Chapter Three: Meeting Prince Fook

"My, my, Eldest Imperial Sister, why look so startled to see me? Have you been missing your younger brother?"

Li Honghui sat down beside Li Youwei with a swagger, tapping the table with his fan, his expression dripping with practiced charm. "To treat your brother with such coldness, Eldest Imperial Sister—it truly breaks my heart."

Li Youwei turned away in disgust. "The scent of rouge is suffocating. Did you just crawl out of a brothel?"

Li Honghui lifted his arm and took a delicate sniff. "Your nose is as keen as ever, Eldest Imperial Sister. Why don't you help me count? How many girls' scents have I picked up? I shall have my valet reward them accordingly another day."

Li Youwei pushed him away. "Get away from me! You’re choking me to death!"

Li Honghui burst into laughter. Only then did Wen Zhiyan find an opening to offer a formal curtsy, saying respectfully, "Greetings, Prince Fu."

The playful smirk vanished from Li Honghui's face. He restrained the urge to rush forward and embrace her, saying only in a gentle tone, "It has been a long time. When I received your letter, Zhiyan, I could hardly believe it."

Li Youwei glared at Wen Zhiyan. "I thought it would be just the two of us. Why did you invite him?"

Li Honghui could not bear to see Li Youwei treat Wen Zhiyan with such hostility. "Why must you be so aggressive, Eldest Imperial Sister? Is there anything here that I am not permitted to hear?" As he spoke, he cast a searching gaze around the room.

Wen Zhiyan silently gathered the shards of the teacup Li Youwei had smashed. "Please, Princess and Prince Fu, continue your conversation. I shall go and brew a fresh pot of tea."

As Wen Zhiyan withdrew, leaving only Li Honghui and Li Youwei in the hall, Li Honghui stood up. He wandered about as if aimlessly, though his fingers meticulously probed the surfaces, searching for hidden mechanisms or secret passages. Although he had sent men to survey the Duke of Zhen’s estate the moment it was sealed, the rooms had been so cluttered with furniture and ornaments that his subordinates might well have overlooked something.

"How is Mother Empress lately? I have been so occupied that I have not been able to pay my respects to Father Emperor and Mother Empress for quite some time."

At the mention of this, Li Youwei let out a cold laugh. "How kind of you to remember my mother. If your mother, Noble Consort Ya, didn't monopolize Father Emperor so much, perhaps Mother Empress would be doing better."

For over a decade, Noble Consort Ya had been the Emperor’s singular obsession; out of every ten visits the Emperor made to the inner palace, six were to her quarters. A mere daughter of a Suzhou county clerk, she had risen from the lowest rank of concubine to a position second only to the Empress, a testament to how deeply she had ensnared the Emperor’s heart. Even her only son, Prince Fu, had spent more time with the Emperor than any of the other imperial children. It was difficult for Li Youwei not to feel a searing jealousy.

Li Honghui swayed his head and wandered to the other side of the room. "What are you saying, Eldest Imperial Sister? What Father Emperor chooses to do or not do is not for us children to question."

Li Youwei let out a cold snort. "Why did Wen Zhiyan ask you to come? What did she want to tell you?"

Li Honghui stopped and looked back at her. "Naturally, it was about the crimes of Duke Zhen... It seems he was framed. Why did she ask you to come?"

Li Youwei’s eyes darted, but she met his gaze with unruffled candor. "The same as you."

Clearly disbelieving her, Li Honghui finished scouring the main hall, finding nothing. He tossed a dismissive comment over his shoulder: "I shall go see how the tea is coming along."

"Don't you dare leave!" Li Youwei grabbed his sleeve, her eyes blazing with fury. "Was it you who murdered my imperial brother?"

Li Honghui looked at her in disbelief, as if he couldn't fathom her words. His voice turned icy. "What madness has possessed you, Sister? The Crown Prince’s death was a shock to me as well. The nation mourns his sudden passing! Instead of trying to catch the true culprit, you suspect your own kin!"

"You have no right to call him brother!" Li Youwei spat. "Mother Empress bore only two children, the Crown Prince and me. Apart from me, which of Father Emperor’s other children didn't wish him dead?"

"And so you pin this accusation on me? Father Emperor is eternal; the throne is his to hold, and I have no interest in that seat."

"Whether you have interest or not, you know the truth in your heart! The Crown Prince was my own flesh and blood. You had best keep your fox's tail tucked away. If I ever find proof that you were involved in his death, I will never let you go!"

Li Honghui held her gaze for a long moment. Seeing the murderous intent in her eyes, he reached out to adjust her hair ornament and said coolly, "I, too, look forward to it. I shall wait for you to find this so-called evidence."

He shook his sleeve, and Li Youwei’s hand dropped, heavy with frustration.

"I will find it."

Li Youwei seemed lost in the memory of time spent with her brother. She had been born a princess with a silver spoon, her father the supreme Emperor, her mother the Empress of the nation. From the moment she was born, she had been protected by her elder brother, the heir, as they roamed the palace together.

But two years ago, the Crown Prince had died suddenly. Father Emperor had fallen ill with grief, Mother Empress had wept until she was nearly blind... Li Youwei’s nose began to flush red.

Li Honghui looked at her and sighed softly. "Take care of yourself, Sister."

Neither spoke for a moment. A sense of irritation began to gnaw at Li Honghui. He threw out a final, "I'll go check on the tea," and strode out.

In the kitchen, Wen Zhiyan was stirring a medicinal powder into the tea when she heard heavy, rapid footsteps behind her. Before she could turn, she was pulled into a tight embrace, and a voice she had not heard in a long time sounded from above.

"Damn it, I've missed you like hell!"

Wen Zhiyan jumped in shock, clutching the medicine packet tightly in her hand. She struggled to turn around and pushed Chang Wei away with all her might.

Chang Wei sneered, one eye twitching upward. Wen Zhiyan watched the layers of fat on his cheeks quiver as he spoke, his spittle flying visibly in the sunlight, splashing onto the surfaces around him.

"Caught the eye of Prince Fu and now you look down on me? Don't forget who saved you back then!"

"Do you really think Prince Fu will marry you? Stop dreaming of climbing high to become a Princess Consort. Do you still think you're the high-born daughter of the Duke of Zhen? Do you still think men will fall over themselves just because you beckon?"

Wen Zhiyan said coldly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is Prince Fu not treating you well?" Chang Wei leaned in, his rough, soldier’s palm forcefully tilting Wen Zhiyan's chin upward.

Wen Zhiyan tried to look away, but Chang Wei forced her to meet his gaze.

"Look at me." Chang Wei leaned down until their breaths mingled. His eyes were burning with a raw, intense emotion that could not be melted away.

"Is he not treating you well? Is that why you wrote to invite me..." Chang Wei’s gruff voice grew softer. "I still remember the first time I met you in this estate, four years ago."

Wen Zhiyan’s ears flickered; she heard footsteps approaching. She whispered, "And what if he isn't treating me well?"

"Then I'll take you away!" Chang Wei pulled her close, his large hand burning against her waist. "I don't care that you were once a courtesan; I will marry you!"

Wen Zhiyan smiled, her voice seductive. "And what if Prince Fu won't let you take me?"

Chang Wei replied, "What is he? I'll kill him!"

That same voice echoed into the room once more, laced with confusion: "Chang Wei? What are you two doing?"