The Cicada Knows Neither Spring Nor Autumn - Chapter 6

After the New Year, Prince Jing prepared to return to Yanzhou. I found a way to meet him once more.

He accepted the letter I handed him and again asked whether I wished to leave with him. I need not worry, he said. He could spirit me out of the palace without anyone noticing.

I shook my head.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Please give…him my regards.”

Prince Jing sighed deeply and did not press me.

As I watched him leave, I remembered the final line of my letter.

*This is already the nineteenth year of Chongning, yet I still dare not forget the old wrong.*

After parting from Prince Jing, I visited an old acquaintance. Xiao Dezi, who had entered the palace with me, was now the Chief Eunuch of Imperial Seals.

The next day, the Crown Prince fell from his horse while practicing at the Imperial Stables. Out of concern for his injury, the Emperor announced that Zhao Yan would accompany him to the spring hunt in the third month.

They said the Crown Prince flew into a rage in the Eastern Palace and punished dozens of servants. For days, screams rose from its courtyards.

Yet every investigation concluded that the fall had been an accident.

Zhao Yan’s private dealings with the Rong clan grew closer, and Consort Li frequently exchanged letters with her family. Nevertheless, inside Jiyue Palace, she sighed and judged Zhao Yan “no benevolent soul.”

She stared at my face for a long time before murmuring, “Qiuchan, by attaching ourselves to the Second Prince, are we inviting a wolf into the house?”

I prostrated myself.

“This servant is too dull to comment on Your Highness’s affairs. But if there is anything this servant can do, I will pass through fire and boiling water without hesitation.”

Consort Li snorted and waved me away.

“As if a little maid like you could understand any of it. Still, I will not harm you. I may even help you climb onto a higher branch.”

…

From that day onward, Consort Li assigned me every task involving the Second Prince. Any business with Qingyan Residence invariably fell to me.

She ordered me to report Zhao Yan’s movements.

Zhao Yan knew exactly what she was doing, yet he never questioned me or showed the slightest suspicion. Whenever I visited Qingyan Residence, he pestered me into talking for ages and insisted that we eat together. In private, he forbade me to bow or address him as Your Highness.

It was almost like the old days, when I called him Little Dog.

Only sometimes, the way he watched me through his smile made me uneasy.

A good dog should not have eyes like those.

Whatever else might be true, on the fifteenth day of the third month, the palace procession rolled grandly toward the Mulan Hunting Grounds.

Consort Li dressed like a flowering branch in her carriage, the jewels on her head bright enough to blind a person. The Empress, worried for the Crown Prince, had insisted on remaining behind to nurse him. The Noble Consort’s madness had worsened until she was forbidden even to leave Jingyang Palace.

Consorts Lan and Hui and several other ladies accompanied the hunt, but Consort Li outranked them all. Her palanquin followed directly behind the Emperor’s imperial carriage. At last, she could hold her head high.

I was helping her dress when she waved Biyun over to replace me.

“Qiuchan, the cream pastries from the small kitchen are good today. Take one portion to His Majesty and another to the Second Prince.”

She gave me a meaningful look.

“The Second Prince brought few attendants. After delivering his pastries, remain in his carriage. We would not want anyone to say I failed to arrange proper service for him.”

I obeyed. Biyun’s glare was poisonous.

I left too quickly to hear Consort Li speak behind me.

“Silly girl, you are actually jealous of Qiuchan. Do you think this is a pleasant assignment?

“You see only that the Second Prince is handsome. He is no gentle, virtuous man…”

When I boarded the Emperor’s carriage, I kept my head respectfully bowed.

“Your Majesty, Consort Li instructed this servant to bring you these pastries.”

“Consort Li is thoughtful.”

I bowed and withdrew, but the Emperor stopped me.

“Wait. Raise your head. Let me look at you.”

I pinched my palm and looked up with feigned panic.

“What is your name?”

“This servant is called Qiuchan.”

“Qiuchan…” The Emperor turned the jade archer’s ring on his thumb. “It is not a good name.

“The morning mushroom knows neither dusk nor dawn; the summer cicada knows neither spring nor autumn. Have you heard that old saying?”

It struck me as amusing.

Whether our names were good or bad, were they not bestowed at a noble’s whim? Forget names—even our lives could be ended by one word from the Emperor.

I lowered my head again.

“Forgive this servant, Your Majesty. I have read very few books and have never heard the saying.”

The Emperor lost interest.

“A mere palace maid… Never mind. Go.”

I withdrew with the air of a frightened servant while fighting down the urge to kill him.

No. It was not yet time.

I turned and entered the Second Prince’s carriage. The instant I lifted the curtain, someone pulled me into his arms.

“Sister…how long has it been? I missed you.”