At the same time, Yinghong brought over a copper basin. Nangong Yunshang leisurely washed her hands, then dried them meticulously with a soft cloth, one finger at a time. Her suspicion was all too evident.
“Go cry outside if you’re going to cry. Don’t disturb this palace.”
Tao Chuyi abruptly choked back her tears and, sniffling pitifully, crawled back onto her own couch. She rolled over, turning her back to Nangong Yunshang in silent accusation.
Over the next two days, the princess and her consort once again did not dine together. The servants were already accustomed to it; it seemed the two were simply caught up in another minor spat.
Tao Chuyi hid away during the day, pretended to go to bed early at night, and sulked furiously, ignoring everyone. Neither Xichan nor Fendie could talk her out of it, and for a time, no one knew what to do.
“Young Master, there’s a big drumstick in the kitchen. Shall this servant fetch it for you?”
Fendie coaxed her softly.
Tao Chuyi turned her head away, presenting only her back. “I’m not eating. Let me starve to death.”
Fendie tried to persuade her kindly. “How could you starve to death? Come on, good Young Master, be a good boy. Let’s eat first, and then you can keep being angry, all right?”
By then, Xichan had already carried in the meal—chicken, duck, fish, and more—which she arranged on the table. The two maids exchanged a glance, then picked up palm-leaf fans and began fanning gently. A breeze carried the aroma of the food straight over. Sure enough, Tao Chuyi caught the scent and wandered over.
Seeing the table laden with delicacies, she swallowed hard. “Eat first, then get angry?”
Fendie smiled. “That’s right. Getting angry after eating is just the same.”
Tao Chuyi nodded, finding perfect sense in Fendie’s words. And so she promptly sat down and devoured the feast, eating until her mouth was slick with grease and her belly was bulging.
She polished off the entire table like a whirlwind, and Xichan held her steady to wipe her lips clean. Then she retreated to her own little corner to resume her sulking.
“Young Master, would you like some fruit?”
Tao Chuyi rejected Xichan’s offer outright. “I’m about to start sulking. Don’t pay any attention to me.”
The two maids exchanged a glance. How long was this tantrum going to last?
Just as she settled into a cross-legged position facing the wall, a barking sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Tao Chuyi perked up one ear. She overheard Xichan and the others whispering: since when did the Princess Mansion have a dog?
The barking grew closer, as if right outside. After a moment’s hesitation, Tao Chuyi slipped quietly to the ground and opened the door. Sure enough, there at the threshold stood a fluffy white puppy. Its long fur made it look like a round snowball, and it was barking fiercely toward the interior.
Tao Chuyi crouched down. The little dog tentatively swiped at the air with its paw, but its legs were too short to reach anything.
“What’s your name?”
“Woof!”
The puppy barked back relentlessly, refusing to back down.
To Tao Chuyi, its fierceness looked like nothing more than coquettishness. Ignoring its protests, she scooped it up, grabbing it firmly by the scruff of the neck to keep it from wriggling free.
“What a fat little doggy.”
“Woof!”
The puppy kept barking, as if in protest.
Tao Chuyi’s novelty hadn’t worn off yet. She spun around with the dog in her arms, twirling it until it grew dizzy and meekly nestled against her.
“Why won’t you talk? What’s your name, really?”
“It’s called Fifteen.”
Unnoticed until then, Nangong Yunshang had appeared in the doorway. The others bowed and withdrew, leaving only the two of them—and the dog—in place.
“You’re Chuyi, and it’s Fifteen.”
Tao Chuyi forgot all about her anger. She lifted Fifteen and spun it once more. “Fifteen! Fifteen!”
When she set it down, the snowy white ball waddled sideways like a crab, unable to move forward at all.
Nangong Yunshang sat down and, in a rare moment of mercy, picked up Fifteen and settled it on her lap.
“Shall we make up?”
Seeing this, Tao Chuyi sneaked over to Nangong Yunshang’s other side and rested her chin on the princess’s right leg, staring Fifteen in the eye.
“Woof!”
Fifteen barked at her insistently, unwilling to be outdone.
Nangong Yunshang simply tossed Fifteen into Tao Chuyi’s arms, letting them wear each other out.
The little fool got angry quickly, but she also cooled off just as fast. In less than two days, she’d forgotten all about it and was back to trailing after Nangong Yunshang as before—only now, she clung even more tightly.
Deep into winter, during the coldest days of the season, a layer of frost blanketed the world outside by morning.
Tao Chuyi’s winter clothes had been tailored, warm and cozy: a scarlet satin cotton robe trimmed with a moon-white fur collar and cape. As she moved, the red and white alternated, giving her an air of opulent elegance touched with serene refinement.
She sat before the copper mirror, blinking her eyes in a daze. Xichan stood behind her, dressing her hair, while Fifteen darted playfully back and forth at her feet.
“Xichan, starting today, I’m going to study!”
Tao Chuyi declared her bold ambition, as if she’d made a grand resolution.
Fendie, who was helping her wash up, was surprised. “Why the sudden change, Young Master?”
Tao Chuyi recalled the servants’ hushed gossip: Her Highness the Princess favored those with literary talent. Well, then she would become a prince consort with literary talent.
“I’m going to read books! Practice calligraphy!”
The servants bustled in with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, along with stacks of books piled twice as high as Tao Chuyi herself.
She sat amid the heaps of books, looking left and right. Yes, this felt right—like how Fairy Sister spent her days.
And so she picked up a copy of the Classic of Poetry, flipped through two pages, bobbed her head as if pondering deeply… and before she could even pick up her brush, her head lolled to the side, and she fell fast asleep.
When Fendie came later to grind the ink, she found that her young master had long since journeyed to the land of dreams to “study.”
By the time she woke, it was already noon. Tao Chuyi stretched lazily, only to see the Classic of Poetry still open to the third page. She tossed it aside. Reading? Who needed that? Let whoever wanted to read it do so.
Her first act upon waking was to go find Nangong Yunshang, but the servants informed her that Her Highness the Princess was entertaining guests.
The Princess Mansion had never really had visitors before, aside from her father when he came on official business.
Curiosity killed the cat—or so they said—but Tao Chuyi paid no heed to such warnings. Dodging the others, she slipped quietly toward the front hall.
A faint tea fragrance wafted through the air, which should have been refreshing. But in the parlor sat an unexpected guest, making serenity rather difficult.
Nangong Yunshang held her teacup steadily, her expression unchanged, saying nothing. Her gown of cloud-patterned water satin made her seem all the more graceful and refined, like a lotus blooming in clear water.
On the guest seat beside her, the Second Princess glanced around, neither drinking her tea nor speaking. The two sisters simply stared at each other, neither willing to break the silence first.
In the end, the Second Princess blinked first. “Your younger sister’s residence is quite frugal—no gilded carvings or jade inlays. What do you do for amusement around here?”
Nangong Yunshang curved her lips in a faint smile. “It naturally can’t compare to my elder sister’s varied interests. This palace simply reads a few books in her spare time; she has no particular hobbies.”
“True enough. Father Emperor never concerned himself with you after you were little, so of course you’ve never seen the world and don’t know how to enjoy yourself.”
The Second Princess spoke in barbed tones, recounting all the recent dealings with the imperial merchants over the past couple of days, clearly pleased with herself.
“Now that you’ve taken a fool for a consort, it must be hard on you, little sister. I wonder if this prince consort can even satisfy you properly?”
Nangong Yunshang didn’t grow angry—instead, she laughed. “No need for Second Imperial Sister to worry about that. The imperial family should concern itself with elder sister’s marriage instead. With your male favorites coming and going like flowing water, I imagine none of them have truly satisfied you.”
“You!”
The Second Princess nearly erupted but forced it down, squeezing out a smile.
“I haven’t seen the Third Princess Consort today. Call him out, little sister. This palace would love to admire the Third Princess Consort’s talents.”
Tao Chuyi hid behind a wooden screen, peeking out to eavesdrop. Though the two in the hall sat motionless, the atmosphere felt intensely dangerous.
She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but this villain must surely be bullying Fairy Sister.
Quick as a flash, Tao Chuyi snatched up a teacup and strode out.
