Drunk on Madness - Chapter 55

From that day onward, taking aphrodisiac pills beforehand became an unspoken agreement between the two.

Freed from his reservations, Zhou Mingxuan and Li Xiang seemed to return to how they once were. However, fearing that the Crown Prince might mistreat Li Xiang in bed, Empress Zhao sent a few older palace maids to attend to her.

In the Kunning Palace, Zhou Mingxuan had yet to take a principal consort, so both of them temporarily resided in the Shaoyang Courtyard, which housed hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs. Among them, Li Xiang only had a vague impression of the seven or eight who served her closely.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, the Crown Prince had gone to the Hall of Preserving Harmony for discussions. Aunt Fang and Nanny Liu came in to help Li Xiang up, washing and tending to her before applying ointment and giving her a massage. Shortly after, four palace maids entered to tidy the room.

Aunt Fang and Nanny Liu had been sent by Empress Zhao and were said to have some knowledge of medicine, particularly in gynecology. Though not elderly, after a few days of interaction, Nanny Liu noticed that Li Xiang paid little attention to the Crown Prince and was generally unguarded around others. Even when some of the more attractive palace maids in the courtyard cast flirtatious glances at the Crown Prince, Li Xiang remained indifferent.

Though Li Xiang now had two children to secure her position and enjoyed the Crown Prince’s favor, Nanny Liu couldn’t help but advise, “, perhaps today you could prepare some food and send it to His Highness?”

Li Xiang opened her eyes at this and glanced at her. “No, I promised the princess I’d take the children for a walk in the imperial gardens later.”

Princess Qingyi visited her every day, and the two would wander aimlessly through the vast palace. Today, they planned to visit the imperial gardens and, if they saw anything they liked, dig up a few plants to bring back and cultivate in the Eastern Palace.

Matron Liu refused to give up and coaxed, “Second consort, you could prepare the food first, take it to the Hall of Preserving Harmony for His Highness, and then go to the gardens with the princess. If that’s too much, this servant can have the kitchen prepare some pastries to send over in your name.”

Li Xiang was puzzled. “Why?”

Nanny Liu had been hinting for a while, but Li Xiang still didn’t grasp her meaning. Left with no choice, she spelled it out: “County Princess Minying has arrived and is currently in the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Second consort, you must find an excuse to go and see for yourself.”

Li Xiang sat up. “Who is County Princess Minying?”

Matron Liu explained, “County Princess Minying is the granddaughter of the Prince of Mingbei and a candidate for the future Crown Princess. Her father is the current Grand Chancellor.”

Li Xiang’s response was immediate. “Then it’s even more reason not to go. As a mere second consort, I’d be crushed in an instant. Why stir up trouble?”

Though Nanny Liu didn’t understand what “crushed in an instant” meant, Li Xiang’s tone made it clear she had no intention of going to the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Frustrated, Nanny Liu chided, “Second consort, even if you won’t fight for favor for yourself, think of your children. Their future-”

Before she could continue, Li Xiang cut her off. “They’re still young, and the future is too far away. With a mother like me, let’s not push them to climb too high. Wealth, comfort, and good health are enough.”

Li Xiang thought to herself that the throne wasn’t an easy seat to occupy, those who did well were remembered in history, while those who failed were reviled for eternity. Worse, they might be assassinated someday. It was better for her children to live quietly as princes.

As for the promises Zhou Mingxuan had made to her before, Li Xiang held no hope. After all, she had been the one to stray first. If she couldn’t escape, she might as well resign herself to it. Living this extravagant palace life wasn’t unbearable for her.

As for Su Mo, she dared not inquire about him, let alone bring him up to Zhou Mingxuan. It was as if he had vanished from her life entirely.

…

In the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Crown Prince Zhou Mingxuan and several ministers had been deliberating all morning in preparation for the Qingming ancestral worship ceremony. Su Mo and Gu Ci were also present, though Su Mo usually avoided such gatherings. For some reason, Gu Ci had recently been dragging him along. Though the two hadn’t exchanged words, the fact that they hadn’t come to blows made Gu Ci hopeful that reconciliation was possible.

By noon, the eunuch Du whispered something in Zhou Mingxuan’s ear, prompting him to dismiss the ministers, leaving only Gu Ci, Su Mo, and four other young men behind for a meal together.

The dismissed ministers weren’t surprised, this had been the routine for days now. Unmarried young men stayed, while those with families left.

Before long, Chen Minying arrived with palace maids, carrying food boxes. Spotting others in the hall, she greeted them cheerfully.

The six young men were seated at three lower tables, while Chen Minying took her place beside Zhou Mingxuan. She had been coming daily, claiming she was “obeying the imperial decree” to deliver meals.

Over the past six months, the emperor had repeatedly urged the crown prince to take a principal consort, but Zhou Mingxuan had always refused. Now, to his surprise, the emperor had resorted to sending someone directly to corner him with food.

He had once proposed making Li Xiang his principal consort, but his father had sternly rejected the idea, citing her lack of family backing as a reason she wouldn’t hold the position securely. He understood the reasoning, but he had promised Li Xiang, and he didn’t want to break his word.

So, he turned to Gu Ci and Su Mo, hoping they could help him offload the “hot potato” that was Chen Minying. He had even handpicked a few presentable young men from respectable families, leaving them behind for her to choose from.

He felt a twinge of guilt toward the young noblewoman. At nineteen, Chen Minying had already passed the ideal age for marriage. He hoped she could find a good match.

The young men seated below naturally understood the prince’s intentions. Though inwardly groaning, they maintained composed expressions. What had started as self-introductions and comparisons of family backgrounds and talents had now evolved into daily attempts to leave an impression on Chen Minying.

Su Mo and Gu Ci didn’t participate, as they already knew Chen Minying. They focused on their meal, though Gu Ci occasionally played matchmaker, encouraging interactions between her and the four men to keep the atmosphere lively.

A poetry game they had been playing for three days had finally grown stale. One of the young men, Zhao Jingrui, suggested a stroll in the imperial garden to aid digestion. Zhou Mingxuan glanced at the weather and tacitly agreed.

…

In the Imperial Garden

Li Xiang and Qing Yi were flying kites while a group of palace maids hovered nearby, watching over two chubby toddlers, Yiyi and Qingqing who sat on a soft blanket, spread over the grass, gazing up at their mother and aunt with drooling mouths, occasionally babbling, “Fly, fly!”

Qingyi’s kite was flying too low, on the verge of falling. Frantic, she turned to Li Xiang for help. “Sister-in-law, save me! My kite’s about to crash!”

No sooner had she spoken than the kite plummeted, landing squarely on Zhao Jingrui, who had just walked into the garden.

Seeing her brother leading a group of people, and her kite now lying among them, Qingyi, who was terribly shy, looked at Li Xiang with pleading eyes.

Li Xiang took her hand and stepped forward confidently. “Mingxuan, what brings you here?”

Zhou Mingxuan looked at the sweat on her forehead, took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, and gently wiped it for her. She instinctively flinched slightly. After the exercise, her face was slightly flushed, and with so many people watching, she felt a little embarrassed. Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure and stiffened slightly.

Zhou Mingxuan also tensed for a moment before remembering Su Mo standing behind him. His eyes turned icy, and Li Xiang immediately reacted, slipping her arm through his and whispering, “Don’t be like this, everyone is watching.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mingxuan’s expression softened slightly. He pulled her closer by the waist, as if declaring ownership, and announced, “Let me introduce everyone. This is my sister, Princess Qingyi. And this is my beloved concubine, Xiangxiang.” He then pointed to the children behind him and added, “Those two little ones are mine and Xiangxiang’s children.”

Chen Minying watched as Zhou Mingxuan held Li Xiang in his arms, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart, but she still bowed respectfully to her. Li Xiang quickly returned the courtesy and said, “You are all His Highness’s trusted aides. I am unworthy of such respect. Earlier, the kite flown by the princess and me fell onto your group, was anyone hurt?”

Zhao Jingrui stepped forward and handed over the kite, which was immediately taken by the palace maid behind Qingyi. Qingyi murmured softly, “I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely audible, but Zhao Jingrui heard it. He smiled at her to show it was no trouble.

That smile made Qingyi’s face flush even redder.