Tao Chuyi spotted Qiuyue swaying unsteadily on her feet and immediately shouted at the top of her lungs, drawing the attention of those nearby.
When Zhao Linglong turned around, Qiuyue collapsed. Zhao Linglong caught her plummeting body, and fresh blood poured into her arms.
Blood kept gushing from Qiuyue’s body, streaming from all seven orifices in a ghastly sight.
The crowd gasped in shock. No one knew what had happened. Guards from both sides lowered their swords, and all eyes focused on Qiuyue.
“Qiuyue, Qiuyue!”
Zhao Linglong called her name. Qiuyue’s symptoms were unmistakably those of poisoning.
Tao Chuyi’s voice trembled with sobs. “Qiuyue is dying…”
Zhao Linglong pressed down on her neck, trying to stem the flow of blood.
“Qiuyue, how could you…”
To the onlookers, the scene was heartbreaking, but Qiuyue smiled in release.
“From… the moment I planned my revenge, I… prepared poison for myself. I never planned to live. I couldn’t… drag anyone else down…”
Even Zhao Linglong, who had never shed a tear, felt her eyes grow red-rimmed.
“You’re such a fool. We could have protected you.”
Qiuyue shook her head slowly. Her teeth were stained crimson with blood, all trace of her former elegance vanished, leaving only the wasting pallor of death.
“You’ve… already done so much for me. I couldn’t drag down… good people.”
“Qiuyue? Qiuyue!”
No matter how Zhao Linglong called to her, there was no reply.
Zhao Linglong gently closed her eyes and murmured once more, “Xiaoyue.”
“She’s dead…”
Tao Chuyi’s large eyes brimmed with tears. Tao Chuyi threw her arms around Nangong Yunshang’s waist, burying her face in the crook of her neck and sobbing softly.
Nangong Yunshang patted her back gently. Even she, who prided herself on her aloofness, felt moved by Qiuyue’s death.
She turned, her face now cold. “Second Imperial Sister, are you satisfied?”
The Second Princess flicked her sleeves and climbed into her carriage.
“What rotten luck!”
The entourage from the Second Princess Mansion departed with the carriage, leaving the desolate outskirts in profound silence.
Nangong Yunshang ordered a proper burial for Qiuyue. When it came time to erect the tombstone, Zhao Linglong carved the inscription herself: Tomb of Xing Xiaoyue.
Tao Chuyi gathered a group of people to pick great bouquets of fresh flowers and lay them before Qiuyue’s grave. Tao Chuyi even shared all her favorite snacks, hoping that Qiuyue would know no loneliness in the afterlife—and wouldn’t go hungry.
Once the imperial examinations cheating scandal blew over, life returned to normal. With the Emperor in a foul mood, Nangong Yunshang paid it no mind and stayed away from the palace to avoid any bad luck.
Free from palace visits or duties at the Dali Temple, she had more time to spend with Tao Chuyi.
Tao Chuyi sensed that her elder sister had started clinging to her instead. Wherever Tao Chuyi went, her elder sister was right there.
“Liuzi, you’re too slow!”
Tao Chuyi dragged the kite along as she ran wildly. The Phoenix Kite soared into the sky, drawing maids and servants in the mansion to crane their necks and gaze upward.
Exhausted, Liuzi collapsed face-first into the dirt but struggled back to his feet.
“Prince Consort, please don’t run so fast!”
No one could keep up with Tao Chuyi. She dashed about like her feet were fitted with wheels of wind and fire, practically flying.
Shouts and laughter filled the air as Nangong Yunshang sat smiling in the pavilion, watching them play.
“The Prince Consort’s energy has only grown.”
Yinghong caught the infectious mood herself. If she weren’t needed to attend the princess, she would have joined the fun.
Nangong Yunshang couldn’t suppress her smile. “Liveliness is good. The mansion feels so much brighter.”
Yinghong covered her mouth, teasing. “Your Highness didn’t always say that. You used to call the Prince Consort noisy.”
Nangong Yunshang flatly denied it. “Did I?”
With that, she lifted her teacup for a sip, feigning innocence.
In the courtyard, maids and servants slumped to the ground, utterly spent and groaning. No one could catch Tao Chuyi or call her back.
Nangong Yunshang looked up, met her gaze, and beckoned her over.
Tao Chuyi dropped the kite at once and dashed to the pavilion.
“Sister! Sister, why aren’t you flying the kite with me?”
Nangong Yunshang smiled to herself. I couldn’t keep up with you either.
“My health isn’t great. I shouldn’t run or jump.”
Tao Chuyi nodded obediently and circled behind her to knead her shoulders and back with surprisingly deft hands.
“Hey, wait—Prince Consort, you’re stealing this servant’s job!”
Yinghong sighed. “At this rate, this servant will have to pack her bags and leave.”
Nangong Yunshang patted Tao Chuyi’s hand and told Yinghong, “Don’t tease the Prince Consort.”
Yinghong sighed for real this time. Already protecting her like that.
“Sister, Sister!”
Tao Chuyi plopped down on the bench beside her and shook Nangong Yunshang’s hand.
“What’s the matter, my little Prince Consort?”
Tao Chuyi fumbled for words. “I heard… south, the southern part? Nangong? People are coming.”
Nangong Yunshang sighed softly and caressed her cheek. “It’s the Southern Frontier. Their prince and envoys are coming to Jingyun as guests.”
The mention of the Southern Frontier brought back the unresolved matter of their witchcraft harming people. With the royal family arriving in person now, who knew what mischief they would cause.
Tao Chuyi felt a vague familiarity with the name but couldn’t place it.
“Is the Southern Frontier fun? Lots of food?”
Nangong Yunshang tapped her forehead lightly. “All you think about is eating. They don’t have as much as our Jingyun.”
Tao Chuyi nodded vigorously. Then she didn’t like it. She liked Jingyun.
Five days later, the Southern Frontier delegation entered the capital city. Crowds of citizens lined the streets to watch. The Emperor hosted a banquet in their honor to demonstrate goodwill.
The principal visitors to Jingyun this time were two: the youngest prince of the Southern Frontier royal family, Sixth Prince Liao Mi, and the envoy Lord Luo. The others were mere attendants.
After the Third Prince’s exile, only five imperial children remained seated near the Emperor. The rest were consorts.
Tao Chuyi grew drowsy before the banquet even started. She stifled a yawn and whispered in Nangong Yunshang’s ear, “Sister, when will it end?”
Nangong Yunshang chuckled. “It’s just beginning. You want to leave already? What about all the good food?”
Tao Chuyi eyed the dishes and wine on the table. Nothing caught her fancy.
To entertain the Southern Frontier delegation, the Emperor had specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare cuisine from the Southern Frontier.
“I want roast duck, Squirrel Mandarin Fish, roast suckling pig…”
Tao Chuyi drooled at the mere thought.
Nangong Yunshang found her greedy expression endlessly amusing. “Be patient, good one. I’ll take you to eat after it ends.”
“Okay!”
Tao Chuyi perked up immediately, sitting ramrod straight with impeccable posture.
The Southern Frontier delegation entered the hall, paid respects to the Emperor, and presented tribute gifts.
Sixth Prince Liao Mi wore a flowing robe of deep purple, his head adorned with golden ornaments that proclaimed his noble status.
Tao Chuyi stared without blinking. Suddenly, her fingers clenched the edge of the table with such force that it nearly splintered.
Nangong Yunshang noticed the anomaly and tried to pry Tao Chuyi’s hand free before she hurt herself, but she couldn’t budge it.
“Chuyi? Chuyi, what’s wrong?”
Tao Chuyi whipped her head around. The tension drained from her instantly, and her grip on the table relaxed.
“Sister, their clothes are ugly.”
Nangong Yunshang rubbed her hand tenderly. “If they’re ugly, just don’t look. What was that about?”
Once the delegation was seated, music and dance commenced. Not only was the food in the Southern Frontier style—the performances matched as well.
Tao Chuyi grew thoroughly depressed. She hated it all. Like an eggplant nipped by frost, she wilted on the spot.
Seeing Tao Chuyi like that, Nangong Yunshang hoped the banquet would wrap up quickly too.
Liao Mi accepted toasts from the guests, but his eyes roved over the womenfolk. He ogled palace maids, princesses, and even consorts.
Nangong Yunshang found him shifty-eyed and utterly lacking in refinement; she took an instant dislike to him. Then his gaze swept her way by chance, locking onto hers.
Liao Mi made no effort to hide his admiration and even flashed a lecherous wink.
Nangong Yunshang nearly retched, her appetite vanishing just like Tao Chuyi’s.
Spotting someone ogling her sister, Tao Chuyi shot him a fierce glare. She kept it up until Liao Mi lost interest and looked elsewhere.
“Sister, that Dog Head Monster is so annoying.”
It took Nangong Yunshang a moment to realize she meant the Sixth Prince of the Southern Frontier.
“Quite annoying, yes. But why ‘Dog Head Monster’?”
Tao Chuyi fixed her gaze on the qilin emblem on his robes. “He has a dog head on him.”
Nangong Yunshang: “…”
The pair endured the banquet in misery, desperate to return to the Princess Mansion.
At long last, it ended. Nangong Yunshang hurried away with Tao Chuyi in tow.
But as they reached the palace gates and prepared to board their carriage, Liao Mi came chasing after.
“Your Highness the Princess, please hold!”
Liao Mi stepped forward and bowed. “To behold the Princess today is the fortune of three lifetimes.”
Nangong Yunshang despised him and ignored him entirely, climbing straight into the carriage.
Tao Chuyi shot him a glare. “Good that you know. No need to grovel.”
With that, Tao Chuyi hopped into the carriage too.
From the princess and prince consort down to the guards and coachman, not a soul gave the Southern Frontier prince a warm reception. The coachman cracked his whip, and they sped away haughtily, leaving Liao Mi with a sour expression.
Back at the Princess Mansion, their moods finally lifted. The kitchen had a lavish spread prepared and waiting to be cooked.
Tao Chuyi chomped contentedly on a chicken leg. “Home is still the best.”
Nangong Yunshang gazed at her with a smile. “Yes, home is still the best.”
“Your Highness,” Yinghong said with concern, “this servant heard the Southern Frontier prince came this time seeking a marriage alliance.”
“They say the Southern Frontier royal family is a chaotic mess—brothers stealing wives from each other, fathers and sons sharing them. Any woman sent there is doomed.”
Nangong Yunshang silently thanked her past decisions. With a prince consort now, she herself was no longer eligible.
Yinghong went on. “The only candidate left for an alliance marriage is the Second Princess.”
Nangong Yunshang shook her head. “Father Emperor would never bear to send her off like that.”
“Then… there is no one. Even the princes’ county princesses are all wed.”
Situations like this were all too common.
Nangong Yunshang’s smile faded. “At a time like this, the imperial family selects some unlucky girl. The ones on edge right now are the unmarried daughters of court officials—especially the daughters of those powerful ministers with high positions and great authority.”
Realization dawned on Yinghong. It was an ancient custom: if there were no suitable princesses or county princesses available for marriage, they would hastily appoint one on the spot.
“Which family’s daughter drew the short straw this time…”
Tao Chuyi suddenly perked up. “Is the Dog Head Monster getting married? No! Absolutely not allowed to marry my big sis!”
She threw her arms around Nangong Yunshang and refused to let go, tugging her fiercely into her own embrace.
Yinghong could only sigh helplessly. “Oh dear, Prince Consort, Your Highness has already been married—married to you, wasn’t she?”
Tao Chuyi blinked. Oh, right—she and her big sis had already tied the knot.
Her big sis belonged to her!
“Mine. No stealing.”
Nangong Yunshang patted the back of her hand. “There, there. Yours. All yours.”
The day after the Southern Frontier Delegation arrived in the Capital City, the Emperor issued the imperial decree conferring titles and granting the marriage.
