Volume One, Chapter 11: A Woman’s Revenge Is Never Too Late, Even After Ten Years

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Pei Zai exchanged a glance with the deputy general beside Ning Dehai, then lightly tapped the table twice with his fingers, signaling him to hold his position.

“General Ning is the Military Commissioner of Fanyang and must remain to guard the region. How could he leave for Chang’an?”

“Escorting His Majesty is naturally a matter of greater importance…”

Before Ning Dehai finished speaking, the curtain was suddenly lifted. A group of ladies hurriedly followed behind Zhu Xiaozhi, their skirts fanning out like clusters of blossoms competing in splendor.

“Your Highness, there are male guests over there…”

But Zhu Xiaozhi ignored the women’s admonishments and cries, staggering forward until she collapsed onto Pei Zai’s desk, motionless.

The serving attendants knelt on the ground with trembling hands.

“Third Princess somehow got hold of a jug of wine from somewhere and, before anyone noticed, drank it all, becoming quite intoxicated and only kept saying she wanted to find Lord Pei.”

Zhu Xiaozhi secretly opened one eye, and only Pei Zai saw it. She blinked half-heartedly, signaling him to stay calm, then shifted her soft body closer to him, feigning nausea.

“Ugh…”

Pei Zai froze in place. It was Zhu Xuanli who stepped forward, gently patting his daughter’s back with concern.

“She’s never touched wine before, and this time she clearly didn’t know her limits…”

But Zhu Xiaozhi showed no gratitude and edged closer to Pei Zai, clutching the sandalwood-scented sleeve of his robe, refusing to let go, resting her head lightly on his knee.

Her heartbeat was rapid and strong, causing Pei Zai to nervously grasp his sleeve. Fortunately, Zhu Xuanli understood immediately and quickly suggested,

“Perhaps Lord Pei could kindly escort Xiaozhi back?”

Ning Dehai, who was speaking at a crucial moment, seeing the imperial seal about to be within reach only to have the situation spoiled, sullenly drooped his plump face, the corners of his eyes forming an inverted eight shape.

“I still have a few vacant rooms in the rear quarters. If the young princess needs rest, she may choose whichever she pleases.”

Pei Zai sighed, took out a white handkerchief to shield her, and straightened Zhu Xiaozhi’s shoulders.

“The Third Princess is, after all, a young lady to be wed. It would be inappropriate for her to stay with your wives and concubines. My wounds have not yet healed, and I must also rest early. I shall not trouble General Ning any longer today. I take my leave.”

With that, he instructed the maids to lift Zhu Xiaozhi and return her to the carriage, which the coachman then drove off as Pei Zai rode his horse behind. Those at the banquet exchanged glances. Lü Yuan, frightened by her younger daughter’s impropriety, clutched her chest and leaned on her elder daughter’s shoulder, rendered speechless.

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After traveling half a mile, a flushed face poked out from beneath the carriage curtain, still tinged with the scent of wine.

“Lord Pei, does this count as me repaying you a life?”

The deputy general was Ning Dehai’s hidden chess piece, whose victory would be greater the later it was revealed—certainly not to be wasted on tonight’s circumstance.

Yet she had previously asserted that Ning Dehai intended to kill the new emperor, and now feigned drunkenness to help herself escape—wasn’t that contradictory?

Pei Zai silently resolved never again to let a young girl’s wild imaginings sway his decisions.

“Princess, you may have forgotten, I wasn’t even supposed to attend tonight’s banquet.”

Realizing she was at fault, she withdrew into the carriage. Her once-clear voice, muffled by the curtain, sounded dull.

“I only know the danger is tonight, but who could have guessed the real danger is…”

She stopped just in time, not yet drunk enough to lose her wits, keeping her secret safe.

“Lord Pei, the imperial seal remaining with you each day only increases Ning Dehai’s covetous thoughts. This hot potato is not easy to handle.”

The abrupt shift in topic made Pei Zai frown, unsure what mystery the girl was hinting at.

“What does Your Highness think should be done?”

Using the veil of intoxication, Zhu Xiaozhi spoke more freely.

“Since my father’s becoming emperor is already a done deal, what difference does it make if the seal is given to him sooner or later? Compared to following protocol, isn’t it more important to ease the world’s worries?”

“A woman should concern herself with palace affairs only. Your Highness ought not meddle in court politics.”

Hmph. Were it not for fearing he, a minor official, might perish amid the schemes of the powerful, she wouldn’t bother with him—a forgotten pawn in history’s records. Why must he fly headlong into a doomed fate?

“You men haven’t governed the millions of people any better. Take Fanyang alone—grain stores lay empty. If a great drought strikes, how many will starve by the roadside? Tens of thousands, if not more.”

“Besides, would Lord Pei dare say such things before the Empress Dowager or Princess Changle?”

Pei Zai fell silent. For a moment, the girl’s voice, filtered through the curtain, bore the authority of her elders and the sharpness of a politician.

Moonlight bathed the tranquil path, tracing faint shadows around the boy’s white horse and the girl’s carriage. Both the road behind and ahead lay shrouded in darkness, as if a great beast lurked unseen.

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Out of gratitude for his life-saving deed, Zhu Xiaozhi kindly offered a word of caution.

“Lord Pei, though young, you hold great power and loyalty. That’s commendable, but don’t be impatient for quick success.”

After all, since he bore no favor towards her, she could not foresee when he might face danger. Such a gifted prodigy would do best to avoid the tragic fate of early demise and obscurity as recorded in official history.

Self-preservation is, after all, a way to survive.

“The same advice goes to Your Highness.”

Pei Zai glanced at the reins in the coachman’s hands; the man understood and quickly bowed his head, pretending not to hear.

“Many wish to oppose Ning Dehai; one more princess does not matter. A gentleman’s revenge may wait ten years, and the same holds for a lady.”

“I have more than opposition in mind.”

Zhu Xiaozhi had been resting leisurely against the cushions, but as she reflected on her family’s dwindling days, her expression grew grave.

Chu Ai Emperor Zhu Xuanli died ten years later during the nationwide rebellion sparked by Ning Dehai’s uprising from Fanyang, as history records. Before that, eight years on, there was Princess Zhaoyang’s failed patricide, and five years later, the mysterious death of her younger brother, Prince Zhao.

Why did her arrival hasten her father’s death by five years, nearly coinciding with her brother’s demise?

Was it due to Ning Dehai’s growing treason, other forces’ interference, or was she destined for the path of patricide?

The Zhu family was once harmonious, father and daughter close. She could not fathom why her original self would disregard past bonds so completely. Could the taste of power truly change a person?

Should she then chase fame and fortune to wield power and save her family at critical moments, or accept fate’s flow and only attempt to fool destiny when the time truly comes?

With a heart full of worries, she parted with Pei Zai at the street corner, never intending to look back. Yet he lingered in the shadow of a banyan tree, watching the girl take each unsteady step into the house like a little duckling.

Could such a tender girl grow into a formidable politician like the Empress Dowager or Princess Changle?

The answer would unfold slowly in the future. But now, upon hearing that General Gao would arrive in two days and that the escort to Chang’an was set to depart on the third morning, Zhu Xiaozhi informed Song Yun.

Thus, a conspiracy began to weave itself amid the vibrant skirts of these young ladies like blossoming flowers.