among his imperial cousins.

After leaving the Yeting Palace with him, he chose a secluded palace corridor to walk along. I had traversed most of the Daming Palace by now, yet this particular path was one I\u2019d never taken before. After all, having grown up in the palace since childhood, he naturally knew its layout far better than I\u2014a newcomer who\u2019d only entered the palace two years ago.

\u201cJust now, I heard you say you came to Yeting Palace looking for a palace maid,\u201d Li Chengqi casually struck up a conversation. \u201cIs there something urgent?\u201d

I thought for a moment\u2014it wasn\u2019t as if there was anything worth hiding. \u201cA handwritten poetry manuscript has gone missing from my chambers, so I came to ask Y\u00edp\u00edng whether she\u2019s seen it. She\u2019s been with me the longest, so naturally she\u2019s more familiar with my things than the duty attendants.\u201d

L\u01d0 Ch\u00e9ngq\u00ec gazed at me leisurely and said, \u201cI\u2019ve heard that the young princess is fond of reading\u2014indeed, it seems quite true.\u201d

\u201cIt\u2019s not entirely so,\u201d I replied awkwardly, smiling. \u201cI\u2019ve read all sorts of things haphazardly, but I\u2019m nowhere near as well-versed in serious scholarship as Sister W\u01cen\u2019\u00e9r.\u201d

Along the palace pathway, the willow trees had shed nearly all their leaves, leaving only bare branches. Several eunuchs were setting up ladders against the trunks; one young eunuch stood atop a ladder trimming the branches, while others below directed him left and right. Spotting L\u01d0 Ch\u00e9ngq\u00ec, they quickly bowed deeply in salute.

Li Chengqi nodded to signal them to continue, then asked, \u201cWhat poetry collection is so important that the Princess is so concerned about it?\u201d

I remained silent for a moment before replying, \u201cIt\u2019s a collection of poems by Luo Binwang. I was afraid it might have fallen and been seen by someone else, so I hurried to ask Yiping about it.\u201d

For some reason, after two encounters that hardly qualified as life-or-death ordeals, my wariness toward him had gradually lessened. Only after speaking did I realize I had deliberately been testing him\u2014testing his reaction, or perhaps something else entirely.

Li Chengqi seemed unmoved, merely pausing in quiet contemplation for a moment: \u201cThe earth covering the grave has yet to dry; where does the six-foot orphan stand?\u201d

I turned my head to look at him; his expression remained calm and composed, as if he were reciting an ordinary verse. Yet these lines came from the \u201cProclamation Against Wu,\u201d a document that, though once highly praised by His Majesty the Emperor, was strictly taboo within the palace. When Luo Bingwang joined Xu Jingye\u2019s rebellion against the Emperor, I was merely three years old\u2014yet I still recall how our family tutor once secretly recited this very line. Though I did not yet understand its meaning, he was dismissed by my mother shortly afterward.

Later, as I grew older, I learned that this verse was directed against the Wu clan\u2014and that I myself belonged to the Wu family.

\u201cWhen Xu Jingye\u2019s rebellion failed, Luo Binwang vanished without a trace,\u201d Li Chengqi said, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. \u201cThat year, I was named Crown Prince. My Grandmother the Empress Dowager once mentioned this line and even praised Luo as possessing the talent of a chancellor. At the time, however, I didn\u2019t fully grasp the meaning behind her words.\u201d

He did not continue, yet I felt a chill run through me. The Emperor had long harbored ambitions of seizing power for himself\u2014how much of what he\u2019d just said was mere probing? Though I knew he remained unharmed for now, I couldn\u2019t help but press further: \u201cWhat did His Highness say in reply?\u201d

Li Chengqi gently shook his head: \u201cI haven\u2019t said anything. One must speak freely and fully before the Empress Dowager\u2014yet if one truly knows nothing, naturally one cannot speak.\u201d

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that, in the course of those few sentences, we had already drawn near the West Gate of the Imperial Garden. Beneath the warm sunlight, chrysanthemums bloomed profusely at the gate, a dazzling golden expanse that shimmered like a celestial realm. Yet, by the gate stood a familiar figure pacing back and forth, seemingly waiting for someone\u2014and only as we drew closer did I recognize her as Yiping.

Yiping spotted me just then and hurried over, bowing respectfully to Li Chengqi before turning to me and saying, \u201cAt last\u2014I\u2019ve found Her Highness the Commandery Princess!\u201d

I asked, puzzled, \u201cIs something the matter?\u201d

Yi Ping rose and said, \u201cYes, something urgent has come up\u2014several princesses have arrived at the Junzhu\u2019s residence, claiming they have important matters to discuss with her. The maids attending them couldn\u2019t locate the Junzhu and grew flustered, so they came to me for help.\u201d

Several princesses? I grew even more confused: \u201cHow did you know I\u2019d be coming to the Imperial Garden?\u201d

Li Chengqi was gazing elsewhere at that moment, deliberately avoiding eye contact with either of us. Seizing the opportunity, Yi Ping quickly shot me a meaningful glance: \u201cI didn\u2019t know beforehand\u2014on my way here, I happened to run into Miss Wan\u2019er, who mentioned the Junzhu might be heading to the Imperial Garden.\u201d

Even if she\u2019d encountered Wan\u2019er, there was no reason she should know I\u2019d entered through the West Gate\u2026 Not wanting to press further given Yi Ping\u2019s evasive expression, I simply bowed to Li Chengqi and took my leave: \u201cSomething urgent has come up within the palace\u2014I won\u2019t keep His Highness company any longer.\u201d

Li Chengqi nodded, signaling that I could leave. I hurriedly tugged at Yiping and took two steps forward\u2014only to be called back by Li Chengqi. Turning around, I saw his eyes filled with an autumnal depth so profound it seemed impossible to dispel: \u201cWithin this palace, it\u2019s best to read fewer idle books.\u201d

This veiled admonition warmed my heart, and I bowed once more before turning away. Though I couldn\u2019t see the Prince Yongping behind me, I somehow felt his gaze following me\u2014and that made me increasingly uneasy. Only after we\u2019d moved far from the Imperial Garden did I suddenly stop and look intently at Yiping: \u201cGo on\u2014tell me the truth. Who sent you to find me? And how did you even know I was in the Imperial Garden?\u201d

Yiping let out a soft \u201cAh!\u201d and murmured, \u201cThe Princess has guessed it after all.\u201d

I smiled wryly at her: \u201cYour deception might fool strangers, but surely not me\u2014I\u2019ve known you for two years!\u201d

Yiping frowned slightly and said, \u201cIt was Miss Wan\u2019er who specifically sought me out and instructed me to wait for Her Highness at the western gate of the Imperial Garden.\u201d I looked at her in confusion and gestured for her to continue. After a moment\u2019s thought, Yiping added, \u201cMiss Wan\u2019er also said that if Her Highness had any questions, she herself would come explain everything this evening.\u201d

I casually plucked a chrysanthemum from a flowerbed beside the path and pondered for a while. Wan\u2019er was certainly trying to protect me\u2014that much was certain. Yet even if I\u2019d strolled through the Imperial Garden with Li Chengqi, it wasn\u2019t anything serious\u2014so why was she so anxious? I glanced at Yiping and smiled, saying, \u201cSo there are no princesses in my palace\u2014everything you\u2019ve just said must all be lessons taught to you by Sister Wan\u2019er?\u201d

When the lamps were lit that evening, I picked up my brush to practice calligraphy using the model characters Wan\u2019er had given me. My wrist had grown sore before I even realized someone had already entered the room behind me. Turning around, I saw her standing there, smiling brightly\u2014her beauty radiant and striking in the flickering lamplight.

\u201cYou truly grow more beautiful every day, Sister,\u201d I set down my brush and sank into my chair with a long sigh. \u201cJust like His Majesty\u2014the Emperor\u2014time leaves not the faintest trace upon you.\u201d

Yiping brought a chair to the side of the table, helped Wan\u2019er sit down, and served her a cup of hot tea before discreetly dismissing all the palace maids, leaving only the two of us alone in the room.

\u201cYou ought to speak these words to His Majesty directly\u2014she\u2019ll surely praise you again,\u201d Wan\u2019er said, leaning casually in her chair. \u201cThough you call me \u2018elder sister,\u2019 I\u2019m actually over a decade older than you\u2014so, inevitably, I\u2019m growing old.\u201d After speaking, she scrutinized me closely, her eyes seeming to hold some unspoken meaning\u2014yet she remained silent.

I pouted and said, \u201cI\u2019m waiting for Elder Sister\u2019s explanation.\u201d

Wan\u2019er rose, walked over to the lamp, picked up a red-bronze candle snuffer, and trimmed away the charred wick still burning in the flame. Instantly, the flame grew noticeably brighter, flickering gently in the breeze drifting in through the window.

\u201cIt\u2019s you who should be explaining yourself to me,\u201d she said, her slender eyes reflecting the flickering flames. \u201cGo on\u2014how did you come to know Prince Yongping?\u201d

I\u2019d anticipated this question and simply smiled. \u201cAt the banquet held to celebrate Di Renjie\u2019s appointment as chancellor.\u201d That night, Wan\u2019er hadn\u2019t attended, so naturally she wouldn\u2019t know this was a lie.

\u201cBut it\u2019s only been a month\u2026\u201d Wan\u2019er idly twirled the candle snuffers in her hands. \u201cAnd yet you\u2019re already willing to become his confidante\u2014the one who \u2018holds the lamp and trims the wick.\u2019 Yong\u2019an, the Daming Palace has no room for genuine sincerity.\u201d

\u201cNot entirely true,\u201d I replied offhandedly. \u201cEmpress Wende, Changsun Wuji, married Emperor Taizong at age twelve, and for over twenty years enjoyed his exclusive favor\u2014so much so that even after her death, she remained his greatest love throughout his life.\u201d

Wan\u2019er scoffed, \u201cEven if he concentrates all his affection on one person? Then why do other beauties of the harem still regularly share his bed? This is the \u2018devotion\u2019 found in imperial families. If Emperor Taizong were truly unwavering in his love, how could Xu Xianfei have risen to such favor\u2014and how could the current emperor himself have been so favored?\u201d

\u201cEmperor Gaozong held deep affection for His Majesty the current emperor,\u201d I said, noticing her earnest expression and feeling a playful urge, \u201cotherwise, how could the precedent of the \u2018Two Sagely Sovereigns\u2019 jointly presiding over court affairs have ever occurred?\u201d

Wan\u2019er fixed her gaze on me. \u201cHow much political maneuvering lay behind that\u2014you\u2019ve surely heard whispered accounts yourself. Moreover, even if his intense favor back then stemmed from genuine love, what followed afterward remains known only to Emperor Gaozong himself.\u201d

I smiled faintly and said nothing more.

I\u2019d only said it offhandedly just now\u2014I\u2019ve never been able to best her in an argument, so why invite unnecessary trouble? Besides, this matter is already shrouded in complications; stirring up a bit of confusion by feigning interest might even make her genuinely believe I harbor such intentions. And now, by quietly stepping back, I\u2019ll let her enjoy a small advantage\u2014perhaps she\u2019ll reveal something more interesting.

Wan\u2019er set down the candle snuffers and came to sit beside me: \u201cLeaving aside whether the imperial family truly harbors sincere feelings, consider merely your respective identities and surnames\u2014this matter demands utmost caution. Ever since His Majesty ascended the throne last year, the Wu family has reached the pinnacle of power. But what comes after His Majesty? His legitimate sons and grandsons will still bear the Li surname. So, who can truly predict whose name the realm will ultimately bear in the future? Why, then, must you insist on entangling yourself with the Lis?\u201d

Wan\u2019er has always treated me with kindness and generosity, and she frequently speaks frankly\u2014even on taboo subjects\u2014to offer me guidance. Though she may have ulterior motives\u2014such as drawing me closer\u2014I can still distinguish sincerity from calculation. Her words just now, for instance, are undeniably truthful; how could I possibly fail to understand?

I hummed softly and propped my chin in my hand as I gazed at her: \u201cSo you deliberately had Yiping pull me away today?\u201d

\u201cI\u2019m afraid someone might see you and cause unnecessary trouble,\u201d Wan\u2019er gave a faint, dismissive snort and said, \u201cWhat I said just now was meant to persuade you\u2014but what I\u2019m saying now is a warning. Between Wei Tuan\u2019er and you, whom do you think the Emperor trusts more?\u201d

My heart tightened. \u201cIn ordinary, trivial matters, the Emperor might trust me more. But if it concerns the imperial throne or the Emperor himself, he might believe her instead.\u201d After speaking, I picked up the teacup beside me and took a sip\u2014yet I still couldn\u2019t quite grasp Wan\u2019er\u2019s intention.

Wei Tuan\u2019er was a favorite at court, nearly as influential as Wan\u2019er herself. Though she lacked Wan\u2019er\u2019s political acumen, her status within the inner palace was formidable. So what exactly did Wan\u2019er mean by that remark? I didn\u2019t believe my involvement with Prince Yongping would provoke that woman\u2019s enmity.

Wan\u2019er paused thoughtfully for a moment, then said, \u201cWei Tuan\u2019er has set her sights on the Crown Prince.\u201d

I nearly choked on my tea: \u201cReally?\u201d

Wan\u2019er also lifted her teacup and sipped delicately: \u201cOf course it\u2019s true.\u201d

Wei Tuan\u2019er had set her sights on Li Chengqi\u2019s father\u2014just thinking about it struck me as truly bizarre. I couldn\u2019t help but smile: before Empress Wu ascended the throne, all the palace maids had schemed relentlessly to please the sole genuine man in the palace; now that Empress Wu had taken the throne, those same maids were exhausting every effort to marry one of the imperial princes or grandsons\u2026

I reined in my wandering thoughts and said, \u201cEven if she\u2019s taken a fancy to the Crown Prince, what does that have to do with me?\u201d Though she\u2019d set her sights on Li Chengqi\u2019s father, at most it felt a little odd\u2014what possible taboo could there be?

Wan\u2019er let out a soft sigh and remained silent for half a moment.

My mind raced in endless circles, yet I could find no flaw in the situation\u2014so I simply finished my tea and waited quietly for her guidance.

\u201cThe problem lies in the fact that she has set her sights on the Crown Prince, yet he is a shrewd man who would never dare entangle himself with her. I know Wei Tuan\u2019er\u2019s temperament well: if she cannot have something, she will destroy it herself. Thus, I suspect she is currently seeking an opportunity to punish the Crown Prince. And if she were to learn of your relationship with the Imperial Grandson, it might just become the perfect chance to frame you,\u201d Wan\u2019er set down her teacup and said, \u201cLove brings a thousand trials and tribulations\u2014back then, even I could not escape this trap, so I cannot truly help you. Still, within this palace\u2019s intricate web of schemes and calculations, avoid them wherever you can.\u201d

A chill ran through me\u2014how unjust it was for the Crown Prince to be embroiled in such trouble merely because of a woman\u2019s infatuation.

Wan\u2019er rose and adjusted her brocade\u62ab\u5e1b embroidered with golden threads, then suddenly remembered something and casually asked, \u201cThere\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve been puzzling over endlessly\u2014why were you and Prince Yongping in Yidu\u2019s room?\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-2023","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2023\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=2023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}