14. The Exalted and Noble Daughter of the Phoenix

The imperial decree for the marriage had been issued, and the Xu family would soon begin preparations for the wedding. Xu Da personally sent trusted servants to various regions, delivering the news and notifying the family’s relatives to prepare for entering the capital to attend Xu Guiyi’s grand wedding.

Accompanied by Lady Shen, Xu Guiyi was in the midst of trying on her wedding garments when she noticed Lady Shen seemed quite distracted. She spoke gently, “Sister-in-law, are you troubled today?”

Lady Shen looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Third Sister, there are some things I’m unsure whether I should say or not.” Lady Shen was a delicate woman, not particularly beautiful, but her nature was open and honest, and her relationship with Xu Chengzhen was strong. Thus, Xu Guiyi held her in high regard.

“Sister-in-law, please feel free to speak. Didn’t Aunt say it herself? We’re all family here, there’s no need for embarrassment.” Seeing her hesitate, Xu Guiyi’s curiosity grew, wondering what she wished to say.

Lady Shen took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. “I wish to speak about your entering the palace, about the Empress, and about the Crown Prince…” Her words touched upon both the Empress and the Crown Prince, her tone timid, carrying a multitude of implications.

“You must know, my aunt is the Empress’s own younger sister, and the Crown Prince’s maternal aunt.” Lady Shen spoke calmly.

Xu Guiyi nodded. She had always known that Lady Shen, wife of the heir, hailed from the Yongjia Marquis’s household. The current Yongjia Marchioness was indeed the Empress’s blood sister, the Crown Prince’s own aunt.

The Yongjia Marquis’s family was a military lineage and imperial kin; Lady Shen was the legitimate daughter of the second branch. The Earl of En was from a scholarly family, rich in tradition, and Xu Chengzhen was the eldest grandson of the main branch. Truly, it was a match made in heaven, a perfect union for the noble circles of Guangling.

“Sister-in-law, is there something special you wish to entrust to me?” Xu Guiyi’s mind spun with countless thoughts, but her smile remained serene. She knew Lady Shen’s hesitation was not simply a matter of recounting family ties.

Lady Shen sighed softly. “By rights, your marriage into the Eastern Palace should be a most honorable thing, and I ought to congratulate you. Yet…the honor of the imperial family is not as ordinary people imagine.”

Xu Guiyi poured her a cup of tea. “Sister-in-law, have some tea first.”

Lady Shen accepted it with a smile, though her eyes betrayed concern. “You’ve always been in Luan Prefecture, so you don’t know. For the past two years, the Empress has been anxious to select a bride for the Crown Prince. The daughters of every noble family in Guangling, as long as they were even moderately attractive, were recorded in the artist’s gallery at Longzhen Pavilion. Yet the Crown Prince showed no interest in any of them. The Empress grew more anxious and sent people south, and somehow, your portrait was acquired.”

Xu Guiyi smiled faintly, keeping things light. “For the Crown Prince’s marriage, surely a match that stabilizes the Eastern Palace would be most suitable.”

Lady Shen replied solemnly, “That is true, but the Empress’s heart is always with the Crown Prince. She has accompanied His Majesty for many years, but bearing heirs has been difficult. She bore two princes for His Majesty, but her eldest son died before the age of ten. After much sorrow, she schemed for years before finally carrying the current Crown Prince. Naturally, she cherishes him as her most precious treasure.”

Lady Shen knew these details thanks to her aunt, the Empress’s sister, marrying into the Shen family.

Xu Guiyi blinked. “I can understand the Empress’s sentiment; what parent does not love their child?”

Lady Shen nodded and continued, “The Empress is indeed a loving mother. She fears that after her time, there will be no one to care for the Crown Prince intimately, and so she worries herself sleepless every night.” The Shen family had always been close to the Empress, and Lady Shen herself had only recently become a mother, so she truly understood the Empress’s maternal affection.

Xu Guiyi wondered aloud, “Hasn’t the imperial selection been held many times? In all these years, surely there would be at least one suitable candidate?” If she remembered correctly, the Crown Prince had already come of age over two years ago. Imperial children often married young; at the latest, a match would be arranged upon reaching adulthood.

Lady Shen frowned. “Once, entering the palace through selection was the highest honor for noble girls, but with our Crown Prince, it seems to have become a dreadful punishment.”

“Why?” Xu Guiyi’s interest was piqued, and she looked at Lady Shen with astonishment.

Lady Shen tapped her head and smiled helplessly. “You don’t know the situation in the Eastern Palace, nor the circumstances of the Crown Prince, so you remain so carefree.”

Xu Guiyi was puzzled. During her years in Jiangdong, she occasionally received some news of Fu Lancheng, but it was always fragmented and vague.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces, but nothing concrete. Sister-in-law, please tell me; I have time to listen.” Her memories of Fu Lancheng were of a bright, lively, gentle, and kind youth.

Lady Shen’s gaze settled, and she began to speak.

The Crown Prince, Fu Lancheng, was the only surviving legitimate son of His Majesty and the Empress, noble in status, handsome in appearance. He ought to have been a phoenix among men, so how did he become the infamous ‘rebel prince’ of the royal family?

Fu Lancheng was blessed with good looks and intelligence. At five, he was granted the title Prince Chen; at thirteen, he was made Crown Prince. Everything seemed smooth and proper.

But at sixteen, he fell seriously ill and was bedridden in the Eastern Palace for half a year. Afterwards, his temperament changed dramatically, becoming dark and violent, cold and suspicious.

A wandering Taoist once commented: The Crown Prince of this dynasty is cold-hearted, sees no one below him, cares not for the common folk nor the emperor, is devoid of emotion and affection, loves neither beauty nor the world, is neither gentleman nor Buddha.

Later, the common folk added: The only thing the Crown Prince excels at is contradicting his father. What the emperor dislikes, he especially favors; while other crown princes strive for wisdom and virtue, this one strives for rebellion.

He refused even to live in Chenghua Palace, the traditional residence for crown princes, and insisted on moving to another palace.

The emperor was so enraged at this that he nearly coughed up blood in Deqing Hall, smashing his imperial inkstone to pieces. The civil and military officials were so frightened they all knelt in the hall.

In the end, it was Empress Song who quelled the chaos, while the protagonist of the incident didn’t even appear, said to be busy arranging his new residence.

As for why the Crown Prince harbors such resentment against his father, the subjects remain bewildered. Not to mention the bonds of filial piety, even the basic relationship of ruler and subject seems to be barely maintained.

Yet, His Majesty has only this one legitimate son, and the maternal family is powerful. The emperor once wished to depose him but could not, and could only watch as the prosperous royal family produced such a ‘rebel prince’, reportedly growing many white hairs in despair.

“In the past years, while the Empress focused on Guangling, every official in the city who had an eligible daughter was anxious, fearing their child would be chosen by the Empress or the Crown Prince for the Eastern Palace,” Lady Shen said worriedly.

“What illness did the Crown Prince have?” Xu Guiyi hesitated, but decided to ask.

Lady Shen shook her head. “That I do not know. Because of the drastic change in his temperament, the royal family has always kept the illness secret. I grew up in Lu City and only moved to Guangling in my teens. By the time I arrived, the Crown Prince’s reputation was already very poor. But I once heard from Ayu that the Crown Prince was not like this as a child—he was once very lively and enthusiastic. It was only after that year that things changed…”

Ayu? That would be Shen Yu, heir of Yongjia Marquis, Fu Lancheng’s cousin.

Xu Guiyi thought quietly for a moment, then voiced her doubt. “But no matter how violent the Crown Prince is, surely he behaves normally towards the Yongjia Marquis’s heir and the Empress?”

“The Crown Prince has always been close to Ayu, that is true,” Lady Shen agreed.

“Then isn’t it possible that the Crown Prince would also be normal towards his friends or to a woman he likes?” Xu Guiyi gestured lightly.

But Lady Shen’s expression suddenly darkened, her eyes full of sorrow as she looked at Xu Guiyi. She spoke haltingly, “The people of Guangling whisper in private that the Crown Prince…seems to have…a preference for men…”

“What?!” Xu Guiyi shot to her feet, utterly stunned.

Lady Shen, anticipating such a reaction, quickly grabbed her hand and hushed her, then said in a low voice, “Keep your voice down.”

Xu Guiyi felt as if her soul had shattered, unable to accept this revelation. Lady Shen had to force her to sit back down.

Even seated again, she stared at Lady Shen in disbelief. “Is this true? How could it be? What about me…” What should I do? For the first time, Xu Guiyi felt what it meant to be grief-stricken and unable to cry.

Was Heaven playing a joke on her? How could Fu Lancheng have such a preference? Had she been away too long—what had happened in these six years?

Seeing her so agitated, Lady Shen spoke softly, “There’s no definite evidence, but…this rumor is known to almost everyone in Guangling. And…the Crown Prince has heard it many times, yet never denies it. So, you tell me…could it be false?”

Xu Guiyi’s mind was in utter turmoil, the news too shocking to process. Though she had read many books about strange tales and peculiar customs, and had heard of such preferences, she had never imagined that Fu Lancheng would be one of them.

“Can the Empress accept this?” If her only son had changed his orientation, surely she would not stand by.

“Of course not. Otherwise, why has the Empress been so anxious to find a bride for the Crown Prince these years? Not only can the Empress not accept it, even my aunt, the Yongjia Marchioness, cannot accept it. She often weeps to my mother about it…”

Lady Shen’s words made it clear to Xu Guiyi why the noble ladies of Guangling avoided Fu Lancheng as if he were a viper.