The Heart Given to Brighten the Moon - Chapter 6

The Imperial Garden, freshly dusted with snow, was draped in silver. Amidst the vast white, dots of vibrant red bloomed like a hidden paradise from a master’s ink wash painting. The shy flower buds had burst into competitive splendor overnight the perfect time for sightseeing.

Princess Hui was draped in a fire-fox fur cloak, a new winter gift from Zhao Zongqian. Atop her head, golden hairpins and jade ornaments swayed; her face was meticulously powdered, her smile radiant, exuding an air of supreme nobility and grace. A crowd of servants surrounded her as they strolled leisurely along the flower-lined paths.

Princess Hui paused, her gaze settling on a specific branch. Raising a slender, pale finger, she said in a delicate voice, “Feng Zhong, what do you think of that branch?”

Feng Zhong gave a wide, honest-looking, and pleasing grin. He trotted toward the spot the Princess indicated. Straightening his back and reaching out his hand, he held his breath and stood on his tiptoes, yet he remained several inches short of that Yutang Spring blossom the most vibrant in the entire garden.

“Useless servant,” Princess Hui muttered under her breath.

Feng Zhong wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead and gave her a sheepish smile. Seeing the Princess roll her eyes, he turned back and craned his neck. Just as he bent his knees and stuck out his rear, preparing to jump, Princess Hui spoke coldly: “If you damage it even slightly, this Princess will break your dog legs.”

Feng Zhong froze instantly. He didn’t know whether to retract his protruding backside or keep it out. This normally clever servant’s mind went blank; his fawning, honest-looking smile turned into a pitiable, awkward grimace.

Just as he was despairing, two figures slowly approached in the distance. Feeling as though he’d been granted a divine reprieve, Feng Zhong straightened his back and pointed at one of the newcomers, laughing, “Young Miss Song arrives at just the right time.”

Song Mingyue stared warily at Feng Zhong, then stole a glance at Zhao Hui standing nearby. She bowed deeply. “Song Mingyue pays respects to Her Highness. May Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand fortunes.”

Zhao Hui narrowed her eyes at Song Mingyue, who was wearing the snow-white rabbit-fur cloak, and sneered, “Ten thousand fortunes? I think you’d like nothing more than for this Princess to die early.”

Song Mingyue pursed her lips, remaining neither humble nor overbearing.

Zhao Hui wasn’t angry; it was precisely this type of stubborn, unyielding person who was the most fun to torment. She waved a hand at the garden’s fragrant scenery. “Do you see these Yutang Springs? Are they not a sight of incomparable beauty? This Princess said she disliked begonias and plum blossoms, so they can no longer be found in this courtyard. What does it matter if Noble Consort Zhao’s plum blossom wine is as exquisite as divine nectar? In the end, only my Yutang Springs remain.”

Song Mingyue kept her eyes lowered, wanting nothing less than to look at Zhao Hui’s insufferably conceited face.

Zhao Hui glanced at her, her smile vanishing. She pointed at the vibrant flower hanging high above and commanded arrogantly, “Feng Zhong is to pick the finest blossom for me. You shall serve as his footstool, lest this clumsy servant damage my flowers.”

Song Mingyue jerked her head up. Setting aside the fact that Feng Zhong was much taller than her a single step from him would at least cost her half her life there was the matter of his lowly status. He was to step on her back!? Even as the orphan of a defeated nation, she was still of Imperial blood. How could she endure such an insult!?

Seeing her motionless, Zhao Hui watched the rise and fall of Song Mingyue’s modest chest with supreme pleasure. She walked up to the girl and laughed softly, “If you do not comply, I shall have Imperial Father send Song Mingjue to the Northern Wastes to serve the border soldiers as a slave. I hear those crude brutes haven’t tasted ‘fresh meat’ in years; even if he is a man, so long as he is fair-skinned and tender, he will not escape their… ‘favors’.”

Song Mingyue’s eyes widened, her face turning white as snow. She bit her lip until it bled. Her hands clutched her sleeves tightly, her reddened fingers turning white at the knuckles. She walked toward Feng Zhong step by step and, without a single word of hesitation, knelt in the snow. Her hands clawed deep furrows into the muddy slush as she gritted her teeth and growled: “Get on!”

Feng Zhong was overjoyed. With the air of a “villain finding success,” he whispered above Song Mingyue’s head: “Young Miss Song, if you just beg me once, I could say a few good words to the Princess. It wouldn’t be impossible to swap you for someone younger and stronger.”

“Pick the flower!” Song Mingyue roared, her fingernails digging deeper into the mud.

“Stubborn wench!” Feng Zhong spat. He lifted his robe, preparing to plant a foot on her back.

Suddenly, a tall, thin figure appeared out of nowhere. Without a word, the figure slammed into the one-legged Feng Zhong, sending him tumbling and rolling twice on the ground. Of course, the tall figure didn’t fare much better, stumbling and sprawling right at Zhao Hui’s feet.

It happened with the speed of a lightning strike. The Princess stood dazed, staring at the two people rolling on the ground, her feet frozen in place. Only when her entourage frantically crowded around to protect her did Zhao Hui snap out of it and shriek: “Seize them!”

At the Princess’s command, Feng Zhong ignored his spinning head and scrambled up. Along with several other eunuchs, he hoisted the person who was “playing dead” on the ground and forced them to their knees before the Princess.

Without waiting for the Princess to speak, Feng Zhong the fawning “top dog” bellowed his interrogation: “Where did a blind wench like you come from, daring to collide with the Fourth Princess!? Do you have a death wish!?”

The person kneeling there was slumped over with her head bowed. Song Mingyue, still kneeling in the mud, felt her heart turn cold. This familiar yet strange silhouette, these all-too-familiar coarse hemp clothes, who could it be but Shen Danxin?

But at that moment, another familiar figure dashed past her, shouting: “You, ugly freak, why are you running so fast!? Are you rushing to be reincarnated as a beast!?”

Song Mingyue slowly straightened her back, looking like a wooden statue. She watched the figure who had been by her side since the womb, her dry lips moving slightly. Why is Song Mingjue here? Zhao Hui had never targeted him when she sought trouble with her. Did Shen Danxin orchestrate this?

As soon as Song Mingjue finished his shout, he skidded to a halt and bowed deeply to the confused Princess. He said respectfully, “Song Mingjue did not know Your Highness was here. Please forgive my rashness; I hope Your Highness, in your great mercy, will be magnanimous.”

Zhao Hui didn’t ignore him. Instead, she looked at him with a peculiar expression. “You aren’t at the Scholars’ Academy studying; what are you doing here?”

Song Mingjue gave a sheepish smile and pointed at the person kneeling on the ground. “This, this is a new maid from the Laundry Bureau. I saw she was dim-witted but possessed a fraction of Your Highness’s transcendent beauty, so I.”

As he spoke, Song Mingjue’s face turned beet red. He stole a glance at Zhao Hui and quickly lowered his head, bowing even deeper. “This lowly one deserves death for colliding with Your Highness. I hope Your Highness, whose heart is as vast as the rivers and seas, will forgive me this once. Mingjue shall forever remember Your Highness’s grand benevolence.”

Zhao Hui’s expression returned to normal. She glanced at the dazed Song Mingyue and laughed delicately, “Those who have studied for a few years truly are different. Your tongue is like a blooming lotus; you’ve made it so I cannot bear to punish you. Very well, let me see what kind of ‘beauty’ has caught your eye.”

Hearing this, the “hound” Feng Zhong grabbed Shen Danxin’s chin and barked: “Look up!” He yanked her head back with force. Shen Danxin rolled her eyes, she was intending to show her disdain for Feng Zhong, but the timing was poor; she happened to meet the Princess’s gaze right as her eyes rolled back.

While Shen Danxin was far from being “a beauty that makes the moon hide and flowers blush,” she was still a pleasant-looking girl with clear eyes and white teeth. Unfortunately, the eye-roll was perfectly timed to ruin her appearance.

Zhao Hui, being a Princess who had seen the world, merely furrowed her brow and looked at Song Mingjue with a face full of pity. “Mingjue, you are at the age to marry. Though the palace has its criticisms of your status, if you wish, this Princess could bestow a heavenly, well-bred lady upon you. Even if you are ‘hungry,’ do not go looking for such ‘crooked melons and split dates’ to disgrace yourself.”

Song Mingjue stole a look at the expressionless Shen Danxin, a surge of admiration rising in his heart. He bowed and said, “Many thanks for Your Highness’s favor. Mingjue was merely momentarily possessed and had poor judgment. Please do not lower yourself to our level, lest we soil Your Highness’s bright and wise eyes.”

This high-level flattery was something Feng Zhong could never hope to achieve. It clearly delighted the Princess; she waved a hand languidly and said, “Release her. Do not let me see her again.”

Feng Zhong released her reluctantly. He stepped back beside Song Mingjue and whispered with a vicious grin: “You got lucky, kid.”

Song Mingjue didn’t even look at him. With his chin slightly tilted, he retorted: “Then I suppose I have this maid’s collision with you to thank for it.”

After this ordeal, Princess Hui lost her interest in the flowers. But before leaving, she couldn’t resist a final taunt. She walked up to Song Mingyue and smiled, “Get up. If anyone saw you kneeling in the snow, they would think this Princess was bullying you.”

Song Mingyue slowly stood as ordered. Zhao Hui did something unprecedented: she reached out and brushed the snow from Song Mingyue’s rabbit-fur cloak, speaking in a soft, gentle voice: “This rabbit-fur was hand-stitched for me by my Eldest Brother. Though it is not as precious as the fire-fox fur granted by Imperial Father, it is his sincere sentiment. Do not waste it. Though for someone like you, it is quite a fitting match.”

Watching Song Mingyue’s chest heave with suppressed rage, Zhao Hui departed, satisfied.

Once the entourage was out of sight, Song Mingyue ripped off the brilliant cloak and slammed it into the snow. Still not satisfied, she stomped on it twice. Immediately, two black, muddy footprints stood out garishly on the white fur.

Shen Danxin, who had rushed over, couldn’t stop this “wasteful” behavior in time. She shouted, “Song Mingyue, are you mad!?”

Song Mingjue remained silent beside them. Song Mingyue stared at the cloak, a cold, vengeful sneer on her face. “Do you think I want to wear this? Do you think I want Mingjue to have to wash it in this freezing weather? Zhao Hui’s Eldest Brother is Zhao Ye, the Emperor’s firstborn but he was born of a commoner. By granting this to me, Zhao Hui is mocking me; she is saying that even though I carry the blood of the legitimate Imperial line, I am not even equal to a bastard son!”

“Sister” Song Mingjue tugged at her sleeve, his face full of pain.

Song Mingyue turned to him, a cold glint in her eyes. “Why were you not at the Scholars’ Academy today?”

Song Mingjue hesitated for a moment, his smile carrying a hint of bitterness. “Today is the Princes’ examination. The masters would not allow me to be present.”

As expected, Song Mingyue fell silent again. She stared at the rabbit-fur cloak for a long while before picking it up silently. “Miss Shen, thank you for your rescue today, but let there not be a next time. This forbidden city is no place for your ‘clever tricks’.”

With that, she grabbed Song Mingjue’s hand. “Come. Follow me home to your books.”

Song Mingjue looked back at Shen Danxin, who stood tongue-tied amidst the white snow and red flowers. He gave an apologetic smile and mouthed: Thank you.