CH 9

“This bitch!” the Zhenlong Emperor cursed. He had returned to his senses and was now livid with anger.

A concubine of the hougong actually dared to sexually abuse a child? And not just any child – a prince, at that! The Emperor was both revolted and outraged.

The other princes looked at the sobbing Chen Ziqi with mouths wide open, and didn’t close them for quite some time.

The Third Prince, who was twelve years old, was mature enough to know what Chen Ziqi was talking about. He elbowed the Second Prince next to him. “That’s a real low blow; I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Second Prince was the Empress’ son.  He had a refined, scholarly look about him. He exchanged a look with the Third Prince and smiled, but did not comment.

“Your Majesty, please calm down, there must be some mistake here somewhere,” the eldest Prince said. His face and ears were red with agitation, and he had hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to say something.

The eldest Prince was the Guifei’s son. He knew that his mother had called Chen Ziqi and his mother to the Imperial Gardens earlier. A concubine molesting a Prince – this was bound to become a huge scandal, and Li Pin was close to his mother. If the Emperor believed this to be true, things would be bad forhis mother as well.

“A mistake? What mistake could there be? Little Seventh* is just a little boy – are you telling me he could make up something like this?” the Zhenlong Emperor looked at Chen Ziqi, whose swollen little bird was still in plain view. The sight of it infuriated him anew, and he threw his teacup on the floor in anger.

*T/N: The Emperor is not calling him Xiao Qi (小戚), which is an affectionate short-form of his name, he is calling him 小七 (little seventh prince).

“Aiyo, your Majesty, don’t be so worked up, it’s not good for your heart,” the Head Eunuch Yuan Xingan said soothingly from his position next to the Emperor. His plump body moved quickly to Chen Ziqi’s side, and pulled up his pants gently, fastening them around Chen Ziqi’s waist. “Does it still hurt, Dianxia?”

Chen Ziqi looked at the kind-faced old eunuch, reached out to hug his neck, then slowly shook his head.

Eunuch Yuan froze for a moment. His expression immediately became softer.

“Li Pin niangniang likes to call the princes to her. I don’t know if this is the first time this has happened…” The Third Prince said these ambiguous words, then shut his mouth, and let the implication hang in the air. He was De Fei’s son, and De Fei was in the Empress’ faction, so he was happy to lend a hand in sticking a knife into someone in Guifei’s camp.

The Zhenlong Emperor trembled in anger, and his gaze swept slowly across the other princes.

The younger princes all didn’t dare to make a sound. Even the Ninth Prince, who had originally found Chen Ziqi annoying, chose not to say anything. To the Emperor, this clearly indicated that the princes agreed with what the Third Prince had insinuated.

“This matter stays within the walls of Zichen Palace,” the Zhenlong Emperor commanded, banging the table fiercely.

That very night, Li Pin was imprisoned.

The concubines had no idea what happened. They made their own quiet inquiries, but all they found out was that this was a result of Li Pin bullying Chang Er and Chen Ziqi. This rumour duly made its rounds in the hougong, and everyone was stunned. Who knew that the Emperor favoured Chang Jieyu to this extent?

“What did you say? The Emperor wants to cut off Li Pin’s fingers?!” Guifei grabbed the front of the Eunuch’s clothes. “Who did you hear this from?”

“This was what Eunuch Yuan said. He told you not to interfere, or you might also suffer the fallout,” the little eunuch said, shivering in fear. Earlier, the Emperor had been like an enraged lion, furiously smashing things in the palace. Even Eunuch Yuan did not dare to go in.

Guifei let go of the little eunuch. She slumped into a chair, and bit her lower lip, panic rising in her chest.

“Pincers of Steel?” the Zhenlong Emperor looked at the report, his expression dark. Pincers of Steel was a type of external gongfu. It could not be detected by the usual checks conducted on concubines before they entered the palace – these were usually done by taking the girls’ pulse, and could only check for the types of gongfu that required internal force. Thinking about how he loved Li Pin’s slender little hands before, and the many times those hands had brought him to ecstasy, he could not help but shudder. If those hands had but exerted some force, the mighty dragon between his legs might have never roared again…

He thought back on how tragic Chen Ziqi’s little bird looked that day, then looked at the bowl of crushed tofu that Eunuch Yuan had just placed on the table. That was how his little dragon might have ended up in Li Pin’s hands… He felt his lower body twinge with sympathetic pain.

“Cut off the two fingers she uses for the Pincers of Steel, demote her to a Baolin, and move her to Yongle Palace,” the Zhenlong Emperor said. He covered the bowl of tofu and pushed it aside; he couldn’t bear to look at it any longer.

Chen Ziqi didn’t know that his mudslinging had such a great effect. At this time, he was huddled in bed, applying medicine to his thighs.

His skin was naturally fair and bruised easily, so he didn’t have to exert that much force on his thighs. Rubbing his little chicken to make it red and swollen had taken more effort. He dipped his fingers into the ointment, then applied it to the young bud between his legs. A cooling sensation immediately rushed through his body, from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

“Ow!” Chen Ziqi exclaimed, holding his crotch and falling onto the bed. Urgh, what was with this weird minty feeling?

When Dan Yi jumped up on the window, the scene that met his eyes was Chen Ziqi holding the little bird between his thighs and rolling around on the blankets.

Chen Ziqi sighed in relief after enduring this minty ordeal. He propped himself up on a big pillow and opened his legs to check on the situation. A little red, fluffy bird stood between his legs.

“… …” Chen Ziqi was silent for a second. He caught hold of the fluffy troublemaker. “You gave me a fright; for a moment I thought my bird fell off.”

“Tweet!” Dan Yi flapped his wings angrily. How dare you mistake me for that unspeakable thing!

“Where have you been these last two days?” Chen Ziqi picked up the little red bird and looked it all over. “Why haven’t you grown any proper feathers yet?” Chicks usually started growing wing feathers five days after hatching. It had been far longer than that with this little red chick, and it was still covered in fluffy down. The only feathers he had were the two crown feathers on his head.

The little red bird squirmed out of Chen Ziqi’s hand and hopped onto the bed between his legs, tilting its head to look at his injuries. Because he needed to let the ointment dry, Chen Ziqi had to sit with his legs wide open, so the little red bird got a full view of that other bird.

These injuries looked to be self-inflicted. Dan Yi relaxed, then turned to hop away. He was a polite bird, and he didn’t look at Chen Ziqi’s little chicken more than was necessary.

“Dianxia, do you want some snacks?” Fuxi asked, knocking on the door.

Chen Ziqi pulled the blankets over his legs, then asked Fuxi to come in. The situation in Zichen Palace had taken a while, and he’d missed his dinner, so he could only eat some snacks to stave off his hunger.

Fuxi brought in a plate of snow-white steamed cake. It had a layer of osmanthus sugar sprinkled on top, and looked really delicious.

“Dianxia can only eat vegetarian food from today onwards. Please bear with it,” Fuxi said.

The Midsummer Ritual was only seven days away. This was the ritual where they prayed to their god. All the princes had to keep to a vegetarian diet and bathe in incense to prepare for it. Fuxi was intending to say more to comfort Chen Ziqi, but when he saw that Chen Ziqi was eating the steamed cake with great gusto, he decided it probably wasn’t necessary.

Chen Ziqi gestured for Fuxi to leave, then flipped off the blankets covering his legs and put the steamed cake on the mattress. He took a big bite of cake, and fed the little red bird some as well.

“Why do you think we need to fast and bathe in incense for the Ritual? I mean, it’s not like it affects our ability to pray,” Chen Ziqi mused, pinching a small piece of steamed cake. He offered it to the little red chick, and when it was about to peck at it, pulled it away, just out of reach.

“Tweet!” The little bird was tricked, and chirped angrily at Chen Ziqi.

“I heard that there are some sacrifices that have to be made to the god… hey, the sacrifice isn’t us right? The princes? It’s not like we’re being offered up for the god’s gratification?” The more Chen Ziqi thought about it, the more likely this seemed, and the more worried he became.

Jiuru Town once suffered a plague. The Taoist priest said that the River Spirit was angered, and that to appease him, the town had to offer up a young boy and girl, as well as some ingots and silk. Two children were selected, cleaned up, and put on a vegetarian diet for several days, before being sent to the temple. Thereafter, the two children were never seen again.

“Tweet…” Dan Yi raised his little head, and his two crown feathers swayed gently with his movement. If you were offered up for my gratification, that would be your privilege, really...

Before he could finish tweeting this, a mouthful of steamed cake was stuffed into his face.

“Hahaha!!!” Chen Ziqi guffawed, laughing at the little bird’s comical appearance. He fell onto to the bed, clutching at his sides.

The next day, the news that Li Pin had been demoted and had two of her fingers cut off spread like wildfire. When Chang Er went to pay her respects to the Empress in the morning, the other concubines were noticeably much nicer to her than they were the day before.

“Little Seventh is at the age where he grows like a weed. He’ll outgrow his clothes in a matter of months. I’ve just received a few bolts of ice silk – you can take some to make some underclothes for him,” the Empress said, smiling warmly. She raised her hand slightly, gesturing to the palace maids behind her, and they immediately went to fetch a bolt of ice silk.

“Thank you, Empress niangniang.” Chang Er said, accepting the silk. She was overwhelmed by the Empress sudden favour.

Guifei smiled frostily next to her. “The Sixth Prince is about the same age as the Seventh Prince – will Empress niangniang also give some to Cheng Jieyu?” she asked.

“Ah, unfortunately, Zijian has asked for the rest,” the Empress said, still smiling as she mentioned her son, the Second Prince. “Guifei, you’ve got plenty of ice silk too. Since you mentioned Cheng Jieyu’s son also needs some, you can give some to her.”

Chang Er didn’t really understand the complicated games these women played. She just bent her head to examine the ice silk in her hands. She had never seen such beautifully soft material before. Her little brat would certainly enjoy wearing this comfortable material as his underclothes.

Chen Ziqi rose early the following morning. The little red bird was missing again, but he wasn’t fussed. He tidied himself up, then headed for Chunxi Hall, which was near the Eastern Palace.

Chunxi Hall was where the Princes studied and practiced their martial arts every day. Martial arts reigned supreme in this age, and literary pursuits were not valued. This bias was reflected in the Princes’ lessons as well. They practiced martial arts all morning, and only studied a bit in the afternoon.

Before eating breakfast, they all had to maintain a horse-riding stance* for an hour.

*T/N: Like a squat position, with your fists held fingers up at your waist, elbows tucked behind you. Google “horse riding stance” to see what this looks like.

The person in charge of teaching the Princes martial arts was their Imperial uncle, Prince Qi. Prince Qi looked to be younger than the Zhenlong Emperor. He wore a light blue martial outfit, and had a solemn expression as he supervised the Princes.

“Our Yuzhang royal family only practices one type of martial art. It’s a very powerful one – if you achieve great success in cultivation, you can wipe out a thousand soldiers in one blow,” Prince Qi said, explaining the royal family’s martial arts for the benefit of the newcomers.

The name of this dynasty was Zhang, probably because the first Emperor of this dynasty gained power in Yuzhang many generations ago. The Imperial family also sometimes referred to themselves as “Yuzhang people” as a result.

“Imperial Uncle, let’s not talk about achieving ‘great success’ – when can I even manage a ‘small success’?” the Third Prince said, unable to resist the urge to make this mischievous remark.

The Third Prince had started learning this martial art since he was three years old, and he was now nine. In the six years he had practiced this art, he had only managed to gain a small amount of neili; he was miles away from being able to extinguish a thousand men with a single blow.

“You haven’t practiced hard enough,” Prince Qi said blandly. “Continue holding your horse-riding stance.”

Ah Mu was next to Chen Ziqi. His tiny little hands and legs simply could not maintain the position for long. After a minute, his legs gave way, and he toppled to the ground with thud. Prince Qi helped him up and allowed him to rest for a bit before instructing him to strike the horse-riding stance again.

After the morning’s exertions, the Princes were all dead tired. They didn’t even have energy to chat with each other, and went back to their individual palaces to rest. Just as Chen Ziqi stepped out of Chunxi Hall, he felt someome tug at his clothes. It was Ah Mu.

“Gege, can I, go back, with you?” Ah Mu panted. He had overexerted that morning, and he still couldn’t walk straight on his trembling legs.

Chen Ziqi’s brows furrowed in thought before replying. “Sure, I’ll give you something nice to eat.” Since he had decided to accept Ah Mu as his brother from another mother, he certainly had to give him some benefits.

On hearing this answer, Ah Mu grinned like a Cheshire cat. Little children were sensitive, and in this entire palace, only Chen Ziqi showed him even the least bit of kindness. He was the only one who gave Ah Mu a sense of security after being separated from his Jiujiu.

“Brown Berry! Do you want to come with us?” Chen Ziqi asked. The tanned little boy just happened to be passing by, and Chen Ziqi decided to invite him along in the spur of the moment.

Brown Berry froze for a bit. “You’re talking to me?” he asked slowly, surprised.

Chen Ziqi gave him an awkward, toothy smile. He’d accidentally called the boy by the nickname he’d privately given him without thinking. The tanned boy had a name, and was called Chen Zimo.

Thankfully, Chen Zimo wasn’t offended, and went to Qingyun Palace with Chen Ziqi.

Chen Zimo ate like a starving dog at lunch. Chang Er and Chen Ziqi looked at him inhaling great mouthfuls of food, then exchanged a look. Ah Mu didn’t have anyone to take care of him, and so it was somewhat expected that he wouldn’t eat well on his own, but why was this Brown Berry also eating like a hungry ghost?

Author’s Note: Mini-scene

Qiqi: What exactly are we doing at the Ritual?

Birdie Gong: Offering your pure and fragrant body to the god

Qiqi: How am I supposed to offer myself?

Birdie Gong: Oh, where do I even begin – you can offer yourself lying on your back, you can offer yourself lying on your chest…

Qiqi: ( ⊙ o ⊙ )

Birdie Gong: But remember to pinch out smaller pieces of the steamed cake – it’s a grave sin to choke the god

Qiqi: Huh?

Beansprout: Surprise! I managed to get this chapter out earlier than expected.  Hope you guys enjoyed it!

In case you didn’t get the innuendo in the mini-scene, basically Birdie Gong is talking about missionary and a modified doggy where the recipient lies flat and chest-down. :3

Also, holding a horse stance for an hour?! Wut?? I did martial arts as a kid, and even holding that pose for 10 minutes was torture. These ancients have thighs of steel…