{"id":3436,"date":"2026-05-18T13:32:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/song-of-yongan-17\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:32:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:32:57","slug":"song-of-yongan-17","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/bn\/chapter\/song-of-yongan-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Song of Yong\u2019an 17"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter Seventeen

The person behind me quietly closed the wooden door first, then shut the pavilion door, standing guard outside. With the two doors between us, there were only the two of us left.

My hands had long since gone numb from the cold; his weren\u2019t much better, yet he gently took my hand and said, \u201cIf you\u2019re cold, why come out here to feel the wind?\u201d I looked up and saw the faint smile on his face and felt suddenly embarrassed.

I tried to pull my hand back but he gripped it tighter, and I blurted, \u201cYour Highness, it wouldn\u2019t be proper if anyone saw us.\u201d He replied, \u201cIt\u2019s fine\u2014what good fortune is there in waiting outside?\u201d

Above, the congratulatory calls had already risen wave after wave.

I smelled the faint chrysanthemum wine on him and couldn’t help but laugh: “I didn’t expect Your Highness to drink on impulse too.” He looked down at me and replied calmly, “Grandmother the Empress Dowager already had two cups\u2014how could I escape?

Luckily my tolerance isn’t too poor.” It was rare to hear a teasing tone in his voice, and I laughed aloud: “Your voice hasn’t changed, Your Highness.” A trace of a smile played at his mouth as he said, “I’m quite sober.” After that he didn’t continue.

I turned my head to look at Qujiang; earlier everything had been a riot of yellow, and now a faint, fragrant wine scent had been added\u2014 the flavor of the Double Ninth Festival was growing stronger.

My hand, warmed by his grip, suddenly felt a little clammy; I glanced down without thinking.

His hand was clean and long-fingered, the joints delicate and attractive\u2014just looking at it I could imagine him holding a brush or playing a flute.

Cheers rose from the banks of Qujiang and spread outward, as if someone had gone to relay the Empress Dowager’s decree.

For a time the air over the river floated with cries of “Long live the emperor”; the courtly homage was like that of an emperor. Because of the volume of congratulation, Ziyun Tower gradually grew lively.

He and I stood quietly, enjoying the stillness within the clamor.

Suddenly, a voice outside the pavilion asked, “Have you seen the Prince of Yongping?” The little eunuch on guard, He Fu, answered, “Reporting to Duke Zhou, I was also looking for the Prince.” The voice continued, “If you’re going to look, hurry up\u2014what are you dawdling here for?”

It turned out to be my uncle. I looked up at Li Chengqi; though his face was calm, there was a restless tide stirring behind his eyes. Outside, He Fu seemed unsure how to reply.

My heart tightened; as I was wondering whether I should step out to defuse the situation, I heard another familiar voice say, “He Fu was summoned by me. If Duke Zhou wants him to look for someone, feel free to send him.”

Li Chengqi knit his brows slightly; I recognized that the speaker was Li Chengyi.

Wu Chengsi’s voice said again, “A man who doesn’t flirt wastes his youth\u2014seems I have disturbed the young prince’s amusement.” Li Chengyi laughed heartily and replied, “No matter, no matter.

I had already intended to offer someone to Princess Yong’an, but the princess refuses to marry, so it wouldn’t do to marry off her personal attendant first.” Wu Chengsi tossed off a couple more casual remarks, and from the sound of it, departed.

Only then did I realize that Li Chengyi had been in another part of this building with Yiping, and I couldn\u2019t tell why he\u2019d suddenly appeared and solved our predicament.

When the sounds outside had died away, Li Chengqi signaled for me to stay here a moment; he opened the door, crossed the antechamber, and left ahead of He Fu.

When we returned to the banquet, Li Chengqi was surrounded by people; my uncles were among them. The imperial grandaunt watched with a smiling face and whispered something to Taiping.

Taiping stared at Li Chengqi and nodded with a smile.

Looking at them, I felt as if the Year of Longevity might be an auspicious one \u2014 since entering the palace, it was the first time I\u2019d seen a branch of the Li imperial family so harmonious.

My gaze swept past the crown prince\u2019s side; Li Chengyi was leaning at an angle behind a small table, meaningfully lifting his cup at me from across the room.

I hadn\u2019t expected that ever since the Double Ninth Festival, the Daming Palace would be plagued by rain and snow, everything damp all around.

Because of the unpredictable weather, Wan’er caught a fever, so I took over the work of grinding ink for the emperor.

While Wan’er was here, most of the imperial edicts were penned by her hand; now they can only be started by Imperial Aunt in person, and only when she is tired do I read the memorials aloud.

Wei Tuaner always treats me kindly \u2014 after all, I have never been hostile to her. To her I am merely the daughter of a prince who has fallen out of favor, though the emperor dotes on me somewhat more than on others.

The Crown Prince occasionally comes to Penglai Hall, but he merely exchanges a few words with Imperial Aunt before taking his leave.

A few of the princes linger longer, and whether Imperial Aunt means to or not, she always ends up speaking to them about state affairs; even the young Li Longji answers with surprising composure for his age.

“Chengqi will be seventeen by the new year,” the emperor nodded toward Li Chengqi at his side. “Emperor Taizong married Empress Wende at sixteen. In the blink of an eye you’re of an age to wed \u2014 have you given the matter any thought?”

I was in the middle of taking the teacup Wei Tuaner handed me; my heart leapt and my arm froze as I set the cup down on the desk. To my surprise, Li Chengqi was momentarily silent and did not reply at once.

Wei Tuan’er, seeing this, hurriedly smiled and said, “She’s young and thin-skinned.

The Emperor asks so directly\u2014how is the Prince supposed to reply?” The Emperor smiled gently and nodded, “Tuan’er is right.” He chuckled, then suddenly turned his head to me and said, “I was about to ask Yong’an, but it seems the girls are even less willing to answer.

You should all learn from Taiping\u2014if you have feelings, tell me privately.”

I quickly lowered my head and said, “Doesn’t Imperial Aunt want to hear the memorials? Yong’an will read them to you now.”

The Emperor laughed twice and did not continue the topic.

I picked up the memorials from the table and selected them one by one to read. Imperial Aunt held her teacup and listened carefully, occasionally nodding but saying nothing.

Only after I finished reading would she take the vermilion brush to mark the edicts and set them aside.

It wasn’t until the memorial to posthumously confer the title of Duke Longdao on Confucius that she paused slightly and exchanged a few words with Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi.

The braziers around the hall burned brightly, driving off the dampness that stretched through the Great Ming Palace; the room was warm as spring.

I heard them speaking of Confucius, then of the posthumous enfeoffment of the Duke of Zhou, and found my mind wandering. I remembered what Imperial Aunt had just said and my heart thumped hard.

If not for Wei Tuan’er suddenly interrupting, would he have immediately asked Imperial Aunt for permission to marry?

Several months had passed since the Double Ninth Festival: my uncle had been removed from office, and the crown prince and his sons had been summoned with increasing frequency.

Both court and palace had begun to shift in subtle ways because of it.

“Yongan, continue reading.” The emperor looked at me unexpectedly.

I hurriedly picked up the last memorial and, after opening it and scanning it at a glance, instantly felt as if all the strength had been drained from my body \u2014 Di Renjie, this was a memorial accusing Di Renjie of treason!

I squeezed the paper in my hand, took a deep breath to calm myself, but did not dare to make a sound.

“Yongan?” the emperor urged, calling my name.

Everyone in the hall had been smiling, but seeing me like this they all felt something was off, and their expressions changed.

“I\u2014I,” my mind churned with the words from the Lantern Festival and what Li Chengqi and Di Renjie had said before the throne; suddenly the characters in front of me blurred and I couldn’t read on. I hurriedly knelt and said, “This memorial concerns a grave matter; Yongan, Yongan dares not read it.”

My great-aunt the imperial princess still looked at me with a smile and said, “I am already informed of this case; you may read it without worry.”

I didn’t dare look up, holding the memorial above my head, not daring to make a sound. The imperial grandaunt knew the contents of this memorial and still had me read it aloud\u2014what did she mean by that?

I had no time to ponder; cold sweat covered me, and I forced myself to suppress my emotions so my hands would stop trembling.

At last, the imperial grandaunt reached out, took the memorial, and carelessly set it on the table. “You may stand down,” she said.

I hurried to stand there with my head bowed, then heard her continue, “I had you read this memorial today to hear your opinions.

This is the memorial accusing Junchen Ren, the co-Pingzhangshi Renzhigu, Di Renjie, Pei Xingben, the Minister of Ceremonies Cui Xuanli, former Left Assistant Director of the Literary Bureau Lu Xian, Censor-in-Chief Wei Yuanzhong, and Prefect of Luzhou Li Sizhen of plotting rebellion.”

When Li Chengqi, Li Chengyi, and Li Longji heard it, they immediately rose and listened intently, shock written all over their faces.

The imperial grandaunt glanced over the three of us and said to Li Chengqi, \u201cChengqi, what do you make of this?\u201d

Li Chengqi pondered for a moment and replied, \u201cYour grandson has not seen the memorial and dares not speak rashly.\u201d The Emperor picked up the memorial and said, \u201cRead it carefully.\u201d Li Chengqi bowed and took the memorial, studying it closely; the hall was as still as if no one were there, and no one dared move even an inch.

In just that short time, I already felt my back soaked through, and even breathing seemed difficult.

He folded up the memorial, bowed and placed it on the desk, and respectfully said, “According to the previous pardon issued by the Empress Dowager, anyone involved in treason who confesses upon first questioning can be spared execution.

Now that Di Renjie has already confessed, your grandson believes he may be merciful and spare his life. But the crime of treason is weighty; a thorough interrogation is necessary.

We must not go easy on anyone, nor wrongfully accuse anyone.”

No wonder he had urged Di Renjie to confess that day\u2014I hadn’t realized the Emperor had such a pardon.

Though he spoke with courtesy and propriety, he was arguing to save Di Renjie’s life; anyone could hear that meaning.

I clenched my hands, stealing a glance at the Imperial Great-Aunt’s face\u2014her expression unreadable, neither joy nor anger, her eyes dark and withdrawn.

“Have you finished reading Lai Juncheng’s memorial?”

Li Chengqi replied respectfully, “Your grandson has read them all.”

The emperor nodded and said, “Aside from the people I just mentioned, who else did Lai Junchen bring up?” Li Chengqi was silent for a moment, then answered calmly, “Besides the foregoing individuals, Lai Junchen also suspected your grandson of involvement in this matter.”

It was like a boulder striking me\u2014an explosive crash\u2014and my mind went blank. I could only jerk my head up and look at him. He still stood straight-faced, composed, his eyes tranquil and indifferent.

The emperor looked at him and said slowly, “You know well that whenever treason is involved, I show no mercy.

At this moment you still speak up for Di Renjie?” Li Chengqi slowly knelt and replied uprightly, “Whoever is implicated in treason must be thoroughly interrogated.

If the Empress Dowager believes your grandson must prove his innocence in that way, your grandson will volunteer to enter prison for investigation.

It is only that the memorial implicated several people; the Empress Dowager asked about only Di Renjie, and I spoke only in defense of Di Renjie.”

Before he finished speaking, Li Chengyi and Li Longji at his side suddenly dropped to their knees, saying, “Please have the Empress Dowager investigate; my elder brother has no intent of rebellion!”

At their kneeling, everyone in the hall hurriedly sank to their knees as well, pressing their heads to the ground and not daring to make a sound.

There had been princes who plotted rebellion in the Daming Palace before, who were exiled and executed \u2014 let alone one of the imperial grandchildren.

Kneeling on the floor, I couldn’t bear to imagine that this matter could involve him, nor could I bring myself to think about what would happen next.

My throat and the tip of my nose burned with a sour sting, and my vision filled with a white haze.

The Emperor looked coldly at everyone, remaining silent for a long while before saying, “If you wish to prove your innocence\u2014” She trailed off, hesitated slightly, as if unsure.

A stab of pain like a knife tore through my heart; reckless and not caring for my life, I prostrated myself and blurted out, “Prince Yong’an is an imperial grandson.

If he is judged and punished together with traitors, it would disgrace the royal dignity. I beg my Imperial Grand-Aunt to reconsider.”

After that plea, my forehead stayed pressed to the ground; I dared not say another word.

I didn’t know why I had the courage to speak, nor what consequences might follow.

The hall fell silent again, save for the faint sizzling from the brazier. I kept my eyes tightly shut, bracing for my Imperial Grand-Aunt’s fury, for every punishment I could imagine and those I couldn’t.
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